The Right Priority

This morning I want to bring you one last message from the school that we didn't cover in the school and I want to finish our three weeks with this message but it's very specifically an application to you this local church and to others maybe who went through the school that will listen to this later but our last message here in this school over these three weeks is called the right priority and it's from the series on revival what we're going to deal with here remember in our revival series we brought many things in which you would not expect to find in a revival series but we applied it and used it knowing that these things are essential they may seem small insignificant things yet they're central and vital when we come to deal with a church revived filled with the life of God functioning and the purpose of God my message the right priority reading from 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 6 and it says there and Paul writing to the church I had planted a polis watered but God gave the increase so then neither is he that planteth anything neither he that watereth but God that giveth the increase now he that planteth and he that watereth are one and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor for we are labors together with God ye are God's husbandry ye are God's building let's pray together here this morning father I do thank you for the precious blood of the lamb we thank you for the finished work of Calvary we thank you for the grace of God that came to us through the Lord Jesus Christ and as a church I pray O God for each one of us in this room right now that you'd bring everything within our lives into the right priority nor God you are a God of order not of confusion you have a right place for everything for every person you are a God that brings order into the body of Christ you have an order and dealing with things you have a way of working with each one of us and you have a way for the Church of Christ to operate in the will of God will you speak to our hearts here this morning in Jesus mighty name amen as we come to this message the right priority we are going and you are going to have to have the Holy Spirit apply this to your heart if it's to affect you it can become another message another bit of information or this could radically change the order of your life we are preaching here this morning on the right priority we want to look at the priorities of your spiritual life and of this church and of the school of Christ priorities are a very important thing to God if you get this wrong you're gonna have a problem serious problem if you get this right something of the life of God is gonna flow you cannot serve God if your priorities are misplaced in other words if the priorities of your life are in the wrong order if the things that aren't important are emphasized and the things that are important are forgotten about you are going to have a serious problem priorities are vital here for a second before I preach this message let me give you a very practical example this is gonna hit the mothers especially I'm gonna pick on poor little Thomas here this morning and use him as an example with his mommy can you imagine Thomas in a few years time leaving his bedroom and it could have chosen Joshua it was a wrestle between the two can you imagine him leaving his bedroom in an absolute tip and disaster and I knew Thomas would never do that his mother Victoria comes in and says no Thomas I'm going out shopping for one hour and when I come back in I expect you to have cleaned your bedroom tidied up and put everything in its right place so she leaves Thomas there happy as Larry and she goes out the door saying there's every sign that he's gonna do what his mommy's told him to do one hour later she comes back and there's young Thomas from the top of his head to the sole of his feet covered in paint and with a smile reaching from ear to ear unbelievable he is so excited Vic's mouth drops her jaw literally drops and goes Thomas what have you done he says come on mate you're gonna be so excited as he takes her to the back of the house to the shed in the back garden and saying look I painted it pink I know you like pink I know you're gonna be so happy you told daddy that this is something that you desire to be done at some point and I done it for you while you were out what do you think victorious response is gonna be is she gonna be as excited as young Thomas or as young Thomas going to find some education on the seat of his education since I'm saying that in a very practical way because you know what you can laugh at that and that is funny and that is very unlikely to happen but you as the Church of God do get your priorities wrong and you're like little Thomas standing there excited saying look what I have done and God said I never asked you to do that our message here this morning is the right priority I'm not so much afraid and I want to tell you this I'm not so much afraid of failing at something as I am of succeeding at that which is unimportant do you hear the difference here this morning you could succeed at something God says I didn't ask you to do that I'm not scared of failure but what if I give all my time my energy all my spiritual life to something and God said I never asked you to do that you've got your priorities wrong in fact you always had your priorities wrong I don't want to invest my Christian life in wood hay and stubble and I don't want those that went through the school the past three weeks or this local church to invest in something outward ministry when God is looking for spiritual internal life you see wood hay and stubble have very little intrinsic value they're of no consequence on the day at the judgment seat of Christ Christ will say that's all for burning you're gonna say but that's all my Christian life that's all my hard work that's all the ministry I've done for you Christ said it's only good for burning it's of no consequence you know why for this one reason only one reason wrong priorities you never understood what I'm gonna preach you the right priority is the only way to have gold silver and precious stones it is absolutely the only way I believe this message that I'm gonna preach to you this morning is the key for you to rise above making that great tragedy that you're saved by fire there are many in the church who are gonna be saved by fire and they're offering to God what little Thomas and my imaginary story is doing so excited years of labor and God says I'm utterly uninterested you didn't even recognize my priority for your life or this church here in this message I'm gonna deal with three levels of service ministry for God ministry with God and ministry to God there are three very different kinds of ministry and if you get the priority wrong in these you've made a tragic mistake I also want to line these three levels of ministry up with the three areas of the temple there's the outer court which is a large area that everyone gets into there's the inner court which fewer get into and that's real ministry then there's the Holy of Holies that only one man one day a year gets access to I want to join these two first of all ministry for God the ministry for God is a labor done for God it could be preaching evangelism playing the piano the guitar doing the words on the computer and the machine it could be clean in the church it could be anything looking after the children that is ministry for God now here in the verses that we already dealt with we read about one planting there's nothing wrong with labor and for God are working for God it's all part of this but don't get it confused if you get this mixed up your priorities if you get these three levels of ministry mixed up you're really gonna lose out you could give all of your life to labor and if you miss the other two it's gonna be vanity you'll say but it's the will of God I'm doing the work of God I'm serving you God and he says you've got your priorities wrong it's all gonna burn but I preach the souls I know but you know because you got things wrong it became worthless it is good it is necessary it is taught of my word but if you don't get the right priority it becomes haywood stubble something that could have been gold silver and precious stones suddenly gets burnt something that could have presented you a crown now gets thrown away as utterly useless and have no consequence in the in the sight and the will of God one plows one plants and another waters what is this this is outer court ministry done in response to a precept or to a scriptural command you could say but I'm a be in the Word of God God has told me to do this I'm just doing it yet it's outward ministry it's outer court ministry there's people deeper levels if that's all the place that you know about you're missing out on the Christian life there are many who preach the gospel like me who are in hell tonight I want to tell you there's men that preach just like me with seemingly far greater ability and gifting and anointing and success and yet they're in hell tonight because they got the wrong priorities they preached that everyone else and they sent their own soul to hell what a disaster this is art or court ministry now there are three specific dangers with this outer court ministry first of all we get so busy working for God that we failed to work with God and we failed to minister on to God if you here this morning have been ministering for God doing things for God and yet you have no idea about ministering to God I'm telling you it was all haywood and stubble you've wasted your time you better rethink this whole thing this morning all through the past three weeks of this school we emphasize this one thing that it's not your works that takes the first priority it is the altar of prayer it's a place of communion it's getting alone with God it's seeking the face of God it's humbling your heart before God that's priority number one not preaching not evangelism not worship not stand and teaching in a pulpit that's why although I have a high view of ministry you've also heard me many times say it's of no consequence it means nothing I made all these young Christians or semen young converts and they say I want to preach I want to be in the high street every single one of them that emphasize that are not here this morning you know what it was a tragedy they knew nothing about prayer you see you're to establish an altar of prayer or you're gonna find you've got your priorities wrong prayer keeps the priority right getting alone with God will keep your heart right and everything flows out of that establish a place a time a way of meeting with God we get so busy working for God that we fail to work with God God is sitting waiting we do things say God I want you to bless us we never asked him about it it wasn't initiated by him it wasn't his desire we do something say come on God I want you to bless it and all the time God stand there said I'm waiting for you to finish so I can speak to you and say I never asked you to do that you're missing it and even if it I'd had even if you're doing what I told you you're not even joined to me and working you're going doing your own stinking thing and it doesn't come out of a relationship with me there's another point here another danger of this first area we tend to become legalistic brother Clinton and said just the other day a few times in the school he said I noticed I give someone a job in the church and I lose them from the prayer meeting you know why they think that's spiritual they think that's ministry they think they're serving God and suddenly their prayer life disappears if you're doing anything and neglecting prayer what you're doing is an absolute curse to this church I want to tell you people get involved in certain areas of ministry but they lose the importance of the priority there's a third area these efforts require no intimate relationship with God most that gets done in a church takes no intimacy with God I can preach without being alone with God you may say oh I could tell no there's a lot of preachers have no intimate submission to Christ and you wouldn't tell they have a gift that's really from God an ability they've learned to do it but you know what there's lots of things you can do in church all the artwork ministry of the church can be done and it's good it's important it's vital but you know what it better come out of the other two levels of ministry or it becomes a curse to us it'll become a judgment to you on that day it won't become a thing of reward you're saying man I can't wait to the day of rewards you're in for a sad awakening on that day I can assure you that's the first level what's the second level it is described as ministry with God and 1 Corinthians 3 and 9 for we are labors together with God there is a ministry not only ministering for God but with God not only watering but literally laboring together with him it is an inner court ministry it's a deeper place where we draw near to God no there's an awareness of what God is doing it's not serving God it's an overwhelming awareness of what God is doing and wanting to be a part of what he is doing it's not you receiving commands from the Bible say I need to go and evangelize I need to preach I ought to pray I ought to do this but it's going deeper where you go Lord I want to be laboring with you I don't want to be doing this offering you something but I want to go deeper with you this is inner court ministry working with God is a response not to a precept or a command but to a partner that is the Lord Jesus Christ listen Matthew chapter 11 28 come on to me all you that labor on our heavy laden talking about believers and I will give you rest take my yoke upon you learn of me to notice you have to come to him to learn why is there so little in the Church of God coming out of Christ it's because you don't come on to him you don't learn of him you're looking to do things for him and he's done there sin when are you gonna ask me when are you gonna ask me whether I want you to set that aside or do something new or sort out your intimacy since I'm telling you we need to hear this priority take my yoke upon you learn of me for I make him lowly and hard and ye shall find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light notice the second area it says a partaker with Christ as a partner with him he said come and take my yoke upon me I'm doing a certain thing I'm going in a certain direction I want you to come and learn of me you're not going to tell me what to bless you're not going to tell me what I want can you imagine your kids daddy I know what you want me to do do you realize the three-year-old doesn't know do you realize that five year old doesn't know I find it very offensive when people who don't know God don't know the Bible don't know anything about the spiritual life try to tell me what they don't know I get a bit annoyed we have people come in to school of Christ and they say at the end that would tell them not to do this at the start we didn't do it with this one but at the end they say I've got some good ideas on what you should do it was the most lax person in the school the most disorganized the most unfaithful but they want to tell us how to rearrange the school it is the character of man it is the nature man but notice with this you it is true coming into partnership this is the secondary of ministry I am learning of Christ I am you to Christ it's not me doing this I am walking in step with them where he goes I'll go what he tells me to do I will do as we submit to the yoke we become fellow labors with Christ I'm not calling the shots it's not my decision it's not me to saying what we're to do I'm actually following Christ since those radical and most of the church don't know it working for God brings restless activity you see some I've worked so hard I've done so much why hasn't God answered why it isn't something happening you get frustrated and you get annoyed I've done so much you need to be so so careful you're not getting an attitude towards God you know what that tells me you're in the outer court at best and you've accomplished wood hay and stubble you need to come to the second level of ministry where you're saying I'm submitted you know what he says here there's rest when you come under the yoke and now I'm calling the shots the Lord Jesus is leading the way I am carrying the burden do you know what happens there is a working with Christ that brings a rest to your soul walking with Christ under the yoke brings you into the rest of faith that's why I believe I have never got frustrated over a Bible not coming yet on a national basis 45 years I prayed waited preached believed talked read listened I'm not weary we went to church and preach once we ran a school there and one of the best Christians there come and said brother Keith we prayed for six months why hasn't revival come yet I almost didn't know what to say you know what that's someone that's got said I don't mind but why isn't God doing his bed you know what you're in the outer court at best that's where you are and you're there you don't have a clue you've never come under the yoke you're tired you're frustrated you're weary why do you think that is because you're not sharing a burden Christ isn't carrying the burden you're carrying it all and you think you've got a raw deal why is God a law on this because you're carrying your own burden you're not coming into partnership and saying Lord I'm transferring over what do you want what do you desire I want to go further I want to go deeper I don't want to stay where I am then since I got the third level of ministry is the highest ministry possible it's ministry not for God not with God but on to God it is a place of communion with God and Revelation chapter 3 and verse 20 Jesus Christ speaking to the church at Laodicea no let me reword that not speaking to the church at Laodicea speaking to individuals in the church at Laodicea you know what it was like it was a church that was backslidden worldly carnal about to be spewed out it was a lukewarm church and Christ says I if you don't repent if you don't repent I'm gonna spew you out of my mouth I can't stomach you I can't handle you being on my stomach I am gonna spew you there weren't a member of the body of Christ they're sitting in the in the stomach of the body and it's revolting Christ he can't handle it any longer and you know what he says he says that Laodicean church listen if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come into him and will sup with him and he with me do it Laodicea Christ was still looking for someone in this third realm of ministry it's deeper than the other two he wasn't saying I want an evangelist I want a preacher is there anyone who can pray far out of heaven he said is there anyone who'll open their heart and I want to come in and commune in that secret hidden place of the heart it is here at the table of the heart that God sits down and communes with us in an intimate spiritual internal way ministry on to God is a ministry of prayer this is not a response to a precept or a response to a partner it is instead a response to a person to deity to a God who wants a relationship I assure you my marriage would be in tatters if I didn't communicate with this girl you you know the story how we got on a plane and the guy at the desk I tell you I know he deliberately changed his smile we said now make sure you get us two seats together he smiled and he said yes sir you will have we got on there and she's sitting behind me she cried six hours we're not going to be able to talk you say what you work with you you live with her you drive everywhere with her you do everything with her and six hours on a plane she cries yes yes saints of God I'm talking about Christ I'm talking about an intimacy of heart it's a person he's not just God he's not just the Creator he's not just a Savior he is my personal friend he is my intimate and this is the third level of ministry it is a place of communion you know what if you don't have this communion of the heart all of your labors are going to be burnt on that day this is not outer court ministry or inner court ministry this is the ministry of the holy of holies where there's no natural light no light of the Sun there's no human light that gets lit with a fire but in that holy of holies it's a glory of God if it's in darkness it's because God's presence isn't there we must first minister unto God before we attempt to minister on the people the church is riddled with preachers who are ministering to people correcting people teaching people and they're frustrated with people if you minister to God this is the overflow saints of God primarily I'm not a preacher primarily my ministry isn't preaching teaching running a church or running a Bible school I show you none of those things are my priority they never have been I discovered at four and a half what my priority was that I might know you that I might glorify you as a boy of six and seven and eight and nine I'd go to bed I didn't know about prayer times brother Jer I didn't know about coming aside and having your prayer time I couldn't read the Bible as dyslexic couldn't tell the difference between a B and a D I didn't learn that until 10 years old to tell the difference the my headmaster made a little bed put a board said there you go when I've got it at long last took me to 10 years old but you know what I'd six seven eight I'm lying on my bed I'm just talking to the Lord he would come to me not physically not visibly but he's there all through those years I never preached I never evangelized I never prayed publicly I never done anything I didn't have the gospel track card all I had was this deep inner communion lovely sweet beautiful month after month year after year of communion and that holy place with the Lord Jesus Christ I actually believe that I had sweeter communion personal intimate with the Lord Jesus before I reached 10 the most pastors ever do in their actual ministry you know why they think this is ministry this isn't ministry this has to come out of true ministry we must first minister on to God to be much for God we need to be much with God if you're really going to serve God if you're going to be effective and ministry and evangelism and prayer and preaching and service to others you're gonna have to be alone with God to try and do those things without being alone with God you'll get dry you'll get discouraged you'll be disappointed you'll put out lots of labor but you'll either end up a dried old prune that criticizes everybody else we're talking about real ministry if you're going to be able to affect people then you're going to have to minister on to God and the Holy of Holies since the tabernacle was built as a reflection of spiritual life of the church of how all of this functions there are three stages to this and it's all through the Lord Jesus Christ ministering on to God is a first is first of all in effectual ministry and until we make prayer praise worship communion adoration and fellowship unless we put that first unless that's our first priority you know what the other two areas will become very very hard our ability to minister to others comes out of our knowledge and communion with God listen to what Daniel said about our generation and this hour that's just ahead of us he said in Daniel 11 verse 32 they that knew their God shall do exploits he didn't say that in this hour they that knew about God those that have a lot of knowledge those that have been through school of Christ he didn't say that he said those that know God who have an intimate personal experience since I'm speaking to every genuine Christian if you have lost personal private intimate fellowship with Christ you're on very dangerous ground very dangerous crime I'm not even saying about having a prayer time and reading your Bible you can do that and I've lost your intimacy you could have your hours prayer time read your machines reading and yet there's no communion with God I would rather you read one verse and had communion with him I would rather you had ten minutes of prayer every day but had sweet holy communion with him we're not talking about religiosity here we're talking about a living relationship with Christ it is possible to know Christ theologically I'm not to know his presence yet I tell you without fear of contradiction here this morning that this is truly the exception let me take you to Luke 24 to show you an example of what I am saying concerning the two on the road to Emmaus you can know Christ theologically doctrinally accurate you can be perfect in your knowledge but you don't know his presence do you hear me listen very carefully these two disciples walking along we're talking deep theological discussions two of them concerning the person of Christ theology doctrine scripture what had happened in their own experience and they're approved and concerning the things that had taken place in Jerusalem they were talking about Jesus a mighty prophet how he was crucified and while they were talking about him while they were bringing forth their knowledge about him he himself joined himself to them verse 16 says this that they did not know him they actually did not know him they're true disciples they know all that's going on they're very sad and hard but they did not know him they're Christians they're disciples they're followers they're believers but they don't know him are you like that this morning do you know at all you could talk and you're very sad about what's going on around you and yet Christ walks beside you you don't even know him you can't even see his presence you don't even discern when Christ draws near they discuss the theology of Jesus yet we're blind to his presence the curse of our time right now is that Christ is missing from much of our theology there's no doubt about it we've thrown theology out I'm for theology I'm for the doctrines of the Bible you do not know Christ through theology alone I'm a Bible man I'm a scripture man I'm a Bible preacher but that's not enough I do not minimize sound doctrine to seek to know Christ apart from the written scriptures will lead you to fanaticism error and disaster if you tell me you don't need the Bible you you are heading a one-way ticket to hell urine I don't care what your spiritual experiences are an experience of Christ apart from this Bible you you're a disaster waiting to happen when you say I don't need to spend time in this book to know Christ then you're deceived you don't have a clue what you're talking about oh I could commune with Jesus but I don't need the Bible then you're contradicting everything this book says I'm what Jesus himself said it is also possible to have great understanding of theology and still be a stranger to Christ look at Martha at the time of Lazarus her brother who had died she had a very sound doctrine concerning the resurrection she knew it she believed it she could recite it to crap imagine you're telling Christ oh I know he's gonna be raised no no no no you don't understand don't you realize why I'm here she is teaching him I hate hearing people teach God in prayer I go don't you know that God knows everyone or maybe it's you're trying to teach everyone else listening so that's what you're putting it all in your prayers what's the point of I really don't like people trying to teach me in their prayers okay but song doctrine is vital the Emmaus rude disciples can quote all the facts about Jesus but they don't recognize the Jesus that is walking with them talking with them and trying to lead them to the scriptures they're very hard to be brought that way true revelation is the result of intimate communion with Christ the Emmaus disciples eyes were open when they began to break bread with Jesus remember when they said come in come in there was something about him they couldn't discern who he was they didn't really know but they had of an enough of awareness to go this man isn't getting away from us you need to come in and break bread with us and as they broke bread it says their eyes were open and they knew who he was since it's in the breaking of the bread that there comes a revelation of Christ the intimate revelation of Christ was not separate from song doctrine it came out of song doctrine song doctrine will bring you to an intimate walk and an understanding of the real Christ Jesus began with Moses worked his way through all of the prophets until the book of Malachi said I am I am this book reveals who I am and their eyes are opened at the end of the journey song doctrine is a must it is vital basin our relationship with Christ on the Word of God is vital but it is only in the breaking of the bread that we truly know Jesus Christ and prayer we commune with them at the table of our hearts our eyes are open we see him we discern him we minister unto him people who don't pray cannot know that they can know much about God if you don't pray oh you could do everything you could read a thousand books on theology you could correct my words when they're wrong and say he got that wrong he got that wrong he got that wrong but you know what if you don't pray and you don't worship and you're not intimate with Christ you don't know God you may know theology but you don't know God you don't know where you are or where you're going the first priority let me bring you back to this again the first priority for true service is to follow Jesus Christ John 1226 says if any man will serve me let him follow me you want to serve me I want to go serve you Lord I want to do something for you praise God that's a good desire but first follow me oh no I don't have time for that I just want to serve you you say that's ridiculous yes and it's all through the church I've watched it time and time and time again Lord I want to serve you but I don't want to spend any time getting to know you it's all through the church the emphasis here is let him follow me what does it mean to follow Jesus three things it means to set your heart towards him secondly it means to know him intimately you've got to spend time I had to spend time with this girl I mean time I had to spend time with her and listen to her you ever been in a relationship with someone they never asked you and about you they never listened to you all they do is talk talk incessantly they don't have the first clue about you but also it means to minister unto Christ to follow him means to minister do you know what it means to minister to Christ do you know what it is to actually meet his desires and needs when we seek the Lord in prayer when we search his word to know him we are at the very highest point of usefulness oh I'm studying the Bible to get a message I'm studying the Bible to tell my neighbor I'm studying the Bible for a sermon I'm studying the Bible to get something for the Lord's table you missed it what about reading the Bible to minister unto Christ never thought about that before all levels of ministry are seen in the life and the ministry of the Apostle Paul yous are very quiet this morning as a Pharisee the Saul of Tarsus he persecuted the church had you asked him what are you doing throwing these Christians into prison I'm serving God you know what he was in the outer court ministry nobody served God done things for God like Saul of Tarsus no one I mean he burnt he dedicated everyone he would deny himself food he would deny himself sleep he would deny himself comfort he would deny himself everything you know what he is serving God but he does not know God if you asked him he'd say I'm working for God all of this is the will of God the work of God the command of God Jesus said the day will come when those who persecute you and kill you will think they're doing service to God they'll say this is what God wants me to do but they don't know God listen in Acts chapter 9 after Saul's encounter with Christ Paul moved to the second level of ministry verse 20 says straightway he preached Christ no he is working with God I believe Saul moved into that realm I'm not just thinking he's doing things for God I'll do this I'll do that I'll do this but he moved into this realm of being yoked with the Lord Jesus Christ as soon as he was born again straightway he preached immediately straight after being saved he stood up in the middle of Damascus and he began to preach he began to preach you know the only problem with that is someone who does that what do they really know it was true God used it nobody got saved in Damascus but you know what he's now working with God but look what happens when you work with God over in Galatians chapter 1 16 to 18 Paul stopped his labors he immediately preached then he stopped caused a riot then he stopped I wonder if he said Lord what do you want me to do I believe he did because of what he does for the next three years he preached immediately said there's in my heart but Lord what do you want me to do do you know what what God had him to do was to go into the Arabian Desert for three years no preaching no public ministry no functioning in the church no evangelism for three years all ministry is shut down no ministry you know what he does he goes to the backside of the desert and he comes to know this God do you not realize that in his previous life he knew the Old Testament like nobody else don't you know he already knows the scripture as soon as he got born again he sees it all he knows all the prophecies he knows all the scriptures he can probably quote off entire books and yet why did he go into Arabia what to learn more of the Bible to be taught theology for three years he had to come to know this Christ since God I believe this is a remarkable thing and the desert Paul learned the secret of ministering on to God it's not enough to stand in Damascus and preach publicly I want to minister on to God here he come to the third level of ministry when he was working for God his life was focused on the need of those on the streets but he touched and he touched a small sphere of people no one got saved that we know but when he moved into the third level of ministry he moved past ministry unto God past ministry with God and now he moved to ministry unto God you know Paul's entire ministry was based on this all the new churches all the preaching all the evangelism all the missionary endeavors all came out of a three-year ministry unto Christ I wish every preacher would learn this you ought not to get into the pulpit with theology and doctrine and great learning or great gifting it's not enough it's not enough it can curse a church it can destroy a church to have it so perfect and yet you don't know God you actually do not know him evangelism flows out of worship ministry is the product of spiritual life that flows from intimate communion with the Lord Jesus Christ scripture is filled with this truth that I've just told you on the day of Pentecost three thousand souls instantly born-again mightily I mean transformed through one sermon this this is more than evangelism this came out of ministry Peter Stannan is ministry to man when he stood and said you crucified Christ that's ministry to man but that isn't what caused this to happen it came out of ministry to God all this came out of a 10-day prayer meeting where the Spirit of God came down on anointed worship or look at Acts chapter 2 in verse 11 all were speaking in tongues the people gathered and said we do hear them speak listen the wonderful works of God supernaturally inspired worship they're just praising God they weren't preaching in tongues they weren't supernaturally preaching the souls you know what they're doing they're magnifying God they broke out of the upper room onto the streets gathered a crowd they're going praise you Lord praise you Lord worthy is the Lamb and all these different languages it was anointed worship it was ministry appraisal they're about to see the greatest in gathering of souls but where did it come out of we love you Lord we magnify you that was the root of it that was the cause since I'm telling you where all of this flows out of it says in Acts chapter 2 verse 46 to 47 and they continuing daily and one accord in the temple breaking bread from house to house did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart listen praising God and having favor with all the people and the Lord added to the church daily such as be saved maybe if we learn to really praise God more would be added to the church thanks to God maybe we need to get our priorities right maybe we've had our priorities all wrong and you're frustrated and you're dry and you're empty and you're trying to do things you go why doesn't it work it works for him and it works for her I'm probably I just don't understand yes you do you absolutely do I'm fully convinced you do or in Acts chapter 3 it talks about the healing that took place where the shook again thousands of lives one miracle of healing and thousands push their way in where are Peter and John on their way to it was the Arab prayer they're going up to worship in the temple they're on the way to minister on to God and they just stopped off and a miracle happens that brings thousands of more souls in you know where their focus is I'm gonna worship the Lord I'm going up it's our prayer oh I'll stay at home it doesn't matter sure the Lord understands does he does he I haven't read that in my Bible that ministry on to God the most important meeting in our church is a prayer meeting if you don't realize that you don't have a clue about the Bible in Acts chapter 13 the church sends out Paul and Barnabas it's very first missionaries or apostles and the pattern is the same the key is worship listen to what it says in Acts 13 in verse 2 as they ministered unto the Lord and fasted they weren't coming together to pray or to ask or to try and get they weren't doing that they gathered an entire gathering of the church and said all we want to do is minister unto God where's the churches that do that where's the Christians that do that I'm fasting why are you fasting to minister unto the Lord well I need him to do something for me I need I need to get something I want something to happen what about ministering on to God and fasting as they ministered on to God listen the Spirit of God spoke and said separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work for the work the outer court ministry it's so important we need it you need it if you're sensitive to God if you minister to God he may speak to you if we as a church minister on to God make that our priority we worship you we love you we want to minister on to you we want to serve you maybe it's speak and say separate this one for ministry all of the great ministry of the Bible came out of this he still speaks when men minister unto the Lord in Acts chapter 16 Paul and Silas were beaten and put in jail and what did they do they turn the prison cell at 12 midnight into a praise service it says there Paul and Silas they prayed and they sang praises unto God do you know what they were doing they're ministering on to God prayer praise hallelujah hallelujah you know what it was ministry they were set free they could have got discouraged the press said it's all over let's have a last handshake oh brother I'm so sorry I got you thrown in here shouldn't have cast that demon out I just knew we should have stayed away from the devil and let the devil carry on now the devil's attacking us look at us they began to praise God I knew what God sent an earthquake he turned everything around and he raised up a small church at Philippi that become Paul's greatest supporter no other church financially supported him only that small church at Philippi it was his main financial supporter what an amazing thing you know it all come out of ministry unto God these men are not preaching sermons they were not not praying for souls they were ministering unto God and out of that worship evangelism and ministry flowed out into the jailers home into lots of homes in that community worship is the key to release the presence of God and the power of God amongst God's people if you neglect ministry unto God you could be saying no to revival no to healing no to miracles no to God working in the midst you could be hindering evangelism in this city because you personally and we cooperatively do not minister unto God Moses knew the secret in the Old Testament of this principle he spent a lot of time in the mountain with God in Exodus 32 we find Moses in the mountain getting what the people needed Aaron was down at the bottom of the mountain giving the people what they wanted there's a big difference there those that are alone ministering unto God will always give God's people what they need what God wants them to have all the preachers who you see giving the people what they want they don't know ministry unto God this is the problem this is why they're not alone with God they may say oh I'm a worshipper of God no you're not you don't even give God's people a word from heaven you're a compromiser you're an embarrassment to the body of Christ and verse 7 Moses comes down from the mountain he's been in the presence of God to confront the sin of God's people after his intercession and God's judgment Moses goes straight into the tabernacle the house of God in Exodus 33 and verse 8 Moses enters the tabernacle and the cloud or the glory of God comes down upon the tabernacle when the people saw the glory they rose up and worshiped God at the doors of their tents they're all around they just stand at the door of their tents they're looking at the glory and they begin to worship we worship you God we worship you we adore you there's something about worship saying there is something about it you could be hurting bad and you go I worship you I praise you this is deeper than your needs this is far deeper than what you think that you need and why isn't God answering my prayers how about you turning that around saying I worship you I adore you it's not about me it's about you in Exodus 34 verse 1 to 5 he gives us the steps to becoming a bearer or a carrier of God's glory and verse just listen to me a few minutes saints I know it's very hot in here I know it is you can stand you can do whatever as long as it doesn't distract but listen I just want you to get this before we close and verses 1 and 2 Moses is called to the mountain to receive the mind the will and the commands of God for any man to enter such a relationship where God gives him this he must first meet God in the secret place God will not give you his mind unless you're alone with him he'll not tell you what to do or show you what's to come unless you're alone with him and verse 3 God told Moses no man shall come up with sorry God told Moses no man shall come up with thee you're going to come alone men and women who display God out there in the marketplace in the church are those that have been alone with God in the secret place verse 4 Moses rose up early in the morning he went into the mount Sinai with the Lord as the Lord had commanded him obedience is always better than sacrifice you say like young Thomas oh look what I've done for you not interest I want you to obey me oh but look what I've given you look what I've forsaken for you I want you to obey me there's a lot of Christians in the church they're disobeying God and yet they're going look what I do for God look how I serve God look what I'm doing in the church and he says but you're not obeying me the one thing that I'm commanding and asking of you you're not doing it that's why you're in trouble this morning you do not listen you don't listen and if you don't listen you get into trouble do you realize listening puts you in the right place if you don't listen you really will be in trouble there's no doubt and the Lord descended in a cloud and stood with Moses there and proclaimed the name of the Lord Moses made a decision there to obey God there was no there was no presence until he made a decision saints of God you will not have the power of God the presence of God the intimacy of God if I could have that presence in my bedroom at six seven eight you've got no reason not to have this I was a child at my bedroom alone and I tell you the glory and the presence of God as a child he had come to me when I was 10 11 12 and in the middle of the night I'd be sitting on the edge of my bed looking out into the sky and the presence of God was there and he's doing heart surgery I'm meeting with him it's like the heavens are aglue with the glory of God and yet we've got mature Christians who know nothing about this oh I'm trying to do something for God I want us to be in right priority here I do not want you to hear God say why'd you do that remember Elijah gets the cave 40 days and the Lord says what are you doing here oh I'm jealous for you I'm standing for you what are you doing here you just wasted 40 days and being here I didn't ask you to do this I gave you a meal send an angel to help you encourage you that's just because you couldn't listen to me that's because you're not listening and even if I speak you still wouldn't listen so I send an angel to feed you have a good night's sleep and then you could run super naturally but you're not listening to God you're going to get into that cave and he'll say no what are you doing here I'm very jealous for you that's not the question oh I'm serving you I'm the only one left look no you're not okay let's get that straight but let's keep to the question what are you doing here saints is this coming home to you I hope you're understanding what the Lord is saying here when the Lord said seek me early he's not talking about age he's talking about having a time the morning is a good time to meet with the Lord Jesus Christ and verse 9 Moses repents pardon our iniquity and our sin the revelation of God's glory breaks men and brings true repentance where there's no repentance you haven't seen his glory do you remember Isaiah and Isaiah 6 and 5 he's just preached five chapters to nations and cities dealing with sin you know what the five chapters was accurate God-given ministry it was service for God and it was right but in Isaiah 6 and 5 when he sees the glory of God and he's alone with God he says woe is me for I am undone he says for mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts do you know when you're intimate with God and alone with them I've had this experience where I'm alone preparing a message and I begin to tremble I can remember going back over the years on a Monday morning sitting and I begin to tremble under the presence of God the following Sunday night I got into the pulpit and the people begin to tremble the exact same experience I didn't try to create it it was just the Lord coming in the secret place that came out in the open place Isaiah 66 verse 2 says but to this man will I look even to him that is pure of a contrite spirit and that trembles at my word Psalm 51 verse 17 says the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit an unbroken man is a hindrance to the work of God I'm in a broken repentant person that's been in the presence of God it's only such a vessel that God will use the vessels of the Lord that are gonna bear his glory in this generation are going to be alone with God they tremble at his word they are broken they are contrite they are repentant that's what they are the significance of prayer is the power and the manifestation of the Holy Ghost you can place the prayer ministry worship to God I promise you the power of God will come Luke chapter 3 tells us it was while Jesus was praying that the Holy Ghost descended upon him Luke again says that when Christ went up on the mountain prayed alone with three disciples he was transfigured when was he transfigured in a prayer meeting when he's taken time out Pentecost came when a hundred and twenty were in an upper room praying in Acts 4 31 we read as they prayed the place was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and Luke chapter 5 16 Jesus withdrew himself into the wilderness and he prayed in verse 3 it said then a palsied or a sick man came and he was healed and Luke 6 verse 12 and it came to pass in those days that Jesus went into the mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God it says in Luke 6 17 I had another five messages to preach here but I'm just summarizing that following that that prayer meeting Jesus came down and stood in the plane and a great multitude of people from Judea and Jerusalem came to hear him and he healed their diseases and they that were vexed with unclean spirits they were healed where did it come out of Christ prayed we stand in awe as Elijah calls fire down on Mount Carmel but we tend to forget that he spent much time in prayer alone with God just before the fire fell prayer is the priority ministry on to the Lord is the priority may God hear this morning make us to understand that may we repair the altar of prayer and give ourselves on the ministry to God can I ask you as I close have you had your priorities wrong have you been putting less important things in an important place and vice versa may we Church of God make a priority of getting into the Holy Holies and ministering unto the Lord and out of that will come a ministry with God and for God and unto God these are the three realms and I promise you if we as a church put things in priority the blessing of God is going to be here please stand with me