We are all on the same mission

Today’s word of encouragement comes from Rick Warren’s Monday Encouragement, which is part of the Pastors.com ministry, whose passion is driven by the desire to see healthy pastors leading healthy churches.

Pastors.com is a place for Christian leaders to connect, so they have put together a flowing stream of content to nourish and enrich the lives and leadership of Pastors worldwide. They’ve also created a dynamic community where church leaders can draw encouragement and wisdom from one another.

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We have all been given the same mission that Jesus had.

The Bible says, “[God] reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation”.

2 Corinthians 5:18 (New International Version)

Your mission is simply to pass on to others the same Good News about God’s love that somebody told you.

But God doesn’t expect us to fulfill this mission on our own. He gives us other Christians to support us. In fact, evangelism is something we do as a partnership with the people in our congregation and in other churches. And you can even evangelize with your small group.

God has given us a wonderful example of this in Luke 5:17-26. It’s the story of a group of friends who brought someone to Jesus. They couldn’t find a way to get into the house where Jesus was, so they lowered their paraplegic friend through a hole in the roof on a stretcher, right in the middle of everyone and in front of Jesus. Jesus was impressed by their faith and told the paralyzed man to get up and walk, and the man immediately did! The people were amazed.

In this great story God gives us five principles for how you can partner with others to reach out to people who don’t know about Jesus and how you can fulfill your God-given mission in the world.

The Principle of Compassion: This small group of friends cared enough for their helpless friend to do something about his pain. Mercy is not just a feeling. It is love in action.

The Principle of Cooperation: God has assigned each of us a task in evangelism. Paul says, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it” 1 Corinthians 3:6 (New International Version). In other words, you don’t have to do it all yourself, but you do have to do your part. And God will reward you for it.

The Principle of Faith: Jesus says that the faith of the paraplegic’s friends leads to him being healed. Nobody is beyond the reach of God’s love. God specializes in doing the impossible. So don’t give up on people you care about. Have faith in what God can do in their lives.

The Principle of Action: The friends had a plan, and they put it into action. The paralyzed man needed other people to bring him to Jesus because he couldn’t get there on his own. There will be times where you will need to step out in faith.

The Principle of Persistence: The friends could have been discouraged when they couldn’t get into the door because of the crowd, but they didn’t give up. They showed determination. They said, “Whatever it takes, we’re going to bring our friend to Jesus.”

Are you willing to go through the roof for a friend? Everybody needs to know Jesus! Without Jesus, people have no hope in eternity. The Christian who doesn’t care about the lost is really saying to the world, “I don’t care about you. You can go to Hell.”

But the Bible says, “The Lord is . . . not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Don’t get discouraged, and don’t give up. Keep praying, keep asking, keep inviting, and keep working to reach that person for Jesus.

Helping people get into Heaven is the greatest act of mercy you can do for them.

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Pastors.com was founded and is led by Dr. Rick Warren, world renown author, pastor, global strategist, theologian, and philanthropist.

The Ministry Toolbox is a weekly shot in the arm of wisdom that will help you develop and deepen your passion for ministry and ability to serve others. If you would like to sign up to the Ministry Toolbox which has been designed to help you learn from Rick’s 40+ years in ministry – click here.

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Take time to just breathe

A colleague of mine posted this on Facebook just the other day and I thought that it was too good not to share on this blog as a word of encouragement.

I hope that in these days of lock-down where many of us are experiencing prolonged periods of time in isolation due to the effects that Covid-19 is having around the world. That you take the time to ‘Just Breathe’. That you take time to slow down and focus on the things that truly matter in life. That you are taking this opportunity to take stock of your life and take care of yourselves. And thank God for His provision.

Far too often when life is going well we tend to go, go, go. It is rare that we stop to be still for a moment to rest or just simply reflect on what’s around us.

Going non-stop will take a toll on every aspect of your life if you don’t learn to take care of yourself.

Taking care of ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually is like having four strong legs on the chair on which we are sitting. If one leg is knocked out from under us, we have three remaining, but it can be shaky and very precarious. Life will kick us in the gut; it is not a question of if, but when.

Are you prepared for when one or more “legs” are kicked out from under you? Get into the habit of caring for yourself:

Physically; walk daily, exercise, eat well.
Mentally; solve a puzzle, do a crossword, do some free online courses, read something new.
Emotionally; have healthy relational boundaries, take time for some good self care.
Spiritually; read scripture, pray, connect with other followers of Jesus.

What’s your excuse?

Start today!

As life slowly starts getting back to some form of normality within New Zealand, I hope that you are able to surround yourselves with people who will help you navigate this life that we are each blessed with.

In your life allow periods of time (within your calendars, planners, and/or diaries) so that you can have the space needed to reflect, slow-down, refocus and enjoy life.

Maybe today take a few moments to “just breathe”.

Thank God for His provision in your lives and be gentle on yourself as you go about your day. For “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3 (New International Version)

This piece by the International Staff Band simply called ‘Still‘ may assist you in being just that before the Lord. I hope you enjoy!

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