Church Life | Christian Ministry Training Blog

Ephesians 4:16 – One Verse Says It All

Posted on June 29, 2009 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 4 Comments ↓

If I had to give a Scripture verse defining why I do what I do as director of Ministry Tools Resource Center, I would choose Ephesians 4:16. That one verse says it all about God’s intent and design for His Church. It has long been the passion of my heart to see the Body of Christ line up with God’s purpose and objective for the Church and to get there following His design.

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.

How Ephesians 4:16, Just One Verse Says It All About God’s Intent for Church Life

This verse sums up God’s intent for the Church and how we need to function in accordance with His design:

1) The Church’s Identity: the Body of Christ (“from him the whole body”)

The church is a living organism made up of many different parts under the leadership of the Head, Jesus Christ. Out of this diversity comes unity. We are one in Him.

—So, I had to develop a section just on Body Life.

2) The Church’s Objective: “grows and builds itself up”

The Church should be growing numerically through new converts and qualitatively with one another –reaching out but also building one another up …. both, not either/or.

—So, I knew ministry training had to include outreach ministry but also shepherding, prayer, worship, teaching, and more.

3) The Church’s Purpose: “in love”

Love, the greatest commandment according to Jesus, unites us (Col.2:2) and so over all the different virtues we can and should exhibit in our lives we must “put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Col. 3:14). We “live a life of love, just as Christ loved us” (Eph. 5:1-2). We “do everything in love” (1 Cor. 16:14). We “serve one another in love” (Gal. 5:13) and “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). Above all, we are to “love each other deeply” (1 Peter. 4:8) and “increase and overflow” in that love (1 Thess. 3:12).

—So, I wanted a section devoted solely to the Church’s Purpose to love God and love people out of which the church ministries would flow.

4) The Church’s Design: “as each part does its work”

The Church was made to best function as an interdependent unit. All parts are needed (1 Cor. 12:21-26). Every believer has something to contribute (1 Cor. 12:7).

—So, with everybody doing their part as the means through which this all happens, I had to make teaching on Spiritual Gifts a core value around which the site would be built.

Here are some other articles on the MinTools.com site on Ephesians 4:16. Isn’t it amazing how much can come out of just one verse?

I told you — this one verse says it all. Now, may the Church be the Church!

Outreach Ministry in the Church

Posted on June 11, 2009 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 3 Comments ↓

Leaf through the pages of the New Testament and you must conclude that we, as a Church, are to be involved in outreach ministry. How are we doing?

Extremes When It Comes to Outreach Ministry in the Church

I have seen extremes when it come to outreach ministry in the church.

At one end are churches who put little or no emphasis on reaching the lost. These churches tend to be ingrown and usually stagnant or dying.

At the other end are churches whose sole focus is geared around reaching the lost. These churches are outward focused and often seem to be growing … at least numerically.

If we obey the Greatest Commandment to love the Lord and people (Matt. 22:37-40), how can we not reach out? On the other hand, isn’t there more to being the Church than outreach? Look at the early New Testament church in Acts 2:42-47 — “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” As you continue to read, you will not find that they devoted themselves to an outreach ministry. Perhaps that is because it was a given, as they were who they were supposed to be and did what they were supposed to do, they were that salt and light. After identifying their devotion to teaching, fellowship, prayer, benevolence, and worship, the passage concludes “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

Both extremes can tend to put the spotlight on themselves, though often not intentionally or knowingly. Churches can slide into a spiritual pride.

“Look at us,” says the first church. “We know the Word and hold firm to it, not compromising or becoming like the world.”

“Look at us,” says the second church. “We are relevant and attractive to the world. We have a following.”

The Needed Focus for Outreach

Perhaps if we focused more on simply putting the spotlight on HIM and not on what we do, we could avoid the dangers of such extremes. When we find ourselves talking too much about how we are this way or that way, perhaps we need to stop and gain some perspective. Is it about us, or is it about Him? Are we are trying to generate our own light rather than reflect His light? How do we engage in outreach ministry without compromising and without putting too much of the spotlight on ourselves?

In trying to come up with the cover and emphasis for the Outreach Ministry Manual, it hit me — Outreach Ministry is about turning the Spotlight on Jesus.

As His ambassadors we work in cooperation with God by showcasing Him through our lives and through our words. We can use a variety of means but the objective should always remain the same … to help others see Him better, not us. –“He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn. 3:30, KJV).

Beyond a National Day of Prayer

Posted on May 4, 2009 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 5 Comments ↓

The first first Thursday of every May is the annual National Day of Prayer here in the United States. As of 2011, we will have observed this day for 60 years.

One might ask, however, when looking at the state of this country, what all those years of this prayer campaign have accomplished. In many ways we are much worse than we were 60 years ago.

Points to Consider Regarding the Benefits of a National Day of Prayer:

Our real hope is in the God to whom we pray and not the prayers themselves. Prayer is merely the means by which we access the throne of grace. God uses prayer but ultimately it needs to be about HIM and not us.

We need more than a day of prayer. The early church was devoted to prayer (Acts 2:42). Are we as individuals and churches engaged in a lifestyle of prayer … constantly being aware of the presence of God in our lives and ready to communicate with Him at all times?

The benefit of such a day seems to be that it does draw the focus of people onto praying, those who may not regularly be praying for our country, maybe hardly praying at all. How can we capture this focus and sustain it?

Prayer Ministry Manual to Go Beyond a National Day of Prayer Ministry Tools Resource Center provides a section on maintaining a prayer ministry which forms the basis of the Prayer Ministry Manual. You’ll also find a page filled with prayer resources. The National Day of Prayer will come and go but perhaps this training and the additional resources can help you take it beyond.