THINGS I DID WRONG IN MINISTRY

I hope this will minister to you.

Whenever I am privilege to  be with colleagues in the ministry, i always find time ask this question what they did wrong while growing in the ministry and when they ask me the the same.

My answer is usually something like, “Wow, we don’t have time in this lunch to cover everything”; however, I can hit some of the main things in this post today.

1. I Was More About What We Were Going to Be Against Than What We Were Going To Be For.

I had a great friend/mentor actually confront me on this several years ago.  He told me that you can declare what you are against at first, just for a little while, and it may help you pick up steam…but a great leader actually learns the best way to lead is through vision of the future and not criticism of the past!  AND…as a leader you can only criticize the past for a certain period of time…because…when you are first beginning, you are changing other people’s ideas, but as you continue to grow and develop, you will actually be changing ideas that were birthed IN and THROUGH you!  Talk about a slice of humble pie!!!

2. I Was Angry!

I had anger issues from my past that came out in the way that I preached and the way that I led!  These didn’t become obvious to me until I hit a wall in December of 2007 and began a three-year battle with depression…and through godly, biblical counseling and constant confession and repentance, I am dealing with them day by day!  There are times that godly, righteous anger is appropriate…just not every Sunday!  

3. I Was Under the Assumption That Everyone Would Like Me!

It’s just not true…if you try to do something great for God, you are GOING to receive opposition, period!  (See Nehemiah 2:10!)  It took me forever to finally understand that my calling was not to be loved by everyone…but rather to be obedient to Him!

4. I Spent Too Much Time Fighting Critics!

Once again, a great friend and mentor loved me enough to sit me down about four years ago and say, “I think one of your biggest problems is that you will shout at thousands of people just because of the voice of a few.”  Critics are hardly ever the majority…they just seem to have the loudest voice.  AND…every time I am tempted to dive into an unneccesarry fight, I have to go back to Nehemiah 6:1-4! Just because someone  is obsessed with you does not mean you need to be obsessed with them!

5. I Thought That if People Didn’t See Eye to Eye with Me on Every Issue When It Came to Both Theology & Methodology That We Could Not Be Friends & That I Could Not Love and Learn from Them!

In the denomination I came up in, we did a great job of keeping to ourselves and criticizing everyone who was not just like us.  It took me a long time to finally understand that there are theological issues to fight over and ones to leave alone.  and…some of my best friends in life and ministry today are people who we have differences when it comes to certain issues; however, if we do “fight,” we fight as brothers, knowing that when the “fight” is over the relationship will still be intact.

6. I Was a Control Freak!

I had the attitude for years, “if you want to do something right then you need to do it yourself.”  WRONG!  Once again, some of the best leadership advice I received was from a mentor who told me, “You need to let your experts actually be your experts!”  It was quite a humbling experience to finally come to the realization that I didn’t always have the best ideas...and that quite often, I wasn’t even actually the best leader in the meeting!

7. I Thought It Would Get Easier!

I often tell church planters, “Making the decision to step out in faith and plant your church is the easiest decision you will ever make – it gets way more difficult from this point on.”  Hebrews 11:6 is true of our ministry, whether we are just starting up or whether we are 11 years in!
I honestly could go on…but I'm going to stop here for now.  I hope this helps!

SEVEN WAYS SATAN TRIES TO DESTROY THE CHURCH

Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 1 Peter 5:8

I know most of you are knowlegeable and have spent many years in the ministry than me but i want you to learn from this little piece.

I’m not a pastor who is constantly looking for Satan behind everything that goes wrong. I concentrate my attention on Jesus and encouraging others to follow Jesus and not to focus on the defeated one. Yet, I’m fully aware that Satan loves to destroy…or attempt to destroy…a church. Obviously Satan is a limited being and God’s church is secure. The gates of hell shall never overcome what God started, but Satan certainly loves to disrupt what God’s church is doing.

Here are 7 way Satan tries to destroy a church:

1. Church conflict 

Satan loves business meetings that get out of hand or when two church members have disagreements outside of church. He loves when church members argue about trivial things, such as colors of the carpet or big things, such as whether to add another service. Doesn’t matter to him. Show him a good argument potential and he’s willing to stir the fire.

2. Burnout 

Satan loves to burn out a church volunteer, staff member, or pastor. If he can make them feel they are no longer needed, their work is not appreciated, or that they no longer have anything to offer…he feels he’s winning part of the battle.

3. Rumors 

Satan is the stirrer of dissension. He likes to plant little seeds of a juicy story, about someone in the church or community…sometimes even the pastor or staff…and watch them quickly spread through a church congregation or community. The version, of course, usually grows to a larger portion than reality. Satan likes that too.

4. Busyness 

Satan loves to distract church goers with a plethora of activity that produces little results in Kingdom-building.

5. Lies 

Satan attempts to interject what he calls a “half-truth”; just a hint of false doctrine and then watch it disrupt or divide a body. Of course, we all know that half-truth is really just a cleaned up version of a bold face lie, but Satan is clever enough to disguise a lie in a way where false teachers gain entry and do damage before being discovered.

6. Scandal 

Satan loves a good, juicy, gossipy news headline in the local paper. If it will split, divide or destroy a church body…even better. If it will destroy someone’s Kingdom calling or work…he’ll take that too.

7. Marriage and family disruptions 

Satan loves to destroy any relationship, but he also goes after key leader’s marriages; even the pastor’s marriage. He likes to encourage prodigal children. He wants to cause families to fight within the church and fight with the church. Satan knows if he can destroy a home, he has a better chance of destroying a church.

Thankfully, there is good news:

You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4

What other ways have you seen Satan try to destroy a church?

MORNING DEW: FOUNDATIONS OF FAITH 2

Foundations of the Faith
GOD

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Our Relationship to God

In Matthew 22:37 Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."

There are various ways of showing God that we love Him. Our worship and praise can put our love into words said directly to Him. But we should also show our love.

"Now ... listen to what the Lord your God demands of you: Have reverence for the Lord and do all that he commands. Love him, serve him with all your heart, and obey all his laws" Deuteronomy 10:12 13).

"But whoever obeys his word is the one whose love for God has really been made perfect" (I John 2:5). If we want to show our love to God, we will follow the instructions He gives us in His Word.

Another way to show our love to God is by giving and sharing with others. I John 3:17-18 says, "If a rich person sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against his brother, how can he claim that he loves God? My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action."

The love that is obedient and sharing will be a satisfying and rewarding love. Jesus says in Luke 10:28 that if we love God above all else we "will live." Some people think that "real living" is wealth, power, and position. But these things in themselves will never satisfy because we were made in God's likeness and for His glory. Our spirits must be satisfied with the spiritual.

Real living is loving God. Jesus said, "Be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things" (Matthew 6:33).

Don't limit yourself to the less important things. Love God with all your heart.

MEMORY VERSE

My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.
- I John 3:18

3 Indispensable Preaching Truths

Every preacher needs to have some concentrated time to think about preaching, its calling and its craft. That’s what the last couple of days have been for me.
Among other responsibilities, I was afforded the opportunity to offer three indispensable lessons I’ve learned about preaching over the years I’ve preached. Obviously, there are many foundational things most preachers believe to be true.
So, I took the assignment as: Share three indispensable lessons other than “the givens” you have learned about preaching.
Here they are, and I’d love to hear yours.

1. The seed grows where it’s planted.

In the Parable of the Soils, Jesus reminds us it isn’t just the quality of the seed that is scattered, it’s where it falls.
I used to spend 80 percent of my time preparing sermons as opposed to preparing people. Now, that’s flipped.
Just as the leading indicator of worship’s impact on someone is how they approach God’s throne, so it goes with the sermon. We can preach our hearts out (and should), but the seed will grow where it’s planted.
The same goes for me, by the way. The text will typically impact me to the extent that I am prepared to receive it.
I wonder if we worked to prepare people as much as we do the sermon how much “better” the sermon would be, simply because there was an increased hunger and thirst for righteousness among God’s people when they heard it?
Praying for and working to prepare the hearts of God’s people is great sermon preparation.

2. Preaching is the primary place where both theology and direction are set.

We might like to believe direction, particularly, comes from elsewhere. The truth is, it comes from the pulpit.
Ideally, theology shapes direction. But in the absence of sound theology, a direction is still set—albeit a bad direction.
What and how we preach impacts both how the church sees God and how it follows Jesus as a Body. It isn’t the only thing shaping these important facets of life in Christ—it’s just the primary thing.
It took me years to embrace this reality, which I had always suspected. Once I did, it made me a more careful exegete, a more diligent preparer, and more attentive to the Holy Spirit as I prepared.
Preaching isn’t just a matter of teaching ideas. It’s also about leadership.

3. People remember true wisdom more than stories or illustrations.

Don’t get me wrong, I love good stories and illustrations. However, people can hear better jokes and stories elsewhere. Only Jesus has the words of life.
So I pay even more attention to the substance of the sermon than ever before. I used to think stories were remembered more because they were better. Then I considered another possibility they are the only things we say that are memorable.
Illustrations are great even vital to good preaching. They are not, however, a sermon.
A biblical sermon focuses on the living and active Word of God. That’s what separates a preacher from a comedian. People today need most what God’s Word provides.
Of course, part of the task is to not make a living word a dead or dull word. But I’ve come to realize truth changes lives not stories or jokes.
Stories and jokes I share can contain truth, and they can accentuate truth. They themselves, however, are unlikely to change lives. The Word of God, on the other hand …
Those are three for me. How about you?

10 Tips for Better Sermons

The reality is, there are few people who can preach longer than 30 minutes without losing their audience. A good philosophy is to leave them wanting more, not wanting to get out!
Here are 10 tips for creating shorter and more effective messages:

1. Cut Your Introduction

Don’t spend so much time trying to set things up. Get in and get out by avoiding too much detail and long stories. A good idea is to shoot for a three-minute introduction.

2. Minimize Lists

Long lists of examples can add length, especially if you comment on each one. Try combining similar points and using these examples in a sentence rather than a list.

3. Stick to the Point

Define what the main thing is you want people to walk away with and stick to this thought. Cut information that is not relevant to this idea. Remember, you can always use it later!

4. Plan the Landing

Know how you want to land the plane and don’t ramble at the end of your message. Focus on one main challenge/thought, develop a power statement, or perhaps refer back to your introduction by stating how the problem can be solved.

5. Try a One Point Message

Most people will not remember three points and all the detail you may want to give. Try picking one big truth you want to teach and give the audience clear cut examples of how they can go home and do it on Monday morning.

6. Practice Your Sermon

Take time to preach your sermon out loud. Not only will you be able to time it, but you will also uncover parts that are confusing, too long or just boring.

7. Plan With a Team

Share your thoughts and outline with others. This will help you discover things that don’t make sense, lack impact/interest or are irrelevant to your main thought.

8. Don’t Get Emotionally Attached

Sometimes we fall in love with an idea or illustration and have a hard time cutting it. Be willing to slice and dice in order to keep your audience engaged.

9. Control Your Creativity

Don’t waste time with illustrations, props, videos and other creative elements that distract the audience rather than enhance your message. If using them, make sure they are memorable and drive the main point, not a sub-point of a sub-point.

10. Critique Your Message

Take time between services to evaluate your message with a team and then watch it on Monday. Regular critique will help you pick up on things that add length to your sermons.

MORNING DEW RELAUNCH

Foundations of the Faith:
 GOD

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I was a little child when my mother taught me how to enjoy storms. She would put her arms around me as we stood at the window of our house in Latin America. The wind would whip through the banana trees in our front yard. It was magnificent to see the tossing leaves, wet with rain, shining when the lightning flashed. The thunder sounded like drums telling the story of how the grass and flowers loved the refreshing rain.
People can enjoy or fear a storm, depending on what they have been taught about it. It is also important to know what kind of a storm it is--beneficial or destructive.
How can you understand a storm? What is the shape of the wind and rain and lightning? Can you put a storm in a bottle? Of course not. A storm is understood when we study its parts: for example, the cold air meeting the hot. We can study its effects--what it does to the land or the sea.
In a way, God can be compared to a storm. Some people fear Him and others love Him--depending on what they have been told and what they do about it.
You cannot see God, but you can study what He does.  it is the Bible that tells us all about God--about His qualities and how He deals with mankind. In this lesson we will look into the Bible and explore a few of the many things it has to say about God.

His Relationship to Us

The Bible says in John 4:24 that God is a Spirit. The dictionary says that a spirit is the vital principle that gives life. Since God is the Creator, this means that He is the supernatural force that gives life to all of His creation. Because He is a spirit, He cannot be seen unless He chooses to show Himself in some visible form.
He did show Himself through His Son. John 1:14 says, "The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father's only Son."
God has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three Persons which are called the Godhead or Trinity. The three are referred to in many places, one of which is Matthew 28:19: "Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."
One good way to learn more about God is by studying His attributes or qualities. God is good, holy, just, all-powerful, all-knowing, and eternal. Let's look at a series of verses that mention these qualities and others as well.
Exodus 34:6 states, "I, the Lord, am a God who is full of compassion and pity, who is not easily angered and who shows great love and faithfulness."
Leviticus 11:44 says: "I am the Lord your God, and you must keep yourselves holy. because I am holy."
The fact that He is all-powerful can be seen in Daniel 4:35. It says. "No one can oppose his will or question what he does." God knows everything.
"There is nothing that can be hid from God; everything in all creation is exposed and lies open before his eyes. And it is to him that we must all give an account of ourselves" (Hebrews 4:13). Revelation 10:6 tells us that God is eternal. An angel "took a vow in the name of God, who lives forever and ever, who created heaven, earth, and the sea, and everything in them."
The few verses that we have read, verses that give a little description of God, help us to realize how great He is. He is powerful and He is strong--but He is also merciful and kind. And He wants to have a close relationship with us, His creation.

Memory Verses

For this is what the high and lofty One says--he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.
- Isaiah 57:15
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
- Romans 1:18-20

Genesis - Revelation freestyled

Our journey began at Genesis through Exodus. On the way, we saw Leviticus recording the Numbers of people at Deuteronomy, while Joshua was waiting at the beautiful gate for Judges to see Ruth calling loudly "Samuel, Samuel". At a stage, the, first and second Kings of Chronicles were coming to visit Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther for the misfortune of Job, their brother. Then they noticed that Mr. Psalms was teaching his children Proverbs concerning Ecclesiastes and Songs of Solomon. This coincided with the period that Isaiah and Jeremiah were engaged in Lamentation for Ezekiel and Daniel their friend. By that time, Amos and Obadiah were not around. Three days later, Hosea, Joel and Jonah traveled in the same ship with Micah and Nahum to Jerusalem . More also, Habakkuk visited Zephaniah who introduced him to Haggai a friend of Zechariah whose cousin is Malachi.

INTERMISSION:

After 400years Matthew, Mark and Luke decided to visit John who Acts before the Romans because Paul wrote the letters to the first Corinthians and Second Corinthians who have been saved before the Galatians. Actually the Ephesians church is very close to the wonderful people of Philippians who since Colossians caught the gospel fire decided to strengthen the first Thessalonians to get across to the second Thessalonians whom you know are patiently expecting the rapture. After some years the Two Timothy met Titus also part of Paul's letter meant to strictly warn Philemon and the Hebrews concerning the last days before James a disciple of Peter who held on to the second epistle of Peter because the church is becoming weary. John suddenly appear three times before Jude in a powerful REVELATION to complete the power filled messages of the bible.