A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice! When we choose to focus on the facts that God is sovereignly in control of the details of our current circumstances (Job 1:8, 12), His loving presence is with us in our trials (Ephesians 3:17-19; Daniel 3:24-25), and He is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28) and His glory, this should bring us great joy. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials. The testing of our faith produces endurance and helps us to mature in the character of Christ. God is training us to increase our impact in the lives of others in making and equipping disciples to do the will of God. Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. James 1:17 Sometimes we can become focused on the negative and grow critical in our spirit. This can lead to festering in our hearts and find its way through our words (Matthew 15:18). Pray that God will guard our hearts and minds from this type of critical spirit. Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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The word adaptive means to have an ability to change to suit changing conditions. On the other hand, the word inflexible means unwilling to change. Courage to change is essential.
Each church develops its own culture, and to make new things happen, changing the culture is required. Choosing the right programs, practices, and plans to start, to tweak, or to give up to create necessary change involves a sense of loss among the body of Christ. Sometimes this feels like grieving; however, when we embrace biblical changes, it can only bring new life and growth to our church. This perspective can help us to have a willingness to yield to whatever God is desiring to do in us and through us. These changes may lead us outside of our comfort zones, but we must remember that God has given us encouraging promises and the power of prayer that we can use to make us bold to do His will in spite of our inhibitions. Another thing to keep in mind is that the process of change takes time. The initials stages of change usually take at least three years, and it often takes seven years for complete transformation to happen. Making change happen must begin with its leaders. Effective leaders need to be highly adaptive and to model it to others. An adaptive leader is open to fresh ideas and new ways of doing things; learning is required. Pray for our current leaders as we learn to do adapt and how to lead others to adapt as we walk through the change process together with courage, wisdom, and the Spirit’s leading. Pray for those leaders that God is preparing to become leaders in the future of HFC. Why do we desire change? All for the sake of the gospel that will lead to more people experiencing the love, hope, and mercy of Jesus. In I Corinthians 9:22-23 Paul said, “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak; I have become all things to all people, so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” Because our mission is to reach lost people with the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have to be willing to make changes to reach people where they are at in our community. Let all things be done decently and in order. I Corinthians 14:40 The word “clarity” can be applied to many areas. As a church body, we need to have a clarity of understanding our purpose in sharing the gospel in our community. What does the word “gospel” mean? It is the good news of Jesus’s death, burial and resurrection (I Corinthians 15:3-4). When sharing the gospel, Paul made sure to explain sin thoroughly to address the problem all mankind faces without God (Romans 1:18-3:18). Once man comes to grip with their sin problem, then they need to turn to Christ and find the solution in Him alone (John 14:6; Romans 5:8-11; 2 Corinthians 5:21). And finally, man needs to respond to the truth by putting his trust in Christ alone and the work that he did on the cross (Romans 10:9-13). As a church, we are ambassadors for Christ and have this ministry of reconciliation (making peace with God) by sharing the gospel where we live, work, and play (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). As a church, we also need clarity in the area of leadership roles. In I Peter 5:1-3, the Apostle Peter offers a powerful and concise overview of the need for pastors to mesh their three biblical roles of elder, shepherd, and overseer. The three roles are connected and work together to bring about revitalization. The transformational shepherd should be able to:
The wise elder must:
The skilled overseer must:
(The Overseer by Dr. Rob Peters) In our prayers, we can seek God to provide humble, faithful elders who will help to support the pastor in shepherding and overseeing the body of Christ. The primary role of these leaders is to set things in order (Titus 1:5-9) and has the idea of the oversight of the flock (church body). Role clarification is also mentioned in Acts 6; shepherds were to be devoted to the word and prayer while other leaders were put in charge of service tasks. This type of leadership protects the congregation from being neglected or overlooked in having their needs met (Acts 6:1-7). Pray for God to add more faithful men and women to our leadership roles in the church.
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head-Christ-from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes the growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Eph. 4:13-16
When Paul refers to speaking the truth in love, he is explaining to us the importance of speaking the truth in love. The more we understand and grow in God’s “love.” the better we can walk in love (Ephesians 5:1-2) in our relationships with others. When someone speaks the truth without love, that is judgment; when someone shows love without sharing truth, that is toleration. Both of these ways are not biblical. We need to ask God to strengthen us to be able to speak the truth in love but also to humbly be able to receive the truth when it is spoken in love. However, if it is not truth to begin with, that must also be clarified as well. This is the biblical example of love that we want to cultivate in our church family so that we may grow in our relationship with God and one another. Sometimes fear can cause us to withhold information in our communication with one another. This is a fear of man. The fear of man can immobilize us when we should take action, and gag us into silence when we should speak. It feels powerful, but its power is deceptive. In Proverbs 29:25, it says, “the fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.” The Hebrew word for “snare” refers to traps hunters used to catch animals or birds. Snares are dangerous. If we get caught, we must do whatever it takes to free ourselves. God has the power to free us, and He wants us living in the safe freedom of trusting Him. But He frees us not by removing our fear of disapproval but transferring it to the right place. And typically, He frees us by helping us face our false fears, so they lose their power over us. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 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, 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.
Matthew 28:18-20 And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful. Titus 3:14 What does it mean to be “on mission” with the gospel? The word “disciple” simply means “’follower.” Though this term is often used in different ways amongst Christians, it is best used to describe anything God uses to help someone either become a follower of Christ or to grow as a follower. We desire to be a church that takes people through a spiritual pathway from unbelief to belief; from belief to maturity; from maturity to leadership. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Jesus made this promise for all His followers, not just a select number. Matthew 28:18-20 is a command for all of us to keep as our mindset. This is a life-or-death issue-not an option. People around us are facing an eternal death, and they need to hear the good news of salvation. What do we learn from Jesus’ example? What was Jesus’ mission? Jesus’ mission was to make His gospel known to all people through both word (sharing the gospel) and deed (demonstrating the gospel). Jesus shared the gospel message in His preaching (message) and demonstrated His gospel with His actions (healing, meeting needs, etc.). This mission is one that every generation of His followers must take up as well. Christ calls His followers to make the gospel known through word and deed wherever they live, work, or play as well as in their surrounding communities. And of course, all of this starts with prayer (Matthew 6:33). Let’s pray that God will help us to look with compassion on the people around us and give us wisdom in how we can make the gospel known through word and deed. |
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