Ministry Focus & Equipping | Christian Ministry Training Blog

Your View of the Goodness of God Matters in Ministry

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 4 Comments ↓

Taste and See the Goodness of God

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. (Ps. 34:8)

Our View of the Goodness of God is Critical to Thriving in Ministry

When we consider what we have as a result of God’s goodness, we begin to realize how critical it is.

Perspective comes from His goodness.

A good God works good in all things (Rom. 8:28) so you don’t have to fear, doubt, or worry even if you don’t understand what is happening. No matter how hard ministry may get, even if others wrongly come against you or obstacles stand in your way, you don’t have to despair. You can know His goodness lies ahead. “I am still confident of this,” the psalmist said, “that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Ps. 27:13). Because of His goodness, you can have hope which leads to perspective.

Provision comes from His goodness.

“The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing” (Ps. 34:10). “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him” (Matt. 7:11). God knows what you most need and when you need it. He looks at the big picture and will bring about what is best in the best timing and way. You can “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” truly believing that all you need “will be given to you as well” (Matt. 6:33).

Pardon for sin comes from His goodness.

Be honest. You do not always control your words, reactions, use of time, etc. in ways that honor God in ministry. You sometimes sin. You make wrong choices. If you didn’t have a good God, you may as well give up. Wrapped up in His goodness is mercy and forgiveness. He may not remove the consequences of your sin because He is also just but He will forgive you and give you grace to cope with the consequences.

Protection comes from His goodness.

God gave you His Word to instruct and direct you. His commandments are good (Rom. 7:12) and they are for your good (Deut. 10:13) because they come from a good God. A good God isn’t going to lead you down the wrong path. When you understand this your prayer will be as the psalmist’s in Psalm 143:10 — “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”

Out of His goodness come the perspective, provision, pardon, and protection you need to not only continue on but to thrive in ministry.

Your view of God’s goodness matters in ministry but so do His other attributes. Get alphabetical listings of His attributes in the Our Great God from A to Z Discipleship Tool Download.

Your View of the Greatness of God Matters in Ministry

Posted on October 11, 2010 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 3 Comments ↓

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom. (Ps. 145:3)

Your view of the greatness of God is critical to ministry effectiveness. Here is why:

It will affect your confidence level in ministry.

It will affect your enthusiasm or passion in ministry.

These points are included in the Steering the Church Toward God’s Power Leadership Guide along with some brief input about them. This resource also looks at the means through which God imparts His power and the practical outworking of that power in 25 different leadership tasks or responsibilities. (Click on the above link to learn more about this resource.)

Reflect on the Greatness of God

Need a little refresher course on the greatness of God? Perhaps this video of Louie Giglio speaking on “How Great is Our God” will give you some perspective. (If the video doesn’t show in your browser, you can watch it on YouTube.)

For more, check out Our Great God from A to Z Discipleship Tool Download which looks at many of the different attributes of God. Putting all these traits together certainly should lead us to conclude that we have a Great, Great God who works on our behalf and wants to work through us.

Ministry Expectations

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 2 Comments ↓

Ministry Expectations Check List Sometimes we go into ministry with high expectations that soon begin to crumble. We expect …

God to bless our work …. on our terms.
people to cooperate and agree …. with our agenda.
all to go well … according to our standards.

When it doesn’t, we become discouraged and possibly disillusioned. Consequently, we then fail to experience and extend the full potential of life in Christ.

Jesus said, “. . . I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (Jn. 10:10).

Ministry Expectations in Line with the Life Jesus Came to Give Us

Life abundant doesn’t necessarily mean a lot of wealth and material goods but rather the things that really matter which are sufficient regardless of our circumstances.

The Apostle Paul understood this when he said, “I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Phil. 4:12). Paul experienced the full life Jesus came to give!

Paul went on to say in Philippians 4:13, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Earlier in chapter three, he stated his life ambition: “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death” (Phil. 3:10). Paul knew that living in the fullness of Christ would not put him on “Easy Street.”

Jesus never said that the abundant life would be problem-free. And, He certainly never said that it would be defined by our expectations. When we accept these realities, we’re ready to experience the full life He came to give. We will not only get the most out of life but we will also put our all into life through ministry. All we do will reflect the full life He came to give.

Right before informing us about that abundant life He came to give, Jesus said . . .

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” (Jn. 10:10).

Thieves minimize life. Jesus came to maximize it. Let’s not let our own ministry expectations become those thieves that rob us and others of the true blessing of life in Christ.

Let’s put all of who we are into all of who He is. Then we will have all that truly matters and will be free to extend that to others as we serve.

Christ-like Ministry

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 4 Comments ↓

How Christ-like are you in your ministry and relationships with others?

Defining Christ-like Ministry

John 1:14 says that Jesus was “full of grace and truth.” The more Christ-like we become, the more we too will be filled with both grace and truth. You can’t have one without the other and still have Christ-like ministry.

See the post: Grace & Truth – Not a Matter of Balance

When Christlikeness is Missing in Ministry

Think about it:

How many church conflicts could have been resolved had grace not been laid aside while speaking the truth!

As long as the church is on this side of eternity, we will experience resistance from time to time. Expect it, even as you pursue the purposes of God. Learn to speak the truth in love to one another. Conflict among brothers and sisters in Christ is Satan’s playground. Let’s be Christ-like with one another.

How many mishaps or misunderstandings could have been avoided in special activities had both grace and truth been a part of the planning!

Grace finds its expression in the context of relationships so we plan special activities to help build community among one another. Yet, these seeds of grace can be undone if you don’t follow the proper lines of communication and develop policies and procedures to help ensure the safety and understanding of all.

How many problems could be prevented in the classroom if teachers maintained both grace and truth at all times!

Exercising both grace and truth prevents teachers from being too much of an authoritarian or from being too permissive. Speaking the truth in a discipline situation needs to be accompanied by grace for discipline to have its greatest effect.

See worksheet: Biblical Authority versus the Authoritarian and Permissive Teachers

Becoming More Like Christ Full of Both Grace and Truth

Have you found yourself in any of the above scenarios where grace was laid aside for truth or vice versa?

Truth: If you want to be Christ-like, you must be filled with both grace and truth in all situations.

Grace: Tomorrow is a new day. God will be sending more opportunities your way to demonstrate Christ-likeness.

Learn from the past and move on.

Church leaders, check out this resource: Steering the Church Toward Christ-like Character Leadership Guide

Glorifying God in Ministry

Posted on September 27, 2010 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 5 Comments ↓

Most of us start out wanting to bring glory to God in ministry. We can, however, get so consumed in the details of administering programs that we lose sight of what those strategies are meant to accomplish. Or, we can get so intent on measurable results that we compromise integrity or relationships to get there. To glorify God in ministry we must recognize that both results and the process matter.

How We Glorify God in Ministry

God is glorified by fruit born in our lives . . . results with eternal impact.

This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (Jn. 15:8)

God is glorified by how we do ministry . . . a process that is Christ-like.

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Col. 3:17). Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).

“Do it” refers to the process of accomplishing “whatever you do.”

If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. (1 Cor. 3:12-15)

Notice that the “quality” of our work gets tested.

Both Results and the Process Matter

Next to loving God, loving people is of utmost importance (Matt. 22:37-40). How we treat people in the process of accomplishing ministry has eternal significance (1 Cor. 13:1-3). We can get so focused on the task or program, on pushing for results, that we overlook or mistreat people. Process matters so much because people matter.

Implications:

We need a biblical handle on why we do what we do so we have standards to govern our activity.
We need to invest adequate preparation and planning in what we do, always acknowledging Him in all our ways and not leaning on our own understanding. (Prov. 3:5-6)
We need to exercise wisdom in how we use our time. “Be very careful, then, how you live –not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15-16).
We need to do everything without complaining and with thanksgiving as even our attitudes shape the process. (Ps. 69:30; Phil. 2:14)
We need to treat people with respect and grace, fulfilling God’s priority of loving one another. (Col. 3:12-14)

I Know Some Servants … with the Spiritual Gift of Discernment

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Ministry Tools Resource Center

The Spiritual Gift of Discernment Defined

to clearly distinguish truth from error by judging whether the behavior or teaching is from God, Satan, human error, or human power

Examples of How the Use of Our Spiritual Gifting Can Lead to Misunderstandings

Servant #1: Church doctrine mattered to her. She was on a committee to develop doctrinal statement and was quick to see issues in wording that others didn’t pick up on. What might have been termed nitpicking resulted in an accurate representation of truth.

Servant #2: When people with needs would come to the church, she was quick to spot a scam, seeing through lies and manipulation. What might have been termed skepticism ended up being true.

Servant #3: As a pastor he frequently counseled members in the church with deep-rooted issues. Not long after hearing their life stories he was able to pinpoint lies they were believing that caused them to react certain ways. He would help them understand when some of what they were experiencing was a spiritual attack from the Enemy. What might have be termed directness got to the core of the issues and helped people when they accepted the truth.

People with the gift of discernment are often quick to see things that others don’t see or don’t see right away. They can therefore be misunderstood.

Lessons to learn:

When you identify someone in your midst with the spiritual gift of discernment, pay careful attention to their perceptions. Don’t be too quick to write off what they are saying because you don’t understand or agree.

If you have the gift of discernment, pay close attention to how you share your perceptions with others. Though you are usually right, don’t become arrogant and obnoxious about it. Remember to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). Seek to emulate Jesus who was full of both grace and truth (Jn. 1:14).

Get this example of ways to use the spiritual gift of discernment, along with 20 other gifts, in the Ministry Handbook: Spiritual Gifts in Use. In addition, the handbook suggests spiritual gifts most typically used in 16 broad ministry areas and 27 specific tasks that may need to be accomplished in most of those areas.