I wonder why we think in God we get things free? All we have to do is ask and God just gives them to us. Why we even have present day doctrines that teach this lie. No my friend in God there is a price we will pay to know God. Paul prayed, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” (Philippians 3:10-11)

Now Paul knew all to well, “the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” and if we desire to minister life to God's people we too must embrace and desire to be “made conformable unto his death” not His life. If we desire to live we must die to our desires, thoughts, and ways. And for this to happen we will pay a great price. The greater the price we pay the greater our ministry will be. Remember our revelation (what we know of God and how He operates) of God is the measure of our authority and power in God. And Paul knew God, “ Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. 24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.” (2 Corinthians 11:23-27)

Around the turn of the century the message of the gospel really changed. No longer was the cross preached. Not longer was our sin and how it separates us from God preached unto repentance. No longer is spiritual growth and maturity important. Now what we hear is; God loves us and He wants to give us good gifts. His destiny for us to go to heaven, well if we do not die now on earth to our self, we will never ever rule and reign with Him in this life and the next lives to come. Now my brother God's gifts are true (Jeremiah 29:11), but this all comes after we have paid the price God is looking for us to pay. It could be summed up using modern terms as perks without the works. If we desire to live in the fullness of God, we must first die in fullness of our self-seeking, selfishness, and self-life, we must die to our flesh and carnal ways. We must allow God permission to openly deal and judge in our lives so that we will be able to receive His precious promises and become like His dear Son Jesus Christ.

Last week I returned from Rwanda , East Africa . What a powerful time in God we had. Now I have been in many countries in the world, but without a second thought I must say I have never been with a group of people that have a hunger for the word of God then the Rwandan people. Please understand, the hunger for God's word is measured not in the desire for the hearing but the receiving. When we hunger we are satisfied when we eat, not when we look at the food. In the town of Ruhengeli I had the pleasure of meeting Bishop John Nshimiyimana (I met him last year in Bukoba, Tanzania), Emmanuel Ndolimana, and Mashuli Etienne, Samuel Kamanzi (from the Congo), and other great men of God. How I thank God for these wonderful men. The next day after I arrived we headed out about one hour from Ruhengeli to minister at a local church. I was told to wear good shoes for walking, well I needed hiking boots. We were in the land of the seven volcanoes. The ground was lava based and the way was rough walking, wet, and always up hill. You can guess what happened, yes I slipped in the mud. How embarrassing my nice white creased shirt, tan docker pants, silk tie were muddy and as my right arm came to rest on the ground it fell into the Igisura bush that attacked me. I am told they plant this bush instead of a fence to keep people out of their fields. Well, I have never felt such pain so fast before. I looked at my arm and it was nothing but welts upon welts, my first three fingers became numb, and did not function. And I am to minister twice today? I thought no way, let me out of here. But that would not be what God wanted this day. Emmanuel and Mashuli cleaned me up some and we marched into the church with my arm limply hanging at my side and met God. What a presence of God, what a hunger for the word by the people. My words spoke of humbleness and lowliness of heart and I was the visional aid for the day. An big American muddied and humbled by an African bush. As we minister we must always be careful to understand the word we teach God will make us eat them to be able to share them. I am ever learning God is good at making us eat our own words. Later my blood pressure went up super high, but God and the Brethren took great care of me while I was paying the price to be able to share the word of life. Make no mistake my friend there is a cost, a price you will pay to know God's power. There is a different cost a different price you will pay to know God's presence. And if you desire to know God's person it will cost you what it cost Jesus, it will cost you your life. But that is the Father's way, if we lose our life for His sake we shall find our life.

The cost and price to minister the Gospel are many, here are a few we normally do not think of from my teaching on Spiritual Leadership I shared in Rwanda :

1. Self-Sacrifice . Self-sacrifice is part of the price that must be paid daily, A cross stands in the way of spiritual leadership, a cross upon which the leader must consent to be impaled. Heaven's demands are absolute.

"He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." (1 John 3:16) The degree to which we allow the cross of Christ to work in us will be the measure in which the resurrection life of Christ can be manifested through us in spiritual leadership. Remember, scars are the authentic marks of faithful discipleship and true spiritual leadership.

2. Loneliness . By it's nature, the lot of a spiritual leader must be a lonely one. He must always be ahead of his followers. Though he must be the friendliest of men, there are areas of life in which he must be prepared to tread a lonely path. Human nature craves company, and its only natural to wish to share with others the heavy burdens of responsibility and care. Moses paid the price for his leadership, alone on the mount, and alone in the plain; the crushing loneliness of misunderstanding, criticism and impugning motive. And times have not changed, there is nothing new under the sun.

3. Fatigue . "The world is run by tired men." The ever increasing demands made on a leader drain the nervous resources and wear down the most robust physique. But, the true spiritual leader knows where to go for renewal. Paul knew this secret, "For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. 16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4:15-16)

4. Criticism . There is nothing else that so kills the efficiency, capability, and initiative of a leader as criticism or a thing that directs ones attention toward their inabilities as criticism.

(a) Destructive Criticism. It chips away at his self-respect and undermines his confidence in his ability to cope with his responsibilities. No leader is exempt from criticism, and his humility will nowhere be seen more clearly than in the manner in which he accepts and reacts. "A soft answer turneth away wrath" (Proverbs 15:1)

(b) Constructive Criticism. Sets one toward self-examination, heart-searching, and prayer which always leads to a deeper sense of utter dependence in God.

5. Rejection . "No man is ever fully accepted until he has, first of all been utterly rejected. The rugged path of utter rejection is trodden not only uncomplainingly, but with rejoicing. We often times will go through the fire and pruning, but this the divinely appointed way to the wealthy place in God.

(a) God's way is full of limitations and restrictions leading us in a very narrow way, but ends in a broad place in God, full of life. <

(b) Man's way is broad without limitations or restrictions, and ends up in a very narrow way, that leads to ruin, loss, and death. > "Often the crowd does not recognize a leader until he has gone, and then they build a monument for him with the stones they threw at him in life."

6. Pressure and Perplexity . God treats the spiritual leader as a mature adult, leaving more and more to his spiritual discernment and giving fewer sensible and tangible evidences of His guidance than in earlier years. The longer we walk with the Lord, the less we will hear His voice and maybe feel His presence. This perplexity adds to the inevitable pressures incidental to any responsible office. But do not worry, when the time comes to act, God always responds to His servant's trust in Him.

7. Cost to Others . There is often a very real cost that has to be paid by persons other than the one entrusted with leadership. Indeed, it is they who sometimes pay the heavier price. Right or wrong they follow the leader in the direction He is leading.

8. Reaction to Adverse Opinion . Paul set before us a valuable pattern in this regard. "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." (Galatians 1:10) To Paul, the voice of man was faint because his ear was tuned to the louder voice of God's appraisal. He was fearless of man's judgment because he was conscious he stood before a higher tribunal.

Brethren let us be willing to pay the price God is asking us. Do not expect to minister the word of God without paying the price. So many preachers try and think they have succeeded, but in the end they realize they are only trying to persuade men and God is far from them and their words. Let us be honest and truthful before God and ourselves. Let us be willing to be the sacrifice God is looking for so that His will on earth can be done as it is in Heaven.