 Hello everyone, my name is Bryson and I'm the internship director here at Hungry Generation Church and today with me we're having an exclusive interview with pastor Marlando Jordan from Word of the Faith Center and He was here with us just this morning teaching to our interns And just pouring into their lives and he's been in ministry for 22 years 22 years Yeah, so he has lots of knowledge to share with you guys Longevity in the ministry that the focus of our interview today is really going to be focusing towards those who are in ministry I believe that the things that he has to share with you today will be a blessing to your heart It'll be wisdom and knowledge to keep you going and to keep you fighting the good fight For Jesus Christ for the ministry to see the world saved and so Pastor, thank you for being with us today. Well, thank you for having me. It's an honor to be here Yeah, so we you know, like I said, you were with us today with the interns and I know people who are watching that may want to know like How did you come to know Christ? Well, you know, I was blessed to be raised in a Christian home My mom raised us in church and it was in 1985 when I Really accepted Jesus into my life for the very first time. I remember praying I remember giving my life to the Lord, but it wasn't really until I got filled with the Holy Spirit at the age of 13 I was at a summer camp and I mean once I got filled with the Spirit I remember it like yesterday. It was a real encounter with God. My life has never been the same sense And so again after that is when things begin to take off for me. That's what my desire for the word of God increased That's when my desire for prayer increased It was shortly after that that we switched churches started going to word of faith center. I just really I was just I was just passionate for God I just I just wanted to you know, have that real authentic relationship with him. That's awesome. That's so awesome to hear What point in your walk with Christ? Did you get called into ministry that point that you felt like This is this is where I'm supposed to be It was during that same season Because during that time or even before that I remember my pastor when we were attending the the church in pasco He he says so what are you gonna do for the Lord? I says, I don't know, you know He's like, do you want to be a preacher? I'm like, I don't know. I want to be an architect And so I kind of I was in this place in my life where I wanted to be a preacher and an architect So by vocational. Yeah, but it was that same year. I believe it was in 1990 or maybe 1991 You know, this was after I was filled with the spirit and just going to word of faith center Excited about being involved in the youth ministry. We were in a Sunday evening service One of the I believe at the time of the worship leader was bringing the word of God that night There was an altar call. I responded to the altar call don't remember what it was about But I remember falling out under the power of God. He looked at my mom He says this this boy is called to the ministry And it was really at that moment even before that that was confirmation. I knew in my heart that I was called to ministry I didn't have all the details as far as what avenue I would go and ministry whether it was youth ministry I knew it wasn't music ministry or pastoring or evangelism, but I knew I was called I just knew that I knew that I knew that I was called to the ministry Wow, that's so awesome. That's so awesome You know going off a little bit of what we were just saying How did you How was that that process look like for you? I know we're going a little off script here But how was that journey for you? Finding your way into where you are now as a senior pastor Well as as I as you stated earlier, I've been in the ministry for going on 22 years 15 years of that was in youth ministry. Yeah About two and a half to three years. I was associate pastor and I'm going on four years of senior pastor in at word of faith center Here in Kenwick, Washington And even before I stepped into the ministry. I was really doing ministry Even in my high school years. Yeah, we had a bible club We were involved in taking the gospel to our school And so this journey has it's been an amazing journey At the time I didn't see myself stepping into the is stepping into youth ministry. Yeah I knew I was called that opportunity presented itself. I prayed about it There was a gentleman that was on staff at the time one of the pastors as I was praying and seeking God He specifically said to me some opportunities only come to you once So you need to really prayerfully seek God about this decision. Yeah, and that was my entry way into ministry Was was becoming a youth pastor and so during those years I learned a lot of stuff I learned a lot of things from the school of hard knocks I mean, it was a great season of mentoring from my senior pastor at the time pastor Doug graves Everything I went through during those 15 years And even the three and a half years of serving my predecessor as associate pastor has prepared me for where I am today And so one of the lessons that I would really Share with our viewers is faithfulness. Yeah If you cannot be faithful to another man's vision, God will not give you your own. Wow Faithfulness is absolutely essential And I see young men and young women today who want to go to the top overnight And they haven't paid their dues They haven't served and they haven't served without being paid. Yeah And that's so key. Yeah, that is so key that you're willing to serve And not use your job and not use everything else in your life as an excuse Some people they want to be the pastor. They want to be unpaid staff. They want to do this They want to do that, but they're not faithful to show up to a prayer meeting They're not faithful to show up to a leadership meeting as a volunteer And so I served in ministry as a volunteer for at least six years Before I became the senior Excuse me before I became youth pastor and even when I started as a youth pastor. I couldn't Move I did the finances. It just wasn't there. Yeah It was a very small Salary at the time I was still living at home with my mom and so it worked for me at that season But even that was a test Because there are people that would have turned the job down because the money wasn't right And so there there's the faithfulness test that you've got to pass. There is the money test that you've got to pass Honestly, thank you so much for sharing that because I I know that there's a lot of young people who feel called to the ministry and sometimes In that stage where you're trying to figure out your own life as well You get mixed up with calling and career And then that you're calling always equates to a career And it may or may not lead down that path, you know, and I think like you said faithfulness really is You know being faithful and what god has given you in the calling and walking in your calling And the scripture is so clear in in Ephesians chapter four In verse 11 paul says and he gave some to be apostles prophets pastors teachers and evangelists For the perfected of the saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of christ I want to draw your attention to the word some he gave some Yeah, so there are a lot of self appointed pastors out there a lot of self appointed prophets He gave some so not everyone is supposed to be a five full ministry gifting We need people in the marketplace Yeah, come on now some are called to the five full ministry But all of us including those in the five full ministry are called to the ministry of Reconciliation that's 2nd chrithians 5 18 through 20 You don't have to quit your full-time job to serve in the ministry of reconciliation That's what we're all called to do that. And so The full-time ministry like where you're being paid by the church again is not for everyone Yeah, there is a price to pay if you're going to be in the full-time ministry. It's an honor It is an absolute privilege, but it is a sobering responsibility to be in to be entrusted with other people And it's not something that should be taken lightly and it should not be treated as a career It's a calling. Yeah, it's a calling that requires an anointing Yeah, if there's no anointing you can't do this Yeah, and the anointing comes through prayer Through fasting. Yeah through blood sweat and tears. Yeah Amen. Amen. Amen. Wow. That was so good Thank you for sharing that and I know that just you'd by saying that cleared up I think we'll clear up a lot of things for a lot of people, you know, especially those who would find themselves in that Volunteer slash minister slash, you know, not really sure where I'm at kind of stage You know just to be faithful in what they have and in due time God will make clear, you know god honors faithfulness. The bible tells us over in proverbs. I believe it's proverbs chapter 28 20 somewhere in there. I'm just not remembering off the top of my head where it is But he says a faithful man. Yeah, well a boundless blessings a faithful man And even as we talk about faithfulness, I'm reminded about a friend of mine who recently just stepped into full-time ministry He's been a part of his church for almost 20 years He had a full-time job But he was serving going to prayer meetings doing whatever his pastor had required of him He would serve he would help wherever there was a need. He never used his job as an excuse He never used his family as an excuse because his wife served in ministry as well They had children baseball games football games On everything that he had going on but for years he served as a volunteer and now we're not even talking six months He is in full-time ministry at his church And but he served without a paycheck for almost 20 years. That is god honors faithfulness God honors faithfulness. It's true. It's true In that same in that same light we're talking about god honors faithfulness and being faithful and faithful to the calling Can you tell and share with us the viewers and myself? How how do you avoid burnout? So we're talking about faithfulness. How do you how do you keep going in faithful? I believe the number one key to avoiding burnout Is your relationship with god You need to be a person of prayer you need to have a prayer life You need to be a person of the word you need to have a devotional life Fasting should be a part of your routine as a christian And you pray and you read the bible for yourself Not just to get a sermon Some pastors they study to get a sermon now I study and prepare to to get messages for my congregation and for other avenues to You know as the lord opens those doors. Yeah But my study time Does not replace my Devotional time. Yeah, and some pastors again. They'll they'll mix it in and it's the same. No, it's not the same See when i'm studying for the people i'm in the kitchen cooking I'm preparing for them. Yeah when I read the bible because I like to read in the mornings I'm reading for myself. I'm not trying to to find a sermon I'm feeding my spirit the apostle paul or actually really not the apostle paul But over in the book of ax the bible is very clear in ax chapter I believe it's 19 He says take heed to yourself And to the doctrine the word take heed there in the greek means to pay very close attention to So first and foremost as a pastor as a minister It's my responsibility to take heed to myself take care of myself Feed myself spiritually have a prayer life. Have a devotional life. Have a real authentic Relationship with jesus christ. That's how you avoid burnout. Those of you who are watching That's how you avoid burnout spend time in the presence of god every single day Without fail. You don't take a vacation. You can take a vacation from your job You can even take a vacation from let's say if you're in full-time ministry and you're like, hey We're going to take a week and we're going to go to florida. We're going to take a week and we're going to take the family to Silverwood that's fine. But even when you're on vacation You set aside time to pray you set aside time to read your bible That's how you avoid burnout Well, and I believe that we over complicate things we want to give you seven keys of this 15 keys of that 25 keys of this you don't need 25 keys to that you just need to pray Read your bible and allow that word to transform your life You know as preachers we just need to do what we tell other people to do on sunday morning We stand up in the pulpit and we preach stuff. Don't just preach it. Love it. Yeah Love it. Let's be we we are to be an example to the flock of god I can't tell my people to develop a prayer life if I don't have a prayer life Yeah, so it's important that we pray. Yeah. Amen. Wow. That's so good Um, I was directly reminded um as you were speaking I was just thinking of like how You know queen vashti how you know the king had called her in right, you know, uh, and how You know, she was busy serving the people so she didn't have time to come into the palace With him and she ended up losing her place But esters she valued the place of the palace more than just the the work of the you know, you know Helping people and because she valued that her place was given in ministry her place, I mean her place with An authority was given because she valued the presence being in front of the presence of the king rather than just working in the palace and I think so many times In ministry as you were speaking it was making me think of how oftentimes will be so Involved in Doing ministry rather than just being in his presence. Yes, rather than just spending time with him and that's where favor comes from Yes, that's where the favor in ministry comes from his being in his presence. Absolutely. And so Honestly, thank you so much for sharing all these things. I think it was just powerful what you shared with our viewers right now, would you be able to pray for them and Those people who are going through burnout or or in that stage of ministry where they're trying to find their place That god would help them to develop that faithfulness Yes, we will pray and so if you those of you who are watching I just want you to agree with me As bryson and I pray I'm going to pray for you And I believe that there are many who are watching right now That you're called there is a calling on your life. Maybe you don't have a mentor I encourage you find a mentor See everyone needs a paul in their life You need somebody that can speak into your life that can help you that can disciple you that can Help you become that minister of the gospel that man of god that woman of god And so father right now in the name of jesus, I pray for those who are watching right now spirit of god I thank you for great grace upon their lives. I plead the blood of jesus over every one of our viewers I pray a hedge of divine protection around them I send forth the angels of god to go before them behind them Beside them and all the way around them to keep them from calamity evil and misfortune I release the grace of god into the lives of your people And i'm asking you spirit of god to give every person under the sound of my voice every viewer the Desire and the power to do as pleasing to you I ask you to increase their passion for your presence Give them a strong appetite for your word give under them the spirit of wisdom and revelation In the knowledge of jesus open the eyes of their understanding cause them to comprehend and perceive the word of god I pray for clarity of thought I pray for sharpen focus and I pray for a new drive Psalms 32 8 says that I will instruct you and I will teach you in the way you shall go And I will guide you with my eye and so I thank you holy spirit that you are doing exactly that for your people We thank you for these things now in jesus name. Amen Well, thank you pastor marlando. It was a pleasure having you thank you. God bless you. It's an honor to be here today