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Do you Display God’s Splendor?
Posted on December 29, 2010 by Biblical Guy
When you lead, you are to display God’s splendor in the best means and words possible so that Christ is shown as the Supreme Head over the Church. He controls the Church. Does He control yours? Or, do you think you do (2 Cor. 3:18; Eph. 4:13-15; 5:23; Col. 1:15-20; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9)?
Why does a Christian have the obligation, the imperative command, to disciple others in growth with time, love, and patience? What would be some excuses for not doing it? How would Christ receive these excuses?
The purpose and intent of your church is to worship, and to instruct, model for, and excite others about the promises of our Lord Christ and challenge them to grow in faith and maturity by the perseverance of faith in Him. As a leader, you shepherd them in these paths. We are to long for Christ as LORD, but not only that; we are to know Him and seek Him so we will grow in Him with praise, prayer, study, and fellowship. If not, what are we doing? And if we negate our duty, we may be the ones on the outside of His love and care—both now and for eternity.
In what ways do some Christian leaders present their own version(s) of lordship, to the exclusion of Christ? How do we see Jesus—as lord, or Lord, or LORD?
Jesus invites us to partake of Him and His incredible wonders now and forever more! He wants us to be focused on Him and not to stray so we can be better used for His glory. If we do stray, His arms are open throughout our prodigal wanderings—arms which we do not deserve, yet they are there, nonetheless. He calls us to repent and proclaim Him. He continually exhorts us to maintain righteousness, and to upright leading and management of His Church by His Way and His methods. We do this by first managing our own spiritual formation, and then we can lead others toward spirituality in Christ. A leader cannot lead where he or she has not been, just as a church cannot grow when its leaders are not growing. Here is Christ—beckoning, warning, and even pleading for us to get it right and then do it right—both our lives and His Church in Him.
How can you and your church realize a depth of gratitude for what Christ has done so you can see the lost as opportunities and recognize the call to reach them?
The call is to know and be prepared by faith, to grow in our spiritual maturity, to develop godly character, and to be infused by the Spirit and His resulting Fruit. By so doing, we lead others by way of where we have been. Simply put, it is for this reason that Christ built His Church—that we might partake in the building of His Kingdom with the bricks of our faith, each one interlocking with another. How are your bricks being formed and baked? Never forget that your purpose is to inform with confidence and conviction, with clarity, and in truth that faith and loyalty to Christ matter. We have a hope and we can be assured He has a plan and will love and care for us into and throughout eternity.
Filed under: Building a Fruitful Church | Tagged: character, Christian leader, coach, control, courage, empower, equip, Example, faithful, godly, guides, in charge, influences, initiate, inspires, instruction, leading, minister, motivates, needs, opportunities, pastor, pathfinder, responsibility, risk, supports, take charge, train, vision | Leave a comment »
Our Light is Christ and we are called to display Him!
Posted on December 29, 2010 by Biblical Guy
Do you just want to preach to people or do you want to display Christ so others want what you have? The Church is called to be living out the faith in our lives and in our Church! How can you do this better? Jesus is proclaimed in the New Testament as the Priest, Judge, King, and Ruler of the Church. This is not a theory; rather, it is the reality of how we must connect with Him before we contact others and help them connect to Him.
We are a “Work of God” that means we are made by Him for Him, even though we may suffer just to show and experience the greater wonder of God’s mercy and power. Because, God’s goodness and sovereignty will prevail and our call is to glorify God by our best efforts of faith, as we are His display cabinet (John 1:9-23; Gal. 5:19-22; Col. 1:9-14).
Why would having no hope cause you and your church to have no vision and purpose, or to have doubts about the One who loves?
As you shepherd, you properly lead, making a connection for God’s people so they can have hope and endurance through the sharing of his sufferings and experiences and so they will know He is still with them in spirit and in understanding. John was not living the good life while his people were being persecuted; he was in the frontlines of it all. He was a leader who led by example by going first in line to the destination to which he was leading others. After he had set the tone, he told them of his incredible vision of Christ and His call to the leadership of the Seven Churches. Jesus spoke to him in vivid imagery, commanding him to write it all down so it could be shared and used to further the Kingdom.
Why is it important that when we run our churches, we do so with God’s power and precepts leading us and not our personal ways or trends?
The purpose of a Christian leader, pastor/minister, deacon, elder, shepherd, or whatever you call yourself is to get your church lined up to God and His Way and precepts!
In addition, you are to facilitate yourself, your team, and the people with the development of faith, spiritual maturity, character, and Fruit so everyone is ready for His use and glory. We have a call to remain faithful and keep our trust in Christ no matter what comes our way in sufferings or temptations. We are to focus on His Way, even in persecution and stress. This theme is prominent in Revelation (Rev. 2:2-3, 13, 19; 3:10; 6:11; 13:10; 14:12; 16:15; 18:4; 20:4; 22:7, 11, 14).
What are your thoughts now on what should be the essential framework to build your church into a healthier church? …are they from the Bible or your will?
What is the image of Christ to you? How is His image proclaimed and demonstrated in your church? How can you use this information so you can have a better, healthier concept of who God is? How will this translate into your daily life? Remember; your duty is to reverence Him (Job 37:5-6; Ezek. 1:24; 43:2; Dan. 10:6).
Filed under: Building a Fruitful Church | Tagged: character, Christian leader, coach, control, courage, empower, equip, Example, faithful, godly, guides, in charge, influences, initiate, inspires, instruction, leadership, leading, minister, motivates, needs, opportunities, pastor, pathfinder, responsibility, risk, Shepherd, supports, take charge, train, vision, What is Leadership | Leave a comment »
Are you and your church known for your negatives or positives?
Posted on December 29, 2010 by Biblical Guy
If so, what will you accomplish, or what will be your focus?
A true Christian leader who is called by God will always point others to Christ and His fold, not to themselves, because, it is God’s power that leads¾not the ways or trends of the world. We will have the desire to learn, develop, and implement the skills of good leadership and gladly take the risk in doing so. The essential framework and prime purposes in building a healthy church are to glorify Christ, to worship and enjoy Him, and not to please our comforts or ideas. We are to shine before Him by knowing Him, by holding His truth, and by growing in Him so we can make Him known in a dark world!
Jesus gathers us together as a church to be with one another for mutual support and protection. How can you be more careful not to follow bad shepherds and those who would hurt you?
The Church is the body of believers whose duty it is to shine the Light of our Lord as a witness for Him. His character is the Light we follow and proclaim. Christ is the Priest, Head, Lord, and Prime Shepherd of the Church. He is the object of and reason for our gathering and functioning. It is all about Him, not about us as leaders; we merely point to Him! This is how God’s Glory descended into the Tabernacle of old and today into our churches. Our purpose now is to point to His glory, as the Church is the light of the world. Christ is the pattern we follow and emulate and the future for our lives. Proclaiming the Church as a lamp stand is saying the Church is significant as the true place of reverence to God, and Christianity is the true practice of Judaism (Gen. 1:3; Ex. 25:31-40; 1 Kings 7:49; Zech. 4:2; Matt. 5:14-16; 18:20; 28:20; John 1:4-5; 8:12; 14:18; Acts 26:13; Eph. 1:10; 5:8-13; Phil. 2:15; 1 John 1:4-5; Rev. 1:9-20; 2:9; 3:9).
What does it mean to you to shine before God? How does holding His truth help you shine and make Him known in a dark world? How is your light shining before others?
Here are some more questions to seek in prayer: As a leader, how do you connect, inspire and equip? How would others characterize you as such? What do you need to learn and overcome to be better for our Lord’s glory? Keep in mind that we all need renovation and renewal; I know I do!
Filed under: Building a Fruitful Church | Tagged: character, Christian leader, coach, control, courage, empower, equip, Example, faithful, godly, guides, in charge, influences, initiate, inspires, instruction, leadership, leading, minister, motivates, needs, opportunities, pastor, pathfinder, responsibility, risk, Shepherd, supports, take charge, train, vision, What is Leadership | Leave a comment »
Does Jesus control your church?
Posted on December 23, 2010 by Biblical Guy
Or, do you or others think you do?
What characterizes leadership in the church? It follows pretty much the same concepts as those stated above with the addition of being godly, faithful, and Fruitful for our Lord’s glory. The best example is found in John, chapter ten, where Jesus is called our “Good Shepherd” (See the Bible study on this passage at www.intothyword.organd preach on it!). The Christian Leader is a Shepherd, the person whose job it was to guard and care for the sheep—in this case, indicating God’s people. Just as the actual sheepherder who owned the sheep had a vested interest in them and would do all it took to protect them, as his family’s livelihood depended on them, God anoints such leaders for His people. In contrast, a hired person had no vested interest and as soon as danger would come, they would scram (Gen. 31:39; Num. 27:15-23; 1 Sam. 17:34-37; 2 Sam. 5:2; Psalm 78:71-72; Isa. 63:11; Jer. 3:15; Ezek. 34:1-24; John 10:1-21).
The question is, are you a sheep under His care or one that is out on the lamb (pun intended),on the run?
Although the comparison is not meant to be condescending, nor are we ever to be arrogant, we are called sheep because they are notoriously stupid animals and need a good, caring leader. They can’t survive on their own; they show us that without God, we are just like them. They are totally dependent upon their caregiver, the shepherd. A sheep that gets out and lives on its own will starve or eat poisonous plants because it will not go where the gppd food is. It will hurt itself by rubbing itself to death on a tree or falling down and breaking its leg or falling off a cliff. Sheep need constant care and attention and the sheep that skips out on that care will die. As shepherds, we are the ones who are to graciously shield those for whom we are responsible, even laying our life on the line against predators and rustlers, which today indicate false teachers and egomaniac leaders.(Psalm 77:20; 78:52; 100:3).
We shepherd others through our relationship with Jesus Christ! Why do we have a responsibility to be watchful and aware of people who would fleece and hurt the people in our churches? How can we do this better?
We have life, joyful abundance, the personal favor of God and real fellowship with Him, a purpose and meaning for our daily lives, and eternal life to come. For us to be in the safety of His sheepfold, the “pen” for our faith, we not only need to be in Christ, but we also have to obey Him. This will be the result of our intimate relationship with Him. We know Him; He knows us, and we do what He says. We follow His example as we lead others for and to Him. We are concerned with what concerns Him, and we act accordingly. Like sheep, we cannot lead ourselves or others without being forever lost and unfed. Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we are the sheep (1 Sam. 17:34-36; John 2:19; 3: 1-16; 6:51).
Filed under: Building a Fruitful Church | Tagged: character, Christian leader, coach, control, courage, empower, equip, Example, faithful, godly, guides, in charge, influences, initiate, inspires, instruction, leadership, leading, minister, motivates, needs, opportunities, pastor, pathfinder, responsibility, risk, Shepherd, supports, take charge, train, vision, What is Leadership | 1 Comment »
Schaeffer on Why God Came Into The World
Posted on December 12, 2010 by Biblical Guy
Schaeffer on Why God Came Into The World.
Schaeffer on Why God Came Into The World
We’re excited to share a handful of Christmas related articles, as well as guest posts from some of our authors, in the coming weeks as we prepare to celebrate Christmas! We’re kicking off with some words from Francis Schaeffer on Why God Came Into the World. Enjoy!
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What is the condition of your church?
Posted on December 11, 2010 by Biblical Guy
God is in unity and in perfect love, He calls us to be so in community to identity with His purpose, plan, and call to have a proper concept of God and work collectively as a church as we are the body of Christ. To do so, we must increase in faith and thinking so Christ is all and working in and through us all (John 14:10; 1 Cor. 1:10-13; 12:25; Gal. 5:20; Eph. 4:12-16).
Is there a posture of prayer? With the focus upon God and His way and concerns (Psalm 121:1; 123:1; 123:1; Matt. 26:39; Mark 7:34; John 11:41).
The key to a successful Christian life, ministry, and church is prayer. There is no way around it (Psalm 2:7; John 12:41; Philip. 2:11).
Is there “Complete unity?” God calls us as leaders of His Church to carry out His plans and accomplish His mission of reproducing communities of Christ-formed authentic disciples. We do this by equipping our people to know and teach Christ’s redemptive reign as missionaries sent by God, to be real and visibly live and proclaim Christ’s Kingdom to the world.
Love and unity is the model we are to use to show God’s love to the world, because our unity has an evangelistic intention and example!
Our infighting and often bitter divisions destroy churches and create an extreme bad witness. When we do not, our un-forgiveness becomes malice and actually grieves the Holy Spirit! We should be clear on this. A healthy Christian is one who puts aside the malicious traits of an evil, sinful nature, and embraces others in love. What comes out of love is the release of our feelings of betrayal and hurt. The Christian is called to model kindness, love, empathy, and compassion; out of these, forgiveness will flow. God wants us to get with it, to wake up, and seize the wonders and opportunities He gives us. An unforgiving attitude, and its ugly rotten fruits, will choke us off from His wonders (John 13:34-35; 15:13-17; 17:1-26; Gal. 5:22; Phil. 1:23; 1 Thess. 4:17; 1 John 2:10; 3:14-16)!
We pass on the example of our relationship to Christ as His display. When we act in good character and live rightly as His representatives, we prove His name. When we act in the flesh, we prove the world and show our disobedience and disrespect, even profaning His Name. The call to make every effort indicates that we are to pay close attention to Christ and take the spiritual initiative and be productive with our faith and lives! Always be willing to acknowledge the difference between what is counterfeit and what is true Truth and be willing to repent and seek forgiveness when you are wrong! True Christianity and its practice never retires or becomes counter-productive (John 16:33; 21:18-19; 1 Cor. 10:31; 2 Pet. 1:12-21).
God hates unfaithfulness, betrayal, treachery, disloyalty, deceit, disobedience, faithlessness, contempt and evil, and pride and dysfunction—which is treason against our Holy Lord. Thus, He deals more harshly with those who are apostate—who know the Truth and yet reject it or fight against Him—more than with those who are pagans and fight against Him, as He justly should (Psalm 41:9; Matt. 26:25; Luke 9:5; 10:11; John 13:18)
We have to see the glorious position that is given to us by what Christ has done for us. Then, we will see the joy (James 1:2-4) and then the hope (Heb. 6:18-19) that we have. God’s purity gives us who are not pure an undeserved gift of grace by His love. This is given even though our sinful nature is very much alive and in play. Then, we see that our Lord God is pure and we are sin. However, we have to also see that what we may think is love is not; the will of our hearts may think that we can do as we please since we are in Christ, but that definition of love is simply wrong. This is not love; it is annoying noise, a form of relativism, perhaps even evil. Such thinking and behavior equal a life that is meaningless and produces little to no fruit or real, effectual love.
Filed under: Leadership Issues | Tagged: character, Christian leader, coach, control, courage, empower, equip, Example, faithful, godly, guides, in charge, influences, initiate, inspires, instruction, leadership, leading, minister, motivates, needs, opportunities, pastor, pathfinder, responsibility, risk, Shepherd, supports, take charge, train, vision, What is Leadership | Leave a comment »
What is Leadership?
Posted on December 11, 2010 by Biblical Guy
Leadership is not a science and cannot be thoroughly defined, because it is more of an art and is dependent on people and situations. However, there are key characteristics that we can define. It does not happen just as a gift or a talent; if a person has a natural ability, he or she still must learn what it is and means. Additionally, a person who has no natural ability can still rise to the occasion as so many in history have.
A basic description of leadership is the duty and call of the person who is in charge to take charge with courage and character, and to risk leading his/her people where they need to go and how they need to be led.
It is a position that seeks vision, opportunities, and needs and then motivates others to get it done through the resources, talents, and time they can contribute. It points toward a reliable and trustworthy pathfinder to the road that others can follow by example and instruction. It is the ability to initiate, empower, equip, and train, but it does not stop there, because a good leader also prepares his/her people by his/her example as he/she guides, inspires, supports, influences, and positively challenges the team for the mission or task at hand. It will be obvious that the person is meant to be there if they accomplish this by enhancing the quality of the mission’s direction by mature control of the individuals and/or the organization as a whole. It is not about personality or charisma; it is more about being a positive and motivating “coach” who loves what he/she does so that people feel cared for and inspired to step up and move forward for mutual benefit and positive goals and outcomes.
Filed under: Leadership Issues | Tagged: art, character, Christian leader, coach, control, courage, empower, equip, Example, faithful, godly, guides, in charge, influences, initiate, inspires, instruction, leadership, leading, minister, motivates, needs, opportunities, pastor, pathfinder, people, position, responsibility, risk, science, Shepherd, supports, take charge, train, vision, What is Leadership | 1 Comment »
Is Christ LORD, Lord, or lord over you?
Posted on December 3, 2010 by Biblical Guy
Jesus is Lord over creation, but you have to exercise your will to move it out of the way so He can be Lord over your life.
To help our faith and relationship with Christ and others to grow, and for Him to work in our lives, especially to touch others, we also have to be willing to trust and obey Christ as Lord over all things–including our lives.
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5: 20
If you have nothing relevant or appropriate to offer your people and you are not hospitable to them, you are producing a failing church.
Even if you have numbers, if you are not centered on Christ, you are in trouble and you are not succeeding for Him. We can change our worship format, make our parking lots bigger, and make our programs more relevant, trying to be a better WHO. Our “who” is that we are in Him—who we are in Christ; we are Christians by His love. But, what about changing it to HOW—to change how we are, how we behave, how we treat one another, how we are loving, how we care, how we learn, and how we grow in Christ.
The big how is that we know and then model Christ as a reality, that Jesus Christ really is in our lives. We are learning, experiencing, and living in and for Him! By really and truly being His ambassadors and allowing His Spirit to sustain and use us, we can be used to turn others toward Christ.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5: 21
Remember: real church growth is in the spiritual, not just numerical!
The key to unlock the growth barriers is opened yourself to the Lordship of Christ, to flow into contentment in your worship and prayer time. Sometimes that is all we can do, but it is not a last resort it is our front line and most important defense. Jesus is to be our preparation for the weathering of a storm to building a church. He will help you build your relationship with Himself so your faith, confidence and courage grow and be the inspire to those you lead. Then you will be prepared in those storms and crises of life and church life as well as your growth challenges, these will make you stronger and help you help others through them too. When we fully learn to trust, then we can obey and it will build our confidence so we will sail across those storm tossed seas of church life in confidence as Jesus Christ is there beside us manning the helm!
Filed under: Church Growth Ideas | Tagged: Church Growth, faith, fruitful, Healthy church, Healthy churches, inspire, journey, Lord, Lordship, relationships, Research, response | Leave a comment »
Is Christ LORD, Lord, or lord over your church?
Posted on December 3, 2010 by Biblical Guy
Out of learning why churches fail, we also learned why they succeeded!
The churches that were healthy, growing spiritually, and socially vibrant have significant aspects that set them apart from the failing churches. These factors are displayed in order of relevance and importance. Each one of these factors creates a harmony, contentment, and atmosphere for a churchgoer to come to church services and fellowship, and then to invite others. When they feel this church is “home,” they will learn and grow, then desire to become a member, become active, experience and give love and Fruit, and be able to serve our Lord there. Each of these themes is significant as they motivate, inspire, and spur people on to feel part of something greater than themselves. They become a conduit for the work of the Gospel, the moving of the Spirit, and the glorification of our Lord. These churches are places to know Christ, to be effective, and to grow spiritually—“true spirituality” as Schaeffer challenged us with.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5: 17
The main, significant factor over all else of why churches succeed is this one point: they were centered upon Christ as LORD! They were not centered on a personality, a vision, a denomination, an emerging paradigm, or a set of trends. They were “souled out” to Christ as central and sovereign. Each of these points relate to the Lordship of Christ.
http://www.intothyword.org/articles_view.asp?articleid=35972&columnid=3958
Filed under: Church Growth Ideas | Tagged: Church Growth, faith, fruitful, Healthy church, Healthy churches, inspire, journey, Lord, Lordship, relationships, Research, response | Leave a comment »
Acts29.org 