How do we discern where the Lord is working and His desire for us to join Him? Ministry is an outflow of Christ s life in and through us

Transcription

1 7 Pillars of Ministry 1) Giving and what to do with His money the property 2) Concerned we put a strategic plan together and totally miss the Lord 3) Need to be carefully following the Lord and asking Him for wisdom, discernment and what His plans are all the while, enjoying Him the pressure to move forward and or to grow numerically or otherwise this can be a trap! How do we follow God in serving Him? How do we discern where the Lord is working and His desire for us to join Him? Ministry is an outflow of Christ s life in and through us As we yield to the Lord, He transforms us and begins to reveal Himself in and through us Rom 11:36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen 7 Pillars - 1. True Ministry is Initiated by God. Sets the stage, starts the work, equips the workers. 2. What God Initiates, God Anoints. Provides the power and direction. 3. Ministry is Received not Achieved. Not an accomplishment of men, but an assignment given. 4. True Ministry is not the Result of Our Efforts, but of our Surrender.

2 We do not get God s results with our effort; He gets them through our surrender. 5. God gets the Glory for His Ministry. If men get glory, we are on the wrong track. 6. The Church is an Organism, not an Organization. Working together, yielding individual motivations to the life of the Body. 7. The Role of Church Leadership is not to do all the work of Service, but to Equip the Body. Looking at how the leadership in an equipped church is to function. TRUE MINISTRY IS INITIATED BY GOD. First, what do we mean by ministry? To give aid or service in the name of God or the Church. Can refer to an activity we do Or a place which has a specific role etc 1) Ministry is the word diakonia and means service, to serve 2) There is the ministry of the Word meaning teaching/preaching 3) There is ministry or service in countless different ways from changing diapers to setting up tables, visiting the hospital etc 4) There is true and false ministry.

3 5) What ultimately is the defining factor? The heart out of faith in following the Lord yielding to Him, empowered by Him etc The same activity can be participated in, but one person is yielded to the Lord, the other is not Lord, Lord Matthew 7:21 23 Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? 23 And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness. I. His Pattern is Unmistakable II. His Perspective is Eternal III. His Plans are Indecipherable IV. His Purposes are Unstoppable TRUE MINISTRY IS INITIATED BY GOD. I. His Pattern is Unmistakable What is the biblical pattern for the initiation of God s work? Abraham, Gen 12:1, 7, 15:1. o Abrahamic Covenant o Did Abraham develop a plan and submit it for God s approval?

4 Moses, Ex 3:1-10. o Burning bush sent back to Egypt to help rescue God s people David, 1 Sam 16:1-2. See vs. 7 o Samuel sent to anoint David due to Saul s disobedience. Samuel s idea??? Man looks at the outward appearance, God looks at the heart Paul, Acts 9:1-4. o Conversion of Paul and calling to be an apostle o Paul s idea??? In each case (and many others, e.g., the calling of the OT prophets) God initiates the action. II. His Perspective is Eternal Proverbs 3:5,6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight Romans 11:33 35 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? 35 Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again?

5 III. His Plans are Indecipherable Isaiah 55:8 FOR MY THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS, NOR ARE YOUR WAYS MY WAYS, DECLARES THE LORD. The way to find God s ways or ideas is not to explore within our own capabilities. Romans 16:27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen. The Lord s ways are greater than ours. He sees all, knows all and is not bound in any way, including time. Therefore we must make sure we are following Him, as He knows best o WHERE TO GO o WHEN TO GO THERE o HOW TO GET THERE o WHY HE WANTS US THERE o WHAT HE WANTS TO DO Proverbs 19:21 Many plans are in a man s heart, But the counsel of the Lord will stand. IV. His Purposes are unstoppable Matthew 16:18 Upon this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it

6 Psalm 127:1 Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it Revelation 3:8 I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. TRUE MINISTRY IS INITIATED BY GOD. The Lord s example John 5:17, 19-20a. MY FATHER Here, Jesus is talking. IS WORKING UNTIL NOW--referring to the Father as having already been at work. AND I AM WORKING and Jesus is now working. THE SON CAN DO NOTHING OF HIMSELF, UNLESS IT IS SOMETHING HE SEES THE FATHER DOING Jesus doesn t go off on His own (and wouldn t He have done really good stuff?). Rather He sees what the Father is doing and commits Himself to that. Key: THE FATHER LOVES AND SHOWS HIM ALL THINGS THAT HE IS DOING Jesus was not left in the dark; God reveals His activity. Our Response to His Leadership Romans 12:1 2 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God,

7 which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. A Will issue first Because of Who He is and Who we are, we yield, we follow, we get in line Heart & or Life Issue second Recognizing who He is, and who we are we lay down our lives Warning Flags: 1. Our own thinking even though with good motive We can be tempted to devise formulas to determine God s leading, says Blackaby, instead of waiting for God to reveal His desires. 2. Our own righteousness: When we say: we should do this we should do that we need to head this way we need to begin this we need to stop that consider how we ve come to these conclusions. Anytime Pressure is brought to bear due to a lack of results, a desire for results and or unmet expectations you can be sure that whatever plan is devised to fix the issue is not from the Lord but out of the flesh 1) Take time with the Lord in His Word Psalm 119:105 - Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

8 2) Seek the Lord, not simply an answer to the problem. (that they may know you John 17) 3) Pray (pray without ceasing I Thess.) 4) Praise Him Romans 15:11 - And again, Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, And let all the peoples praise Him. 5) Thank the Lord for the difficulty and that He is up to the challenge ( rejoice in the Lord always Phil. count it all joy - James) 6) Keep doing what you know to do (don t grow weary in doing good Gal.) 7) Share with other godly believers and ask them to pray in the council of many there is wisdom Prov Wayne Quote: True ministry comes out of the one who understands the holiness of God, and therefore understands the sinfulness of his own flesh. When we open God s Word with a heart to hear, God reveals to us the Holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. When a man realizes that there is nothing about himself that deserves to be seen He approaches ministry in a totally different way. Until a man has seen himself in light of who God is then there is no such thing as humility in his life. To an unbroken man life is all about himself, and ministry is something that he can do for God. Sadly, Most of what we see in Christianity today is pride! It is man in his element, doing for God out of his own creativity.

9