It is a well-established fact that the Church is on a mission on earth. This Mission is clearly stated in what we now refer to as The Great Commission. Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV), “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.”
Our Mission is to liberate those who are held captive by the devil under his rule and develop them into productive, valuable, successful and influential individuals. It is to impact the world with God’s Kingdom culture, character, laws, principles, language, and lifestyle. It is to bring heaven on earth for individuals, families, groups, tribes, nations, etc.
To achieve this there are basic requirements that must be in place.
8 Fundamental Needs Of The Church
- Purposeful leadership. Leadership that takes the church in the direction God wants. Leadership that is intentional in the pursuit of God’s agenda: The Great Commission. Leaders at every level must lead their groups in the pursuit of this Mandate. One of the mandates of all leaders: pastors, ministers, area leaders, cell leaders, activity group leaders, etc., is to grow their groups thereby growing the church. You are not leading if your group is diminishing or stagnant.
- Clear understanding of our unique divine assignment. Every individual must find out his or her role and contribute to the achievement of this goal of making disciples.
- The power and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Power introduces and advertises the Kingdom of God in a way that no message or preaching can do. It takes power to change circumstances. A sick man does not need your biblical erudition or theological analysis, he needs healing power. A person who is under demonic oppression and attack does not need your theological expertise; he needs power to break his chains. Power makes the church attractive. Therefore, what makes the Church attractive is solution, testimonies, miracles, signs and wonders. We must constantly pray, as the disciples of Jesus did in Acts 4:29-30, asking God to stretch forth His hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the Name of His holy Servant Jesus.” Acts 4:29-30. The early church escalated in growth with the healing of the lame beggar at the Gate Beautiful.
- Divine wisdom. King Solomon asked God for divine wisdom. Cultures change and demographics change. We cannot use outdated methods to achieve our objectives today. We have to become innovative and creative. For instance, the youths of today are not the same as the youths of yesterday. Apostle Paul prayed for wisdom and understanding for the church. Ephesians 1:17. It is crucial for the Church to understand creative and innovative in its approach to solving problems.
- A clear-cut understanding of our Kingdom heritage, the Promises, the Promiser, and the principles for accessing it. 2Peter 1:2, “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord…” It takes knowledge to appropriate our heritage. Ephesians 1:18 (NLT), “I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called.” I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to His people. We cannot enjoy our heritage or preach it to others if don’t know what it is and how to get it.
- Prayer. God has laid up spiritual blessings for us in His Son: The Lord Jesus (2Peter 1:3-4); but requires us to draw them out and fetch them through faith. We cannot breakthrough if we do not pray through. We must pray collectively and ask God to help us to achieve the objectives of the Church. “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 18:19. The Church will grow faster if we pray together for the Mission of the Church.
- That leads us to the next point, Unity of Purpose. Jesus prayed the Father to keep us united. A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. We are talking about unity of faith and unity of purpose. We must all agree to pursue The Great Commission. Our purpose must be the same: reconciling the lost unto their Maker. This is the will of God Jesus asked us to focus on in prayer. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10. The shift of focus to materialism is the foundation of our problems. God never intended for the church to pursue money; that was meant to be added. His intention was for us to pursue the Kingdom. Prosperity was not supposed to be our major message. Prosperity is intended to be our reward.
- Resources. Psalm 51:18-19 (NIV), “In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. [19] Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar.” In this Psalm, David shows us why and how to pray for prosperity—not for our glory, but for the glory of our God.
The Bible says in Zechariah 1:17, “Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad…”
When God prospers people, who are no longer living for their own selfish desires but for His will, the result is the furtherance of His kingdom purposes on earth, which results in His glory.
Give wisdom to a man living for God’s kingdom and he’ll use that wisdom to advance God’s kingdom. Give influence to a woman living for God’s kingdom and she’ll use that influence to advance the Name of Christ. Give popularity to a teen living for God’s kingdom and they’ll use that popularity to share the Good News with their peers.
Give money to a family living for God’s kingdom and they’ll look for ways to invest that money in eternal causes. Give property to a group living for God’s kingdom and they’ll use those facilities for hospitality, love and ministry.
The Holy Spirit said in James 4:3, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
(AMP) “[Or] you do ask [God for them] and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is [when you get what you desire] to spend it in sensual pleasures.”
The church was never supposed to focus on prosperity, but on Kingdom laws that govern life in the Kingdom and prosperity will come. However, it is impossible to carry out our mission without adequate resources. Most people will serve God better if they don’t have money issues to contend with.
Our needs will be met when we do the right things with the right attitude and motive.
God will manifest His glory in the church for all to see. God will manifest His glory in your family for all to see, in the Name of Jesus!
Bishop Dr Charles Olowojoba is the General Overseer of Dayspring Bible Church Worldwide with HQ in Abuja, Nigeria & President, Dayspring Christian Ministries Int’l.
