A MUST LISTEN! Qualifications for Pastoral Leadership

Mark Driscoll lays our qualifications for church planters in their Acts 29 network.  While this addresses qualifications for men as pastoral leaders, I believe the principles applies to women in pastoral leadership.

http://www.acts29network.org/sermon/the-ox-qualifications-of-an-acts-29-church-planter/

by His grace,
Rod

Tips for Counseling

Hello leaders:


The email below is my response to the "wife's" email.  She asked me to counsel her and her husband.   I asked her to send me an email briefly describing their situation, copying her husband so that WE ALL are on the same page.   The email correspondence helps me to prepare spiritually and mentally to better serve those I counsel, making the best use of our time.


By the way - she sent me 4 (honest) pages describing her situation and she copied her husband.


Let's always pray, trusting the Holy Spirit to be The Counselor, Teacher, Conviction... leading us in truth as leaders, to be used to help set captives free!


Love,
Rod


... Foremost, you are both in my prayers, as we prepare to meet.  It is in my heart to support and assist you both, your marriage – the best I know how to.  I am believing that God will be honored and the center of our time together.

PLEASE KNOW that all that you write, and our meeting will be CONFIDENTIAL.

(husband)
So you know my heart.  I too, am a husband (26 years) and a father of 3 teens (19,17,15).  I am NOT perfect, but trusting God to mold and shape me as a husband and father.  My heart is open to learning and growing, so I can become more like Christ.  I know this all sounds very “Christian” but it is my true hearts desire – and I just wanted you to know that I face some of the same kinds of struggles you face as a man, husband and father.

From my heart and words, I wanted you to know that I asked (wife) to share whatever she could to help me pray and prepare in my fellowship with you both.  I did ask her to copy you so that you both/and we are on the same page (of sharing and info).  I will be as objective and Christ centered as I know to be, as I serve you and your wife in our time together.

To both of you – some of my thoughts and perspective, so you know my approach and heart as a shepherd.

• I really like to be transparent – you can ask me any question about my life, relationship, etc.  I will be as honest as I know to be – for the sake of healing, health, helping...  I’ve failed, faltered and have many faults and faulty experiences – that God has and is using to transform my life. I NEED JESUS! :)
• I ask people I counsel:  Do you consider me one of your pastors?  This is helps me to understand the possible commitment of the people I counsel – whether they are open, willing, receptive to my counsel.  It is important for people to have spiritual covering (church leadership, mentors, spiritual fathers/mothers...) - people that you both respect, will listen to and follow their guidance.
• As open, honest, truthful people can be with their situation, will affect the potential for Biblical resolution and restoration.  But share what you are comfortable sharing.  I will ask leading, pressing questions as I am led to – but you always decide what and how much you want to share.  I will respect the boundaries you have.
• I will ask:  What is the goal of our time together?  What is the goal for your relationship?  This will help me determine what’s in your heart and how to approach our time together.
  

I’m NOT asking you to email me answers to these questions.  I just wanted to prep you since I received this correspondence from (wife).

You are in my prayers and I look forward to our time of fellowship and counsel.

With aloha,
Rod

Correction back to the heart of our first love

S - Rev 2:2-5 (NASB)

2 'I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance , and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary.4 'But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.5 'Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.

O -  This portion of the Revelations letter was to the church at Ephesus. It was Christ, via John, sending message of correction. The correction was one of recognition of their hard work,  affirmation of what they were doing correctly, and correction of that which they were not.   What Christ points out that they are doing correctly was not tolerating evil men.  They were testing so called apostles in their midst to ensuring they didn't have false leaders among them.  This is critical in a young immature church as well as a established and thriving church.   False teachers are rarely obvious, they are subtle in the way they infiltrate the congregation and lead people astray.   The correction is one of a "heart check" or pruning back to the heart of Christ.   Christ is telling the church to remember their first love, and passion as they received their salvation and calling to be a beacon to the community,  to spread the Gospel,  to be examples of God's love in how they love one another and their passion for the lost.  The warning comes along with the correction, failure to correct will cause the lamp stand (the church itself)  to be removed.  

A -   The application is for  me to understand and live God's heart for his local church's to always remember who they are and to be continually pruning back to the heart of the calling of the local church, to be a place where people can come broken and separated from God, and to find Him, worship Him, and be healed by Him.   This is done by following two basic principles pointed out here in the scripture:

1.   Put to test those who are leading the disciples -    This is a critical thing to understand and do continuously in being the church.  Often times people are allowed to lead before they are ready  ("under developed leaders") .  These you can correct and equip when they begin to stray off the core values of the church.   The scripture is not speaking of these, but rather leaders who have false doctrine in which they operate under that, subtly they are  "selling" to the congregation.  The key for the shepherd leaders in the congregation is to collectively confront, and challenge those who directly or indirectly are violating kingdom principles and/or core values of the church.

2.  Correct/prune back to the heart -  The outgrowing the original heart seems to be a natural tendency of either growing  church's or long standing stagnant church's.   Over time, we are making subtle adjustments to deal with our changing circumstances, or even out of a heart to improve we are making many changes over time.  If we stepped back periodically at took a look we might see things as Christ see's things,  we have lost our first love.  For the local church, that might look like when we begin to worry more about our church service problems, and less about the problems of the people in the community in which we serve.   Pruning back to our first love, the call, the vision and the mission of the church periodically helps us keep our calling, before Christ removes His anointing on the church.

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's lesson, through your apostle John.   I pray Lord that you would help me to apply in my life, wherever you would send me, so that I may remember your calling on my life, and help the local church remember who she is.   I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

 

Proper Interpretation of Scripture

Hello Lay Pastor Leaders and Interns:

Please view the great teaching article through the link below.  This website is where professors from Talbot School of Theology posts great articles.  I found out about this website through Dr. Gary Manning (former professor at Pac Rim Christian College), who is now a professor there.

Dr. Walt Russell's article below demonstrates what we have discussed in the area of proper exegesis (interpretation) of Scripture.  I chose this article because I love that it deals with a passage that many pastors/teachers/us Christians - have misused.

Cut/copy/paste this link:
http://thegoodbookblog.com/2011/may/13/avoid-every-appearance-of-evil-toppling-a-faulty-m/
Enjoy and let's continue to grow as good stewards of properly studying, interpreting and teaching the Word of God... He and His Word, are worthy of our very best!

love you all - from Belton, MO.,
Rod

Dealing with wounds and danger in the flock

S - 3 John 1:9-13 (NASB)⁹ I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. ¹⁰ For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church.
 ¹¹ Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. ¹²Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.

 ¹³ I had many things to write to you, but I am not willing to write them to you with pen and ink; ¹⁴ but I hope to see you shortly, and we will speak face to face. 

O - Wow, John almost sounds like Paul in this letter, which is definitely a letter of encouragement and a letter of rebuke.  I say he sounds like Paul because in many of Paul's letter to the church's he planted there was a hint of a strong correction, coupled with words of encouragement, and guidance on how to navigate the circumstances, followed by the promise (threat even) of an in person appearance.  There are great leadership and shepherding gems to be mined from these verses.  First off we can see examples of whom we might see in our own church or ministry.  The Diotrephes' are present in our church today, those who love to be first, and are not teachable or correctable.  John points out these deeds are to be called attention to by leaders, and the rest of the sheep are to be reminded not to imitate such behavior.   John points all of this out in a short letter, and doesn't get into the details of the situation, either because the recipients of letter will know what and whom he is speaking of, but I believe it is also because John is a wise leader, in that he knows some matters need to be handled face to face, a letter (or email) will not be effective.

A -  The application for me is as a shepherd leader I can pick up some good tools for my shepherding tool bag to be carried around and used when appropriate.   First off as shepherds we must realize that among the sheep their may be those sheep who are sick and wounded and as a result they affect the rest of the sheep.    As shepherds we are to know our flock and when we see someone who may be wounded and out of this woundedness, wounds others in their path.   We should do what all good shepherds would do,  protect the sheep, and go after the one who is wounded with love, kindness, and correction if necessary.  The correlary to this is that at times their may be wolves in sheep clothing among your flock, these are even more dangerous and need to be dealt with swiftly and appropriately.   Secondly, John gives us a great shepherding gem,  we are to use discernment to the situation and in cases where the flock is at risk you must deal with situations face to face,  an email, or a subtle comment in a group meeting just won't do.  In face to face, we can directly address issues, bring them to forefront, and often time the corrections neccesary will be more effective when a person to person contact is made.  In a time when email, text, and Facebook communications are available, we must be careful to handle communications and correction in an appropriate forum for the situation,  as shepherds our job is to use the correct tools for the job.  

P -  Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's lesson, may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord that you would teach me and give me wise discernment of when to apply these new shepherding tools that you have revealed through scripture.  I  pray that my eyes would be open to see those wounded and in need of care, and I would be able to see the wolves amongst the flock.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

All I need is my Jesus cap !

Scripture 

1 Corinthians 13:3
3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Luke 10:27
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”

1 John 4:16
16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

Observation
In Luke 10:27, Jesus reminds us of the greatest commandments. If we needed to describe these commandments with just one word, it would be…….love. In 1 John 4:16, we are reminded that God is love. It is repeated so many times in the Bible. It is an eternal value that trumps all spiritual gifts, even beating out faith and hope (1 Corinthians 13:3).

Application:

One of my favorite books that I loved to read growing up, is “Caps for Sale”. It’s the story of a peddler that walked throughout town wearing 17 caps of different colors. His caps got stolen by some monkeys as he took a nap, under a tree. While I used to get mad at the monkeys when I was young reading the book, I realized now as a much older (or old person !) that the monkeys actually did him a favor! You see I can wear a lot caps myself. My work cap, my family cap, my ministry cap, etc. But, the only cap that really matters is my Jesus cap. The tough part is that these other caps seem to battle with my Jesus cap for first position on my head. I should wear just one, but I often find myself trying to wear them all and at times I fail.

One of the best things I can do to make sure my Jesus caps reigns supreme, is to remember who I am. I am a Christian, and If I truly wear Christ, I exhibit the most important trait of a Christian. Love. This love cannot be based on convenience or selfish motives. It must be real, and it needs to be demonstrated by the way that I live.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, please forgive me for times when I forget who I am. I wear so many caps and I fail to realize that only one cap is needed. That cap has your name on it. The name that is written on that cap also is the same name that is written on my heart….Jesus. Lord, please remind me, steer me back when I forget my identity. I need to not just be one who knows who I am, I need to help others to discover their true identity in you as well.

Amen

Shepherding God's people

devotion by Joe Keller

S - Jer 23:1-4 (NASB)

 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD. ² Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds,” declares the LORD. ³ “Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. ⁴ I will also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the LORD.

O  -   The context of this scripture is speaking of the leaders of Israel and Judah at this time, but it is very applicable to us to day.   Jeremiah's prophecy was likely speaking of how the kings, and levitical leaders had not shepherded God's people well, and as a result God's people have wandered far from God.  The further they wandered, the more evil their deeds became.    We see this all the way up to when Jesus comes and shakes things up, and restores a good shepherd in place of leadership over God's people.   The truth is this principle of being a good shepherd apply's to all leaders of God's people, up to today.    Shepherds of God's people are required to tend to, gather, and lead them well so they feel cared for, not lost, hurt, and seperated.  The principle is good for the sheep and in the best interest of the shepherd.  The sheep are what bear fruit.  Without the sheep the shepherds livelihood are at risk.   Healthy sheep reproduce them self and the flock grows.  If they are cared for well they will be fruitful and multiply.  If they are stressed and scattered, little fruit will be yielded.

A -  The application for me is as leader and a mentor to up and coming leaders is to better understand and apply the good shepherd model for leading people.  The goal is to be a shepherd leader like Jesus, whose sheep know his voice, and follow him, and he will not let them down.   Practically we can accomplish this by following Jesus' example of good shepherding:

1.  Build relationships first  -  the sheep must know your voice, and they get to know your voice, when you spend time with them.  Without this, they may know you title, but not know your voice, and how to discern it from other voices in the wind.

2.   Lead them to green pasture -   the leader needs to be focused on where to go so that the flock may thrive.  If the leader is vision-less and directionless the sheep will begin to wander.

3.  Tend to the sheep -  in the process of being in the pasture, you will have injured sheep who step in holes, get sick, or are even trampled on by a few other sheep.  The good shepherd goes after and cares for these injured within the flock.  As leaders we are to know the condition of our flock, and tend to those injured, weak, or weary.

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's lesson, may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord that you would continue to train and and equip me in what it means to be a good shepherd.   I may never arrive at being the shepherd Jesus is to all of us, but help me Lord to be a sheperd who builds relations, has vision and direction, and knows the condition of those who follow, ministering to their needs.  I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.     

Biblical and Theological Resources

Biblical and Theological Resources

A Resource from Dr. Gary Manning

Spring 2010

The following table describes a number of types of resources that you should not use as research for college papers. Better resources are described on the following pages.

Unacceptable resource	Reason that it is unacceptable
Unpublished internet articles	Most unpublished internet articles are not acceptable as resources for a college paper. However, well-chosen internet resources may supplement print resources (see comments below on internet resources).
Sermons	Sermons are great sources of inspiration; but one of the goals of a college Bible class is to get you to the sources that good preachers use.
Class notes	A research paper is supposed to expose you to ideas beyond what you learn in class. If you like an idea that you heard in class, keep looking until you find something in print that agrees or disagrees with the class notes.
Popular magazine articles (such as Time, Newsweek, Christianity Today)	Such articles must appeal to a popular audience and so do not usually deal with their topic in great depth, or do not deal with opposing ideas.
Study Bibles	The point of writing a paper is to do high-quality research. A study bible cannot reach the level of a commentary.
Any commentary with the whole Bible in one volume – Bible Knowledge Commentary, for example.	Single-volume commentaries do not have the space to deal with the various options for interpretation. They lack the depth needed for college papers or sermon preparation.
Old commentaries (anything before the 1970s)	There are exceptions, since there are some classic commentaries from earlier centuries. But such older commentaries should always be balanced with newer commentaries, since sometimes mistakes from the past are corrected.
Most online commentaries	Most online commentaries are there because their copyright has expired and so are too old. See above.
Matthew Henry Commentary	This commentary is almost 400 years old. The author did not have any access to many recent and important discoveries and scholarly discussions. Use a newer commentary.
Any commentary with one author for the whole series (MacArthur Commentary series, for example)	Those who specialize in particular books of the Bible write the best commentaries. A single commentary author is not able to master every book of the Bible.
Devotional commentaries (such as those by Max Lucado)	Such commentaries do not wrestle with the complexities of interpretation needed for a college level class (or for serious sermon preparation!)
Any Bible dictionary with unsigned articles (Nelson’s, New Unger’s, Vine’s)	Dictionaries with signed articles are almost always better. Use Bible references such as the Anchor Bible Dictionary, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, or other specialized dictionaries with signed articles.
Non-specialized dictionaries (such as Webster’s)	Use specialized theological or bible dictionaries to find the more precise meaning of theological or scholarly terms.
Non-specialized encyclopedias (such as Encyclopedia Britannica)	Specialized Bible encyclopedias are more likely to have correct, precise information.

Internet Resources

§ The majority of reputable modern biblical references are not available on the internet. This means that internet research should be a supplement, and your primary research should be in print commentaries and other print references.

§ Develop the ability to detect pseudo-scholarship, fringe scholarship, and nonsense parading as scholarship. You can find a website that promotes any idea you want, but that does not make the idea valid.

§ Only use websites with known authors who are experts in the field (i.e., an author or professor, usually with a Ph.D. in the field). Online encyclopedias such as Wikipedia are good for a quick exposure to a topic, but are open-source (anyone can contribute) and are therefore unreliable.

§ Blogs can be valuable – but use blogs written by experts. Biblioblogs (http://biblioblogtop50.wordpress.com/biblioblogs/) maintains a list of Bible-related blogs and lists the credentials of the blog authors.

§ Make sure you learn the appropriate MLA way to cite websites for a paper.

Bible Software

a. Choose bible software that is expandable (i.e., more titles can be added).

b. Most software comes with a number of free commentaries and references. In general, the free resources (especially the commentaries) are free because they are low quality. If you want good references on your software, you will probably have to pay extra, either by individual title or by upgrading your software package. Add titles to your software based on the guidelines below.

c. Consider carefully what you really need, since you can spend thousands on titles or packages.

d. Best software packages right now: Logos (PC and Mac), BibleWorks (PC only), Accordance (Mac only).

Good Bible Dictionaries / Encyclopedias

Anchor Bible Dictionary (ABD)

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) (be sure to use the 1986 version, not the 1915!)

Dictionary of the Historical Books

Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (DJG),

Dictionary of Paul and his Epistles (DPL)

Dictionary of New Testament Background (DNTB)

Dictionary of the Later New Testament (DLNTD)

Dictionary of the Pentateuch

Evangelical Dictionary of Theology

New Bible Dictionary (NBD)

New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (NIDNTT; this is a Greek reference, but has value even for those who don’t know Greek)

Oxford Dictionaries (of the Christian Church, etc.)

Guidelines for selecting commentaries

1. Pick commentaries recommended by professors and commentary guides.

a. New Testament Commentary Survey by D.A. Carson

b. Old Testament Commentary Survey by Tremper Longman

c. Commentary and Reference Survey: A Comprehensive Guide to Biblical and Theological Resources by John Glynn

d. Find other commentary guides in a library or online.

e. In some of my Bible classes, I hand out my own set of “top picks” for the books of the Bible covered.

2. Qualities to look for:

a. Pays attention to larger context (book, section, paragraph) more than to smaller issues like words and verses.

b. Based on expert knowledge and correct use of the original languages.

c. Makes good use of historical/cultural background in interpreting Scripture.

d. Pays attention to appropriate intra-biblical connections (quotations or allusions to earlier books of the Bible).

e. Offers various interpretational options and defends one.

f. Not overly biased or committed to a particular denominational approach.

g. Thoughtful discussion of theological implications.

3. Buying commentaries:

a. Whenever you begin studying or teaching from a particular book, buy two or three commentaries on that book. Pick the best commentaries, regardless of which series they are in. Try to get at least one technical and one intermediate level commentary.

b. Don’t be afraid of using commentaries from different theological positions. It can be very valuable to read the Bible from another point of view. Even works from a more liberal position often have something to contribute, as long as you also look at more conservative works.

4. Note breadth and depth of coverage in types of commentaries

a. Single-volume commentaries, such as the Bible Knowledge Commentary, cover the entire Bible in one or two volumes. These are not recommended because they cannot devote adequate attention to each book. Some exceptions: special topic commentaries such as the IVP Bible Background Commentary (OT and NT) are useful.

b. Commentary series, such as Word Biblical Commentaries, have each volume authored by a different scholar who is an expert on that book of the Bible. Most research should be in this kind of commentary. While a particular commentary series may be quite good, some volumes in the series may not be as good. Conversely, an otherwise weak series may have one or two very good volumes.

c. Commentary series written by a single author (MacArthur or Barclay) are not recommended, since one author cannot develop as much expertise over the whole Bible.

d. Independent commentaries are written about one book of the Bible and are not part of a larger series. Some of these independent commentaries are the best for a given book of the Bible.

5. Pick newer commentaries in general (1970s and on)

a. There are some classic old commentaries such as Calvin; but these should be balanced with newer commentaries.

b. Many commentaries published in the 1800s and early 1900s pay little attention to larger context and use the original languages incorrectly.

c. The best new commentaries have drawn on the best of old commentaries.

d. New commentaries often have the opportunity to correct previous mistakes.

e. New commentaries more often address issues of concern to our generation, and speak in modern language.

6. Note levels of commentaries (lists are given in order of most recommended for an undergraduate reader)

a. Technical: These make regular reference to technical issues (e.g. original language, sociology, etc.), usually without explanation for laypeople. These are sometimes the only commentaries to address the most difficult issues in a passage.

i. New International Commentary on the OT/NT (NICOT/NICNT): technical/intermediate; usually explains technical material well; more readable than many other technical commentaries; occasionally overlooks big picture.

ii. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (ECNT); very thorough, excellent authors; more readable than most technical commentaries; only part of NT published.

iii. Word Biblical Commentary (WBC): harder to read than NICNT/OT, but does better at summarizing the major units; well organized.

iv. Anchor Bible (AB): rather technical, but quite thorough; difficult for beginners; sometimes liberal.

v. New International Greek Testament Commentary (NIGTC): very technical, thorough, and difficult.

vi. JPS Torah Commentary: Jewish commentary series on the Old Testament; very insightful, but of course pays less attention to Christian aspects of interpreting the Old Testament.

vii. International Critical Commentary (ICC): some volumes in this series are very good, but not all; rather technical, sometimes liberal.

viii. Hermeneia: very technical; sometimes ignores larger issues; sometimes liberal.

b. Intermediate/semi-technical: The author is familiar with technical matters, but explains them to a non-technical audience.

i. New International Version Application Commentary (NIVAC): excellent series; contains homiletical elements; big picture emphasis; good authors; clear explanation; thoughtful insights on theology and modern application; good price.

ii. Tyndale Commentaries: brief but clear explanations, good price; sometimes overlooks the big picture.

iii. New American Commentary (NAC): many, but not all in this series are good; clear interpretation; less attention to big picture than NIVAC.

iv. New Century Bible Commentary (NCB): some volumes in this series are good

v. IVP New Testament Commentary Series (IVPNTC): some volumes in this series are good.

vi. Expositor’s Bible Commentary: very popular, but unfortunately most volumes pay little attention to broader context. A few in this series are quite good.

vii. The Bible Speaks Today Series: some volumes in this series are good.

c. Homiletical: Focused on sermon preparation. Unfortunately, many in this category are not based on expert knowledge and do not address important issues in the text. The following have fewer problems than other homiletical commentaries.

i. New Interpreters Bible (NIB): good, brief explanations of the text, based on good research, followed by thoughtful sermonic insights; slight liberal bent; expensive. (Don’t confuse this with the older Interpreters Bible, which is a very poor commentary series).

ii. Holman Old Testament/New Testament Commentary: very readable; good sermon outlines and summaries; not written by scholars in their fields (in general); occasionally focuses on unimportant issues.

iii. Life Application Bible Commentary: often has valid interpretation and application; but usually does not tackle the more difficult interpretation problems in any depth.

d. Devotional: Aimed at devotional reading. These are rarely based on careful interpretation or expert knowledge. Not recommended for pastoral research or college papers.

Good resources on canon:

Bruce Metzger, The Canon of the New Testament:

Its Origin, Development and Significance. Walter Kaiser, The Old Testament Documents: Are They Reliable and Relevant?

www.ntcanon.org

August Schedule

Hello Midweek Team Leaders:

Wed. Aug. 17 - 5pm

• Frieda will share with us on Prayer and Healing at our Pastors Training
• We will discuss and pray for the evenings ministry.
• Question of the week: How do we as lay pastors help our congregation hunger for the presence of God.
• Fast (a meal or 2 or day, as you are led) and Pray this Wed. service. We will all be on the prayer team.
• Mel - Midweek OG Youth leader (Welcome Home!): Will continue Youth ministry. 7-830pm in chapel.
• Mel & INTERNS: Meet with me at 4pm - my office on 17th, this Wed.

Wed., Aug 24 - 5pm

• Joe will lead our group

Wed. Aug 31 - 5pm

• Joe will lead our group

God's plan for building ministry teams

by Joe Keller

Scripture

John 17:6...21

6 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; 8 for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me. 9 I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours;
...
11 I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.
...
13 But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. 14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 For their sakes Isanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

Observation

What rich scripture as we read of Jesus prayer to the Father, regarding His disciples. He was truly preparing for His new role and their new role in the salvation of the entire world. Jesus came, and became an example of how to have relationship. Relationship with God the Father, those that would follow Him, and even to those who do not yet believe, but need to receive Him as Lord and Savior to be reconciled with God the Father. I see so much in the ministry model Jesus' was revealing. First off that God had given Jesus out of the world the disciples, hand selected by God the Father himself, and revealed to Jesus after a long night of solitude prayer. He then spent years teaching them about His relationship with the Father, and how to go about effectively ministering to people. In preparation for the last phase of His earthly relationship with the disciples, He prayed for them, asking God to protect them, and sanctify them in the ministry in the World. Lastly He prays for unity in the body with one another, and with himself, and finally with God the Father.


Application

The application for me is a firm affirmation of true discipleship in Christ. It comes out of a relationship with God, in which I am simply genuinely seeking His will and provision for the ministry I am called to. Prayer and discernment of the "who" is critical, because God has an excellent plan that may not be as obvious by worldly standards. When we trust who he has given us, by pouring into them the things of the kingdom, the how's of Godly relationships, and ministry lead by the spirit of God we begin to see His building blocks for ministry. Like Jesus, we are called to edify and equip the saints for God's work. When we have done that all we have left to do is intercede for them in prayer with God, and watch what He can do through them.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's lesson, may it be sealed to my heart. I pray Lord that you would continue to disciple me through your word. Help me to remember today's lesson, and apply it to myself, and help others understand and apply for themselves your design for kingdom building ministry habits we are to have. I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.

Shepherd Leadership character

A devotional form Joe Keller.

Scripture

1 Pet 5:2-5
2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.

Observation

Peter was giving this advice to elders at the churches likely because the process of people forgetting to follow the leadership example of Christ and going back to what they know in the world. You see even the Israelites started off with proper heart and leadership of the God's temple and God's people, but eventually they strayed away to the state they were in now in Jersulem where the leadership of the pharisee's and Sadducees had degraded far from the original foundation set in place by God through Moses. Such would be the same challenge the new churches that were being started, to resist self service, and trust in humble servitude of those they would lead. To lead not out of compulsion but out of a voluntary love and desire to serve the Lord, and the body of Christ.

Application

The application for me today is to recognize the character trait shepherd leaders need to have, maintain, and correct back to. That of humble servant to those they are leading. It is part of the reason I believe we all should come throught the servants entrance , where we simply learn to serve others first, before being given positions of leadership. Once we reach positions of leadership, we need to periodically check and correct back.

If in order to get things done we find we are using compulsion to press people to fill a need, we must recognize this has short term gain, and likely long term loses. However when we continue to serve others out of the servant leaders heart, they soon begin volunteering their time and service out of love and not compulsion, which seems to me to be a much more sustainable leadership model. It does come at the usual Christian costs - we must trust and be patient. Lack of trust in God's ways, or impatience can often unravel all of a leaders good intentions.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father thank you for today's lesson in leadership. Your ways are better than my ways, I so appreciate you continuing to grow me into the man of God you need me to be. Help me Lord to be the servant and shepherd leader you desire, help me to trust in you and your ways, your timing. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Mastered By the Book

http://thegospelcoalition.org/videos/24636177

with Don Carson, John Piper, Tim Keller

Two pastor-theologians push each other on the merits of studying hermeneutics and how much time teachers should spend investigating extrabiblical sources.

Chandler, Horton, Keller on How to Disagree

http://thegospelcoalition.org/videos/24828722

Watch/Listen to this video from the standpoint of pastors, ministry leaders and Christians, differing in conviction of theological truths and how we approach and instruct others based on our personality, styles, backgrounds...

I really respect these 3 scholars, spiritual elders and teachers.

• Dr. Timothy J. Keller, Pastor, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York
• Matt Chandler, Pastor, Village Church
• Dr. Michael S. Horton, Professor of apologetics and systematic theology at Westminster Seminary California

A key attribute in leadership life is knowing how to disagree. We all have "our ways, styles, approaches and convictions" in the way we handle situations when we don't "See Eye to Eye" with others.

What kind of tips do you pick up from their discussion?