Archive for the ‘Ministry’ Category

I Know Some Servants

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

With the Spiritual Gift of Pastor

to be responsible for spiritually caring for, protecting, guiding, and feeding a group of believers entrusted to one’s care

Servant #1:  He directed a ministry.  His biggest asset was not in making administrative decisions but in ministering to the staff.  Though people would get frustrated with the process of getting from point A to point B, they knew he was there for them and tended to overlook his errors in judgment.

Servant #2:  He pastored a church.  His biggest asset was not in dealing with the details of programming but in caring for its members.  Though people would get frustrated with his lack of excellence or quality, they appreciated his heart and usually would cut him some slack.

Servant #3:  He directed the church’s small group ministry.  His biggest asset was not in coordinating the various groups but rather in nurturing the small group leaders.  Though people would get frustrated with his last minute scheduling and poor planning, they kept him in this position because he knew how to build a team of leaders.

None of these servants had the gift of administration, nor a personality that lent itself to good organizational skills, but they did have the spiritual gift of pastor.  Consequently, under their leadership, things were often left undone, done poorly, or at the last moment.  Their focus was on looking after people, not administrative details.

Lessons to be Learned:

People with the spiritual gift of pastor often find themselves in positions of leadership, even when they do not possess other leadership gifts or skills.  To minimize the frustration their kind of leadership can bring, they need to surround themselves with other types of leaders to bring some quality and continued growth into the picture.

3 Reasons Prayer is Critical in Ministry

Monday, July 26th, 2010

 

  1. Prayer allows us to have intimate communion with the Lover of our souls as He delights in spending time with us.
     
    Ministry is empty without this connection.  John 15 draws the parallel to Jesus being a vine and us the branches.  In verse five Jesus emphasized the importance of such a connection when He said, “apart from me you can do nothing.” 
     
  2. Prayer enables us to work in cooperation with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords as we get involved in the lives of people in our communities, across the nation, and around the world without even having to leave home.
     
    Ephesians 6 pulls back the curtain to the spirit world to help us understand the battle going on around us.  Verse sixteen concludes, “With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
     
  3. Prayer gives us a means of showing compassion toward other believers and the world around us as we take them and their needs to a God who cares and can help them far more than we could ever hope to do ourselves.
     
    Read through the Apostle Paul’s letters for the many prayers he offered on behalf of those He served and you will sense not only his desire for them to walk close to God but also a heart of love.

Of course, the list could continue.  I just wanted to share a few reasons we don’t always think about in conjunction with ministry.  These three reasons alone are enough for me to ask, “How Can We Not Pray?

I Know Some Servants

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

With the Spiritual Gift of Faith

to be firmly persuaded of God’s power and promises to accomplish His will and purpose and to display such a confidence in Him and His Word that circumstances and obstacles do not shake that conviction

Servant #1:  She was a missionary who wasn’t afraid to put herself in the line of fire for Christ, wholeheartedly believing in His ability to use her regardless of her circumstances.  People saw her as an example of faith. 

Servant #2:  He was a pastor who prayed fervently, never wavering or doubting God to come through.  Others turned to him when they needed a faithful prayer warrior.

Servant #3:  She was a Bible teacher who experienced many setbacks in life yet kept her eyes on the Lord.  She inspired others to trust God in their circumstances as well.

Each of these servants had other gifts but the spiritual gift of faith seemed to permeate all they did.  Not every missionary intentionally opens themselves up to persecution.  Not all pastors have a good prayer life, albeit a dynamic one.  Not all Bible teachers’ lives inspire others.

Lessons to Learn: 

Certain spiritual gifts, like faith, knowledge, and wisdom, rarely seem to be stand-alone gifts in people.  They tend to compliment or supplement or even help define how the other gifts are used.  People with the gift of faith are not afraid to live on the edge in their ministries.  They often find themselves turning to God in prayer.  And, all their life activities, not just their ministry efforts, tend to be characterized by a deep-rooted dependency  on God and expectancy in what He will do.

Is Maximizing Your Ministry a Biblical or Worldly Concept?

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

One of the teaching methods I’ve used is the Agree/Disagree Statement.  I choose a statement that can be looked at in more than one way and ask students if they agree or disagree.  This method often generates some lively discussions.  Maximizing your ministry is one of those issues I could easily turn into an agree/disagree statement, saying something like

          “Maximizing your ministry is biblical.
                   Agree or disagree?”

 

Here’s how I could disagree with that statement:

If by that statement you are looking at self-effort, getting all you can out of it for self-glory, self-promotion or self-actualization, then it is a worldly perspective and I would have to most definitely say, “I disagree.”  God’s Word is filled with verses about how it needs to be God’s power at work in and through us to HIS glory if what we do is going to count for eternity.   Here are a sampling of verses:

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.   (Jn. 15:5)

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  (Phil. 2:3)

“… for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.  (Phil. 2:13)

May the God of peace … equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.  (Heb. 13:20-21)

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  (2 Pet. 1:3)

Here’s how I could agree with that statement:

If by that statement you are suggesting the need to plan, be diligent, and work toward excellence in ministry, to make the most of your time and resources in it, I would have to say, “I agree.”  God’s Word is filled with verses about giving God our best and being faithful stewards of what He has given us.  Here are a sampling of verses:

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Cor. 10:31)

… so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, … (Phil. 1:10)

… if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. (Phil. 4:8)

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Pet. 4:10)

We must look at the whole counsel of God.  When we do, we must conclude that we are to do our best, to maximize our efforts, but to do so in the grace and power of the Almighty God.  The Apostle Paul said, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them (He maximized his ministry efforts.) – yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me” (1 Cor. 15:10).  The last phrase of that verse is the key.

God is in the business of maximizing ministry … beyond what we would ever think:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.  (Eph. 3:20-21)

Based on this perspective, let me ask:  Is your church reaching maximum effectiveness?