Church Life | Christian Ministry Training Blog

It Takes a Culture Shift

Posted on January 3, 2018 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

God’s blueprint design for church health and growth is that everybody does their part.

From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Eph. 4:16)

Yet, many churches fall short of this reality. We struggle with recruiting people to do the work of God in the church. Some may even question if it’s a valid goal. God would answer “yes” or He wouldn’t have commanded it.

What’s it going to take to line up with His design? — a culture shift. When something becomes part of our culture, it becomes engrained in the way we operate. People recognize it as an expectation when joining with us and anticipate such engagement as the norm.

We must realize, however, that something doesn’t become part of our church’s culture just because we will it to be so. It takes a shift in our attitudes and the way we think as well as our actions. Affecting the culture takes time and patience. The steps to begin may seem simple but they must be consistently applied.

Steps Toward a Culture Shift in Functioning According to God’s Design for Everybody to Do Their Part

The following steps could apply to any situation in which the church needs a culture shift. Click on the links to look at each of the steps in light of the need for everybody to do their part.

1) Understand God’s commands.

2) Accept the challenge.

3) Develop a course of action.

Seek God’s Help Each Step of the Way in Promoting a Culture Shift in Your Church

Of utmost importance is that we recognize that God must enable us as we do each step.

1) God, through His Spirit, is the One who makes it possible for us to understand His Word.

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. (1 Cor. 2:14)

2) God is the One who prepares our hearts to accept the challenge.

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

3) God is the One who will get us on the right course.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Prov. 3:5-6)

Sharing God’s Message of Salvation?

Posted on December 20, 2017 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 2 Comments ↓

When we comprehend how central the Gospel is to God’s eternal plan, we will understand the importance of evangelizing the world around us. We will want to share God’s message of salvation with others.

Sharing God’s Message of Salvation Because of:

God’s Eternal Purpose

God’s purpose from the beginning of time was to send Jesus to reconcile the world to Himself to bring people into a relationship with Himself. (2 Cor. 5:19; Eph. 3:11)

How can we not join Him in such an important mission as His ambassadors? (2 Cor. 5:19-20)

God’s High Motivation

God’s motivation in sending Jesus was unconditional love exhibited by His grace and mercy. (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 5:8)

How can we not be compelled by such love to share Jesus with others so they too can know Him? (2 Cor. 5:14)

God’s Longing Heart

God’s heart is one that desires for all men to be saved and rejoices when even one person is found in Him. (Lk. 15:1-32; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9)

How can we not want to be a part of His mission by reflecting His heart to the world around us? (Jn. 17:25-26)

God’s Authoritative Commission

God’s commission is for His people to be witnesses, making disciples of all nations. (Acts 1:8; Matt. 28:19-20)

How can we not obey His command to evangelize the world around us if we love Him, the One who has done so much for us? (1 Jn. 5:3-4)

God’s Unlimited Power

God’s power to save is exhibited in the Gospel. Through Jesus sinful people are made right with a holy God. (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:18) We cannot do enough good to secure our salvation but with God, all things are possible. (Matt. 19:17-26)

How can we not let go of our inhibitions and boldly proclaim Jesus as God’s solution to the sin problem if our confidence is in His power to save rather than our abilities? (Acts 1:8; Rom. 1:16)

The Evangelizing the World Around Me Discussion Guides will help your group grab hold of this important mission of sharing the Gospel, God’s message of salvation, with those around you.

Truths About Worship

Posted on December 13, 2017 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 1 Comment ↓

We all have preferences on how to worship, often based on our personalities and backgrounds. Through the years this has produced tension, even controversy, in coming together as the Church to worship. We can have people on opposite sides of a spectrum, making it difficult to please everyone.

Tensions in Corporate Worship

Many of the tension points in corporate worship revolve around the following spectrums:

Traditional versus Contemporary
Volume & Beat versus Reverence & Awe
Spirit-led versus Planned

When our personalities or backgrounds take our preferences in worship to a different end of the spectrum than what’s happening in the worship service, we can learn to be content, still able to truly worship God, when we separate out form from substance or principles from precepts. We need to get to the real essence of worship.

Biblical Truths to Remember About Worship

Since we worship God, we should seek to please Him. Biblical truths, therefore, not our preferences based on our personalities or backgrounds, should form our priorities in worship.

1) Worship is about the Lord, not about us and not about the form or medium used to worship.

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of things that were to come; the reality (substance), however, is found in Christ. (Col. 2:16-17)

2) What’s in the heart matters more to God than outward appearance or style.

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy with and to walk humbly with your God. (Mic. 6:6-8)

3) God seeks those who worship in spirit AND truth, not either/or.

But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. (Jn. 4:23)

4) Worship is more than a Sunday affair, more than something we do at church or in our quiet times. It involves the whole of our lives, every day.

Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God –this is your spiritual act of worship. (Rom. 12:1)

Click on the links below to learn about resources on worship produced by Ministry Tools Resource Center:

Consideration & Compassion Pave the Way

Posted on September 27, 2017 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

Training Category: Outreach Ministry

Consideration & Compassion as Salt & Light in World You are the salt of the earth. (Matt. 5:13)

You are the light of the world. . . . let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matt. 5:14-16)

As believers we need to verbally witness, communicating the Gospel message, because “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Rom. 10:17). Consideration and compassion can pave the way. It’s a way of being the salt and light of Jesus in our communities and the world around us.

Learn How at: Consideration & Compassion Showcase God’s Love for People

Please Note: You’ll find the following content in the Outreach Ministry Manual.

How to be Salt and Light Through Consideration & Compassion:

(Clicking on links below will take you to resources, some of which might be found in our affiliate stores.)

Give financially to your church’s benevolence fund, directly to unsaved individuals in need, and/or to a relief organization that has a good balance between meeting physical needs and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. (Samaritan’s Purse is one example.) If you give directly to people in need, usually it is best to give a gift card to a grocery store or pay the actual bill rather than give the money. Unfortunately, money sometimes gets used differently than the expressed need.
Use vacation time to go to a devastated area due to war or natural disaster to help rebuild. Pray that in the process you are a witness of God’s grace.
Get involved in community projects with non-Christians. As you work side-by-side, helping to meet needs, pray that God would open doors for you to share about Jesus with not only those you serve but those with whom you serve.
If you can work in a clothing or food bank, use it as an opportunity to distribute tracts and/or Bibles along with the goods the people need.
Help an unsaved neighbor who is elderly, sick or shut-in to mow the lawn, shovel the snow, pick up groceries or medicine, drive them to the doctor’s office, etc.
Send a sympathy card with comfort verses from Scripture to an unsaved co-worker who is grieving the loss of a loved one. Offer to bring a meal or dessert or to watch their children. Attend the viewing or funeral service to communicate your support.
Help families of prisoners in practical ways. Your kindness to their families could also touch the hearts of the prisoners.
Help those in your community who have special needs, such as physical or mental disabilities, in practical ways.
Volunteer time at a rescue mission to serve meals to the homeless or do other tasks to help.
Before, during, and after helping in any of these or other ways, pray. Permeate all you do with intercessory prayer for the people that their greatest need, the spiritual, is also met. Pray for opportunities to share about Jesus with them, not just in deed but verbally as well.

Be realistic. The world does have many scammers who are only out to take advantage of the goodness of people. Be wise. Check out the need. Most importantly, pray for God’s will. If you truly believe God wanted you to help and you seem to have been taken advantage of, trust God to work it for the good (Rom. 8:28). Pray for the person and forgive them. Your reaction to their evil intent could soften their heart to the Gospel.

Means of Communicating the Gospel Message

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

Training Category: Outreach Ministry

We’ve already looked at the Mandate, Motivation, Messengers, and Message we have to communicate with others.

Read: Communicating the Gospel Message by Verbally Witnessing

Please Note: The following content on this page is included in the Outreach Ministry Manual. Click on the image or link to learn more.

How Do We Communicate the Gospel Message

Read through the New Testament and you will find a variety of means used in communicating the Gospel Message.

Matt. 28:18-20 – teach

How? — “go and make disciples of all nations”

Acts 1:8 – witness

How? — “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you”

2 Cor. 5:11-13 – persuade

How? — “not trying to commend ourselves to you” “For Christ’s love compels us”

2 Cor. 5:19-20 – appeal to

How? — “as though God were making his appeal through us”

2 Cor. 5:20 – implore

How? — “on Christ’s behalf”

2 Tim. 1:8 – testify

How? — “do not be ashamed”

2 Tim. 4:2-5 – preach, correct, rebuke, encourage

How? — “with great patience and careful instruction”

The Conclusion about Communicating the Gospel Message:

That the Good News of Jesus Christ must get verbally communicated is a given. The means by which it gets communicated is the variable. We must never lose sight of the message.

The Gospel must remain central and not be lost in the process of trying to be relevant.

The Gospel must remain intact and not be watered down.

When the Apostle Paul said “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Cor. 9:19-23) notice what he adapted. He said “I” have become all things, not the message. He used “all possible MEANS” but still preached the same Gospel message.

Church Characterized as Loving & Unified?

Posted on August 9, 2017 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 1 Comment ↓

We live in a world too often filled with hateful and divisive words — not very loving. Is the Church any different? We should be.

Yes, we must stand for truth. We should uphold God’s holy standards. As we’ve noted in the last couple of posts, holiness and truth should characterize us to the core of our being and not merely form a verbal code of ethics. But, when that happens, we will also be people who love.

A Church Characterized as Loving & Holy

Bible Verses That Couple Holiness and Love

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Col. 3:12)

The qualities mentioned in this verse characterize love (1 Cor. 13) and promote acceptance and unity, not condemnation and divisiveness. Clothing ourselves takes an intentional effort. We put thought into what we wear on our physical bodies. Why wouldn’t we do the same spiritually?

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Eph. 3:17-19)

Notice how Ephesians 3:17-19 identifies “all the Lord’s holy people” as “being rooted and established in love” but needing an even better grasp of the Lord’s love. We have a holy God who makes us holy in Christ Jesus but that’s not enough. To be “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” we need to know and rely on His great, immeasurable love more and more — to lay hold of His love so as to appropriate it to our own lives.

Churches Characterized as Loving and Unified As Well as Holy and Filled with Truth Stick Out

When holiness and truth coupled with love characterize a church, our bonds with one another in Him become strong enough to withstand differences of opinions. We work through potentially divisive situations, unified because of who we are in Him. Because He is the Standard, we seek to get on page with Him, not push our personal agendas.

This kind of church stands out. It demonstrates the fullness of God’s character. This is a church with some appeal.

Think about it: If the Church can’t lovingly work with one another, how will those on the outside think they will be valued, loved, and not simply condemned?