YOUR FLOCK YOUR CROWN *Pastoral Guide*

‘For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?’ – 1 Thessalonians 2 vs 19

Hello Dearly Beloved, how are you today? I trust the LORD is daily filling you with perfect peace. This is the WORD of the LORD to His ministers at this moment. You can invite your colleagues and friends and family as well to read this article. God Bless You.

Brothers and Sisters, the proof of a non-wasted effort is the effectiveness or the solidity of the results thereof. One who invests all of his energy and time into a business, and at the end makes 95% loss; no matter the input, he has no praise. In other words, the praise, the comfort, the applaud on any matter comes as a result of the effective output thereof not the input.

From our opening scripture, the Apostle Paul speaking by the Spirit of God makes a point so clear; he says that his flocks are his crown and his rejoicing in the presence of the Lord Jesus on that day. Waow! In other words, he connected his reward from the Lord to the current state of the flock. – Selah. The LORD began speaking to me on this; He was showing me how that many of us don’t know that our responsibility is to see to it that the flocks under us are raised into His full stature. The Apostle Paul understood this, which was the very reason why he was always writing to the Churches, to know their state in the Faith, and always ensuring they were advancing in the knowledge of the LORD. – Selah

‘Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.’ – Philippians 4 vs 1 {KJV}

Notice, here again he encourages the brethren to stand fast in the Lord. But before that, he called them his joy and crown. In other words, the crown is connected to the steadfast state of the brethren. Hence, it’s a responsibility on our part to ensure that they are always standing in the Grace of the LORD, and walking worthy of HIM. – Selah

‘I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.’ – Galatians 4 vs 11

Here, we see that it is very possible to labour in vain. If you read the book of Galatians, you’ll notice that the Galatians Church have gone the wrong way. What did the Apostle Paul do? He didn’t keep quiet on it; He wrote them sharply with the sole purpose of putting them back in line {verse 12}. You see that? His passion was to see to it that the Church was grown up just as he was. And that’s what is expected of us ministers today, not just to have the large congregation, but seeing to it that they are coming up into the fullness of the stature of Christ just like you. That’s discipleship, that’s the job!

YOUR WORKS WILL BE TRIED

^'13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
¹⁴ If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
¹⁵ If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.’ – 1 Corinthians 3 vs 13 – 15 {KING JAMES VERSION}

The above scriptural reading shows us that on that day, our works will be tried by the fire, but they that will receive a reward are they whose works abide after going through the fire. This was what Paul understood, and the reason why he was so after the flocks, taking heed to their states and FAITH, lest he should have ran in vain and come short of the reward in the glorious presence of the LORD.
Take heed to the state of your flock, ensure their FAITH continually stands in the Grace of the LORD and see to it that they walk worthy of HIM as lovers of Jesus Christ.

God Bless You.
- Pastor Jenning Uweye