Faithful, Available & Teachable Part 2

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement to Village Church Planters.

As a church planter you are looking for men and women who are faithful, available and teachable.  Faithful, available, and teachable people are able to advance the cause of Christ. People who are faithful to Christ obey his commands.  People who are available to learn and to serve have time to develop their own skills and to work.  People who are teachable can allow the Gospel to change their way of thinking. Teachable people are willing to learn new and powerful skills.

But how can you determine if a new member of your church is really faithful to Christ, available to learn, and has a teachable spirit? How can you determine in whom you should invest your time to train?  How can you determine who might be a good leader in your growing church? Sure, we all want to work with faithful, available, and teachable people.  But how do we know who really has these attributes?

If you faithfully teach new believers to obey the seven basic commands of Christ it will not be hard to determine who is faithful, available, and teachable. You remember Jesus’ seven basic commands:

• Repent and believe the Good News.

• Baptize new believers.

• Love God and your neighbor.

• Partake of the Lord’s Supper regularly with other believers.

• Pray and meditate on the Word of God daily.

• Give.  

• Make disciples of Jesus.

If you teach these seven commands simply, clearly, and regularly in your church, you will soon know who is faithful, available, and teachable.

Faithful people will listen and learn as you teach Jesus’ commands.  Faithful people will admit their weaknesses and trust God to give them strength to obey.  

But not all people who are faithful are available.  Some people who have faith will not come regularly to church services and classes.  They are too busy.  They may be faithful, but they are not available.  To develop leaders for your church you need to find people who are both faithful and available.

Some people are faithful and available but they are unwilling to change. When you teach them Jesus’ commands, they make excuses.  They say they would like to love their neighbors, but their neighbors are very mean.  They say they would like to partake of the Lord’s Supper someday, but not now.  They say they would like to make disciples, but they are just too shy. These people like to listen, but they are unwilling to change.  They are not teachable. They cannot become good leaders.

But when you teach the seven commands of Jesus, your students’ response to the teaching will tell you if they are faithful, available, and teachable.  When you see a man or woman who attends regularly, who trusts God to give strength to obey, a man or woman who does not make excuses… when you see a faithful, available, teachable man or women, you have found a person whom you can equip to become a leader in your church or in a daughter church.

Consistent instruction in the seven basic commands of Christ will help you find faithful, available and teachable Christians.  When you find them, rejoice! Then work diligently to help them to become the men and women of God he wants them to be.

This has been “Multiply.” And I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today? E3-03

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters  #FATChristians SevenCommandsofChrist #FaithfulAvailableTeachable

What Is A Church?

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement to Village Church Planters.

I grew up in a city that had many churches. There were Baptist churches, Methodist churches, Lutheran churches, Catholic churches and many other churches.  A common questions I heard when I was a kid was, “What church do you go to?”  Sometimes people would answer and say the name of their church, “I go to Calvary Baptist Church,” or “I go to Prince of Peace Lutheran Church.”  But they would often say, “I go to that church on the corner of Washington Street and Second Avenue” or “We go to a church out on New Paris Rd.”  When we asked about churches, we were thinking about church buildings.

But of course, when the Bible talks about churches, it is definitely not taking about church buildings; it is not talking about temples. It is talking about groups of people who follow Jesus together.  Groups of Christ followers did not own buildings used for worship until about 300 years after Jesus rose from the dead.  For the first 300 years of church history, groups of Christians met together to worship Jesus in schools, houses, caves, and under trees. 

But one thing about churches has never changed over the past 2000 years.  The people are always more important than the place they meet. Maybe your church is working hard to save money to buy building materials to construct a place of worship.  That’s great. But never forget, “The people are always more important than the place they meet.” 

The Bible describes the very first church, the church started by Peter and the other Apostles on the day of Pentecost. You can read in Acts 2:37 – 47 that this first church proclaimed the Good News of Jesus, baptized believers, had fellowship in homes, worshipped and prayed, broke bread in remembrance of Jesus’ death and resurrection, taught and obeyed God’s word, and gave generously.  The apostles coordinated all of this activity.

So what is a church?  A church is not a building; a church is a group of people who follow Jesus together.  Churches today do what the very first church, the church in Jerusalem did. Churches proclaim the Good News of Jesus, baptize believers, have fellowship together, worship and pray, celebrate the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Jesus’ death and resurrection; churches teach and obey God’s word, and churches give generously.

If you know what a church is and you know what a church does, the Spirit of God can empower you to be an effective church planter.  You can lead your churches to do the right thing in the right way at the right time.  Sadly, many church leaders don’t compare the activities of their church to the activities of the church in Jerusalem described in Acts 2:37 – 47.  They compare their church’s activities to the activities of existing, nearby churches. When leaders do this, they tend to lead churches that lack balance.  They may worship well, but they don’t evangelize well.  They may teach God’s word well, but they don’t give generously.  When we follow the traditions of men, we will soon grow out of balance.  But when we follow the Spirit-directed patterns of the first church, we will lead churches that grow and develop in a balanced way.

This has been “Multiply.” And I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?

E3-05   #EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters  #Acts2

The Students Pledge

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement to Village Church Planters.

One of the wonderful aspects of being a Village Church Planter is that you have a trainer.  Maybe you go to a VCP training center each week with 14 other student church planters to participate in three lessons your trainer facilitates. Of maybe you meet regularly with a first generation church planter who is helping you plant a second generation church and he or she trains you day by day, month by month.  It is a good thing to have a trainer.  I wish I had a trainer when I was first planting churches.

When VCP church planters start in the training center, they sign the Student’s pledge.  This pledge can be found on page 24-32 in the Train and Multiply booklet called “Pastoral Worker Training and You.”  It has 12 points and is designed to help a prospective church planter decide if he is faithful, available and teachable.

You have heard me say many times on this podcast, “It’s not easy to plant churches.” And you know that because you are a church planter. But three are some steps we can take that will set us up for success.  There are some steps that will make church planting just a little bit easier, if we will only take them.

Once such step is showing your prospective second generation church planter the Student’s Pledge found in the back of the Train and Multiply booklet called “Pastoral Worker Training and You.” If a student church planter abides by these 12 promises, he or she will be fruitful as a church planter.  What are the 12 points?  I’m glad you asked:

The student church planter pledges, with God’s help:

• To love Jesus Christ and give first priority to obey all his commands.

• To teach others to obey all the commands of Jesus.

• To care for his or her own family with sincere love (Ephesians 5:25-33).

• To pray continually for those he or she shepherds, for coworkers, and for those who still need Christ.

• To work hard with others in loving harmony, especially with his or her church, and keep his or her T&M trainer informed of activities (Romans 12:9-11).

• To give of his or her time and money to extend Christ’s kingdom wherever he calls us to go (Matthew 28:18-20).

• To trust in God’s power to enable the church to grow and reproduce (Mark 4).

• To seek to obey the requirements for leaders of the church as described in 1

Timothy 3:1-7.

• To explain the Gospel with zeal, love, and clarity so that people will believe in and obey the Lord (Matthew 28:19-20).  

• To seek to raise up new, healthy churches that will multiply, especially in areas where there are none (Romans 15:20-21)

• To be willing to suffer for Christ (2 Timothy 2:3).

• To follow the advice of the T&M trainer, faithfully fulfilling all assignments in work and study.

Let me speak directly to first generation church planters right now. I have a question for you. Have you spoken about this pledge with your second generation church planters?  If not, when would you like to do so?  If you will show them these twelve points, you can help them take firm steps toward being the kind of church planter God delights to use, one who is faithful, available and teachable.

This has been “Multiply.” And I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters  #TrainandMultiply #PastoralWorkerTrainingAndYou

Principles of Leadership – Share the Vision, part 2

 

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

During 2022, I will be sharing my Ten Principles of Leadership. 

We began with Share the Vision.  In my previous message, I mentioned how leaders both instruct and inspire those who follow them.  “Instruct” deals with imparting knowledge about the vision.  “Inspire” motivates others emotionally to join the cause and to commit themselves to it. 

Nehemiah is one of my favorite leaders in the Bible.  He was gifted to lead the Israelites in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.  We read in chapter 2, verses 17-18.  Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” … They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So, they began this good work.

Nehemiah was certainly able to instruct the people.  The “what” was “let’s rebuild the walls”.  He also spoke to “why”.  “So, we will no longer be in disgrace.”  This was an emotionally driven motivation.  The result is that the people got to work, and 52 days later, they were finished. 

I would suggest that a major reason they were able to finish the work so quickly is that they were focused.  In chapters 4 and 6 we read about the opposition by Sanballat, Tobiah and others to the wall-building project.  I love Nehemiah’s response in 6:3.  “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down.”  Nehemiah’s focus upon the vision, or the project, caused him to prioritize his time and activities.  It helped him understand not only what he should do, it informed him of what he should not do.

This principle applies to us as well.  Vision acts as a “filter”.  In other words, when other opportunities – even good things, sometimes – come our way, godly leaders evaluate those opportunities in light of whether they align (or not) with our ultimate vision or goal.  Vision allows us to say “no” to that which is not most important.

I once worked with a missionary who believed that he was obligated to respond to every open door and every opportunity.  My observation was that as a result he lacked focus, he became spread too thinly, and that often there were long delays in completing tasks.  That’s not the example we want to follow.

Rather, godly leaders share the vision and utilize it – for both themselves and their followers – as a filter to prioritize the things that they do.    

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

Principles of Leadership - Share The Vision

 

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

Welcome to a new year of podcasts for church planters. During 2022, I will be sharing my Ten Principles of Leadership.  

We begin with Share the Vision.  In my previous message, I mentioned how leaders both instruct and inspire those who follow.  “Instruct” deals with imparting knowledge about the vision.  “Inspire” motivates others emotionally to join the cause and to commit themselves to it.  

In some ways, a leader resembles an athletics coach.  He or she teaches players the fundamentals, skills and strategy.  While that is an excellent start, it is not enough.  Before and during matches, the coach must motivate players to play with energy and passion.  I would assert that church leaders do the same.  

A classic scripture on this topic is found in Proverbs 28:19a.  “Where there is no vision, the people perish…”  Another translation (Berean Study Bible) renders this verse “Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint…”  You may ask, what does it mean that without vision people will perish?  According to www.christianity.com, “This knowledge provides a new vision that allows us to see God and His plan for our lives more clearly. Without this vision, we are left to wander in the dark ...”  

We read the story of Elisha and his servant in 2 Kings 6:8-18.  The king of Aram dispatched his army to capture Elisha the prophet.  They found him in Dothan and surrounded the city.  

Verses 15-18 tell us, “When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered… And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

Frequently, we, like the servant of the prophet, cannot see beyond our own horizons.  Our focus is upon ourselves. The spiritual leader, however, often sees, or perceives, what others cannot see, sometimes in a literal sense and most often in a spiritual way.  

Spiritual leaders communicate this vision in order that others may know the way to go or where to direct their energies.  They also communicate in a manner that instills courage and commitment.  Next time we will take a look at Nehemiah’s example on this point.  

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

What Does Your Church Need?

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement to Village Church Planters.

Before you became a church planter, before you became a church leader, back when you were a new Christian, did you ever wonder how a pastor knew what he was supposed to do to lead a church?  Did you ever ask yourself, “How do the pastor and the elders know what they should do?  How do they decide about worship and preaching and visitation and small groups?  How do they know what they are supposed to do?

When we are new Christians, most of what we do with our church family is based on tradition.  They worship on Sunday so we worship on Sunday.  They give offerings, so we give offerings.  They sit in rows facing the preacher so we sit in rows facing the preacher.  If traditions are based on sound biblical teaching, if traditions help us obey the commands of Christ, tradition can be very helpful. But the problem with tradition is that tradition just tells us what to do, it does not tell us why we do what we do.

So should pastors just rely on tradition to know what to do?  Or do they have a better guide that helps them know how to lead their churches?

Jesus Christ is Lord of all.  Jesus is the Head of the church.  Pastors and church leaders follow Jesus in order to do his will.  He has made his will known in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and throughout the Bible. Seven of Jesus’ commandments summarize the others and guide us very clearly:

• Repent and believe the Good News.

• Baptize new believers.

• Love God and your neighbor.

• Partake of the Lord’s Supper regularly with other believers.

• Pray and meditate on the Word of God daily.

• Give.  

• Make disciples of Jesus.

The first church, the church in Jerusalem founded by Peter and the other Apostles, is described in Acts 2:37-47. The Jerusalem believers (as a church and as cell groups that met in homes) obeyed Jesus’ commands intentionally.  The Apostles taught the people Jesus’ commands and the people paid attention.  The Jerusalem church loved their neighbors and gave generously to meet their needs. They worshipped God and devoted themselves to prayer. And they made disciples of Jesus. Disciple-making caused their church to grow.

You are a church planter; you have recently started a new church.  What does your church need so it can grow strong and healthy?  Let me encourage you to look at the nine activities of a church described in Acts 2:37-47.  Which one of these activities most needs to be strengthened so your church will not be held back?   Is it prayer, or fellowship?  Is it teaching and obeying the Bible?  Is it evangelism or meaningful participation in the Lord’s Supper?  Is it giving or baptism? Is it training new workers?  Which of these activities described in Acts 2 does you church most need to strengthen so that it can grow healthy?

As a church planter and church leader, you will know what you need to do for your church if you remember and strengthen the nine activities of a church described in Acts 2:37-47. Let me say that again, As a church planter and church leader, you will know what you need to do for your church if you remember and strengthen the nine activities of a church described in Acts 2:37-47.

This has been “Multiply.” And I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?  E3-07

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters  #Acts2 #7CommandsofJesus

What Does Your Second Generation Church Need?

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement to Village Church Planters.

It’s not easy being a church planter.  You know it’s not easy because you have done the hard work of finding persons of peace. You have worked to preach and teach the Gospel. You know that communication is not easy and transformation does not come without a struggle. You know the struggle of getting a place to worship under a roof before rainy season comes. But I’m pretty sure you have also experienced some of the glory of being a church planter.  You have seen people be born again.  You have helped people be delivered from addictions. You have church members who are now free from their bondage to idols. Church planting is not easy, but, because of Jesus, it is glorious.

Now you are facing new challenge.  You have gotten your first generation church started and it is somewhat stable. You first church has begun to practice most, if not all of the nine activities of a church described in Acts 2:37-47.You pray fervently.  You have good fellowship together. Your first church worships the Lord and partakes of the Lord’s Supper.  You and your people evangelize and give generously.  You baptize new believers and you equip workers to serve the Lord.

Now it’s time to help a church member or a person of peace start a second generation church.  But how? What does that second generation church planter need?  And what does his or her new church need?

First of all, the second generation church planter needs you.  He or she needs to know that you believe they can succeed.  He or she needs to know that you are praying for them and for their church.  Second generation church planters need time with you so they can learn from your example.  That means you must go to the village where they are planting a church and help them minister.  It’s not easy. Rainy season stops you. Your own family and your farm need you. Your first generation church wants you to be constantly present.  It’s not easy.  Let me encourage you to relax for a moment, slow down and pray. Trust God to give you time to spend with your second generation church planter.

And when you are with him or her, study Acts 2:37-47 together. Ask, “Which of these nine activities of a church is your congregation already doing?  Which activities of a church have you not yet begun to do?” Then ask this very important question:  “Which of these activities do you want to start doing this month? Do you want to start praying, start having fellowship, start worshipping? Do you want to start applying the Bible, evangelizing, serving the Lord’s Supper, giving tithes and offerings, baptizing or training workers?

Don’t answer these questions for the church planter.  Let him or her answer them.  This may take time.  Be patient. The church planter may have many questions. Answer them.  Then help the second generation church planter decide which activity of a church his or her congregation needs to start doing so that they will grow and develop to be all that God wants them to be.

Once an activity is chosen, ask the church planter how he or she will begin doing that activity and who else will help carry it out.  Have a conversation. Make a plan. Over time, help the second generation church grow and practice the nine activities of a church described in Acts 2:37-47.

It’s not easy. But God has helped you this far. He will help you coach second generation church planters so that they too can plant strong, healthy churches.

This has been “Multiply.” And I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters  #SecondGenerationChurches #Acts2

The Principles of Leadership-Introduction

 

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

Welcome to a new year of podcasts for church planters.  During 2021, my theme was the Character of a Leader.  This topic was selected as our character provides the foundation for our leadership.  If one’s foundation is faulty, his or her leadership is destined to crumble. It’s not a matter of “if” it will fail; it’s a matter of when and how complete that failure will be.  

As we enter 2022, my intention is to share with you my personal Ten Principles for Spiritual Leadership.  These are truths or values that inform and guide my service, and I pray that they are helpful to you.  

Paul wrote to his mentee Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:1, "Here is a trustworthy saying:  If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task."  In the Message version, this is paraphrased as “If anyone wants to provide leadership in the church, good!”

My point is that leadership – driven by proper motives – is a good thing.  Drawing once again from the Message, Romans 15:1-2 provides some excellent advice.  “Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?””

Romans 12:8 tells us that leadership is a spiritual gift.  As such, it is a gift that we are to steward well. 

Following are my ten principles of leadership that we will discuss over the course of this year.  

1. Share the vision - instruct and inspire (speak to both the head and the heart) 

2. Facilitate equipping (we must see to it that others are equipped)

3. Define the expectations (addresses the question, “what does success look like?”) 

4. Explain the ground rules (speaks to the expected behaviors for interaction) 

5. Be available (self-explanatory) 

6. Empower others - delegate authority (this is how they grow, and this gives the leader more bandwidth)

7. Get out of their way! (Do not micro-manage)

8. Provide feedback (are others doing the right things in the right way?  Tell them)

9. Practice accountability (Accountability is part of delegation. Effective leaders have expectations that are appropriate to others’ skill levels and experience)

10. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate! (Though this is listed last, it’s actually the most important principle of them all!)  

 

Later this month we will begin to the principle, “Share the Vision”.  

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

It Takes Faith To Multiply Churches

 

Hello! This is Multiply a podcast to encourage church planters and Christian leaders. I am Daneille Snowden.

When we plant a church, we have faith that the first generation church will live on as it multiplies, planting even more churches.

It does take faith, as we obey the great commission command to continue to GO and make disciples!

I commend every church planter, you answered the call of God to ‘GO & MAKE DISCIPLES!’ God sees your obedience, He sees your passion to serve Him and love others by leading them to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  

It takes faith; a simple but resilient trust in God’s Call upon your lives to not only begin yet, also to continue on. The road your travel is not glamorous, but it is beautiful! The beauty is when lives are touched and changed by the salvation they experience! You are planting churches that represent souls serving Jesus. That is the fruit of your labor that will continue on as they too lead others to Christ. 

Remember in the last part of Hebrews 11:4 when it referred to Abel? It says: “…And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.”

May that be your joy and encouragement; even though we may not see a whole lot happening now; our work of faith will continue on. 

My mother (Mary Gray), was called to preach at 15 years old. In her day, there were not many woman preachers. Yet, she obeyed and started at 16 years old. Later in her life, she became seriously ill, and was not able to preach her last few years. So, she started to write, and was considered a living epistle. 

Yet, she wondered if she was making any difference simply because of her being home bound because of her illness. Yet, she trusted Jesus and continued to send out 10-20 letters a week to people. 

When she passed away, I received phone calls and letters how God used my mother to encourage them to win others to Christ. Many went into some type of ministry, including myself and my children. 

Yes, dear church planter, it takes faith to multiply churches. Faith is instilled in us from our Maker; just continue on and watch Him multiply!

This has been Multiply, I want to encourage you to please share this podcast with others. Our website is www.encouragement.org; you also can find us on Facebook, YouTube and Podbean. E3-06

Thank you and God bless!

Faithful, Available & Teachable Part 1

 

Hello this is Multiply a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters and I am Brad Snowden

When I think of the word disciple there are many attributes that come to mind. When we look at the life of Jesus and how he selected his disciples we know that he found those who were Faithful, Available and Teachable.

When I was very young my mother wanted me to learn how to work in the garden. The very first thing she did was to teach me how to identify weeds .This was very important because she didn’t want me to pull up the good plants. The first crucial element in becoming a good weed puller was. I needed to be teachable. I didn’t know weeds looked like and as I look back on this she had to have a lot of patience with me. I needed to be available and my parents always made sure I had the time to weed the garden and I had plenty of practice at weed pulling. The last part was I had to be faithful to put into practice what I was taught. They had trust me that in time I would only pull up the weeds. It was great, I learned weeds and they had a garden with no weeds.

Church planters the ability to identify those in the Church who are faithful, available and teachable will be a great tool for the Lord’s kingdom. If we learn to identify these men and women quickly the process of pouring into them and disciplining them will become easier. 

Identification and the timing is important because if you see in them the potential to become disciple makers the time spent with them will be very important. This is where we must be dependent of the Holy Spirit to help in the identification process.  We must pray that the Lord help us identify those who will be teachable and available and faithful to what is taught to them. Remember prayer is a key for this to work out, because the Lord knows the hearts of these individuals and he too is looking for the faithful, available, and the teachable. 

Luke 16:10   says “He who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little thing is also dishonest in much.

This has been a word of encouragement for village church planters please share this with others. Lord Bless

The Character of a Leader – Tolerance for Ambiguity

 

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

Leaders are frequently faced with difficult decisions. Part of the difficulty is that we often do not have all of the facts or know all of the details. Sometimes there are strong arguments – and strong feelings – on both sides of an issue. This ambiguity makes decision making difficult. What if we take a course of action but later learn that it’s the wrong one? On the other hand, what if we fail to make a decision out of fear that we’ll make a mistake? Both of these scenarios can have negative consequences.

Good and godly leaders must learn how to deal with ambiguity, or uncertainty, and in the midst of these circumstances learn how to listen to and discern the direction of the Holy Spirit.

You may recall the story of the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15. The early church leaders were gathered to discuss and decide upon some challenging and contentious church issues. Verse 2 tells us that there was “sharp debate”. There were strong feelings and strong arguments on both sides. After listening to those involved, decisions were made. Verse 28 reads, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements:”

“It seemed good …” The word “seemed” may be defined as “to appear to be”. It implies a certain element of uncertainty but a likely probability. This is a good description of ambiguity.

Let’s look further at the passage. The Jerusalem church leaders listened to Paul and Barnabas (verse 12). They evaluated what was said in light of the scriptures (vs. 15-18). I’m convinced they also listened to the Holy Spirit. Following James’ leadership, the council then made a decision and gave direction.

In my humanness, I do not like ambiguity or uncertainty. I was trained as an engineer; I like facts and equations and clear proof. But, life is often – well usually - not like that. The positive aspect of this is that this uncertainty forces me to lean upon, or lean into, the Lord. He has the answers that escape me.

James 1:5 promises us 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.”

The Jerusalem Council gives us a good example of how to deal with decision-making in the midst of uncertainty.

 They listened to those involved.

 They evaluated what they heard using the standard and principles of scripture.

 (Implied but not recorded in Acts 15), they sought the direction and wisdom of the Holy Spirit

 The leader made a decision that was affirmed by the larger group (verse 22)

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

The Character of A Leader- The Final List

 

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

As we wrap up and reflect upon our 2021 series on The Character of a Leader, we have covered a long list of character traits of good and godly leaders.  In January we began with integrity and diligence.  This was followed by faithfulness and humility.  Being a good listener and being an encourager of others were other important lessons.  We learned about the leadership values of some of our VCP leaders, and we studied the leadership virtues of the Old Testament character Nehemiah.  Recently, we discussed the necessity of perseverance and the importance of being set apart for the work of the Lord.  

In this final podcast of 2021, we turn our attention to a concluding list of character traits of a Christ-following leader given to us by the Apostle Peter.  

2 Peter 1:5-8 instructs us, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Notice the outcome of those who exhibit these traits.  They will not be ineffective; they will not be unproductive in their service for the Lord Jesus Christ. In my personal list of values by which I endeavor to live, the ultimate goal or outcome I seek is “Kingdom Impact”.   (This is enabled, or supported by, obedience and character among other things.) 

I believe that God has placed within the hearts of leaders a strong desire to make a difference … a positive difference in people’s lives, in His Church, in families and communities.  He instills in us the desire to bring “Shalom” which, in Hebrew means, “to make something whole”. Not just regarding practical restoration of things that were lost or stolen. But with an overall sense of fulness and completeness in mind, body and estate.”  (Source:  https://firmisrael.org/learn/the-meaning-of-shalom/)

Lastly, Peter tells us that these qualities should be “in increasing measure” in our lives.  This growth or increase comes, I believe, as we mature in our walk with – and dependence upon – the Lord.  Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  (John 15:5)

Let us be men and women who abide in Christ, who bear much fruit and who make a difference for the Kingdom.  

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

Celebrating Persons of Peace

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement to Village Church Planters.

I’ll never forget when I first heard the Bible teaching about persons of peace. I had been a church planter for about 19 years. For the first time in my ministry the multiplication of churches seemed like a real possibility. I was really trying to understand how the Gospel could spread more quickly to places that I myself could not go.

As my trainer taught from Luke chapter 10, I learned that a person of peace is a man or women that God has prepared to receive the Good News.  He or she is receptive to the Gospel and to the evangelist.  A man or woman of peace share the Good News of Jesus with friends and family members. My trainer helped me discover that the women at the well, Cornelius, Lydia and the Philippian jailer were all person of peace.  Without the trainer asking me, I began to think though my years of church planting. I asked myself if I had ever known such a person of peace.  Then it came to me! Taita Espiritu was a man of peace.  He heard the Gospel, quickly embraced it and began telling others what he had discovered. First in one place then in another where he took his cattle, new churches got started.  Taita Espiritu was a man of peace. In places where the Gospel had been preached by others, but had not been embraced, the Gospel was received after Taita Espiritu shared his testimony.

A church planter in West Africa put it this way: The activity that I like the best is finding a person of peace I loved it! You see, the manner of finding a person of peace when I read about it, I just loved it. It makes a Church planting easy. What I need to do is look for a person of peace I pray that God should direct me to meet him. Someone who God has prepared his heart already. You know, God always prepares people ahead of time. So, God should prepare someone and when I get there, I should meet that person whether he’s good, bad whatever. He should be receptive the person should be receptive; he should be well-known, and the person should be connected to the people. So, when I think of persons of peace it makes me happy. So, I think if I meet people, it should become easy to plant a church. Praise the Lord, God did direct at west African in Church Planter to a person of peace, and through him the church is growing and planting a daughter church. Who is the person of peace God has led you to? I hope you will celebrate right now the divine appointment that you had with this man or this woman. Celebrate because God is at work! Celebrate because God brought you to this person of peace! Celebrate because people are hungry for the good news of Jesus! Celebrate that God has used you to find a person of peace! Celebrate that a greater harvest is coming! Celebrate persons of peace!

This has been “Multiply.” And I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today? E3-01

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters

Watch Duty

 

Hello and welcome to Multiply a podcast for Village Church Planters and church leaders, I am Daneille Snowden.

 My son, husband and father would tell me about times they served in the military when they had ‘watch-duty.’ They all said they had to keep a watch-out constantly with hardly any sleep. They would manage this by walking the premises and staying active.

The Word of God is alerting the church of Jesus Christ to be on watch and pray. 1 Corinthians 16:13 says “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”

 A spiritual watching is coupled with prayer. 

Matthew 26:41 tells us to: “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 

When we watch in prayer, we use our minds also to study, learn, observe, analyze, and simply think. We are filled with a deep sense of understanding of current events, difficult situations in our lives and others, plus how to handle them. We will be filled with more of the Spirit inspired Word of God so much so we will be warrior servants in His Kingdom. 

This equips as ministers of the Gospel as the time of Christ return is near. 

“Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; ...” Romans 13:11 

I encourage you to be on ‘WATCH DUTY’ and be alert as you watch and pray!

This has been Multiply, please share and find us at vcpencouragment.org, facebook, YouTube and Podbean.