Spiritual Gifts - 1 Corinthians 14

 Hello this is Multiply; a podcast to encourage village church planters and leaders. I am Brad Snowden and today we will look at 1 Corinthians 14:1-25. The Apostle Paul speaks of cultivating your spiritual gifts. The need to cultivate the ground is very important especially when the tender plants are first growing. This is especially important to make sure the ground is free from those things that could rob nutrients from the young plants. If we desire spiritual fruit the same care must be intentionally focused upon our hearts in order to ensure a good harvest. I believe that as church planters and even as followers of Christ we can have a goal that every word and action be so that the church might benefit from everything we do. The Lord leads by the guidance of the Holy Spirit to give wisdom to fully use a willing vessel to build up each member of the church. Spiritual gifts are a conduit for the church to show God's love and grace to one another. Followers of Jesus are to earnestly desire spiritual gifts and specifically to use their words to build up one another in the faith. 

Verse 3 says but the one who prophesies speaks to people for edification to promote their spiritual growth and speaks words of encouragement to uphold and advise them concerning the matters of God and speaks words of consolation to compassionately comfort them. 

We must promote healthy spiritual growth in spiritual wisdom, devotion, holiness, and joy that comes when we are using the gifts to encourage one another motivated by love for the Lord and each other.

The joy that we can share in what God has given us is when we can see healthy growth spiritually in others and this is our goal as we look at this particular scripture. I love to see things being built because that means there is progress because of the hard work being put into that project. The building is a process and so it is in the spiritual growth and so we also need God’s love and patience in the spiritual growth of others in our spiritual communities. When we are used in the gift of prophecy it is to build up and edify. Edification simply means to encourage and what better gift is needed as a church planter and leader than that of encouragement. The next blessing in this portion of scripture is the joy of being a comfort to someone in need. Comfort has the idea of not only consoling, but also strengthening. It doesn’t just cry with someone hurting, it puts its arms around them and strengthens them to carry the load. I know that as we continue to strive toward being used in such a way that glorifies God, He will strengthen those around us and allow us to accomplish His plan. We can be blessed when we see this type of growth in those we serve in love and humility. 

This has been a word of encouragement for village church planters Who will you share this podcast with today.

One Another Series - Be Likeminded Toward One Another

 This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters and leaders.

This year, in these podcasts, I am focusing upon the “One Another” scriptures found in the New Testament as viewed through the lens of leadership.

Our verses for today’s podcast are Romans 15:5 and 6. In the New King James Version we read, “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,   that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

In this scripture, the Apostle Paul is appealing to Christ-followers to demonstrate unity, and he mentions two ways in which we are to do this.

 With one mind we glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We also

 With one mouth glorify Him.

Let us explore how we do this and how leaders set the example.

“With one mind” we agree to agree on the essentials of the Christian faith. In VCP, we require that partner denominations agree with the Apostles’ Creed and the Lausanne Covenant. There are many other doctrinal positions that our partners may take; these, we feel, are the essentials.

“Unity” does not mean “uniformity”. We agree on the essentials, but we do not mandate all doctrinal positions. That would be impossible. Think with me for a moment of the analogy to a sports team. Each player, each position has a different role, and they compete together for a common goal.

Secondly, he says that with “… one mouth we glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Think for a moment with me of the global Church as a large choir. We are practicing for a heavenly worship service. There are several musical parts, and the objective is that we sing in harmony with one another. We worship with one voice, with one mouth, and our worship pleases the Lord.

Humanly speaking, what happens when someone is off-pitch, out of rhythm, or singing the wrong lyrics? It is discordant, confusing, and sometimes even painful to listen to. Paul has something like this in mind.

Leaders set the example by living in unity and harmony with others in the body of Christ. We are not competitors; we are on the same team, and we need to demonstrate that.

In 2022, I was in Tanzania with VCP Supervisor Peter Baraka where I witnessed a beautiful example of this. In meetings in two different cities, we saw (in each place) over 20 bishops come together in friendship. They enjoyed one another, and they celebrated together God’s goodness to all.

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters and leaders.

Spiritual Gifts: 1 Corinthians 13

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that

provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

Have you ever been to a wedding where the pastor or a friend of the bride or

groom read from 1 Corinthians, chapter 13? This chapter, known as “the Love

Chapter,” is one of the most famous texts in the whole Bible. Even non-

Christians read it and comment on it. And why not, everyone wants and needs

selfless love.

But as a Village Church Planter, you have been taught to read the Scriptures in

their context. So it is important to understand the context of 1 Corinthians 13…

and its not about weddings!

The context of 1 Corinthians 13 is all about spiritual gifts. In 1 Corinthians 12,

the Apostle Paul teaches about speaking gifts and gifts that demonstrate great

faith. Then, in 1 Corinthians 14, he clarifies how prophecy and speaking in

tongues can best be used. But right in the middle of a long teaching about

spiritual gifts and how to exercise them, Paul writes the most beautiful

exposition on sacrificial love that has ever been written.

  He says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is

not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily

angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but

rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always

perseveres.”

But why? What does any of this have to do with spiritual gifts? The answer

comes in the first verses of 1 Corinthians 13:

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a

resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can

fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move

mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the

poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love,

I gain nothing.”

Do you notice all the references to spiritual gifts? Gifts like speaking in

tongues, prophecy, word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, and giving?

These amazing supernatural gifts are meaningless without love; meaningless.

So if you want to use your gifts in a meaningful way, make sure you are filled

with love. If you want your spiritual gifts to bless hundreds and thousands of

 people, humble yourself and ask God to fill you with his love, the kind of love

that is moved to sacrifice and humility and lifting others up. Paul teaches that

if you exercise spiritual gifts without love for others, you gain nothing. But if

you exercise your spiritual gifts with the pure, self-giving love that comes only

from God, you gifts will bless oh so many people in oh so many ways.

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this

encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #SpiritualGifts

One Another Series - Bear with One Another

 

This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters and leaders.

This year, in these podcasts, I am focusing upon the “One Another” scriptures found in the New Testament as viewed

through the lens of leadership.

Our verses for today’s podcast are Ephesians 4:2-3.  “ Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.   Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Once again, leaders are to set the example – to lead the way – in bearing with others. Think with me for a moment about this … if a leader becomes impatient and angry with others, how will that affect the organization His or her poor behavior will give others “permission” to act similarly, and the result is likely to be anger and chaos.

Looking again at verse 2, I believe the Apostle Paul’s instruction to be completely humble and gentle and patient describes the necessary attitude for us if we are to be able to “bear with” others. If I am self-focused and impatient, I have no chance of success in this.

I find this small phrase “bear with” to be quite interesting. What does Paul mean here? The Greek word used means to show tolerance. It has the connotation to put up with others’ attitudes, behaviors or immaturity that might frustrate us.

Paul has not only given us the command to bear with one another, he also tells us how this is possible. The end of verse 2 says, “in love”. As we genuinely love others, we are able to put up with, or bear with, them. Peter spoke to this idea in

1 Peter 4:8 where he wrote, “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”” When we love one another, we can choose to overlook offenses and bear with them.

Finally, back to our Ephesians passage, Paul addresses our motivation - or the “why” – we are to bear with one another. He instructs us to “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” I see at least two reasons for this. Firstly, leaders, unity within our teams is vitally important; all members need to be putting their efforts toward the same goal. Secondly, unity within the body of Christ is crucial as there is a watching world around us. They will know that we are Christ-followers by our demonstrated love for one another.

In these verses, Paul instructs us of:

 The What – we are to bear with one another

 The How – in love, and

 The Motivation – that we might maintain the unity of the Spirit

Leaders set the example in these things.

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters and leaders.

Spiritual Gifts: 1 Corinthians 12

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that

provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

I believe that one of the most empowering things you can do as a church

planter is to help your people discover and use their spiritual gifts. God has

given every believer one or more spiritual gifts to empower us to serve the

body of Christ and reach out in love to the world.

I Corinthians 12 teaches us that God gives many different gifts, but that all

gifts are given by the one and only Holy Spirit of God. These different gifts

result in different kinds of service, but every gifted Christian is serving the one

God who gives the gifts.

This is why it is so important for us to use our gifts in harmony with others in

the body of Christ. In fact we are not only serving God with our gifts, we are

working for the common good of the church.

The spiritual gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 are word of wisdom, word of

knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, discernment

of spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues. God gives these

gifts to his children for two reasons: 

1) to powerfully communicate his word,

his will, and his ways, and 

2) to empower our deeds of service. 

He does not give these gifts to make us proud or famous. He does not give these gifts so

that we can boast or so that we can think we are important. He gives these

gifts, like all other gifts, so we can serve the body of Christ.

Our God is a God who speaks. He spoke to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses,

Joshua, David and others. He reveals himself to his people through his word.

So it is not surprising that he would gift his children to communicate his will

and his ways through prophecy, speaking in tongues and interpretation of

tongues. If you have one of these speaking gifts, exercise it in faith. Let your

church practice Paul’s teaching found in 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21. “Do not

quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test them

all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.” When God sees that

you humbly serve as channel for his messages and that you humbly submit them

to testing by others, he will delight in giving you more messages to share.

Remember, God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Likewise if you have been given a gift from God to empower your service, use it

humbly. If God has chosen to bring healing though your prayers for others, pray

frequently for the sick. Rejoice when the sick are healed. If God has given you

 strong faith to do his work of church planting, disciple making, or some other

work, do not be surprised if the faith of others is not so strong. Thank God for

your faith; walk in faith. But be patient with those who struggle to trust God in

areas that are easy for you. We need each other. So let everyone humbly use

his or her gift for the common good.

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this

encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #SpiritualGifts

Spiritual Disciplines: The Lord's Supper

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that

provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

When we speak about spiritual disciplines, we often think of activities that we

do when we are alone with God. Praying and meditating on God’s word are

spiritual disciplines that we often practice by ourselves. But there is a spiritual

discipline that must be practiced in fellowship with others. We call it the

Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion.

The Lord’s Supper is the meal that Christians eat to remember Jesus’ sacrificial

death for us. “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and

when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for

you; do this in remembrance of me.” When we as Christians gather together to

remember Jesus in the upper room with his disciples, to remember the

Passover meal with bread and wine, to remember Jesus triumphal entry into

Jerusalem; his betrayal by Judas; His sham of trial before the chief priests,

before Herod, and before Pilate; when we remember all this, we draw near to

Jesus by faith.

As we remember Jesus’ suffering on our behalf, we are filled with gratitude.

Some Christians even call the Lord’s Supper “The Eucharist.” Eucharist means

thanksgiving. As we remember the unmerited, loving sacrifice of Jesus on our

behalf, and as we give thanks, our faith grows. We gain assurance of our

salvation, we feel secure in the love of God. Our fears of the devil and his

schemes melt away. We know that we are secure in the love of God. We know

that our sins have been forgiven. We no longer fear. And we recognize that we

are a part of a body of believers who have had the same experience. This

brings us peace and joy.

For all of these reasons and more, it is very important for all Christians to

participate in the Lord’s Supper: Christians in the city and Christians in the

most remote village; old Christians and young Christians; Christians who attend

large churches and Christians who attend tiny churches. We need the grace

that comes to us individually and as a body through the Lord’s Supper.

As a Village Church Planter, your job is to make sure that your people receive

the Lord’s Supper at least four times per year, and ideally much more often. If

your church has authorized you to serve the Lord’s Supper, make sure you do so

on a regular basis. Explain the meal very well. Fill your remembrance of Jesus

 with Scripture and song. Celebrate with your people the new covenant Jesus

established with his blood.

If you as a church planter have not yet been authorized by your church to serve

the Lord’s Supper, stand up for your sheep. Make sure someone comes to your

church at least four times per year to serve the Lord’s Supper so that your

people can obey Jesus. Remember, he lovingly said, “Do this in remembrance

of me.”

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this

encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #TheLord’sSupper #Eucharist

Spiritual Gifts: Romans 12

 

Welcome to Multiply; a podcast to encourage and teach church planters and Church leaders. I am your host today, Daneille Snowden.

In Romans 12 Paul lists seven gifts that many theologians have categorize as motivational gifts. They are:

Prophesying= which is a speaking forth a new message from God to His people.

Serving= involves providing service of any kind, in the Greek (diakonian) it means deacon.

Teaching= One who can clearly instruct and communicate knowledge, specifically the doctrines of faith.

Encouraging= Those who consistently call upon others to heed and follow God’s truth. This may involve correction or building others up by strengthening those who are weak in faith or comforting others in their trials.

Giving= Joyfully sharing what they have with others, who are concerned for their needs, and then seeking opportunities to share.

Leadership= Ones who rules with wisdom and grace, plus exhibits the fruit of the Spirit in his or her life as they lead by example.

And last:

Mercy= One who is compassionate, sympathetic and shows sympathy; desiring to lessen one’s suffering.

They are called motivational gifts because each one listed gives us a reason to act upon them. When we are motivated, we have “an incentive or a strong desire to do well!” This makes complete since because these gifts are given by God Almighty Who is the Creator of the Universe! By His grace and power, He gifts individuals who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure {Philippians 2:13}

 In addition, Paul specifically commends each person to not think too highly of themselves (Romans 12:3) as we apply our gifts in life. “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” {Philippians 2:3}

In the first part of Romans 12:9 we read that, “Love is to be sincere and active…” As we enact the gifts of motivation listed in this passage, and for each gift to be effective it all must be inspired and done in love! Love is felt deeply in the hearts of all men, women, and children. When people give out of duty, and not God’s Love; it is not felt deep in the souls of those receiving. My husband and I have worked with the homeless, and those who suffer from addictions. They are hungry, lonely, and simply tired. They feel alone and unloved. We have witnessed organizations and individuals who help them and do so by duty and sometimes pride. Those suffering share with us that they can feel the difference between those who give that way and those who do so in LOVE. They tell us that they indeed can FEEL God’s Love when we serve them. Let us be filled to overflowing with the Love of God as we are living out God’s perfect will in our lives as we serve, teach, encourage, give, lead, and share His mercy.

This has been Multiply, will you share this podcast with others? You can find this podcast and many more on www.vcpencouragement.org. Thank you and God bless!

Spiritual Disciplines: Fasting

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that

provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

To fast means to abstain from eating food. Do you make fasting a regular part

of your walk with Jesus? Do you schedule times to fast and pray? Or do you

simply set aside a time for fasting when a special need arises? Perhaps you

have never learned to fast. Whatever your experience with fasting has been, I

think we can agree about one thing. Fasting is not easy.

And yet, Our Lord Jesus Christ assumes his followers will fast. His instructions

to his disciples in Matthew 6 are very interesting. He does not command us to

give to those in need, or to pray, or to fast. He simply assumes we will do all

three of these self-sacrificing activities. He says, “So when you give to the

needy, do not announce it.” He says, “And when you pray, do not be like the

hypocrites.” Then Jesus says, “When you fast, do not look somber as the

hypocrites do.” Notice, Jesus does not say, “If you give to the poor,” or “If you

pray,” or “If you fast.” No! His assumption is that his followers will do all

three of these self-sacrificing activities.

You may be wondering, Dean, “Why do you call giving and praying and fasting

“self-sacrificing activities?” They are self-sacrificing activities because in each

one we give up something valuable so that others will benefit. When we give

to the poor, we give some of our money or part of our possessions. When we

pray, we invest time calling on God to bless others. When we fast, we give up

the pleasure of eating as we implore God to speak, to act, or to bless. Jesus’

concern in Matthew 6 is that we conduct all three of these activities in a way

that is truly self-sacrificing, not in a way that brings honor or glory to

ourselves.

When we pray our spirit prays and our mind prays. When we fast, our body

prays. As we fast, each time we turn away from food, we are calling out to

God for him to act. But our call to God is not a spoken call. With fasting, our

actions do the talking for us. Each time we experience hunger as we fast, our

body calls out to God, not for food, but for him to act, for him to speak, for

him to bless.

Like so many other spiritual disciplines, fasting can be very powerful when a

group of people agrees to do it at the same time. Some churches schedule a

fast on a Saturday to pray for a special need, to pray for the lost, or to pray for

God’s provision. Then they break the fast with the Lord’s Supper on Sunday.

Like all spiritual disciplines, Christians can become judgmental or defensive

when talking about fasting. This is not God’s intent. Rather, we should engage

in the self-sacrificing activity of fasting more and more. As we do so, our faith

will be strengthened. We will see God respond in some wonderful ways. So if

there are new Christians in your churches who lack wisdom, or who have a

need, encourage them to add fasting to their prayers. It won’t be easy. But

my experience with fasting tells me that God will meet them in wonderful

ways.

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this

encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #Fast

Spiritual Disciplines: Worship

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that

provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

It seems that God works from the inside out. He transforms our heart and mind

inside us. Then he uses that transformed heart and mind to transform the

world. Another way to say this is that faith grows out of an internal battle with

doubt. Then, we outwardly put faith in action by obeying God even when

obedience means hardship.

Spiritual disciplines are designed to help us win the internal battle for faith so

that we can live transformed lives in the world. We call spiritual activities

carried out regularly by ordinary believers “spiritual disciplines.” Spiritual

disciplines include regular prayer, fasting, and study and mediation upon the

word of God. But worship and regular participation in the Lord’s Supper are

also spiritual disciplines.

To worship God is to give glory to God who is great and who is holy. To worship

God is to honor God and to recognize his goodness. Worship brings God joy.

Psalm 22:3 says he inhabits the praises of his people.

Many times when we think about worship, we think of the body of Christ

coming together to form a large group to sing praises to God. This is indeed

worship. But there is another kind of worship that transforms Christians. We

can worship God simply as we pray, as we read the Scriptures, and as we sing

by ourselves.

Worship as a spiritual discipline is more than giving thanks to God in prayer.

And it is much more than simply singing the words of a worship song. In

worship, we connect with God by humbly recognizing his goodness and his

power. In worship, we remember the mighty deeds of God that brought us

salvation and we thank him. We remember the character of God, his goodness,

kindness, mercy, righteousness, and holiness. Then we honor him for each

trait. In worship, we surrender ourselves to God. We entrust ourselves to him

as a living sacrifice.

As we worship God, we gain two attributes which make us useful to God in this

world. First of all, as we worship God, our faith grows. We trust him more

because through worship, we remember better his love and his power. As we

worship God, debilitating fear melts away. Fear is replaced by a sense of

security that comes from being held in the Father’s arms. In additions to faith,

we gain inner peace through worship. Faith and peace make us fit for the

challenges we face in the world.

So what does this personal experience of worship look like? Externally, it may

look like silent prayer. It may sound like the singing of songs of praise. It may

look like reading the Bible or listening to an audio recording of God’s word.

Internally, worship is the faith-empowered experience of honoring God and

recognizing his goodness.

So here is my word of encouragement for you today: Build regular, extended

times of personal worship into you practice of the spiritual disciplines. As you

do so, you will be transformed from the inside out.

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this

encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #WorshipGod #FromTheInsideOut

One Another Series - Offer Hospitality to One Another

 

This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters and leaders.

This year, in these podcasts, I am focusing upon the “One Another” scriptures found in the New Testament as viewed through the lens of leadership.

Our verse for today’s podcast is 1 Peter 4:9 where we read, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” At the outset, I will say that my observation is that Africans are much, much better at this than people in my country.

Hospitality seems to be ingrained in African culture. I’ve observed it, and I’ve been the recipient of African hospitality on many occasions. I love Africans and their hospitality! On the other hand, people in my country sometimes need to be reminded to offer hospitality “without grumbling.”

Why do you suppose the Apostle Peter added this admonition “without grumbling”? I asked myself this question, and I believe that it’s because demonstrating hospitality can be an inconvenience to the host. There are many preparations to consider. Will there be enough food and drink? Will there be places for everyone to sit? Or beds to sleep in? Practicing hospitality may mean that I’m not able to complete all the day’s tasks. Hospitality will usually cost me something. Peter’s counsel is to set all those objections, considerations, or excuses aside. As I researched this verse, I found a helpful description of what Peter’s instruction looked like to those in the first century.

“Be hospitable” means to be friendly to strangers or guests. A “stranger” is someone who we do not regard as a member of our extended family or a close friend. Strangeness produces mutual tension between natives and foreigners, but hospitality overcomes the pressure and makes friends of aliens. 

Times of persecution and distress obligated Christians to be hospitable to one another. Some Christians lost everything they owned and were driven to distant countries for safety. This hospitality sustained people uprooted by persecution. Source: https://versebyversecommentary.com/1997/11/24/1-peter-49/ Leaders are to set the example in this practice.

1 Timothy 3:2 – “Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach.” The Greek word translated “overseer” is also translated elsewhere as bishop or shepherd. Leaders set the example.

The subject in Titus chapter 1 is appointing elders. Verse 8 tells us that ”he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.” Again, we see that leaders set the example in offering hospitality. Whether it is easy or convenient or not, we are to “offer hospitality to one another.”

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters and leaders.

Spiritual Disciplines Meditate on God's Word

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters. 

When I was a young Christian, I loved the moments when I saw the Holy Spirit at work in dramatic ways. I loved to see people experience salvation.  I was delighted when people quickly and dramatically yielded their lives to Christ.  But I am so thankful that I was taught as second, less dramatic way the Holy Spirit works in the lives of the people of God.

God works in us through activities which seem rather ordinary and simple.  We call spiritual activities carried out regularly by ordinary believers “Spiritual disciplines.”  Spiritual disciplines include regular prayer, fasting, and study and mediation upon the word of God. These activities are not dramatic.  They are not spectacular.  Sometimes when we practice spiritual disciplines, we are moved with emotion, but many times, we are not. Even so, spiritual disciplines are life giving for the child of God.

As a church planter, it is your privilege to see God work in dramatic ways to save and heal.  Praise the Lord! Continue to exercise faith for him to work in power by granting salvation, healing and deliverance.  But makes sure you do not neglect God’s transforming work through the spiritual disciplines.  Allow him to work in you through quiet moments of prayer and meditation on the word of God.  

The Apostle Paul rejoiced when he saw the transforming work of the word of God in the lives of new believers in Thessalonica.  He wrote in I Thessalonians 2:11 – 13, “For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.” 

Paul knew that “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” He remembered God’s promise to Joshua, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Joshua 1:8)

Church planter, do your people know and understand that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God? Have they learned to read a passage of God’s word every day so they can allow it to minister to them?  Do they listen to audio Bible stories daily or view segments of the Jesus Film in their local language on a smart phone?  Are they memorizing God’s word?

Let me encourage you to teach your people the spiritual discipline of meditating on God’s word daily.  As you do, you, like church planter Paul will see the word of God at work in those who believe.

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #MeditateOnTheWord

Spiritual Disciplines of Prayer

 

Hello this is Multiply a podcast to encourage village church planters and leaders. I am Brad Snowden and today we want to look at the subject of prayer and what a privilege it is to pray. 

Hebrews 10:19-22 says  Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

I believe that there should be nothing that hinders us from entering into our time with the Lord. It is sad when followers of Christ do not feel comfortable praying because they feel they don’t say the right things or in the right way. The scripture tells us that we need to be sincere in our desire to spend time talking and listening to God. We also come to the Lord knowing that He will hear our cries because He knows the heart. I have to be honest that there has been many times that I have cried out to the Lord and I had no idea how He was going to work it all out and yet I do not have to know that part . 

Psalm 5:3 says   In the morning, Lord, you will hear my voice;  in the morning I lay my requests before you  and wait expectantly.

Our prayer life must be part of our spiritual disciplines. Whether we spend time in prayer in the morning or at night, the Psalmist in the verse we just read it is all about spiritual discipline . We may not feel like praying yet, that is when it is most important to strengthen our relationship with the Lord.  Through our time with Him praying He extends His kingdom and accomplishes His will here on earth. Our own life and the life of our families ,the church and it’s ministry to the lost depend on our discipline to devote time in Prayer. This life in prayer is more valuable than we could ever realize and it is more effective than we could ever imagine . I know this because if this wasn’t the truth the enemy would not work so hard to try to distract us from praying. Church planters our prayer life is important so please draw into that time with sincerity and expectation.

 This has been a word of encouragement for village church planers . Who will you share this with today?