This series on the five-fold ministry is based off my handwritten notes, which I took as I attended a church conference on this topic in Mar 2025.
Three lessons God taught me I would like to share with you:
- What attracts the crowd?
- What keeps the crowd?
- What multiplies the crowd?
Jesus started his ministry in Nazareth, but his own people did not like him.
But when he had opposition, he did not stop the ministry, so we should learn from him.
Sometimes God allows the resistance in your life, to release the power of the Holy Spirit, just like how resistance brings electricity.
When God close one door, he always opens another door.
You got to be that person in your city, where God is willing to establish you, because of your faithfulness.
HolidayInn is an excellent example of a man who lost a job, took it to God, and he opened doors for him to start this business.
God sometimes allows situations, our dreams get shattered, but remember God is in control.
You have to press forward even during opposition.
1. What attracts the crowd?
The house where Jesus was ministering was packed, why?
The presence of Jesus.
Such that there was no room when four friends wanted to bring a paralysed man for healing, that they had to open the roof and drag him down.
If you want your church to overflow, make sure it has the presence of God.
A church that enjoys the presence of God, attracts the crowd.
Let’s see some biblical references.
In 1 Sam 11:8, Saul was appointed to become king, there were 300,000 people with Saul.
Means the anointing was upon Saul.
But he disobeyed God, and lost the presence of God, that’s why God rejected him, as Samuel prophesied.
1 Sam 13: When he started disobeyed God, he started losing people with him, only 30,000 people, and 600 later.
King Saul did not respect the presence of God.
But David knew he could not be a good king, without God’s presence.
1 Sam 17:11: When Saul heard Goliath came to challenge him, king Saul and the people under him were shaken.
Nobody was along to fight with king Saul, he lost his children, was all alone in the battlefield, and killed himself.
When you neglect the presence of God, you will lose people, you will lose the prophets.
Prophet Samuel, David the fighter, the family members, all ran away from king Saul.
David was not king yet although he was anointed, but had to wait for 13 long years.
Always wait on God’s timing.
If you are called to be a pastor, be a pastor.
If you are called to be an evangelist, be an evangelist.
Even if this goes against your desire / will, follow God’s calling.
There is always God’s fixed time, to see God’s breakthroughs in your life.
Don’t be disappointed, even when nothing seems to be happening.
You may feel that God, waiting is a waste of time.
But it’s the way God prepares you for the big ministry, just like David he waited 13 years, Moses 40 years to prepare him.
You can be someone where the anointing is on you, but I’m unable to take care of my family, ministries, and we are disappointed.
Remember without test, there is no testimony.
If God wants to entrust great ministry to you, he has to trust you.
If he has to trust you, he has to first test you.
So if you are going through a testing time, remember great ministry is awaiting for you.
During waiting, don’t stop your ministry, serving God.
After 13 years, 30,000 people walked to David and say come be our shepherd.
Later 375,000 people came and anointed him to be a king.
There are 2 kinds of pastors, first kind they lead the sheep.
The second kind, the sheep leads the shepherd.
The elders will tell the pastor what message to preach, which houses to visit.
So you have to be careful, to be a pastor that leads the sheep.
And you have the authority, where your sheep follows you.
Shepherd walks first, then lead the sheep.
2. What keeps the crowd?
Many people believe, signs, wonders, healing will attract the crowd.
But what keeps the crowd, is the word of God.
Unfortunately many churches have stopped preaching the pure word of God.
If you want to keep the crowd, keep the crowd, there’s nothing else that can do that.
Jesus preached for 3 days, but didn’t send the crowd away, even though his disciples told him too.
Jesus said now we have been preaching 3 days, now let’s go show our love for them, and he fed all the thousands of people.
So preaching alone doesn’t keep the crowd, but practising the word also does.
What is practising?
Jesus loved them so he preached the word, and also fed them.
Jesus asked Peter thrice, if he loved him.
Peter answered, and Jesus said if you love me, then feed my sheep.
So the top priority for pastors, is to feed Jesus’ sheep.
If you love your sheep / congregation, feed them, and show them your love.
Don’t simply say we love you, we care for you, but show it to them.
You can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.
Jesus provided them spiritual nourishment for 3 days, to test if the people are really coming for God or just the gifts / blessings.
After that, he took care of their physical nourishment too, by feeding them.
3. How to multiply the crowd?
When Jesus wanted to feed the thousands of people, what he did?
Did he say to them open your eyes, and food will drop?
But he asked the congregation, if anyone had food, and a boy gave his bread.
See God doesn’t give you money not a single cent, but he does it through people, because he wants us to partner with him.
So pastors may sometimes also share the burdens of people with the congregation, not just with God, so more people can help.
Do you want God to bless you, or him to make you a blessing?
Which is more superior, being blessed, or blessing others? Blessing others.
What God does, when he blesses you?
Unless he first breaks you, you cannot be a blessing to people and multiply, just like how Jesus blessed the loaves before he broke them.
You cannot multiply your crowd, unless you have been broken, you need to go through a breaking process.
You cannot multiply your congregation, unless you go send the gospel to the people, from north, south, east, west.
Just like how Jesus told his disciples, you will first be my witness in Jerusalem, then the rest of the world.
