Christ-follower, Husband, Dad, Pastor

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February 14, 2013

The Encouragement of Community

Spending time with God’s family is an important source of encouragement.

Folks at Valley love the Lord and really love people. The relationship and kinship in which I participate encourages me! Sharing life together with the people who make up our local congregation inspires me! I love my Valley Fellowship family!

I also love my home. Time with Patti and my daughters is a blessing. We appreciate holidays with brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles and aunts. Mom had the Simon clan gather in Nashville for Christmas 1993 (four months after the death of my Dad), and visiting the Gaylord Opryland Hotel during the Christmas season became a family tradition. Look at us last year!

Don’t we look happy? We had fun – together. One reason for my joy is that my natural family is made up of people who love the Lord.

Although you can encourage yourself all by yourself (read more in tomorrow’s post), enormous encouragement comes from relationship with Christ’s Body, the church. The writer of Hebrews connects your call to encourage others with a call to meet together. “Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25 MSG)

You need encouragement that only comes from a face-to-face, in-the-flesh encounter with another child of God.

Mutual encouragement results from time invested in fellowship, connection, community. Consider Paul’s stated desire to the family of God in Rome: “When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.”  (Romans 1:12 NLT) Paul was certain that time spent with the Roman believers – whom he had yet to meet in person – would generate encouragement. Upon what was this certainty based? At least partially, His experience!

  • Early in his walk with Christ, Paul received encouragement from a peer relationship with Barnabas whose nickname actually means “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36).
  • Paul was a member of the team that hand-delivered a letter from Jerusalem that prompted encouragement in Antioch, “When they read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement.” (Acts 15:31 HCSB)
  • In Antioch, Paul witnessed how prophets and church leaders “said much to encourage and strengthen the believers.”  (Acts 15:32b NIV)
  • Paul personally benefited from his relationship with the church family, “Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.”  (Philemon 1:7 NIV)

Paul understood the presence of an individual can release encouragement. That is one the big reasons why Paul regularly sent individuals on assignment – to impart encouragement.

  • “We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith.”  (1 Thessalonians 3:2 NIV)
  • “I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.” (Ephesians 6:22 NIV)
  • “I am sending him [faithful minister Tychicus] to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts.” (Colossians 4:8 NIV)

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (Romans 15:5-6 NIV)

As you encourage others, pray for them, and give them insights into God’s Word, you’ll grow in confidence and self–value. You’ll discover that you do have something to give away—you have the Word of God and the Spirit of God resident in you and freely flowing through you to others. The prophet Jeremiah wrote about the children of God that even though they were clay pots, they were as valuable as fine gold (see Lam. 4:2). You, too, are a vessel that God desires to use. He is seeking continually to pour Himself through you to others. Open your mouth and your heart, and begin to encourage people the Lord sends your way. (Charles Stanley, The Source of My Strength, 1994)

February 2, 2013

Prayer Targets from Acts 4:29-31

Valley Fellowship Church has TWO Sunday Services tomorrow – 8:30am & 10:00am. I am praying for great things. Let’s join together in faith and allow the Lord to do what He desires. I’ll see you tomorrow in the buildings at 3616 Holmes Avenue NW, Huntsville, Alabama!

Will you join me today before God’s throne?  Below are three prayer targets from the experience of the early church in Acts 4:29-31.

“Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.  Acts 4:29-31 NJKV

PRAYER TARGETS

#1: BOLDNESS (4:29)

#2: MIRACLES (4:30)

#3: HOLY SPIRIT OUTPOURING (4:31)

 

January 20, 2013

Teamwork Blessings

Teamwork is a big deal – image what happens to a car if one wheel comes off. Few burdens are really heavy when everybody lifts. A few years ago, the Valley Fellowship Guatemala mission team experienced the power of teamwork as we carried the welded-metal structure that would serve as the rafters for a new house at the Casa Angelina Orphanage. One person just wasn’t enough to get the job done.

“We live in an individualistic culture, but we are called to be people in relationship . . . we are not called to be the persons of God, but the people of God.” (Kenneth Boa, The Perfect Leader, p. 158) As the people of God, we are to work at keeping the unity of the Spirit. “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3 NIV84) Have you ever noticed we aren’t told to CREATE unity? We are told to keep it – to preserve unity.

“You must give up something in the immediate present, comfort, ease, recognition, quick rewards to attract something even better in the future: a full heart and sense that you did something which counted. Without that sacrifice, you’ll never know your team’s potential, or your own.”  (Coach Pat Riley, The Winner Within)

Good Reasons for Teams (compiled from Gene Wilkes’ Jesus on Leadership and Elaine Biech’s Successful Team Building Tools):

  1. Teams provide increased input that helps the group develop better ideas and make better decisions.
  2. Teams provide higher quality output.
  3. Teams involve everyone in the process.
  4. Teams encourage a sense of community by sharing credit for both victories and defeats.
  5. Teams are more likely to implement plans because leader and group members consider themselves accountable to each other.
  6. Teams demonstrate the synergism principal whereby two can do more than twice what one can do.
  7. Teams are how Jesus did ministry.
  8. Teams increase opportunities to draw on an individual’s strengths and to compensate for his weaknesses.
  9. Teams develop a sense of togetherness, a feeling of belonging, so it is easier for members to build strong personal relationships.

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NLT

 Teamwork Benefits (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10) = Success, Encouragement, Defense, & Strength
January 7, 2013

Ministry Like Jesus Did

I am challenged to live like Jesus and to MINISTER like Jesus. Anyone who claims to lives in relationship with Christ is commanded to live, to “walk” (KJV), as Jesus did. “Walk” is metaphor for “lifestyle” or “a way to live life.” John’s command to “live as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6) is NOT just wishful thinking, an unrealistic goal, or an impossible achievement. The empowerment resulting from personal connection with Christ is what makes this possible.

As a pastor, an under-shepherd of the Great Shepherd, shouldn’t I focus upon the ministry pattern presented by the life and leadership of Jesus Christ? The Gospel accounts provide an excellent picture of how Jesus lived and of how Jesus ministered.

Jesus’ earthly ministry is a display of the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ preaching ministry is radically different than the teachings of the scribes. The Gospels tell of Jesus teaching with authority. His words penetrate truth and His miracles testify the power of God. His listeners have reason to believe that the Kingdom is at hand. Power encounters mixed with public proclamation certainly help to communicate the message of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew describes the unusual nature of the teaching ministry of Jesus. Matthew 7:28-29 NIV records, “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” Unfortunately, I can relate to Pastor John Fyre’s admission, “Sometimes I feel that my congregation is more dazed than amazed when I get done speaking” (Jesus The Pastor, p.33).

Amazed! The people recognize the strength of Jesus’ teaching ministry even if they do not comprehend fully what Jesus says. Jesus’ words probably carry a tone that is easily distinguished as authoritative. Perhaps, a limited example can be seen in my wife. Patti is a gifted teacher and God has certainly given her a special ability to bring discipline within a classroom. Even in the earlier days of her student-teaching at Victory Christian School (Tulsa, Oklahoma),  a few kids referred to her as “The Law.” Patti speaks with strength and carries herself in a manner that encourages respect. There is something different about the way she organizes a teaching session, and Jesus’ teaching ministry clearly reveals something different about Him.

However, I do not reason that Jesus’ teaching was simply authoritative in tone. The crowds surrounding Christ witness more. The authority of His words exceeds anything that Patti displays in an instructional environment. His words carry their own power, their own influence, their own jurisdiction, their own command, their own strength.

Some teachers of Jesus’ day may rely heavily upon the recognized credentials of Jewish rabbis, but Jesus does not depend on the commentaries of others to validate His words. Jesus speaks with authority (Greek – exousia).  He speaks in the power of the Holy Spirit.  He speaks the message of heaven with the inspiration of heaven.  He teaches with authority, and miraculous power-encounters follow his instruction.

The preaching/teaching ministry of Jesus naturally flows into His healing ministry.  Jesus certainly ministered the full Gospel. While a student at Oral Roberts University, I hear Richard Roberts (then president of ORU)summarize Jesus’ ministry as: “Jesus came to take off you what the devil put on you, to take out of you what the devil put in you, to put back what the devil took off, and to put back in what the devil took out.” I am inspired as I consider Jesus’ ministry of preaching, teaching, AND healing. As a pastor, sometimes it is easy to get focused on the preparation of the oral communication of a sermon.  I need Holy Spirit sensitivity for full Gospel ministry, expecting God’s total salvation (and healing) to show up.

After illuminating the astonishment of the crowd, Matthew underscores Jesus’ exousia by recounting the cleansing of the man with leprosy, the releasing of the centurion’s servant, the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, and the calming of the Galilean storm (Matthew 8).  Matthew chronicles the extraordinary miraculous power of Jesus Christ the Messiah. Power encounters mixed with public proclamation communicate the message of the Kingdom of Heaven.

I must maintain close, intimate relationship with the Chief Shepherd Jesus Christ in order to be effective.  To live and to minister like Jesus did means collaboration with Christ Jesus in Holy-Spirit-empowered pastoral ministry. I am expecting God to move in 2013. I pray that I may see God’s power released every time I communicate the message of the Kingdom.

 

January 4, 2013

5 Tips for When People Leave a Church

No matter the reason – job relocation, offense, retirement, God-call, bored – people leave churches, AND EVERY pastor knows the awkward feeling that accompanies the realization that a part of a local congregation is exiting to somewhere else. Here are five tips to help you handle that awkward moment. I hope I remember them the next time I have to face it!

#1 – Don’t beg them to stay.

If you have to beg them to stay today, you’ll be begging again, but in the end, they won’t be staying. Years ago, I asked my dad what I should say when someone tells me they feel like leaving the church. Dad said, “Tell them, ‘If God called you to leave, don’t let the church door hit your backside on the way out!'” There is some wisdom in that quip. Delaying the move usually brings irritation, not harmony.

#2 – Avoid the urge to defend yourself.

Don’t attack their reasons. Do your very best to listen and to hold your tongue. Resist the desire to deliver a good comeback line. You’ll want to take it personally, but your emotions don’t need to rule you in that moment. You will have time later to process the validity of what they say – true or not.

#3 – Release with a blessing.

Bless their journey! You want God’s best for them. Don’t sabotage their entrance into another local congregation. Never curse them. Speak the truth, but don’t condemn them.  That moment isn’t easy for them either, and if they have the integrity to talk to you, thank them, bless them, pray for them (if they allow).

#4 – Keep an open door – of your church and of your heart.

Don’t hold on to offense. This won’t be the last time you walk through a moment like this, but don’t allow yourself to become jaded or unfeeling. It hurts! Yes, it HURTS! Sheep bite, but you are still a shepherd. Leading people includes accepting them even if they reject your leadership. And, sometimes, people do come back.

#5 – After the face-to-face goodbye, make sure you get face-to-face with God.

Close, intimate relationship with the Chief Shepherd Jesus Christ is necessary to be an effective under-shepherd. Cast all your anxiety upon Him for He cares for you. Pray. Receive fresh grace and peace! You’ll need it as you evaluate what just happened. And for this type of awkward moment, success is first received before it is achieved.

WOAH! I was just about to post this, got interrupted by a phone call, and then walked right into a short meeting with close friends when – you guessed it! – they said, “We are leaving.” Ouch. It’s time for me to do #5. Lord, help me!

 

January 2, 2013

10 Good Things to Remember in 2013

God is a good God! Are you expecting God’s goodness in 2013? We have to remind ourselves because we human beings are quick to forget. We even joke about it – have you heard any of these?

  • Funny thing, I don’t remember being absent-minded.
  • My memory is a wonderful treasure chest, but I lost the map.
  • My memory is the faculty that enables me to give someone most of my zip code.
  • I can frequently remember that I have forgotten something, if I could only remember what it is.
  • Two indicators I am getting older: first, loss of memory, and I can’t remember the second.
  • To err is human; to forget, routine.

Oral Roberts rightly proclaimed, “Something good is going to happen to you!” Stop today and consider the goodness of God. Remind yourself. Here are ten good things to remember in 2013:

#1 – God wants to bless you and bless you and bless you.

“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” Matthew 7:9-11 NLT

#2 – God sets you up for good and has planned success for you !

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 NLT

#3 – God’s voice will direct you and God will get you where you need to go.

“The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.” John 10:3-2 NLT

#4 – God finishes what He starts.

“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 NIV

#5 – God’s purpose is worth the effort.

“Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'” Luke 9:23 NIV

#6 – God rewards those who seek Him.

“And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 NLT

#7 – God’s timing is perfect – not early, not late, but always right on time.

“Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” Isaiah 30:18 NIV84

#8 – God’s forgiveness is awesome.

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 NLT

#9 – God’s power is great in us. God is greater than _______(fill in the blank with your life).

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4 NIV

#10 – God’s plans are bigger than you alone. Mature believers are vitally connected to a local church.

“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” Hebrews 10:23-25 NLT

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