Christian Walk with God | MinTools Blog

Compelled by Love?

Posted on October 25, 2023 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

Compelled by the Love of Christ
Why do we do what we do as Christians? Certainly it shouldn’t be to earn favor with God since we began our relationship with God on the basis of grace (Eph. 2:8-9) and we continue our walk with Him by grace (Col. 2:6; Titus 2:11-12). Rather, Christ’s love should be that which compels us. He loves us so much that He took the punishment our sin deserves.

The more we “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Eph. 3:18), the more we’ll want to do that which aligns with Him. The more we’ll want to serve Him and others because of love, not out of duty.

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that … he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them, and was raised again. (2 Cor. 5:14-15)

What happens when we’re compelled by His love?

The love of Christ compels us to love in return. I remember my very first public testimony as a 13 year old after giving my life to Jesus. I said, “I love Him because He first loved me.” I don’t think I was familiar with 1 John 4:19 then but I was able to make the connection. When love compels us, we are never too young to worship, expressing adoration to Him because He first loved us.

When we truly grasp the love of Christ, we no longer want to live for ourselves, taking advantage of the freedom we have in Him. Rather, we “serve one another humbly in love” (Gal. 5:13-14). No matter what position we might hold in ministry, serving is all because of what He did for us so there’s no room for pride and self-ambition.

We want others to experience His love as well. And so, we’re compelled to witness to those not yet in a relationship with Him because of His love. We’re also moved to build up fellow believers, praying that their “love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight” (Phil. 1:9). As Jesus told Peter, if we love Him, we’ll feed His sheep (Jn. 21:15-17).

In addition, when compelled by His love, we’ll not only give willingly and cheerfully (2 Cor. 9:7) of our financial resources and time, but also sacrificially. — “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (Jn. 15:13)

All that we do should be affected by and driven by His love.

What Kind of Bulletin Board Are You?

Posted on October 18, 2023 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

Remember those church bulletin boards? If not, perhaps it’s because they lacked appeal. Our lives as believers can have a similar effect. People may not even take note that we’re followers of Jesus. — God’s intent, however, is that our lives make people want to stop and investigate further. We authenticate the message when we reflect His light around us (Matt. 5:14-16).

The Kind of Bulletin Boards that Barely Gets Noticed

It’s easy to pass by bulletin boards that are cluttered or outdated.

1) Cluttered bulletin boards make it hard to tell what really matters.

When our lives are filled with so much busyness, stress, or dysfunction, it’s hard to identify what really matters in our lives.

What is most important, or central, in your life?
Can people see Christ in the midst of all the clutter?

2) Outdated bulletin boards, with images and content that rarely change, lose their relevancy.

When our lives and churches get stuck in ruts and we keep repeating what we’ve always done even it it doesn’t work, it’s hard to imagine that being a Christian makes a difference.

What is Jesus doing in your life today?
Can people see the difference He makes in your life?

Just as it is easy for people to pass by these kinds of bulletin boards and barely notice their existence, so people might dismiss our lives in Christ if we live similarly.

What Makes People Stop and Want to Investigate

A document for Bible Teachers, Make Bulletin Boards Super, provides a number of tips for designing bulletin boards that have a greater potential of getting noticed. The following suggestions have parallels to our lives:

1) Have a central theme.

What a difference it makes when everything we do is because of, for, according to, and through the Lord, to show love to Him and bring glory to His name.

Does your life reflect Jesus in all you say and do? (Matt. 5:14-16)

2) Keep changing.

When people see the transformation Jesus makes in us, they can’t help but notice. They will be drawn to Christ in us. Our lives will make the message look attractive (Titus 2:10).

Are you yielding to the Spirit so you’re becoming more and more Christ-like? (Gal. 5:13-26)

Reflecting the Joy of the Lord in Ministry

Posted on October 4, 2023 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

Reflecting Joy Because of the Abundant Life Jesus Came to Give If we are going to serve with joy through the good and bad of ministry, our Source of joy must be “in the Lord” (Phil. 4:4). Jesus expressed His desire for followers, “that they may have the full measure of my joy within them” (Jn. 17:13). Notice that He wants us to have the FULL measure of HIS joy, not a trickle of it or an occasional flow of it. He also said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it TO THE FULL” (Jn. 10:10).

Reflecting the joy of the Lord amidst all of the stresses, disappointments, and hardships of ministry speaks volumes about our wonderful God who is the Source of such joy. So, here’s the question we should ask as we look at our ministry: Are we reflecting the joy of the Lord, that abundance of life?

Evidence We’re Reflecting the Joy of the Lord in Ministry

Circumstances will not always be ideal in ministry. We will face challenges and complications. Some things will be out of our control. We will often have more to do than our schedules can handle. Despite all of that we will have certain qualities evidenced in our lives when serving out of joy that finds its Source in the Lord.

We will have …

peace regardless of the circumstances that enables us to endure. (Heb. 12:2; James 1:2)

hope regardless of the challenges that enables us to press on. (Rom. 15:13)

gratitude regardless of the complications that enables us to keep loving and believing in Him. (1 Pet. 1:3-9)

contentment that keeps us satisfied due to His love that enables us to have a song in our heart. (Ps. 5:11; 90:13-15)

confidence no matter what that enables us to remain unshaken because we know He is with us. (Ps. 21:6; Acts 2:25-28)

Do you want such joy? Remember that His joy is a fruit of the Spirit. We must constantly yield control to the Spirit (Eph. 5:18-20) and walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-26) rather than try to do ministry on our own.

The Way God Made Us Gives People a Choice to Make

Posted on September 13, 2023 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

God Made People Capable of Making Choices
After God created the heavens and earth and all that was in it, He put the people He made in a garden that contained all they needed (Gen. 1-2). It was also a place God walked among them (Gen. 3:8) so they enjoyed blessed fellowship with Him.

God wanted people to choose to stay in fellowship with Him because He also wanted a love relationship with them. Without being given a choice of whether to obey Him or not, the relationship would be nothing more than robotic servitude. So, God told them they could eat from any of the trees except one. And, He made it clear that a choice not to obey this one command would come with consequences.

God Made People Capable of Choosing

Being made in the image of God, humans had a will that enabled them to make choices. Would they choose to surrender to this one command of God or do what they wanted? He would not force obedience. They needed to decide if all they had with Him was enough.

Implications: Since God Himself doesn’t force people into a relationship with Himself, let’s be careful not to use tactics to coerce or manipulate people. We must faithfully speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15) but in the end, people are responsible for their own choices. We cannot make them believe or obey. Let’s be careful we don’t turn people into hypocrites by externally conforming in order to look the part.

People Won’t Always Make the Right Choice

Being omniscient, God knew what Adam and Eve would choose to do. But, He gave them the ability to choose anyway because He wanted people to want to be in a relationship with Him and to willingly participate in His plans and purposes.

God went to extremes to show people how much He loved them and wanted to be in a relationship with Him, but many still rejected Him, choosing their own way. Ultimately He sent Jesus who would die on the cross in their place. — “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (Jn. 1:11-13)

Implications: Let’s be real. Not everyone we share the Gospel with will put their trust in Jesus. Not everyone we teach will take what they learn and apply it to their lives. Not everyone we give benevolently to will be grateful and pass it forward. People won’t always make the right choices. But, let’s not get discouraged. God made people with a will to choose. We are responsible to faithfully minister to others. They are responsible for how they respond.

Choices Come with Consequences

Yes, in the end, each person is responsible for themselves. And, each person will reap the consequences of their choices. Adam and Eve chose to do the one thing God warned them about. They suffered immediate consequences, being expelled from the garden and losing that face to face intimacy with God (Gen. 3). And, their choice brought on long term consequences, with people being born thereafter with a sin nature. Sin has marred lives ever since.

Implications: Let’s not candy coat the issue. We reap what we sow. We can’t make people believe or trust God but we can help them make informed choices.

The Way God Made Us Gives People Purpose

Posted on September 6, 2023 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 2 Comments ↓

God Made People to Have Purpose
In the beginning God created the heavens and earth. After separating light from darkness and gathering the water so dry land would appear, He told the land to produce different kinds of plants and vegetation. After putting lights in the sky to separate day from night, He made creatures to fill the waters and winged birds to fly in the sky. Finally, He created animals of different sorts to roam the land, culminating with His creation of human beings.

People, made in His image and likeness, would be special and superior. While all He created had a purpose, the way God made people gave them a significant purpose to fulfill for which they would be responsible.

A Participation with God’s Work

From the beginning God made it clear that He wanted people to work in cooperation with Him. He brought the animals He had created “to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name” (Gen. 2:19). Certainly God didn’t need people’s help, and could undoubtedly have done a better job Himself, but He wanted people involved. Participation, not perfection, was His goal.

Through the pages of Scripture we continue reading of God getting people involved in His work here on earth in various ways. Even today, we are to be “co-workers in God’s service” (1 Cor. 3:9).

Implications: Let’s make sure we not only provide opportunities for people to serve in the church but also help them understand that ministry is about purposefully participating with our All-Powerful, Creator God. Each person’s part is significant to Him and therefore should be to us as well.

As members of His Church, we have been given special empowerments, called spiritual gifts, to serve in cooperation with Him as dispensers of His grace. — “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Pet. 4:10) — People will be more prone to get involved when they sense a purpose in what they’re doing and they feel they are equipped to succeed. (For more on spiritual gifting, go to: Spiritual Gifts Resources)

A Purpose That’s a Stewardship

Having been made in the image and likeness of God, people had the ability to “rule over” all the other creation. God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (Gen. 1:26). They were “to be fruitful and increase, to subdue and rule over the rest of creation” (Gen. 1:28). “God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (Gen. 2:15)

Implications: Since God made humans to be responsible, let’s encourage one another to be faithful stewards of all He’s given us. We will one day stand before Him accountable (1 Cor. 3:9-15). Let’s make the most of every opportunity (Eph. 5:15-16).

The Way God Made Us Makes People Social Beings

Posted on August 30, 2023 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

God Made People Social Beings, Relating with Interdependence When God created the heavens and earth, He weaved it together in such a way that one thing connect to or needed the other — an interdependence. The very order in which He created depicts how one thing sustains another. Though everything was made for man to enjoy and provided the needed sustenance, God determined man needed more — “a helper suitable for him” (Gen. 2:18). He noted, “it is not good for the man to be alone” (Gen. 2:18). Hence, from the beginning, people were made to be interdependent, social beings. Surely, this has implications for ministry.

God Made People Social Beings to be in a Relationship with Him and Others

God gave Adam someone to connect with on the same level, another human being. They could communicate with one another in a way not possible with other created beings. They could experience an interdependence on the mental, emotional, and spiritual levels, not just physically.

In addition to being created to relate with other humans, people were made to have fellowship with God. It appears that in the beginning, before the fall, God would walk with Adam and Eve in the garden (Gen. 3:8). They undoubtedly talked as they walked. Though such fellowship would be blocked when they chose to sin against Him, God still made a way for people to enjoy a relationship with Him.

Implications: Let’s put our primary emphasis on developing relationships, first with God and then with one another. Remember, the Greatest Commandments are to love God with all of who we are and then to love others (Matt. 22:37-40). When we focus on relationships, we get beyond mere religious activity. We stress fellowship with God as the answer to our deepest need. We follow God’s design for Body Life in the Church wherein we care for one another in meaningful ways.

God Made People to Relate with One Another in a Supplementary Way

Though another human being, Eve wasn’t exactly the same as Adam. She was compatible but differed in ways that enabled them to compliment and supplement one another. The oneness they were to experience (Gen. 2:24) didn’t require them to look and act the same. Rather, it was dependent on them being different.

Implications: Let’s remember that God’s initial intent to bring unity out of diversity continues. It can be seen in how He established the Church (Eph. 2:11-22), bringing together two very different, even hostile, people groups to be one in Him. When we celebrate each other, respecting and accepting those different from us, we learn and grow in ways not possible on our own. Let’s promote an interdependence in our relationships with one another.

For More About God’s Design for Interdependence in the Church, Go To: Resources on Body Life