1 Thessalonians Series - The Lord Will Come From Heaven

 

Hello! This is Multiply a podcast to encourage Church Planters and church leaders, I am Brad Snowden.

When I was doing construction there were some projects that I thought would never be completed. I became tired day after day working hard and not seeing and end or at the very least a noticeable difference. Then one day the project suddenly progressed, and it was very noticeable. Wow! What a feeling of relief. This event changed how I would face the day I found hope in the fact that soon I would have the project complete.

 Today it is hard to be a church planter, it is hard to be pastor and it hard to find people willing to listen to a Bible story. It is hard because we want to see hearts changed and churches planted. We want to villages find Hope and yet the daily work can get very tiring, and the enemy whisper’s “you aren’t really making a difference."  It is hard but there is Hope in the word of God. Hope a feeling of great expectation stirring up a newfound strength to be able to take the next step. This scripture is one of our encouraging scriptures of hope.

1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 says, "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so Godin this same way—by raising them from the dead will bring with Him those believers who have fallen asleep in Jesus.  For we say this to you by the Lord’s word, that we who are still alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep in death.  For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain will simultaneously be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord!"

When we read this scripture, the Apostle Paul is writing to the church believers in Thessalonica. He instructs them of an event that will fulfill scripture. The word is here as an encouragement THE LORD WILL COME.

What Hope we have; we will be united with Christ fulling Jesus’s words in John that says” where I am you will be also” Our hope is to be physically untied with Christ for all eternity.

I know it is hard and it seems that circumstances will never change but be encouraged today that the Lord will come, and his word will be fulfilled. Jesus is preparing to be united with His bride. This world is not our home God has something far greater than we could ever imagine.

We will be with Him, and this simple word needs to give us hope today. This has been a word of encouragement to village church planters. Please share this encouraging word with others. Lord Bless You!

Principles of Leadership – Provide Feedback 1

 

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

During 2022, my theme has been “10 Principles of Spiritual Leadership”.  We have now reached principle #8 which is “Provide Feedback”. 

One definition of “feedback” in this context is “evaluative or corrective information about an action or process.”  It’s important to note that feedback can be positive or it may be negative, or corrective.  It is the responsibility of the leader to share both positive and negative feedback to those under their leadership. 

Too much positive feedback can lead to over-confidence and self-satisfaction on the part of the follower.  He or she might get the impression that “all is well” when that is not really the case. 

On the other hand, too much – or only – corrective feedback can seriously discourage those under our leadership. 

Godly leaders want to avoid both of these extremes by providing both positive and corrective feedback.

In this episode we will focus on the importance of leaders providing positive feedback.  Next time, we will explore the other side, that is, corrective feedback.  

As a leader, I seek to affirm the behaviors or results that I’m seeking. I want to provide positive reinforcement when others have acted or performed well, when they have met or exceeded expectations.  Over the years, I’ve learned that there are various ways to do this, and I try to share feedback in the way that is most appreciated by others.

·         it may be spoken words of affirmation, or

·         a written note or certificate

·         In some situations, a small gift best conveys positive feedback

I’ve also learned that feedback must be specific.  Rather that saying “good job on the report”, it is better to say “your report was thorough and complete, and I appreciated your analysis and recommendations”.  By providing specific feedback, those who follow us will have a much better understanding of what they did well and what they will want to do again the next time. 

As a leader, Jesus provided feedback.  In Matthew 8:10, Jesus gave feedback to the Roman centurion who brought his servant for healing.  Jesus told him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”  Jesus affirmed, or complimented, his level of faith. 

Later, in Matthew 16:28, he told the Canaanite woman, “Woman, you have great faith!  Your request is granted.”

Think how encouraged these two must have been and how likely they would be to express faith in Jesus in the future.  May we lead like Jesus by providing positive feedback to those who follow us. 

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