My Style – Your Style

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My Style May Not Fit Your Style So Don't Take a One Size Fits Al ApproachWhat works with one person might not be the best approach for the next person. We have varying personalities, learning styles, backgrounds, intelligences, and we are at different places in our walk with God. Consequently, my style of doing certain things may not be your style which will have an effect on how we serve others. Taking a one size fits all approach may lessen ministry effectiveness.

My Style May Not Fit Your Style

We may have different bents or preferences. We may have differing needs. For example:

The way I came to know the Lord as my Savior might not have affected you the same way.

My approach to daily personal time with the Lord might not be as meaningful to you.

How I memorize Scripture might not work well for you.

The track I follow in training efforts might not be what you need.

How I teach or how I learn might not fit your learning style.

How I most like to worship may not be your preference.

Suggestions for Dealing with Varying Styles as We Serve

The Apostle Paul understood how people are different and provided his approach in 1 Corinthians 9:19-22 from which we can pull some implications for ourselves in serving others.

  1. We must get beyond the effects of ministry on ourselves. And, we must guard against projecting our own ways onto others.

Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. (1 Cor. 9:19)

  1. We need to meet people where they are if we want to have the greatest impact in their lives.

To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. (1 Cor. 9:20-22a)

  1. We should avoid cookie cutter approaches when possible and use a variety of means in reaching and ministering to people.

I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. (1 Cor. 9:22b)

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Ready for the Second Coming of the Lord?

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Second Coming of the Lord Jesus
Throughout the years people have been convinced that Jesus would return at any moment. Back in the early 1970s Hal Lindsey’s best-selling book, ‘The Late Great Planet Earth‘, and the movie, ‘A Thief in the Night‘, got people thinking Christ would return any day. But, the 70s and 80s went by and still no Jesus. Then there was a lot of talk about the world coming to an end at the turn of the millennium. Remember all the Y2K alarmists? Decades later Jesus hasn’t come!

— Yet, we still are exhorted to be ready for the second coming of the Lord. — “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.” (Mark 13:32-33)

The Importance of Being Ready for the Second Coming of the Lord

Jesus stressed the importance of being ready in a parable, saying “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom” (Matt. 25:1). Five virgins had extra oil with them whereas the other five only had their lamps. The bridegroom didn’t come right away so when it was time to trim their lamps, the ones who weren’t prepared had to leave to purchase more oil. While they were gone, the bridegroom came and it was too late for them to gain entrance into the wedding banquet. The parable concludes, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” (Matt. 25:13)

The five who weren’t ready missed out on a significant, life-changing event. So it will be at the second coming of our Lord. As history has proven, we can’t predict Jesus’ coming. If we aren’t ready, we, or others we love, may miss out.

How Choices We Make Now Will Impact Then

What we do or don’t do now will impact eternity. Here are just a few ways:

  • If we keep putting off making sure our hearts are right with God, if we don’t truly know Him, we’ll miss out on eternal life with Him in glory. Or, if we do know Him, this life won’t have as much meaning because we won’t be living in the fullness of life He came to give us (Jn. 10:10). So, let’s start by asking if we truly know Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord. Are we resting solely on the all-sufficiency of the work that Jesus did on the cross for our salvation? If, as believers, we’ve allowed other things to block fellowship with Him, let’s confess our sins (1 Jn. 1:9) and walk in the newness of life He came to give us (Col. 3:1-17). We may only have today to make these decisions.
  • If we keep shying away from sharing the Gospel with those who don’t know Him, they might miss out on eternal life with Him in glory for “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Rom. 10:17). Are we making the most of the openings we have (Col. 4:5)? We may not have another opportunity.
  • If we keep busy with things that only matter in this life and fail to invest our time and resources into that which counts for eternity, we’ll miss out on rewards when we stand before Christ. What we have done in this life “will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light” and we’ll either be rewarded or “suffer loss” (1 Cor. 3:13-15). The Judgment Seat of Christ is for those whose destiny in heaven with Jesus is already determined so the loss isn’t salvation but undoubtedly rewards as it says that person “will suffer loss but yet will be saved – even though only as one escaping through the flames” (1 Cor. 3:15). We won’t have the joy of casting our crowns (rewards) at Jesus’ feet in worship (Rev. 4:10-11). Imagine seeing the Lord of lords and King of kings in all His glory and majesty with nothing to lay at His feet. That’s a true loss.

When Jesus comes, it will be too late to do the things we put off doing. — “Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.” (Mk. 13:33)

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What We Really Believe Matters

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As He Thinks in His Heart so Is He - What do you believe? It matters.
What do we really believe about God, His Word, His Church, etc.? Very simply put, if we don’t believe certain truths, to the core of our being, we won’t tend to act on them. As a result, we won’t experience life in Christ in the fullness of what He intends to do in and through us. What we believe does matter!

Examples Showing How What We Really Believe Matters

To keep this post reasonable in length, we’ll only look at four areas which will give at least a sample of the difference our core beliefs make.

1) About the Bible

If we don’t hold firmly to the Truth of God’s Word, acknowledging it as inspired by Him and useful as our Standard for living (2 Tim. 3:16-17), it will affect how we approach reading and teaching it. For starters, we probably won’t invest what we should into Bible study or lesson preparation. And, when we aren’t Bible-based, we won’t see changed lives because “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17).

2) About the Holy Spirit

If we don’t truly believe the Holy Spirit is real and vital for today, then we won’t rely on Him for help (Gal. 5:14-26). Without His help, we won’t tend to navigate ministry, even life in general, as we should. As a result, we will bring on more problems than necessary or miss out on all God wants to do in and through us.

3) About Grace

If we don’t really acknowledge that the grace of God that saved us (Eph. 2:8-9) is what also enables us to live upright and godly lives (Col. 2:6; Titus 2:11-12), then we won’t rely on Him to work through us in all we do. As a result, we will never get to the point where we give God our best because self-effort will never get us there. We’ll tend take a more legalistic approach to living the Christian life or give up trying since we can’t be good enough.

4) About the Church

If we don’t think that God’s design for the Church works today, then we won’t place importance on functioning as a Body (1 Cor. 12). When that happens, we have little to fall back on when we disagree because Body life, God’s way, can not only help us resolve conflict but also prevent it. We won’t have people to hold us accountable and spur us on (Heb. 10:24).

If you struggle with any of the above, take time to at least read the posts under that area. You’ll also find a link for each to additional resources.

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The Effects of Being Connected to One Another

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Effects of Being Connected to One Another
God designed us as the Body of Christ to be members of one another (Rom. 12:5). As followers of Jesus Christ we are connected to each other in a special way. We have a unique bond with fellow believers all over this world because of Him. When we function as the Body God designed us to be we’ll fulfill His purposes and experience the effects of being connected to one another.

3 Effects of Being Connected to One Another

While we probably could list a number of ways we’re affected when we live as members of one another as God intends for the Body to function, here we’ll consider just three that can make a big difference not only to the health of the Church but also to our testimony in the world.

  1. Our connection in Christ should dictate how we communicate with one another. The many “one another” commands of Scripture serve as a guide.

“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” (Eph. 4:25)

For More, Read: Christ-like Communication (follow the links in that post)

  1. Being connected to one another should determine how we serve each other. We’re all in this Christian life together so its not about personal ambitions or self-fulfillment but rather truly caring about one another.

For More, Read: True Body Life Results in Ministry

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” (Gal. 5:13)

  1. Our connection with one another in Christ should affect how we handle disagreements or conflict. Reconciliation should always be our goal which will happen when we focus less on “me” and more on “us”.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Col. 3:15)

For More, Read: Harmony in the Midst of Conflict? (follow the links in that article)

When we live in accordance with God’s design for the Church, aware of the connection we have in and through Him as members of one another, the Church takes on a different dynamic. We aren’t just another organization trying to do good in this world. We are a living organism “joined and held together by every supporting ligament” finding our connection “from Him” who is the Head of the Church (Eph. 4:16).

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What’s Important in Prayer

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What's Important in Prayer to Keep Us Praying
Most Christians, even many non-Christians, acknowledge the importance of prayer, though they might not pray regularly and/or fervently. Many want to be prayer warriors but struggle to make it a priority. Perhaps what’s needed is an awareness of what’s important in prayer, not just the importance of praying.

What’s Important in Prayer That Will Keep Us Praying

One reason we might not pray regularly and/or fervently could be that we haven’t consistently experienced the power of prayer. We aren’t going to know how powerful praying can be if we fail to include some key elements in our attitude and approach to it.

1) importance of the heart, not just the mechanics of praying

James 5:16 makes it clear that its “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” because “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer” (1 Pet. 3:12). None of us are righteous in ourselves. When we put our trust in Jesus and what He did in dying on the cross for our sin, His righteousness was granted to us (Rom. 4:22-25) so when God looks at us He sees Christ’s righteousness. Positionally we are made right with God but practically we still sin and need to come back into fellowship with Him so our prayers aren’t impeded (Ps. 66:18). — “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn. 1:9)

2) importance of authenticity or truth, not just praying what we think God or others want to hear

Praying that’s about impressing usually stems from pride but praying that’s real grows out of humility and is that which God responds to (2 Chron. 7:14; Lk. 18:10-14). When we’re authentic, we often find ourselves pouring out our hearts in prayer (Ps. 62:8). That’s when we tend to be most aware of God’s presence as we pray. — “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” (Ps. 145:18)

3) importance of relationship, not just praying out of a sense of duty

While we do find many commands to not just pray but to devote ourselves to prayer (Rom. 12:12; Col. 4:2), praying continually and in everything (Eph. 6:18, Phil. 4:6, 1 Thess. 5:17), prayer needs to go beyond mere obedience. We will want to pray more and more when we approach prayer as a means of communing, or connecting, with our heavenly Father. We want to communicate with the One we love.

4) importance of gratitude, not just petitioning

Too often we make prayer about asking God for what we don’t have. What about thanking Him for what we do have? There must be a reason the command to “pray continually” is followed by “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thess. 5:18). There must be a reason the command to “devote yourselves to prayer” is coupled with “being watchful and thankful” (Col. 4:2). Too often we can get so consumed with how God may not be answering our prayers the way we expect that we fail to see how He is working on our behalf. If we don’t think prayer works, we’ll have little motivation to keep praying. When we watch for what God is doing, we’ll find ourselves praising and wanting to pray.

When the above elements increasingly become part of our praying, prayer becomes more than a tack on to the beginning or end of our day or church meeting. Prayer will not just be our last resort but rather our first response. Praying no longer will be an option but a necessity and no longer something we “ought to” do but rather “want to” do.

Check Out These Resources about Prayer:

 

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The Uniqueness of the God of the Bible

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If we study about the God of the Bible, we must conclude that He truly is unique. In His uniqueness He is incomparable … meaning no one is like Him. Be encouraged to take the time to read all the Scripture referenced in this post to gain a better grasp of the uniqueness of the God of the Bible.

Scripture Speaks of How God is Unique from Other Gods

Uniqueness of God - Who is Like the Lord?The Bible describes God as unique being majestic in holiness (Ex. 15:11; 1 Sam. 2:2), awesome in glory (Ex. 15:11), great and having a strong hand (Deut. 3:24), sovereign (2 Sam 7:22), and more.

We see it in His working of wonders and mighty acts (Ex. 15:11; Ps. 86:8-10). Other gods may have wonders attributed to them but the God of the Bible is known for doing the impossible with nothing being too hard for Him (Jer. 32:17; Mk. 14:36; Lk. 18:27). —  For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? (Deut. 3:24)

We also see His uniqueness in the way He is identified as the first and last, therefore able to not just declare what happened but also what will occur in the future (Isa. 44:6-8; 46:9-11).

As the Maker of all things (Jer. 10:16), He is unique from all else and Sovereign above all. He is our Source, Sustenance, and Strength. We live to fulfill His purposes and not the other way around (Isa. 45:9; 46:9-11; Rom. 9:20-21).

Significance of Grasping the Uniqueness of the God of the Bible

If we say we believe in the God of the Bible then we must acclaim Him as unique for that is how Scripture describes Him. Reading the verses referenced above leaves no doubt of this declaration of uniqueness. When we truly grasp who He is, we’ll find ourselves proclaiming similar to the writers of the Bible that apart from Him there is no savior (Isa. 43:11, 13). Apart from Him we have no rock to stand upon (1 Sam. 2:2; Isa. 44:8). Nothing and no one compares to Him. Nothing and no one else deserves our full devotion and praise.

You’ll find this content in the introductory pages of the Our Great God from A to Z Discipleship Tool Download which looks at His attributes using the alphabet. Understanding who God is, as described in the Bible, should lead to this view of Him as unique from all other gods.

Learn More about God: Theology Resources

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