MinTools Blog Equips for Church, Ministry & Walk with God

Grandparents, Leave a Positive Legacy

Posted on August 11, 2021 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 2 Comments ↓

The United States sets aside the first Sunday after Labor Day to honor grandparents — Grandparent’s Day. I have very few memories of my own grandparents as they all passed on when I was very young but one thing I do remember is that they were people to be respected in a special way. And, though I didn’t directly benefit from their input into my life, I have been indirectly affected because of their influence on my parents . . . the legacy my grandparents passed on through my parents.

The Kind of Legacy Passed on Through Grandparenting

Scripture makes it clear that grandparents pass on a legacy that can have either a positive or negative effect for generations to come (Ex. 34:6-7; Ps. 103:17). If you’re a grandparent, certainly you should want to be a blessing rather than a curse to your grandchildren. Certainly you should want them to honor you because of true appreciation and love for you, not because they’re told to be respectful.

Positive Legacy? – The legacy of grandparents can be for eternal good as seen in the example of Timothy whose mother and grandmother passed on their faith by rooting him in God’s Word (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:14-17).

But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children … (Ps. 103:17)

Or, Negative Impact? – A grandparent’s legacy can also have a negative impact as the effects of an unbelieving or hardened heart and a life of sin can spill over in familial dysfunction for years to come.

The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, … maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation. (Ex. 34:6-7)

Questions for Grandparents Who Want to Leave a Positive Legacy for Their Grandchildren

Take some time to ask the following questions. Pray about and reflect on what you can do for it to become more of a reality in your life.

Are you nurturing your own soul, growing in your walk with the Lord, so you have something of eternal worth to pass on? (Deut. 4:9; 2 Tim. 1:5; Ps. 145:4)

Are you willing to invest into the lives of the younger generation in strategic ways, especially if you must do grandparenting from a distance?

Are you truly present when with your grandchildren, there in the moment, attentive to them, rather than preoccupied or distracted by other things?

Are you a godly role model for your grandchildren, consistently letting the Lord’s light shine through you in all you do?

Are you passing on godly wisdom learned from your life experiences but particularly that which is in alignment with God’s Word?

Are you a prayer warrior for your grandchildren?

Are you someone your children and grandchildren are pleased to honor, not just because a special day is set aside to celebrate grandparents, but because they are truly blessed through you?

Use the Holiday Reflections discipleship guide on Grandparent’s Day to reflect on the kind of legacy we can leave. This resource includes guides for reflection on a total of fourteen different holidays. If you’re a grandparent, you might even consider using these guides as a tool to disciple older grandchildren during each of the holidays.

Results of Making Fellowship a Priority

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

Fellowship, koinonia, relates to sharing what we have in common, which is our life in Christ. God’s Word provides reasons we should prioritize such community with one another and it also gives results of making fellowship a priority.

3 Biblical Results of Making Fellowship a Priority

1) We have unity among believers when we base it on what we have in common in Christ.

… if any common sharing (koinonia) in the Spirit … then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. (Phil. 2:1-2)

2) We develop gratitude and a genuine love and concern for one another that leads us to pray for them.

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership (koinonia) in the gospel … (Phil. 1:3-8)

3) That love for one another makes us a more effective witness to the world around us.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (Jn. 13:35)

These results are listed in the Church Purpose Ministry Manual which looks at fellowship as one of the ways we fulfill our purpose to love people. The manual also provides some questions to reflect on about how you are doing at making fellowship a priority.

Learn More: Resources for Fellowship

Results of Making Christian Nurture a Priority

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

God established the home as the primary nurturing ground early on in the Bible. Parents were to make sure God’s commands were first in their own hearts and then impress them on their children (Deut. 6:4-9). Yet, God also wants His Church, believers of all ages, to be teaching one another (Col. 3:16). And, He gifted people to make sure it happens in the Church as “Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Eph. 4:11-12). As we read on in Ephesians 4, we learn the results of making Christian nurture a priority.

3 Results of Making Christian Nurture a Priority in the Church According to Ephesians 4:11-15

1) It leads to spiritual maturity.

until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Eph. 4:13)

2) It helps us acquire discernment.

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. (Eph. 4:14)

3) It culminates in church growth.

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. (Eph. 4:15)

The Church Purpose Ministry Manual considers Christian nurture as one of the ways we fulfill our primary purpose to love God with all of who we are. It lists the three results in this post along with two more important results of making nurture a priority.

Learn More: Resources for Bible Teaching Ministry

Results of Making Benevolence a Priority

Posted on July 21, 2021 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — 2 Comments ↓

We previously established that benevolence should be a priority for the Church. And, we looked at the example of benevolence in the Early Church. We must note, however, that Hebrews 13:16 commands us to remember to do good and share which suggests that it’s something we might be prone to forget if we don’t work at it. Perhaps considering results of making benevolence a priority will help us keep working toward that end.

3 Biblical Results of Making Benevolence a Priority

1) We experience greater equality.

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. … And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. … (Acts 4:32-37)

2) While we should be motivated by love to help others (1 Cor. 13:3), rather than what we get from it, we do receive personal benefit from it as we reap what we sow.

The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor. (Prov. 22:9)

… Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. … (Gal. 6:7-10)

3) God is honored.

Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. (Prov. 14:31)

These three results are listed in the Church Purpose Ministry Manual along with some additional Scripture references. Benevolence is in that manual as one of the ways we fulfill our primary purpose to love God with all of who we are and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-40).

Learn more: Resources for Benevolence Ministry

The Early Church Example of Breadth of Focus

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

Training Category: Body Life

Today we so often find local churches isolated from one another. The Early Church, however, selflessly supported the work God was doing beyond their local bodies of believers. We can learn from the Early Church’s example of breadth of focus, looking beyond ourselves, having a big picture outlook.

During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul. (Acts 11:27-30)

Lessons to Learn from the Early Church Example of Breadth of Focus

There’s usually someone that has a greater need than you.

This group of believers looked beyond themselves. They were better off materially than the church in Jerusalem and so, despite impending famine, they shared of their resources.

There’s usually something you can do to help.

Notice that the above passage says, “the disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help” (Acts 11:29). The amount wasn’t the issue but rather the giving … stepping outside of oneself to help others beyond one’s own little circle.

It’s so easy for us to become inwardly focused in our churches that we forget about the universal, global Church. Let’s ask God to expand our breadth of focus. Each local body is just part of a whole.

The Body Life Ministry Manual helps us reflect on this quality in the Early Church along with three other examples for us to follow.

The Early Church Example of Boldness

Posted on June 30, 2021 by Ministry Tools Resource Center — No Comments ↓

Training Category: Body Life

If you want to be like the Early Church, then know that it will not be a problem-free existence. They experienced struggles and persecution. It wasn’t easy. So, we need to look at the Early Church’s example of boldness in the face of adversity.

Example in the Book of Acts of the Early Church’s Boldness

While we could pull a number of passages from Acts, here’s one that gives us a good example:

They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. . . . After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. . . . On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. . . . Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:1-31)

From this passage we find …

the source of their boldness: “Lord … enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness”

the means: prayer, the Holy Spirit, and a base of support from one another

Together they went to the One who could empower them to face persecution and hardship with great boldness. Consequently, instead of persecution tearing the Church apart, they grew.

You’ll find some reflection on this quality in the Body Life Ministry Manual along with a look at three other qualities we can use as examples of Body Life in the Early Church.

For More on Persecution: