All posts filed under: Miinistry

Living Life On Assignment

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A LIFE LIVED ON ASSIGNMENT IS THE MOST DANGEROUS THREAT TO THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS Our text is found in the book of Mark chapter 4:35ff “That same day, after it grew dark, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” Leaving the crowd behind, the disciples got into the boat in which Jesus was already sitting, and they took him with them. Other boats sailed with them. Suddenly, as they were crossing the lake, a ferocious storm arose, with violent winds and waves that were crashing into the boat until it was nearly swamped. So they shook him awake, saying, “Teacher, don’t you even care that we are all about to die!” Fully awake, he rebuked the storm and shouted to the sea, “Hush! Be still!” All at once the wind stopped howling and the water became perfectly calm.” Mark 4:35-37, 39 TPT Everything Jesus did while here on this earth He did on purpose and with intentionality. He live a life on Assignment. When Jesus said …

5 Way to help grow the membership of your church

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INTRO: One of the most difficult places to minister and build a church is in Rural America. There are varied and complex factors that contribute to this difficulty. UNIQUE & DIFFICULT FACTORS Take for example the lack of stable and competent volunteers. The economic difficulties of a small town. The frequent need for members to relocate for a new job. In a small town there is no telling what your congregation is going to look like from Sunday to Sunday. Families come, families move, hopefully for them, to a better job, housing or school. The membership in most churches in Rural America is aging. These are the folks who despite their age do most of the heavy lifting. If there is community outreach – bake sale, fireworks fundraiser, or movie in the park – these older folks are there. But ‘most’ of them are not necessarily active in sharing their faith or inviting friends to church. The only friends they know are already Christians. Than there is the chronic problem of church hopping, church skipping …

7 Things To Do With Your Plans

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A few weeks ago I came under fire from one of my critics for telling him that I had planned several months ahead of what I felt the Lord was leading me to share with our congregation. This individual took my words and twisted them, and began to spread in the community that I had no place for the leadership of the Holy Spirit in the ministry of the Word of God in our Church. If you’ve read “My Beautiful Tension,” you can see how ridiculous it is for any pastor to plan sermons without the help of the Holy Spirit or even do ministry for that matter. Even though I have addressed the subject here, I feel the need to talk about it again. There is school of thought in certain circles about the subject of planning that I believe is out of sync with scripture. A lot of well meaning people believe that planning is of the devil. I am not one of those. I do not believe planning is of the devil. …

My Beautiful Tension

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Every Sunday morning before I take the pulpit to speak, I wrestle with what I am about to deliver: Is this of God? Is this what the Spirit wants me to share today? Have I study enough, prepared enough? Many mornings I am led to preach something other than I prepared. Other times I walk to the pulpit, heart pounding, not knowing what I am going to say. I would love to say I am spot on every time, but that wouldn’t be true. I miss him sometimes – but when I do hear Him and obey Him, it’s glorious. Every afternoon I take sometime to reflect upon the message preached. I celebrate what God did during service. I praise him for the response of His people to His word. Sometimes I second guess what I shared, even though, I know He was in my preparation. Did I miss God? Was I obedient to His voice? I thank God for testimonies heard I weep sometimes – especially when I don’t see Him move Than again …

7 Reminders to take your christan life, ministry and leadership to the next level

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As we read the books of Timothy, it is clear that Paul is writing to a young man, living in big city and ministering to a mega church. He, (Timothy) is not only overwhelmed by the enormity of the task of ministry and leadership, but is also caught in the crossfire of life. He is too sickly, timid and isolated. Paul himself, writing out of a Roman dungeon, drops 7 words – 7 reminders to help lift Timothy out of his dungeon of despair, rekindle the fire in him and take his Christian life, ministry and leadership to the next level. A preacher must often repeat an exhortation, because we dwell in a land of forgetfulness. (Cramer.) — Walter Bright (@WaltBright) November 5, 2014 Teacher It is not how well we preach or teach… It’s how well we live especially in tough times. “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”  2 Timothy 2:2. Timothy is reminded of his calling …

Pooped Shepherds

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Pastors, leaders, bloggers, pastor’s wives, missionaries, speakers, servants of God – as you sit back in the comfort of your home, browsing the internet for something to lift you – I pray that this little message, by Marc Cleary, will do just that. Here is the simple, yet powerful outline. Feed your soul with it and be encouraged. Be still and know that I am GOD Be still and know that I AM Be still and KNOW Be STILL BE

Bitter Free

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How do you react to grumbling and criticisms? Do you react in the same negative spirit? Do you feel the need for revenge and payback? I personally think it is a test of character when others slander and are judgmental of us. Character is not only how we act but how we react to people who hurt us – especially those we call brothers and sisters in Christ. I have been in situations in my life and ministry when I literally felt my heart descend into a dark and bitter place because of how others treated me. But The Lord has taught me and has given me tools to keep me from bitterness. I tweeted about this sometime ago: “I will not sin against God by ceasing to pray for you." 1 Sam. 12:23. Give me thick skin and a soft heart toward mean spirited church folk — Walter Bright (@WaltBright) May 9, 2014 So what’s up with this verse? How can this verse help deal with the hurt and pain that come from the people we  love and gladly serve. In …

This One Thing

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Men may be divided into two classes—those who have a ‘one thing’ and those who have no ‘one thing’ to do; those with aim, and those without aim in their lives… The aim in life is what the backbone is to the body: without it we are invertebrate.” How frightening it would be to be “invertebrate”—to be spineless, weak, and weak-willed—especially in the Christian life! But thanks be to God for these cherished-yet-instructive verses about the process whereby you and I may know and accomplish our “one thing”—attaining the great prize of the Christian race. (Elizabeth George, experiencing God’s peace. p. 95). Source. Jesus had a one thing “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. (John 12:27 ESV) Paul had a one thing “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize …

Patience: the Rose among many thorns

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Somebody once said that if you ask God to give you patience, “he may allow difficult situations in your life to help you cultivate it.” Unfortunately, these situations are never pleasant and none of us look forward to any one of them. But apparently, they seem like the most logical place for patience to develop. Paul understood this very well. Remember the thorn in his flesh? Speaking to this very situation he said, “In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We “patiently” endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food.” 2 Corinthians 6:4, 5 NLT In the same chapter he adds the following We have been despised We have been slandered We have been called impostors We have been ignored We live close to death Our hearts ache We are poor We own nothing In such difficult times and dark situations, there is one word that stands …