Guiding Principles
Hello Leaders,
I want to thank each of you for the insights you shared last week I particularly want to thank Deacon Yolanda for pointing us to Jesus and His poignant example of the weight of ministry. May we all be just as set on doing the Father’s will as Jesus was and may we all get back up each time we fall.
Rev. Glass said something that was a needed reminder. She said (I am paraphrasing) it is best to decide on our guiding principles/priorities before hand. By extension, if my guiding principal is obedience, then when I am caught between showing up for ministry (obedience) and doing what my flesh is demanding, the decision is made for me by my guiding principle (obedience). I can testify that this is a faithful truth.
Considering that thought, what adjustment in your guiding principles can you make to help make difficult decisions easier? Please be specific.
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The Weight of Responsibility
Please respond to the following prompt:
The call to ministry lays a heavy burden on us. We are responsible not only for ourselves (which in itself is more than we can handle), we are also responsible for our family, our church family, or behavior, our community, and the whosoever… In addition to those truths, we are responsible to others, and to God. Sometimes these responsibilities can feel overwhelming to the extent that we desire to throw them off. But the truth is that when God calls us He enables us to “respond” making us respons-able. So then, when we willingly accepted the call to the ministry we also accepted the responsibility that comes along with it. When the weight of responsibility causes us to feel overwhelmed, we need only to remember, that those whom God calls He also equips. The best way to deal with responsibility is to bear up under it in obedience.
What are your thoughts in response to the above statement
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The Results of a Unified God-focus
Hello Leaders,
I want to encourage each of you n the great job we are doing with these discussions posts. I pray that you are experiencing the manifold blessings of God as you respond to the questions. Keep up the God work. We are all preparing by making room to receive the harvest on God’s behalf.
The question:
So, in Acts chapter 2 the disciples we all gathered in one place, waiting together, expecting together, to receive the promise of Jesus. I can only imagine what the mighty rushing wind sounded like and what the tongs of fire felt like. This I am sure of it was a sight they had never seen , felt, or heard before. The Spirit of God fell and everyone heard the Word of God in his or her own language. One truth in ways that everyone could understand. This is what happens when the Holy Spirit falls on those who are waiting in unity, expecting from God and God alone. Now, considering you worship share with us how consistent it is with the Prototype of Acts 2. How unified are you with those (all those) who gather for worship at LFCC? What are you expecting? And, from whom are you expecting it? When the Holy Spirit begins to manifest Himself, how do you respond? What “truth” are you proclaiming as you respond to the Holy Spirit?
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Preparation for Ministry
Good morning Leaders,
Ministering to Gods people is one of the most important things we will do. In fact it has eternal ramifications.
As I was reading Jeremiah 1:17. The Holy Spirit spoke these words to us. “The call of God to prophecy to His people begins with the call to ‘prepare yourself and arise and speak to them all that I command you.’ We prepare by studying His word, knowing what He says, and having a sense of His heart for His people. As well this text means to gird yourself up, tuck in all that will hinder you as you run this Christian race and respond to the call of God on our lives.” So here is the question. How does your preparation for ministry compare with your preparation for other things? Please compare it to something you really prepared for. Don’t let the enemy rob you of the growth that results from an honest examination of yourself.
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Responding to the Call In a Hostile Enviornment
The prophet Jeremiah was called to minister to people who had turned away from the call of God on their lives (the call to be a people set apart to Him and for Him). Although tempted to do the same, Jeremiah remained faithful and obedient to the call of God. With this in mind, share how the pressures of ministering to people who have turned away (or are turning away) from the call of God has effected you. How it has tempted you to turn away.
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Audience of One
Through the life of Abraham we see God calling (“verbal” call) His people to live a life of trust, obedience and dependance. But in Genesis 17:1 God appears before Abraham telling him, “I am God Almighty; walk before Me and be blameless.” It is my conclusion that God called to Abraham by appearing to him so that God could shift Abraham’s focus onto Him. With that thought in mind, how has God used different means to “call” out to you to shift your focus off on the crowd and on to Himself
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Challenges to The Call
We can be sure that the culture we are apart of is the most influential culture in all of history. In no other time have we as Christians been so exposed to the “world” around us. This type of influence poses a number of threats to the Christian, many of which we are not aware of until their impact has greatly effected us. The call of God on our life is not immune to the influence of the culture around us. However, many leaders (those with a calling) have not even thought about how this impact.
With this thought in mind, share how the culture of this world and of the 21st-century church has influenced and or impacted your acceptance of God’s call on your life; your fulfillment of God’s call on your life; and your expectations of God’s call on your life?
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New Discoveries About The Bible
“No man’s [or woman’s] education is complete if he [she] does not know the Bible.” the previous is the quote that started our lesson on the Bible as a whole. Considering this quote, share with us one or two things you learned from the lesson and how this new learning will impact your study of the Bible?
Moses, Deborah, Amos, and Jeremiah all experienced a call to Gospel ministry. The experiences of these four differed in many ways but each was nonetheless a call from God to a specific work of ministry beyond that of the call to Christianity. Whether as Deacons or Minister’s each of us has expressed a call to the Gospel ministry. Share with us your experience of receiving and accepting God’s call in on your life.
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Why God Calls Us
During leadership training, the Holy Spirit stressed the idea that we cannot become whom God has ordained for us to be without answering His (God’s) call on our life. With that thought in mind, how has answering the call of God informed your understanding of your purpose, developed your character, shaped your identity, and given you more significant appreciation of God’s love for you?
Considering spiritual and practical aspects of ministry, what are you interested in exploring together as we grow together in our understanding of the call of God on our lives.
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Welcome to Minister’s Training!
Greeting LFCC Leaders,
Welcome to Minister’s Training! As discussed at the previous leadership meeting, we will begin weekly, interactive training. We will be using portions of the book Through the Bible in One Year by Dr. Alan Stringfellow and Called and Accountable by Henry C. and Norman T. Blackaby.
From September through December we will be going through an introduction to the Bible book by book. Instead of using a group email like discussed at the meeting, we will utilize a blog on the church’s website. The blog can be found under the Devotional tab at the top of the home page. The blog requires a password, the password is “wetrain”.
On Mondays (Tuesday this week as Monday is a holiday) I will post a discussion starter on the blog in relation to the packet that I will provide weekly. You will have until Sunday to post an initial comment on the blog post. I am encouraging you to be thoughtful, open, and honest about what your thoughts concerning the week’s material, and interact with each other regarding the material. For example, on September 3rd I will post a blog opening up discussion on the material you received at the leadership meeting. Then, by Sunday, 9/8, you should comment, at least once, on the post with your thoughts regarding the material. Additionally, please feel free to respond to someone else’s comment.
If you plan on buying or have purchased the book by Dr. Stringfellow and or Blackaby please let me know. This will help me to know how many copies I need to make and also what I can use and make reference to.
If you have any questions regarding how to use the blog please reach out to MIT Allie by phone at (757)871-0850 or by email at wbfmanage@gmail.com. She will be able to answer any questions you have about the technology side of the training.
I am excited about how God will use this training to sharpen each of us.
Blessing and love,
Pastor Matisha