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It has often been my privilege to visit this S. E. Asian country and spend time investing in those who are hungry for God's Word and want to be able to handle it better so others will grow and mature in their faith from biblical preaching and teaching.
April 29 - May 3: A large training conference in the southern area with over a hundred key pastors and leaders who come from all over this country. This training conference will include workshops on subjects that will equip the leaders with biblical tools, especially for the conditions where they live. God's Plan for His Church (GPHC) is the main resource for this event. Please pray for our team and these leaders to know the Spirit's special work to equip them for powerful ministry in this country. There are several results that happen from events like this.
If you have never experienced this kind of change from the study of God's Word, we invite you to get our material and start the journey TODAY
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I have no doubt that all who are sincere followers of Jesus would agree that strong biblical households are very important to strong local churches. We should not be afraid to discover that God requires strong households for church leadership. Let's look at Paul's instructions:
“He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” (1 Timothy 3:4–5). Many other instructions go along with this which are equally important, and we can look at those another time. For now, see how Paul connects our individual households to the Church later in the chapter. “If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). Not only does Paul link these concepts together, but he also goes so far as to explain that "the household of God" is what upholds God's truth. If the Church is going to do this, where does this process begin? With leaders! I encourage you to start looking at this, NOT from your role as a leader in the Church, but from the point of God's truth and glory! We have been looking at the Early Church and the importance of households that played a role in the expansion of the gospel and the Church. This subject was on Paul's mind, and he does not forget those households that were part of this growth. Here are two of his references that underscore this point.
“Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. Greet also the church in their house” (Romans 16:3–5). Paul refers to their house again in 1 Corinthians 16:19. “Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house” (Colossians 4:15). If Paul visited a local church in your home, what would he record about his visit? Our houses and families are a vital connection to the Church and the advancement of the gospel. We will look at this in more depth in the days ahead. One of the most effective households in the Early Church began in very unlikely conditions. Paul and Silas were led by the Holy Spirit to leave Galatia and sail from Troas through several ports until they came to Philippi. The first encounter with local people was "where they supposed was a place of prayer" (Acts 16:13). In speaking with women who came together for this purpose, they met Lydia "who was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul" (14). This led to her, and her household, believing in the Lord Jesus and being baptized.
All was not well though! Paul and Silas met a slave girl "who had a spirit of divination that brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling" (16). Paul commanded the spirit to come out of her and "it came out that very hour" (18). This event caused major problems with her owners who dragged them to the rulers who then put Paul and Silas in prison. I assume those reading this are familiar with the prison story. God used an earthquake to bring a crisis in the life of a jailor so that he and his household hear the gospel and are saved. Not only is another household brought into the Church, but they and Lydia are used to form a local church that had a special relationship with Paul the church planter. I remind us of God's objective that is clearly seen in the Book of Acts. Whole households are the major backbone of the Church. It is little wonder that Paul's writings give significant attention to family and household order. We must give our attention to this important subject in his writings so we also give it high priority in our evangelizing and ministry. Joshua 24:15 is often the "go to" verse when speaking about leadership in our homes. I fully agree that in a declining nation and society, Joshua is a great example of a godly man who leads his family in a time of Church weakness in a godless nation.
As we look for examples after the Church is formed in Acts 2, the first household that comes under the teaching of the gospel is Cornelius' in Chapter 10. He could have gone to where Peter was and heard the gospel presented, but the "angel of God" appeared to Cornelius with instructions to send "men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter" (10:50) to Caesarea where his family and household was. There is a divine purpose behind these instructions. If Cornelius had gone to where Peter was, he could have heard the gospel, believed, and gone home and shared what he had learned and received. God's way had a two-fold objective;
While salvation is an individual transaction, God also intends that we look for opportunities and ways to impact households that God will use for the spread and growth of the Church. Another exciting aspect of God's work here in the USA and other countries is Bible studies in prisons using God's Plan for His Disciples (GPHD). With this growing hunger to learn translates into transformation of lives. Jeremiah is a great example of how this happens.
“Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16). Notice the process that Jeremiah went through that should be part of our time in the study of any Scripture.
You may not be in prison, but what are you discovering from the Bible that really changes your life and those around you? I have often mentioned in this blog the wonder and joy that God's work in Ecuador is bringing to our hearts. Yesterday I received a call from our "Timothy" giving me information about two churches that are joining together (about 130 believers) and one of their goals is to work through God's Plan for His Disciples (GPHD in Spanish).
In addition, he was contacted by some other pastors who want 200 copies of GPHD so they can train their people in the truth of God's Word. This will leave his supply with only 100 copies left. Our "Timothy" asked if we could help them print 2,000 more copies soon. When he told me this, I went to our balance sheet and realized that between two accounts we had just enough to cover this printing. HOW WONDERFUL ARE THE WORKS OF GOD! “We will not hide them from (our) children but tell the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that He has done” (Psalm 78:4). What works of God are you observing and telling others so they will know Him better? We have been looking at one of the functions of leadership in the Church - helping ALL to mature. No one in the body of Christ is left without this very important focus of the Church. In all this, we need to ask the question "Why does Paul place emphasis on this subject?" Let's look at the following verse.
“That we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:14). "Children" in this context is not a reference to age but to those who have not matured in their faith or become established in handling the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). They need basic teaching of the gospel (see Hebrews 5:12). This means that when false teachers present something that sounds right and good, they are "tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine." This means that such persons are unstable and follow fads and current trends. They are "gullible" and fail to "examine the Scriptures daily to see if these things" are true (Acts 17:11). Helping every member in the body of Christ mature is the primary responsibility of every pastor, shepherd, and teacher. Otherwise, we are failing in our duties. In this blog we come back to our subject of maturity in the body of Christ. Before I add the verses in Ephesians 4, I want to ask a question of every pastor or church leader; do you in any way consider anybeliever not worth expending time and effort discipling them and helping them grow in faith and spiritual maturity?
Do you remember how the Lord handled the situation with the children in Mark 10? “And they were bringing children to Him that He might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, He was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God”" (Mark 10:13–14). Likewise, He said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). The setting of this verse was a question from the disciples of "who is the greatest?" Whether we think of age or mental and spiritual maturity, Paul insists that we use our gifts "for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12-13). As you think about your ministry and your church, who have you left out? We looked yesterday at the issue of leadership in the Church and Paul's grave concern with the Ephesian elders that troubling things would happen after he departed for Jerusalem. Even though Luke recorded Paul's comments as they were directed to these elders, the warning is appropriate for any church, anywhere in the world. Shepherding is NEVER done for personal gain.
In this blog I want to focus on the aspect of leadership that is often overlooked. Many pastors and church leadership focus on programs that will increase numbers, or they tailor ministry to specific age groups or cultural preferences. That is a mis-focus and dangerous appropriation of resources. Read these verses and see where Paul places the emphasis. “And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saintsfor the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11–13). Note that Jesus gave the gifts in the body of Christ "to equip the saints" for a type of work in the Church that "builds up the body of Christ." The purpose for giving each gift to individuals in the Church is so the entire body of Christ matures together. Not one person is to be left as an infant! Preaching or teaching information is not transformation! Maturity comes through discipling and spirit-filled teaching that transforms. |
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