Thursday, June 27, 2019
Pass-The_ Ball...: ONE MAN CAN STILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE! | Black Men I...
Sunday, June 16, 2019
THE MEN HE CALLED-by Rev.M.D.Rogers
Mark 6:7-13
One of the most
amazing features of the Gospels, and of the ministry of the Lord Jesus, is the
men He chose to be His disciples. If you and I were putting together a ministry
team, these are probably not the kind of people we would choose to represent
us. Consider these men for just a moment.
Several
were fishermen. One was a former tax collector for Rome. A couple of them were
quick tempered. One of them was a revolutionary. One was a traitor and not a true
believer at all. All were very common men.
These
men lacked spiritual understanding. They lacked humility. They lacked faith.
They lacked commitment. They lacked power. These men were always getting into
trouble; missing the point or Christ’s teachings; lashing out at people who
were different; saying the wrong thing; walking away from their commitment to
Jesus; among other failures and problems.
In
spite of their weaknesses, the Lord used these men to turn the world upside
down for His glory. If He can use them, surely He can use us too! That gives me
hope today!
THE MISSION
OF THE TWELVE
(Ill. Jesus calls His
men to Him and sends them out on a preaching mission. He sent them out two by two
and gave them power over demons. Let’s consider their mission.)
A. They were sent out “two by two”. Matthew
10:2-4 give us some idea of how these men may have been paired up.
(Ill. How would you have liked to have been Judas Iscariot’s partner?) There are
a couple of reasons Jesus sent them out this way.
· It fulfilled the
requirements of the Law for every testimony to be established by the words of
at least two witnesses – Deut. 17:6; 19:15; Num. 35:30.
· It provided the men
with companionship, encouragement and for someone to pray for them.
· This was the method
used by John the Baptist when he sent out his followers, Luke 7:18-19.
· This has been the
method followed by Christians since the days of Jesus. The early church
employed this method, Acts 13:2-3; 15:39-41; 19:22.
· It is still the best
method today. When two people go out to share the Gospel together, they can
encourage one another, pray for one another and help one another stand in this
evil day. When you go out to tell this world about Jesus take a fellow believer
with you, it will make the job easier.
B. We are told that Jesus gave them “power”.
This particular word refers to “inherent power”. It has the idea
of someone “possessing the right to do a thing and having the power to
carry it out.” Jesus gave them His power when He sent them out. In a
literal sense, they were an extension of Him as they ministered around the
country. Jesus literally multiplied Himself when He sent His disciples out with
His power.
In John 14:12 Jesus made a startling statement.
He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the
works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do;
because I go unto my Father.” The only reason we are able to see Him do
this is because He gives us His power to serve Him in the world today.
Sunday, May 19, 2019
To Reach A Changing Culture Pt.1 -Rev.M.D.Rogers
Don’t get me wrong, we don’t need to change the message. Just the method. One is sacred. The other is not.
What isn’t as clear is what the future church will look like, and what kind of characteristics will mark those churches.
However, I think a few trends are becoming clear. Not all of these might be correct, but I think the following eleven traits describe the kind of churches that will have a significant impact a decade from now.
Here’s what I see as hallmarks of the churches that will make an impact in the next decade;
1. The ability to say no. One of the reasons churches don’t change is because leaders are unwilling to say no to current members who prefer things the way they were. When you learn to say no to the preferences of some current members, you learn to say yes to a community that is ready to be reached.
2. Outsider focus. Churches that become passionate about people outside their walls will be far more effective than churches that are passionate about keeping the few people they have inside their walls. Better still, you will have a healthier church. We call individuals who are fixated on their wants and needs selfish and immature. Selfless and mature churches will have an impact because of their passion for people God cares about.
3. Quick decision making. If you have a decision making process that’s slow and complicated, you will not be able to keep up with the pace of change needed. Having multi-level approval processes and having to get congregational approval on matters will block innovation. I agree with Jeff Brodie, if you can’t make a decision within 24 hours, your process is too slow .
4. Flexibility. You don’t need to change your mission (for the most part), but you do need to change your methods. Flexible and adaptable churches that can innovate around strategy and different initiatives will have the freedom to make the changes they need to make an impact moving forward.
5. A willingness to embrace smaller to become bigger. Mega-churches will continue to grow, but most of us won’t lead mega-churches. When small churches stop trying to be mega-churches, good things can happen. In fact, more and more larger churches will start embracing smaller venues, locations and partnerships to keep growing. A greater number of smaller venues might be a hallmark of future churches making an impact.
Sunday, May 12, 2019
Thursday, April 25, 2019
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