There was great fun at the luncheon held for the praise and worship leaders at Citadel Church on 18 January 2020.
The event was a deliberate move intended to bring about an interaction between praise members and our two great fathers in the Lord, bishops Andrew Phiri and Newman Bubala as well as other church leaders.
Bishop Andrew Phiri gave welcoming remarks and encouraged everyone to be free and interactive.
He stated that every ministry and church is designed to accomplish four things which includes:
1. Evangelism (Seeking and restoring the lost)
2. Discipleship (Acts 2:41-46)
3. Praising and worshipping God
4. Fellowship (Gathering together)
He further encouraged the praise members to be ready at every time as we proceed in this year of soul winning and discipleship. “The ministry is going to conduct many crusades and conferences in different parts of the country so we need a praise team that is most organised, united and readily available when called upon.”
In regards to instruments, Bishop Phiri stated that he is determined together with Bishop Bubala to ensure that the praise team is equipped with every tool needed so they can minister to the glory of God. He further called upon all pastors and church leaders to make sure that they support their local praise teams in the various churches by buying standard instruments for them.
In conclusion, the Bishop encouraged all praise members to put in their best and raise a standard in the way they minister so that souls can be edified to surrender their lives to God. He further blessed and wished them well as they go about serving the Lord in their singing and playing of instruments to God’s glory!!
Bishop Newman Bubala
I am always amazed at the level of revelational knowledge possessed by this great general of the Lord!! How he manages to put salt in words and make them so fresh and life transforming is a mistry that can only be reviewed by the Holy Spirit!!!
What is the difference between talented people and gifted people? Bishop Newman built up his encouragement to the praise and worship leaders using this question that requires a man with revelation to substantiate.
The Bishop stated that talented people are extremely good at what they do and train so hard – their aim is always to come out at the top, be it in art, football or any other discipline.
In regards to singing, the Bishop explained that talented people can sing very well but their singing is very carnal – it doesn’t bring out the glory of God but produces pride, self-honour and glory.
“This is why many talented people tend to be fame-conscious and do what they do so people can praise and clap for them. They love to compete and don’t care what they say or do in order to get on top. In many cases, their songs are full of insults, arrogance and dissing of others.
With gifted people however, the case is very different. Gifted people seek nothing for themselves but to serve and bring glory to God and add value to the church. They understand that what they have is a gift from God and that they have been called to minister to souls and honour the Lord through their ministry.
Unfortunately we have many talented people in our praise teams as compared to the gifted ones. These talented people focus on material gain and serving God is a secondary thing to them. This is why we have many praise members and worship leaders who come to church late and stay away from rehearsals. They boast a lot and look down on others – things ought not to be so brethren.”
Understanding the gift: A gift is God’s special annointing that is placed on someone to enable them fulfill a particular assignment. It is the oil of the Holy Spirit that gives you the ability to sing in a way that can minister to a troubled soul and bring life into a lifeless situation.
Brethren, we are called to serve and have been anointed with these gifts to bless someone and add value to the ministry of reconciliation that God has assigned to us. We are called to bring life in every circumstance and especially when we are ministering.
Bishop Newman Bubala concluded by encouraging the worship leaders and all praise members to remain royal, humble and committed to serving God in their singing ministry as their role is very cardinal in this great year of soul winning and discipleship.
What followed next was great excitement and fun – there was eating, asking questions, commenting, laughing, taking photos and simply enjoying in the Lord!!!
The praise leaders wished for such a luncheon to be held every month and I believe they can’t wait to have another one next month!!
As for me and my Media Crew, we can’t wait to go back at Citadel and cover other great program coming up on Saturday, the 25th of January 2020.
It is going to be a day of praise, worship and prayer – Ephraim and our very own Miyanda, Rebecca and the entire national team will grace the event with pastor Musonda and Charles Mvula leading in earth-moving prayers – I just can’t wait!!
Stay tuned and God bless you!!
Andrew Kanjela
CDI Media