Vision & Mission

• To make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which, from the beginning of the world, hath been hidden in God (Eph 3:9)
• Unto Him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ throughout all ages (Eph 3:21)

Growing Big People

In other words, God promised our Father Abraham that He would make him an exceedingly big nation and make his name exceedingly big. Big people make big nations, big people have big names. We thank God that we shall see the same done in our day and life.

Ever since God impressed upon our hearts that we should be growing big people, we have been pondering on things like – what do big people look like? How do they think? How do they behave? What are their outstanding character traits? Why are they different? and so on. We can begin by saying that big people are people of power. They have the power of resurrection within them because the Holy Spirit is within them generating the dynamic power they need, not just the power to survive but to change everything that comes across their paths.

In a historic village, a touring couple came across an old man. They went up to him with eagerness and asked him, “Sir, were any great men born in this village?” The old man looked up at them and truthfully replied, “No great men, sir, only babies were born here.” Too often we think heroes are born heroes but they aren’t. We are not born to greatness but we come to moments of greatness. We are not born to opportunity but we come to moments of opportunity. Out of the ordinariness of our daily lives, God calls us forth – to be faithful to him; to have a higher sense of purpose; to reach a vision beyond the limited moments of day-to-day existence. What we do and how we face our everyday life will determine how big or how small we will be.

Bold

Big people are bold. Be it, David, the puny little boy that ended up on the throne, or Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, one of the things they had in common was they were all bold. In the face of adversity or even death, they could look at it and say “Our God whom we serve is able.. .:” No wonder the early Christians cried out in Acts 4:29 and said “Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word”.

There are some wonderful lessons in these true stories. Though we may be ordinary men and women, we know that God has always used ordinary men and women for his purposes. God can use you too – if you let him. God uses ordinary people for extraordinary purposes. Secondly, we all give others the boldness to keep on going. We are all witnesses. We are all examples. Others are either discouraged or encouraged by us. Others are either enfranchised or disenfranchised by our actions. Others are either encouraged or discouraged by what we say and do. Others are either affirmed or discounted by us. Have you ever stopped to think about how what you do influences others? Have you ever considered how your boldness could give others their own boldness? When we live and preach boldness, others will find the boldness to face their own crisis in life.

Immovable

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 15:58.

The Bible is full of incidents that speak of the immovable faith of people in the living God. Be it Abraham, Moses or David, each one of them was tested at various times, but they were not moved from what they believed. Big people are people whose faith is unshakeable and immovable. Smith Wigglesworth was known to keep saying, “I am not moved by what I hear, see or even feel. I am moved only by what I believe.” No wonder he was a spiritual giant. When your faith is immovable there are fewer ups and downs.

An interesting remark by a big person was, “I am never down. I am either up or getting up.” The Bible says that by faith we should move mountains; don’t let the mountains move us. Be immovable in your faith in Jesus Christ”

Growing

You may be aware that life is never static. The one thing you can count on is that things will not remain the same. In nature, all creatures, plants, animals, and humans, are either growing or dying. Economies are either expanding or shrinking. Churches are either growing or dying. Families are either growing closer or drifting apart.

Philosophies are either reaching for new and greater ideas or they are disappearing into the forgotten. The same is true of nations. Glorious Greece and mighty Rome and so many other nations that were once revered in the world. Where are they today? These societies came to an end because the people in them decided they had reached the pinnacle of perfection, and they didn’t have to do anything anymore but sit back and enjoy it, and maybe defend it against invaders once in a while. The attitude was “we’ve never had it so good, so why would we want to change anything?” What we know today is that the invaders won. Not because they were better armed or better trained, but because they were alive with dreams and hopes and passion. Therefore we are instructed by the Lord to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever Amen.” 2 Pet 3:18. Big people keep on growing. Big gets bigger and the small get smaller. Keep on growing.

Persistent

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the higher calling of God in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:14.

Big people persist. At the ripe age of 67, Thomas Alva Edison, the famous inventor of the electric light bulb, watched as fire destroyed much of his work and equipment. At his age, most people would have given up and said: “well it’s time to retire.” However, the attitude that Mr. Edison took is what makes people “Big”. “All our mistakes are burned up,” Edison said. “Now we can start anew.” There is a time to retire, but Edison knew his time hadn’t come. He knew the mark to which he was pressing onward; he had yet to reach it. The fire that consumed his work couldn’t destroy the fire that burned within him. He continued to press on with his work. Edison’s persistence finally paid off. You know the rest of the story – it’s history. People tend to associate persistence with feelings. If they feel the right way, then they can persist. But true persistence doesn’t work that way. Pressing on and persisting is not an emotion; it’s a character quality that enables us to reach our goals. If you want to be an achiever you must be able to persist.

Excellent

“A leader strives for excellence in all things. They want to do the best job possible – and they inspire others to do the same.”

Look at our Heavenly Father – after He created the world and the things in it He said it was good, a job excellently is done. Look at Jesus – He got an excellent name, being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Heb 1:4 – Look at the prophet Daniel, he had an excellent spirit, therefore, he was preferred. Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. – Dan 6:3. Big people will strive to excel in all things. In Romans 16:19, God exhorts us to be excellent in that which is good and to be innocent of evil. If you look at most successful organizations, you will find out that one of their core values is excellence in all things.

Open To Correction

If a good person punished me, that would be kind. If he corrected me, that would be like perfumed oil on my head. I shouldn’t refuse it. But I pray against those who do evil. – Psalm 141:5 NCV.

Big people know that they are not infallible. They make mistakes as do all humans, but the attitude with which they accept their wrong is graceful. When King David was corrected by the prophet Nathan, he repented his sin and was forgiven. On the other hand, you see just the opposite in King Saul – when the prophet Samuel reproved him, all he was interested in was saving his face before the people. Big people are not concerned as to what man thinks. However, it is their concern as to what God thinks. No wonder David was called a man after God’s own heart.

Purposeful

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28.

Big people find out what is God’s purpose for their life. They understand that God has a reason for bringing them into existence and that they are not mere pilgrims in a land. Our Heavenly Father is a God of purpose – if we are His children, we must also be people of purpose, reflecting our Father’s characteristics. In Isa 55:11 He says that even His words have a purpose and therefore what He proposes shall happen.

The magnificent temple that was built by Solomon for the Lord did not happen overnight. It started with Solomon proposing in his heart to build it. And, behold, I propose to build a house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father; saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build a house unto my name. – 1 Kings 5:5. Big people are people of Purpose. They know that they are saved to serve, and they know why and how they aim to serve. Jesus had a purpose, He knew why He had come, He knew where He was going, and He knew how to go about it as well.

Paul was another man of purpose. He had an appreciation for where he had been, where he was, and where he was going. In other words, he knew what he had accomplished, what he was doing in his present, and what he needed to do in his future.

Led by the Spirit

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” – Romans 8:14

The Bible clearly points out the differences between the children and the grown-up sons of God. The difference is the way that they are led, not in how many years old they are in Christ. The way in which we allow ourselves to be led will make the difference if we grow big or not. The book of Acts is replete with the stories of these people’s lives and the impact they had on the society of that day. The change was so evident that they were accused of having turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). Such was the dramatic, dynamic power of the Holy Spirit. Big people are led by the Spirit and they will change their world.

Encourage

“But encourage each other every day while it is “today.” Help each other so none of you will become hardened because sin has tricked you.” – Hebrews 3:13

There is the power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill them. Be careful of what you say.

It is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way.

Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the strength to continue in difficult times. Individuals that take the time and effort to encourage and build others who are in need are truly big. Your encouragement and kind deeds can get others out of the pits. It is true that God uses ordinary men and women for extraordinary purposes. The person that God could use is you. Be “big” and God will use you.

• B old
• I mmovable
• G rowing
• P ersistent
• E xcellent
• O pen To Correction
• P urposeful
• L ed By The Spirit
• E ncourage