By In the early years of the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ many people from very messed up lives came to salvation. Their lives changed. Some of the change happened immediately; some of the change came through a long battle against old habits. But the Truth that they heard
Two Kinds of Pastors
Pastor is more of a job description than a title. It describes the person who acts towards those under his care like a shepherd does to his own sheep. But, just like there are good and bad sheep shepherds, so there are good and bad people pastors. Ezekiel 34 tells
Romans 12:11 Three Wake-up Calls for Spiritual Service
Motivational one-liners have infused the weak with strength to succeed at all kinds of endeavours. Stories abound of underdogs becoming CEOs, of the oppressors becoming saviours, of the lazy becoming heroes. The same is true for spiritual ministry. The little brother Joseph became slave and then executive ruler of Egypt.
Do Not Yoke Yourself to an Unbeliever
Just like the unequal joining of a good ox and a stubborn donkey under the same yoke would not make for effective ploughing, so an unequal partnership between a believer and an unbeliever won’t make for effective Christian ministry. Unfortunately though, the verse on unequal yoking yourself to unbelievers is
The Church That Became An Example
It is easy to admire the unity, maturity, and ministry of exemplary churches. What we don’t realise, though, is that exemplary churches are made up of exemplary Christians, and being an exemplary Christian isn’t something that is “probably never going to happen to me”. The visible impact of your church
Be Glad in Church Ministry
Criticizing and complaining are perhaps the most skilled first-responders to church ministries. But that was not the case with the Apostle Paul and the believers who served in the many ministries begun by him. As a travelling missionary Paul had planted many churches, mission initiatives from those churches, and ministries
Being a Peace Maker Among One Another
Many times, the greatest reason for uselessness in church ministry is personal conflict. I don’t like you, you don’t like something I did, so you sit on this side, I sit on that side, and if you come to the church picnic, then I won’t come, and if you have
What About All Those Other Christian Ministries? (3)
How must we think about different Christian ministries? There are three typical Christian-ministry situations in which Christians need to apply some Biblical discernment: The third typical situation in which we need discernment is when there are so-called Christian preachers out there, who hold the Bible in their hand while they
What About All Those Other Christian Ministries? (2)
How must we think about different Christian ministries? There are three typical Christian-ministry situations in which Christians need to apply some Biblical discernment: The second typical situation in which we need discernment is when there are Gospel preachers outside your circle, that are perhaps not godly and above reproach in
What About All Those Other Christian Ministries? (1)
How must we think about different Christian ministries? There are three typical Christian-ministry situations in which Christians need to apply some Biblical discernment: The first is when there is more than one faithful, godly Gospel teacher. For example, in 1 Corinthians chapters 1 and 3, Paul deals with believers in