PREPARATION FOR MINISTRY

Transcription

1 THE L.I.F.E. PLAN PREPARATION FOR MINISTRY BLOCK 5 THEME 8 - A PERSONAL MINISTRY LESSON 3 (175 of 216)

2 BLOCK 5 THEME 8: A PERSONAL MINISTRY LESSON 3 (175 OF 216): PREPARATION FOR MINISTRY LESSON AIM: Service for the Lord requires preparation. SCRIPTURE: (Mark 3:14) And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, There is a famous saying that preacher boys often hear when they announce that they think God is calling them to be a preacher. They are told, A call to preach is a call to prepare. This is true not only of the preaching ministry, but of everything else that can be made into a ministry for God. Our focal verse underscores this great truth. Before God sent the disciples into ministry for him, he drew them close to his side for a period of time. He does the same for his ministers today. This period of time close to the side and heart of God is when he prepares us for the work he has planned for us to do. The first thing you must do in starting a new ministry is to develop your idea. The idea you have for ministry is your dream we talked about in the last lesson. Simply put, it is that thing that you feel that God wants you to do for him. Once you know what you are to do, development of this dream, or idea, or calling, or whatever else you may choose to call it, begins with making sure it is connected to God s general purpose. He has invited us into the work of making disciples of all nations. The ministry we do must have this as its ultimate goal. To strive for anything else is to engage in a misguided ministry. We have to be clear from the start where we are going. Establishing the purpose of our work at the beginning will keep us on track, preventing many distractions that can spring up along the way. This is not to say that we will never be distracted but it is to say that many distractions can be eliminated altogether when we begin our ministry, and continue our ministry from the right perspective and toward the right goal. Once we are anchored in the purpose for our ministry, we can then make the plan we need to carry out the work. The thing to remember about a plan is that it is a work in progress. More than likely, things will occur that we did not anticipate or see coming when we made our plan. Or, we will begin to work our plan, and practical experience may reveal a better way to do our work than we first conceived. This is perfectly alright and should be expected. It is when we are unwilling to adjust our plan to allow for wisdom and reality that we set up ourselves to fail. We must pay close attention to the plan we make, identifying the parts of the plan that work as we expected, or better than we expected, or that do not work at all. Being honest with ourselves about the results we get as we work our plan will help us to build the best ministry we can build for the glory of God. The next thing to do in preparation for ministry is research. We have a dream. We have an idea for a great ministry to do for God. Now, we have to determine who will be the target recipients of this work and where will we have to go to do the ministry we have received from the Lord? As we consider these details, we have to remember that ministry is for the Lord but it is to people. The ministry we do should not only satisfy the need of our life to serve and contribute, but it must also meet the needs of others, or solve a problem in some way. The ministry has to actually do

3 something to help the cause of Christ if it is to be a viable work for God. So, we have to research, who are the people who need the ministry I can provide, and where are they to be found? This research will identify the people who can benefit from our work and the places where the opportunity exists for us to serve. The thing this can lead into is the possibility of uprooting yourself and your family to go to another place to do ministry. This is not always the case, but it can be. We have to know it is a possibility and we must be willing to make a decision to move if God leads us in that direction. As we do our research, and as we begin to do the work, God will reveal to us if we can do the work from where we are or if we need to relocate. Finally, in order to prepare ourselves to do the best job we can do in our ministry for the Lord, we have to educate ourselves in the field in which we will serve. We need to become the best we can be in the area in which we will work. This means that we will have to study in one way or another. Informal education is certainly a step that every servant of the Lord can and should do in preparation for ministry. Books are available to read and study on most fields from which we choose to work. Similar ministries or services may already exist that we can observe. People may already be engaged in some form of the work that we can talk to and get first-hand experience. We may even step out to try the ideas we have on a small scale to gain information we need to help us develop our ministry. With all of these opportunities available, there should be no excuse for not being prepared with at least some of the knowledge we will need to begin our ministry for God. And we should remember that we do not have to reinvent the wheel, as they say. We can build on the advances others have made by wisely incorporating what they have learned into our work. Of course, formal education is also a possibility to consider. In fact, for some fields, there will be no possibility to do the work without formal education. This is part of the process. We should not shrink back from something God has put into our heart when we see that it may take years to get the education we need to do the work. The work will wait. All the education we can get will be used on the field, and in some cases, will not even be enough to prepare us for the experiences we will have. Schools also open a world of networking that proves beneficial as we go to our places of service. When we do encounter those experiences for which we are not prepared, God may remind us of a person we met, or of a school that exists, or of another ministry that is at work which all can become allies for us as we do our work. The truth that no man is an island is continually restated as we venture into the world of the ministry which lies ahead. We need each other and we should call on others when we need the help. This is the way the body of Christ serves to help itself in time of need. And, we have to be willing to be a resource for others when they need us as well. There will be times when God will use you to provide the next step for someone else to take in their work. Preparation is much of the battle for having a successful ministry for God. As important as it is, however, it is never a substitute for walking with God and depending upon the Holy Spirit for the daily guidance that we need. The Bible tells us that it is not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit that God does his work through us. All the preparation in the world will never replace the work of the Spirit in our lives. At the same time, we cannot disregard the need to prepare. God s Word stresses the need for preparation as well as reliance upon the Spirit of God. The Spirit uses the preparation when it is there, and makes up for it when it is not there. Both are necessary in the work of the ministry for the Lord. Where are you in the process of preparing for your work for God? Hopefully, this lesson will help you identify a good starting place for your ministry.

4 LESSON OUTLINE BLOCK 5 THEME 8: A PERSONAL MINISTRY LESSON 3 (175 OF 216): PREPARATION FOR MINISTRY I DEVELOP YOUR IDEA A. Connect to the purpose B. Develop your plan II DO YOUR RESEARCH A. The people you will serve B. The locations of the people III EDUCATE YOURSELF A. Informally B. Formally SCRIPTURES TO BROADEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING 1. Prepare for the work Mark 3:14 2. Paul s example of not being prepared Acts 9 3. Study 2 Timothy 2:15 2 Peter 3:18 4. The Word of God prepares us 2 Timothy 3:16-17 LINES OF THEOLOGICAL CONNECTION 1. PNEUMATOLOGY The Spirit empowers us for ministry 2. ANTHROPOLOGY Preparation for ministry 3. THE DOCTRINE OF THE SCRIPTURES God s Word prepares us for our mininstry

5 QUESTIONS ANSWER KEY 1. What is the ultimate goal of every ministry? To fulfill the Great Commission 2. What should we do as one of the first steps in preparing for ministry? Make a plan for our ministry 3. What is an important thing to remember about a plan? Plans often need to be adjusted on the fly 4. What two things can contribute to failure in ministry? Failing to prepare; failing to adjust a faulty plan 5. What two important things should we learn as we research our ministry? Who we will minister to; where we will serve 6. What form of education should all ministers engage in? Informal education 7. What form of education is often necessary in order to perform some ministries? Formal education 8. Research the Christian colleges and universities in your state. Note the fields of service for which they can prepare you. Does one of them catch your eye? Student activity

6 BLOCK 5 THEME 8: A PERSONAL MINISTRY LESSON 3 (175 OF 216): PREPARATION FOR MINISTRY QUESTIONS TO INSPIRE THOUGHT 1. What is the ultimate goal of every ministry? 2. What should we do as one of the first steps in preparing for ministry? 3. What is an important thing to remember about a plan? 4. What two things can contribute to failure in ministry? 5. What two important things should we learn as we research our ministry? 6. What form of education should all ministers engage in? 7. What form of education is often necessary in order to perform some ministries? 8. Research the Christian colleges and universities in your state. Note the fields of service for which they can prepare you. Does one of them catch your eye?