MINISTRY AS A FAMILY
Greetings in the name of Jesus:
Within the year of 2015 we will be doing some research on the church that was established by Christ. The Apostles taught the very things that they had been taught from Jesus, and every where they went they taught the same thing until they died. These men taught about their faith in Christ. These teachers said that we should contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to all the saints Jude 3. There was clearly a body of truth that had been delivered to the Apostles which was absolute. We call this the Apostolic doctrine, but it was really the doctrine that Christ taught to these men, and this is what the early Church was built upon.
I want for you to realize that this was nothing to do with the Jewish faith other than the prophesy and choice of God to bring about Jesus through this nation. The faith of the Jewish tradition has nothing to do with the new covenant that Jesus established for Jew and Greek alike. When ever there was a conversion to Christ and this new covenant there was careful instruction the Gospel that Jesus taught. The basis of this came from the conversion from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of light 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:12 . I think we need that theme to return today in the changing of minds, and hearts toward God. We need to have a dynamic change happen in the lives of people when they realize what God has done for them.
One of the big difference in the churches today is the kind of followup that was given to those whom God had drawn into a service. It was not a preacher coming to visit but an entire community coming by to check on them ...to invite them back and to let them know how much they cared about them. The church needs to have a concentrated effort by a ministry team of people who believe with all of their heart to follow up those who visit the church in that way. We have so shy ed away from the responsibilities of Christ within our lives that it is hard to see the original church in us. That part of us screams for unity of mind and heart, and the answer is to attack these goals as family, and not as ministries which are separated from one another, or which have various titles attached to them.
We find that in the early church out of necessity the people did the ministry of following up those whom the Holy Spirit drew into their midst. It was not a paid position which we simply threw money at to have go away and have our own responsibilities relieved. The real ministry of the church is through the people themselves actively involved in their life in Jesus as Lord each and every day. This work is not ours but the Holy Spirit's work that should flow through each one of us on a daily basis. It begins by communicating to one another the personal need for help in these projects...picking out people and approaching them personally to help in these various works of faith. We need to collaborate as a family to meet the needs we see around us. In our church we have people who are actively involved in projects with youth in a downtown park, and with a touched twice ministry that benefits the entire community. We have desperate needs for teams of people to work together in placing phone calls and following up with people who are drawn to service.
We have needs for both the men and the women of the church to reach out to those who feel as though they need someone to care. Each of us have abilities that we can use to help in some way to draw the church into a bond and unit of love. We have things that we can share with one another on an ongoing basis. We need to start now. May you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
Within the year of 2015 we will be doing some research on the church that was established by Christ. The Apostles taught the very things that they had been taught from Jesus, and every where they went they taught the same thing until they died. These men taught about their faith in Christ. These teachers said that we should contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to all the saints Jude 3. There was clearly a body of truth that had been delivered to the Apostles which was absolute. We call this the Apostolic doctrine, but it was really the doctrine that Christ taught to these men, and this is what the early Church was built upon.
I want for you to realize that this was nothing to do with the Jewish faith other than the prophesy and choice of God to bring about Jesus through this nation. The faith of the Jewish tradition has nothing to do with the new covenant that Jesus established for Jew and Greek alike. When ever there was a conversion to Christ and this new covenant there was careful instruction the Gospel that Jesus taught. The basis of this came from the conversion from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of light 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:12 . I think we need that theme to return today in the changing of minds, and hearts toward God. We need to have a dynamic change happen in the lives of people when they realize what God has done for them.
One of the big difference in the churches today is the kind of followup that was given to those whom God had drawn into a service. It was not a preacher coming to visit but an entire community coming by to check on them ...to invite them back and to let them know how much they cared about them. The church needs to have a concentrated effort by a ministry team of people who believe with all of their heart to follow up those who visit the church in that way. We have so shy ed away from the responsibilities of Christ within our lives that it is hard to see the original church in us. That part of us screams for unity of mind and heart, and the answer is to attack these goals as family, and not as ministries which are separated from one another, or which have various titles attached to them.
We find that in the early church out of necessity the people did the ministry of following up those whom the Holy Spirit drew into their midst. It was not a paid position which we simply threw money at to have go away and have our own responsibilities relieved. The real ministry of the church is through the people themselves actively involved in their life in Jesus as Lord each and every day. This work is not ours but the Holy Spirit's work that should flow through each one of us on a daily basis. It begins by communicating to one another the personal need for help in these projects...picking out people and approaching them personally to help in these various works of faith. We need to collaborate as a family to meet the needs we see around us. In our church we have people who are actively involved in projects with youth in a downtown park, and with a touched twice ministry that benefits the entire community. We have desperate needs for teams of people to work together in placing phone calls and following up with people who are drawn to service.
We have needs for both the men and the women of the church to reach out to those who feel as though they need someone to care. Each of us have abilities that we can use to help in some way to draw the church into a bond and unit of love. We have things that we can share with one another on an ongoing basis. We need to start now. May you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
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