Evaluate to Elevate

Today I just wanted to post one of the evaluation I tools I have been using in my life over the past 5+ years in my life.
These particular set of questions I hi-jacked from Bill Hybels (the Snr. Pastor of Willow Creek Church).
I try to at least weekly evaluate myself by going through a set of questions and checking out how I am doing... this helps me to re-adjust my focus for that next week.

ABIDING INDICATORS - I'm Not Abiding When:

1) I go through most of the day or week pre-occupied with self-concerns.

2) I go through long periods of time with no promptings or convictions from the Holy Spirit.

3) I through long periods without being concerned for the poor.

4) I go through long periods of time not being broken for the Lost.

5) I can sit through worship sessions without being stirred to worship and honour God.

6) I'm easily angered when corrected.


Try this, and I'm sure you'll be amazed at not only how brilliant it is at looking backward at how you've done... but at how amazing this exercise is at focusing you for the future.
Enjoy it!

I look forward to hearing how it went for you : )

Ministering In The Spirit

As Pentecostals when we think of ministering in the Spirit, we think of people falling under the power of God... we think of people receiving words from God... receiving healings etc.
And while these are all valid and incredible ways of ministering in the Spirit... there is so much more.

Everyday we are ministering to people. Most of us aren't even aware of it.
"When was I on the stage preaching... when was I upfront praying for people... or counseling people?" I hear you ask.
We have such a limited view of ministering!

Think of the countless times you have approached a cashier... usually they aren't over friendly... their job is monotonous and they have to put up with grumpy customers.
You have several choices available to you:

• You can totally ignore them...
• You can get irritated with their vacant stare and disinterested state...
  
• Or you can change their day... bless them... lift their spirits
  

In all these 3 examples, you would have ministered to that person...
The question is never 'did' you minister... but rather 'what' did you minister!

Gal 5:22-25 ESV
(22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
(23) gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
(24) And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
(25) If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

We are called to minister love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...

When I go up to that cashier, whatever mood I am in... grumpy, uninterested, loving... that is the mood I will serve up to the cashier when they come into my 'space'.

Haven't you ever met people in a foul mood... it didn't take you 5 seconds to pick it up and it didn't take you 5 more seconds to react to their mood... to put your defenses up... possibly to even retaliate... joining them in their mood!
They served you up their mood.
And we can do the same! Except we have the opportunity to serve up 'God's mood' - the fruits of the Holy Spirit!

Next time you face that person in a fowl mood ask yourself, "How do You feel about this person Lord?"
"If I was filled with your love for this person... what would that feel like?"
"How would you like me to serve this person Lord?"
Can you imagine if you mediated on these questions / feelings how you would be able to serve up God's moods to the fowl mooded person. Can you imagine how infectious your mood would be?
Now thats being Jesus in the flesh to that person!

Let me ask you... what are you ministering?
To minister 'God's mood' all we need to do is switch our focus off of ourselves & others... and focus on God... & spend a few seconds meditating on 'His mood'.
Its that simple! I can do it, and so can you.

I challenge you to apply this challenge for just one day... and see how you can minister to people in an awesome way.



Let me know what you thought and how your one day challenge went!

Doing God's Will

Knowing God's will for your life is all the rage now days... we all want to know what next steps God wants us to take as we journey through life... (and so we wait... and wait... and wait).

But how much does the Bible really talk about us 'waiting' on His will.
For example, Paul on his 2nd missionary journey in Acts 16 seems to more just forge a path, and if God doesn't open doors... then he tries else where.

There is far more in the Bible about God's revealed will... yet thats not such a hot topic. But we qualify ourselves for the specifics by following the general I believe.
So what is God's revealed will for all of us? I believe that there are 4 things that God wills of each of us:

1) To be sanctified (ie. that we live according to God's standard... esp sexually).
Check out 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 & 1 Peter 2:15.

2) To be joyful always through continual prayer and thanksgiving.
Check out 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

3) That we be (daily) filled with the Holy Spirit.
Check out Ephesians 5:17 - 18

4) That all are saved (and therefore that I invest my life in sharing Jesus with others).
Check out Matthew 18:14 & 2 Peter 3:9

I have by no means made a comprehensive study on God's will... but I think what I have looked at thus far is worth thinking about.

Some questions for you to ponder:

• How often in your life has God directly revealed to you what 'step' you must take next? (what could that mean in the light of our discussion?)
  
• Do you think that God wants to lead your every step, or should we be taking initiative and looking for God's guidance as we move?
• What Biblical evidence do you have to support your thoughts?
• Why do you think that God chose these 4 things to be such a high priority for each of our lives?
• Aren't these 4 our biggest struggles generally?

I would love to hear your ponderings...

The Most Powerful Way To Share Your Faith

The following is an article taken from the 'Here I Am Send Me' website which is run by Jeremy Sargent of Eastside Church in Hamilton.
Make sure you visit his website, its excellent! You can subscribe to their 3 Words which the following article is taken from (March 07). You can subscribe to this monthly encouragement for free.

Evangelism would be very easy if everybody who was going to be saved would wear a fluorescent sticker on the forehead stating “Please tell me how i can be saved.”Wouldn’t this make the job of the evangelist so much easier and save a lot of “Wasted” time?

Well, the Lord hasn’t chosen this “Ideal” (or so it would seem) way of dealing with those who don’t know him.He has instead given us a very simple way of dealing with those who don’t know him; Listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit.In the book of Acts, Phillip the evangelist was told by the Holy Spirit to go and stand by the Chariot. He did, and he found a hungry soul looking for salvation. It all turned out well and the convert even suggested his own baptism should occur.

So, good evangelism is not witnessing according to a particular teaching (although teaching is necessary for good evangelism) nor is it presenting the same formula over and over to different people in order to get a result.(although if you process enough people with this method you will have some return for your work)

Good evangelism is listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit as to WHAT THAT PARTICULAR PERSON NEEDS TO HEAR AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME, and listening to what the person you are talking to is really saying.

Example;I met a man at the Otorohanga Fair Last weekend who used to go to Church. He had just had the death of one of his Children in December and was still reeling from grief. He had also had another one of his children die previous to the last one. Not all have the fortitude and strength of Job to bear up under extreme circumstances like this. He had returned to drinking alcohol for comfort.

He didn’t need to hear that getting drunk was sinful, but he needed to hear some truth. So I said to him, “Alcohol is a thing. It is not a person and so it cannot really comfort you. You need a person to comfort you in your grief. I recounted how God himself had to watch his own Son on the cross. God is acquainted with grief more than anyone in this world. I then said I would pray for him regularly. I have put his name on my mobile phone to remind me of his situation.The Spirit blows where He wants to. Listen up and be ready to obey.

Peter Guyot

Let me encourage you to put this article into practice today! Trust me, when you ask Jesus for opportunities, and you ask Him to guide you each step of the way, you'll be amazed by the results!

So log on to the 'Here I Am Send Me' website and share your faith adventure stories under the 'Breaking The Sound Barrier' tab.