The Sons of Isaachar

 

This is Chuck Rapp with a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

As I have shared in other messages, I believe that in these days God is shaking everything that can be shaken. We live in tumultuous times, and we must build our lives and our work upon the solid Foundation of Jesus Christ.

Today I would like to share with you a small portion of Old Testament scripture that has been occupying much of my recent thought life and prayer time. 1 Chronicles 12 provides an account of those who joined forces with David during the period when he was fleeing from King Saul. It’s an impressive list of mighty men and warriors. Seemingly, as almost an afterthought, the author includes in his list verse 32, “from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” [emphasis added] Isaachar, you may recall, was one of the 12 tribes of Israel; their land allotment was one of the smaller regions. Isaachar was not a prominent tribe of Israel.

Yet … these men understood the times and knew what Israel should do.

Lately I find myself praying, Lord, what is going on in our world? Help me understand! What should I do? What should we do? Can you relate to this? Have you prayed similar prayers lately?

Today, I want to encourage VCP leaders; let us seek the Lord.

· Let us corporately and individually seek the Lord asking for His insight regarding how to interpret our times. Geopolitically. Nationally. Culturally. Economically. In the Church. Regarding the pandemic. What are the threats? What are today’s opportunities?

· Then, as the Lord provides wisdom and insight into today’s events and situations, how should we respond? Let us corporately and individually seek the Lord that we might know what to do. Personally. In our families and churches. In our Village Church Planting ministries.

The good news is that the Lord wants to help us with this. We are promised in James 1:5 that “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

May we – in these tumultuous days – both understand the times and know what we should do.

Let’s make sure that the Lord’s voice is the loudest voice in our lives and the one to which we are listening.

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

A Church Planter Celebrates Christmas Part 2

 

Hello my brother; hello my sister, my name is Dean Davis, and this is a word of encouragement for village church planters.

I remember my first formal ministry assignment.  I was sent to lead a group of youth in a small church in a tiny village. I was only 21 years old. When I went to that place I felt so small and insignificant in God’s big world.  I knew God has sent me there, but I couldn’t help but dream of other places ministering to other people in other ways. I felt small and insignificant.  But I knew the Gospel and I knew Jesus. I worked and prayed and did my best to help those young people follow Him.

I wonder if you ever feel the way I did when I was in that tiny village: small and insignificant.  If so, I have a word of encouragement for you.

You may be small, but your are not insignificant.  You are the start of something big. This Christmas season I want you to take time to connect with Jesus personally and worship him.

Take time to remember how He came into the world.  Reflect on Jesus in the stable with the animals, with his mother Mary and his adoptive father Joseph. He was not in the national capital. He was not even in a provincial capital.  He was in a little village that had been famous long ago, but had lost its importance over the years.  He was in Bethlehem in a stinky stable with stinky animals. And the people who came to visit him and his family were not very important people.  They were a bunch of shepherds with soiled hands and stinky clothes.  I can imagine his mom, who had heard from an angel that he would be a king in a kingdom that would never end, I can imagine his mom asking herself, “What is this all about?  This is not where I wanted to be when my first child was born.

But as you meditate on Jesus’ birth don’t forget to remember the angelic visitation which announced his coming intot he world.  The sky was full of glory.  There was a terrifying multitude of angels who worshipped God. In that moment, in that place, heaven broke through and people on earth got a glimpse of the glory of God.  That was the beginning of the greatest transformation the world will ever see.  From that moment onward, everything is leading to the day when we can all say “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”

So don’t despise the day of small beginnings. Don’t spend your time dreaming that you were someplace else.  The Kingdom of God which came on earth at the birth of Christ is the same Kingdom that you are a part of today.  Jesus was the King then and He is the King now.  Rejoice and worship Him!

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters

A Church Planter Celebrates Christmas

 

Hello my brother; hello my sister, my name is Dean Davis, and this is a word of encouragement for village church planters.

The world was a pretty dark place before Jesus’ birth.  Oppression, corruption poverty, disease, slavery, and constant warfare were the forces that shaped the land of Palestine under Roman rule.  Life was hard and life was short.

But then God broke into that dark world.  He sent an angel named Gabriel to tell a young woman, a virgin named Mary, that she would give birth to a holy son who would rule over a kingdom that will never end. Quite confused, Mary asked the angel how this could be possible.  The angel said that the Holy Spirit would come on the virgin so that the holy one to be born would be called the Son of God.

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world!  The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.

While the world we live in is still a pretty dark place, our world is very different from the world before Jesus’ birth.  Today, we have seen the light of Jesus. That makes all the difference in the world!

My brother, my sister you have chosen to take the light of Jesus into some pretty dark places.  It is very likely that people in the village you serve have been making offerings to idols for a long time.  There are probably many people who are addicted to alcohol and spend much of their time in drunkenness.  It is likely that many families have never experienced a father’s love. 

And for some reason, you have chosen to go with the light of Jesus to that village and share Good News.  Today’s Word of Encouragement is not about church planting techniques or biblical principles for ministry.  Today I just want to encourage you to find a quiet place and enjoy the presence of the Lord.  Today I invite you to remember how His light came into your life.  Reflect on how He has shown his love to you, how He has spoken to you, and how His love has transformed you.

When Jesus came into the world, he was born in a stable. The first people to worship him were shepherds. Jesus grew up working in a carpenter’s shop.  His life was hard.  He walked over dusty roads and suffered all sorts of hardships.  By coming into this broken world and living he way he did, Jesus identified with you.

When you chose to go to a village without a church and plant a church there, you identified with Jesus.  Choosing to take light and love to the dark, difficult places in our world is a big part of the Christmas story.  You are a church planter.  You identify strongly with Jesus and you follow his example.  For that I am very thankful.  So this Christmas, let me encourage you to just take some time apart and enjoy the presence of your Lord. Allow Him to minister to you. Enjoy the love of Christ this Christmas and be at peace.

 

 

 

 

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters 

 

Hello my brother; hello my sister, my name is Dean Davis, and this is a word of encouragement for village church planters.

If you are a village church planter you have probably learned to share the Good News of Jesus by drawing three circles and telling a story that all people everywhere need to hear. We call the story “The Three Circles.”  I believe that it is one of the most powerful Gospel presentations you can ever share.  Here’s why:  It starts out with six simple but powerful words, “The world we live in is broken.”  There are many biblical truths that unbelievers like to contradict.  But this truth is hard to contradict, “The world we live in is broken.”  We see brokenness all around us.  If you ask your friend who is watching you draw three circles, “How have you seen brokenness in the world?” they will probably answer you easily.  Some will even shed tears when they think about the pain and suffering they have experienced or that their loved ones have experienced.  The world we live in is broken and we don’t know how to get back to the perfect world that God created.

When you draw the first of the three circles in the sand or on a piece of paper you draw that circle with a crack in it that looks like the crack on a broken eggshell. After you draw the second circle with a heart in it to represent the world as God originally designed it, you draw a person who has turned his back on God and say, “The reason we live in a broken world is because we have turned our back on God.  Because there is so much brokenness in the world, people try to escape. Some try to escape by earning a lot of money. Others try to escape by gaining fame. Other’s try to escape through spiritual practices and religion.  Others try to ease the pain that comes from brokenness with drugs and alcohol.”

It seem a little strange that the Good News of Jesus starts with the bad news that we live in a broken world.  It can be painful to talk about this.  But resist the temptation to rush to the third circle that tells about how Jesus came into our world to restore us to God. Don’t be afraid to reflect on the brokenness you have seen.  This is a good time to express compassion for those who suffer the most.  God is love and we want to reflect his love in our words and in the way we express ourselves.

If you clearly describe the broken world we live in, and if you help your friend describe how he or she has seen brokenness in the world, you will be ready to share the hope of the world, Jesus.

Learn to use the 3 circles.  Learn to tell the story of Jesus as you draw the three circles one by one.  Tell the Gospel story with patience, with clarity and with compassion.  Yes, the world we live in is broken, But Jesus came to restore us to God and make us new people.  That is good news indeed!

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

 

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters #3Circles

15 Second Testimony

 

Hello my brother; hello my sister, my name is Dean Davis, and this is a word of encouragement for village church planters.

Village Church Planting is built on several biblical principles. One of them is Jesus’ promise that when the Holy Spirit comes upon us we shall be his witnesses. A witness is a person who has seen and experienced an event and then tells other people what has been seen and experienced. We become Christ’s witnesses when we tell others what Jesus has done in us and for us.

Many followers of Jesus are surprised to learn that they can share a meaningful testimony about what Jesus has done for them in just 15 seconds. I remember one time I was teaching a group of experienced leaders how to share their 15-second testimony. A bishop was among the trainees and he corrected me saying, you mean a 15-minute testimony, not a 15-second testimony.” I said, no, a 15-second testimony.” The bishop laughed and said “You can’t share your testimony in 15 seconds!” It was fun to teach him and the other leaders in the room how to share their 15-second testimony. It is both simple and powerful.

The reason it is simple and powerful is because the 15-second testimony uses a simple pattern to tell of God’s power at work. Listen for the pattern in my 15 second testimony: “There was a time in my life when I was worried and afraid. My brother was in the war and we didn’t know if he would live or die. But then I invited Jesus to come into my life. Now I have peace and I know that God is with me wherever I go. Do you have a story like that?

Here is the pattern: First I tell about a problem, difficulty or hardship I experienced before I met Christ. Then I tell how I met Christ. Then I describe my life after I met Christ. Another way to describe this pattern is first I had a problem, then I found the solution in Jesus Christ, now He is transforming me.

Craft your 15 second testimony well. Practice telling it many times. Tell it with joy in your voice and love in your heart! Tell it often as you look for persons of peace. Train others to tell their story of salvation in a simple, powerful way. You and your church members have many, many friends and neighbors who are looking for hope. Life is hard and the world is broken. But Jesus has brought you and your people great hope. So be a witness for Christ. Tell others of the hope you have in Him.

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

E1-15

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters #15SecondTestimony #HopeInChrist

Seed Sowers: Updating Your Relationship Map

Hello my brother; hello my sister, my name is Dean Davis, and this is a word of encouragement for village church planters.

When I was a child in elementary school, my teacher taught us a song.  I still remember the words of that simple children’s chorus:

“Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other is gold.”

My teacher was trying to help us kids understand the great value of friendships. In our economy, gold and silver are very valuable.  In the same way, our friends, among all people, are of great worth.

As a Seed Sower, you know that since you have been born again and made new, you have a new identity. You have been given the privilege and the responsibility of serving as an ambassador for Christ.  You are a messenger for the King of kings. And as a Seed Sower you also know how to make a relationship map.

A relationship map is a simple diagram you draw on a piece of paper that has your name in a circle in the middle and lines going out to five other circles.  Each of the other circles has the name of a person you know who is far from God.  Still other lines connect those five people to their friends and family members who are also living lives far from God.

We use the relationship map as a prayer tool.  As we look at the names and connections represented on the relationship map we pray for the people represented in the diagram.  We pray for God to bless them and bring them peace.  We pray that God will give them grace to understand and accept the Good News of Jesus. We pray for the people they are connected too. We ask God to bless them as well and give them grace to respond in faith to the Gospel.

We also use the relationship map as a planning tool.  As we look at the names of people represented on the map who are connected to us by acquaintance or by friendship, we make plans to spend time with them so that at the right time we can share the Good News of Jesus with them.

Maybe you made a relationship map a few months ago.  Let me encourage you to update it.  Maybe some of the people on your map have been born again. Celebrate their new birth by writing “born again” next to their name inside their circle. Maybe you have made new friends that you want to share the Good News with.  Write their name in a circle on your map and draw lines to show who else they are connected to.  Make it your habit to update your relationship map as you pray.  The people you have named on your map are of great worth to God. Jesus shed his precious blood, something far more valuable than silver or gold, to redeem them.  You are a co-laborer with Christ.  Steward well the relationships he has entrusted to you.

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters #OikosMap #RelationshipMap

God's Three Positions of Leadership With Us

 

This is Chuck Rapp with a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.  Several months ago, I shared a series of messages on Three Positions of Leadership.  These are different dimensions, or different ways, in which God uses us as leaders. 

Sometimes we are called to the “in front” leader.  We set vision and direction for those who follow us.  We first point the way, and then we lead the way. 

Secondly, we are to serve as mentors, or alongside, leaders.  We walk through life with others, authentically sharing our lives with them.  We teach others based out of our experiences, both the good and the challenging or unpleasant. 

Lastly, sometimes we are the type of leader who follows behind a fallen one to lift him or her up and to restore them. 

All three of these positions of leadership are important and valid in our Kingdom service. 

Recently, the Lord showed me that He asserts each of these positions of leadership in His relationship with us as well.

In Front – Psalm 37:23 promises us that “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.”  Isaiah 30:21 encourages us that “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."”  These assurances from God’s Word are for those who are abiding in Christ as we recently discussed.  As Leader of our lives, our God shows His ways for us.

Alongside – The Holy Spirit of God dwells within us as His children.  Jesus encouraged the apostles and us in John 14:26 that the “Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”  In the Greek New Testament, the word paraklétos means “comforter”, “helper”, or “called to one’s side”. 

Behind – The Old Testament prophet Hosea spoke about this in 6:1. “Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.”  Psalm 23 reminds us that “He restores my soul”.  1 Peter 5:10 assures us that “the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

Just as we serve others in 3 positions of leadership, God works in similar ways in our lives as well. 

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters. 

Seed Sower: My Identity In Christ

Hello my brother; hello my sister, my name is Dean Davis, and this is a word of encouragement for village church planters.

I remember when I first gave my life to Christ.  I was so thankful for his forgiveness.  I was so glad to know that I had a Father in heaven who loved me and received me.  I read one chapter from the Bible every night before I went to sleep.  I was learning so much about Jesus, so much about how to live as a follower of Christ.

Even so, I was a new believer.  I hadn’t walked with Jesus very long.  The funny thing was, my mornings were very similar to the mornings I had experienced before Jesus came into my life.  I would wake up and start my day without remembering that I was a child of God.  I just went about my life like I had before I was born again. I can remember many mornings when, around ten or eleven o’clock, it dawned on me that I was a child of God.  Usually it happened when I had a need and would pray silently.  It was when I prayed that I remembered that my life was different, that I could pray with confidence because I was a child of God. 

As a follower of Jesus, I had a new identity. I was a redeemed child of God.  I was a citizen of the Kingdom of God. I was forgiven and made new.  After a few years, I got over that problem of waking up and not remembering my new nature as a child of God.  Now I wake up praying.  I am conscious of who I am in Christ all day long.

As a church planter and disciple maker, one of your most important ministries is to help people understand and accept their identity in Christ. The people you are leading to the Lord have spent their whole life living as a child of this world.  But when they are born again, they gain a new nature.  They become children of God.  Your job as a church planter and disciple maker is to help them fully embrace their new identity in Christ.  As you help them know and understand who they are in Christ, your disciples will experience freedom from fear, peace with God and power for living that comes by actively trusting in the goodness of God.

The Bible says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new… Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

As you teach the members of your church about their new identity in Christ, you of course will teach them about forgiveness of sins and what it means to be a dearly loved child of God.  You will teach them about the privilege of prayer that is theirs because they belong to Christ.  Be sure to also teach them that their new nature as a child of God makes them an ambassador for Christ.  Teach them that it is a great privilege and a great responsibility to be a messenger for King Jesus. Teach them that being an ambassador for Christ who helps other people be reconciled to God is a vital and essential part of their identity in Christ.  As you do so, you will see new believers transformed from passive recipients of God’s grace into powerful messengers of the King of Kings.

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

E1-13

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters #AmbassadorsForChrist #IdentitityInChrist

 

Empower New Believers By Coaching Them

Hello my brother; hello my sister, my name is Dean Davis, and this is a word of encouragement for village church planters.

One of the most wonderful promises of the whole Bible is a promise written in the book of James.  James, the brother of Jesus, wrote these words:

 “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt.”

It’s kind of funny how James phrased this promise from God.  He said, “If any of you lacks wisdom…” Of course some of us lack wisdom! James, what do you mean, “if.” Of course some of us lack wisdom; in fact all of us lack wisdom!  The need to have insight and understanding is a universal human need. King Solomon said, “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” 

As a village church planter, you need wisdom.  You need wisdom to manage your time.  You have many responsibilities as a farmer, a church planter, a parent, a son or daughter.  Each of these responsibilities requires wisdom. Each one of these responsibilities call on you to understand the true nature of things and make good decisions to overcome obstacles and take advantage of opportunities.  My brother, my sister, you need wisdom and so do the believers you are leading to Christ.

But where do you go to get wisdom?  You can’t earn it by working for your neighbor nor can you purchase it with money.  That’s why the promise in the book of James is so precious.  Though wisdom is very, very valuable, more valuable than gold, God gives it away for free.  Remember his promise, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

So the first step to getting wisdom is to pray for wisdom.  When you and your church members pray, make sure you have decided to honor God with all your heart in all you do.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  Saturate your heart and your mind with the wisdom found in the Word of God, the Bible. And get a coach.  That’s right, get a coach.  A coach is a trusted friend who can help you make wise decisions for yourself.  A coach uses open questions to help you consider your situation, your resources and your relationships so you can create a list of possible actions you could take to help you reach your goals. A good coach helps a friend gain access to the wisdom God has put within the friend’s heart. 

Coaching starts with open questions. As a village church planter, you will benefit greatly by being coached.  As a village church planter, you will empower new believers in your church to make wise decisions by coaching them.  So get in the habit of helping new believers pray for wisdom. And get in the habit of asking open questions that can help them gain insight and understanding to overcome their problems and move forward in faith.  Little by little you will become a great coach.  It all starts by asking open questions.

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters

E1-12

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters #OpenQuestions #Coaching