Where Does God Go on Mondays

Hope you enjoy it as much asI did . Interested in your comments

Where Does God Go on Mondays By Danny Guglielmucci

How To Last In Ministry

Read a great post on Pastor Dave Fergusons Blog ,reagarding a message he had listened to by Pastor Rick Warren ,in regard to Ministry Burnout.

The thoughts of The Apostle Paul always challenge me.I have run the race,I have fought the good fight ,I have finished the race. God wants all of us to Run Fight and Finish well.

Developing People

When you are in leading people ,the purpose is to take people from where they are to where they can be. Most people don’t see their potential. They tend to see their faults and their limitations. We tend to see people’s past and their present. God sees our present and our future. He speaks into our future calling us to places where we haven’t yet been.

Someone once said the greatest use of your life is to spend it on something that will outlast it .

Thats why I love ministry because its all about creating vision in people lives and working with them to make that reality.Here is a great post from Pastor Craig Groeschel on this very subject of Developing People

Leadership “Be attitudes”

10 Essential Leadership “Be attitudes”

Lead from what you know but you reproduce who you are

1. Be a person of integrity ·

The work of Christ always begins in our hearts and works outward · Same on inside as you are on the outside · Leaders are often gifted.
They can begin to depend on their gift for success, to the neglect of their character · Daniel was incredibly gifted, ten times more than the next most wisest ·
Daniel 6:10 – “… he went home and got down on his knees and prayed as was his daily custom.” · Integrity isn’t developed in a day, its daily

2. Be a faithful servant ·

Don’t serve to get recognized or for promotion · Everything you do in the name of Jesus is significant ·
Your service prepares you for your calling and your calling prepares you for your service ·

In David there was a 20-year gap between the prophecy and the fulfillment. This is called process. Process prepares you for what he has called us to be. If he made us immediately into what we would be we would screw it up. Saul – chasing donkeys and then king – it messed him up. God didn’t do that to David, he took him through process

3. Be passionate ·

If you don’t have passion you will be consumed · Psalm 69.9 – passion for your house will consume me … the joy of the Lord is our strength and the oil that keeps our motors running · The word enthusiasm comes from the ancient Greek word EN +THEOS meaning “inspired by or possessed by God”.

4. Be growing in grace ·

2nd Peter 3.18 tells us to grow in grace. Grace itself does not grow. We grow in grace · If we fail to understand grace, we try to earn favour with God. End up in mere religious works. Entrapped. We must come to the understanding of how much God really loves us and forgives us · Heb 13.9 says that our hearts must be established by grace

5. Be knowledgeable in the basics ·

Don’t need insights in the secret mysteries of the Bible · But we need to understand basics as well · Unity/Offences/Forgiveness/Identity etc– Who we are and Whose we are · We can’t consistently perform in a way that’s inconsistent with the way we see our self ·

Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less

6. Be teachable ·

Read books · Talk with people further along the journey than yourself · Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind · The purposes of God being fulfilled dependent on God’s people thinking well

7. Be an opportunity taker ·

The righteous shall live by Faith · Faith is characterized by risk and adventure · This gets us out of the boat and out on the water · We need to shift from continually asking God what he wants, or what he wants us to do, and ask for the courage to do what we already know

8. Be yourself ·

Adopt from others but adapt to yourself · You are all Gods got, and you are the best God has got · He doesn’t keep a secret recipe up in heaven

9. Be plugged into God ·

Must be fueled by eternal connection · John 15vs 5.The time that you invest in your relationship with Christ isn’t preparation for the work, it is the work · 2 Corinthians 8:5 - “... gave themselves first to the Lord and then to others as was Gods will” ·

If your output exceeds your input, your upkeep will be your downfall ·

The Starving Baker represents the person who is so busy feeding others that he neglects feeding himself. Sometimes leaders put so much into the people they lead that they fail to nourish their own lives. “Their ‘talk’ is great. Their ‘walk’ becomes fake.” “They are spiritually starving … so close to food, yet never eating.”

10. Be surrendered to God ·

Nelson Mandela said our greatest threat is not so much that we are inadequate but that we are powerful beyond measure · To the degree that you come under power and authority will be to the degree that you are in power and authority · Luke 7. Roman centurion

Comfort or Comfortable ?

Christians are more uncomfortable doing evangelsim ,than Non Christians themselves

Please read that again -Nice and Slowly .Wow what a disturbing trend.

What can we do to change this around -What can you do?-What are you doing?

What is God concerned with most for all lives?
Is is that we are comforted or that we are comfortable?

My own conviction is that ,God is more concerned about our comfort than making us comfortable .Jesus didn't die to keep us safe. He died to make us dangerous! The will of God is not an insurance plan. It's a daring plan. In fact, the will of God doesn't get easier. God gives us more difficult, daring, and dangerous things to do! Read Hebrews 11.

In the words of a daring twentieth-century missionary, C.T. Studd,
"Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell." The church needs more Studds!

How To Last in Ministry

Read a great post on Pastor Dave Fergusons blog regarding a message he had listened to by Pastor Rick Warren ,in regard to Ministry Burnout. Some great lessons to apply here

Rick Warren - Preaching On Purpose

RICKS THOUGHTS ON "PREACHING ON PURPOSE"

• Nothing is a more powerful force in your church than the preaching.
• God's purpose is to make us like Christ. (II Corinthians 3:18)
• God wants to bring conviction and change our conduct and character.
• "...that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.: II Timothy 3:16,17
• Teaching the Bible is not about is not ultimately producing maturity; it's about ministry and mission.
• Application is what is lacking in most teaching.
• Our preaching needs to "build bridges" from the scripture to life.

HOW TO PREPARE TO PREACH ON PURPOSE

1. Study the text. (observation)
2. Find the timeless truth. (interpretation)
3. Think of your audience. (contextualization)
4. Apply the truth to their situation (personalization)

10 THINGS I'VE LEARNED ABOUT PREACHING ON PURPOSE

1. All behavior is based on a belief. We do what we do (good or bad) because we believe something about the behavior.
2. When we sin we think that is the best decision in the moment. When you figure out the lie behind the behavior you will be a better preacher.
3. Change always starts in your mind.
4. To help people change we must change their beliefs first. The battle of sin always starts with helping people to see the lie they believe. You must expose the lie.
5. Trying to change people's behavior without changing their beliefs is a waste of time.
6. We need to lead people to repentance. Repentance is simply getting people to change their mind. Repentance is another term for a paradigm shift. "Metanoia" means to change your mind; it is not change you're behavior.
7. You don't change people's minds; the applied word of God does change their minds.
8. Changing the way I act is the result or fruit of repentance.
9. The "deepest" kind of preaching is preaching for repentance.
10. To produce lasting life change: enlighten the mind, engage the emotions, and challenge the will.

Why We Do What We Do

Our heart and vision at Eastside Apostolic is to Win people to Christ and Develop them.
That is the purpose and passion behind everything we do. Our strategy to do that is simple.

We want to help people experience God, excel in spiritual growth, and express his love to the world. Simply put, Love God ,Grow together and Reach Our World .

At Eastside our primary environment to help people experience God is our Services . Our desire is that people would drawn to Christ through the worship, preaching, and fellowship.

Our primary ministry to help people excel in spiritual growth is Lifegroups. These groups meet at various times and locations throughout the city. There are groups for adults, youth, and young adults. While each has a slightly different focus, they are all centered on helping people grow in love for God and one another.

And finally, our primary avenue for helping people express God’s love is through ministry teams and outreach events. From cafe,host teams to visual media and sound, there are many ways to get involved in ministry.

One thing I never want to forget is why we are here and why we are doing what we’re doing.

With so much at stake, we must remember always to keep the Main Thing the Main Thing

The Power Of Example

Here is an excellent post regarding the power of living a life of example from Dunstan Bell ,who is the principal of Kings Bible College.

Living a life of Example

The combination of Concern and Oppurtunity

One of my goals of Reverb this year is to grow our evangelism muscle.

I love what Willow Creek church say about their approach to evangelism.
If you cut us we bleed evangelism." Their evangelistic temperature is white hot
No wonder they call themselves a missionary church rather than a missions church
Huge Distinction!

And it's not about sharing our faith out of guilt. It's about being so excited about who God is and what God has done that I can't not talk about it.

I love what one writer described his personal definitions of worship and evangelism.
Worship is bragging about God to God. Evangelism is bragging about God to others.
I think evangelism is a simple extension of worship.

Let's not stop bragging about God when we walk out of church!

At the Last Leaders Life Group I spoke about the powerful combination of concern and opportunity working together

When we only presenting evangelistic opportunities to Christians, but don’t work to raise the concern level, a very small response will be the outcome. But equally so when we only work on the concerned level and don’t present opportunity to people nothing happens, as a concern always needs a cause to attach itself to.

So what comes first concern or opportunity, the chicken or the egg? The chicken of concern always comes first, and births the egg of opportunity.

This is illustrated in the Good Samaritan story where 3 people were faced with the same opportunity, but 2 had a concern deficit disorder and chose not to respond. The 3rd person the Good Samaritan, had grown his concern level enough so when opportunity presented itself, he did something about it,

Concern and opportunity working in combination is powerful

So what can you do to grow your concern level for the Lost?

Communicating to Change Lives (Pt.7)

The fifth and final question I ask is …

5. “How will I say it?” [The Method]

Be practical. If the goal of preaching is changed lives, then application is the primary task of preaching! Knowledge doesn’t change the world, but action does (Luke 10:37. James 1:22). Interpretation of the Bible (what it means) is not enough. We must bring people to application (what they are to do). Exhortation without application leads to frustration. Jesus came to give life, not just information.

Always aim for a specific action (Matthew 28:20). Tell them why – explain the benefits. Show them how. We need far less “ought to” preaching and far more “how to” preaching. “Yes, but how?” People are looking for practical answers. We need clearer application not just deeper interpretation. Don’t be a commentator (content focus). Be a communicator (application focus). Changed lives are the goal, not just explained content.

A “lecturer” speaks about the Bible, is concerned about the facts (literary analysis), and seeks to inform. A “pastoral preacher” speaks from the Bible about the congregation, tells them what God wants from them, and is concerned about people. Life-changing preaching does not talk to the people about the Bible. Instead, it talks to the people about themselves - their questions, hurts, fears and struggles - from the Bible. Preach to people about their lives. Don't just lecture about a topic.

Finally, be creative. Make the message interesting (Proverbs 15:2. Ecclesiastes 12:10). Saying, “We’re not here to entertain”, sounds spiritual. Our message is too important to present it in a boring manner. “Entertainment” is simply capturing and holding the attention of an extended period of time. We are communicators of the greatest message in the world. It is a sin to bore people with the Bible. People will think that God is boring.

Never make a point without a picture. Have an illustration for every exhortation. A picture or story is better than a definition. A point gets to the head. A story gets to the heart. Use visuals, drama, or role-playing. We live in a visual generation. Get people involved. Use humour. Be interesting, appealing and delightful.

Humour relaxes people, it lowers defences, and it creates positive emotion. It’s not a sin to help people feel good.

Learn from others. No one can be brilliant every week. God has called us to be effective, not just original. Listen to good communicators and learn from them. Keep fresh. Ask for feedback.

Communicating to Change Lives (Pt.6)

The fourth question I ask is …

4. “Who is talking?” [The Messenger]

This makes me have a good look at myself. In many ways, as a communicator, you are the message. How you speak is very important – your personal style. Your personal style is a combination of your personality and your attitude. This has a big part in determining the impact of your message.

The basic elements of communication are message content, body language and voice quality. Communication experts tells us that effective communication is 7% content, 55% body language (things such as eye contact, a smile, gestures, dress, and appropriate movement), and 38% voice quality (things such as appropriate volume, pitch, and vocabulary).

When thinking about yourself as the communicator of your message, be enthusiastic. Do you really believe what you’re teaching? Are you excited about it? Do you believe it can change people’s lives? Put life and energy into your message. Inspire people. Make it interesting. Have a great attitude that’s contagious. Do it with excellence. Put a lot into it and show the audience their value.

Be open and personal. Honestly share your struggles, mistakes and weaknesses (2 Corinthians 1:8; 6:11. 1 Thessalonians 2:8). Be transparent. Drop your mask and let people see your heart. Talk about your problems. You’ll get people’s attention. Authenticity and genuineness are attractive. Share who you are and what you are currently learning. Be a model. This is the most effective way to change people. The minister is the message. The Word must become flesh (incarnated). Get people to trust you by being real.

Be encouraging. That’s purpose of God’s message as recorded in the Bible (Rom.15:4) and of everyone who speaks for God (1 Corinthians 14:3). Life is tough. Everyone’s had a tough week. People need their faith reinforced, their hope renewed and their love restored. Don’t tell it like it is. Tell it like it can be. “You have the potential to be … Here’s how.” Lift people to a higher level. Be positive. Jesus came to save, not condemn. He message was good news and so is ours.

The number one factor in communication is like-ability. If people like you, they’ll listen to you. Love them and they’ll like you. What you have to say (content) vs. how you say it (style) - both are important! Be yourself!

Communicating to Change Lives (Pt.5)

The third question I ask is …

3. “What will I say?” [The Message]

Once you have established your purpose and formulated an objective statement, you are ready to do your research and prepare the content of your message. Purpose first, then content and outline.

Ask yourself what the Bible say about this subject or the audience’s needs. We don’t have to make the Bible relevant. It already is! We have to show its relevance by applying it to people’s needs.

Gather information on your topic from Bible study, personal experience, and other resources (books, articles, statistics, research, or advice from other people). Think of any illustrations that could support your message. Once you’ve done your research, narrow your ideas into a few points. Be brief and concise - keep it fast paced. Eliminate what's unnecessary. Summarise key points.

Next arrange everything into a logical sequence. The basic parts of your message are: (1) the opening or introduction where you gain rapport, generate interest, and establish a need to talk about your topic; (2) the main body of your message (organised around your main objective); and (3) your close or conclusion, where you summaries and call for action and/or a response.

Work on the transitions so that you tie each part together smoothly. Each new point should begin with an overview statement and conclude with a bridging statement to lead the audience to the next point. Help move your listeners from thought to thought with you.

Also, consider the time element. How much time should you give to introduction, body (key points) and conclusion? What is most important? Allocate time according to priority.

Communicating to Change Lives (Pt.4)

The second question I ask is …

2. “What am I trying to say?” [Purpose]

Purpose is basic and central in preaching. You need a well-understood, clearly articulated and biblically justifiable purpose for your message. It is on this that you plan and execute everything you do when you preach. Whatever you do in a sermon, you should do consciously and deliberately to achieve some purpose. Everything should have its objective and you ought to know what that is.

Your purpose may be to inform, to equip, convince, or to motivate. It addresses what people should learn, believe, disbelieve or do. What do you want them to know or do?

If you can't write the objective of your speech in a single sentence, then either you're trying to say too much or you don't know what you're talking about. If you don't know what you're aiming at, you'll be sure to hit it. You will never be effective unless you know exactly what you want to accomplish with your message and thoroughly plan your strategy for achieving that goal.

Prayerfully choose a subject, then a central theme, and then narrow that down to a clear objective. Most topical messages are either in the form of an obligation message – ‘You should …’ or an enabling message – ‘You can …’ The logical question for the first is ‘Why?’ while the obvious question in response to the second is ‘How?’ For example, you might speak a message with an objective of communicating the message ‘You should pray’ and then you’ll show people why. Or you might speak on ‘You can be free from worry’ and the message will teach people how.

Whatever you speak on, it is essential that you have a clear purpose for your message and a single objective that you are trying to accomplish. Everything you then do or say in your message needs to contribute to this overall goal.

Communicating to Change Lives (Pt.3)

Every time I prepare to speak, I ask myself five questions. Let’s begin with the first question.

1. “Who am I speaking to?” [The Audience]

When preparing to speak, I always start with my audience. Who am I speaking to? The first question is not “What do I speak on?” It is “Who am I speaking to and what are their needs?” The goal of teaching is to move people from where they are to where they need to be. Where do we start? Where they are!

We should always begin with: the patient, not the medicine; the student, not the curriculum; the customer, not the product; and the audience, not the message. Preachers at times are the only group who don’t do this! Something can be good in and of itself, yet irrelevant if it doesn’t match the needs of those being spoken to. Jesus always started where people were, not with the next lesson in his Scripture reading. The majority of his teaching to the crowd began with their needs. This determined his preaching agenda (Luke 4:18-19). We should do the same. The aim is to find ‘common ground’ (1 Corinthians 9:22-23) so you can speak words that will be helpful and beneficial (Ephesians 4:29).

Who are you speaking to? Think of your listeners right from the beginning. If you don't meet a real need, then your message is a waste of time. A message that is specific is much more powerful than a general motivational message. For every sermon we preach, people are asking, “Am I interested in that subject or not?” If they aren't, it doesn't matter how effective our delivery is, they won’t be attentive nor will they benefit from the message, no matter how good we think it is.

Ask questions about things such as people’s needs, problems, stresses, challenges, hurts, and interest. Get appropriate and relevant information. Do all you can to know all you can about your audience. Take a survey of your congregation or of the needs in your community – “I wish someone would preach about …”

If we don’t do this step well, then we will be scratching where people aren’t itching!

Communicating to Change Lives (Pt.2)

Jesus was a master communicator and therefore he is our model for preaching to change lives. Jesus was the greatest speaker, teacher and communicator who ever existed. He spoke to large audiences in places like the synagogues, the mountainside, the seaside, and in the streets. He addressed small groups such as the Pharisees who liked to debate him, the disciples who wanted to learn from him, and his friends such as Mary, Martha and Lazarus who conversed with him about their daily needs. He also spent time one-on-one with people like the Samaritan woman and the rich young ruler.

Jesus was always prepared and he spoke with authority and confidence. So much so that the people were often amazed at his teaching (Matthew 7:28-29). He used simple language (not shallow, but easy to understand) yet the awed the educated. He used a variety of techniques (parables, object lessons - coin, analogies, humour, role models, questioning, and lectures). No wonder the Gospel writers tell us that the common people heard him gladly – they listened to him with delight (Mark 12:37).

In John 12:49, Jesus tells us that the Father told him what to say (the content of his message) and how to say it (the delivery style of his message). Both of these are important. Through learning from Jesus, the disciples gained confidence in speaking even though lacking in formal education (Acts 4:13).

The objective of our communication is not oratory or brilliant speech but to make the message clear so that people can respond (1 Corinthians 2:4-5). The great commission commands us all to be teachers of the gospel and of God's ways of living. There must be a balance between our preparation (skill) and our dependence on the Holy Spirit (anointing).

Tomorrow we’ll begin looking at five questions I ask myself every time I prepare to speak.