Ministry Focus & Equipping | Christian Ministry Training Blog

The Greatest of These is Love Yet Hope Matters

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor. 13:13)

Hope is “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Heb. 6:19). Faith and love “spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven” (Col. 1:5). Yes, hope is essential but it is not the greatest. Had it not been for love, we would have little on which to rest hope.

In the body, remembering that we were all called to that one same hope is what propels us to “be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” and to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:2-4).

In the busyness and stresses of life, it is so easy to forget or neglect the foundations which means we will not heed to the process of getting from faith to love. — “But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.” (1 Pet. 1:9)

Implications of the Importance of Hope, Along with Love, to Ministry

For Those of You in Ministry:

Don’t think you are above the need to go back to your roots. If you are going to model the greatest characteristic, love, you must remember that it is only because of God’s grace that you are who you are and do what you do. That same hope to which those you serve were called, is that which anchors you and keeps you humble and spurred on to love.

About Those You Serve:

Unity will be threatened if people do not remember that the essence of body life and loving one another is found in that same hope to which they were all called. Provide constant reminders of that hope which comes from the cleansing of their sins to help keep people on the same page. Make sure you seek to build body life on the right foundation. Body life is not about being the same or all agreeing. Body life is not about fighting the same cause. We can be quite diverse and still love one another if body life is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ and that one same hope we all share in Him.

The Greatest of These is Love Yet Faith Matters

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor. 13:13)

“Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6). Yet, love, not faith, is the greatest commandment (Matt. 22:37-40). Faith is the starting point with love as the ultimate. Between there we have a lot of growing to do.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. (2 Pet. 1:5-7)

Implications of the Importance of Faith, Along With Love, to Ministry

For Those in Ministry:

Don’t assume you will automatically love people as Christ loves. 2 Peter 1 clearly delineates a growth process in getting there. Have you ever experienced hardships in ministry, times when things didn’t go as expected or people didn’t cooperate as they should? Embrace those experiences as opportunities to learn goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, and brotherly kindness. As you do, you will learn more and more to truly love. If you choose instead to grumble, complain, get embittered, or similar negative reactions, don’t expect love to become the greatest characteristic within you.

About Those You Serve:

Don’t expect everyone to automatically love one another as they should just because they have put their faith in Jesus. Be patient as they too must go through the process of growing from faith to love. When conflicts come, as they will, challenge people to work through them so they learn from these experiences and grow together. If you try to “fix” all the problems, how will people learn? Rather, be there with encouragement and counsel as they walk through the process.

The Greatest of These is Love

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 10 Comments ↓

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor. 13:13)

Though Jesus identifies love as the Greatest Commandment, love is also the greatest characteristic as seen in 1 Corinthians 13. Effectiveness in ministry hinges on love, not honed skills, the latest technology, excellence in programming, and the like.

What 1 Corinthians 13 Teaches about Love, the Greatest Characteristic

This chapter is sandwiched between a teaching on body life and the use of spiritual gifts. Consequently, if we keep it in that context we must conclude that love is critical to body life and must govern how we do ministry through the use of spiritual gifts.

Personalization of love (vs. 1-3)

The clanging noise, insignificance, and ineffectiveness described in these verses do not refer to ministry being done without love. Rather, they depict the person doing the ministry.

“I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” – If you want plausibility in ministry, you need to love.

“I am nothing.” – If you want purpose in ministry, you need to love.

“I gain nothing.” If you want a productive ministry, you need to love.

Bottom line: Be the kind of person who makes a difference by being a person motivated and characterized by love.

Potential of love (vs. 4-8a)

No matter how you serve, you will find many situations calling for patience and kindness. You will be tempted to boast about what you are doing right or envy others in their successes. You will tend to think your agenda is the one to follow. Your gut reaction to those who do you wrong or stand in your way could easily be rudeness, anger, or revenge. You might find it hard to forgive. As much as you try not to say “I told you so,” you might not be able to help but think people got what they had coming to them. You will sometimes find it very hard to see the potential in people. And, there will be times you just feel like giving up.

What’s the solution? — Love. Only God’s love will enable you to keep the best interests of others at heart.

Bottom line: Measure your ministry against the right standard, the love of God as described in 1 Corinthians 13.

If you serve as a Bible teacher, the worksheet, “Does your heart beat with the love of God for your students?” will help you do that.

Perspective of love (vs. 8-13)

How quick we can be in ministry to focus on certain doctrines or practices to the neglect of that which can be agreed upon and profit everyone. We can get mixed up on that which is negotiable and that which is not. We can settle for the temporal, imperfect, and incomplete when God wants our attention on that which is lasting, perfect, and complete. In the end only faith, hope, and love will remain with love being the greatest.

How interesting that though this chapter has elevated love, the last verse throws in some “runner ups” — faith and hope — without expounding on them. Even though faith and hope are essential to the Christian life and community, the greatest is love. The next two posts will look at how faith and hope stand next to love. You can subscribe to be notified by e-mail of new posts.

Bottom line: Focus on what really matters.

Spiritual Growth Levels: Ministering to Spiritual Parents

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

Spiritual Growth Spiritual parents exhibit a consistency in their walk with God, as do spiritual adults. What distinguishes spiritual parents from spiritual adults is that they take what they learn and teach others. That does not have to be in a formal classroom or from the pulpit but can be in any kind of discipling or mentoring relationship.

Spiritual Parenthood Described

1) They are conscientious about what their lives communicate to others as they want to be an intentional example of what it is to live for the Lord. (1 Cor. 11:1)

2) They have a strong reproductive bent. They want to help others grow in their walk with the Lord so they in turn can help others. (2 Tim. 2:2)

3) They have a strong desire to see others through to fruition. They will consequently follow through with others in their needs and spiritual growth. (1 Cor. 4:15-16)

Ministering to Spiritual Parents

They need to be built up in their own spirit as they give and give to others, trusting that God will use them as they persevere, so they do not grow weary. (Gal. 6:9-10) Provide plenty of encouragement and growth opportunities for them. Do not assume they do not have spiritual needs because of being at this stage in their spiritual growth.

They need to be looking at the big picture so when hardships and rejection come as they invest in others, they don’t lose heart. Hold Jesus up as their example. (Heb. 12:1-3)

They need to, as they invest in ministry to others, not forget that the Lord is their first love. (Rev. 2:1-7) Ministry should never take first place in our lives, so consuming us that we have little time to spend with God. Keep bringing them back to what should be their primary purpose and passion.

Learn more about spiritual parents, along with the other levels of spiritual growth in the Teachers Role in Discipling Students Toward Spiritual Growth Resource.

Spiritual Growth Levels: Ministering to Spiritual Adults

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

We start as spiritual infants, quite insecure in our walk, and then move into childhood wherein we have grown but are still quite self-centered in our approach to the Christian life. As adolescents we truly want to be Christ-like but struggle to bridge the gap. Continuing to grow, we become more consistent and mature . . . SPIRITUAL ADULTS.

Spiritual Adulthood Described

1) They constantly use the Word of God, saturating themselves in it. As a result, they have a good moral compass, able to make choices that line up with Scripture. (Heb. 5:14; 1 Jn. 2:14)

2) They build on what they already know. As a result, they go deeper with the Lord. (Heb. 6:1)

3) They have learned to find their strength in the Lord. As a result, they are overcomers. (1 Jn. 2:14)

4) They have persevered through the difficult times. As a result, they have acquired all the tools needed to make it through life. (James 1:4)

5) They view life through the lens of who they are and what they have in Christ. As a result, they maintain perspective. (Phil. 3:7-15)

6) They avail themselves of all means of getting to know Jesus better. As a result, they are Christ-like in their attitudes, words, and actions. (Eph. 4:13)

Ministering to Spiritual Adults

They need to be spiritually stimulated. Be careful that you are not always planning according to the lowest spiritual level in your group. You do not want to discourage their quest by boring or stifling them.

They need to continually be stretched so they do not plateau. One of the best ways to stretch them is to encourage and challenge them to invest what they have learned into helping others mature . . . to become spiritual parents.

(If you are a Bible teacher, you can learn more about ministering to spiritual adults, along with those in the other growth levels, using The Teacher’s Role in Discipling Students Toward Spiritual Growth resources.)

Spiritual Growth Levels: Ministering to Spiritual Adolescents

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 2 Comments ↓

The Bible does not actually refer to spiritual adolescence but does mention other spiritual growth levels such as infants, children, adult (young men), parents (fathers).

ADOLESCENTS could easily be included as a level between children and adults.

Have you ever heard the frustration of believers who truly want to live for God and grow in their relationship with Him as they say, “It’s like I take one step forward and two steps back”? They would describe their walk like a roller coaster ride, full of ups and downs. While we all can experience peaks and valleys in our walk with God, for some this seems to consistently be their experience. These are the believers I would call “spiritual adolescents.”

Spiritual infants and children can experience this as well but they don’t have the strong desire spiritual adolescents have to grow and become who God wants them to be.

Spiritual Adolescents Described

Romans 7 seems to especially fit the adolescence growth level.

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing. . . . For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.” (Rom. 7:18-19, 22-23)

1) Adolescents consistently struggle between what they know they should be doing and what they actually do. They struggle because they want to be mature yet so often fail.

2) Adolescents consequently struggle with how they feel about themselves as Christians. They get to feeling defeated, like they will never get there.

Ministering to Those at This Level of Spiritual Growth

They need lots of encouragement and affirmation for the passion they have to grow and for the steps they do take. You don’t want them to give up and regress back into spiritual childhood where it was easier because they didn’t care as much.

They need you to be patient with them. Spiritual growth is a process. For some the adolescent struggle seems harder or longer, but if they persevere, eventually they will come through on the other side. If they feel as though you have given up on them, they will be more likely to give up as well.

They need to sense there is hope for them. Point them to Jesus as the only source of victory (Rom. 7:24-25). Keep reminding them that the Christian life cannot be lived in their own strength.

They need a model. You need to let them see that no one has arrived yet it is important to press on (Phil. 3:10-14) because it is so worth it.

For more help on ministering to spiritual adolescents, as well as those in the other spiritual growth levels, check out The Teacher’s Role in Discipling Students Toward Spiritual Growth resources.