The Chief Executive Officer of Leadership Plus and convener of the Mentorship Masterclass, Dr. Segun Oshinaga has said ministry is not necessarily about getting results and affluence as many have been made to believe.
He made the observation on Saturday, July 22 during a Zoom session with some church leaders and people in ministry.
Oshinaga chided those who place premium on results saying, any pastor who emphasizes results is only pandering to self-glory.
He asked, “What result did Jesus get in his lifetime? What result did those missionaries who came to Africa get in their lifetime? “
According to him, result in ministry is at the behest of God and not the person in ministry. “What God expects of us is obedience to his will and purpose. It is doing what God has asked us to do consistently and faithfully irrespective of the result we get.”
Oshinaga said some of the successful men in ministry did not see results in their lifetime. ”Some of those who will get the crown on the day of the Lord will be those who did not command crowd. Result is at the behest of the one who called you. Focus on what God has called you to do. Know what he has called you to do, stay with it as long as you are sure God called you to do it.” he said.
He said some of the results we expect may not be pleasant. “Some of the results for Paul were unpleasant. Jail for him was one of the consequences of preaching the gospel, being beaten was a result for Paul. But he kept on doing what God has asked him to do. Our emphasis should be to stay with God.”
Fellowship of his suffering
According to Oshinage some of the things done now in ministry will only produce visible results in years to come after the person doing it might have long gone. “ Your business is to face what you have been called to do and trust God that he counts you faithful when your time here is over.”
Oshinaga who has been doing ministry for well over 30 years said the call of God is also a call to partake in the fellowship of his suffering. “Ministry is about being called to the fellowship of his suffering. The truth is that the glamour part is a minute part of the ministry. The whole of ministry requires some level of suffering. “
He said research has shown that only about 5 percent of churches in the US have more than 100 members. “There are many people that are called but nobody hears about them. God visits us separately, and he has given us the grace to be content with what God has given us to do.”
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Citing the example of Paul again, he said, “God called Paul and told him he would show him great things that he would suffer for him. Many of us treat ministry as if suffering is of the devil. God spoke about Saul and that he will suffer for him.
“Many people are going through so much stress and struggle that we must be there to help them bear their burden. The statistics of pastors committing suicide in the Western world are astonishing. They are afraid to share their struggle because people will think they are not obeying God that is why they are suffering.
“Suffering is part of ministry and it will go round everybody. But when we fellowship with one another, we can help one another until we get victory over what we go through.”
He noted that Paul described Christians as soldiers of Christ. “A soldier of Christ is the most powerful metaphor used for the believer. When you talk about the soldier, you are not talking about pleasure, you are talking about hardship. That is why Paul encouraged us to endure hardship as a soldier of Christ.”
While stressing that ministry is a journey, not a destination, he said, “Results are in the hands of God. Nobody will be judged based on results. “
