Equipped for Emergence Day 4 - Pastor Jimoh Shola

 First and foremost, I would like to give honour to the Almighty God for all He has done in our lives and how He has brought each and everyone of us thus far, even in the year 2024

Secondly, I also appreciate the leadership of this great community and I also thank them for extending the hands of fellowship to me. 

I want you all to know that it's an honor to be in your midst and I do not take this opportunity, to minister to God's people for granted.

Shall we pray ?

Say Father ! 

-Let my life encounter life tonight

In the name of Jesus.

-Let my heart become one with yours tonight

In the name of Jesus

-Father, please let me behold wonderful things out of thy word

In the name of Jesus.
Brethren, moving forward, it is pertinent I crave your indulgence on the subtle difference between the Theme for this year's Worshippers word conference and the several topics that the guest ministers have began to teach and would still be taking in subsequent meetings.

Theme: Equipped for Emergence 

While the topics are: Equipped through or by.
Hence the theme is talking about "WHAT" is to happen ( Being Equipped for Emergence ) and while the topics are giving us insights on "HOW" it would happen. ( How you would go about equipping yourself for the forthcoming emergence )
But it is quite unfortunate that many ministers focus on "WHAT" is to happen so much to the detriment of "HOW" it would happen. And that's why it is very possible for one to never emerge in life because such person never took into consideration "HOW".
Let me explain it with a dialogue/ conversation between a pastor and a congregant:

Pastor: Jide, I see you emerging soon 

Jide: Òpè ooo, sir this sounds good

Pastor: don't get all excited about it yet because you need to be equipped for Emergence 

Jide: Ahh !!! pastor, how can I be equipped for Emergence ?

Pastor: Through prayer & fellowship,  guidance and teaching, studies of the word of God, by the Spirit of God, etc.
Another thing worthy of note as regards the theme is: Equipped for Emergence isn't the same as Equipped for Emergency. Although they are related because of their common origin: both words share the same root, indicating a connection in their meaning. However they are completely different in context.
Having said that, do you know that many ministers equip themselves for emergency and not for emergence
Take for a instance, a music minister who lives holy by the Spirit of God, prays regularly, studies the scriptures and receives godly guidance. Is a minister that is preparing for emergence and can also be used for emergencies but a music minister who doesn't do the aforementioned or maybe does them intermittently, especially when a ministration is coming up soon, is a minister equipped for emergency. And such minister can never emerge.

The topic for tonight is: Equipped Through Study of Scriptures.

Tonight's Teaching is going to be more of an enlightenment geared towards the demolition of strongholds
The mother of all ministries is the ministry of the Word.
It is from the word of God we know about the existence of other ministries and it is also from the word of God we know how to activate and operate other ministry.
Not studying the word is tantamount to forgetting one's source and we all know that any river that forgets its source will soon dry out.
Hence no matter how dynamic you think your ministry is, you must also be a student of the word

We have quite a journey tonight
Five reasons why you need to study the word as a music minister
Do you know that the biggest selling album of all time was released in 1982 and for 42 year which is till date, no album has been able to take the first place position from it ?

-Known as the king of pop 

-Known to have people fall as though they were under the anointing during his concerts or stage performances

Died on the 25th of June, 2009 at age 50. Though dead but his works still speaks

Who sang this best selling album of all time ?

Answer: none other than Michael Jackson with the album titled: Thriller
What he did to the music industry and the world at large through the music industry, the world is yet to recover from it.
And this begs the question: How was he able to pull this off ?

In an interview with Michael Jackson this was what he said about songs:

"Singers when they sing songs, it's like a mantra, when you repeat a chorus over and over and over. When a kid hears a song and he start singing that chorus over and over and over then he starts to hear in the alpha state into the subconscious mind, so you start to become the song or become what you be saying"

And when you check the quotes by Michael Jackson, you would see: 

“Music is a mantra that soothes the soul. It’s therapeutic. It’s something our body has to have. It’s very important to understand the power of music.”

He said music is a mantra.

What's a mantra ?

Answer: Meaning of mantra in English

especially in (Hinduism and Buddhism) a word or sound that is believed to have a special spiritual power
A personal mantra is sometimes repeated as an aid to meditation or prayer.
Definitions of mantra. (Sanskrit) literally a `sacred utterance' in Vedism (polytheistic sacrificial religion in India involving the worship of numerous male divinities and few goddesses) one of a collection of orally transmitted poetic hymns.  religious text, religious writing, sacred text, sacred writing. writing that is venerated for the worship of a deity.
So if all these are definitions of mantra, then Michael Jackson wasn't wrong when he said that music is a mantra

Because with music we are aided to pray 

With music we are aided in meditation

With music we worship the Deity (God)
And when you hear songs released by Michael Jackson you would begin to wonder like me which deity is being worshipped and what are the listeners all over the world becoming as a result of this ?

Songs like 

1) Bad

2) Smooth Criminal

3) Heaven can wait 

4) Dangerous 

You can do a little survey on the lyric of those songs. When you do, you would see what I am trying to to communicate to you.
Michael Jackson knew something and that was why he was able to reach out to the world.
The question now is, as a music minister, what do you know ?

Hence one of the reasons why we need to study the scriptures is for 

KNOWLEDGE
I would be pasting a passage in three different translations so as to help our understanding

1 Cor 8:2.

And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. (NKJV)

but sometimes our humble hearts can help us more than our proud minds. (MSG)

If anyone thinks of himself as a know-it-all, he still has a lot to learn. (TPT)
Therefore, every music minister whether or not you think you know the scriptures, you need to humble yourself because you still have a lot to learn from the word.
Note: That you sit at the feet of the word doesn't translate you into a word minister. Hence whenever you're given an opportunity to minister in a meeting don't word the people, lead them to worship.
Please don't misconstrued me, I'm not saying you cannot share one or two passages or words that would move the people to worship. All I am saying is that if you're led to, do it but don't major on it because your assignment there is quite different.
1 Cor 7v20: Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called
Let me share a fun fact with you

FUN FACT

Do you know that king David has more songs than anyone else in the Bible ?
Ok, I know you do, but do you know one of the reasons why he was able to achieve such great feat ?
This was possible because of his love for God's word

Answer: take a look at the longest chapter of the Bible Psalms 119 ( a book written by David ) 

This book talked about God's 

Word

Law

Precept

Ordinances

Testimony

Commandments

And all these words come from the same Hebrew root.
So now just imagine the longest chapter of the word of God talks about the word of God and this chapter wants written by a preacher neither was it written by a teacher
Psalms 119 was written by a MUSICIAN

So, if David can form so much acquaintance with God's word.

You too can !!!

Because you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you

*This brings us to the 2nd reason why we study the scriptures 

Musical Composition
I know that musical composition is a gift on it own but there is a hack to it
Most times, new songs don't always come in full. They often come as a single word, phrases, or sounds. therefore it's the duty of the song minister to complete the song and I can assure you the competition of the song would be faster if you have knowledge of God's word

Take for instance:

If a word drops in my spirit and the word is "LOVE" or "LET LOVE LEAD" 

if I meditate on this word well, I would begin to receive lines like 

Let love lead

For it is patient

Let love lead 

For it is kind 

Let love lead 

For it suffers long 

There is no fear in love 

Cause perfect love cast out fear 

So let love lead.

One of the reasons why we have less spirit filled songs is because many music composers often complete their songs with their intellect or the Internet, only a few rely on God-tellect (The Bible)
Can we proceed?

How many of us have heard this word before:

"When prayer fails, try praise" ?

How about 

"Lay your problems aside and worship God" ?
I know some of us reading this piece right now might have at some point used them during worship.
I quickly want to show us the other side of the scroll because, of a truth those statements are very true but there is a flip side to that coin

Matt 26v30: And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus sang hymn and yet he was still arrested, beaten and crucified.

This is a hard saying but the truth is sometimes worship doesn't take away the problem of people, what it does is to make them strong enough to face it.
With the knowledge of this, you won't be called a scam for promising the congregation that their problems would go through praise. Because you would be able to balance it.

Is the third reason why we need to study the scriptures

To Avoid imbalance
Shall we just debunk one major stronghold quickly?

Many music ministers aren't focus anymore because they all want to go international

They all want international ministries
Which is good
And because they haven't gone international yet they begin to feel like they are inferior to those who have
Hear this tonight and be delivered in Jesus name
If all go international who will remain at home
God understands the principle of home and away
The resources allocated for your assignment can only meet you if you're at the location of the assignment.
To have an international ministry isn't primarily when you travel abroad or when your music or voice gets there
Remember when Rachael was pregnant and there was a lot of royal rumbling in her womb so she went to God to make enquiry and here was God's response to her
Remember when Rachael was pregnant and there was a lot of royal rumbling in her womb so she went to God to make enquiry and here was God's response to her

Not children

Not babies 

But nations

Men are carriers of nations

Never look down on them

And the word "international" if broken down 

We would get:

* inter & nation*

Interaction between Nations
So as long as you have men to sing before, then you're international already.

don't strive for your ministry to be international.

strive instead, for it to be Eternal and internal 

Eternal in the sense that it has recognition beyond time and internal in the sense that it has an impact in the hearts of men.

This we just finished learning is the fourth reason why we need to Study the scriptures

To pull down strongholds
Praise the Lord !!!
Lastly, when it comes to worship as a word, it is important to note that it was first mentioned in Gen 22 and it wasn't in terms of music, sounds or instruments etc.

Gen 22:5 

And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”

It was sacrifice

Worship is sacrifice

But mind you, Abraham had a donkey

He had servants there but it was Isaac he wanted to sacrifice

Why ?

Because in sacrifice you don't give anyhow 

You give your best

Likewise worship

You must worship with your best

The donkey wasn't his best

His servants wasn't his best

Isaac his son

Was his best
And this can only come if one have understanding.
The depth of your understanding is equivalent to the depth of your worship.

Many people sing 

Only a few worship

If you're a singer, you would make men sing 

But if you're a worshipers

You would make men worship

Hence the fifth point 

For tonight is 

We study the scriptures

To build a proper understanding on the subject matter "worship"

While preparing this message someone came around and while we were talking he just randomly said and I quote

"Music no need permission to enter your spirit"

When I heard it 

I was like wow

See confirmation oooo

So I asked him 

If it was a line from a song and he said yes

I sharperly added it to tonight's teaching 

Because it's the truth
So my brothers and sisters in the music ministry, your assignment is so delicate as music ministers and for you to have been called by God into such field then it must mean that He trust YOU

just a recap Here is the list of the reasons why we need to study the scriptures as music ministers:

1) For knowledge

2) For Musical Compositions

3) To Avoid imbalances

4) To pull down strongholds

5) To build a proper understanding on the subject matter "worship"