Your own company

 (Act 4:23)  And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.

Every Christian is surrounded by what we call the terms their “own company.” We see the that in the book of Acts that Peter and John after being released from trial for preaching in the name of Jesus and healing a lame man went to their own company who received them and prayed with them.

As we do ministry, we are being opposed by forces in the unseen realm and these forces influence human beings who also persecute us in the process. In the process of doing so, we are wearied by this opposition. But where do we get refreshed as that happens, from our own company.

Soldiers have barracks where they regroup, get treatment, get rest and refreshments, professionals have professional bodies to defend them in case things go bad, in the natural we have biological families which defend us when we run into trouble, Christians do have brothers and sisters which is the church family where they get solace.

As we minister, we need people to stand with us in prayer, to support our efforts and to be our brother’s keeper. We definitely need this. Without it, we cannot go far. Men have said if you want to go fast walk alone, but if you want to go far walk with a group.

Who are people who are going to celebrate with you when you have functions like weddings, birthdays, etc. It is your own company. Who are those who will stand with you in the day of testing and trials of your faith, it is your own company. Who are those who will genuinely comfort you when you lose a loved one? It is your own company. By the way don’t be surprised when your unbelieving friends or family are not part of this company specially to encourage you fulfil the call of God on your life. It will be foolishness to them. First of all, they are offended by the Jesus you believed and are ministering for. They may not be good company to rely on when it comes to fulfilling the call of God on your life. Jesus’ own company consisted of those who attended to His word. Those were his followers. He needed the company of the Father and the Holy Spirit too.

In like manner, your company cannot be upward only with the Lord, you also need flesh and blood who believe like you to company with in your pursuit to spread the gospel. It does not take a lot to have your own company. You just need to be available to that company of believers to run this course with you.

By the way you may be doing the right thing for the Lord but if you don’t have a family called your own company, which is a local church family, you may not amount to much. Paul realised that he was doing a good thing by spreading the word but he needed to expound more the revelations God gave him to the apostles at Jerusalem lest he run in vain. Paul understood accountability. You find a Christian nowadays so gifted, but they lack the simple thing called accountability. They know too much but they are proud to submit what God has revealed to them or instructed them to do to those who are above them. Their faith ends up hitting shipwreck. They may start well or mean well but they lack covering and support because of pride, and they fall in the wrong company.

Rehoboam did not consult the older men but consulted the younger men who were his equals who gave him wrong advice and this led to his kingdom breaking into two when he came to the throne after his father Solomon. It is typical of young men today. They think that the older generation does not understand them, that they are old fashioned and so they liase with those who cannot oppose them or give them another view which they hadn’t considered. In the end they don’t go far. But if only they submit everything the Lord tells them to the fathers; their vision would be safe. In a multitude of counsellors there is safety. Your unbelieving friends or relatives will not give you proper counsel, get good counsel from your own company. I remember advising a young man who was fresh from university and wanted to join fulltime ministry. I remember telling him how I had such a dream when I just got out of campus and how my dream which I thought was from the Lord was premature and would lead to my destruction. After my advice, he realised, it was not the Lord’s timing for him to do the same. Young men think the older men have never been where they have been, so they think they are not in better position to advise them. They are deceived. Whatever thing you want to do under the sun, someone else has thought about the same or something similar, so be humble and submit it for counsel.

Paul and Barnabas were separated into the ministry because they were in the company of believers. They did not call themselves into the ministry. They were in the right hands and therefore the call of God was evident to all. There is no such that that God has called you when the gift has not been evidently manifested among your own company! It is your company that will identify that you are gifted in a certain way and God will speak and you will be prayed for and ordained into the ministry instead of calling yourself into it.

Child of God, you can die prematurely or make costly mistakes if you do not follow God’s order of doing things. I have seen some lose it at the very start because the foundations they started with was wrong and they are nowhere now. Seek to belong to a beautiful family called the church family, submit to the leadership of the local church body, serve there, be available always, not only on Sunday but in all activities of the church and your life, giftings and vision will be preserved.

EK