The OX: Who Is He?
Good Day and welcome to your Kingdom Connection for March- Week 3- Tuesday!
On yesterday, I simply shared from the heart and scripture about the Ox. Leaders of ministry can been correlated to an ox based on rhetorical question question asked by Paul in I Corinthians 9.
Paul is dealing with his congregation in Corinth. It was a laborious challenge converting them from their pagan mindset and culture into citizens fit for Christ's Kingdom.
For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.”[b] Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10 Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.
I Corinthians 9:9-10
The OX of God is an individual on a heavenly assignment and has been given Kingdom orders and mandates. The OX is the individual that was prophesied in Jeremiah 3:15- a shepherd after God's own heart AND the person responsible for feeding the people of God BOTH knowledge and understanding. Knowledge is what you know and understanding is having the ability to implement what you know. The OX is a gift from Christ according to Ephesians 4:11. In His Kingdom, His structure begins with 5 offices. The office of Apostle, the office of the Prophet, the office of the Evangelist, the office of the Pastor as well as the Teacher. Jeremiah's prophetic word comes to pass for the New Testament believer. The OX is assigned to:
1) Equip
2) Saints
3) For the Work
4) Of Ministry
1) To Be Equipped:
This suggest we are NOT equipped when we enter our relationship with Christ. Once we invite Him into our hearts and grant Him the right to rule and reign in our hearts then we must be equipped. We must be taught. We must be educated on who God is, how God is and what God expects from each of us. This is not intuitive! This is not common sense! This is not something the individual can figure out on their own. God's word and structure let's us know this.
2) Only Saints
This word represents those who have removed themselves from living a secular or worldly life to an individual who is now living a sacred life HOLY unto God. Saints are set aside people. The world doesn't own them. Companies don't tell them where to go- God does. Relationships don't dictate where and how they serve in Christ's Kingdom- God does. Money and fame doesn't drive them. God does. And God does it ALL through His appointed OX. Oxen can only equip saints - never "ain'ts"