Category Archives: Ministry
Friday Focus: Serve holding your own.
You have to serve regardless of what others may think or say. Would you know that the number one killer in volunteering in ministry is peer pressure? Friends could make it hard for the new volunteer to get serving for many different reasons. They could hinder the team by giving them the “inside scoop” and personal opinion of their ministry. They could also improve a ministry team by esteeming or encouraging one another to do great exploits. How are your ministry teams Pastor? Are they conducive to church growth? Are they draining on YOU or are they drawing the sick, lost, or hurting; The same could be asked of those in business?
And the sons of the prophets that were at Beth–el came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. (2 Kings 2:3 KJV)
What is your commitment like to your field of ministry or business? Are you in it for the paycheck or are you there to make an impact. Do you go the extra mile or do the bare minimum? Elisha had asked these questions of himself, not only when they teased him. no no long ago when he told his mama and daddy goodbye. When he was pulling the “escalade”of plow teams he was committed when he dismantled his livelihood and surrendered it as a burnt offering on the field and with every hardship endured he was assured that God was calling him and he would continue the legacy of his mentor.
And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on. (2 Kings 2:6 KJV)
There was a resolve in Elisha. People need that commitment from you! We need you doing what you do, for we will die together for its lack. I want to encourage you this weekend as fellow ministers to posses this resolve within yourselves.
Serve holding your own, not listening to others opinions and have that resolve for your ministry like Elisha.
We want to see you grow. We are believing for your harvest Teresa and I are praying for you. God bless you!
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Friday Focus: moving from rent to own.
hey thanks for reading, i was inspired by one of the chapters our small group had read. the name of the curriculum is titled FREWAY. It is about re- discovery of the way our Heavenly father would want us to live. This chapter was talking about how we need to own our responses to situations. I would use this principal to apply in my ministry.
I am convinced that the level of our service is contingent upon our perception of belonging in the ministry or loyalty to the vision of the church. That means my ministry will grow only if I take ownership.
What if our attitude of ministry was likened to living in a home.
What if you don’t own? Then your renting.
Rent is due a certain time every month. It can be defined with a date and time. We pay rent because we live there, that is our base of operations and where we keep our possessions, it provides shelter for our family. but we don’t own it, we are just renting. If there is a leaky faucet? Not my problem, it belongs to someone else. I don’t own it. The landlord does. I’m just owning the home part time.
It is not our house, we are just renting. When a problem happens in the home, you call the land Lord to correct it. after all, he owns the property, he has invested his resources into the area you are only in possession of for a time and if you dont like it? you can move. Think about this: the owner chooses you to be in his property in exchange for your money that you pay regularly. Physically, money cannot keep you protected from the elements. Nor could it have kept you fed in short, it is a resource that you exchange for something tangible.
Did you notice the mindset for both the owner and the renter? What type of person are you in ministry? Are you an owner or a renter? Just like home owners, those who lead have a sense of ownership they have vision and purpose for their ministry. They have expectations. They meet The Lord while in motion not sitting on the side lines. Now being an owner does not mean you’re the pastor. It takes all of us as leaders to develop that ownership. I am reminded of when I was in Washington and I was in my spiritual Dad’s church. he is a great man of God! I wanted to be like him so I did what he did. When I saw him clean the church I knew I cleaned the church if there was papers or trash underneath the seats I would pick it up helping keep my church clean and neat. Then when I helped in the Sound booth I did my best. I immersed myself into it. I had no clue how to run a sound system but I had a heart to do it. I did it and God met me while i was in motion, it was a blessing.
I moved from just renting; checking in, checking out of ministry to taking ownership of it!
The benefits of owning far outweigh any benefit of renting. I hope you take ownership of your ministry. Ask the hard questions. When you find it’s you’re fault? Don’t beat yourself up. Own it and rejoice in the fact that you have something to do with the turnaround. Have a great week. Teresa & I are praying for you, be encouraged…
– Mike
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Friday focus: Serve knowing what you’re made of.
Hello and Thank you for reading. It is my goal to give you encouraging content. I was thinking of what to share with you for our Friday focus. Did you know that you are loved? You are not an accident. You have a purpose. God loves you. He want’s to let you know that in his son, Jesus, you are a champion. You can find solutions and make things happen.
This is your turn to do what you do best. All the prayer and training prepared you for this moment. You take your place with meekness that only a seasoned warrior can exude. Powerful yet gentle. A fierce warrior, yet strategic as an army general, poised for victory.
When we are in positions to help people, that is our moment to serve knowing what you are made of.
I reflect on my life, It is not the victories that speak the loudest. Its the cries of defeat that have taught me how to do things better; with intention. Whether I’m leading a small group or even one on one discipleship moments with a brother in Christ, I try my best to give it my all because people are worth it! Christ thought so, enough to die for. When we are in positions to help people, that is our moment to serve knowing what you are made of.
Do you know what you’re made of? Or better yet, what ingredients make you the minister/leader you are today? Can you name them? Do you serve with compassion? maybe you can identify how those whom you help are feeling? What grounds me is the fact that I remember the joy the lord gave me when he removed all the dumb things I have done. I remember the moment that Jesus gave me a second-third-fourth chance. Would you know it; Jesus still loves me. What moves you? For Jesus, it was seeing people scattered with no shepherd.
So when it comes to helping others what is your theme music? Would it be “no weapon formed against me, shall prosper? Or would it be “nobody knows, the trouble I’ve seen”. This week take a moment to inventory what brought you in ministry and evaluate if you are still on course. If you are, then great, tuck this away for the lean times or share this with a friend who could use it?
Although, you may find yourself a bit off. Your compassion has hardened. You have been taken advantage of and suffer from unforgiveness so you put walls up, not to hurt again. Sooner than later those walls should come down. The Holy Spirit can help you with that as well with a team to pray with you through it. Don’t beat yourself up. Evaluate the plan to get back on course and do it one step at a time. Perhaps you could be feeling burnt out. this is common for strong leaders. Take a break, think of ways to scale back your service or even take a week off from serving. I know you can’t take a break from being a Christian (though many create a case for it) try doing what you can. Teresa and I are praying for you.
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