On my way in to work this morning I was thinking of all the marketing aspects of the ministry I have been learning since I moved to Atlanta. And it just got me thinking the way in which Jesus would draw a crowd. From the scriptures we know that he had a huge following every where he went. I'm sure the greatest advertisement he had was word of mouth, but I don't believe that is what cause the great crowds to form.
When Jesus was twelve, we have the first glimpse into his ministry and see all the elders of the Synagog gathered around him. They were gathered because of the great wisdom and authority in which He spoke. I believe this was the draw of his entire ministry. He spoke with wisdom and authority.
I believe this is still very true today. Word gets around when your words hold wisdom and authority. I don't know of any big named preacher that didn't get the reputation he has without starting with words of wisdom and authority that actually changed the lives of the listeners. This is the key to building a strong ministry. Wisdom is the key element for drawing a crowd. I wonder what would happen if pastors spent as much time in their study getting words of wisdom and authority as they did worrying about the next graphic for the next series. I believe the crowd would be drawn to the same wisdom of Christ. Preach the Word!!!
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Gearing Up for Easter
When I was growing up Easter was all about getting matching outfits with my brothers and hoping there was an Easter Egg hunt at Church and maybe even finding a plastic egg with money inside. Growing up in Church I remember all the different plays and cantatas the Church would do as we celebrated Easter.
Easter hasn't changed in the last 2000 years or so in the fact that it is still the biggest day of the year for the Body of Christ to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord an Savior. It is crazy to fathom that there was a man that died, laid in a tomb for 3 days, and then got up and walked out! This is unbelievable! This in incredible! This is a miracle! There were over 500 witnesses that saw the resurrected Christ during the 40 days he walked around after the resurrection. Can you imagine the overwhelming testimony in a court room today if 500 witnesses testified to an event. We wouldn't even question it.
So many people say they just can't have this blind faith of Christianity, and I say our faith is based on the facts recorded in the Bible by eye witnesses. You would be silly not to believe the overwhelming evidence that Jesus from Nazareth rose from the dead just as he predicted he would.
If Jesus, through the power of God, can be raised from the dead, and has the power over death; it would be wise to trust Him for not only the afterlife but the things in this life. Jesus didn't rise from the dead for himself. He is, was, and for will be God. He rose from the dead to illustrate to you that he has the power over death, and can raise you from the dead as well. He also gave us an example of that when he raised Lazarus from the dead. This is the eternal life that he promises to all those that trust, believe, and receive Him. Easter is coming!!
Easter hasn't changed in the last 2000 years or so in the fact that it is still the biggest day of the year for the Body of Christ to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord an Savior. It is crazy to fathom that there was a man that died, laid in a tomb for 3 days, and then got up and walked out! This is unbelievable! This in incredible! This is a miracle! There were over 500 witnesses that saw the resurrected Christ during the 40 days he walked around after the resurrection. Can you imagine the overwhelming testimony in a court room today if 500 witnesses testified to an event. We wouldn't even question it.
So many people say they just can't have this blind faith of Christianity, and I say our faith is based on the facts recorded in the Bible by eye witnesses. You would be silly not to believe the overwhelming evidence that Jesus from Nazareth rose from the dead just as he predicted he would.
If Jesus, through the power of God, can be raised from the dead, and has the power over death; it would be wise to trust Him for not only the afterlife but the things in this life. Jesus didn't rise from the dead for himself. He is, was, and for will be God. He rose from the dead to illustrate to you that he has the power over death, and can raise you from the dead as well. He also gave us an example of that when he raised Lazarus from the dead. This is the eternal life that he promises to all those that trust, believe, and receive Him. Easter is coming!!
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Team Work Gets It Done
As I think back over my time as a minister of the gospel, it has become so evident to me that people are looking for a friend, then a leader, and finally a preacher. I still remember that Monday morning in my little office of that little church in a little town when God asked me the biggest question of my life. "Do you want to be a professional Pastor or do you want to be a minister to my people. To become a Minster I would have to get dirty. People are messy! Their lives are messy! But, in a split second I saw my Lord on my cross getting dirty because of my mess and I had to join Him in the messiness of others.
The blessing is that through all of that mess you form life long friendships that you would die for. People and Families are changed forever through the power of the gospel; and I have gained war buddies that will be with me through thick and thin. If your not willing to war with others, you wont have the close relationship of others.
This is what has happened over the last few months with my new friends at New Season Church. We are celebrating 5 years of ministry which I believe has been the "priming of the pump" for some awesome things to come. In the last six months I have had to lean on my brothers as they leaned back on me and we made it through. There is going to be a huge work force today up at East Paulding High School and some will say that we need to get the stage up, others will say that we need to put the chairs out, still others will be frustrated with our sound equipment, but we will be doing it together. And at the end of the day we will be a closer family then when we started. That gets me excited about the day and the years to come.
The blessing is that through all of that mess you form life long friendships that you would die for. People and Families are changed forever through the power of the gospel; and I have gained war buddies that will be with me through thick and thin. If your not willing to war with others, you wont have the close relationship of others.
This is what has happened over the last few months with my new friends at New Season Church. We are celebrating 5 years of ministry which I believe has been the "priming of the pump" for some awesome things to come. In the last six months I have had to lean on my brothers as they leaned back on me and we made it through. There is going to be a huge work force today up at East Paulding High School and some will say that we need to get the stage up, others will say that we need to put the chairs out, still others will be frustrated with our sound equipment, but we will be doing it together. And at the end of the day we will be a closer family then when we started. That gets me excited about the day and the years to come.
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