What a Worship Service!

Posted on by — No Comments ↓
Share:

The book of Revelation describes numerous worship services where the focus is on the Lord and on the Lord alone. — No distractions. No controversy over preferences in how to worship. No misdirected focus onto a worship leader. The worship service focuses on Him.

Here’s one glorious scene:

Heavenly Worship Service of Our Worthy LordThen I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped. (Rev. 5:11-14)

In an earlier scene around the throne of God, the elders fell down in worship and cast their crowns before the throne exclaiming, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (Rev. 4:9-11) — Notice how they laid their crowns (rewards) down at His feet. The Lord deserves it all.

Can We Experience a Similar Worship Service Now, Here on Earth?

We might say, “In heaven we will have glorified bodies, a new heart, and a new mind. We won’t face the distractions we have now. Worship will come easy then!” While that might be true, let’s not use that as an excuse. We can learn from this heavenly worship service.

  • We worship the same Person, who is now worthy of all praise, honor, adoration. He will be no more worthy in the future than He is now.
  • We can lay down our preferences and perceived entitlements now. How insignificant some of the controversy surrounding worship here will seem in heaven!
  • We can be overcomers now, though in this world we have trouble according to Jesus (Jn. 16:33). The Holy Spirit who dwells within believers will help us worship in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:24) in these earthly bodies, with our sin tainted hearts and minds.

Let’s not wait until heaven to truly worship. May we now focus our worship services on Him and Him alone!

For More on Worshiping, Go To: Worship Resources

Share:

Ministry Leadership Resources and Ideas

Posted on by — No Comments ↓
Share:

Resources abound to help equip and provide ideas for today’s church and ministry leaders. We just need to know where to look.

The Best Source of Help for Ministry Leaders

While God may use a variety of means, like those that follow, our best resource is God Himself. What a difference it makes when we line up all we do with the character of God as described in His Word. We can learn from His heart and ways as we yield to the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. — Check out this devotional: The Ministry Worker’s Devotional: A Mighty Fortress is Our God

Best Source of Leadership Resources Begins with Fear of the Lord
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Prov. 9:10)

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isa. 55:9)

Other Means God May Use as Leadership Resources

A variety of avenues exist from which leaders can learn. Here are four suggestions with what we need to remember when seeking help from these sources.

  1. Learn from other churches and ministries’ experiences.

Remember, though, to tailor what you do to the specific needs and resources of your group (Prov. 27:23; 1 Cor.9:19-23).

  1. Learn from books, articles, and online posts.

Remember, though, to filter all that you read through the grid of Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 1 Thess. 5:21).

  1. Learn from the wise counsel of others.

Remember, though, to always seek God first (Prov. 16:1, 9; Matt. 6:33).

  1. Learn by trying new ideas to see what works.

Remember, though, to trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (Prov. 3:5-6).

If what we learn from these sources isn’t consistent with God’s character as described in Scripture, we need to abandon the idea immediately. But, even if it lines up with God and His ways, we still must seek Him further as to whether the idea is right for our church or ministry. Even the best ideas aren’t good if God is not leading us to implement them in our church or ministry. Just because God blessed someone else who did it, doesn’t mean it is right for us. Let’s make sure we’re submitting to the Lord and not merely following our own understanding (Prov. 3:5-6).

Go Here for Some Resources and Ideas: Church Leadership Resources

Share:

Are We Ready for Conversion Growth?

Posted on by — No Comments ↓
Share:

If we experienced the conversion growth of the Early Church, would we be ready? To be sure, the rapid, and even daily, growth in the Early Church was a phenomenon of its beginning days. That, of course, doesn’t mean we can’t see regular conversion growth in our churches today. For that to happen, though, we must observe two points about their growth:

  1. The Church fostered an environment conducive to such growth (Acts 2:42-47a).
  1. God was the One who “added daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47b).

God isn’t going to entrust us with more if we aren’t faithful with what we have. In Jesus’ Parable of the Talents, we read that those who faithfully invested what their master gave them received more. — “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.” (Matt. 25:14-30)

Questions to Ask about Our Readiness for Conversion Growth

We can’t have an occasional outreach efforts and expect regular conversion growth in our churches. We must devote ourselves to that which is conducive to such growth. We must be ready for it. Based on what Acts 2:42-47 tells us about what the Early Church devoted themselves to, here are some questions to ask about our readiness for God to regularly add to our churches those who are being saved. (Clicking on links below each question will take you to online equipping to become more ready in that area.)

  • Is our teaching and shepherding ministry ready to take those whom the Lord adds to the next step … to help people grow spiritually, becoming more and more Christ-like through equipping, discipling, mentoring, etc.?

Christian Education Ministry
Shepherding Ministry
Teaching Ministry

  • Do we have an ongoing plan for assimilating people into fellowship … to help them find belonging as members of His family?

Body Life

  • How devoted are we to praying for and with people … to help them rely on His power as they commune with Him?

Prayer Ministry

  • Are we willing to share of our time and resources with people in their times of need, struggles, crisis, etc. … to help them know first hand the love of God toward them?

People Helping Ministry

  • Is our worship truly about the Lord … to help people glorify Him, causing them to stand in awe of Him?

Worship Ministry

Church leaders, click this link for more to consider about: Church Growth

Share:

Outreach Process: Our Part, God’s Part?

Posted on by — No Comments ↓
Share:

Let’s be clear right from the start. Salvation is a work of God (Eph. 2:8-9). He will use us in the process of leading people to Himself but ultimately it is about what HE does, not what we do.

God's Part in the Outreach Process Versus What We Do

God brings the growth yet as seen in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9, we have a part in the planting process and in the watering of that seed. We are “God’s co-workers” who will be responsible for how we build on what God is doing (1 Cor. 3:9-15).

More Thoughts to Help Us Reconcile Our Part in Outreach Versus What God Does

Living according to the principles of God’s Word is critical to being a good testimony.
Yet, despite us doing the right things, God is still the One ultimately responsible for the results (1 Cor. 3:11).
Being adaptable helps us connect with others (1 Cor. 9:19-23) and in turn tends to make people more open to the Gospel.
Yet, in itself that won’t change lives.  God must bridge the gap by His Spirit (1 Cor. 2:13-14).
Praying for family and friends is instrumental in their salvation (1 Tim. 2:1-3).
Yet, the power is found in the One to whom we pray, not in the pray-er or the prayers themselves (1 Tim. 2:4-6).
Providing people with resources to teach them how to be a witness is good (1 Pet. 3:15).
Yet, the most thorough training will not win souls.  God must be at work through us (Zech. 4:6).
Keeping the church on track with the right focus is a vital role of leaders (1 Pet. 5:2-3).
Yet, church leadership can only guide and facilitate the process.  God is the One who brings the growth (1 Cor. 1:25-31).

The Conclusion about the Outreach Process

Salvation truly is a work of God. Yet, we do not merely sit back when it come to outreach and do nothing. We have a part but it still gets back to God. We work in cooperation with Him through His power as we follow His lead. Let’s remember the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:10 —

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

For Help, Go To: Outreach Resources

Share:

Resources for Ministry Over the Summer Months

Posted on by — No Comments ↓
Share:

God Made Summer and Winter - Ministry Resources to Point to the Season
Though the summer months may bring challenges for the Church, like a slump in attendance and giving, as well as fewer available ministry workers, it also opens doors to new possibilities in ministry not present during other seasons of the year. Since God created our world to experience seasons (Ps. 74:17; 104:19), let’s adapt and “make the most of every opportunity” (Eph. 5:16, Col. 4:5).

Links listed below to other sites will open in a new page to keep the list available to look at additional ministry resources. Where possible, we link to merchants with whom we have an affiliate relationship, such as being an Amazon Associate from whom we earn from qualifying purchases. These sites may use cookies to track your activity to ensure that Ministry Tools Resource Center gets commissions from any sales.

Help with the Effects of Summer on the Church and Ministry

These articles address some areas affected during the summer months:

Ideas for Ministry Over the Summer Months

These articles look at summer outreach and other ideas for the summer ministry.

General:

Children:

Youth:

Ministry Resources for the Summer Season

God’s creation is on full display during the summer months so why not bring some of it inside through handouts and decor.

Bulletins for Summer:

Bulletin Boards for Summer:

Misc. Resources Without a Christian Emphasis But Could Be Useful to Some Ministry Events or Activities:

You Might Also Be Interested in Resources for These Summer Holidays and Seasonal Events:

For Other Seasons of the Year, go to: Seasonal Ministry Resources

Share:

Stewardship: Stewards of All, in All, and Always

Posted on by — 2 Comments ↓
Share:

Stewardship
God has always expected people to be good stewards of all He has provided. Stewardship has not changed. Good things happen when we’re faithful. What we do to His glory will not be in vain (1 Cor. 15:58). We may not always see the results in this life but we can trust Him to keep His promises.

Stewardship Has Always Been Expected

Beginning in the Garden of Eden, God gave mankind the responsibility to manage earthly resources (Gen. 1:27-31). When God called the descendants of Abraham to be His people, He entrusted them with further responsibility, that of being faithful in spiritual matters. Jesus taught about accountability (Matt. 25:14-30) when he lived on earth and will bring us into account for what we have done at the Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:9-16). In the interim, as His Church, we’re expected to “faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Pet. 4:10).

Being a Steward is All Inclusive, Making a Difference in How We Live

Whether physical or spiritual resources, “it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2). Time, talent, money, spiritual gifts, our physical beings? — all to be used to the glory of God (1 Cor. 6:19-20; 10:31).

If we truly understand that all we have is from God (Ps. 24:1) and we are merely stewards of it, then it should affect our attitudes and the way we walk through life.

  • Shouldn’t we learn to be content within our means … whether that be little or much? (Phil. 4:11-13; 1 Tim. 6:7-9; Heb. 13:5)
  • Shouldn’t we be wise in how we live and how we use what we have … proactive, not merely reactive? (Prov. 22:3; 24:3; 27:23; Eph. 5:15; Col. 4:5)
  • Shouldn’t we be generous with what we have … rather than stingily hang on to it or waste it like it belongs to us? (Ps. 37:21; Matt. 5:42; Mk. 12:41-44; 2 Cor. 8:2-3, 9:6-7; 1 Jn. 3:17)

Get More Help on Being a Good Steward: Biblical Stewardship Resources

Also see: Church Leaders: Be a Steward

Share: