There is in my mind a forgotten Passage over in Titus 2:1-5 that I believe we as Christians need to give attention, energy and focus to. This is what is known as what the Apostle Paul calls here "....things which are proper for Sound doctrine".
Here's what it says (NLT): "As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching. 2 Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience. 3 Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers. Instead, they should teach others what is good.4 These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, 5 to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God" 6 In the same way, encourage the young men to live wisely. 7 And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. 8 Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us"
These duties and responsibilities outlined in this passage are for five groups:
1) The Preacher
2) Older or Mature Men
3) Older or Mature Women
4) Young Women and...
5) Young Men.
What's interesting about this passage is that the groups mentioned are called as either new or seasoned Christian to exhibit and exemplify qualities and character that is consistent with the life of a Child of God! What's even more powerful is that there is a theme of being a "GODLY EXAMPLE" permeated throughout the text and everyone called to be a Godly Example in the passage are to be diligent and consistent in focusing on those they have been called to be an Example to.
The truth is, we need more Christians living lives that serve as examples to younger Christians. From the Preacher to the Parent, there are too many "compromising Christians" and therefore newer Christians are struggling to find proper Christian examples of what it means to truly live their lives according to Godly and biblical standards.
Our young people (young men and women) are spiritually suffering because of the shortage of Mature Christians who are willing to step up and show them how to live their lives God's way! So these younger Christians turn to the World's way of doing things, for both the young men and women they lack respect for themselves, they ignore spiritual authority, they surround themselves with worldly people and therefore they struggle to get beyond the infant stage of Christianity.
Even in the natural a young child must have adult examples to show and model before them how to be responsible adults. Those of us who have been in the Faith for awhile are called to model in front of "baby" Christians the life God desires for them to live and as for The preacher, well he/she is called to exemplify exemplary conduct and behavior in front of those they lead both privately and publicly! LET'S GET BACK TO BEING A GODLY EXAMPLE!
- BE STRONG!
Pastor V.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
SOME PERSONAL THOUGHTS
Well on last Friday around 3:30 a.m. I had a freak accident, yep I fractured my left ankle, I tried to stand up, but my leg was asleep and when I went to put pressure on the leg, my ankle buckled under me!. This has left me pretty much incapacitated for the most part! I'm trying to keep busy, but all I can do is computer stuff and talk on the phone! This is very difficult for me because I'm used to really coming and going as I please. Nonetheless, this has given me a deeper appreciation for the ability to walk and do it with both of my legs and feet. I realize that there are people (war/military veteran's, diabetics, accident victims, etc.) who are living with amputations as well as prosthetic's and have had to make major life adjustment's due to the inability to use certain physical limbs and the blessing is although they lack limbs they still have LIFE! Bless God!!
One scripture comes to mind as I deal with this and it is found over in Psalm 103:1-5 where it says... "Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s"
One scripture comes to mind as I deal with this and it is found over in Psalm 103:1-5 where it says... "Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s"
No matter what I'm facing, no matter what you're facing God's Name is worthy to be praised!
-- Be Strong!
PASTOR V.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
HOSPITALITY
Today I saw a thought-provoking statement that said, "Show hospitality, even though the corresponding return of hospitality to you may seem improbable; nevertheless, be hospitable in faith." The last part of that statement really stood out to me, because it suggests that our Hospitality should be done with no conditions, no strings attached, be hospitable without expected hospitality in return.
Now if the truth is told, that is one of the most difficult things to do, to extend hospitality to an individual or individuals with the great possibility that you won't receive it in return. Well, we're encouraged to "be hospitable in faith", while I'm taking care of them, we must believe that God will take care of us and don't worry HE WILL!
-- Stay Strong!
Pastor V.
Now if the truth is told, that is one of the most difficult things to do, to extend hospitality to an individual or individuals with the great possibility that you won't receive it in return. Well, we're encouraged to "be hospitable in faith", while I'm taking care of them, we must believe that God will take care of us and don't worry HE WILL!
-- Stay Strong!
Pastor V.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
MEASURING SUCCESS
Over the course of my life more specifically in leadership and ministry, I've discovered that there are many who measure how they're doing from their respective areas of leadership and ministry according to how they see someone in the same position as them are doing. They measure their success by how big another church's membership is or how many ministries or programs they have in place. They measure success by how big that church's budget is or how faithful the giving is of that particular church's membership. They even measure success by what kind of car the other Pastor/Leaders drives or the neighborhood he or she lives in.
The problem I've found out with measuring my personal success according to how/what I see another doing is that it can be very frustrating and discouraging. That's why it's important to understand that God allows things to be so in our lives in proportion to our ability and also our availability. He sees and knows ALL (omniscience)! There are some things we have a Zeal for but not necessarily the patience or tolerance or even mental or emotional strength to handle! There are some things that we haven't acquired the wisdom for yet, but we have the desire to do or be a part of.
I've learned in a very comprehensive way that EVERYTHING happens in God's time/timing! Having the Zeal for something, unfortunately is not indicative of the fact that I'm ready for what it is I have a Zeal for! Maybe there's more growth that needs to happen, more knowledge that needs to be gained, maybe there's more lessons to be learned, more connections to be made or maybe, just maybe there's more TIME TO BE SPENT WITH GOD! Whatever it is it would behoove us to be faithful and dedicated where we are even through the frustration, the anxiety, the delays, the decline and the set backs.
Furthermore, just because a person, group or organization has seemingly surpassed you in a particular area in life or within their organization, believe me, it's not always a GOD thing! Sometimes things are allowed to happen just to show us, wow "I just wasn't ready for that, this is way too much to handle". So hang in there, be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10)! Our promotion comes from Him (Psalm 75:6) and He knows when we'll be ready for what we may think we're ready for right now.
BE STRONG!
Pastor V.
The problem I've found out with measuring my personal success according to how/what I see another doing is that it can be very frustrating and discouraging. That's why it's important to understand that God allows things to be so in our lives in proportion to our ability and also our availability. He sees and knows ALL (omniscience)! There are some things we have a Zeal for but not necessarily the patience or tolerance or even mental or emotional strength to handle! There are some things that we haven't acquired the wisdom for yet, but we have the desire to do or be a part of.
I've learned in a very comprehensive way that EVERYTHING happens in God's time/timing! Having the Zeal for something, unfortunately is not indicative of the fact that I'm ready for what it is I have a Zeal for! Maybe there's more growth that needs to happen, more knowledge that needs to be gained, maybe there's more lessons to be learned, more connections to be made or maybe, just maybe there's more TIME TO BE SPENT WITH GOD! Whatever it is it would behoove us to be faithful and dedicated where we are even through the frustration, the anxiety, the delays, the decline and the set backs.
Furthermore, just because a person, group or organization has seemingly surpassed you in a particular area in life or within their organization, believe me, it's not always a GOD thing! Sometimes things are allowed to happen just to show us, wow "I just wasn't ready for that, this is way too much to handle". So hang in there, be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10)! Our promotion comes from Him (Psalm 75:6) and He knows when we'll be ready for what we may think we're ready for right now.
BE STRONG!
Pastor V.
Friday, June 8, 2012
The Young and the Restless
Hey Everyone! It's been a minute since I've posted something personal! Well today I want to talk a little bit about how Valuable I believe young people (students, youth and children) are both to the local and Universal Church. Jesus once said something in His Word over in Mark Chapter 10 and verses #14-15, where He makes a clear and defining statement, He says... "He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children". I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”
Jesus was using the innocence, humility, teachable spirit, child-like faith, receptiveness and submissiveness of these children to show us who qualified to enter the Kingdom of God! Jesus had a heart for young people, He valued them, He understood them, He created a culture for them! I love that, because as a Pastor I try to follow Jesus' example of His Ministry to Children! I too believe that when it comes down to the things of the Kingdom young people play an intricate part in the advancement of the Kingdom Agenda!
For far too long so many churches have created a culture where young people are only to be seen and not heard! This has hurt and damaged young people, their confidence and their opportunities for serving and using their gifts and abilities to make a difference in their local churches and communities! Without a Ministry to Young People in the church they will become restless, bored, disinterested, reckless and even spiritually doubtful. I am absolutely convinced that young people have so much to offer as it relates to helping to move the local church in the direction to which God is calling it.
Next Week I'm going to give my ten personal reasons I believe young people should be used in their local churches and how great of an asset they'll be to their local church community at-large! God wants to use young people, therefore those in leadership should be creating and fostering an environment where they can use their God-given abilities to bring about life-change within the body of Christ as well as becoming a Godly influence on their friends and family that may be far from God!
Young people aren't just the Church of tomorrow, they're the Church of TODAY!
MORE NEXT WEEK.... In the meantime, Be Strong!
Pastor V.
Jesus was using the innocence, humility, teachable spirit, child-like faith, receptiveness and submissiveness of these children to show us who qualified to enter the Kingdom of God! Jesus had a heart for young people, He valued them, He understood them, He created a culture for them! I love that, because as a Pastor I try to follow Jesus' example of His Ministry to Children! I too believe that when it comes down to the things of the Kingdom young people play an intricate part in the advancement of the Kingdom Agenda!
For far too long so many churches have created a culture where young people are only to be seen and not heard! This has hurt and damaged young people, their confidence and their opportunities for serving and using their gifts and abilities to make a difference in their local churches and communities! Without a Ministry to Young People in the church they will become restless, bored, disinterested, reckless and even spiritually doubtful. I am absolutely convinced that young people have so much to offer as it relates to helping to move the local church in the direction to which God is calling it.
Next Week I'm going to give my ten personal reasons I believe young people should be used in their local churches and how great of an asset they'll be to their local church community at-large! God wants to use young people, therefore those in leadership should be creating and fostering an environment where they can use their God-given abilities to bring about life-change within the body of Christ as well as becoming a Godly influence on their friends and family that may be far from God!
Young people aren't just the Church of tomorrow, they're the Church of TODAY!
MORE NEXT WEEK.... In the meantime, Be Strong!
Pastor V.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
WHERE DO FIGHTS COME FROM?
James, a Servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, posed this very question to some Christians over in James 4:1! He then answered his question to these believers in a question form by saying to them... "Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? Another word that's used for evil desires is "LUST"! Lust is simply "having, but wanting More and then more on top of more". More possessions, more power, more wealth, more status, more acknowledgement, more notoriety and so forth and so on, and when more is not obtained, a person will fight another to get it.
More specifically, fights, wars, disharmony and Conflict occurs when one person differences clash with another, when different beliefs, difference desires, different impulses and different wants don't come in agreement with ours, conflict and confrontation is inevitable, because of a person's overly eager (and out of Control) desire (lust) for power and the need to be right about everything and the need to make others conform to their way of thinking and thought process.
No one person knows everything, everybody can learn from somebody it's a matter of walking in humility and facing the truth about your own inadequacies. The bottom line is this, and it must be faced, CONFLICT is always the result of our Human Imperfections!
So...."What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?" and here's the Solution according to James 4:7 (NKJV) "Therefore submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you"
-- Be Strong!
Pastor V.
More specifically, fights, wars, disharmony and Conflict occurs when one person differences clash with another, when different beliefs, difference desires, different impulses and different wants don't come in agreement with ours, conflict and confrontation is inevitable, because of a person's overly eager (and out of Control) desire (lust) for power and the need to be right about everything and the need to make others conform to their way of thinking and thought process.
No one person knows everything, everybody can learn from somebody it's a matter of walking in humility and facing the truth about your own inadequacies. The bottom line is this, and it must be faced, CONFLICT is always the result of our Human Imperfections!
So...."What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?" and here's the Solution according to James 4:7 (NKJV) "Therefore submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you"
-- Be Strong!
Pastor V.
Monday, May 21, 2012
TRANSPARENCY
I've discovered that in Leadership, whether in the corporate world or in the Church, there are very few who are transparent. I believe one of the reasons why Leaders lack transparency is because they want those around them to believe they don't have any flaws or failures. They feel that if they expose their own weaknesses then people won't depend on them as much as they would like.
This is called False advertisement and unrealistic expectations. The problem that I have with that is that when and if a leader does fall in any one particular area, those around them and under their leadership fall victim to deep (almost depressive) disappointment, because the Leader has unrealisticly portrayed an almost flawless and faultless demeanor as it pertains to their leadership and them as a person.
Leaders don't be afraid to be transparent, let your people know that you're not perfect and you're growing, maturing and learning just as they are. People want a leader who don't mind saying "I don't have it all together" let them know in what areas you fall short sometimes. Let them know that you do get frustrated, angry, mad, disappointed, weak and so forth and so on! Every leader becomes broken, every leader cries, every leader has marital or relationship problems, every leader falls short in some area of their life.
In fact, every leader has weaknesses! Even Superman was susceptible to kryptonite.So don't be so caught up in how strong you are that you're too high to come down to where people are in their own struggles and share yours.
-- BE STRONG!
Pastor V.
This is called False advertisement and unrealistic expectations. The problem that I have with that is that when and if a leader does fall in any one particular area, those around them and under their leadership fall victim to deep (almost depressive) disappointment, because the Leader has unrealisticly portrayed an almost flawless and faultless demeanor as it pertains to their leadership and them as a person.
Leaders don't be afraid to be transparent, let your people know that you're not perfect and you're growing, maturing and learning just as they are. People want a leader who don't mind saying "I don't have it all together" let them know in what areas you fall short sometimes. Let them know that you do get frustrated, angry, mad, disappointed, weak and so forth and so on! Every leader becomes broken, every leader cries, every leader has marital or relationship problems, every leader falls short in some area of their life.
In fact, every leader has weaknesses! Even Superman was susceptible to kryptonite.So don't be so caught up in how strong you are that you're too high to come down to where people are in their own struggles and share yours.
-- BE STRONG!
Friday, April 27, 2012
MINISTRY SUCCESS PART II
A few weeks ago I started a Blog entitled "MINISTRY SUCCESS". I listed some things that have kepted me from experiencing Burn-out and Failure! Here are a few MORE things that I want to share.
- STAY CONSISTENT
- STAY SPIRITUALLY HUNGRY
- STAY JOYFUL
- STAY THANKFUL
- STAY FAITHFUL
- STAY BIBLICALLY EDUCATED
- STAY CLEAR OF VISION KILLERS
- STAY IN LOVE WITH JESUS AND MY WIFE (-:
I pray that I shared something that has inspired and helped you to experience success at level of ministry that God has you.
- STAY STRONG!
Pastor V.
- STAY CONSISTENT
- STAY SPIRITUALLY HUNGRY
- STAY JOYFUL
- STAY THANKFUL
- STAY FAITHFUL
- STAY BIBLICALLY EDUCATED
- STAY CLEAR OF VISION KILLERS
- STAY IN LOVE WITH JESUS AND MY WIFE (-:
I pray that I shared something that has inspired and helped you to experience success at level of ministry that God has you.
- STAY STRONG!
Pastor V.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)