All to Him I Owe

A shepherd understands a couple of things about his sheep. First, that they need constant care: they need to be fed, watered, contained, and doctored. Second, that they are prone to wander from that type of care and that they seldom say thank you for it. It should come as no surprise to us that in Scripture, God compares people to sheep. We also need constant care, but we are prone to wander from it, even buck against it at times; and seldom do we thank God for His care for us.

As representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ, God calls managers (who are God’s sheep) to serve more of His sheep. Quite frankly, those sheep to whom we are to minister often smell especially “sheepy.” Instead of thanking us, they fight against the things we are seeking to do in their lives for their good. Sometimes they even wander dangerously close to things that have the ability to destroy them. The “sheepiness” of the sheep can sometimes cause the one seeking to serve those sheep to begin thinking dangerously like this, “I wonder if there are any better behaved sheep out there that would treat me differently,” followed by,“You know it would be really nice to minister if only there weren’t any sheep,” and finally, “I can’t think this way; I wouldn’t have a job if there weren’t any sheep.” Did you notice what he did? He all of a sudden began thinking of his life’s work as being just a job.

When a manager begins thinking this way, he begins to seriously consider finding new sheep or just quitting. Often, he even becomes frustrated with his “job’s” benefit package, or lack thereof. The key to longevity,right attitudes, and continuing to serve with little temporal benefits is for a manager in ministry to see his life’s work as a ministry, not a job.

In John 10, we find the Good Shepherd’s discourse and two comparisons that He makes. The first one is His comparison between the thief and the shepherd. The great lesson that we managers can learn from this comparison is that our Good Shepherd owns the sheep. He paid for them and therefore has a different concern for them than the thief, who simply takes to have. Christ laid down his life for the sheep (verse 15), He saved them and takes care of them (verse 9), and He keeps them eternally secure (verses 28-29). In other words, He owns and cares for all sheep. A frustrated manager thinks he is the only one taking care of these sheep. He thinks that they are his ultimate responsibility (as though he owned them) and that if they wander or struggle, the responsibility to care for them and get them back on the right path rests completely upon his shoulders. What a tremendous relief it is for us managers when we recognize that the Good Shepherd owns these sheep, not us!

The second comparison we find in John 10 is between a hired hand and a shepherd. Many times a shepherd would get a hired hand to help him with some of his shepherding jobs; but the differences between the shepherd and the hired hand were that the hired hand fled when circumstances got tough and that he did not truly care for the sheep, as the shepherd did. As Christ’s representatives, we are serving as under shepherds for him; we are not just hired hands. Therefore, while we do not own His sheep, we are to do our best to care for them as He would, in His stead.

Our view of what we do affects how easily we quit the ministry. There is no question that danger, heartache, and frustration will be present with the job of caring for sheep. However, our response to those things demonstrates how we view what we do. The manager who is quick to think about quitting is probably looking at what he does as just a job—he is a hired hand. He thinks he is crucial to the job succeeding; therefore, if he does not see any success, he believes that he must move on. But the manager who faces the reality of shepherding sheep and continues on is one who recognizes that his is a ministry given to him by God, ultimately for his own spiritual growth.

For a number of years, I mistakenly thought that God had called me into the ministry because He needed me, or that the ministry needed me. But in recent years the Lord has shown me that I was prideful to think that way and that God actually called me into the ministry because I needed the ministry. I cannot afford to leave the ministry. I need it. It is God’s design to help me grow and develop into the man God wants me to be.

Another observation that we can make from this comparison between the hired hand and the shepherd is that our level of care for the sheep is dictated by whether we view ourselves as an under shepherd or as simply a hired hand. Notice John 10:14-15 and the extreme care the shepherd has for his sheep: He knows their names, and He is willing to lay down his life for them. Recently I watched a manager try to introduce his team, but repeatedly he found himself needing help remembering their names. A manager that cares for his sheep knows his sheep! If we were polled by those whom we manage, I wonder if they would be able to say that we truly care for them. I wonder if they would say that we would probably lay down our lives for them. If a manager sees what he does as a job, then the tasks, projects, budgets, and efficiency will always take precedence over the care of his sheep. But if a manager has a ministry that is characterized by his seeking to demonstrate the Good Shepherd’s care for His sheep, then he will listen to,counsel, teach, and get involved beyond the workplace with his employees.

The manager of a job sees the success of the project as his ultimate goal. The manager of a ministry sees the success of the people as his ultimate goal.

A little boy walked into our church foyer and I overheard a man say, “are you expecting a flood?” I looked and noticed what he was referring to. The little boy evidently had hit a growth spurt and his legs were longer than his pant legs. You could clearly see the top of his shoes, all of his socks and the bottom of his cute little legs. His growth spurt had created a noticeable gap between the bottom of his pant leg and the top of his shoe.

Growth often creates gaps. When a ministry experiences growth, gaps can be created that are often overlooked by those in leadership but often felt from those within the ministry. A wise leader will fervently try to stay aware of the gaps in his ministries growth and carefully manage the ministry in light of those gaps.

Let me give you just a little of our current context and the background for this article. Our church has nearly doubled in size in the last two years. We have quickly grown in the last two years and we have become very aware of the gaps that have been created by this growth. We are in the midst of addressing these gaps and much of what I am doing as a pastor is helping lead our people through these gaps. Much of our initial problem is trying to figure out where the gaps are. The assessment was and has been much harder than I anticipated. So, to begin let me give this recommendation. Ministry evaluations should be done regularly and honestly. Our leadership has had to conscientiously sit down and look hard at our ministry. That has required us to make time for it and to put some issues to the side in an effort to give this some thought. As we looked it has been hard to admit that we had “gaps.” This has required us to say “yes, that is an issue” more than trying to defend or justify our gaps.

As we have evaluated we have used the following 10 questions as our guide in the evaluation:

1. Does our growth appear to be short term or is their longevity to the growth we have seen?
2. Are we focusing on the new growth to the expense of those who we had before the growth?
3. What processes do we have that have not adjusted to keep up with the growth?
4. Can we adjust our facility to better accommodate our growth?
5. Do we have the right policies in place to adjust to this new growth?
6. Who is struggling most with the new growth we have experienced?
7. Are we properly helping our new people understand our mission and philosophy? (or, are we just putting people into positions to help us keep up with the growth?)
8. Have we outgrown our abilities?
9. Are there things we need to say no to in order for us do ministry better?
10. Is our spiritual growth keeping up with our numeric growth?

Answering these questions takes time, but the time we are taking is helping us navigate our way through this growth. We still have gaps, and probably will continue to have them. However, the assessment process is helping us manage the gaps better than we were.

This summer our ministry had the blessing of hosting two interns. They spent the last two months learning and serving in our church. It is amazing to see God minister to us through the people we minister to. Our church received a great blessing from our internship program. Here are just a few of those blessings:

1. We received the blessing of watching God slowly grow and equip two men for ministry – It was so neat to watch God transform two young men with raw skills of ministry and to develop them over the two months. Their first Sunday of ministry was “rough” as we watched them stumble through their responsibilities, but then by the end of the summer we saw them ministering with ease, confidence, and spiritual maturity. In a sense, God put us all on the front row watching Him transform both of these young men.

2. We received the blessing of having two young men minister to our children and teens – Our young people received a well prepared VBS program as a result of their work. Our teens were enabled to go to camp and be ministered to because they served with us this summer. Activities, discipleship, and example were all given to our kids as a result of this internship. Never underestimate the value of our young people seeing interns with a heart for serving God. That is a great blessing to us!

3. We received the blessing of investing in two young men who will now be able to continue to minister to others – God has a place in the future for these two interns. It may be in our church or another church far from here. Regardless of where it is we had the privilege of investing in them in a way that will better enable them to invest in someone else. What a privilege to see that kind of return on our investment.

4. We received the blessing of spending two months with two young men who want to do the will of God -There is no greater atmosphere than the one that is created by people doing the will of God. Selfishness and a preoccupation with self destroys atmospheres. Our church benefited from having people in front of us serving with a heart to do God’s will.

5. We received the blessing of having a Pastor invest personally in two ministry minded men – I believe I grew this summer as your pastor because of the time spent investing in interns. The discipline of teaching ministry philosophy and modeling ministry to interns sharpens me and keeps me growing.

It has been a good summer. I’m already looking forward to next summer and the opportunity to do this again. It is a blessing to invest in the next generation.

Earlier this year our men were introduced to the game Cornhole at our Men’s Retreat. A number of them got really good at the game and it has become a favorite of many. Here is a fun little clip of a young boy who has the skill many of wish we had.  Enjoy!

Tonight in our evening service I shared a few thoughts in regards to grief. Consider them as you experience grief personally, or help those around us experiencing grief.

#1. Remember the Presence Principle of Psalm 23 – “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me.” Don’t forget that in times of death God promises to be very close to His people. You can experience an increased closeness to God that is very special.

#2. Remember the promise of Psalm 6:8 “…for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.” Here is the principle: God hears the tear filled requests of prayer. Though our voice may be strained through the tears and sobbing, God hears and understands our prayers during times of grief.

#3. Remember the principle of II Corinthians 1:3-4 – God is the only thing that brings comfort to our heart. Everything else is merely a distraction from the pain, but not a comfort to the heart.

#4. Remember the three primary temptations during times of grief – Doubt, Anger, and Self Pity

#5. Remember that asking or accepting help is not a lack of faith.

#6. The possibility of experiencing grief mixed with joy is hard to explain but possible to attain. (Hab.3:17-18) Joy is a choice!

A little over a year ago our church began to pray for God to supply a Christian camp nearby that our church family could use. Little did we know that God was already answering our prayers and providing Wolf Mountain Christian Camp. When Ironwood Christian Camp assumed responsibility for Wolf Mountain Camp I knew that God was not only providing a facility but also a sound camping philosophy that our church could wholeheartedly support.

Camp is becoming a big part of our ministry. We have camp staff attending our church, 6 of our college age adults are working there at different times this summer, and our folks in our church are beginning to attend retreats there throughout the year. With that in mind, let me share with us a little camp philosophy. What is the heart of camping? What is it about Wolf Mountain that separates it from a trip to a hotel, or a theme park? Take note of the acrostic and the video below to help us understand the difference that camp has:

H – Hearing the Word of God

E – Eliminating worldly distractions

A – Away from home overnight in a new setting

R – Reflecting on God’s Word and one’s life in a creation context

T – Trained staff leading unique, organized activities

The director of Ironwood, Mr. Sam Brock shares the details of these items in the following video. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGjhiw2mGXQ]

Recently, a news article reported that due to the high cost of maintenance and an increase in competition, the Hershey’s Chocolate Factory will be closing temporarily, in order to regroup and redesign its building for a more efficient candy-making process. We understand the importance of factories, places known for making or producing valuable products, like chocolate—can you imagine a world with no chocolate? But perhaps we are not aware of the cost necessary to make factories operate. When I say that our church should have a “factory mentality,” I mean that our church should be making or producing something valuable to the ministry of Christ, a product we cannot market nor one upon which we can place a price tag. I am referring to people who have been gloriously saved by faith in Christ, changed into Christlikeness through the Holy Spirit, and equipped by the local church to serve Christ. We cannot save people, but we can equip saved individuals with the skills and abilities which help them serve Christ effectively.

Having a “factory mentality” at FBC means that we look at each individual as a potential servant of Christ who could be equipped for ministry. If our ministry loses this mentality, we will eventually stagnate and fail in one of the chief missions God has given the church. Two key ingredients make our factory mentality work. The first is that we have a heavy emphasis on teaching. Right now, there are four areas where this is happening:

1.   Whetstone Class—a six-week class that prepares potential teachers to be better teachers here in our ministry.

2.   Leadership Meetings—occur on the last Wednesday of every month for our leadership team. Though we are constantly dealing with the needs of our ministry in each of those meetings, every meeting begins with a concentrated time of teaching and training to help our deacons be men of character and competency in their important roles within our church.

3.   Ministry Interns—a program for men who have a heart for ministry and who are either in college or just within our church family. We provide a set curriculum and training coupled with lots of ministry experience here at FBC.

4.   Sunday Night Seminars—occasional Sunday night services that are dedicated entirely to particular areas of ministry within our church (children’s ministry, evangelism, etc.).

The second key ingredient to making the factory mentality work here is for there to be an emphasis on ministry experience. In our ministry right now, we see this happening in many ways:

1.   We let people who are not “experts” in particular areas serve in those areas so that they can grow.

2.   We are not actively pursuing skilled people from outside our ministry but rather are growing the people within our ministry.

3.   We let children and teens serve in music, ushering, children’s ministries, and more.

Having a “factory mentality” can be a joy for us as we see the finished product. But just as the cost to run the Hershey’s Chocolate Factory has proven to be quite high, so the cost for FBC to have this factory mentality is often high. For instance, we need to be willing to pay the following prices:

1.   A slow pace of ministry because we are training people while we minister

2.   A ministry that doesn’t always do things professionally and with lots of polish.

3.   A ministry that invests financially in teachers, curriculum, teaching aids, and other things that help us train well.

4.   A ministry that will say goodbye to some of its best products, because God equipped them here to use somewhere else in ministry.

As a child, I once had the privilege of visiting the Hershey Chocolate Factory and left with pictures and samples of chocolate. But those items are now long gone. As a church, though, with a factory mentality, our product of disciples trained for ministry is not a temporal one but rather an eternal one. The work of discipleship is a glorious work and one we must be faithful in pursuing.

– Pastor Ron

Most of us would consider it foolish to send a young 4 year old who cannot read to the medicine cabinet and ask him to get a bottle of medicine and take it. That child’s inability to read and discern what is in the bottle and how it should be taken puts the child at risk.

In a similar way, a Christian who is unable to discern the contents of a book puts them in a place of danger. So, this past Sunday night we worked through a handful of principles that can be used when trying to discern the contents of a book.

Filter your book choices through these questions and use them to grow in your discernment:

Who is the author? (this can often be found in the flyleaf of the book)

• What is their background?  (ministry, training, experience)
• What is their theological persuasion? (charismatic, Calvinistic, Fundamental)
• Who is recommending this author?

Identify the major premise of the book?

• What is the authors goal?
• What does the author intend for me to do with what they are teaching?

What is their primary source?

• Do they accurately reflect scripture in their interpretation and application?
• Do they pull me away from the Bible or send me back to it?

Am I ready to read this book?

• Am I already in the Word of God?
• Have I already been applying what the Bible has taught me on this topic, or am I hoping this will provide new answers?
• Does this book help me think correctly? Or does it create a distraction in my mind?

Please remember that the only book that is inspired and without error is the Bible. Make the Bible your priority and screen your other books with this principle, “Make sure the spiritual books you are reading draw you back to THE Book the Bible.”

A study in the life of Moses is a worthy study for any leader in ministry, because Moses was a leader who struggled with many issues:

• Feelings of inadequacies in his leadership skills and abilities
• Leading people who didn’t trust him
• Leading people who attacked him in complaint and accusation
• Experiencing the pressure of knowing God’s will for the people and struggling to communicate it to them
• Struggles in patience with the people God asked him to serve
• Experiencing the need to continue to lead, even though tragedy and crisis was happening in his own family
• Making sinful decisions that affected his future opportunities in ministry

As you navigate your way through the life of Moses and his ministry with the Israelites, you will notice a glaring absence—something that is missing, particularly at the end of his ministry. Travel to the end of Moses’ ministry with me for a moment and notice this missing element. In Deuteronomy chapters 31-33, we see the final words of exhortation from Moses to the people of Israel. We see a seasoned leader sharing his insight into their weaknesses, the remedy for those weaknesses—a faith in the person and words of God—, and the challenges they will face. We can almost feel Moses winding down both his life and his ministry.

But then as we read the end of Deuteronomy, we begin to look for the way the Israelites will end their time with Moses. After all, he was the man who had led them out of Egypt and through the wilderness. He had sacrificed and endured much in his attempts to minister to them. If there were ever a time for Israel to stand up and say a heartfelt, “Thank you!” it was at this point. But we are saddened to read that nothing is recorded in the way of celebration for his long years of faithful service. In similar situations, many people would have given their leader a retirement party, but Israel did nothing.

Many leaders and managers in ministry have experienced this in their own ministry. they put in a long day of preaching and ministry, and no one says, “Thank you.” They have poured months of hard labor into a particular project and hear more complaining than you do words of gratitude. Nearly every leader in ministry has experienced the reality of serving people who do not show gratitude.

But before a leader gives up in discouragement, take note of what Moses did have, though he didn’t get a large thank you and retirement party. Deuteronomy 34:1-4 records in a few simple sentences how the Lord took Moses to the top of a mountain and showed him the Promised Land. Instead of a retirement party, Moses ended his ministry with a special one-on-one with the Lord! The neat thing is that this is not the only one-on-one Moses received with the Lord. His entire ministry was filled with a series of special one-on-ones with God.

As a leader in ministry, I want to encourage us to take note of the one-on-ones God gives us with Himself. Through them, we receive the joy that gets us through seasons of unnoticed, unappreciated ministry. In the midst of serving the Lord, He gives us special times in His Word, special times of prayer, and exposure to His supernatural miracles. In a sense, He gives us a front row to Himself when we are in ministry. Don’t miss it! There is a special joy in that seat, if we will recognize it and appreciate it. Keep a journal of what God is teaching you in that seat, and rehearse those things regularly. If you are feeling unappreciated, think about the one-on-ones God gives you. They are one of the highest privileges in ministry.

During the week of March 20-25th Steve Pettit and his evangelistic team joined us for a week of meetings. Through the week we enjoyed beautiful sacred music, a number of gospel messages, and heart-oriented topical preaching. It required a lot of effort on our part as a church to host this week. It was also a long week that kept many families out night after night and resulted in some weary church members on the Sunday after. With all of these things in mind I have given thought today to the value of a week of meetings and why we would do it again. Here they are: 

1.  There is value in having gospel oriented services for our church to bring visitors to.

2. There is value in the “saturation” of the Word of God in our lives. We get regular preaching on Sunday’s and Wednesday’s but a full week of preaching is beneficial.

3. There is value in “topical” preaching about the basics of our Christian lives. We cannot live on a steady diet of topical preaching, but a week of messages that are directed at certain areas of our lives is valuable.

4. There is value in having a different voice (the evangelist) saying the same thing the pastor is saying regularly. It reinforces the truth being regularly heard, and some listen more carefully when they hear a different voice.

5. There is value in a church hearing well prepared, God-honoring music.

6. There is value in a week of concentrated effort letting our community know that our church exists.

7. There is value in our children and teens seeing a group of college age young people dedicating their lives to serving the Lord.

8. There is value in the encouragement that an evangelist gives to a pastor.

9. There is value in a church being encouraged to think “decisionally.”

10. There is value in a church working hard together to serve a team of evangelist that are serving us.

Alot of work went into last week. I’m so proud of our church and the way you attended, served, and responded to the preaching of God’s Word. The testimony service on Sunday gave further evidence to the power and value of a week of meetings.

I’m already looking forward to the next time we have a team through!

For Him,

Pastor Ron