The Presbyter's Page
Electronic Edition – January 2001
Original articles published January 2000
Section 12 - LA
District UPCI
Donald Bryan - Presbyter
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Tips For
Growing Your Ministry
Steps That
Will Help You Get Unstuck
Sermon Thought:
“But
God…”
Scripture Text – Acts 7:9-10
"And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold
Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him, And delivered him out of all
his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of
Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house." --
Acts 7:9-10 (KJV)
There are a number of 2 word phrases found in the Word of God. Phrases such as ‘healed all,’ ‘gathered in,’ ‘cast out,’ ‘raised up,’ and ‘pulled down.’
However, there is one phrase used 43 times in scripture that causes my spirit to leap for joy. That phrase is: “But God!”
This small two-word phrase
is God’s response to Satan’s challenge.
It is the bottom line. It is the
last word. It is all over but the
shouting. “But God”, when viewed in relation to the challenges of life, is what
life is to death. The world says no –
but God says yes. The world says can’t
– but God says can. The world says
defeat – but God says victory.
“But God” sings songs of
victory in the midnight hour. “But God”
is seen from God’s perspective. When
you put on your Kingdom glasses, you’ll see it is not over until God says it’s
over. God hasn’t had the final say
until it is revealed by “but God.” The
devil thinks he is victorious until he hears “but God.” For instance, Satan thought he could stop
the plan of God in Joseph’s life, but God was with him (Acts 7:9, Gen. 38:33)
From the pit to Potifer to the prison, but God was with Joseph.
Satan thought he could stop
the people of God, but God was rich in mercy toward us (Eph. 2:3-6). We who were once perfect (Gen. 1:26) became
putrefied (Eph. 2:3). Created to be
kings, the people of God became pauper.
But God promoted them (Eph. 2:6) and they were restored. The devil thought he could stop the power of
God by killing Jesus, but God raised Him from the dead (Acts 13:28-30). Satan was shaken when the triumphant Lord
overcame death, hell and the grave.
Don’t listen to the lies and
despairing words of the enemy. Realize
that God always has the final word. See
things from God’s perspective. Satan
says defeat, but God says victory.
Satan says disease, but God says healing. But God! It’s not over
until He says it’s over.
Tips For Growing Your Ministry
Though God gets all the credit for growth in any ministry, there are practical steps pastors can follow to make their cities their congregations and enlarge their ministries for Christ:
1. Know your call and catch the vision. If a pastor has the vision, the mind-set, to break out of traditionalism, great things can happen. Don’t lock yourself in a box. Find a need and determine to fill it.
2. Be faithful in the little things and be consistent. “One thing about pastor is that he is very predictable,” says Jennifer Mallan, an outreach pastor at Church Without Walls. “He does the same things every day, so people know they can count on him. You know that on Wednesdays and Fridays our trucks will be out; on Saturday foods are prepared. It’s never hit-and-miss. Pastor has parented the city very well.”
3. Realize that it takes time to grow. You have to prove yourself. You want to show that what you are doing is not fly-by-night. Ask yourself, “Am I building my own kingdom or really helping my community?”
4. Put people around you who will catch your vision. Build a team that has diverse talents to accomplish the vision you are called to fulfill. Focus on a particular hurt and cure it; find an ill in society and figure out how to solve it. Realize that you and your team will need to put 100 percent into bringing a solution to the problem. Bridge the gap.
5. Work within all aspects of your community. Realize that the support of city council members, police chiefs and other leaders is necessary for the large-scale success of any growing ministry. Meet with city leaders when you first start and share your vision. Then get on a council agenda once or twice a year thereafter to give a progress report.
6. Look for ways to gain visibility and exposure. When planning events at which media would be appropriate, be sure to invite them. Learn how to prepare press releases or add someone to the ministry who is familiar with media relations. One good newspaper write-up is an “endorsement” for your ministry that can be used to gain other support.
7. Break out of the mentality that church is your building and realize that your call is to your geographical area. When you are faithful in that area, God will expand the borders.
8. When growth begins, remain consistent at home. Keep your focus. That’s where men miss it. They get a little success under their belt and neglect in the home base.
9. Be innovative and creative. The message of the gospel never changes, but methods do. What innovative, creative method can you use to reach people? Is it a ministry for bikers, a club for lost young people? Do you want to go into the public schools or have a coffee shop for the homeless? You can only get the message to people in a way they can relate to. If you’re going fishing for shark, take shark bait.
10. Do not let finances be a dictator to you. Your decisions should be based on your vision and what the Lord has put into your heart, not on finances. Be creative in looking for funding.
11. Take care of yourself. Keep your body healthy and your marriage a priority. And always keep a close walk with the Lord. Make sure your vision is His vision, and He will bless you.
Steps That Will Help You Get
Unstuck
It’s not unusual
to feel stuck, trapped, and unable to move from a situation you feel is
stifling. Actually, it’s part of life
and growth. But getting “stuck in” and “growing
through” situations are different. Here
are some ways to shift from one to the other.
1.
Step back and ask yourself what’s really going on. When you’re caught up in the stuff of everyday life,
it’s easy to lose objectivity. It’s
good to set aside a little time each day to challenge the obviousness of what
seems to be going on. Is there a lesson
to be learned that you are missing?
Might that setback really be a step forward? Will things really turn out as badly as you think they will?
2.
Consider whether what’s happening has happened before. Is this a unique situation or is it just another example in
different garb, of an issue you’ve failed to confront before? If it’s the latter, maybe now’s the time to
solve it and move on.
3.
Assume that present events and circumstances may be less of a “problem”
than parts of a larger “process.” There’s a
fair case to be made for the notion that, in this life, all is process rather
than result. In other words, what this
life is really about is growth and learning.
Viewed in this light, where you’re heading is not as important as how
you choose to get there.
4.
Ask yourself what you can do next. It’s
the small steps that lead to successful journeys. Don’t get sucked in by the suggestion that you’ve got to solve it
all today.
5.
Do something – anything! When you’re stuck, taking any step puts you in a
different place and helps change your perspective, even if it’s a wrong
move! And, doing something could be a
conscious decision to do absolutely nothing!
Sometimes, we have to stop “doing” in order to get clear.
6.
Look for support nearby. Almost
always, help is at hand, a phone call or a touch away. We tend to llk way out there or off into the
future, thinking that the help we need is just not available to us in our
present situation. If, instead, you
begin with the assumption that the tools you need to solve the problem are
close at hand, you’ll be amazed at how it sharpens your vision!
7.
Take the negatives, one by one, and toss them out. Negatives can be just as powerful as positives, depending on how
much energy you give them. It’s your
choice.
8.
Take one positive, unselfish project and make it yours. Help someone else, even if you think that you’re the one who
needs help. And don’t be surprised if,
in your darkest moment, someone comes knocking at your door – asking for help.
9.
If lack is a problem, try substituting the word “service” for profit or
gain. When you begin to consider seriously how you
can be of service, it can be amazing how much you discover you have to give.
10. Be grateful for every
blessing. It’s not big jumps that lead to greatness –
it’s the small steps.
Most of us worry unnecessarily about too many things. It’s almost as though we search for problems
to give ourselves stress. The amazing
news is that much of what we worry about doesn’t matter at all! Take a look at these statistics about worry:
Ø 40% of all things that we worry about never come to pass.
Ø 30% of all our worries involve past decisions that cannot be changed.
Ø 12% focus on criticism from others who spoke because they felt inferior.
Ø 10% are related to our health, which gets worse when we worry.
Ø 8% of our worries could be described as “legitimate” causes for concern.
Isn’t that remarkable? Fewer
than one “problem” in every ten that we worry about is a real concern.
All the others are things that we can learn to see differently or
eliminate.
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