For IN HIM WE LIVE, AND MOVE, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, for we are also his offspring.

Acts 17:28

When you go through the four phases of your ministry, you will have made full proof of your ministry!  Going through the four different phases of your ministry is to walk in the supernatural path to the fulfilment of your ministry.  Have a deep understanding of the four phases of your ministry.  Believe that you must pass through all the four different phases and you will definitely make full proof of your ministry!

To enter into your ministry is to enter the first phase of ministry.  To persist in the ministry is to move through the four different phases of ministry.

To keep moving through the four phases of ministry you need to continually walk by faith.   To keep moving through the four phases of ministry you need to constantly walk in humility.  To keep moving through the four phases of ministry you need to continue making sacrifices to the Lord.

Anyone who stops walking by faith, stops going through the four phases of ministry.  The door to the next phase of your ministry is a short humble door.  Once you are no longer humble, you stop being able to enter the humble doors to the next phase of your ministry.  To stay on at the same level in your ministry does not require much change from you.  But to move on to the next phase of ministry will require more sacrifices from you.

When people are in ministry for some time, they feel they have ‘arrived’ so they do not try to move on.  It is important to move on!  It is important to keep moving!  The Spirit is moving!  The Spirit is always moving!  In Him we move!

Once you are in Him, you are expected to move, because ‘in Him’ we move.

There is a lot of evidence to show that there are four phases to life and ministry.  The seasons of the year reveal the four phases of our lives in one year.  The first Psalm reveals that our lives work by seasons.  The existence of the early and the latter rains also prove that there are four clear seasons.  The season of the first rain, the season after the first rain, the season of the latter rain and the season after the latter rain, which is the harvest season.

However, the best example of the four phases of ministry is found in the ministry of Jesus Christ Himself.

1. Your ministry has four phases because life on earth has four phases.

Summer, Winter, Spring and Autumn are the four seasons in a year.  It seems that God has created life to work out in four seasons.  “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22).  Notice how the blessed man will bring forth fruit not all the time, but in his season.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful

But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, THAT BRINGETH FORTH HIS FRUIT IN HIS SEASON; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Psalm 1:1-3

2. Your ministry has four phases because God comes to you as the latter rain and the former rain.

Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and HE SHALL COME UNTO US AS THE RAIN, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

Hosea 6:3

God will pour out His Spirit in seasons.  God does not do the same thing every day.  God will come to you like the rain does.  He will come like the early rain and He will also come like the latter rain.  This reality defines life into four seasons.

When God comes to you as the rain, your ministry changes and flourishes.

The first phase: There is a season where His relationship with you is like the pouring of the early rain.  This early rain waters the seeds you have sown and causes the initial budding in the fields.  He anoints you, He uses you and He blesses you.  This former rain is well known to start you off in the ministry and bring you out of obscurity.

The second phase: Then there seems to be a season where He is not blessing you as much.  This is a quiet season!  This quiet season may last for a long time with things remaining collectively calm.  In this season you are expected to grow quietly and humbly, developing the virtues of faithfulness, endurance and persistence.

The third phase: At a point, the rain begins to fall again.  That is the latter rain!  This latter rain brings the crops to maturity in readiness for harvest.  In this season of your life you receive a booster and everything seems to be much bigger.

The fourth phase:  In the fourth phase you are reaping the harvest in your ministry.  Everything you have sown comes into maturity.  It is harvest time!  The latter rain is come and gone.  In this fourth phase, you are preparing others to take over your ‘room’ in ministry.

3. Your ministry has four phases because Jesus had four phases in His ministry.

The first phase: Synagogues.  The first phase of Jesus’ ministry was His ministry in the synagogues.  Jesus went to many towns and preached in the synagogues everywhere.  Note how He moved into the synagogues as soon as He came back from the temptation in the wilderness.  Note how he continued moving through the synagogues in the whole of Galilee.  Perhaps the first phase of your ministry is to preach in churches.  Perhaps the next phase of your ministry may not be within the church but outside the church.

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, HE WENT INTO THE SYNAGOGUE on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

Luke 4:14-16

The second phase: Outside the Synagogues.  The second phase of Jesus’ ministry was His ministry outside the synagogues.  He famously preached the beatitudes on a mountain and not in any synagogue.  He also preached to thousands by the lakeside and by the sea of Tiberias.  He ministered to thousands of people in desert places.  Perhaps the next phase of your ministry is to be found in unconventional locations, ministering the Word of God.

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a MOUNTAIN: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

Matthew 5:1

And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, HE STOOD BY THE LAKE of Gennesaret,

Luke 5:1

And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into A DESERT PLACE belonging to the city called Bethsaida. And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.

Luke 9:10-11

The third phase: Disciples.  The third phase of Jesus’ ministry was His ministry to the disciples.  The book of John reveals that there was a time when Jesus Christ withdrew Himself from the larger public gatherings.  We see that He then restricted Himself to His disciples.  Most of the book of John is dedicated to this phase of private ministry.

From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.  Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

John 6:66-71

Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.

John 11:54

The fourth phase: The cross.  The fourth phase of Jesus’ ministry was His journey to the cross.  Going to the cross and giving Himself up to shed His blood was the paramount purpose for Jesus Christ in the fourth phase of His ministry.

First of all, it was preaching in established places of worship called synagogues.  Second, He was preaching in larger unconventional locations.  Thirdly, His ministry was confined to the disciples and finally His focus was the cross.

And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, 

Luke 9:51

4. Your ministry has four phases because Jesus had four phases in four different locations.

a. The first phase: Bethlehem.

The first phase of Jesus’ ministry was in the first location of Bethlehem.  Jesus was born in Bethlehem.  This is where it all started!  Starting your ministry is a most difficult endeavour.  Starting your ministry is very different from continuing in an established ministry.  To start something involves a great step of faith and a great step of humility.

Now when JESUS WAS BORN IN BETHLEHEM of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Matthew 2:1

b. The second phase: Nazareth.

The second phase of Jesus’ ministry was in the second location of Nazareth, the place of spiritual development.  Nazareth was a quiet time for Jesus.  Very little is known about His life and ministry in Nazareth.  We never hear of Jesus preaching and we never hear of Him doing miracles.  But we do hear of Him in the synagogues, listening and asking questions.  We do hear of Him increasing in wisdom, in stature and in favour with God and man.  During this second phase of ministry, Jesus was constantly studying, learning and receiving the wisdom of God.  There is a phase of your ministry where you must give yourself more to studying, learning and receiving, rather than to giving out to others.

 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.  And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. 

And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? 

And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he went down with them, and came to NAZARETH, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. 

Luke 2:46-52

And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from NAZARETH of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.

Mark 1:9

c. The third phase: Galilee.

The third phase of Jesus’ ministry was in the third location of Galilee.  Jesus Christ did many great things in Galilee.  He had to move a few hundred kilometres away from Bethlehem, so that He would be well received.  The villages and towns along the lakeside were extremely happy to receive the miracle worker.  During this third phase of His ministry, Jesus performed most of the famous miracles that He was known for.  As you can see, He did not perform these miracles everywhere nor in every phase of His ministry.  It was during the Galilee phase of ministry that these things took place.  Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum were the main cities along the lake of Galilee, and this is where most of Jesus’ miracle ministry took place.

And JESUS RETURNED IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT INTO GALILEE: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

Luke 4:14-15

Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:

Woe unto thee, CHORAZIN!  Woe unto thee, BETHSAIDA!  For if the mighty works, where done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 

But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

And thou, CAPERNAUM, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.

Matthew 11:20-24

Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in CAPERNAUM, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

Matthew 4:12-16

d. The fourth phase: Jerusalem.

The fourth phase of Jesus’ ministry was in the fourth location of Jerusalem.  It was in Jerusalem that He was crucified.  It was in Jerusalem that he shed His blood for the whole world.  It is in Jerusalem that a huge church stands to commemorate the place where Jesus died on the cross for the whole world.  Jesus accomplished the greatest harvest in Jerusalem.

And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly SET HIS FACE TO GO TO JERUSALEM, 

Luke 9:51

And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ASCENDING UP TO JERUSALEM.

And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,

Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither.

And if any man ask you, why do ye lose him? Thus shall ye say unto him, because the Lord hath need of him.

Luke 19:28-31

Conclusion

Ministry is complicated!  Life is complicated!  It is not easy to follow a God whom you cannot see.  It is not easy to follow a God whom you cannot hear.

If you have read this book, you would have encountered many wonderful keys that will make you fulfil your ministry in spite of the mysteries surrounding your service to God.  It is important that you follow all the guidance that is coming from the Lord to you in this book.  The mysteries in this book are leading you on the path to making full proof of your ministry.

One day you will say those words, “I have run my race and fulfilled my ministry!”  May you receive the grace and power to make full proof of your ministry!

by Dag Heward-Mills