Fanning the Flame — Debbie’s Story

I’ve asked some of the Fanning the Flame team members to let me know what they have been learning as part of the process.  This is Debbie’s story which she has allowed me to share with our readers.

When I first heard about Fanning the Flame I was anxious to find out what this could mean for our Church.

I have not been disappointed. I am excited with what we have been doing so far and am looking forward to all that is coming next.

One of the first things was looking at our prayer life individually and as a Church.  I have a much better understanding of the importance and necessity of my prayer life.  I really took an in depth look at my prayer life as it is today and what I want it to look like in one year from now. Just taking the time and really focusing on my prayer life for the first time was really an eye opener. I found my prayer life a was not what it should be and this has helped me change it and has made a huge difference.

I am working on my spiritual gifts survey now and I know this will help me find out what my true spiritual gifts are and will help guide me to do what God wants me to do.

We have been talking about repentance and how necessary that is as individuals and as a Church.  The Pastor just talked about repentance in his sermon.  True repentance for all of our sins is absolutely necessary in Christian life and restores our relationship with God.  I have come to realize that just asking God to forgive all my sins is not enough.  For true repentance I really need to think about all my sins when I repent and this has helped me focus on all my sins when I am asking God for forgiveness.

There are many strategies we have identified to best help our Church and fulfill God’s purpose for us.  I was asked to be on the FTF Strategy Task Force for Small Group Discipleship and we just had our first meeting.  We are looking at small groups ministry and the leadership of these groups and how these groups should look and what important aspects they should contain.  We are off to a good start and I am excited with what we are going to be doing.

FTF is definitely changing me and I am looking forward to what we will be doing as a group and as a congregation.  There are so many good and positive things in store for us.

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Fanning the Flame #13 — Like a Kid in a Candy Store

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,  but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.  Ephesians 4:11-16

My assignment as part of the Fanning the Flame team is to be the spiritual gifts coordinator for our church.  This means giving as many members as possible a spiritual gifts assessment, and then having a conversation with them about their gifts and how they could be used to build up our congregation and community. This will start with the team, and this month two ladies have completed the assessment.  As I reviewed their gifts and their passions, one lady told me she loved gardening.  ‘When I go into a landscaping store in the spring, I’m like a kid in a candy store”, she said, “I get so excited, and I want to choose everything.”

Well, I’m like that kid when it comes to spiritual gifts.  I get the biggest kick out of seeing how God created us: the amazing talents, interests and passions He gave.  We’re like different flowers in the same garden, learning to bloom and grow together in beautiful patterns. I’m looking forward to helping people discover and put their gifts to work.  Great things happen when God mixes with us, and we mix with others.  Pray that at St. Paul’s we learn to appreciate all the gifts — our own and those around us. We can spread the sweet aroma of Christ to the environment around us.

The Spiritual Gift of Leadership

As part of our Fanning the Flame process, all team members (and eventually all of our congregation) will be offered the opportunity to do a spiritual gifts assessment.  Leadership is a spiritual gift, and in this month of exploring leaders, I thought everyone would benefit from having the following definition which was provided as part of our material.  After reading this, do you think you may have the spiritual gift of leadership?

 

LEADERSHIP

 

Literal Meaning: To stand before

 

Description: The gift of leadership is the special ability that God gives to certain members of  the Body of Christ to set goals in accordance with God’s purpose for the future and to communicate those goals to others in such a way that they voluntarily and harmoniously work together to accomplish those goals for the glory of God.

 

Distinctives:

1.     Provide direction for God’s people or ministry                                                                                                2.
2.     Model the values of the ministry
3.     Take responsibility and establish goals
4.     Motivate others to perform to the best of their abilities
5.     Present the big picture for others to see

 

 

Traits:	Cautions:
q     Influential	q     Should realize their relational credibility takes time
q     Diligent	and is critical for leadership effectiveness
q     Visionary	q     Should remember that servant leadership is
q     Trustworthy	biblical model, the greatest being the servant of all
q     Persuasive	q        Do not need to be in a leadership “position” to use  this gift
q     Motivating
q     Goal setter

 

References: Acts 15:7-12; Romans 12:8; I Timothy 5:17

Good Leaders Accept Help

“O, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and tongue….please send someone else.”  Exodus 4:10 & 13

Moses, probably the greatest leader in the Old Testament recognized his limitations.  He admitted that he was not good at everything.  He asked God to remove the burden of leadership from him.  Instead, God directs him to a helper, someone with the gift he lacks.

“Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite?  I know that he can speak well. … He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth …” Exodus 4:14-15

Later on, Moses encounters a different problem — time management.  As leader, he is dealing with so many small problems, he can’t get to the bigger ones.  This time, it is his father-in-law, Jethro who gives the advice to delegate.

“Look for able men from all he people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe;  and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.  And let them judge the people at all times.  Every great matter they shall decide themselves.  So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.”  Exodus 18:21-22

Likewise, in the book of Acts, the twelve apostles found they could not meet all the needs of the growing church.  Some widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.

“Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

We can’t expect our leaders to go it alone.  Good leaders recognize the spiritual gifts of others and they learn to delegate and train.  Maybe the greatest talent of good leaders is to recognize and cultivate the skills of the people around them.

I can see this in my own life.  Leadership is not my strongest spiritual gift, but I have found myself in situations when I am called to lead.  When this happens I know that I need someone with the gift of administration as a strong #2 — I see the goal, but not always the steps that need to be taken to get there.  I also need people with the gift of service — the ones who can just see a task that needs doing, and jump it to take care of it.  For me, leadership is all about assembling the right team–a group who can work together and accomplish great things.

What about you?  What can you do well, and what do you need to delegate?  I’ll be writing more about this in an upcoming post on spiritual gifts.

 

The Laity — Christians in Action

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve, if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage then give encouragement; if it is giving then give generously; if it is to lead do it diligently; if it is to show mercy do it cheerfully.” Romans 12:6-8

The book of Acts in the Bible is actually a type of genre that was popular in its time.  Such works chronicled the acts of a heroic figure or an important city.  Some commentators divide this book into the acts of Peter and Paul, but read through it and you will meet a host of gifted early Christians.  These were some of the original laity, and they ought to give us an idea of the many things lay people can accomplish.

• Lydia used her gift of hospitality to invited others into her home to hear the gospel. (Acts 16:15)
• Philip had the gift of evangelism.  He witnessed one-on-one to an Ethiopian. (Acts 8:35)
• Barnabas was called “son of encouragement.” He encouraged Paul, Mark and others.(Acts 4:36)
• Stephen was known for his wisdom.(Acts 6:10)
• Cornelius was generous and faithful.(Acts 10:1-2)
• Tabitha served others. (Acts 9:36)
• The Bereans studied the Bible earnestly to gain knowledge. (17:10-11)
• Apollos, Priscilla and Aquila were all gifted teachers (Acts 18:24-26)

Peter and Paul deserve our respect and admiration, but they could not have spread the gospel alone.  The church needs pastors and missionaries, but it also needs the laity.  We have been given gifts to support, encourage and maintain the church.  We also have the ability to reach and serve people in our family, community and work environments, who may never meet the pastor.  Study the book of Acts and see where your special gift fits in — the church needs you!

Preaching By The Book – A Book Review

This book is the second in a series published through Hobbs College Library (part of OBU).  I will start off by saying that this book is not for the average layperson.  It is a deep study of the formation of sermons.  The author of this book, R. Scott Pace is a distinguished writer and professor who utilizes his experience to assist pastors in developing their sermon style.

 

The book is divided into the following three sections:  Foundation, Framework, Finishing Touches; within each section of these three sections are the sublevels of sermon writing.  In foundation, the reader is given information about the inspiration and investigation into the sermon topic.  He advises the reader that unless the foundation is solid (Based on the Word of God) the rest will falter.  The next section, framework, progresses into interpretation and implementation of the Word and how to study and use the information received to write a sermon.  The final section, Finishing Touches goes into introductions, illustrations, invitations, and conclusions.

 

Throughout the book, Mr. Pace stresses the importance of using the truth of God’s word in your sermons.  He also stresses the impact of a personality in a sermon.  I can identify with that because I am more apt to actually hear a sermon that has a personality to it.  I do not mean the pastor is acting like an idiot, but just that their individual personality shines through the words they are speaking.

 

Even though this book is not geared towards laypeople, but towards pastors, I enjoyed learning about structuring sermons and how to make sure they follow a good format.

 

I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars and a must for those starting to deliver God’s word.

 

I was given a free copy of this book for an honest review by B&H Publishing.

T.E.A.M.

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”  1 Peter 4:10

You’ve probably heard this before:  T.E.A.M = Together everyone accomplishes more.  It’s true in the church as well as in business.  The laity of the church, along with the Pastor are a team.  Often the Bible speaks of the church as a “body.”  We have different gifts and different functions.  We do our best work when all the parts are working together.  If one body part isn’t doing its’ job, the whole body suffers.

I’ve had some of my best life experiences working with others in the church.  Years ago, I wrote original Vacation Bible School programs for my church.  It wasn’t a solo effort.  I did the curriculum, but my sister, who is artistically creative, suggested crafts;  a member who loved to sing chose and led the music; a preschool teacher gave us suggestions about which things would work well with different age groups;  a great organizer became the director.  We did this for about five years, and when I see one of those ladies today they often mention what fun we had pulling it all together!  I could never have done it all on my own.

This blog is another example.  Although my blogging friends tease me about being the obsessive blogger, Michele was the driving force in getting the blog set up and going;  Paula made it pretty and added some features we didn’t know how to do;  Beth Ann started me thinking about posting songs and music … and so on.  It is a true group effort and I just love it when God mixes with us in a way that creates something none of us imagined we could do.

The best thing about T.E.A.M efforts?  As Peter says in the quote above, they are a way to pass God’s grace on to others.  Isn’t that what the church is all about?  So, my advice is, dream big, and then find some others who will dream along with you.  Pray, work, and let God use you in amazing ways.

He loves you and so do I!