HOW TO START A GROWTH PROCESS (CHURCH)
Two people, reach middle age. Each of them had chosen their values.
"A man away ... All his existence finding new ways to make money ... He is in his last years and lives very comfortably, (but) constantly talking about the money he had made ...
He chose what his values were and cultivated them day after day in many different ways; his values defined his decisions and finally he became a person according to the values he had chosen.
His passion turned him into a greedy being, when he chose his values he chose what kind of person he would be. When his time began to end he was pure greed, even without leaving his bed in the hospital he still wanted more for himself ".
"A grandmother ... the last memory of her was seeing her sitting at the table and we asked her to pray, she took the hands of those who were at her side, a broad smile, the look to the sky, eyes with tears, the chin She trembled, she had chosen that her values would be to love Jesus and love people.
"She did not remember the names of the people, but she would approach them and slap them on the back." When her time began to end, she was pure love, love of God and people.
When a pastor who was walking through the hospital approached his bed and said "I'm going to pray for you" she replied, "No, I'm going to pray for you". Even without moving from her bed she still loved God and the people. "
Each of these people had become what they valued. We all have values. Jesus said it in Matthew 6.21: "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
In other words, where this is what you value, there you will concentrate your life. In one way or another what we value is gaining ground in our actions taking us to give our time, our delivery, our effort, our skills and our money.
What are our values? Some of our values are: family, friends, football, work, church, entertainment, etc.
These, consciously or not, are imposed in our weekly schedule. When a person defines their values, defines their actions, defines their passion and defines their way of life. The same goes for a church. The values we choose determine what we are going to DO and ultimately what we are going to be as a church.
Each of these people had become what they valued.
What are values?
Values are the internal priorities that are expressed in our actions.
How to discover our values? To know, do not ask someone else. What are your values?
Rather ask him what did you do during the last week? How did you use your time, energy and money in the past week?
We all dedicate our time, our energy and our money to those things that we value. The churches too.
Here is an important and simple fact:
The values we believe are not often the values we practice.
Ask your team How many of you believe in doing EVANGELISM? Count your hands raised.
Then ask them: Who shared the gospel with another person during this week? Recount the raised hands. You will discover one of the reasons why our churches do not grow.
Because of the enormous confusion that Christians have when considering that we are living and practicing the values that we only believe intellectually and to which we assent emotionally.
Another test that will not give as much result as the previous one is the following:
Ask your team How many of you believe in doing DISCIPLESHIP? Count your hands raised.
Again, ask your team. Who discipled another person in the course of this week? Recount the raised hands. It will take a big surprise!
This exercise shows the enormous distance that usually exists between BELIEVING AND PRACTICING and keep in mind that we are only talking about the basic values of our faith as they are PREACHING AND DISCIPLING.
The Word of God declares that saying that one believes is not enough, and that it is our actions that show that our faith is true (James 2.14-26); He also affirms that a belief that is not accompanied by actions is dead.
Imagine that someone saw how you used the whole week. What conclusions will you have reached by observing the actions that reveal the values that govern your life?
The following exercise will help you discover what your life's values are.
Complete the following chart with the actions you did during the last week:
Here you have a picture of what the values of your life are. Your actions show your values.
For Christ to be the center of our church we must begin to value what he values and in this way live as he lives. If we are going to live as the body of Christ we must identify the values that characterize the heart of God and make them our values as a church.
What are the values of God?
Jesus defined them exactly, he did not leave this issue to our choice.
In Matthew 22: 37-39 he says: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is similar: You will love your neighbor as yourself. "
The Word of God declares what he values for his church above all things. From these words we have derived two essential values and we can try to apply them in our churches through all our actions.
Value No. 1
Love God
Value No. 2
Love people
Are these values present in our actions of the last week?
In order to correctly answer this question we must deepen on what it means to love God and people, because on this point there is also great confusion.
The question that can help us clarify this matter is the following:
How do we demonstrate love for God and for people?
Through our feelings? Express, speak, sing, praise, worship, etc.
Through our thoughts? Think, reflect, meditate, etc.
Through our actions? That is, responding, acting, facts, etc.
Once again this question has been answered by Jesus in John 14:21. He says "Those who love me keep my commandments." This does not mean that feelings or thoughts are not part of our love for God, they are, but if they are just that, they do not reach their maximum expression, which is MOVING OUR WILL TO DO YOURS.
The word save means:
Obey
Do
To practice
In other words, we could define these words as ACTIONS.
Let's see in the person of Jesus a great example of how the complete and true love:
In Philippians 2 the Word of God encourages us to "have in you this feeling that was in Christ Jesus" which indicates that the plane of feelings is vital for an experience of obedience.
Loving God as the first value leads us to put the values of God in the first place.
What is God most valued? Without a doubt: the people.
Love to people
All of us have two classes of people at our side.
a) Those that are lost, alien to God and without Christ.
b) Those who are saved, reconciled with God and living in Christ.
The first God commands us to love them by preaching the gospel (Mark 16.5).
The second God commands us to love them by making them disciples of Jesus (Matthew 28.18-20).
This multiple task puts us face to face with the fact that we will always have the opportunity to love people. If the person is not a Christian we will make a clear, complete presentation and loving the gospel and if she is a Christian we will have the opportunity to continue with her formation through teaching to be a better follower of Christ.
As believers let's ask ourselves the following questions:
Are we living according to the values of Jesus?
Is God inviting us to review our values?
Are the mandates that Jesus left us incorporated into our lives?
The change of values in the church.
a) The change of values is possible. Let's look at Jesus and his disciples, he managed to change the values of their lives. Pedro went from being dedicated to fish fishing to fish men. Matthew to be busy collecting taxes, to take care of the affairs of the kingdom and so it was with each of those who followed Jesus.
b) Changing values takes time. Jesus spent 3 years changing the values of his disciples.
c) Change the values starts with each one of us. We must look at ourselves ourselves and initiate a change in our own lives.
d) Changing our values (internal priorities) is more difficult and costly than prepare meetings, programs and events.
The only thing that God needs to build a growing church is a small group of people That willing to change their values and their actions. When this requirement is met, he makes the rest.
Will God find those people in our church?
The answer to this question depends a lot on the future of our churches.
It is a reality that the church is made up of people and until there is a real change in the way they live their faith, we are not really modifying the essence of the church at all.
We would all like the church to start growing without us having to make any changes in our lives and our agendas, but the reality is that changes in the church begin only when we initiate a change of values that are reflected in our actions. , in the use of our time, our strengths and our resources.Value what is around you before it is too late and miss it.
This is the first step towards freedom ...
@Darlenys01 -our warrior, I salute this sacrifice of investing so much time to put up this message to the edification of the @steemchurch. Let me share my lessons from here:
In Matthew 7: 24, Jesus said:
Emphasis in the above is in the doing (putting into practice). This is the response that comes from a believing heart. This is the true test of obedience - walking in the demands of God. Many people feel they can believe in the heart but act otherwise, Bible calls such hypocrites. I pray such traits be far from us.
Jesus Christ's nuturing o f the disciples was devoted to having them do what they saw the master do. He was always committed to transferring His life to them, the very reason He commissioned them to go and bidding them to make disciples whom they will teach to obey the things Christ had commanded. God is interested in the chain of continuity -begating after His kind.
The growth process follows after the DNA and we having being born of God, have been imputed with this DNA which was in Christ. His DNA is that of love- for God and for humanity.
Like my discipleship vision statement goes "making ndisciples that make disciples that make disciples, I am constrained to consciously transmit the life of Christ in me into others. Let me end with the words of Paul to Timothy
That is the catalyst of growing the church. May God help us - Amen.
My favorite teacher @uyobong, I believe that you perfectly complement my messages, excellent words, here is everything we need to grow in the work of God and impact the lives of many.Faith without works is dead, but the work must be sincere from the deepest part of our heart, so that it can be received with a fragrant smell before God.
It doesn’t matter what you’re going through — a painful breakup, struggling with an addiction, or fighting an eating disorder. Building yourself a safe container for your emotions, thoughts, experiences and so on will always allow you to maneuver through life easier. It will protect you and promote growth.
this is an amazing post on how to grow as a man
Do not think that committing yourself to God and not fulfilling does not have its reward. Well, as it is written: "If in a little you are faithful to me, in much I will put you"; No matter the size of the commitment that you have acquired, or what task you should execute, if you do not comply, you will be considered irresponsible and a liar. A person unworthy of receiving confidence. If you do not meet a small allowance, how do you expect something larger and more important to be entrusted to you?
The people who keep their word are of great esteem before God. Do you want to disappoint him and incite him to anger? Responsibility is your best introduction to the world. Make sure you give the best impression.
excellent contribution @clicket the lack of responsibility is the first sin that entered the world, Adam just blame Eva for disobedience.
God bless pastor is really a matter to reflect on.
When talking about Values, we refer to what involves both our feelings and our emotions. For example: when we value peace, and it bothers us and hurts the war; or when we value freedom and we are angered by slavery; or when we value love and hurt hate.
The most powerful value my apostle @darlenys01, is the love.
excellent sister God continue every day blessing your spiritual life.
We must teach our children to be grateful in everything that can be given to them.
Let's not teach our children to belittle what we have but to give thanks knowing that gratitude opens the doors for God's blessing in our lives.
Our children listen in our mouth words of thanks or words of complaint and contempt.
if we do not instill the gratitude they will not live contentedly.
The Bible is the only source of Right, Just and Eternal values.
Those who accept and put into practice biblical teachings experience a remarkable transformation, because their way of thinking and their motives change for the better
By learning the values that are set forth in the Scriptures, they manage to uproot sin from their heart, the values that it fosters push them to abandon all kinds of vices and bad behaviors, and to be better people.
Biblical values have helped millions overcome sins, habits and entrenched practices that have spoiled their lives.
The Holy Spirit, using the biblical teachings, has revealed to us the salvation that God gives us through his son, Jesus Christ, and not only that, but he has also changed our bad habits, given hope and healed our family relationships, etc.
Apply the word of God to your life. CLEAN YOUR LIFE! (PSALM 119: 9)
No matter how much this world degenerates, throughout the Earth there are people who are better every day. And this process will not stop, because the Bible promises:
"8Set the grass, let the flower wither; But the word of our God remains forever. "Isaiah 40: 8