MINISTERS MATTER

BILLY GRAHAM'S FOUR CAUTIONS

Billy Graham gives great advice to all of us in ministry today. Here are four cautions where we need to be demonstrating excellent behaviour that exemplifies our calling as ministers of Jesus Christ.

At The Life Centre we use a shorter version called the 3G's for men and women. It is a condensed version of what Dr. Graham has written.

Don't touch the girls/guys, the glory or the gold. Stay pure morally, spiritually and financially.

The Four Cautions - Ethical Behaviour

1. Money - No manipulation. Be accountable. Raise support ahead of the meetings.

2. Sexuality - Avoid even the appearance of suspicion. Do not travel, meet or eat with a woman other than your wife, mother or sister.

3. Gossip - Do not be critical of the church or other ministries. Work through the local pastors. Conduct meetings by invitation only. A coalition of cooperating churches is best.

4. Exaggeration - Integrity is essential. Be credible in your reporting. Let the police to tell numbers. People who come forward are viewed as inquirers not converts.

FOCUS ON THE FAMILY

I was invited to speak to the pastoral community in Montreal on June 2nd., by Focus on the Family / Objectif Famille Canada, Ministère d'implantation d'églises, Jésus Espoir pour ma Montréal, Christian Direction and World Vision.

We met together at the Lighthouse which is a ministry of Evangel Pentecostal Church in the downtown core. The purpose of the gathering was to encourage and minister to pastors and their spouse in the important work that they do in their church and community.

I chose to speak on 'Creating a Culture of Honour' using the lives of Joseph in the book of Genesis and Joseph in the opening chapters of the Gospels. Both of these men faced crushing conflicts in life yet their commitment to honour God in private led to public displays of honourable conduct. In both situations, their lives are shining examples of all things working together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.

Joyce and I have pastored the same church together now since 1981 and we love pastors with all our hearts. They are such wonderful gifts to the church and each October, Focus on the Family encourages churches to take the time to honour their ministers in simple yet meaningful ways.

Fellowship, prayer and building relationships are so important for us in ministry. Taking time to pray for one another in a safe place brings us healing.

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DONNA LAMOTHE

There are times, as a minister, when you are invited into the personal lives of others that humble you. Yesterday was one of those days as Joyce and I spent the morning with a team of area leaders conducting an ordination interview with Donna Lamothe.

It was wonderful to hear once again how God calls an individual and makes that call so clear. We spent four hours together talking about her journey, the moments of personal crisis that drove her to her knees and the challenges of surrendering to His will with no conditions.

The tears flowed in the presence of God as we laid hands on Donna and prayed for her next step in serving the purposes of God in and for her life.

On June 1st she was ordained as the Associate Pastor of Sequoia Community Church in Ottawa.

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THE GOOSE STORY

Yesterday I shared a short blog on honour. Today, I would like to remind us that God has placed, in His creation, a wonderful example for us as Canadian ministers. It is the story of the goose.

The Goose Story

Next fall, when
you see geese
heading south for the winter, flying along
in V formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By
flying in V formation the whole flock adds at least 
71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.

People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily
because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

When 
a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.

If we have as much sense as a goose,
we will stay in formation with those who are headed the same way we are. When
the Head Goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point.

It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs
with people or with geese flying South.

Geese 
honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. What do we say when we honk from behind?

Finally, and this is important,
when a goose gets sick, or is wounded by gunshots and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly, or until 
it dies. Only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation 
to catch up with their group.

IF WE HAVE THE SENSE OF A GOOSE, 
WE WILL STAND BY EACH OTHER 
LIKE THAT.

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CREATING A CULTURE OF HONOUR

Character before Gifting - ministers must choose to build their personal lives and ministries on character and the fruit of the Spirit. Ministers are called to affirm that fruitful and effective ministry works best through vessels of honour.

Honour is an issue of character.

Honour can be defined as holding others in high respect, esteem; adhering to what is right, fulfilling an obligation, serving others honourably as unto the Lord.

Joseph is an example of being a vessel of honour.

Joseph sought to understand the conflicts he faced as the will of God was unfolding in his life, conflict amongst his own family, conflict in Potiphar’s house where his character was called into question, conflict as he lived innocently but was labelled guilty, conflict in prison yet he rose to a place of honour, conflict as he waited patiently for the time and season of his release into his destiny, conflict as he processed divine timing, divine appointments, even activating his prophetic gift at the right time, for the blessing of God to be released upon the nations of his day.

Honour was the foundation of his life no matter the conflict he faced.

He would eventually extend forgiveness to his own brothers later in life because he was a man of honour. "What you meant for evil against me, God meant for good..."

Joseph lived out of a healthy fear of the Lord which gave him the wisdom to know what to do no matter the circumstance.

He passed the tests of ministry with honours.

Proverbs 15:33
The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

THE CULTURE OF HONOUR SEEN IN THE GOD-HEAD

The greatest illustration of honour is the trinity.

One God manifest in three persons functioning in love relationally and governmentally.

It is THE most important revelation of a ‘culture of honour’.

CREATING A CULTURE OF HONOUR STARTS IN THE HOME

Children have a certain DNA yet they are clean slates upon which we as parents model what is eventually written.

If honour is the culture of the home, then the children learn to live and show honour as it has been modelled for them.

Is there a government of honour in the home? Is divine order present?

Scripture talks about honour in the home. Teach it. Model it. Live it.

A husband towards his wife. A wife towards her husband.

Parents towards their children. Children towards their parents.

A culture of honour in the home encourages each member to shift their thinking from me to we, from mine to ours.

Our words, our ways and the atmosphere of love we create in the home is vital.

Honour is in the details!

Scripture calls us as children to honour our father and mother... in all stages of their life.

My mother-in-law has lived with us for the last seven years. Honour her.

A model of honour being lived out of the love of God is attractive.

Romans 12:10
Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

CREATING A CULTURE OF HONOUR IN THE KINGDOM THROUGH THE CHURCH

Ephesians 4:11

And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ...

The equipping gifts in the Body of Christ reveal the whole Person of Jesus building His church through a relational and functioning team of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.

Teamwork by its very nature requires a foundation of honour to function in a healthy and productive manner.

When we model honour among all five equipping gifts, we honour Jesus in our midst.

If we honour Him, we honour the One who sent Him and His favour will rest upon all we do in His Name.

We must create a culture of honour in the church by example and lifestyle.

As we model honour, we compliment rather than compete with each other.

As we model honour, we multiply our effectiveness.

Choices to create a culture of honour include:

Keeping our eyes on God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as our model of love, relationship and a functioning government that has an agenda to extend the kingdom throughout the earth.

Keeping our eyes on healthy family life where honour is present and modelled producing an alternative to a culture of division and dishonour.

Keeping our eyes on healthy churches where a culture of honour is being pursued.

Scripture talks about honouring God, our parents and those to whom honour is due.

Proverbs 3:35
The wise will inherit honor.

Hebrews 11 gives us a list of those who created a culture of honouring God. He has honoured their memory forever.

1 Timothy 5:17
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.

Tomorrow 'The Goose Story'

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THE SHEPHERD'S COVENANT

The Shepherd's Covenant is a call to clergy everywhere. As you read these words, consider them an invitation to a new chapter in your ministerial life!

We are joined together by a common call of God to feed His sheep, but we are also tied by a common commitment to purity, holiness, righteousness and faithfulness.

Our agreement to submit to the Shepherd's Covenant transcends theological differences, denominational connections and local congregational constraints.

We are bound to one another by our calls, mutual accountability and by the knowledge that one day the Great Shepherd will be our final Judge.

We further believe that when clergy are more focused on mission than on profession, we will see a renewed interest in the churches we serve and a genuine acceptance by those we seek to influence.

It is through God's grace that commitment to this covenant is made possible.

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YOU ARE UNIQUELY GIFTED FOR MINISTRY!

God is the author of diversity. He loves it. No two fingerprints are the same. Even our DNA is absolutely unique. There is not another person, among the 6 billion on earth, that has the same DNA as you or I do.

How many people, unjustly convicted of a crime, are grateful that their DNA was not a match? They may have looked like, acted like or even sounded like the one who did the crime, but it was not them? Our genetic blueprint doesn't lie and it sets us apart from others.

In ministry, God again shows Himself as the author of diversity. He has blessed the church with apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Each one is different from the other and yet fulfills a special role in equipping the people of God to do the work of the ministry. Without each one doing what God has called them to do, we rob the church of what it needs - biblical equipping.

With all this diversity in creation, how is it that in the church we are so fearful of things being diverse? We really need to learn to appreciate everyone's uniqueness, to celebrate it and affirm that we are gifted and called to a special function of ministry reserved just for us to do.

I know I was chosen to minister at The Life Centre in Ottawa. The mix of my personality and spiritual gifts, plus the gift mix within the congregation, made for a fruitful and lasting relationship. I am convinced that we function best when we are in the will of God, the place of His choosing and that we serve with excellence.

I know many serving in ministry today who feel like fish out of water. They are not appreciated for how God has equipped them and must endure being tolerated, rather than celebrated. For example, being a pastor, evangelist or a teacher is acceptable in most church settings today, but to be an apostle or prophet is to incur scorn, ridicule and a lot of misunderstanding.

Why not allow people to cultivate their calling and gifting? God gave it to them in the first place! Let's let them do what only they can do.

God wants to grow His church up. He reminded Moses to build the Tabernacle in the wilderness according to the pattern he was shown. I believe in Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4, we are being shown the New Testament version of the pattern.

Romans 12:4 says, "For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not have all the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them..."

Here is a list of gifts, from the epistles, meant to operate in today's church.

See which ones you can identify as being used in your church or ministry. Service, teaching, exhortation, generosity, leadership, mercy, wisdom, knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, distinguishing between spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.

These represent a loving God's desire to bless His people with all the gifts they need. Gifts that are used co-operatively to build, equip and minister as servants of Jesus Christ.

Let me end today by echoing the words of the apostle Paul, "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed."

Let us celebrate our uniqueness and enjoy the God ordained diversity of the Body of Christ.

At Mission O, Ministers Matter!

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT MINISTRY

The University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center found that clergy ranked highest in job satisfaction and “general happiness.” They even out ranked highly paid professionals such as doctors and lawyers.

The article reports: Eighty-seven percent of clergy said they were "very satisfied" with their work, compared with an average 47 percent for all workers. Sixty-seven percent reported being "very happy," compared with an average 33 percent for all workers.

"They look at their occupation as a calling," Carroll said. "A pastor does get called on to enter into some of the deepest moments of a person's life, celebrating a birth and sitting with people at times of illness or death. There's a lot of fulfillment."

Over 30 years of being a pastor, I would concur. Ministry has been and continues to be very satisfying. Nothing compares to witnessing the transforming power of the gospel in someone's life. From the youngest child in Sunday School to the hardened criminal in a prison cell, Jesus makes all the difference.

I have loved to watch marriages be put back together, mine included, and stood in wonder as God called each member of my family, and their spouses, to serve Him on the frontlines of ministry. Joyce as the Director of Ministries, my son Jason now as the Lead Pastor and my daughter Kim, the Children's Pastor. Thank You Jesus!

The congregation of The Life Centre has taught me that love is a two-way street. I have been called to love them and they have been called to love me as their minister. It has been, and continues to be, a 'love never fails' relationship. We are friends, walking together and sharing in the partnership of the gospel.

I have especially loved living and preaching truth. Dropping a plumbline on Sunday so we could all reposition our lives to the will of God. That has proven to be an awesome experience.

Over the years I've related to area pastors as well. This accountability has helped me review the necessary things of ministry like authenticity, family, marriage, money, doctrine, and the three G's of ministry. Don't touch the girls, the glory or the gold.

Looking back over the last 30 years I've appreciated having a front row seat in seeing people changed. I've loved the amount of relationships and the friends I've made. God has given Joyce and I a big extended family who we meet not only on Sunday but through the week around the city and even around the world.

The congregation has shown us grace, put their confidence in us, supported our family financially, socially, emotionally and spiritually. We have wanted for nothing, from a beautiful home, to our cars, and the flexibility to travel to almost 50 nations of the world preaching the gospel.

My biggest supporters have been those who have served on the Pastor's Council (The Board) and our leadership teams. Thank you for helping me fall in love with and stay in love with ministry.

My biggest lesson - God loves the minister more than He does the ministry. I've learned to rest in the Father/son relationship that has allowed me to be me. He loves me just the way I am but loves me enough not to leave me the way I am. To God be the glory, great things He has done, is doing and will do in the days ahead.

I love the ministry!

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MINISTRY IS AN ADVENTURE

Did you know that Jesus chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that would last? See John 15.

He is a master at calling, equipping and planting us where we will have the most effectiveness.

Farmers understand the DNA in every seed. If they want corn they plant corn seed. In their wisdom they prepare the soil, plant at the right time, use the correct fertilizer, the proper amount of water, and trust there will be sufficient sunshine and then let nature do the rest.

The principles of farming are much like ministry. God works these same principles in our lives to ensure a harvest in our ministry. If we have a crop failure, we need to ask the why question. Are we co-operating with Him or fighting Him? What kind of soil are we when His seed is planted in us?

Make no mistake about it - ministry is challenging work for all of us. The results in some areas are bountiful yet others seems meagre. As the farmer trusts his skills to work with the elements, climate and conditions to grow his crops, he must also deal with unexpected changes as we must deal with cultural changes.

Evaluating what has happened, what is happening and what we want to happen, is where wisdom and faith are needed. Here are a few things we can do to enjoy more fruitful ministry?

1. Be willing to change how we do things. Methods are not sacred, the message is!
2. Be honest. Ministry is not always fruitful, so evaluating why is important.
3. Be dependent on the Holy Spirit to anoint, lead, guide, teach, comfort and empower our ministries.
4. Be committed to spiritual revival that focuses people on living kingdom-centered lives.
5. Be purpose driven. There is nothing worse than being aimless in ministry.
6. Be forward looking to grow more, plant more, expand more. God is a big God.
7. Be a listener and encourager of people. Teach/model for them how to exercise their faith.
8. Be in a small group and encourage others to do the same. Community is where we grow best.

In Ephesians 3:20 it says, "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

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YOUR PLACE OF MINISTRY IS 'HOLY GROUND'!

When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, it was during a very long wilderness season in his life. Every had a dry season that seemed to last too long? Now you know how Moses felt.

The fact that the bush was not consumed is what really caught his attention. As he turned to see the sight he heard God call him by name and say, "Moses, Moses, do not come near, take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground."

Ever heard the expression, 'Bloom where you are planted?' For Moses, in the wilderness, it was time to bloom. God had seemed to be just a long ago and far away memory. But suddenly, in the place where he was serving, God shows up to provide him with an amazing opportunity.

The wilderness experience of ministry today is different for sure. If we are honest as ministers we deal with the pressures of being human and working with flawed people on our staff, in leadership and within our congregation. Also, the constant demands on our time; everyone seems to want something from us; and the nagging realities of conflicts in our own personal life, the challenges at home, money issues, and finding it hard to rest, wait on God, prepare sermons and be normal as a spouse, parent or grandparent are overwhelming for those who think we are super-human.

Yet it is exactly in this season of life that God shows up and reminds us that where we are serving His people, on His behalf, is holy ground. Jesus is working in and through us, to those He has redeemed on the cross. We are wise to take off our sandals in obedience and listen right where we are.

Here are a few things to remember about ministry. No two places are alike, so go ahead and enjoy those you serve, where you serve.

As in life, people respond to genuine love from their minister. Love never fails has been my life scripture now for over 30 years. People know if you love them or not.

God will always add His super to our natural and the results are supernatural - ask Moses. Always stay alert to the moving of the Holy Spirit in your ministry.

Your calling is to teach the Word of God not your own ideas. Build people up on truth that will stand the tests of time.

What makes your eyes sparkle and your mouth water? This helps us understand our spiritual gifting, passion and desires in serving. Be the best you that only you can be.

Grow in every dimension of life so as to be better equipped to help your people.

Look to God in your circumstances not to the wilderness around you. Some say Ottawa is a tough to minister. Every place is tough, but God...we all have to rely on Him and He is always available.

See your place of ministry as holy ground. It is filled with potential.

God loves to have encounters with His servants - are you ready for one?

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