The Power of Five: Part Five

Sorry for the delay on this last one.  We were hit with a bunch of snow out here and I didn't have access to my computer.  Anyways, the last part of this has to do with the role of the teacher.  This is so vital in churches especially where Sunday School is a dying breed.  There has to be some way to teach others about the deep, hidden truths of God's Word.  Whether we facilitate this through some kind of small group program or whatever your church does, it has to be done.  Paul tells Timothy, "Study to show thyself approved, a workman who correctly handles the word of truth."  It's important for us to know what the Bible says so that we can teach it to others as well.  It's also important because if we don't know what it says then we can't defend it.  Apologetics is important so that we can know how to stand on Scripture when challenged with the philosophies of the world.  The last reason why it's so important to know the Word of God is because it's an effective weapon against the attacks of the enemy.  Think about what Jesus did when he was tempted in the desert.  He quoted verses which then was all the strength that he needed to get through that time.  It's so vital for us to know God's Word backwards and forwards.  Those who are gifted to teach should teach.

The Power of Five: Part Four

This one will be short because I don't have a lot to say about this.  The fourth characteristic that we see from Ephesians 4:11 is the Pastor.  I believe that not all people are called to be pastors and I will even venture to say that not even all Bible college students are called to be pastors.  The role of the pastor is more than just preaching on Sundays.  The actual role of the pastor is more about caring for people in the congregation that anything else.  We see many pastors who love to speak and fill their weeks up with business; however, the pastor's first priority should be people.  Now I know this becomes much harder in larger churches; however, a pastor should never become so consumed with the managing of the church and its staff that he loses touch with the real every-day needs of his people.  People are going through divorce, financial crisis, suicidal thoughts, affairs, out-of-control children and work issues every single day.  That list only represents a few problems.  There are many more I'm sure.  The bottom line is simply this:  We need to teach people how to take care of life's problems with some work on their own, but from time to time we need to be there to help pick up the pieces of other people's broken lives.

The Power of Five: Part Three

The third part of this is the office of the Evangelist. Now for how this relates to our daily lives and churches. Evangelism should be intentional on our part. We should be looking for opportunities to reach the lost every chance we get and not through leaving tracks at the table of the restaurant. The world is tired of our lame, ineffective ways of witnessing. They are wanting to see love in action. The appropriate times to witness are usually preceded by giving food to the hungry, listening to the problems of the emotionally hurting, or even clothing the needy. The fact is that most of the growth in the American church is transfer growth. People get upset at their last church and so they decide to come to yours. Is that even the kind of growth that we want? It's growth, but it's not healthy. I can eat all kinds of junk food and get real big, but it's not healthy growth. We should strive to build our churches on the growth that comes from seeing people give their hearts to Jesus. This will happen when evangelism becomes a vital part of our lifestyle. When we stop to see why our waitress is having a bad day. When we help the elderly person with their stuff in the grocery store parking lot. When we move in an attitude of love, then we have set up a perfect platform for us to speak into other's lives. The truth is that people are refusing to hear about Jesus most often times because we haven't even taken the time to figure out what they are going through. We are in such a hurry to get them saved that we do anything to get them to repeat a prayer with us. The problem with this is that people who use this tactic to reach the lost most often neglect the discipling part and that is tragic. When you take the time to build a relationship first, you are more likely to disciple. The world just needs to be loved by us then we can work on getting them to serve God.

The Power of Five: Part Two

The second part in all of this is the role of the prophet.  Prophets in the Bible were used of God to foretell events or heed warnings to the people of a certain nation.  How does that relate to the local church setting.  It could relate in various ways; however, I am only wanting to hit on one.  The prophet of God always had accountability.  If a prophecy was given and it was off then there was a lot for that prophet to lose including his life.  At times in our churches people throw around, "God told me" or say "God said" without any regard to the consequences.  We live in a day and age where people have lost there fear of God, so there is very little hesitation in saying those things; however, if God isn't saying it then let's not give him credit for it.  All we do is bring confusion to the unbeliever or the young in faith when our so called prophecy doesn't come true.  I'm not saying that God doesn't use people in the prophetic because I think that He very much still does, but I am saying that if you are going to give a word from the Lord, you better make sure it's really from Him.  Not everything that people say is taken correctly from God's Word.  A quote from the book Remnant says, "It's not just what the Bible says, it's what the Bible ALSO says."  We have to take the Bible in its entirety.  

The Accountability thing is a whole other animal; however, just as important.  It's important for all of us to have someone that we are accountable to.  They have to be consistent, open and honest and we must be the same.  Accountability is only as good as the people facilitating it.  If you are not good about showing up for accountability then your not being accountable.  It's important for us to be accountable and be consistent with it.  Allow someone the platform to speak into your life and be able to let you know when you are off in left field somewhere.  

The Power of Five: Part One

I have been reading this book that has been challenging me a lot.  "The Remnant" by Larry Stockstill, pastor of Bethany World Prayer Center in Baton Rouge, LA has a lot of good stuff to say about the power of the five-fold ministry mentioned in Ephesians 4:11.  It's important for each one of these to not only be at work in our individual lives, but at work in our churches as well.  We need these desperately to function in the body of Christ.  Today I want to talk about the function of the Apostle.

The word Apostle could mean "Mentor" or "Father".  The fact is that we live in a fatherless society these days.  Fathers come and go or are totally absent.  This makes our job as pastors hard when trying to portray the image of a "Loving Father" through God.  It's so important for all of us as Christians to find someone to mentor and pour into.  It's important for us as Fathers to love, train and discipline our children.  One of the most powerful things we can do for our kids is to refrain from ever saying things that would hurt them.  We need to be present in their lives.  Show up to games, events, band competitions, etc.  Basically, be a loving parent to our kids.  Remember, Jesus mandated us to make disciples (Mt. 28); therefore, find someone to mentor and father them with excellence.

Ordination

So I took my test yesterday to become an Ordained Minister with the Assemblies of God.  The test wasn't the easiest test, but with God's help I passed it with an 89%.  I was real happy about my score.  I studied pretty hard for it, memorizing a ton of terms.  So now it goes before a panel of pastors in February and then a different panel in March and then I will find out if I made the cut.  If all goes well, my ordination service will be in May and it will all be done.  I'm glad to have made this final step.  

Last Night's Grand Opening

The service at Parc-Way was awesome last night.  Our pastor, who spoke last night, was on his "A" game.  He brought it hard and did an excellent job.  The teens loved him.  The freedom in worship was amazing.  I give it off to the youth pastors who have worked with them because this is a very mature group when it comes to worship.  They worshipped their hearts out last night and it made for a real fun time for us as well.  I would go back there in a second.  Pastor Alex, the youth pastor at Parc-Way, is doing a great job.  Their youth facility looks great and the as I said before, the teens there are just awesome.  I pray that God continues to pour out His blessings on that church and Fusion Youth Ministries.  Way to go Pastor Alex and I hope we can do it again sometime.