{"id":31714,"date":"2022-09-10T15:41:10","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/3-ministry-lies-church-leaders-must-silence\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:41:10","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:41:10","slug":"3-ministry-lies-church-leaders-must-silence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/3-ministry-lies-church-leaders-must-silence\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Ministry Lies Church Leaders Must Silence"},"content":{"rendered":"
Ocean Biggshott photo – Unsplash <\/p>\n

By Paul Worchester<\/em><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re attempting to lead in ministry, you have an enemy who wants to discourage and distract you from the mission to which God has called you. If he can cripple you with doubts, fears and excuses, the ministry will be hindered.<\/p>\n

Remember, this is a battle for the souls of people. We can\u2019t afford to waste time with the mind games of the enemy. Here are three, of many, lies that I have fought regularly, along with some encouragement the Lord has given me related to each one.<\/p>\n

1. \u201cWe don\u2019t have enough.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In the process of planting our college ministry from scratch, I\u2019ve had this thought a million different times in a million different ways:<\/p>\n

\u2022 We don\u2019t have enough money.
\u2022 We don\u2019t have enough student leaders.
\u2022 We don\u2019t have enough staff.
\u2022 We don\u2019t have enough students at large group.
\u2022 I don\u2019t have enough time.
\u2022 I don\u2019t have enough energy.
\u2022 I don\u2019t have enough wisdom.
\u2022 Your turn. Insert your favorite excuse:<\/em> \u201cI don\u2019t have enough ____.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the deal: You have exactly enough to do what God has called you to do.<\/p>\n

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Whether your church or ministry has five people or 500, whether you\u2019re fully funded with ten staff members or you\u2019re part time with 10 other hats to wear, you have exactly what you need to do what God wants.<\/p>\n

This lie, if believed, is actually an insult to God. God in his providence has chosen to put you where you are, and he has given you what you have.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures\u201d (James 1:16\u201318).<\/em><\/p>\n

Any blessing you have is a gift from God.<\/p>\n

You have a responsibility to aggressively multiply what God has given you. Remember the parable of the talents?<\/p>\n

Both faithful servants received a different amount of talents, and both multiplied what the master gave them. The master was equally pleased with both.<\/p>\n

The point was not how much they were given, but what they did with what they were given. If you hide behind the \u201cwe don\u2019t have enough\u201d lie, you\u2019re in danger of acting like the wicked servant.<\/p>\n

Never make excuses and refuse to take risks to multiply your impact with the little the Master has entrusted to you. Don\u2019t be that guy who buries what he has in the dirt (Matthew 25:14\u201330; Luke 19:12\u201328).<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be clear: I believe we should all be seeking God for more kingdom impact and even ask him for specific blessings. James 4:2 says, \u201cYou do not have, because you do not ask.\u201d We also can\u2019t hide behind \u201cI\u2019m just being faithful\u201d as an excuse for laziness or fear.<\/p>\n

What God has given you right now is a test and a trust. We must use what God has given us to multiply it for his kingdom. If we aggressively take risks to invest what God has given us, he may bless us with more.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a good question to ask yourself, \u201cIf God chooses not to bless me with more right now, will I still aggressively attempt to multiply what he has given me?\u201d<\/p>\n

2. \u201cWe need to be the biggest or the best church or ministry in our community to really matter.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s a question for you if you struggle with this one (If not, congrats! You\u2019re a better person than I am.): Who said your ministry needed to be the largest or even the best at anything?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard campus ministers talk about different ministries on campus and basically say things like, \u201cThat large ministry on campus \u2026 they\u2019re great at evangelism and bringing people into the group, but dude, they\u2019re bad at discipleship. It\u2019s kind of like youth group, part two.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or, \u201cThey may be growing deep in their faith, but they don\u2019t share the gospel nearly as often as we do. It\u2019s a bummer they don\u2019t have a heart for the lost.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s good to recognize the distinctions and strengths among different churches and ministries. My question is, are such statements motivated by competition? If so, I believe it grieves the Lord.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a test: How do you feel when another church or ministry has a big win, like a successful outreach event?<\/p>\n

Do you rejoice with them, or do you say, \u201cWe\u2019ll see if those were true conversions\u201d? We should strive to rejoice over whatever God wants to do in our communities through whomever he chooses.<\/p>\n

Our attitudes should be like the apostle Paul\u2019s: \u201cBut what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice\u201d (Phil. 1:18).<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let yourself fall into the trap of competition and comparison.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise\u201d (2 Corinthians 10:12).<\/p>\n

Yes, you are different than the other churches or ministries, and that\u2019s a great thing. Your church is the only one that can fulfill your kingdom role.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean you must be the best at anything. Focus on how God will test your work on the day of judgment. Check out 1 Corinthians 3:5\u201315.<\/p>\n

God uses all kinds of churches to reach all types of people.<\/p>\n

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See also  8 Ways to Persevere in Ministry<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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You are the best ministry for the people God has called you to reach. Go do it!<\/p>\n

3. \u201cWe aren\u2019t really making a difference.\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s easy to believe you\u2019re making a difference when the person across the coffee shop table bursts into tears and decides to repent of their sin and trust Jesus on the spot. Or when the services are backed with new people.<\/p>\n

What about those days, weeks or months when things are just \u201cmeh\u201d?<\/p>\n

What about when attendance is down or when no one is making decisions to accept Jesus?<\/p>\n

What about when that leader who had so much potential decided to join the larger, \u201ccooler\u201d church in the community?<\/p>\n

What about when that new believer you\u2019re trying to follow up with forgets about your discipleship meeting again?<\/p>\n

What do you do?<\/p>\n

Keep going.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain\u201d (1 Corinthians 15:58).<\/em><\/p>\n

Keep sowing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cLet us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up\u201d (Galatians 6:9).<\/em><\/p>\n

The bulk of your kingdom impact may never be known until you stand before Jesus. I\u2019m glad God, in his grace, does allow us to see some visible external fruit.<\/p>\n

If I\u2019m reading the above verses correctly, the real breakthroughs in fruitfulness often happen when we\u2019re tempted to \u201cgive up\u201d or believe they\u2019re \u201cin vain,\u201d but we keep going and keep sowing.<\/p>\n

I believe when Jesus said, \u201cThe harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few\u201d (Matthew 9:27), he meant it. Not everyone you seek to minister to will be interested. We must sow broadly to find those God has already prepared.<\/p>\n

I often struggle with doubts, fears and depressing thoughts as I\u2019m driving to campus for an evangelism or outreach event.<\/p>\n

Usually, one of these lies and more start to barrage my mind. In those moments of battle, I\u2019m so grateful for the spiritual discipline of Scripture memory. The Holy Spirit has been faithful to remind me of verses I\u2019ve memorized to help fight off these lies.<\/p>\n

A common lie I hear is, \u201cThis outreach initiative you\u2019re about to attempt on campus won\u2019t really make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

One verse God used to encourage me is what Jesus said to the apostle Paul in a dream one night: \u201cFor I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city\u201d (Acts 18:10).<\/p>\n

In that moment, it was as if God were whispering to me, \u201cI have many people on this campus.\u201d In that moment, I had a surge of faith and joy.<\/p>\n

As Christian leaders, we get the privilege of finding those in whom God is already at work and helping them take their next step as disciples of Christ.<\/p>\n

Consider my father\u2019s testimony:<\/p>\n

John Worcester came to Christ in college. He attended one college ministry meeting and was impressed with the sincerity of the environment and testimonies.<\/p>\n

The staff leader gave him a simple gospel booklet to read. My father went to his room that night and read the booklet over and over (six times) until he finally thought to himself, \u201cIf this is real, then it\u2019s the most amazing thing I\u2019ve ever heard.\u201d<\/p>\n

He prayed the suggested prayer at the end of the booklet, and Jesus radically saved and began changing him on the spot.<\/p>\n

He hardly got involved with the campus ministry at all that semester, but he read the New Testament twice the first month before he left for summer.<\/p>\n

As a two-month-old Christian, he went back to his hometown and began sharing Christ with his friends.<\/p>\n

Several came to Christ, and he started a Bible study that grew to about 30 students before he was even attending a local church. It was almost like he planted a church before even attending a church.<\/p>\n

He transferred to a different university that following summer and plugged into a college ministry there.<\/p>\n

Since then, God has taken him on a journey all over the world planting churches and training others to do the same. These churches and their offspring have over 20,000 people in regular attendance.<\/p>\n

I wonder if the campus minister who simply answered a few questions after a meeting and gave my dad that gospel booklet ever knew what happened to that crazy sophomore John Worcester.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure, but I know he will someday. I can imagine that, in heaven, the thousands of people who have been reached through my father\u2019s church plants will plan a party to celebrate the faithfulness of that one campus minister.<\/p>\n

Maybe I will try and plan it when I get there. There should be plenty of time to pull it off.<\/p>\n

Your investment in people matters more than you will ever know on this side of eternity. Keep it up!<\/p>\n

PAUL WORCESTER (@PaulWorcester)<\/strong> and his wife Christy lead Christian Challenge at California State University, Chico, where they passionately seek to introduce college student to Jesus and become multiplying disciples. <\/em><\/p>\n

Paul is the author of <\/em>Tips for Starting a College Ministry and the co-author of the new edition of <\/em>The Fuel and The Flame with Steve Shadrach. This article, used with permission, first appeared on OutreachMagazine.com.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Ocean Biggshott photo – Unsplash By Paul Worchester If you\u2019re attempting to lead in ministry, you have an enemy who wants to discourage and distract you from the mission to which God has called you. If he can cripple you with doubts, fears and excuses, the ministry will be hindered. Remember, this is a battle … Continue reading “3 Ministry Lies Church Leaders Must Silence”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31714"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31714\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}