Articles
There may come a time in ministry when you feel you’re not growing, expanding, and stretching. In the natural (or worldly) order of life…
- you are ‘supposed’ to grow
- you are ‘supposed’ to get bigger and have more numbers
- you are ‘supposed’ to adjust and add new things
…but because you are not, you somehow feel like you are stuck…
Matthew 28:18-20 – And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
The corporate church worldwide would agree that the commission Jesus gave the 11 disciples has been transferred throughout the ages. Sadly, not many believers and churches take Jesus’ full commission to heart. However, there are two levels of responsibility that rest upon those who come unto the Lord.
1. Personal responsibility. Within this commission, there is not only a corporate responsibility, but also a personal one. With the advent of the bible in mass production, we have great access to the teachings and commands of Jesus. As individual disciples of Christ, we must each take up the charge (and decision) to learn of Him as pupils that we may become like Him in our behavior and actions. It is not enough for any of us to wait for the preacher to speak on Sundays or Wednesdays. We must take to the Gospels ourselves.
As the Gospels are readily available, we can choose to read a chapter a day. We can use audio tapes within our vehicles or even on our personal media players. There are many ways to study Jesus’ commands, but the important thing for us is to begin today.
2. Corporate responsibility. As the corporate church, our focus should be the teachings of Jesus. There are so many subjects that span Christian culture, but Jesus’ teachings should be first, often, and always. We should have a steady flow of Jesus’ teachings. As Lord, Savior, and King, Jesus has provided guidance on how we are to live before Him and among His people.
Jesus’ teachings must be our most important message before and after salvation. In reading Acts 2:41-42, after the 3,000 souls were added unto them, the apostles continued steadfastly (1) in the apostles’ doctrine and (2) fellowship, and (3) in breaking of bread, and (4) in prayers. The apostles’ doctrine was the doctrine of Christ. They were teaching what they had received from the Lord Jesus. (Four areas encompassed the business of the apostles, and it should be ours (corporately) as well.)
Jesus’ commission is a command – not a suggestion or something we should take into consideration!
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Within our current churches, ministries are used as extensions of the church’s reach and service. Many churches want to help their members grow as God desires. However, in the process of meeting the needs of the people through various church ministries, the church must not forget the people that run them.
The well-being of ministry leaders should not be forsaken in order to allow a ministry to continue. Sadly, there are many pastors that overlook their well-being to ensure the ‘show’ goes on. One of the main reasons for this occurrence is the pressure of being a successful, thriving church. Many pastors want to have a growing ministry that people rave about and long to attend. They want to have ministries that meet the needs of its people. However, in the process of building a ‘successful’ church, they use the ministry leaders as a means to an end – the successful church.
If you are a pastor, take a few moments this week pray about these statements and speak with your church leaders. You may discover church leaders that are burned out; ‘knee-deep’ in sin; and are struggling personally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. If you find leaders struggling with various issues (i.e. sin, marital problems), will you be courageous enough to allow the leader(s) to be restored, refreshed, and renewed? Will you allow it to continue…or will you address it?!
It is just as important for your leaders to find freedom and joy in Christ as the rest of your congregation. Even if you have to stop a ministry service or two…or three, allow your church ministry to be a place of healing, peace, and rest for all.
For additional information on this topic, please review our book, STAR Power: Four Ways to Transform Your Volunteer Ministry.
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1. We like seeing examples of righteousness. Throughout history, there has been many men and women of great faith. Through the trials they faced, they had the assured trust and confidence in the promises of God. They displayed a level of faith we aspire to achieve:
Hebrews 11:35-40 – Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
2. Jesus is our greatest example of righteousness. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life in spite of evil intentions, jealousy, strife, and even his own emotions. He lived in obedience to His Father and His purpose on earth. He understood who He was and what He was called to accomplish. Nothing swayed Him from His path and purpose for living (Luke 9:51-56).
Most of us have be the victim of some form of aggressive or bad driving. Some people seem to have trouble getting from Point A to B without driving right. They cut you off, won’t allow you to merge, drive too close to your bumper, and act as if they’re the only ones on the road.
What do you do?
Within each of our lives, we are given various responsibilities. Regardless of the type or size, we are entrusted with their upkeep, maintenance, and growth. If you were the oldest child, you may have been given responsibilities to watch over your younger siblings. If you are the manager of a specific office or section, you are given responsibility over those that work under you. If you are a parent, you have the responsibility to build and grow your children while tending to their specific needs. If you are a husband or wife, you have responsibilities to the other.
Too often when we consider the concept of responsibilities, we often think of the CEO of a company or some high and lofty position. However, at almost every level our relationships and work, we are given some commitment of responsibility. Each person can be given multiple levels of responsibility within every area of their lives (i.e. home, work, church, community) and these responsibilities can be considered as a sacred trust.
July 28, 2008
God’s Moral Purity vs. His Love
This journal entry was originally submitted as a college course assignment.
How can God, who is moral pure (and exercises justice/judgment) also be loving? There seems to be some ‘tension’ between His moral purity and love…
At first glance, it can seem there is tension between God’s moral purity and His love. But when researching the issue further, we would discover a different outcome. When God spoke to Adam and explained the consequences of eating the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:16-17), He gave one of His first ‘commandments’ on how Adam and Eve were to live. He established a baseline for His moral purity as disobedience to His instruction would bring death (and eternal separation). When Adam disobeyed God and brought death (and sin) to mankind, God drew a line of where His moral purity began (and ended).
Throughout the Scriptures, we gain additional insight to the boundaries of God’s moral purity and the frame of our own before Him. We discover the things He hates (Proverbs 6:16-19) and learn who can stand within His holy place (Psalm 24:3-5). We also learn how righteousness and justice are the habitation of His throne, while mercy, loving-kindness, and truth goes before His face (Psalm 89:14).
How can this be? Even as our iniquities have separated us from Him – like the Israelites (Isaiah 59:2), we experience His mercy, loving-kindness, and truth. We deserve the penalty of death brought through the disobedience of Adam, yet God’s love made a way for us to live in eternal fellowship once again (Romans 6:23).
As a loving parent, God established His moral standard, yet His love abounded. His standard of moral purity has not diminished. The penalty of sin hasn’t changed. The penalty remains for those that choose not place their belief and faith in His Son, Jesus. But it was God who loved us so much that He sent His only Son (John 3:16). It was God who looked upon His creation and provided a way for the penalty to be paid – through His Son.
Throughout the Biblical record, the greatest message is God’s love for the world. In spite of our continued wickedness and sin, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). In the midst of our ‘best’ actions which seem as filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6), God’s love abounded.
To those that say there is tension, I would respectfully disagree. There is only tension for those that choose not to believe and accept God’s ability to provide appropriation for our sinful acts. Jesus is the bridge from His moral purity and the extension of His love toward mankind. God’s moral purity and love are capsulated in Jesus Christ. God sent His only Son to be born and die for people that deserved to die. That is a pure and awesome love…how can we fathom its depth and breath?
Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
One of the definitions of pride is a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.1 Pride causes someone to believe they have everything ‘right,’ while a situation (or things) around them are far from it.
When pride stands in the way, dreams die, relationship crumble, desires remain wants, and people are lacking.
Have you ever had a day where hardly anything was going right? Did you find yourself complaining and becoming angry, short-tempered, and even using foul language?
If so, you may have come down with a case of the Grumpies (also known as living in the flesh).
The Grumpies often begin with an event, large or small, that irritates you. It can be the kids, drivers on the road, a co-worker…anything. The Grumpies then spread as multiple events stack on top of one another – often within a short period. By this time (if not already), you’ll discover those symptoms above.
Proverbs 17:22 – A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
One of the cures for the Grumpies is a merry heart. Many times all we need is one shot of SOMETHING (funny, heart-warming, or prayer, etc.) to break our concentration from our fleshly rage. When the Grumpies are coming on, don’t be left to conduct damage control after you’ve allow the grumpy flesh to have its way.
The Grumpies are curable! All things are possible through Christ who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13).
Photo courtesy of Stock.XCHNG.com/imru2b12
Acts 20:35 – I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Around the world and throughout the halls of academia, one of the basic tools for learning is the textbook. For some college students, college books are often more expensive than the course itself.
As you complete your classes and begin to consider what to do with your books, please consider giving your books away to another student.
Now, it’s your right to sell your books, but you never know what someone else might be going through. Your giving might be the answer someone prayed for.
Photo courtesy of Stock.XCHNG.com/nkzs
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