Friday, Oct 23, 2009

10-23 Get Your Own Group!

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Cruise recap: We finally boarded Alaska Airlines for the Flight home. Originally Susan and I had seats on separate rows, but they were able to transfer us to row 7. Across from us was a gal named Kelsie and her husband. I asked what she did... she said she was a Gymnastic teacher from Salem... I asked if she knew a friend mine in Roseburg who was also a Gymnastic teacher. Khumba. She said yes she did! Small World! I referee soccer with him! I did his wedding! We had an immediate connection. I asked her if she attended church anywhere and she said that they are looking right now. The church they went to just lost their pastor and they feel a little out of place. I suggested Keizer Community Church. Pray that they’ll get plugged in.

Today's Scripture reading is 1 Chronicles 26; Isaiah 48; Acts 14
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Today’s thought comes from Matthew 28:16-20 “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

How many of you know what your Spiritual gift is? Does it matter? Would you live your life differently if you knew? How do Spiritual Gifts impact us? Spiritual Gifts are not exactly like natural abilities. If, for example, I have a great singing voice, I can belt out beautiful music whenever I’m in the mood. Or let’s say I have a photographic memory. Because I remember everything I see, I can regurgitate it whenever the need for useless information presents itself. But Spiritual Gifts don’t exactly work that way. If you don’t stir up a desire for the Lord, your gift won’t shine! You need to stir up your love and passion for the Lord in order for the Holy Spirit to work effectively through you. And that’s the point of the gifts: they were given to make you an effective minister. One of the errors we fall into in the discussion of gifts is that sometimes we think our gift limits our ministry! “Oh I don’t have that gift! I can’t teach, evangelize, lead, help etc.” But 1 Corinthians 11:4-7 tells us that “a variety of gifts can perform a variety of ministries in a variety of ways!” The gift makes us effective ministers wherever we minister! That brings me to today’s big topic: teaching. You all ought to be teachers. That’s right! Most of us, when we are mature are meant to be teachers. You can bring whatever gift God has given you to the table and use it to teach. Why teaching? Because it’s every Christian’s commission: “Go and make disciples of ALL nations… TEACHING THEM!” There can be no discipling without teaching! And there can be no Christianity without discipleship! You were meant to be a disciple! Once a disciple is grown up he will begin to teach others! Simple huh? Every Christian ought to aspire to have his little group of twelve that he disciples to become disciplers of disciples! To do that, you must meet with them regularly to teach and train them. Get a group… it could be a Sunday School Class or home group. Start teaching. But teaching and fellowship is NOT the objective of your class! Some groups just love to get together. They’ve been doing it for years. They like each other so much that they’d never consider moving out beyond the walls of their little group. No, no, NO! The objective is to teach others to disciple others. Every member of your group needs to consider themselves as a potential leader! Within a few years (?) of training, they need to be mature enough to get out there and get their own group. Multiplication is the aim of the group. So, move out and get your own group!

Dear Lord. I need to be discipled! I need to grow up so that I can train others! I want to make training others the goal of my life. Please help me to realize that the greatest contribution I can make to this world and to your kingdom is to invest my life in other people so that they can invest their lives in other people!

“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy.”-

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