INTRODUCTION
It has been observed that almost every human person feels happy being associated with God and His work when introduced. This appears to be based on the privileges associated with being involved in God’s work. It is shocking that some individuals who are not gospel ‘ministers also put the sticker, ‘Clergy’ on their means of mobility to enjoy the privileges of being honoured by the law enforcement agencies, particularly the roads. There are also those who want to participate in God’s work and still entangle themselves with the garment of the world. Regrettably, one cannot be an effective instrument of God if he/she has not experienced brokenness.
Also one of the major problems confronting the church of recent has to do with ministerial leaders who are neither broken nor disciplined. This is surely having negative impact on the growth of the contemporary church. This is due to the fact that the pew is affected by the retarded growth of the pulpit — the minister. Regrettably, some Baptist ministers are not exempted from the cankerworm of unregenerated life. The questions to be addressed in this discussion include: What does it mean to be broken? Why is brokenness a necessity? How do we identify ministers who are no broken? What characterize the life of regenerated and disciplined ministers? How can ministers become regenerated and disciplined? What benefit can accrue to the life and ministry of a regenerated instrument of God?
MEANING OF BROKENNESS
When considered from its general day-to-day usage, brokenness has negative connotations: It is viewed as weakness because a broken person is incapacitated from normal functioning. For instance, someone may be broken financially, maritally, emotionally and/or physically. This is why those who experience brokenness in the above facets: of human life go through grief or despair (The Complete Christian Dictionary for Home and School, 76). The negative view of brokenness is however, not the focus of this discussion. Spiritual brokenness is the concern at this point in time which i also referred to as regeneration.
In his description of the sixth word of Christ from the cross, “It is finished,” John M. Drescher gave succinct illustrations. Drescher stated thus: “When a candle is finished it is burned out, destroyed, dissipated. But when a cathedral is finished it is completed and ready for service and use. So Christ’s word announces, not that life was over, but that the salvation He came to bring was completed and ready for all who believe” (82). The sixth word of Christ is analogous of the life of brokenness in Christ. To be broken or regenerated is to be born again (John 3:16). It is to experience conversion and newness in Christ. It is to have experienced transformation of spirit, soul and body through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, to be broken in Christ is to experience a spiritual awareness of the work of Christ in one’s life through the power of the Holy Spirit which brings about transformation in the vertical and horizontal relationships. In other words, to be broken is to experience a clear separation from the old (natural) life to a new (spiritual) one by the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 5:17). It is also a state of life where: successes are no longer viewed as dependent upon personal background but on faith in Christ and obedience to His Word for the glory of the Father whose Spirit teaches us all things (John 14:26). To be broken spiritually is to discard every sense of self-sufficiency and yield to God. To be broken also is to be person who has self-control based on self-denial about all things: spiritual, intellectual, moral, physical, relational, among others. Brokenness is both a punctilear and linear experience because it starts at a point and continues. This is because it includes both conversion and discipleship, and there is no instant discipleship. You can start a walk of discipleship in a moment, but the first step must lengthen into a lifelong walk.
WHY BROKENNESS IS NECESSARY
There are several reasons why brokenness is heedful a few of which are discussed in brief here.
1. The service is a spiritual one: God’s work is a spiritual one and it is spiritual instrument God uses. To qualify as God’s instrument, a person must be broken down so that he/she can be transmitted from carnality to spirituality. It is when brokenness occurs that a person can discern the spiritual assignments appropriately.
2. The unbroken person is still in the old self: A person who has not had an encounter with Christ will only be applying worldly wisdom and strategy since that is what he/she is familiar with. When the case is like this, the best the person can be is an enemy of God and a hindrance to the growth of God’s work. Therefore, brokenness is necessary in order to be able to participate in God’s work.
3. The task is enormous and challenging: The nature of the assignment is a bogus one. : The nature of a task should determine the nature of the preparation the workers will do. God’s work is a vast one and Satan and his cohorts are ever ready to hinder. Some people have been nurtured on the “Easy-believism” doctrine that the Christian life is any easy one. When such people “have traveled a short distance, and the path grows more steep and rugged,” they act like the disciples mentioned in John 6:66: From that time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him”. Therefore, the instrument should be broken and restructured by God so that he/she can be toughened against the wiles of the devil.
No comments:
Post a Comment