Our seventh core value is RELATIONSHIPS. We believe that ministry happens in relationships. If I want to minister to someone, there needs to be a relationship. The closer the relationship, the deeper and more life impacting the ministry. If I want to minister along side someone, that ministry will be more powerful and more meaningful based on the the relationship I have with that person. There are some exceptions when an aquaintance ministers to another, but in the Church and in most situations, greater ministry happens in greater relationships.
If you want to grow in the Lord, then make friends at church. Women can mentor other women to be great women of God. Men can mentor and coach other men to be great men of God. More is caught than taught. You will grow more in the Lord by making Christian friends, than by attending lectures and teaching sessions.
Lastly, it is important to remember that we are created in God's image, and God is one, in three persons. His nature is relational. When God made man, he said it was not good for the man to be alone. God made us for a life filled with relationships.
I realize that in a Church, you can not be really tight with every person. You have to find friends, and choose friends. I read a few years ago, that the average person attending church in America knows 76 people at church. In churches of 1,000 and in churches of 100, the average still rang true. So, you may not be besties with everyone, but you need to be developing good friends in God's family.
If you are looking for friends at chruch here are a few ideas.
1. Be involved in a Small Group. Groups may change and evolve through growth, but friendships are found in Small Groups.
2. Attend church regularly. You can't win, if you don't enter!
3. Remember the friend vitamin, B-1. If you want good friends, be a good friend. You will only make friends that are as good as you are at being a friend.
4. Don't get frustrated if you can't know everyone. You don't have to, nor do you need to.
5. Even at chruch, be careful making friends. We are not perfect people and wisdom is always needed in making friends. Choose carefully.
6. Men make friends with men, ladies make friends with ladies. Remember that the spouse is the gatekeeper for friendship with a member of the opposite sex. If you are single, be careful in Church making friends so that the community is not destoryed by bad dating relationships and hurt feelings. You should treat members of the opposite sex like you would treat your brother or sister in your family or your mother or father, according to Paul in 1 Timothy 5:1-3.
One of the greatest things that a relationship with Jesus offers is the chance to make good friends, wh oare good people with shared values. Those relationships are forged in life and enjoyed in eternity. Let's keep the faith together!
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
Core Value #6
SERVICE: We believe in giving more to the community than we take. In 2 Corinthians 8:2-3, the Bible indicates that a group of believers from the church in Corinth gave beyond their natural ability. In a time of extreme poverty, these believers showed great generosity. They did not give like a wealthy philanthropist, but they gave beyond their ability out of their extreme poverty.
A church does not have to be rich to give more than it takes. We can give our time as well as our treasure. When we provide events to the community, we will always loose money! Why? Because we are not providing an Easter Egg hunt, a Kids Crusade, a steak dinner, a house clean-up, or a schoolyard landscaping, we want to really give it to our community our of our means. Our church has a part to play in making our school districts successful. Our church has a role to play in making our nursing homes the best that they can be by offering a protestant service and our volunteer time. In all these ways and many more, we are striving to give, give, give to our community.
This core value has shown itself meaningful in our youth ministry, kids ministry, 50+ ministry and in many of our small groups who have taken on community projects. As a core value, it is at the core of every level of ministry.
Not only is it true for our local community, but we are also giving to the larger community of believers through missionary work. In fact, we are preparing for a team to leave this week to work on a church building in western Missouri. If you think of a way to give God's love through service, then don't let me hold you back! Let me push you forward! Let me promote your cause and gather helpers to give more than we take.
A church does not have to be rich to give more than it takes. We can give our time as well as our treasure. When we provide events to the community, we will always loose money! Why? Because we are not providing an Easter Egg hunt, a Kids Crusade, a steak dinner, a house clean-up, or a schoolyard landscaping, we want to really give it to our community our of our means. Our church has a part to play in making our school districts successful. Our church has a role to play in making our nursing homes the best that they can be by offering a protestant service and our volunteer time. In all these ways and many more, we are striving to give, give, give to our community.
This core value has shown itself meaningful in our youth ministry, kids ministry, 50+ ministry and in many of our small groups who have taken on community projects. As a core value, it is at the core of every level of ministry.
Not only is it true for our local community, but we are also giving to the larger community of believers through missionary work. In fact, we are preparing for a team to leave this week to work on a church building in western Missouri. If you think of a way to give God's love through service, then don't let me hold you back! Let me push you forward! Let me promote your cause and gather helpers to give more than we take.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Core Value #5
HUMILITY: We believe that no one is too big to do little things. Our example is Jesus who is described in Philippians 2:3-4 as being a humble servant. Jesus set aside the prerogatives of being God in heaven to take on humanity, which is very limited. The work that Jesus did on the cross was the biggest thing that ever happened in the history of the planet! But, it was also the most servant hearted and most ignominious job in the history of the planet.
Following Jesus' example, we are never too big to do the little things or the things that no one else wants to do. Here is an example, many people long to be the one up front, but loath helping with building cleaning. Often, we are so busy that we simply don't realize that we are not taking time to do the little things. A few weeks ago I visited a church that runs tens of thousands. I walked into the bathroom as the Pastor of the church was walking out. When I arrived at the sink and counter top, I noticed that someone had just completely wiped down everything so that the next person would have a perfectly clean place to wash up. He knows the value of not being too big to do the little things that make for excellence.
If you are not serving your church in some ministry area, you are missing out. I want to help you live out these core values! They are worth living. Humility is not just an attitude that you keep on the inside. Humility moves us to serve others and consider their worth. Humility moves us to be a giver in our church, not a receiver of ministry only. Humility says, it may not be the greatest job at church, or my number one pick, but someone needs to meet this need and I am willing!
Following Jesus' example, we are never too big to do the little things or the things that no one else wants to do. Here is an example, many people long to be the one up front, but loath helping with building cleaning. Often, we are so busy that we simply don't realize that we are not taking time to do the little things. A few weeks ago I visited a church that runs tens of thousands. I walked into the bathroom as the Pastor of the church was walking out. When I arrived at the sink and counter top, I noticed that someone had just completely wiped down everything so that the next person would have a perfectly clean place to wash up. He knows the value of not being too big to do the little things that make for excellence.
If you are not serving your church in some ministry area, you are missing out. I want to help you live out these core values! They are worth living. Humility is not just an attitude that you keep on the inside. Humility moves us to serve others and consider their worth. Humility moves us to be a giver in our church, not a receiver of ministry only. Humility says, it may not be the greatest job at church, or my number one pick, but someone needs to meet this need and I am willing!
Back in Blog Land
I am back in blog land, but for only a brief time. Since my last post I took a week of vacation, we had a worship seminar and concert, a missions weekend, a week of youth camp at the Lake of the Ozarks, and a week of MEGA Sports camp, and in the middle of that I got really sick for five days. There has been little to no time to blog.
Summer is great and extremely busy for our church. It is like I have my school year routine and then the anti-routine of summer when no two weeks is the same for three months.
Summer is great and extremely busy for our church. It is like I have my school year routine and then the anti-routine of summer when no two weeks is the same for three months.
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