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Part 2- If you can't find a good church-Start
one
"O Lord, I ask you to give
me,
A MISSION-a call to be sent
out
A MINISTRY-those you want
me to be sent to
A METHOD-how exactly you
want me to carry your ministry out
A MESSAGE- either initial
evangelism or discpling existing Christians
THE MOTIVATION- the driving
push to get me committed to the work."
We have looked at the Mission, the call to
be sent out, next is
The Ministry, those who you are sent out
to.
Acts 1:8 (KJV)
But ye shall receive
power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:
and ye shall be
witnesses unto me
both in Jerusalem,
and in all Judaea, and in Samaria,
and unto the
uttermost part of the earth.
It was once explained to me that the
succession of people mentioned in this verse may be clarified in this way: look
at those who this was spoken to who were the people of ...
Jerusalem? Their familes and
friends.
Judea? Those living in the surrounding area
of their homes.
Samaria? Their racial enemies. "The Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans" (John
4:9)
The uttermost parts of the earth? Everyone
else.
A METHOD-how exactly you want me to carry
your ministry out.
It is necessary that you begin your
ministry in prayer, and bathe it in prayer the whole time. Nothing can happen to
change a person's heart from darkness and deadness to light and life unless God
does it. These words should haunt you...
John 15:4-5 (KJV)
Abide in me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of
itself, except it abide in the vine;
no more can ye, except ye abide in
me.
{5} I am the vine, ye
are the branches:
He that abideth in me, and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:
for without me ye can do
nothing.
And again,
John 6:44 (KJV)
No man can come to me,
except the Father which hath sent
me draw him:
and I will raise him up at the
last day.
So to start your ministry, pray:
"Lord, send me just one person that you want me to
disciple or lead to Christ. And I will be faithful to minister your love to them
as you live Your Life through me. In Jesus Name, Amen."
You don't need a whole room full or a whole tent-full of
people to start a ministry. One or 2 people who are really dedicated to getting
serious about Christ is where to start. If you really get one serious baby
Christian to care for, you will have your hands plenty full just answering
questions and praying for guidance and ministering seriously to them. And
let's remember the goal...multiplication not necessarily addition. As in this
verse:
2 Tim 2:2
(KJV)
And the things that thou
hast heard of me among many witnesses,
the same commit thou to
faithful men,
who shall be able to teach others
also.
See, God takes the long view to measure success.. We
like to see large numbers of converts and filled pews. God looks into the heart
of a person to see of they are dedicated and committed over the long haul. It
has been said that 10% of an average evangelical congregation does 90% of the
work. This is the problem of seeking a large number of shallow converts who were
not discipled properly.
Jesus, the Lord of Glory, spent the bulk of His earthly
ministry teaching and training and pouring Himself into 12 men. By our
standards, this was either a wasteful use of his brief time and energy, and in
terms of numbers He was a failure. But was He really a failure, or was He
modelling for us a profound truth about propagating the Gospel: that
a small group of dedicated followers can do more in the long haul than a large
mass of casual hangers-on?
A MESSAGE- either initial evangelism or discpling
existing Christians.
Depending on the circumstance of the ministry the Lord
leads you into, you will either have to start by leading someone to Christ, or
you will have an already-saved person who now needs to grow up in Christ. So the
message becomes one either of evangelism or discipleship. It has been my
experience that some preachers seem to ignore the need for growing their
congregations up in the Lord, and are content to keep "getting them saved" week
after week with a salvation message that they have heard hundreds of times
already. Once they are saved, they are ready to move onward and upward. Get on
with it.
So what kinds of things do you need to teach your new
disciple?
Who God is, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, what is Their
function and everything about them you can.
What is salvation? Moving from darkness to light,
repenting of sin and keeping a "short account" with God if you happen to sin.
One of the most important verses in all of scripture for this:
1 John 1:8-9
(KJV)
If we say that we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us.
{9} If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
This is only the dusting of snow on a very large
iceberg.
They need to make certain to have invited Christ into
their heart, Rev 3:20
They need to know about Christ living in them by the
Holy Spirit.
How to pray without ceasing.
What behaviors are acceptable and unacceptable from the
scriptures.
How to bind Satan and what wiles Satan uses to tempt us
to sin.
How to know that their eternal salvation is
secure
1 John
5:10-13 (KJV)
He that believeth on the Son of
God hath the witness in himself:
he that believeth not God hath
made him a liar;
because he believeth not the
record that God gave of his Son.
{11} And
this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life,
and this life is in his
Son.
{12} He that hath the
Son hath life;
and he that hath not the
Son of God hath not life.
{13} These things have I
written unto you
that believe on the name of
the Son of God;
that ye may know that ye
have eternal life,
and that ye may believe on
the name of the Son of God.
I could go on and on.
Teach them about the Rapture, death, Hell, Resurrection,
Creation vs Evolution,
the ten commandments, The Lord's Prayer, how to study
the Bible.......so much more. See what I mean about a roomful of converts? If
you really teach one person about all this, in such an intensity that they can
begin to teach someone else, and more, you will have an astounding
ministry.
If you want a good outline of things to start teaching
your new disciple, please refer to my evangelistic presentation at
There are many other helps and devotional Bible studies
available from this ministry, you need only to ask, I will be happy to provide
them.
THE MOTIVATION- the driving push to get me committed to
the work.
Again, you need to pray and ask God to warm your
stagnant heart, and fill you with His Spirit, and set you on fire to minister to
Him. He will answer this prayer. He is waiting to answer it. Are you ready to
ask it ?
In Christ.....brother
bob......<><
IXTHEUS CHRISTIAN GROWTH
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