Still the same

This is best time in my life. I love God, my dear wife and kids. I am embarking on a new adventure. I feel free to be who God created me to be like never before. I think I must feel a little like Lazarus. As I start this new journey I want to assure everyone I am connected with I am God's child, made to serve Him and Him alone. He is my provider. Twelve years ago I was asked to move across the country to help a local church reach young adults, I came kicking and screaming, sorry God. Now as I begin my new journey I am thankful for that opportunity. I came then with one philosophy. It is still my philosophy and I am thankful it has worked. WHY DO WE NEED PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY? In order to understand all that God has to say about various subjects (the Second coming, sin, etc.) it is necessary to study the Bible topically. This type of study is often called Systematic Theology. In this case, we are attempting to study all that the Bible has to say about ministry. Unfortunately, ministry is an area that many Christians have not studied topically or systematically. As a result, their Philosophy of Ministry is poorly developed and not well grounded on Scripture. It is often nothing more than programs and structures with little understanding of underlying Biblical principles. Finally, it should be said that these six cardinal principles are not the final word. They represent a beginning statement of our Philosophy of Ministry. It is likely that they will be modified and expanded as time goes on. 1. THE STARTING POINT OF OUR MINISTRY IS GOD, NOT HUMAN ACTIVITY. (1 COR. 3:6) God’s Part: God’s goals for the Christian are superhuman (1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 3:16; Eph. 5:18-20). As a matter of fact, Christian growth is totally beyond the realm of human effort (Gal. 3:1-5) for apart from Christ we can do nothing (John 5:15) Ministry and spiritual growth are things that God does by means of the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 1:5; Titus 3:5). Man’s Part: God, in graciousness has allowed man to have a part in the work and ministry of His Kingdom (2 Cor. 5:20). Our part is to abide in Christ (John 5:15) and to rely on the Spirit to bring change (Gal. 5:18, 22-23). We abide in Christ as we abide in the word of God (1 John 2:24) and as we obey that which Christ tells us to do (1 John 3:24; John 15:10). 2. IMPLICATIONS FOR MINISTRY 1. Realize that you are unqualified to minister to anyone (2 Cor. 3: 5-6) and that only God can bring growth in another’s life (1 Cor. 3:6). 2. Recognize that God’s grace equips us for ministry (rom. 1:5; 12:6) and that we can do all things in Christ who strengthens us (Phil. 4:13) 3. Determine to abide in Christ (John 15:4-5) by living in moment-by-moment dependence on God (Prov. 3:5-6). Commit to the Word and prayer (Acts 6:4). 4. Remember without God, I cannot. Without me, God will not. 2. THE GUIDE FOR OUR MINISTRY IS THE BIBLE-NOT HUMAN WISDOM (IS. 55:6-11) The inspiration of the Bible- Because the Bible is inspired by God (God breathed) (2 Tim. 3:16-17), it is the final authority for Christian faith and practice. It must be interpreted correctly (2Pet. 3:16) with the help of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:12-13; Eph. 1:18). The Bible as God’s “message book”- Since the Bible is the final authority for Christian faith, it serves as the ultimate judge as to what we believe as truth (John 16;13; 2 Peter 1:20-21); therefore, all experiences and circumstances must be interpreted in the light of what Scripture states (1 cor. 14:29; Deut. 13-1-3). By saying that the bible is God’s “message book”, we are saying that it gives us the content or the “what” of the Christian life; i.e., what is the nature of God, the nature of man, etc. The Bible as God’s “method book”-Since the Bible is the final authority for Christian practice, it serves as the ultimate judge as to what principles direct our methods of ministry (2 Cor. 1:12). By saying that the bible is God’s “method book” we are saying that it gives us the process or the “how” of the Christian life. In talking about methods, we must also distinguish between absolutes and non- absolutes. Absolutes are the foundational, Biblical principles that do not vary with time or culture. “Christians should gather together” (Heb. 10: 24-25) Non-Absolutes are the specific applications, which may vary with time or culture. “Christians should gather together at 11 AM on Sunday morning and sit in pews.” The absolutes are eternal and unchanging. On the other hand we should have great freedom to change the non- absolutes depending on the need of a particular situation. 3. THE FOCUS OF OUR MINISTRY IS PEOPLE-NOT PROGRAMS (1 THESS. 2:8; JOHN 3:16) “At the heart of the universe is a Person, not natural forces, a Creator who reveals Himself to persons, who became a human Person in Christ, who seeks to redeem estranged, sinful persons back to Himself…Essentially, the church is not a building nor an institution, an organization, a program. Essentially the church is people…it is natural to describe the local church in terms of its activities, its work, as an institution; but, everything the church does is for the sake of the people. All programming and organization are means to the end of effecting changes in people. The focus must always be on people.” (p.11, LeBar, “Focus on People in Church Education”) 4. THE GOAL OF OUR MINISTRY IS MATURE CHRISTIANS-NOT SIMPLY CONVERTS (COL. 1:28-29) The Westminster Confession states that man’s chief end is to glorify god and to enjoy Him forever. We glorify God by developing people; both ourselves and others who are becoming more like Christ (John 15:8). In Matthew 28:19-20, this is called “making disciples”. One way of describing a “disciple” is that he is a person who lives life according to Biblical priorities. These priorities fall into four categories: 1. Progressive commitment to Jesus Christ (Mt. 6:33; Luke 9:23) 2. Progressive commitment to the family (1 Tim. 5:8; Deut. 6:23) 3. Progressive commitment to the body of Christ (Gal. 6:10) 4. Progressive commitment to the work of Christ in the world (Acts 1:8) Further comments on the Fourth Priority: To be committed to the work of Christ in the world means to be committed to both social concern and evangelism. Both of these grow out of community. “Community is the matrix of missions. A congregation without community cannot fulfill its evangelistic missions, whatever is done to exhort or train. Conversely, when a congregation is spiritually healthy, that is, committed to Jesus Christ and to each other and constrained by love to selfless concern of all men, evangelism will happen spontaneously, effortlessly, continuously and effectively. Not only will the life of the community attract the alienated and lonely to its accepting, reconciling warmth, but in dispersion its members will radiate that redemptive love infectiously to the world.” 5. THE ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR MINISTRY IS THE CORPORATE BODY- NOT INDIVIDUALISM (ROM 12:3-8) We must be the people of God before we do the work of God. Too often we move into ministry before we have taken time to be the community of God. Jesus said that the world would know that we are His disciples if we love one another (John 13:34-35). He repeats this concept in John 17:27 when He says that the world will know that He was sent by the Father when they see the unity of the believers. This principle was then illustrated in the early church (Acts 2:24-27). Every member is a minister. The ministry is not just for the seminary-trained professional. God has gifted every Christian (Rom 12:3-8; 1 cor. 12:7-11) so that they might have a part in building up the Body of Christ. Everyone is essential and unique in this process. God has called some to leadership. In the bible, the leader is first of all a servant. He is committed to making others successful. He serves by pasturing the flock (1 Peter 5:2-4), and by equipping the saints for their ministries (Eph. 4:11-12). A leader must measure up to certain qualifications (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). It seems clear that the Biblical norm is for a multiplicity of leadership (1 Tim. 5:17) and that decisions ideally should by made by the unanimous consent of those in leadership (Acts 15: 23-25). This requires teamwork and implies that the leadership should be committed to the same basic body of doctrine and philosophy of ministry (Amos 3:3). Authority and Submission: Because God has given leaders to oversee the flock, those under their authority should submit to their leadership (Heb. 13:17; 1 Peter 5:5, Rom. 13:1-7). The only exception to this is when leadership is calling the people to do something that would result in their clear disobedience of a Biblical absolute. 6. THE PROCESS OF OUR MINISTRY IS SPIRITUAL REPRODUCTION- NOT SPIRITUAL ADDITION (2 TIM. 2:2) Definitions Convert: one who has realized that because he was a sinner, he was subject to the wrath of God. Seeing his desperate plight and his inability to save himself, he placed his trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross. Mature Christian: one who realizes that he still lives I his sinful nature and that he cannot live the Christian life in his own strength. Realizing his desperate plight, he places his trust moment-by-moment in the finished work of Christ on the cross. He has also developed the necessary disciplines of the Christian life so that the lifelong process of maturing in Christ- likeness can reasonably be expected to continue. He has become independently dependent on Christ. Spiritual Addition: the process of reproducing in others what the Spirit of God is doing in you so that they have become either converts or mature Christians. This is also known as “second-generation discipleship”. Spiritual Reproduction: the process of reproducing in others what the Spirit of God is doing in you and in turn enabling them to reproduce it in a third generation. This is also known as “third-generation discipleship”. Why emphasize spiritual reproduction? Let us suppose that it takes two years to help a person grow spiritually to the place where he can also reproduce. Then if you invest your life in another: After 2 years there will be 2 mature Christians; After 4 years there will be 4 mature Christians; After 10 years there will be 32 mature Christians; After 20 years there will be 1,024 mature Christians; After 30 years there will be 32,768 mature Christians. Let us suppose you can lead one person to Christ each day, but by doing this, you don’t have time to help them grow: then, After 2 years there will be 731 converts After 4 years there will be 1,462 converts After 10 years there will be 3,653 converts After 20 years there will be 7,306 converts After 30 years there will be 10,958 converts.