"Whose Responsibility is It?"
Nehemiah 12:27 - 13:31
I Corinthians 11:3-16
Psalm 35:1-16
Proverbs 21:17-18
Today's memory verse is Nehemiah 13:25 "So I confronted these parents and cursed them and punched a few of them and knocked them around and pulled out their hair."
How do you like that?? Having been a school teacher I shouldn't admit this, but there were days when that would have felt real good!
To get the context of the verse above you need to read all of Nehemiah 13. After the wall has been completed and they go through their celebrations, and the people are rejoicing, Nehemiah leaves town for a period. He comes back to find things that should not be. Remember Tobiah & his plots with Sanballat? Well Nehemiah returns to find him living in the temple! the context of verse 13 is that he has found that the children were marrying foreigners which was in direct violation of what God had commanded the parents. Sometimes ministry is like herding cats more than herding sheep. Why is that?
How would you feel if you were Nehemiah? You remember the vision, you remember the burden, you remember the work, you remember the attacks, the discouragement, the victory, the celebration, and after all that, the hearts of the people stray back to where they were. How discouraging and frustrating.
Good thing that doesn't happen today...
Unfortunately, it's way too common. Why is that? Part of the reason is that individuals don't take responsibility for the work of the ministry. A close friend once said, "every Christian should minister and live a life of servitude. Pastors are called to minister to the minister, lead the leader and train the trainer while the flock is ministering to the hurting, leading the lost and training the clueless." That's a powerful statement.
Often people will say, "hey, you get paid to do this" when it comes to ministry. Can you see the danger with that thought process? The point is that every single member of the body of Christ has a stake in obeying God's commands, and watching out for one another.
For example, if Charlie choir member says to Edgar Usher, "I'm thinking of leaving the church." What is Edgar's responsibility? Many times the thought process is: "I'm just an usher. I'll tell him I'll pray for him and that's it. The Pastor will have to deal with that." And nothing is done to restore the relationship. It's as if the individual parts of the body are willing to let other parts die because "it's not my job."
Imagine how healthy we will be as a body when we take responsibility not only for tasks we've been given, but we also take responsibility to carry out the instruction of the Word, take responsibility for the health and care of one another, and make it a personal responsibility to carry out the vision of our Pastor.
"Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." Ephesians 4:14-16 That's how it should be.
This does not reduce the responsibility of the leader. in Nehemiah 13:30 he "assigned tasks to the priests and Levites making certain that each knew his work." It is incumbent upon you as a leader to communicate vision and responsibility to those in your charge. Otherwise you get upset with people for things they don't know they are responsible for.
Responsibility is the spiritual principle of "Active Ministry Involvement". To live the Balanced Christian Life, we must understand the Responsibility we have in all areas of life. We are responsible for what we've been given, and we are responsible to God and to the authorities he's placed over us.
Take Responsibility for the ministry today. Whose responsibility is it?
Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!
Pastor Greg Lathe
Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
Mission to Reach our World for Christ
Showing posts with label Training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Training. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Saturday, October 23, 2010
10.23.10 "A Soldier, an Athlete and a Farmer"
"A Soldier, an Athlete and a Farmer"
Jeremiah 42:1-44:23
2 Timothy 2:1-21
Psalm 92:1-93:5
Proverbs 26:3-5
"Take your share of suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, just as I do, and as Christ's soldier do not let yourself become tied up in worldly affairs, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army. Follow the Lord's rules for doing his work, just as an athlete either follows the rules or is disqualified and wins no prize. Work hard, like a farmer who gets paid well if he raises a large crop. Think over these three illustrations, and may the Lord help you to understand how they apply to you." 2 Timothy 2:3-7
Let's do what it says in verse 7 today: "Think over these three illustrations and may the Lord help you to understand how they apply to you."
1. A soldier: When I think of a soldier, I think of how trained he is. Knowing the value of his future, he has committed himself to the training that will help him survive. He will obey every order from his commanding officer. He is completely devoted to the men in his unit. They would never let a fellow soldier stand alone. The mission is always in mind. He has been trained so that suffering will not throw him off course. He will endure to the end. He will give his life.
How does that apply to the Christian life? I must obey the Lord. I must intensely follow the training set out by my spiritual leaders knowing they have my well-being in mind. I must devote myself to fellow believers. I must help them so they don't stand alone. I must endure suffering to the very end.
2. An Athlete: When I think of an athlete I first think of the discipline necessary for them to be successful. The greatest opponent they have ever faced is the one within. As Paul says, they must follow the rules lest they be disqualified. I think of how there is a goal: winning the prize.
As a Christian I must constantly keep focused on keeping my body under subjection. I cannot win battles on the outside unless I win them on the inside first. I need to understand that there are rules of competition in the Word of God. I must be faithful to all he commands keeping the goal in mind: winning the prize the Lord has laid out for me.
3. A Farmer: When I think of a farmer I think of HARD WORK! I think of how there are no "days off". A farmer rises early each day to take care of stock and crops. He must faithfully attend to every situation at hand, thinking ahead to potential threats on his livestock, and on his crops. He builds fences to protect that which he's been entrusted. I think of the amount of time it takes to bring forth a harvest. I think of the harvest and how all hands are on deck to bring it in.
As a Christian, I must build fences against anything that would threaten what is entrusted to my care. There is no "day off" to being a believer. It must be a part of who I am. Each morning i must wake up with the mindset that the harvest is coming. I must give everything I have to bring the harvest in. I know that the harvest is coming!
As you live the DREAM today, remember as Paul instructs Timothy: the Soldier, the Athlete and the Farmer. Live the Christian life with this intensity.
Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!
P Greg
Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
Mission to Reach our World for Christ
Jeremiah 42:1-44:23
2 Timothy 2:1-21
Psalm 92:1-93:5
Proverbs 26:3-5
"Take your share of suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, just as I do, and as Christ's soldier do not let yourself become tied up in worldly affairs, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army. Follow the Lord's rules for doing his work, just as an athlete either follows the rules or is disqualified and wins no prize. Work hard, like a farmer who gets paid well if he raises a large crop. Think over these three illustrations, and may the Lord help you to understand how they apply to you." 2 Timothy 2:3-7
Let's do what it says in verse 7 today: "Think over these three illustrations and may the Lord help you to understand how they apply to you."
1. A soldier: When I think of a soldier, I think of how trained he is. Knowing the value of his future, he has committed himself to the training that will help him survive. He will obey every order from his commanding officer. He is completely devoted to the men in his unit. They would never let a fellow soldier stand alone. The mission is always in mind. He has been trained so that suffering will not throw him off course. He will endure to the end. He will give his life.
How does that apply to the Christian life? I must obey the Lord. I must intensely follow the training set out by my spiritual leaders knowing they have my well-being in mind. I must devote myself to fellow believers. I must help them so they don't stand alone. I must endure suffering to the very end.
2. An Athlete: When I think of an athlete I first think of the discipline necessary for them to be successful. The greatest opponent they have ever faced is the one within. As Paul says, they must follow the rules lest they be disqualified. I think of how there is a goal: winning the prize.
As a Christian I must constantly keep focused on keeping my body under subjection. I cannot win battles on the outside unless I win them on the inside first. I need to understand that there are rules of competition in the Word of God. I must be faithful to all he commands keeping the goal in mind: winning the prize the Lord has laid out for me.
3. A Farmer: When I think of a farmer I think of HARD WORK! I think of how there are no "days off". A farmer rises early each day to take care of stock and crops. He must faithfully attend to every situation at hand, thinking ahead to potential threats on his livestock, and on his crops. He builds fences to protect that which he's been entrusted. I think of the amount of time it takes to bring forth a harvest. I think of the harvest and how all hands are on deck to bring it in.
As a Christian, I must build fences against anything that would threaten what is entrusted to my care. There is no "day off" to being a believer. It must be a part of who I am. Each morning i must wake up with the mindset that the harvest is coming. I must give everything I have to bring the harvest in. I know that the harvest is coming!
As you live the DREAM today, remember as Paul instructs Timothy: the Soldier, the Athlete and the Farmer. Live the Christian life with this intensity.
Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!
P Greg
Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
Mission to Reach our World for Christ
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