Serving as co-host with Dr. Cerullo on Morris Cerullo Helpine from CBS Studios would not have happened without the blessing of God realeased through the serving secret of flexibility!
Blessed are the flexible!
There may not be a greater secret to success in serving another persons ministry…
In the first chapter of my book The Blessing of Serving Another Man’s Ministry I share the dramatic encounter I had with God as a young student at Oral Roberts University – and how He revealed His calling to serve another man’s ministry as I crossed the walking bridge from the student parking lot to the ORU campus. And then how God spoke a few weeks later in our chapel service as Dr. Morris Cerullo ministered — that this was the man He had called me to stand by and serve. (You can read more about this here: http://wp.me/p3hIIr-l)
When I left the ORU chapel that Spring morning, I was certain after my experience with God, that when I called the Morris Cerullo World Evangelism offices I would immediately be asked to travel and minister with Dr Cerullo.
Well, that’s not exactly how it worked out!
“All the ministry positions are filled, but we did just post a job opening for a cost accountant”, I was advised by the MCWE Personnel Manager, Glandon Broome.
Now I had transferred into ORU after two years studying at the University of Notre Dame, where I was on a full academic scholarship. When I met with the ORU Admissions Office I asked them to evaluate my credits and advise me the best track to pursue that would utilize my Notre Dame credits to the fullest.
I was advised to transfer into a major in Business Administration. I chose Accounting. But from day one I said to myself (and to the Lord), I will study Accounting but I will never be an accountant!
I was at ORU to be prepared to reach the world for Jesus, not to be an accountant!
Now with Glandon on the other end of the phone line presenting this accounting position, I felt like Job. The thing I had greatly feared was coming upon me!
I reluctantly let him know that I was about to graduate in a few weeks time with a degree in accounting and that he could send me an application.
I was hired less than a week later.
My first two years at MCWE I served as a cost accountant. I grew to love it. God helped me discover a State of California tax law that retroactively returned to the ministry tens of thousands of dollars in taxes paid on printing that MCWE was exempt from.
On the weekends I carried a ten foot cross around the city of San Diego. Soon one of the newspapers carried a story which Dr Cerullo happened to see. One day in the interoffice mail I received a personal handwritten note from Dr Cerullo letting me know how proud he and Theresa were of me. Soon I was invited to speak in our weekly MCWE chapel.
A few weeks later I was called into the office of the VP of Accounting. He informed me that Dr Cerullo wanted me to pray about a move. I thought it was an organizational move, but to my surprise it was an offer to move me and our family to London to head up our European office and ministry outreaches.
I served as the European Director for MCWE for six years. During these years, the communist curtain came down and Dr Cerullo was the first to be invited to Moscow to conduct a three day crusade from the Olympic Stadium that saw over 50,000 attend and gave their lives to Christ in three nights. The nation was shaken.
Morris Cerullo Moscow Crusade, Olympic Stadium
Privileged by Dr. Cerullo to teach in our Moscow School of Ministry, back when I was skinny!
While I served in Europe, MCWE was the first Christian organization to be granted a license to broadcast in the UK and Europe. As a result millions were reached by our Victory program on the European Super Channel.
God spoke to Dr. Cerullo about launching Mission To London, which for six consecutive years drew capacity crowds for our one-week long events at the world famous 16,000 seat Earl’s Court Auditorium and shook Great Britain to the core. Many of Britain’s mega churches of today were born in Mission to London.
Morris Cerullo Mission To London, Earl’s Court
The Eastern European nations opened to Dr Cerullo. It was during a preliminary visit I was making to Bucharest, Romania to meet with pastors that through a series of miracles I was spontaneously given the opportunity to preach to 200,000 demonstrators that were convened in the University Plaza in the heart of the Romanian capital.
I was the first believer to ever address this massive demonstration with a gospel message, which were a nightly occurrence in the wake of Caucescu’s overthrow and execution. I was told that for months after I left, every night thereafter a time was given for the demonstrators to hear a gospel message from a local pastor.
The breakthroughs I have been privileged to be a part of would not have been possible if I hadn’t been willing to be flexible and to say yes to the opportunity to serve as an accountant and enable God to plant me in the place that He would cause me to prosper and fulfill His purposes.
That parking attendant ministry — the church bus driver — the “gopher” at your local church — the need you may or may not be overly excited about filling — whatever great or small opportunity there is to serve — could be your proving ground — and your opportunity to show yourself faithful so that God can begin to use you in ways you could only dream of.
And for me, flexibility will always continue to be a secret of releasing the blessing and favor of God, especially as you serve another persons ministry. Being called upon to do things that will only succeed with God’s help and blessing will stretch you and grow you if you don’t avoid those opportunities to serve when they are presented.
Like when Dr Cerullo asked me on a one day notice to be his on air co-host for our worldwide prayer reality program “Helpline” that for three years was filmed from CBS Studios and received over 1.5 million calls for prayer, with tens of thousands praying the prayer of salvation for the first time.
Those that know me know that I have never sought after or been comfortable in the forefront. To be asked to carry the co host duties for Helpline, emcee our major events, lead singing, etc – all have been challenges to me to move out of my comfort zone, be obedient, be flexible – and then watch the blessing of God flow again and again.
Be flexible. Then watch the miracles of God flow as you follow him into unchartered new territory. Blessed are the flexible. Step by step, each step will be a miracle!
(The above is an excerpt from “The Blessing of Serving Another Man’s Ministry: Seven Serving Secrets That Will Sentence You To Success”, available on Amazon.com starting at $2.99 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1932579230 Discounted bulk copies available direct from author at gregmauro1159@gmail.com Join Greg’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/TheBlessingOfServingAnotherMansMinistry)
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