How To Build A Perpetual Ministry

By K.D. Anderholm

Throughout the annals of history, many have endeavored to establish a lasting work for the Kingdom of God only to see their undertakings fade with time and disappear. Some men’s works vanish when they die and other men’s works transcend their death and live beyond the grave. What is it that makes a person’s work perpetual? There is only one answer.

Clear your mind for a moment and picture yourself sitting on a beautiful white sand beach. Now feel a balmy tropical breeze as it blows gently across your face. Listen to the cry of sea-gulls flying overhead and the sound of waves crashing thunderously upon the shore in the distance. Smell the ocean-fresh air mingled with the salt water spray. Can you picture it?

Now envision yourself making a large sand-castle—not just any sand castle—but a glorious sand-castle; complete with towers, arches doors and windows. Picture yourself spending hour after hour sculpting bridges, roads, stairs and moats and even detailing the walls and towers to look like layered brick. 

Now imagine yourself sitting back to admire your work when suddenly, a giant wave crashes down upon your beautiful castle leaving nothing behind but a shapeless and pitiful looking mound of sand. You sit helplessly upon the beach and watch as the victorious wave retreats back to the foaming blue ocean, dragging what remains of your efforts with it.

You have just witnessed the future of all of man’s feeble efforts to build the Kingdom of God.

The Glory of This World is Fading

Everything that mankind builds in this present world will fade and disappear. We know this because the scriptures tell us that "the world is passing away, and the lust of it…" (1 John 2:17) King Solomon, one of the wisest men to have ever walked the earth, stated it this way:

"I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind."

(Eccl 1:14)

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The world is in a fallen condition. The glory and splendor of God’s creation has been tainted by man’s sin. Everything that you see, hear, touch, taste and smell will one day be no more. The gigantic redwood trees, the beautiful white sand beaches, the dense tropical forests, the mighty mountains, the deep-blue oceans, the swift running rivers and the colorful flowers will one day be dissolved. They will be replaced by a new heaven and a new earth and all traces of Lucifer’s and man’s rebellion will be erased forever. 

he world is in a fallen condition. The glory and splendor of God’s creation has been tainted by man’s sin. Everything that you see, hear, touch, taste and smell will one day be no more. The gigantic redwood trees, the beautiful white sand beaches, the dense tropical forests, the mighty mountains, the deep-blue oceans, the swift running rivers and the colorful flowers will one day be dissolved. They will be replaced by a new heaven and a new earth and all traces of Lucifer’s and man’s rebellion will be erased forever. 

"…the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up." 

(2 Pet 3:10)

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All of man’s works are in vain because they are temporary. Nevertheless, God’s works will stand forever. Solomon writes: "I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever." (Eccl 3:14) When your works become His works and His works become yours, your works will become perpetual. This is the principle of perpetuality.

Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it…

(Ps 127:1)

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Perpetual Increase

Something that is perpetual continues forever. It is never-ending; it is eternal. God’s works are not only perpetual, but they are also perpetually increasing—they will continue to grow and expand throughout eternity. 

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Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end... 

(Isa 9:7)

When you abandon your own plans and ambitions and you join yourself with God’s work, what He builds in and through you will perpetually increase. 

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Maintaining Perpetual Momentum

There hasn’t been one generation unaffected by the ministry of the Apostle Paul since his work began nearly 2000 years ago. Paul’s ministry is still rippling throughout the earth today and it will continue to increase right into eternity. Paul was not building his own kingdom or doing his own thing, he was co-laboring with God. Paul’s works are increasing even today because God was working in, through and with Paul to establish His eternal kingdom.

Your work will be perpetual only to the degree that God is building with you. If detach from God and begin working apart from Him, your work will lose its perpetual momentum and slowly come to a standstill. As Christians, we are called to be co-laborers together with God. We are not called to undertake projects for God.

Some Christians co-labor with God and generate tremendous spiritual momentum but then take over the work later without realizing it. They don’t notice that their work has lost God’s perpetual push because their work doesn’t come to a screeching halt. Some works have so much spiritual momentum that it takes several generations for it to completely stop moving! That’s why there are so many dead denominations in the earth today. This is not God’s will at all. He doesn’t want His people to waste their time building anything that is temporary. God wants our works to continue right on into eternity. Jesus said:

"You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain..." 

(John 15:16)

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In Rev 14:13, John states that when the righteous die: 

" …their works follow them."   

(Rev 14:13)

Perpetual Ministries

If you study the lives of great men and women of God throughout history you will find that those who were truly spiritual "giants" had a "perpetuality" about their work. Their works are still producing good fruit today, long after their death. Their books are still blessing people, their prayers are still being answered and their works are still continuing on in some way throughout the earth. If you examine their lives carefully you will find four predominant characteristics. 

1. They developed a genuine self-sacrificing love for God and for people. 
2. They fellowshipped with God consistently till their death. 
3. They learned obedience and they developed strong godly character. 
4. They built God’s kingdom and not their own. 

Temporal Ministries

There were other men and women of God who had fantastic ministries but enjoyed only a season of success--there is no perpetuality to what they did. Their works died with them and their ministries are no longer producing good fruit in the earth. 

There are many reasons for the lack of perpetuality in their ministries but the four most prominent explanations are:

1. They didn’t develop a genuine self-sacrificing love for God and for people. 
2. They didn’t walk with the Lord consistently and some even fell away. 
3. They were only sporadically obedient and they had character problems all the 
    way to their deaths. (i.e.; pride, exclusivity, isolation, gluttony, greed, lust, 
    alcoholism etc.) 
4. They built their own kingdoms and did their own thing. 

How to Build a Perpetual House

There are at least four things that you must understand if you want to build a perpetual house.

1. If you want to build a perpetual house you have to build it on a perpetual foundation.

If you build your ministry on a spiritual experience; the needs of people; your spiritual gifts and abilities or a desire for prestige, money or power, you are not building upon a perpetual foundation. It is only when you build your work upon Jesus Christ, and all that the Prophets and Apostles have spoken about Him in the Bible, that your work will have eternal longevity. If your works are built upon Jesus and all that He teaches, your works will have the perpetual fortitude that is needed to endure the tests and trials of time. All other ground is continuously shifting sand.

2. If you want to build a perpetual house you have to use perpetual materials. 

In his first epistle to the church at Corinth, Paul writes:

"For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work...endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." (1 Cor 3:11-15)

If you want to build a perpetual house you have to build with perpetual materials--you have to build with people. Wood, hay and straw represent the fleshly motivations and materials of this temporary world. It is easier to build buildings and organizations than it is to build people. Many will stand before the Lord with nothing to show for their works because they spend all their time building structures, launching programs and establishing organizations. All their labor is in vain because they are building with temporal materials. A building or an organization is a great trophy if you want to receive praise from men, but if you want to receive praise from God, you have to build people. 

An eternal house is built by adding living stones to living stones. You came into this world with nothing and you leave with nothing. The only thing that you can bring with you is other people. If you want to be a wise master builder, you must use your time here on earth to gather people. You must assemble them together into a spiritual building that will stand forever. People are the gold, silver and precious gems that will endure the trial of the Lord’s fire. Someday, the gifts of the Spirit will pass away but the people that those gifts helped will commune with you forever. As Christians, we each have a duty to build each other up in love so we can be transformed into a glorious temple for the Lord--a perpetual temple that will shine brighter than the noonday sun throughout eternity.

3. If you want to build a perpetual house, you have to have God’s heavenly   
   blueprint.

You cannot build a perpetual house with the "logos" only. You have to also build with the "rhema" word of God if you want your house to stand perpetually. 

The "logos" is the written word of God. Its God’s logic and way of thinking found in the Bible. The "rhema" is the Spirit-quickened Word of God that comes for specific circumstances and situations. The "logos" is God’s blueprint for the functionality of His kingdom but the "rhema" is God’s specific blueprint for your life and ministry. The "letter" of the word is dead and empty when it stands alone, but the Spirit-quickened Word brings perpetual life and power. Jesus said: "It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every (rhema) word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’" (Matt 4:4) 

Jesus builds His Church by sending His "rhema" to His people. When Jesus said, "...upon this rock, I will build my church...," He was referring to the solid rock of the Spirit-quickened "rhema." That’s what Jesus meant when He said to Peter: "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." (Matt 16:17) In other words Jesus was saying, "Congratulations Peter, you are not just echoing other men, nor did you gain this information through your own studies--your understanding came by a Spirit-quickened ‘rhema’ from God." 

The Spirit-quickened "rhema" gave Peter supernatural boldness and a stable soul. That’s why Jesus said, "And I also say to you that you are Peter (petros, a small stone), and on this rock (petra, a large rock) I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."

The kingdom of God is unstoppable! Persecution or demonic opposition only causes it to multiply! If the gates of hell are prevailing against your work it is because: (1) your work was never a Spirit-quickened work in the first place; or (2) your work was Spirit-quickened but it is not Spirit-perpetuated.

Holy Spirit Perpetuation

The kingdom of God is not only established by the "rhema," word of God but it is also perpetuated by the "rhema" word as well. That’s why Jesus went on to say to Peter, "...I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven..." (Matt 16:18-19) Notice the plurality of the word "KEYS." This shows that the kingdom of heaven is perpetuated by a continuous string of "rhema" words from the Father. "Rhema" words from God are the "keys" that open the doors to progressive levels of glory within the kingdom of heaven. 

It is important for you to diligently study the Bible (2 Tim 2:15), but you have to understand that a Spirit-quickened "rhema" cannot come by scratching the surface of the "logos." Jesus said that a wise man "digs deep" and build his house upon the "rock." (Luke 6:48) You must dig below the surface of the "logos" and find the solid rock of God’s "rhema" if you want your house to withstand the pounding of the storm. To "dig" means to burrow down. It means that you must exert effort to burrow into the depths of the heart of God. You must seek Him for what He is saying to you right now–right where you are in your life and in your ministry. The term "dig" also refers to humility. It means that you must humble yourself, pass through the veil of your flesh and seek His face. It means that you must lay down the potential of your own ideas and abilities and allow God to reveal His plan. 

Don’t be someone who just reads the Bible. Get to know the author of the Bible—the Holy Spirit. If you have deep communion with the Holy Spirit, He will quicken the "logos" and make it "rhema" for your everyday situations. He will make the Bible a living book to you. He will speak through its pages and show you how to establish a work that will endure forever. 

4. If you want to build a perpetual house, you have to have God’s approval.

God does not place His stamp of approval upon everything that people build in His name. Jesus made it clear that many would stand before Him one day and say:

God does not place His stamp of approval upon everything that people build in His name. Jesus made it clear that many would stand before Him one day and say: "Lord, Lord, have we not…in thy name…done many wonderful works?" (Matt 7:22) And Jesus will respond, "Depart from Me...I never knew you." 

It’s one thing to "shake hands" with Jesus during an altar call but it’s another thing entirely to know Him and fellowship with Him on a daily basis. When He says "I never knew you," He is saying; "I never knew you intimately—I never impregnated you with the vision that you gave birth to—the works you established were illegitimate." 

God’s stamp of approval will only rest upon the works that He authorizes and He will only bless those works if they are done in His time and in His way. This assures that you will need a consistent, ongoing relationship with the Lord in order to build anything that is perpetual. Jesus said: 

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."  

(John 15:4-5)

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Anyone who tries to enter into the work of the kingdom by climbing over the walls is a thief and a robber. The only way to be involved with the work of the Lord is to enter through the gate. Jesus is the gate. He is the one who raises up and brings down. John the Baptist said that, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven." (John 3:27) If you want your works to be perpetually successful, you must come through the "gate" and allow the Lord to direct you down the predestined path of good works that He has ordained for you to follow. 

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."  

(Eph 2:10)

Submit Your Works to God

Take your works to the Lord in prayer and see what He has to say about them. Come before Him with a heart that is pliable and willing to obey. If He tells you to change what you are doing, then change! If He tells you to get your motives right, then get them right! Adjust your life until you are doing only those things which please the Father. When He is fully pleased with what you are doing then He will send His mighty blessing and empower your efforts. Solomon writes: 

"In everything you do, put God first, and He will direct you and crown your efforts with success."

Prov 3:6 (TLB)

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God expects you to submit yourself entirely to His will. This doesn’t mean that you become a mindless robot with no thoughts, imaginations or desires of your own. It just means that everything that you do is done with God’s permission and with God’s involvement. You must always be working with Him and He must always be working with you if you want your works to be perpetual. This is the principle of perpetuality.

There are many of instances in the Bible where God actually received input and suggestions from angels and men. It’s hard to imagine the omnipotent creator of the universe receiving suggestions from His own creation, but He does. He accepted Abraham’s proposal concerning the judgments of Sodom and Gomorrah. (Gen 18:22-33) He heeded Moses’ pleadings for Israel. (Deut 9:24-29) He received an angel’s suggestion to overthrow a wicked king. (I Kings 22:20-22) He worked a miracle at His mother’s request even though it was not yet "His time." (John 2:3-11) There are many other examples of the Lord heeding the petitions, suggestions and requests of His created creatures. Christianity is not a divine dictatorship, it is a divine relationship. It is an interactive communion where man reasons together with God daily for the total fulfillment of both human and divine desire. God’s involvement brings an eternal touch to your temporal efforts. Do you want your works to be petty, insignificant and temporary, or do you want them to count for something that will last for eternity? You choose!

 

© Copyright 2018 — K. D. Anderholm

All Rights Reserved

All rights reserved. This article is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version, Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Nashville, Tennessee. All references to deity have been capitalized.