Jesus Light of the World

 This is Multiply; a podcast to encourage village church planters and church leaders and I am Brad Snowden. 

Matthew 2 tells of the story of the wise men who saw the star that led them on a journey to find the place where the King was born. We know that the star led them to Jesus and it wasn’t the star exactly but the light that the star shone that captured the wise men’s attention.

When I was in the military there was a course in survival and this course taught awareness. They took me into a room and sat me down and I was allowed to look around for a minute then they shut the door. It was completely dark no light came in from anywhere and then I had to try to find objects in the room. That was a great challenge for me but that was the part they were teaching.  When people are in total darkness the smallest of light can bring a great amount of hope and encouragement. Jesus addresses the crowd in John 8:12   I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. He is the hope in the midst of a dark world.

The very name of Jesus “Jehovah is salvation” This is the light that the wise men saw it is the message the angels sang  and he is the hope and joy that we  celebrate during this time. His kingdom and the blessed hope was established on earth yet eternal. 

 The angel Gabriel spoke these word’s to Mary in Luke 1:31-33   Listen carefully: you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and eminent and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.”

The light unto all the world Jesus He is the hope and joy we have and can share during this time of celebration. Church planters ministers of hope shine the Light of hope to the world.

This has been a word of encouragement to village church planters. 

Merry Christmas!

The Character of a Leader - God's Own People

 This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters.

In my most recent message I shared about the necessity of Christ-following leaders living a godly lifestyle that demonstrates a life set apart for the Lord’s service.  

Today I would like to continue that theme as we look at 1 Peter 2:9. In the language of the old King James, we are called a “peculiar people”.  The New International version translates this phrase as “God’s special possession”. Other translations use “God’s own people” (RSV) or a “people of his own” (NET).  

I personally like the Amplified version which describes us as “A special people for God’s own possession.” 

What does it mean to be “God’s own possession”?  The apostle Paul answers that question for us in 1 Corinthians 6:19b-20.  “You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.”  

“Honor God with your bodies.” This is consistent with the key scripture in our previous message.  2 Timothy 2:19b-22 instructs us that “…The Lord knows those who are his,” and “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from evil.”  Now in a wealthy home there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also ones made of wood and of clay, and some are for honorable use, but others for ignoble use. So, if someone cleanses himself of such behavior, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart, useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. But keep away from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faithfulness, love, and peace…”

Returning now to 1 Peter 2:9, we may ask “why are we to be God’s own people”?  What is the purpose or outcome?  Peter explains, it is so “that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”  We are called to declare his praises!”  What a privilege!  And, what a responsibility!  

We are also called out of darkness and are called to walk in his wonderful light.  1 John 1:5b-7 reminds us that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Because you have been purchased by God through the high price of Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death, you are his special possession.  You have high value because of the price that was paid.  

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters

A Peculiar People

 This is Multiply a podcast to encourage village church planters and I am Brad Snowden. This podcast I would like to look at 1 Peter 2:9    But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

I think that Peter is writing to me giving me permission to be peculiar and as I dwelt on this, I see how it applies to all of us in some way or another.

In my early years of Pastoring, I thought there was something wrong with me because I was not like every other pastor I knew. What God was doing in our ministry didn’t look like what God was doing in their ministry. I had to learn from the Lord that He didn’t call me to be like everyone else or to do the things He called them to do. He called me to be different to be faithful to His direction for my life. God says “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways”

When you plant certain vegetables, they look all the same until they begin to grow bigger then they can be properly recognized. You can then see that they are truly different plants. They may be totally different but come harvest time they will all have one thing in common. They will all have their own fruit to be harvested.

Church planters I would like to encourage you to be who God has called you to be and he will use you in that way. We are all peculiar so we can fulfil His will for our lives and to those God has called us to impact with His word. God has each one of you for a specific plan and to an area that He knew needed to be touched in your specific way. You will see God use you through His creativity to reach and disciple others because He created you for that way. You are special and there is nobody else that can reach the lives that you will reach. 

Be peculiar it’s ok because God has made you that way. You are chosen to be His special messenger to the people that only you can reach.  This has been a word of encouragement for village church planters. Lord Bless you.

Tell Your Story

 

Hi there, my name is Dean Davis, and this is a word of encouragement for village church planters.

When I first began to understand the Good News of Jesus, I was fascinated by the testimonies of other believers.  They would tell how God delivered them from drugs and alcohol, how God healed their marriage or restored their relationship with family members. Others would testify of the deep sense of peace they found when they gave their life to Christ. Still others mentioned how great it was to know that their sins were forgiven and that they belonged to Jesus.

Hearing the stories of how Jesus was changing their lives helped me wake up spiritually.  Their stories gave me a hunger for God.  I wanted to know him and experience his kind, loving, healing work in my life. 

As a Village Church Planter, you have learned several ways to find persons of peace.  You can share a word of blessing and hope in Jesus’ name and see how people respond.  You can tell a Bible story and see if those who listen want to know more. You can pray for people and see how they respond to God’s answer to your prayer.  There are many ways to find persons of peace.

A good way to find persons of peace is to share your testimony, your story of how God has worked in your life.  This is what the Apostle Paul did when he was on trial before King Agrippa. The story from Paul’s life that he told the King is recorded in Acts chapter 26. Paul was clearly hoping the King would respond to his story and follow Jesus.  Even though Agrippa did not respond in a positive way, Paul was faithful to tell what the Lord had done for him.

 You have a story too.  I’m sure it does not seem as dramatic as Paul’s. But your story is real and it is true and it belongs to you.  Share it for the glory of God.  You don’t need to be afraid or ashamed. God has worked in your life.  Tell other people about it. You never know when you might find a person of peace.

One of the best way to start telling your story is to tell it in 15 seconds. Your 15 second testimony starts with the word, “There was a time in my life…” Those are powerful words, “There was a time in my life...” When you speak those simple words, people listen to find out more. So share your 15 second testimony.  Tell about your old life.  Tell what Jesus has done for you.  Tell how your life has changed. Then listen as people answer your closing question: “Do you have a story like that?” 

Your story is real and it is true and it belongs to you. Your story is powerful.  Tell it well and tell it often.

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#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters #15SecondTestimony

Start Your Relationship Map

 Hi there, my name is Dean Davis, and this is a word of encouragement for village church planters.

As a Village Church Planter, you have been trained to use the four Seed Sower tools. Those four Seed-Sower tools empower disciple makers in general and church planters in particular.  The four Seed Sower Tools give us answers to the questions, “Why should I make disciples? Who should I tell? What should I say? When will I make disciples?”

As a church planter, you have the wonderful privilege to look for and find persons of peace.  Right now, this very day, God in his grace continues to call men and women, boys and girls to put their trust in Him so they can experience His goodness and salvation.  And you are a co-laborer with Christ. So God wants to use you to more fully express that call to salvation.  Be encouraged.  There are many people who are hungry to know God and to experience his peace, they just don’t know how. God is delighted to use you to reach out to them and show them the way to know Christ.

So, as you get to know people in the village where you are planting a church, start by creating a relationship map which includes the names of people you get to know.  You remember the relationship map from your training, right?  It has a circle, with your name in it, in the middle of a sheet of paper.  Then it has five or more lines which go out to other circles.  In those other circles you write the names of people you know who are far from God.  From those five circles you can draw more lines connected to more circles in which you write the names of other people the original five people know and relate to who also need to hear the Good News about Jesus.

Why do we start with a relationship map?  Relationship maps encourage us.  They show us people we are connected to with whom we can share the Gospel.  Relationship maps challenge us.  They help us see how many people we know that need Jesus. Relationship maps serve as a prayer tool. We can and should pray for each person named on the map, trusting God to open up opportunities for them to hear, understand and believe the Good News.

But perhaps the most powerful aspect of a relationship map is that it shows us the big picture of our relationships and the details, all at the same time. When we look at a relationship map, we can see at a glance both the many connections we have to people who are far from God and, at the same time, we can see each person’s name and the connections we have with each one.

So as you look for persons of peace, create a relationship map which shows the people in your village who are far from God.  Pray for those people and then use your 15 second testimony or the Three Circles diagram to begin telling each one the Good News of Jesus.  

Your relationship Map is a powerful tool.  Create it, consult it, pray over it and keep it up to date as you meet new people.  It tells you who to share the Good News with.

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.  E1-06

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters #Relationship_Map

How To Find A Person Of Peace

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “A Word of Encouragement for Village Church Planters.”   

When Jesus sent his followers out two by two, he expected them to find men and women of peace.  Jesus was confident that his followers would find men and women who were hungry for God and receptive to the message of the Good News. I expect there will be people in your village who are also hungry to know God and who will be receptive to you as you share the Good News of forgiveness and peace with God.  

But church planters always ask, “How can I find persons of peace?  How can I find men and women who are hungry for God?” When you enter a village, it is not obvious who is receptive to your message and who is not. As church planters, we wish we could easily see, simply by looking at people, if they were hungry for God or not hungry for God.  But until we speak, we don’t know how people will respond.   

How do you find persons of peace? By speaking.  Jesus taught us to bring blessing to the homes of villagers.  He told his followers, “Say ‘Peace to this house.’” We find persons of peace by speaking.  And the message we speak must be a message of blessing and Good News. 

  After we greet people with warmth and kindness, we may want to offer to pray for them.  A good way to offer prayer is to ask, “What would you like for God to do for you?”  Listen carefully to the person’s response. Show concern. Tell about the love of God.  Then ask if you can pray with them right there. Keep praying for their request in your home. I have a friend who has identified many persons of peace by this method.  He visits homes. He introduces himself. He offers to pray. He prays for a week for the person’s request: healing, income, restoration of broken relationships, deliverance from addiction.  Then he returns a week later to find out what God has done. At that time he shares God’s plan of salvation. Many people come to Christ and many churches are started. 

Another way to find persons of peace is to tell a story.  You may want to tell your story of salvation in Christ using your 15 second testimony. Or you may want to tell a Bible story like The Parable of the Prodigal Son about the younger brother who returned to his father after wasting his inheritance. When we tell stories about the love of God, we find out who is hungry to know more. Telling Bible stories to see how a villager responds is a great way to find persons of peace. Persons of peace are hungry for God.  When they hear your story, they will want to learn more. When you find a person of peace, invest time in him and her.  At the right moment, invite the person of peace to put their trust in Christ. Then help this responsive person, this person of peace, share the Good News with family members, friends and neighbors. 

My brother, my sister, there are persons of peace in your village. You will find them as you speak blessing, as you pray and as you share Bible stories that proclaim the Good News of the love of God. 

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

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#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters  #FindPersonsOfPeace 

#PersonsOfPeace

The Character of a Leader- Set Apart

 

This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters.

As we continue to discuss the character traits of good, godly leaders, in this message I want to call our attention to the necessity of a godly lifestyle that demonstrates a life set apart for the Lord’s service.  

In the New English Translation, 2 Timothy 2:19-22 instructs us that “…God’s solid foundation remains standing, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from evil.”  Now in a wealthy home there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also ones made of wood and of clay, and some are for honorable use, but others for ignoble use. So, if someone cleanses himself of such behavior, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart, useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. But keep away from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faithfulness, love, and peace, in company with others who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

Godly leaders aspire to be vessels for honorable use, human receptacles who are useful for our Master, the Lord Jesus.  In this passage he urges us to not only “keep away” from bad habits and behaviors but to also pursue characteristics that align with the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).  You see, holy living is not about legalism and simply adhering to a set of restrictions.  While there are things that we are to avoid, it’s also exemplified by many positive attitudes and behaviors.  

The Apostle Paul’s instructions to Timothy are very similar to what he wrote to the Ephesian church.  In Ephesians 4:22-24, he instructs believers to “put off” their old self and “put on” the new self.  This putting off and putting on are a cooperative effort between us and God.  We make the decision to submit to Him, and He gives us the power to change through the Holy Spirit who is living within us.  We cannot do this in our own power or will; however, by obedience to the Word of God and to the voice (usually a whisper) of the Holy Spirit, we can live lives that are “set apart” for his service.    

Let us be leaders, men and women whose lives are set apart for service to the Lord.  As we commit ourselves in this way, we will realize the promise of 2 Chronicles 16:9a (NIV). “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”  May we be fully committed to Him.  

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