Chosen for the altar E-Book

Tania Rubim

• Herausgeber: Unipro
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 156

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

She's always at her husband's side. Even though she is the centre of attention. The details about her life and the position she holds are always a source of curiosity. But what does it mean to be a pastor's wife? What challenges does she have to face? How did she join this ministry and become a helper of a man of God? What does a young woman have to take into consideration when she plans to marry a pastor? In this book, Tania Rubim writes about facing the challenges of joining this ministry. "Chosen for the Altar - A Manual for the Future Pastor's Wife" clarifies misconceptions, and at the same time gives encouragement to young girls who dream of serving God on the Altar, but fear that it is something impossible to achieve.

Leseprobe

R896e

Rubim, Tania.

Chosen for the Altar — Tania Rubim.Rio de Janeiro : Unipro Editora, 2018. 1st edition

ISBN 978-85-7140-882-1

1. Serving God — helping others.2. Self-denial — experiences.I. Title

CDD 248

Copyright © 2011

GENERAL COORDINATION: Renato Cardoso

GENERAL DIRECTOR: A. Lobato

EDITORIAL COORDINATION: Mauro Rocha

DESIGN COORDINATION: Paulo S. Rocha Jr.

COVER ART: Samay Milet

TYPESETTING: Luis Bernardino and Sandra Gouvêa

TRANSLATION & PROOFREADING: Sandra Gouvêa

EDITING: Chris Boodram & Evelyn Higginbotham

1STEDITION • 2018

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means.Transgressors will be prosecuted according to the law.Scripture quotations in this publication are fromThe New King James Version, property of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Brazil

Estrada Adhemar Bebiano, 3.610

Inhaúma – CEP: 20766-720

Rio de Janeiro – RJ

Tel.; [phone]

[email protected]

www.unipro.com.br

United Kingdom

232 Seven Sisters Road

London, N4 3NX

Tel.: [phone]

www.uckg.org

[email protected]

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter one The new birth

Chapter two Between the courtyard and the Altar

Chapter three Passion for souls

Chapter four I like an assistant pastor

Chapter five Be one before you are one

Chapter six Ulterior motives

Chapter seven Does your appearance say anything about you?

Chapter eight Authority

Chapter nine Capability

Chapter ten Home Sweet Home

Chapter eleven Facing adversities

Chapter twelve Miss Perfection

Chapter thirteen Giving up on a dream

Chapter fourteen The place of a pastor’s wife

Chapter fifteen Total surrender

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

  First, I would like to thank my Sovereign God for giving me the opportunity to write about such a serious subject as His Work, and for giving me the ability and inspiration to finish this book in record time.

My Jesus, who is my most precious possession.

My beloved husband, Joaquim, who is also my pastor and companion in this journey of faith; I thank him for his support and consideration. He had to sacrifice along with me as I spent hours writing. You are God’s gift to me, and I would marry you a thousand times over.

My family, for their infinite and unconditional love; I love you.

Mrs Ester Bezerra and Bishop Macedo—I could not mention one and forget the other. Mrs Bezerra was the one who had the idea of publishing this book. Thank you for giving me support and being an example of how to live life 100% on the Altar of God. You know what you mean to me.

Mrs Cristiane Cardoso and Sara Oliveira for their unconditional support. You are very special to me.

Evelyn Higginbotham, Chris Boodram, Sandra Gouvêa, and everyone else who made this book possible, thank you for your support and dedication.

My companions in God’s Work who have added to my spiritual life and exuded the perfume of Jesus, having become like sisters to me.

All readers of my blog who motivate me to carry on writing. I know you have read all the articles in the “Chosen for the Altar” series, and now you have a complete book about the subject. Keep on persevering.

Introduction

  When I started attending the church at the age of 16, it never crossed my mind that one day I would serve God on the Altar.

To be honest, in the beginning, I didn’t even want to become an assistant. All I wanted was to study and I didn’t want anything to wreck my plans.

But as time passed and I was converted, those thoughts began to change, and the things that used to be so important in the beginning no longer made sense to me.

God began to mould and prepare me to fulfil His plan, and I allowed the Holy Spirit to guide me.

After I had my encounter with God, a desire was born in my heart to help others. I wanted them to know what I had received. It was at that moment that my journey of faith truly began.

I was inspired to write about this subject when I started noticing many young girls in the church whose dream was to serve God on the Altar full-time, leaving behind their home, parents, career, studies, etc. Some of them would keep it a secret, since for them it seemed to be an impossible dream, as they considered themselves incapable of such a big responsibility.

I soon realised that some of those girls didn’t have the foggiest idea of what it meant to do the Work of God. So I decided to write a book to clarify their questions and to share some of my experiences.

I hope that, through this book, I can reach many girls and help dispel any doubts or fear that might exist in their hearts.

May God use me as a tool to help all those who have a fervent desire to serve Him and to contribute to the growth of His Kingdom by denying themselves.

This book was especially written for those with a dream to serve God on the Altar in mind.

With love,

Tania Rubim

Chapterone

The new birth

  To serve God on the Altar is a glorious experience, but there are people who have many doubts about it; they’re not sure if God has called them to serve Him on the Altar or if it’s just their emotions.

But what does the Altar represent?

There are many passages in the Bible that talk about men of God who built an altar to the Lord. It was a way of worshipping God, making covenants with Him, celebrating those covenants, or building landmarks to remind future generations of the great wonders the Lord performed among His people. From a spiritual point of view, the Altar represents a place where sacrifice is made. It’s on the Altar that we sacrifice our own will and make ourselves servants.

Through this, we understand that the Altar is a holy place, dedicated to God, where a person commits their entire life to Him and lives a life of righteousness and self-denial, dedicated to doing the will of God.

To begin with, let’s talk about the new birth—a truly fundamental requirement for anyone who desires to serve God on the Altar and help those who are suffering.

We can’t mistake blessings for the new birth. Blessings come through faith, and don’t require being born of God to receive them. Anyone who puts their faith into practice will reap its benefits.

I remember when I came to the church and began reading and learning the Word of God in the services, my eyes were opened and I immediately accepted the Word and was converted by it. I saw some miracles happen in my life, but my encounter with God only happened almost two years later.

New birth happens inside of us. When you truly change inside and become strong, there is no fear or doubt, sadness or accusations. The Holy Spirit is with you, and no one can take that away from you, because only you know who you were before and who you have become.

It’s such a remarkable moment that you change completely. You are no longer the same person. It’s as if that was the first day you started to live, and your past is erased.

But don’t be deceived—if you have been blessed, and have even made changes, but still have the same old thoughts, attitudes, evil desires, and sadness, then the new birth has not happened yet.

A person who is not born of God is not spiritually equipped to serve Him on the Altar. He or she will not be able to endure the fire of the Work of God.

Here we see how important it is for a servant to be born of God. How many people have we seen fall away, abandoning their faith, and even bringing shame to the name of Jesus, because they thought they had the Holy Spirit when in fact they didn’t? When they go through dry spells and difficulties, they feel like giving up and leaving everything behind.

That’s why we often hear people say, “The Work of God is not what I pictured; I thought it would be different. It’s not for me.”

Whoever says that clearly doesn’t have the calling to serve on the Altar. Maybe they thought it would please their flesh. Most likely, they never knew the meaning of the term “self-denial”, which is why they’re unhappy and unfulfilled.

Those who are called to serve on the Altar are aware that they no longer own their lives. They live for winning souls, to serve God. Whoever is unwilling to do that cannot serve on the Altar.

If you have a desire to serve God on the Altar but haven’t yet had this personal encounter with Him, don’t waste another moment. Start to seek Him more, and abandon the things that displease Him and block your new birth from happening.

“Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’” John 3.5

I want to receive the Holy Spirit

These steps are for you to do your best. More than anyone else, God wants you to receive the Holy Spirit.

1. Abandon everything that displeases God and that contradicts His Word.

2. Forget your past. Don’t condemn yourself for the mistakes you made and don’t think that you are not worthy.

3. Repent and decide to get baptised in water so that you can start a new life with God.

4. Distance yourself from people who might harm your faith or influence you in a negative way, who could lead you to do or say things that are against God’s will.

5. Stay close to people who share the same faith, who will help you spiritually as much as possible.

6. Seek Him without ceasing. Show God that He is first in your life and that you desire to receive the Holy Spirit more than anything else.

7. Make spiritual challenges for this to happen, such as fast or pray during the night. Do things to show God that you truly want an encounter with Him.

8. It’s crucial to surrender yourself to God, even if this means leaving everything in this world behind—your own will, traditions, fleshly desires— everything that may interfere with your relationship with God.

“Who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” 2 Corinthians 3.6

Spiritual deserts

What else is a desert but an arid, desolate, unattractive, hostile place?

If you are going through a huge struggle and feel lonely, abandoned and forgotten by God, know that you are crossing through your desert.

This is exactly how we feel when we are in a desert—no one can help us, our prayers don’t seem to be answered, and all we can do is ask, “God, where are You? Why don’t You don’t answer me?”

But the desert is not a place to talk; it’s a place to listen to what God has to tell us. He takes us through deserts because there, all our attention is on Him.

Every man and woman of God goes through spiritual deserts. I’m not saying that these deserts are either formidable or pleasurable, but they are undeniably necessary.

Each spiritual desert serves a purpose. Not all of us go through the same ones, but God adapts them according to His servants’ needs, to mould their character and make them reach a higher level of spirituality and dependence on Him.

A person who is of God but has never been through a desert has never experienced the baptism of fire. This painful experience makes us grow spiritually, matures us, and even strengthens our faith. Spiritual deserts teach us to be humble, to understand people around us better, and to not be quick to judge.

We’ve noticed that people who have not yet faced spiritual battles are prone to be selfish, egocentric and criticise others very easily. How can we understand the pain of others if our lives are always a bed of roses?

This was my first experience, which at the time was like crossing a desert.

I’d been in the Work of God for eight months when my husband was chosen to preach the Word of God in the United States. My heart was very glad because I really wanted to serve God regardless of the place or country. I’d never left my country (except for holidays) or stayed far from my family.

It was when I arrived in Los Angeles that the penny dropped—a new country, new language, far from all those who loved me, knowing no one. I felt lonely, helpless, and to make things worse, I was also very shy.

I wanted to help in the church, but I couldn’t speak the language. It was complicated even to help in the children’s classes, as I could not understand them. Many times when anointing women for healing, they had to point to the place where they wanted anointing because I couldn’t understand what they were saying. Was I ready to face such a radical change?

I remember that I clung to God like never before. At the beginning, I would cry alone at night while my husband was doing a radio programme. I knew I wasn’t supposed to pass my insecurities on to him. He needed to focus on the Work of God and I didn’t want to mess it all up, so I suffered in silence.

I stayed like that for over a month, until I realised it was all a trap of the devil to weaken me and frustrate God’s plans.

During a service, I prayed that “enough-is-enough” prayer. I unburdened my heart to God. I told Him that I had not chosen to be there, but if He had given me the honour to serve Him in that place, I would have to cast all fears, worries, and sentimentality aside.

My family had not been doing very well since my departure, especially my father, and the devil used this to distract me and make me feel sad. But thank God I realised that in time and was able to do something about it.

That day I felt light, ready to carry out the plan of God in my life. Never again did I hide away and cry at night. It was a difficult phase, but I managed to overcome it because I clung to God, I sought refuge in Him and I put a stop to that situation.

Today, whenever I see a pastor’s wife arriving from her home country, I try to give her special attention because I know how difficult it is at the beginning.

Spiritual deserts appear out of the blue. They don’t have to be triggered by anything. And just as they appear unexpectedly, they also vanish unexpectedly. But there’s one difference: whenever we go through a spiritual desert, we come out better servants, with a faith that is more structured and with many more character qualities of a servant of God.

Deserts are like a school of faith. Whenever God wants His servants to learn something new, He leads them to the desert to be tested and to glorify His name. The great heroes of the Bible went to this school, leaving us with powerful examples of faith.

“But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel:

‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.’” Isaiah 43.1,2

Injustice

Every time we feel unfairly treated, we have an urge to fix it, talk, explain, and get to the bottom of what went wrong. To suffer injustice and do nothing about it is a very hard thing to do.

There can be injustice in the Work of God. A man of God is not a fortune-teller. He can make mistakes—though unintentionally—simply by not having sufficient knowledge of a situation. Or even if someone is unjust with malicious intent, all we can do is trust in God’s intervention.

Whenever we trust in our own ability to solve a problem, we end up making the situation worse. Right when our trust and patience are being tested, we fail when we openly complain and fall into despair.

If you are ever wronged or get trampled on while your life is on the Altar, you can be sure that God will defend you. And how can we know the power of God’s righteousness without knowing what injustice means? Only those who have suffered injustice know what righteousness means!

In our fast-paced world where we can’t afford to waste time, people have become more anxious and impatient. Everything has to be done “yesterday”. Speed means skill and efficiency. People simply can’t wait. We hate standing in line at the supermarket, we microwave our food to save time, if someone is ten minutes late to a meeting, we become impatient, and if we ask someone to do something, it always seems like they’re taking too long. You’re probably laughing right now, because you know you’re living in a time crunch. We all are, and we don’t even realise it.

But God doesn’t work that way. God has His Own timing and He knows the right moment to act. We can’t help or give God a push—He doesn’t need it. When it comes to injustice, all we have to do is wait.

Don’t worry. God’s righteousness will prevail. You don’t need to get angry or upset or try to justify yourself to your friends…

Many people have abandoned their faith and the Work of God because of unfair treatment that later on was made evident to everyone. But they didn’t wait for that clarity to come. They had already made their decision to leave.

We have a great example in the Bible: Joseph of Egypt. His own brothers sold him into slavery. While living in a foreign country as the property of a stranger, a woman falsely accused him of attempted rape, when in fact she had tried to seduce him, but he’d refused. So he was unjustly imprisoned and abandoned, but God was with Joseph and we know how God delivered him and made him governor of Egypt. Imagine that, from slave to governor. How good it is to wait on God.

“But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD