Robert Emmitt

Don’t Limit the Lord on His Choice for Leaders. Acts 9:1-9

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Paul would have beenthe last person anyone would choose to become the great Christian leader of alltime. Yet Jesus chose Paul to be the top leader for Christianity. Jesus did notconsult with other Christian leaders to get their opinion of Paul. If he had,they would have certainly rejected Paul. Jesus did not worry about how it wouldlook to have the top anti-Christian becoming the top Christian. If he had,every Public Relations firm in the country would have told him it was a baddecision. Jesus had a plan that included Paul and that settled the decision.

Jesus has a plan thatincludes you and that settles it. Jesus has a plan that includes people thatyou may not think are the best candidates for Christian leadership, and thatsettles it. Do not limit the Lord on his choice of leaders. Do not disqualifyyourself as a leader because you think you are unworthy or unable. The Biblesays if anyone wants to be a Christian leader they desire a good thing (1Timothy 3:1). If you want to be a Christian leader, that is a good thing. Ifsome other Christian wants to be a leader that is a good thing. Do not limitthe Lord on his choice for leaders. Paul was living proof that the Lord canchoose and empower anyone he wants for his service.

Jesus chose someunlikely people for leadership and ministry. He used a tax collector namedMatthew to write the first book of the New Testament. He used a young quitternamed Mark to write the second book of the New Testament. He used a medicaldoctor named Luke to write the most detailed account of Jesus in the world. Heused a fisherman named John to write books on spiritual truths that highlyintelligent scholars and theologians have been studying for 2,000 years. Heused a prostitute named Mary Magdalene to demonstrate gratefulness to theworld. He used a woman who had been married and divorced five times and wasliving with a man to lead a whole town to salvation. Jesus chose me, aleft-handed Aggie with no great spiritual, intellectual, or leadership promiseto pastor a large church. Don’t limit the Lord on his choice for leaders.

Look at your group orchurch from the Lord’s perspective. Pray and ask the Lord to show you who hewants to be leaders. Let yourself be the Lord’s blinding light and voice fromheaven that says to some unlikely people, “You would be an excellent leader forthe Lord. Have you ever considered preaching, teaching, or doing some kind ofministry?” You will be amazed at whom the Lord is calling into leadership. Yourjob as a pastor is to find them, empower them and help them get into servicefor Jesus.

If Jesus choseprostitutes, fishermen, tax collectors, divorcees, quitters, andanti-Christians, imagine what he can do with the people in your life. Get outthere and talk to them. Get out there and empower them. When they tell you theyare not worthy to be a Christian leader, remind them of who the Lord has usedover the centuries. There is a world to reach for Jesus. You are a leader. Youwere not perfect when the Lord called you, and yet you have been effective inministry. Start talking to the people in your life about ministry. Do notignore anyone. If the Lord can use Paul, and if the Lord can use you, then hecan use the people in your life and ministry. Be the blinding light andcommissioning voice to them.

Put Leaders in Positions ofLeadership. Acts 14.23

Thechurch needs leaders. It’s our responsibility to put leaders into position.Whether you are the sole appointer of leaders in your church, or whether youwork with a committee, board, or church wide vote; your job is to put leadersin positions of leadership in the church. As you visit your people and see howthey are doing, ask them if they could do anything in the church’s ministry,what would it be? You will discover what’s on their heart, when you do, putthem in positions of leadership.

3 Prayers Of A Wise Decision Maker

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1. Lord, show me. (Daniel 2:18, 9:2)

Danieldidn’t know what the king’s dream was, so he asked the Lord.

When youneed an answer, look at the absolute truths. Ask yourself: is there clearBiblical instruction on the subject? When you find it, do what it says.

The absolute truths. (Romans 1:18-2:1)

There are lists in Matthew 5-7, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians5:19-23 and Hebrews 13 for us to judge ourselves, not others. As you read thelists, ask yourself how you’re doing on each one. You will find your strengthsand struggles in those lists.

The interpretations. (Romans 14:1-2)

Christians have killed each other over opinions and hadongoing debates.

· Don’t argue about disputablematters. Let the Lord show them (Romans 14:1-2).

· Don’t make your interpretation thestandard for others to live up to (Romans 14:4).

· Remember, we will all stand beforethe Judgment Seat of God (Romans 14:10).

· Live a life of goodness and peace(Romans 14:17).

· Get your convictions from the Lord(Romans 14:22-23).

2. Lord, forgive me. (Daniel 9:4)

Danielconfessed his sins and the nation’s sins. He humbled himself. We should do thesame. Confess and repent as the Spirit leads.

3. Lord, help me. (Daniel 9:20)

The Lordsent an angel to help Daniel. The Lord has sent the Spirit to lead you. He’salso given you parents, church, teachers, groups, friends, books, sermons,counselors, etc. to help you understand the Spirit’s leading in your life.

What isyour sin, issue, prejudice, or weakness? Ask for and pursue the Lord’s help inyour situation.

Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing. Acts 13:5

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The mainthing for us is proclaiming the word of God. We are to share with people themeaningful life on earth and eternal life in Heaven they can have by trustingJesus and following his word in the Bible. Paul, Barnabas, and Mark didn’t goon a pleasure journey to have a good time. They went on a mission to spread theword of God throughout the world. Jesus told us to go and make disciples(Matthew 28:19). That involves telling people about Jesus, calling them to makea decision, and teaching them how to live the Christian life.

There aremany good things pastors can get caught up doing such as: buildings,maintenance and repair, school, ministering to the sick and sad, organizing andadministrating. These good things can take the place of the main thing if we’renot careful. Preach the word of God on and off stage. Bring Jesus into as manyconversations as you can. Lead people to Jesus and disciple them—that’s themain thing.

Be Flexible (Acts 19:8-10)

2012-01-28T14:00:00.000-06:00

Watch outfor Spiritual Sclerosis (SS). SS is hardening of the spiritual arteries. Youget used to doing things the same old way and you lose your flexibility. You becomehardened. You don’t change with new ideas. You start murmuring the 7 deadliestwords in church life:

“We neverdid it that way before.”

Paul wasdoing his thing. The Jews were doing their thing. Something had to change soPaul relocated his ministry. That is being flexible. Paul preached in a rented/borrowedhall for 2 years. Be flexible.

What isyour idea of the perfect ministry? Community Bible Church is the church that Idreamed about when I was a missionary in Costa Rica. A lot of what we are doingnow at CBC are ideas that the Lord gave me in 1989. Some of those ideas includean Elder form of government, lively worship, practical teaching, small groupministries, a wide variety of ministries and empowering the people to serve theLord. Things have changed over the years and we have made adjustments along theway.

Thereality in ministry is that things seldom work out the way you want them to. Ithought I would be ministering to inner-city churches; the reality is that Iminister in the suburbs.

Beflexible, open, and able to adjust. After a storm it’s the Willow tree, not theOak tree that stands. Are you flexible?

Don't Do It! (Temptation)

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3 characteristics of a temptation

1. TheBible says that it is wrong

2. Youwant to do it

3. Youare able to do it

· Thereare daily temptations to be resisted.

· Andthere are life-wrecking temptations to be avoided at all costs.

· Weall face them. We all can resist them. We all have a way out of them.

1. Realize that you can wreck yourlife. (1Corinthians 10:12-13)

What are some famous life-wrecking temptations? Adultery,homosexuality, child molestation or pornography, prostitution, drug deals,drunkenness, embezzlement, cheating, shoplifting, murder and tax evasion tomention a few.

2. Pay attention to your “Don’t doit!” (2 Samuel 11:3)

· TheBible says that God provides a way out. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

· Davidresisted many life-wreckers but gave in to one.

· Heheard his don’t do it, but did it anyway.

· Don’tdo it warnings come from: the Holy Spirit, friends, spouse, conscience, Bible,articles, near disasters, and people who got caught doing what you are doing.

· Jesusresisted his life-wreckers and empowers you to do the same.

3. Enjoy not knowing what mighthave happened.

· Ifyou accept your don’t do it warnings and don’t do it, then you will never knowwhat you missed.

· Ifyou reject your don’t do it warnings and do it, then you will discover what youwished you had never known.

Finish your life strong.

Joseph did. Jesus did. Paul did. Your relatives did. Myrelatives did. Our church members did. So will you, if, when tempted, you DON’T DO IT!

Get a word from the Lord. (Jonah 1:1-2)

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Jonah gothis word. What is the word the Lord has for you? If you can’t answer thatquestion, I challenge you to find it out. When you read your Bible, what verseskeep jumping off of the page? When you pray, what words does the Lord put inyour mouth? When you think, what thoughts does the Lord put in your mind?

I neverget audible words from the Lord, at least not yet. I don’t get visions. But Ido read the Bible and get words from the Lord—verses that jump off of the pageand apply to my life and ministry, stories I can relate to (like Jonah). I getwords from the Lord through prayer, thoughts, and talking with people. Howabout you? How do you hear from the Lord?

You need to get words from the Lord. That’s howHe directs us. You don’t have to pray for dreams and visions. You don’t have tohike up Mt Sinai. You just have to have an open heart for Him to speak throughprayer, the Bible, stillness, thoughts, church, or people. He can give you a wordto visit someone, write a note, teach, give, go on a mission trip, pray, speak,sing, serve, volunteer, or whatever else He decides to tell you.

The Bible is your weapon: Read it. Study it. Live it.

2012-01-18T22:37:00.000-06:00

Jesustaught us how to use the word in Mathew 4. He used the Scriptures to overcometemptation. If Jesus is your Lord, then follow his example, use your weapon!

As apastor, I give you a fish every week, now I’m going to teach you to fish. Thereare 1189 chapters in Bible, if I preached one chapter a week, it would take 23years to go through the whole Bible. The Bible was meant for you to read foryourself!

3Questions that have served me well since I was a teenager:

1. What does the Bible say? Readit.

You haveto read it. Read it book by book, day by day. Use Proverbs to prime the pump.Try starting with 5 minutes a day 5 days a week.

2. What does it mean? Study it.

You haveto study it.

A fancyBible is nice, but it doesn’t tell me anything more than a simple Bible.

Startwith a study Bible. The Life Application Bible is cheap, but it’s loaded withstudy notes, charts, themes, history and more.

Eph,vital,theme,6.17,notes,blackline,contributors,

3. How does it apply to my life?Live it.

Jesusapplied the Scripture to his life by doing what it says. We do too. This is donebest with 2-3 Christian friends; and family counts.

Read theBible and do what it says. Your life will be changed because of it.

Resist Temptation (Ephesians 6:10-18)

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EveryChristian battles a few sins in their life. It is part of the experience. We cannotescape the battle. What’s yours—gossip, slander, judgmental attitude, unforgiveness,anger, rage, self-pity, theft, lying, porn, immorality, greed, pride, ego,self-control, cheating, or something else? It’s a spiritual battle. You canwin. In fact, you can win every time.

1. Know the strategy. (Ephesians6:10-11)

Be strongin the Lord.

If youkeep committing the same sins over and over, then you are trying to be strongin yourself. If you can’t stop, or say, “Lord take it away” or “I can’t helpmyself,” then you are relying on yourself and not God.

Put onALL of God’s armor. There are 7 pieces: truth, right living, the gospel, faith,Salvation, the Bible, and prayer. Salvation, trying to live right, reading theBible a little, and praying the same prayers is not enough to walk in victory.

So thatyou can stand against ALL strategies of the devil.

We canstand against ALL strategies of the devil. You can walk in victory. You canresist your temptations today.

2. Know the enemy. (Ephesians 6:12)

Yourenemy is not your ex-spouse, parents, boss, friend, dope dealer, computer,neighbor, barking dog, landlord, government, your SITUATION. Those people orthings are not your enemy. Your enemy may use these things, but they are notyour enemy.

Devilmeans accuser, slanderer. Satan means adversary. He is called tempter,murderer, liar. He is compared to a lion, serpent, angel of light and god ofthis age. Evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world. Mightypowers in this dark world. Evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Don’tspend a lot of time studying satan outside what the Bible teaches you. Don’ttry to figure out the organizational chart of hell.

Justpractice the strategy: Be strong in the Lord. Put on all of God’s armor so thatyou can stand against all the devil’s strategies.

3. Know the enemy’s strategies.(Ephesians 6:12)

Temptations: lust of the eyes, flesh and ego(too smart for your own salvation)

Falseteaching: It soundsgood but it isn’t right. (Many ways to heaven sounds good but it’s falseteaching.)

Losethings: health,family, money, reputation, confidence, hope, job get angry with God.

Getthings: freedom,success, attention, money, relationships, power, cause to forget God.

Disease,disasters, and cruelties of men cause some to doubt the existence of God

4. Put on ALL 7 pieces of God’sarmor. (Ephesians 6:13-18)

It’s notenough to have a few pieces. God says to put all 7 on if you want to walk invictory.

Truth – know what you believeeither by fact or by faith
Righteousness – live right, youmake the decisions to do the right or wrong things.
Good News – know it, show it andtell it. Trust Jesus, read the Bible and do what it says.
Faith – not saving faith butliving faith applied to your actions, reactions and words
Salvation – the moment you knewyou were forgiven, your heavenly ID
Bible – read it at least 5 minutesevery morning
Prayer – in the Spirit, withoutceasing, on knees, in car, in thoughts

Memorizethe 7-piece checklist. Make sure you have them everyday, just as you have yourwallet, keys and phone.

Read Job1-2 to better understand the battle.

Jehovah's Witness and Mormon Info

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False Religion (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 7-11)

There areonly two religions in the world. One teaches salvation by grace, the otherteaches salvation by works. The only one that teaches salvation by grace isChristianity. All the others teach salvation by works of man.

There aremany false religions in the world. Even among Christianity, there are falsereligions that teach Christians who are already saved by grace that they needto be good or stay good in order to be saved.

There aretwo very aggressive false religions that you will meet at your doorstep:Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons, also called The Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter Day Saints. They both leave the teachings of the Bible and force theirmembers to study other books that replace the Bible.

The JW’swere started in Pennsylvania in the early 1870’s by Charles Russell and hisfriends. The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society was incorporated in 1884 withRussell as the President.

Facts About Jehovah’s Witnesses

· They don’t believe that JesusChrist is God.

· They believe that Jesus was theArchangel Michael.

· They think Jesus was raised fromthe dead in spirit as Michael.

· And that his body was dissolvedinto gasses in the tomb.

· At one time they believed thatJesus came back invisibly, to rule the earth in 1874. When that didn’t workout, they said he came back in 1914. Then they said that Abraham, Isaac andJacob would return in 1925.

· They believe that the 144,000people going to Heaven in Revelation refers to them. The rest will inherit theearth and work towards heaven in the 1000-year reign.

· Their Bible is much different fromyour Bible.

· They believe the Bible can only beunderstood by them; by studying it with the books published by the Watch TowerPress.

· They don’t accept bloodtransfusions.

· They refused vaccinations in the1930-50’s.

· They believe that Christianity,outside of their group, is of the devil and that all priests and ministersexcept theirs are representatives of Satan.

· They cannot salute the flag or saythe pledge of allegiance.

· If you ask them questions abouttheir religion or point out their dysfunctional history, you are an opposer andthey cannot talk with you.

The Mormonswere started by Joseph Smith around 1840. He supposedly received some goldtables from an angel called Moroni, which only he saw and interpreted. Theybelieve the Christian church went wrong after the apostles of Jesus died andwas not restored until Joseph Smith came along and made it right. They believein the Bible, but they do not think it is a complete record of all that Godsaid and did. Of course they think their books—Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price—arethe complete record.

Facts About Mormons

· They believe in polygamy.

· They believe you will stay marriedto your spouse in eternity.

· They believe you and your spousewill get your own planet and will spend eternity populating it.

· They believe that God is stilllearning.

· They believe that humans canbecome as God.

· Everyone one existed before theywere born.

· Satan and Jesus were brothers.

· Jesus married Mary, her sisterMartha, and Mary Magdalene.

· Salvation comes through acceptingJoseph Smith.

· They believe that salvation byGRACE is “One of the most fallacious doctrines originated by Satan.”

Be awareof the false religions at your doorstep. Know what they believe. Know what youbelieve. You won’t be led astray from Christianity. Get information fromEvidence Ministries. Don’t attack the individuals, they are only doing whatthey are told to do. Study your Bible and don’t ever put another book above it.Accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.

Keep Your Sermon Simple

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Jesuskept it simple. He never told his disciples to write it down. If you speakwith metaphors and analogies…people won’t forget it. Heaven is like makingbread, fishing, farming, cleaning house, common things that anyone can relateto. Metaphor is probably one of the most powerful ways of teaching. Takingsomething that’s not known or understood, relating it to something that isknown or understood, and making it known and understood instantly.

If youcan’t remember it they sure can’t.

Keepingit simple…for example what does the Bible say, what does it mean, and how doesit apply to the life of a child, teen and adult?

Have asermon sound byte. When your friend asks what you’re preaching, they don’t wantthe intro, middle, and conclusion. They want a sound byte. Marriage, money,divorce, controlling your anger, succeeding at school.

Thesermon on the mount was 20 minutes of sound bytes; 10-15 minutes ofexplanation. A quick one-liner of info they can put on the news that night.When your people go to lunch after church and someone asks what the preacherpreached, they should be able to tell in one sound-byte. If they can’t, thenyour message was too complicated or not very interesting.

Jesus’messages were simple. Peter preached the history of Israel in a spontaneous Spirit-filled moment. The Bible says to always be ready to give an answer whenasked.

If youwant to know if it’s too complicated, look at the eyes of the people you arepracticing on. Try to speak in a way that they want to ask for more instead offeeling like they got too much.

Cheat Sheet for Men Ages 16-25

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Biggesttemptations: wine, women and song.

Instructions

· Get good friends who know wherethey’re going in life

· Stay clear of the sex, booze anddrug crowds

· Open a Roth IRA

· ACH an amount every paycheck andbuy shares of mutual fund

· Make a list of top 5 things you’relooking for in a woman

· Go on a mission trip once a year(ministry, fellowship)

· Take a personality test and learnmore about yourself

· Show up on time. Work hard. Learnfast. Don’t complain. Be polite.

· Stay in touch with your parents.

Learn from Benjamin Franklin’s 13Virtues

1.Temperance. Eat not to fullness; drink not to elevation.

2.Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid triflingconversation.

3. Order.Let all things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.

4.Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what youresolve.

5.Frugality. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself- i.e., wastenothing.

6.Industry. Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut offunnecessary action.

7.Sincerity. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if youspeak, speak accordingly.

8.Justice. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are yourduty.

9.Moderation. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you thinkthey deserve.

10.Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.

11.Tranquility. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common orunavoidable.

12.Chastity. Rarely use venery but for health and offspring, never to dullness,weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.

13.Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

(Humilitywas added to the original list of 12 only after a friend of Franklin "kindly informed" him that he was "generally thoughtproud.")

3 Keys To A Lasting Relationship

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Which oneof God’s creatures is most committed to lasting relationships?

People are created to have lastingrelationships

Lastingrelationships are not found in looks, money or popularity. Look at Hollywood.

Lastingrelationships are found in Conversation, Connection and Commitment.

Jesus was a very friendly guy (John1:38-51)

Heconversed, connected and committed to a lot of people…but not everyone.

Look atthese examples of Jesus with his disciples:

· Jesus with Andrew and John (John1:38-39)

· Jesus with Peter (John 1:42)

· Jesus with Nathaniel (John 1:45-51)

1. Conversation is good

Thismagnificent monogamous creature has an interesting courting routine.

DaleCarnegie’s book, How to Win Friends andInfluence People, has 30 ideas, most of which are Biblical to help you withconversation. Here are 5 from his book:

Be genuinely interested in their life
Call them by their name
Make them feel important
Ask leading questions
Always start in a friendly manner

Get thebook and read 30 for 30 days and put it into practice.

Practice.Talk to new people this week. It’s like a game. Awkward silence means the gameis over.

2. Connection is better

Thismagnificent monogamous creature has one mate; not many mates.

Find aconnection point. Something in common with past, present, dreams, moment, need,interests, class, sense of humor, sports, children same age, success, failure…

Connection is for friends.

Chemistry is for marriage. Julie and I hadchemistry. Chemistry messes with your brain. You can’t stop thinking about themand you can’t wait to see them. After 32 years my face still lights up when Isee her.

Stayconnected through common interests.

3. Commitment is best (John 14:1-3)

Thismagnificent monogamous creature doesn’t fool around. If one of a mated pairstarts flirting with others, the community attacks until they repent.

Staycommitted to each other.

And themagnificent monogamous creature who is most committed to lasting relationships?The black vulture.

Conversation.Connection. Commitment. If a buzzard can do it, then so can you.

Accountability

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Walk your talk.

Pastorsand their families live in a fish bowl. Their lives are displayed for all tosee.

For some,it makes them uncomfortable. For me, that’s what it’s all about. God puts us ondisplay. Do you have a life that can be displayed? Are you real? When you standup and speak on marriage and family, are your spouse and children agreeing withyou or are they thinking you are a hypocrite? Our lives are meant to be openfor examination. Jesus, Paul, and Peter lived open lives.

Do the right thing.

Do theright thing. When you finish with all the excuses, reasons, arguments andjustifications, do the right thing. When you get a bad email, do the rightthing. When your child has a game and it interferes with a non-emergencymeeting, do the right thing. When there is a moment of temptation, do the rightthing. Make it a daily habit to do the right things. Help people that arehurting. Encourage people that are quitting. Answer people who are asking. Youget the idea. Do the right thing. If the pastor doesn’t do the right thing, howcan we expect the church to? Most of us know right from wrong. We are called tobe the leaders. Leaders set the example. If you will make it a practice to dothe right things in life, you will have a steady supply of fresh illustrationsand life examples.

How do you have accountability?

There are15,000 people in my city that know me. They see me everywhere I go. I justassume someone is there watching me that goes to the church. I always assumethat how I think, act, drive, tip, etc. is being watched by at least one personfrom the church. I have elders for accountability in ministry. We live inministry together so there’s no set accountability session. We just live lifetogether.

Who can ask you hardquestions?

The staff members that work directly with me canask me the hard questions, but Julie is #1 on the list. I’ve received moreanswers from the Lord through her more than anyone or anything else. She’s incommunication with my staff and I have discovered that they team up against me.She comes to conclusions a whole lot faster than I do.

Ministry 101

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Start where you are.

Start your ministry right where you are with the people you are with.
If the Lord wants to transplant you, he will. But don’t get so busy looking for another ministry that you neglect the ministry right where you are.

Go where the need is.

The Lord gives gifts, talents and interests to each of us to do the ministry he wants us to do.
Wherever you see the greatest need is a good starting place for your ministry.
When you hear: “Why doesn’t someone do something about ____?” That is a good place to start your ministry.

What are you waiting for?

Give it a try! You’ll never know if you are called to do ministry until you give it a try.
Learn as you go.
I had been a pastor for 3 years before attending seminary. One of my greatest fears starting seminary was that I had been doing it wrong for three years.
I realized the Lord is in charge of his churches and pastors.
Trust Jesus. Read the Bible. Do what it says. You’ll be on the right track.

What’s Your Signature?

People should know what your church is all about.
We all have a slogan, but what do people say to their friends about your church?
What is your church known for?
Practical teaching is CBC’s signature. What does the Bible say, how does it apply to your life. We offer a wide variety of ministry, great music and practical teaching.
We are all about consistency.

You are not perfect, but you should be closer to it than the people you are leading.

Pray and ask the Lord to show you any areaswhere you need improvement.

Helpful Websites

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ChurchLeadership/Resources

1. www.edstetzer.com

2. http://pastors.com

3. www.preaching.com

4. www.churchleaders.com

5. www.creativepastors.com

6. www.crosswalk.com

7. http://shepherdpost.christianpost.com

8. www.saddlebackresources.com

9. http://www.lifechurch.tv/resources

10.http://mintools.com

11.www.biblegateway.com

12.www.biblestudy.org

13.www.gotquestions.org

14.www.studylight.org

15.www.leaderu.com

16.www.leadnet.org

17.http://people.bu.edu/bpstone/theology/theology.html(Christian Theology)

18.www.graceonlinelibrary.org

19.www.ccel.org

20.www.creeds.net

21.www.carm.org

22.www.searchgodsword.org

23.www.sermonlinks.com

24.www.complete-bible-genealogy.com

25.http://people.bu.edu/bpstone/theology/journals.html

VideoClips

26.www.worshiphousemedia.com

27.www.godtube.com

28.www.vimeo.com

29.www.youtube.com

People’sStories

30.www.achievement.org

31.http://www.biography.com

32.http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html

Statistics/ResearchBriefs

33.www.abovetheinfluence.com

34.http://www.gallup.com

35.www.nrf.com

36.www.edisonresearch.com

37.http://www.barna.org/

38.www.pewresearch.org

39.www.anythingresearch.com

40.www.factmonster.com

41.www.bls.gov

Business/Finance

42.www.surveymoneymachine.com

43.www.forbes.com

44.http://business.gov

GovernmentSites

45.www.cia.gov

46.http://www.nimh.nih.gov/index.shtml

47.http://www.cdc.gov/

Magazines

48.www.time.com

49.www.collidemagazine.com

50.www.inspiremagazine.org

51.www.inc.com

52.www.outreachmagazine.com

53.http://www.relevantmagazine.com/

News

54.http://news.google.com/

55.http://wn.com

56.www.usnews.com

57.www.rocketnews.com

58.http://www.mysanantonio.com

59.www.washingtonpost.com

60.http://newslink.org

ChristianNews

61.http://www.christianheadlines.com

62.http://www.christianpost.com

63.http://www.klove.com

64.http://www.sermonnews.com

Quotes/Humor

65.http://brainyquote.com

66.http://quotationspage.com

67.http://quoteworld.org

68.http://reverendfun.com

ChurchWebsites

69.www.communitybible.com

70.www.churchofthehighlands.com/

71.http://cornerstonesimi.com

72.http://fellowshipchurch.com

73.http://fellowshipnwa.org

74.www.lakewood.cc

75.www.lifechurch.tv

76.http://marinerschurch.org

77.www.marshill.org

78.www.marshillchurch.org

79.www.newspring.cc

80.http://northpoint.org/

81.http://www.redeemer.com

82.www.willowcreek.org

SearchEngines

83.www.stumbleupon.com

84.www.alexa.com

85.www.altavista.com

86.http://aip.completeplanet.com

87.http://findarticles.com

88.www.searchengineguide.com

89.http://dogpile.com

90.http://entireweb.com

91.http://go.com

92.www.hotbot.com

93.http://infomine.ucr.edu

94.http://www.ipl.org

95.http://scirus.com

96.http://teoma.com

97.http://turboscout.com

98.http://search.yippy.com

Look For 3 Confirmations In Your Ministry

2011-11-04T18:45:00.002-05:00

1. Someone with authoritysupports you.

Jesus received confirmation from his father. Someone in authority should bless your ministry.
Someone should be confirming that you are on the right track, you’ve got what it takes, you are called to do it.
Listen for confirmation from the people in your life like a mentor, pastor, associate pastor, or someone else that walks with you through the growth process.
If you can’t get anyone to mentor you and tell you that you’ve got what it takes to do the job, you’re probably not called.
Do not try to talk them into confirming you. Don’t sell yourself. Just tell them your story, show them your ministry, and ask them what they think.
If you are called to ministry, God will give you confirmation from someone in authority.

2. People are blessed byyour ministry.

How do you know if people are blessed by your ministry? They show up, they tell you about a sermon that touched their life, and they keep coming back.
They should want to invite their friends and family to hear what you have to say.
They should be encouraged by your work, your words, and your ministry.
If you start with an audience of 10 and it steadily grows over the weeks and months, then you are in the right place.

3. You are blessed in yourministry.

You know you are called into ministry when you get energized by doing your ministry.
The world needs pastors who enjoy doing ministry; not ones who resent ministry.
Being a pastor is like any other job on earth: there are good days and bad days. Make sure you enjoy doing ministry most of the time.

Life As A Pastor

2011-11-04T18:42:00.002-05:00

Everypastor’s schedule will look different, but there are some general ideas thatare consistent among most pastors. Here’s a glimpse of my schedule. It’schanged over time as the church has changed.

Sunday

I show up early and generally stay out of peoples’ way. Sometimes I will walk the halls and say hello to the volunteers.
If something needs to be addressed or is brought to my attention, I delegate it. I keep my focus on my message and leave the logistics to my team.
I meet with the sound and lights and music team to make sure they have all my cues and my sermon notes.
I used to go in the lobby and work the crowds. I would walk around during the music set and cheer on the nursery and children’s workers. Sometimes I would pass out bulletins as the people walked in to the service. I kept that up for a long time, but the church is now too big for me to do that effectively. The staff now works the crowd and cheers on our volunteers.
During service, I’m on the front row taking one last look over my notes and joining in the worship.
Then I preach. Towards the end of the sermon, I make sure to invite people to come down front after the service so I can meet them and talk with them.
When the service is over, I stand around at the front of the sanctuary and talk with people as they come.
Sunday afternoons and evenings are time with family and time to relax.

Monday

Mondays are generally a slow start. I try to sleep in if I can and I don’t rush off in the morning.
I start studying my Bible for what I’m going to be preaching the following weekend. I read through the chapter, mark it, highlight it, and chase down any ideas I have for my message.
When I was the only paid staff person, I would try to meet with visitors Monday through Thursday for breakfast or lunch. I would also follow up with visitor cards personally.
At 150 people in your congregation, all of it is personal contact.
On Mondays, I would visit people in the afternoons, make phone calls, look over the weekend’s reports and try to write a weekly report to go out to the congregation on a monthly basis.
Monday night was time with my family and Monday Night Football.

Tuesday

In the earlier days, Tuesday morning was study time.
I would try and take someone to breakfast and lunch and study between the two meetings.
In the afternoons, I would make calls, council people, and visit people.
With my current schedule, Tuesdays are my meeting days. I am in meetings for the majority of the day.

Wednesday

Wednesday has always been my study day.
I really try to narrow in on what my message will be for that weekend.
I do a lot of praying and seeking the Lord on what he wants me to say.
Usually in the afternoon, I’m ready to go over a general version of my message.
From Wednesday on, my mind and focus is primarily on the message. I constantly go over it in my head and talk to anyone who will listen. I try to throw one-liners out there and watch how people respond.
If you have an inner circle of about 5-6 people, you can try a one-liner on them and see if it meets a need or curiosity in them.

Thursday

I clean up my message and make any necessary changes.
This is the day I play catch up for anything lacking in my week.
When it was just me, I would catch up on any visitor connections. That is your key when starting out. At 150 people, I would generally spend 15-20 hours a week connecting with visitors. The work place is a great place to go and meet your visitors because they can introduce you to their co-workers. It’s very effective.

Friday

Ahhhhh, Friday. My day off.
I like to spend it with my family and do something I enjoy. I like to golf, exercise, shop with Julie or catch a movie. It’s my day of rest.

Saturday

Saturday morning I relax and usually exercise. I used to spend time with the kids by going to their events. Now I go to my grandkids’ events.
When I didn’t have a Saturday night service, I would make it a family day and family evening. I would also do some final studying on Saturday night.
But since we have a Saturday night service, I do my final preparation Saturday afternoon before heading up to the church.

What Matters In Ministry?

2011-11-04T18:23:00.000-05:00

If you read the first book in the New Testament you discover what really matters in ministry. Ministry starts with Jesus. Ministry does not start with churches, denominations, seminaries, conferences, pastors, theologians, publishers, books, buildings, ministries or movements. Those are all wonderful things, but they are not what come first; they are not the seed that is planted in the ground. They are the plants that grow from the seed. The seed is Jesus Christ. Ministry starts with Jesus.

Get Back to the Basics
• Stay fresh.
• Study Jesus more than you study people who write about Jesus.
• Keep getting new ideas from Jesus.
• Study the word for yourself.
• Ask your own questions.
• Find your own answers.
• Spend more time with Jesus than you spend with people who talk about their time with Jesus.

The Life Application Study Bible has a chronological list of the life of Jesus. It lists 250 events in order of Jesus' life. It’s a great tool to study the life of Jesus. I’ve been preaching through it this year and it’s been a lot of fun. There are so many directions you can go with it in your sermons and you and your people learn more about the life of Jesus. And that’s what ministry is all about.

Make Time To Be Alone With God
• I fear boredom but I cherish solitude. I need solitude because I go full speed until I can’t anymore and then I have to get away and recharge.
• One way I recharge is by reading my Bible and making notes.
• I have more inspiration writing my thoughts down than I do typing. Writing takes longer and it causes you to be more concise.
• Stay fresh. Get your word from the Lord.
• It’s good to read but don’t get caught up in reading other people’s stuff and not from the Lord.
• If you’re not getting your word from the Lord, then its time to take a break and start afresh. Get your Bible and journal and be refreshed from the Spirit and the Word.
• There are times to be with people and times to be alone. Be careful that you take the time to be alone with God.

Stick To Your Purpose
• God doesn’t send us aimlessly through life. He has a purpose for each of us.
• Paul’s purpose was evangelism, discipleship and church planting. He was led by the Spirit.
• He was committed to the task no matter what happened.
• He was aware of troubles-but marched on, anyway, because his purpose kept him going.
• If you lose your purpose, you lose your motivation. If you don’t know what you are doing on earth or in life, you will become depressed. You have to have a purpose in life.
• Your plans may change but your purpose is the same.

Pastor: It’s the greatest job on earth.
• A pastor’s job is accomplished through large group celebrations, small group ministries, and personal contact.
• It’s the only job that combines all the disciplines of business plus public speaking, counseling, coaching, leadership development and worldwide opportunities.
• You are with people in their happiest moments in life—such as a marriage, birth, graduation, or major accomplishment.
• You are there to support people in their lowest moments in life—such as a death, a wayward child, an unfaithful spouse, or a job loss.

Keep Family Before Ministry

2011-11-04T18:18:00.001-05:00

Live out your faith.
It is one thing to preach about faith, but it’s another thing to live it. Live in such a way that your children can look at your life and realize you actually live out what you preach on Sundays. Show them that what you say on Sundays is true and it really works when put into practice. It’s the best “message” your children will ever receive.

Be real.
Jesus was real. He was authentic. He wasn’t holier than thou. He lived life and he lived life with joy. Your joy level should be a good indicator for you if you are living life in authenticity or hypocrisy. Pastors are human. Don’t try to set ridiculously high standards for yourself or your family and make them resent Christianity because of your “religion.” Don’t make them attend everything. Just have them fulfill the minimum requirement of going to church once a week and leave the rest up to them. Most of the time, they will choose to go to more than just Sunday morning service.

Apologize quickly when you make a mistake.
Along with being real comes moments of imperfection. When that happens, make sure you are quick to admit when you make a mistake. Don’t try to mask your mistake by emphasizing their mistake, but take ownership for your wrongs. Don’t have double standards. Admit it when you are wrong and your children will respect you so much more than when you push the blame onto someone or something else in order to keep your appearance of superiority.

Let them be who God has created them to be.
Make sure your kids are good at something. Let them try all kinds of things—sports, arts, scholastics, clubs, hobbies, etc. Let them keep trying things until they find something they enjoy and can do. It builds their self-esteem and confidence. Everybody ought to be good at something.

When you’re home, be home.
Family comes first. No computer, no phone, no studying. Do it after they go to bed. I wrote a lot of term papers from 9:00 to midnight when my kids were in preschool. Spend time with your kids. Play with them. Pay attention when they are talking to you and make sure they know that they are the most important people in your life. Make all their events. Coach their teams whenever you can. Make sure your kids know they come first and not the church. Don’t be a preacher; be a father. For preacher’s kids, Christianity is caught more than it’s taught. The last thing they need is a formal family devotion time. Let your children be normal.

Give lots of compliments and confirmations to your children.
Your children need a blessing from you every day when they are little, every week when they are older, and as often as you talk to them when they have moved out of the house. Make the most of the time you have while your children are at home because they will grow up and be on their own before you know it.