How to Love God More Deeply

 

How to Love God More Deeply

 

 

Written by Patrick Morley

Excerpts from The Seven Seasons of a Man’s Life (Zondervan Publishers) I have a confession to make. In 1991 I retired from the day-to-day responsibilities of my business to devote more time to the noble purpose of helping men find success that matters. Yet almost immediately, something felt amiss. AN “ORGANIZING PRINCIPLE” Within weeks I found myself evaluating “how I was doing” with the same old methods of measuring performance as in business. How many people were in attendance at that speaking engagement? What percentage of them indicated they gave their lives to Christ? How many books did we sell this month? Was it more than last month? And I began to hate it. So, I began to pray and ask God to give me some sort of “organizing principle” around which I could order my life. A few months later I was reading The Letters of Francis Schaeffer. I can’t recall exactly what I read, but I was prompted to put down the book, pick up my legal pad and write, “I will commit myself to a life of devotion and study of God, then speak, teach, and write about what I am learning.” Eureka! I thought. That’s it! The key to staying on track is a life of devotion and study of God. A life of devotion means to love Him more and more, and a life of study means to know Him more and more. To love and know God. These, then, should become my chief pursuits, and everything else should proceed out of the overflow of what God is doing in my life. I realized that my relationship with Him must always be a higher priority than the work I do for Him. A UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLE This “organizing principle” – however one might word it -has application for us all. In other words, we each should be committed to our relationship with Christ as our first priority. We each should be committed to a life of devotion and study of God. Then, after we are filled up to the overflow with enough Jesus for ourselves and some left over to give away, we go do whatever it is we are called to do – practice law, fix plumbing, sell, manage, mow lawns, drive a truck, perform accounting or whatever. In other words, in God’s economy paying attention to our relationship with Him necessarily takes priority over the work He has called us to do. Beginning a work day without some time for reflection and planning leads to a day of wasted motion and fatigue. In the same way, if we do not spend time praying through our concerns and listening for the voice of God in Scripture, throughout that day we will not enjoy the guidance that comes from standing regularly in the presence of our Maker. We won’t be salt and light if through neglect we lose our flavor and let our batteries run down. So, how can a man learn to love God more deeply? FINDING THE RIGHT LOVE LANGUAGE Recently, my wife, Patsy, and I had the serendipity of learning about Gary Chapman’s book, The Five Love Languages. I had to chuckle. For twenty three years I have loved Patsy the way I want to be loved. I feel loved when Patsy spends large blocks of quality time with me. Since that’s how I want to be loved, I assumed that was the best way to love her. So, I have smothered Patsy with long talks and doing things together. For twenty three years Patsy has loved me the way she wants to be loved. She feels loved when I help out with household chores, run errands, or do small acts of kindness, so that’s how she loved me. If I needed a clean shirt I might say, “That’s okay, I’ll just re-press this one. Nobody will know.” She would always say, “No, that’s okay. Really. I’d love to run up to the cleaners for you.” In other words, we have loved the way we want to be loved but really didn’t know how the other wanted to receive love. Here’s the question: Do you know how God wants to be loved? Are you loving God the way He wants to be loved? I fear we have not thought deeply enough about how He wants us to love Him. How does God want to be loved? LOVE GOD WITH INTENSITY The first way God wants to be loved is with intensity. A lawyer told Jesus that the way to eternal life was to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” Jesus commended his answer (Lk 10:25-28). Job’s wife said, “Why don’t you just curse God and die.” Job replied, “Oh, you are speaking like a foolish woman. Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him!” When persecuted, Jeremiah wrote, “But if I say I will not mention Him or speak anymore in His name, His word is in my heart like a burning fire, shut up in my bones! I am weary of holding it in! Indeed, I cannot!” Wouldn’t you love to have that kind of passion for God? To love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind is to love God with the totality of our being, with the sum of our strength, with every ounce of our energy. We are to bring an intensity to the loving of God. WHY WE CAN LOVE GOD AT ALL We can’t love God with intensity because we are good or strong. We love God because He reached His loving hand down into the slough of human progress and pain to capture our souls through the grace of Christ. The Bible puts it this way: “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:9, 10). In other words, we love Him because He first loved us. Jesus Christ is God’s message of love to our broken generation. LOVING GOD LEADS TO OBEDIENCE Jesus said that if we love God in our hearts, we will obey Him with our lives, If you love me, you will obey what I command (John 14:15). Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me (John 14:21). If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching (John 14:23). He who does not love me will not obey my teaching (John 14:24). Obedience must be the trademark of the man who would say, “I love God.” How can we obey God? By loving Him and then living under the authority of His holy Word. Thank God if you love Him. If you want to love Him more, draw closer to Christ. The loving of God must triumph as the top priority for every true follower of Christ. APPLICATION 1. With which of these three statements do you most identify? I love God with everything that is within me and long to know Him more intimately. I have faith in Christ but I have been distracted by the world. I find the idea of loving and knowing God appealing, but I just can’t seem to pull it off. How should you react to your answer? 2. Consider the following ideas to bring you into a deeper personal relationship with God: Get up before dawn, sit in your backyard, look into the sky, read Psalm 8 with a flashlight, and contemplate the majesty and glory of God. Spend some time each day for the next month reading and re-reading the book of John. Go do something nice for someone else as the hands and feet of Christ. Borrow a hymnal from your church and sing songs to the Lord in private. Read a devotional book like My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers. Read The One Year Bible (365 short daily readings). Read Knowing God by J. I. Packer or The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul. Buy a praise music tape and play it in your car. Sing along if you like. Business leader, author, and speaker, Patrick Morley has been used throughout the world to help men and leaders think more deeply about their lives, to be reconciled with Christ, and to equip them to have a larger impact on the world. © 1996. Patrick M. Morley. All rights reserved

 

Building Romance Into Your Marriage

Building Romance Into Your Marriage

Written by Patrick Morley & David Delk

Excerpted and adapted from The Marriage Prayer (Moody Publishers, Fall 2008) Some mornings there is dew all over the ground, almost like the remains from a heavy rain. Other days the grass may be nearly dry. Why the difference? Dew forms when the temperature drops low enough to cause the moisture in the atmosphere to condense. The more water vapor in the air, the higher the temperature at which dew forms. The dryer the air, the colder it has to get. Romance in a marriage is like dew condensing from the air. If the atmosphere of your marriage is dry, romance is hard to come by. Rather than being romantic, small actions toward one another—a smile, a word, a held hand—can seem forced or even manipulative. But if you saturate your marriage with love, time and affection, then small moments of connection mean a lot more. In the right conditions, those small, tender actions condense into something that becomes romance. How can you help your spouse feel cherished? It won’t usually come as a by-product of a few big actions; it will flow out of the atmosphere from lots little things that demonstrate daily love. When Romance Is Gone In our busy world it’s easy for the feeling of romance to fade away. “There’s just no fire there.” “He doesn’t love me anymore.” “She acts like I’m her brother, not her lover.” “It feels like we’re just living together as roommates.” We hear this from men and women all the time. What’s going on when this happens? There are at least two possibilities… The first is that you have unrealistic expectations. Every day won’t feel as electric as the movie theater at eighteen years old. The loss of a job, sick in-laws, teenagers whose grades aren’t what they should be, the death of a friend, and intense projects at work—life is filled with all kinds of circumstances that simply cannot be romantic. That’s okay. As Pat has said before, all disappointment is a result of unmet expectations. Make sure you and your spouse are on the same page about the stresses and realities of what’s happening in your life right now. Your life-stage and current circumstances profoundly affect the state of your romantic relationship. Still, when weeks and weeks go by with no romance, then there’s a problem. Often what has happened is that we have forgotten to treat our spouse with care and respect. We have misplaced our priorities and let other things distract us from moment-by-moment care for our spouse. Why is there a lack of romance in your marriage? Perphaps you have forgotten what your “love” actually looks like to your spouse. You aren’t actually cherishing your spouse the way God cherishes you. You don’t love God more than them and them more than anyone or anything else. When we “love” like this, romance withers and dies. First Corinthians chapter 13 is a great diagnostic to evaluate our daily love. It shows us how true love acts toward others. Perhaps you’ve read it many times, but what if we made this passage specific for you? How would your love measure up? Insert your name in the blanks below (where “love” appears in the original). ________ is patient, ________ is kind. ________ does not envy, ________ does not boast, ________ is not proud. ________ is not rude, ________ is not self-seeking, ________ is not easily angered, ________ keeps no record of wrongs. ________ does not delight in evil, ________ rejoices with the truth. ________ always protects, ________ always trusts, ________ always hopes, ________ always perseveres. Connection Point Which fill-in-the-blank do you feel like you do best? Is there one where you see your love falling short? Say a brief prayer asking God to change your heart, then share your answers with your spouse. Glad you asked. Here are some key ideas for how to create an atmosphere that promotes romance. As you read them, consider which one might best apply to your situation. ■ Talk about special memories. Reconnect by remembering your first date, the night you became engaged, or important moments in your early marriage. It’s too easy to forget all that God did to bring you together. ■ Have lots of little interactions with your spouse. A whirlwind getaway to a New York City luxury hotel won’t be romantic when disconnected from the dozens and hundreds of interactions from the previous weeks. Hold hands, ask an open-ended question and listen to the answer, fold clothes together, call from the car on the way home, or fix them a bowl of ice cream. Take advantage of the little opportunities life presents. ■ Spend time together. Make a point to spend time alone every day for the next week or so—take a walk, play a game, or do the dishes. Before you go to bed, make sure you’ve done something together that included quality time. ■ Buy a gift for each other. Set a reasonable dollar limit and both go shopping to buy a small gift for one another. Plan a quiet evening and give your gifts along with the reason you selected it. ■ Make sure your spouse knows that you think they’re great. Nothing is more romantic than knowing someone really likes you. Every person wants to be highly thought of. Find one good thing about your spouse and mention your appreciation every day. Or find a special time, look them in the eyes and tell them three things about them that are wonderful. ■ Write a letter, by hand. Here’s a corollary to the previous idea: put down on paper some of the things you are grateful for about your spouse. Choose a special moment to present the letter to them; make sure they have peace and quiet to enjoy your note. ■ Ask questions every day. Don’t let the pace of life rob you of a chance to share your thoughts, ideas, and dreams—and to hear theirs. Keeping communication and intimacy alive is a prerequisite for romance. Ask non-threatening questions that show you care. NBAS (No-Brainer Action Step) Choose one of the ideas above to do right away. Don’t tell your spouse which one you picked—yet. Begin to implement your choice, then come back in a week or so and talk about any changes you’ve noticed in your relationship.

Spiritual Disciplines: Experiencing God in Creation

Spiritual Disciplines: Experiencing God in Creation

Written by Patrick Morley

Wednesday, December 10 2008 12:36

Excerpted from A Man’s Guide to the Spiritual Disciplines, Moody Press. We have been given the visible creation to reveal the deity of the invisible God. In history, matter was once considered unspiritual. At other times, matter has been considered evil. The Bible, however, declares that the whole earth is full of his glory. Theologians call creation God’s general revelation. Nature “reveals” a “general” knowledge about God. God speaks to us three ways in creation: through nature, through man’s work, and through mankind. God speaks through nature You may put this article down and walk outside to enjoy the beauty of your yard. You might go to the mountains or to the beach for some weekend R-&-R. Perhaps you live in a city, but you can still do what I love to do – look up at the nighttime sky and admire the stars. I love sitting in my backyard before dawn and gazing up into the sky. In that quiet moment, when a tangible hush rests on my neighborhood, before the kitchen lights announce the day’s beginning, and the engines rev and car doors begin slamming on my street, I think about Psalm 8: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” You can pick up a book about any topic, and you will find that it communicates something about its author. Similarly, creation offers its own message of beauty and grandeur, and it also communicates something about its Creator. It gives perspective. Nature reveals God’s invisible qualities, His eternal and infinite power, His divine nature. When I sit in my backyard and stare at the stars and the planets and the moon, I am humbled by God’s greatness. Yet I also am encouraged by His willingness to stoop into my world and pursue me. God speaks through man’s work Raw nature has the power to turn our thoughts to God, but so do man-made things. Consider, for instance, the intricacy of a fine watch, the grandeur of a skyscraper, the glorious sound of a symphony, the hum of a finely-tuned engine, the delicious smell of steaks on the grill. I love driving through beautiful neighborhoods and admiring the homes, manicured lawns, and flower gardens. I love the smell of freshly mown grass and the restful simplicity of a well-designed golf course. This list is almost endless: parks, sculpture, art, music, cathedrals, computers, the muscular curves of a Porsche. God uses our works to echo his own character throughout the world. Who doesn’t marvel at the power of a laptop computer or PDA? How did that happen? It is a reflection of God’s own creative character that he has put in human beings. God speaks through mankind Beyond raw nature and man’s work lies the wonder of how God has handcrafted people. Who doesn’t admire a beautiful woman or a handsome man? We love to recognize and reward human achievement. We have Emmys, Oscars, Tonys, Espys, and People’s Choice awards. We can’t wait to celebrate the athletic exploits of people like Lance Armstrong and Jeff Gordon. One man may not appear very talented when compared to another man, but both will appear quite talented when compared to a rabbit or a dancing bear. The least human being is infinitely more interesting than the highest beast in creation. Every human being – whether beautiful, or talented, or athletic – is part of the creation and, when pondered, can turn our thoughts to the greatness of God. Whether you’re focusing on natural beauty, man-made beauty, or mankind’s beauty, let the result be the same – let it propel your mind to meditate on the greatness and goodness of the holy God. Rudolph Otto’s book The Idea of the Holy sums it up this way, when he writes of what he called the “mysterium tremendum.” He defines it this way: The feeling of it at times may come sweeping like a gentle tide, pervading the mind with a tranquil mood of deepest worship. It may pass over into a more set and lasting attitude of the soul, continuing, as it were, thrillingly vibrant and resonant, until at last it dies away and the soul resumes its ‘profane,” non-religious mood of everyday experience. It may burst in sudden eruption up from the depths of the soul with spasms and convulsions, or lead to the strangest excitements, to intoxicated frenzy, to transport, and to ecstasy. . . . It may become the hushed, trembling, and speechless humility of the creature in the presence of—whom or what? In the presence of that which is a mystery inexpressible and above all creatures.1 That’s what we’re looking for in contemplating nature – the experience of God’s holiness. And, when you find it in creation, how should you respond? Look at Romans 1:21: ” For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him.” We must not fall into that trap. Glorify God; give thanks to God. That’s why we do disciplines to begin with. That’s why we want to cultivate spiritual habits – so we can come to a place where we voluntarily glorify God and give Him thanks. A Suggested Spiritual Exercise Sit quietly in a quiet room at a quiet time of the day. Become aware of everything in the room — the noises, the silence, the creaks, the wind outside or lack of it, a draft, the humidity, the temperature, your body, the furniture, the light, each chair, fabric, texture, color, and how these things make you feel. Consider what else is in the room that you cannot see — radio waves, TV waves, microwaves, cellular phone conversations, HAM radio transmissions. Become aware of the Spirit of God in the room, in the same sense that He was always there even when you were not focused on Him. Pray, “Jesus, I know that you are right here with me. (As appropriate) I do sense your presence.” Other Suggested Spiritual Exercises Sit quietly in the predawn hour gazing into the sky. Go sit still beside a stream. Watch an ant hill. Stare back at a heron. Look at a mountain and think how long it would take one person to cart it away, or make one, or climb it. Think about how a human could make a tree. A suggested prayer: Heavenly Father, Lord, we do worship You, we do glorify You, we do give You thanks, and we do see You in creation. We see You everywhere around us. We see You in people. We see You in things made well by man. We see You in nature, and it is good, and we acknowledge that you have revealed yourself to us. Lord, give us the habit or the discipline to come often to this place, to this attitude, to this mindset so that we might be with You, that we might have communion with You and that our relationship with You might deepen. We ask this in the name and the power of the invisible God made visible in creation. Amen. 1 Otto, Rudolph. (1923). The idea of the holy. London: Oxford University Press. Pp. 12-13. Pat Morley is the Founder and CEO of Man in the Mirror. © 2006. Pat Morley. All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced for non-commercial ministry purposes with proper attribution.

Knowing God’s Word

 

Knowing God’s Word

Jesus answered, “It is written: man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

 John 4:4 (NIV)

 

            The Word of God was given to mankind so that we would come to know God, and see His interaction with man. Through the Word of God we can see a glimpse of our Creator, and we find the history of Gods interaction with man. He created us in His image, perfect, without any knowledge of sin or death. In the beginning, man could walk with God and commune with the Creator of the universe. Then, we see man’s disobedience and rebellion against God. As a result of this, all of mankind became infected with a sinful nature; we were forever separated from God. As the result of that rebellion we gained the knowledge of sin and death, but we also suffered the devastation of sin and death. We received Gods judgment as the result of our rebellion against Him. However, throughout the Word of God, we can also see a clear picture of a kind and loving God that is constantly reaching out to us, to bring us back into fellowship with Himself. Man was guilty of a crime, and man could not pay the debt. God had a rescue plan for all mankind, He sent his son, Jesus. He lived the sinless life that man could not live, to pay the penalty for our rebellious crimes, which resulted in His death on the cross. Jesus gave himself, and through that sacrifice He destroyed the works of the devil. While Jesus was here on earth He taught us how God wants us to live, and the importance of writing His Word on our hearts. He sent His Holy Spirit to live in us and to teach us, to guide us, to strengthen us, to perfect us, and to be a constant source of hope in our lives. It is through Christ, the Holy Spirit, and His perfect work, that we have hope to overcome our sinful nature. Through the acceptance of His Son we regain our fellowship with God.

            This is the main theme of the Bible, and in order to understand this theme fully, we have to understand the Bible, and in order to understand the Bible we need to know how to study our Bible. As we read and study the Word of God, and apply its properly interpreted truths to our lives, we experience its transforming power.

 

 

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says”. James 1:22 (NIV)

The Word of God transforms us, it changes our behavior and thinking patterns. Although the transformation process is never ending, there comes a time when we mature in Christ, and we are called to carry the message of the Word of God or Gospel to others, to share with them the good news of Jesus Christ and to perform the work that he has called us to. In order to perform this work, we must know Scripture.

One day, as Jesus was teaching in the synagogue, the Sadducees (a group of religious leaders) came to Jesus and asked Him a theological question; Jesus told them, “You are in error because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God”. (Matthew 22:29)

In order to correctly handle theWord of truth we must establish some guidelines to perform our Bible studies with, so that we do not end in error, because error comes from two things; not knowing the scripture, and not knowing the power of God. On the mount of transfiguration, a bright cloud enveloped Jesus, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son whom I love; with Him I am well pleased, listen to Him.” In order to handle the Word of God correctly all doctrine or teachings must line up with what Jesus taught. We need to listen to Jesus. When we read the Bible, and are trying to interpret a certain section we need to make sure that are interpretation lines up with what Jesus taught in the Gospels. We should not allow our own opinion to influence the proper interpretation of Scripture. Our opinion should not be added to the scripture in order to try and accomplish our personal agenda, and we should not ignore or exclude Scripture that God is trying to use to point us in the right direction. We should not take away from the Word of God or add to it. We must know the Scripture.

 We come to know theScripture in three distinct ways. Number one, by studying the written Word of God, and by being disciples or disciplined learners of Christ. Jesus said; “If you continue in my word then are you my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).

Secondly, we also come to know the Scripture by listening to the spoken Word of God as it is being preached or taught. “Consequently, faith comes from the message, and the message is heard from the word of Christ” Romans 10:17(NIV).  We need to make sure that the Word that is being preached lines up with what Jesus taught. Most Pastors will tell you to not take every word that they say for granted but study it out for yourself.

            Thirdly, we listen to the Word of God in our hearts. “The spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life” John 6:63 (NIV). We can know that the voice we hear in our spirit is true if it lines up with what Gods Word says. God will never tell us to do something or believe something that does not line up with His Word. So, we must study the written Word of God, we need to hear the spoken Word of God, and we need to listen to the voice of God in our spirit, in order to come to know the Scripture. In whatever form the Word of God comes to us, it brings light, it reveals areas in our life that need light shined on. God’s Word brings light to our path and does not cause us to stumble. “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”.  Psalms 119:105 (NIV)

 

 

“Sanctify them by the truth; Your Word is truth”

John 17:17 (NIV)

 

As we receive Gods Word we are always checking to ensure the Word we receive lines up with what Jesus taught in the Gospels. The apostle Paul makes a statement in his letter to the Galatians that, “I want you to know brothers that the Gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ”. Galatians 1:11, 12 (NIV)

We need to check that what we read lines up with what Jesus taught that what we hear lines up with what Jesus taught and the voice we hear in our spirit is telling us something that lines up with what Jesus taught. Then we will know the truth, because we follow His Word. We must correctly handle the Word of truth. “Do your best to present yourself to God, as one approved. A workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth”. II Timothy 2:15 (NIV) In order to be a workman that is not ashamed or embarrassed we must correctly handle the word of truth. This means we must not quote scripture out of context, we must not quote things that are not actually in the Bible as if they were. We must live our lives according to its truth so that we can be sanctified or set apart for Gods use; “Sanctify them by the truth; Your Word is truth” (John 17:17) we must have a deep understanding of the power of God’s Word. “For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart”.  Hebrews 4:12 (NIV) The Word of God is living and active, it is sharp, it penetrates, and it judges our thoughts and attitudes of our heart. Gods Word penetrates us and changes us from the inside out. “All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be equipped for every good work”. II Timothy 3:16 (NIV) All Scripture is God Breathed or (inspired by God) and is useful for, teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. The Word of God equips us to perform every good work, and to grow spiritually.

We grow spiritually through:

• Teaching- Shows us the path that we should walk
• Rebuking- Shows us where we got off the path
• Correcting- Tells us how to get back on the path
• Training- Teaches us how to stay on the path

 

The Bible is the comprehensive guidebook for living the Christian life, without it we have no measuring tool to live our lives by; we have nothing to show us the path we should walk, how we got on the wrong path, or how to get on the right path. Without the Word of God we can not stay on the path once it is shown to us. The world tends to quickly point out where we messed up, but has little to offer in the way of how to correct our lives and nothing to offer in regards to an eternal future.

            Gods Word is powerful because it comes directly from Him. “So is my word that goes forth from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it”.  Isaiah 55:11

 

“I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your Word” Psalms 119:16 (NIV)

 

Gods Word is powerful because it always accomplishes His purpose. It never returns to Him Void, or empty.

            We should always use Scripture to interpret Scripture.

When the scribes in the Old Testament would study the law given to Moses, they would first look at the practical meaning of Scripture, then they would look at the spiritual meaning, and finally they would look at the futuristic purpose for the Scripture.

They would take these Scripture references and compare them to each other. By comparing one Scripture with others that say or speak of the same thing we confirm what Gods Word is saying to us. We never take only one Scripture and build a doctrine or teaching from it. The main practical importance of the Word of God is that it transforms us so that we can be empowered to overcome our sinful nature and to prevent us from becoming entangled in sin. It builds in us the desire to know God, and brings us to the understanding of the devastating power of sin so that we desire to stay pure and not sin against God, in the Psalms we read: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your Word. I seek you with all my heart, do not let me stray from your commands. Your Word have I kept in my heart that I may not sin against you.” Psalm 119:9-11 (NIV) we keep our way pure by living according to Gods Word. As we allow God to direct our footsteps we can have confidence in Him knowing that He will lead us, He will guide us and He will direct our footsteps. “Direct my footsteps according to your Word; let no sin rule over me”. Psalms 119:133

            There are four distinct steps to the renewing process, and it is through this process that God makes us into the men and women of God that He has designed us to be, so that He can perform through us the things He desires to do. It is for this reason that God consecrates us or rescues us, that He Transforms us or renews our mind, that He sanctifies us or set us apart for His use, and then finally that He sends us to be reformers to the world or perform His work. The ultimate goal for Gods Word in our lives is to make us into Biblically literate disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Useful as workers in your local church in reaching the lost with the Gospel, and training believers in discipleship He does all this through His Word that dwells in us. “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts toward God”. Colossians 3:16 (NIV) The Word of God is given to us to become the theme of our lives and the song of our heart. “Your decrees are the theme of my song wherever I lodge”.  Psalms 119:54 (NIV) We should never neglect Gods Word but always keep it in the forefront of our thinking and our hearts.

 

Written By: David Whittaker 

 

 

“How I long for your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness” Psalms 119:40 (NIV)

Sustaining Momentum in Your Men’s Ministry

Sustaining Momentum in Your Men’s Ministry

Written by Patrick Morley

Here are comments we frequently hear from men and pastors frustrated in their efforts to make men’s ministry work in their churches,”We just can’t seem to get our men interested.” “We have an event, but two months later everything is the same as before.” “The men who need this the most are the least interested.” “After two years we still only have ___ men.” On the other hand, my brother-in-law started a single small group in his church four years ago with five men. Today, they have 62 excited men in five small groups. Another church started with 50 men last fall in 7 small groups, now they have almost 100 men eager to meet and discuss God’s word. What’s the difference between these results? Why do some men’s ministries flourish while others putter along? These are the questions we will answer in this newsletter. You created quite a stir around your church! The event you planned was a huge success. Men came out. They heard. They responded. The atmosphere around the church was electric. You created a lot of momentum. You find this very satisfying. Not only did you create momentum, you captured the momentum as well. When properly challenged, an astonishing 70% of the men attending the event signed up for six week follow up discussion groups on the spot! Now that they’ve met for a few weeks, those men are extolling the virtues of men meeting together. Many of them have started to come alive spiritually for the very first time. Others, reticent at first, now look forward to every minute of the discussion time. Some have opened up in ways they’ve never, ever done before. These men have bonded with each other. You feel like you’ve had a good return on your labor – but you don’t want it to stop here! On the contrary, you are eager to sustain the momentum you’ve created and captured. To do less would be like heating the house to a toasty 72 degrees on a cold winter’s day, then leaving the front door wide open. That wouldn’t make any sense. What do you do now? In two weeks the small groups come to an end. How can you keep men involved and growing in faith? EXPECT DROP OFF First, accept that you can’t sustain all the momentum. The parable of the sower always works against the command to make disciples. At every additional step you take some seed will fall on the rocky path, the side of the road, or among the thorns. Your reasonable expectation should be that every time you ask men for additional commitment some will give it, but others will fall away. (That’s why you want to continue to have additional events periodically to create and capture fresh momentum.) FIVE GROUPS OF MEN Second, you must design a next right step for each category of man. Recently a pastor had an “aha!” when he realized he had designed his men’s ministry as “one size fits all.” Each man has a personal situation that should dictate what you challenge him to do next. We suggest the following five groupings: Unsaved men – seekers, lookers, investigators Cultural Christians – men on the “fringe” Disciples, or men who want to be Leaders, or men who want to be Hurting men, men with “broken wings” You can immediately see the value of knowing to which group a man belongs. Obviously, a man well versed in the Bible with a gift for leadership and administration has different needs than an unsaved man whose wife has just issued an ultimatum to get straight or get out. You must have an appropriate next step for every man in your church, and they will fall into one of these five groupings. One size doesn’t fit all. Therefore, you will want to have a variety of ongoing opportunities that fit the vision and mission of your church, like, For unsaved men: Outreach events – like a football player giving a testimony at a breakfast Social outings – like a fish fry For cultural Christians: Small group study of a Christian book Success That Matters® men’s event For disciples, or men who want to be: Learner Pastor’s small group Bible study Accountability group Men’s Bible study Teacher Lead a small group book or Bible study Teach Sunday School Host a table at a Men’s Bible Study Worker Prayer Group Service in the community Meet needs in the church Witness Take a training class Share faith with new visitors Share with co-workers, neighbors, friends For leaders, or men who want to be: Deacon or Elder training Men’s Ministry Leadership Core Group participation For hurting men: Opportunities to meet with disciples/leaders gifted to encourage Professional counseling referrals Issue oriented small groups – divorce recovery, dealing with grief, etc. How do you determine which category a man falls into and, therefore, his appropriate next step? A PERSONAL INTERVIEW Third, conduct a personal interview with each man. Once you get to the “sustain momentum” step all the confetti and party balloons are gone. You are settling in for the long, sometimes thankless task of making disciples. There are no shortcuts in men’s ministry. If you want to build men long term, you have to get to know each of those men personally. This means getting off with them one-on-one for a breakfast or lunch and really getting to know the man. Ask these questions, “Where are you on your spiritual pilgrimage?” “Has there ever been a time where you have made a commitment of your life to Jesus Christ by faith?” If yes, “Could you tell me how that happened?” “I’m going to mention five groups of men. Tell me which of these categories do you most identify with: seeker, cultural Christian, disciple, leader, or hurting?” Then, “Why did you answer that way?” “In terms of your own spiritual growth and service, which of the following four categories do you picture yourself in right now: Learner, Teacher, Worker, Witness?” “Based on your answer to the last question, would you say you need to be considered a beginner, intermediate or advanced in that area?” PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER Once you have paid the steep price of having someone from the leadership team meet with each man, you will have powerful “design” information. The types of opportunities you need to sustain momentum will likely obviate themselves. As I like to say, most decisions are obvious given enough time and information. Remember that it takes a long time to make a disciple. So, to be successful you, too, have to be in it for the long haul. Be patient. Also, most meaningful change will take place in the context of church based small group relationships. Consultant Pat MacMillan surveyed over 2,500 Promise Keepers who had kept their promises. He asked them, “Who helped you keep them?” The two overwhelming answers given were, “My wife” and “My church-based small group.” So focus on eventually getting men into small groups to study, pray, and be accountable. YOUR NEXT STEP Do you have a desire to sustain the momentum in your men’s ministry? Why not get together with the leaders of your church and talk through the ideas discussed in this newsletter? Or here’s an even better idea, why not order a copy of the Men’s Ministry Action Plan for your leadership team by calling 407-331-0095 ext.15? Then develop a plan of action and begin the long-term process of building disciples. Business leader, author, and speaker, Patrick Morley helps men to think more deeply about their lives, to be reconciled with Christ, and to be equipped for a larger impact on the world. © 1998. Patrick M. Morley. All rights reserved.

Man Alive: a Preview

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VbB1Ra1TI8&feature=player_embeddedWritten by Patrick Morley    Tuesday, January 17 2012 00:00

The following is an excerpt from MAN ALIVE. I hope you like it.Over the last four decades, I’ve met one-on-one with thousands of men over coffee, in restaurants, in offices, online, after Bible studies, or just hanging out at the racetrack–men like you. I’ve listened to their stories. I’ve heard what they said and didn’t say. Christian men know–or strongly sense–that we were created to lead powerful lives transformed by Christ.But something is blocking them.             With a few inspiring exceptions, most men I talk to are confused about what a powerful, transformed life really looks like. They have high hopes for what Christianity offers but little to show for it.Their instincts are screaming, “There must be more!” When men try to put into words what keeps them from feeling fully alive, they invariably describe one or more of these seven symptoms: “I just feel like I am in this thing all alone.” “I don’t feel like God cares about me personally, not really.” “I don’t feel like my life has a purpose–it seems random.” “I have a lot of destructive behaviors that keep dragging me down.” “My soul feels dry.” “My most important relationships are not working.” “I don’t feel like I’m doing anything that will make a difference and leave the world a better place.” Do you feel the angst? Do you see yourself on this list? The High Cost of Being Half Alive I’d estimate that as many as 90 percent of Christian men lead lukewarm, often defeated, lives. They’re mired in spiritual mediocrity–and they hate it.Despite their good intentions, after they “walk the aisle” and “pray the sinner’s prayer,” most men return to their seats and resume their former lives. They don’t take the next steps. Men lose heart, go silent, and anesthetize their pain. Then they give up, burn out, drop out, or just slowly drift away. It’s not just getting older–it’s an assassination of the soul.Almost imperceptibly, one disappointment at a time, the world sucks out their newfound joy and passion for life in Christ. And isn’t that exactly what the enemy of our souls wants? As Jesus said, referring to the devil, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). The collateral damage is staggering. Tonight, one-third of America’s seventy-two million children will go to bed in a home without their biological dad. But perhaps the greatest cost to the physical absence of fathers is the practical absence of mothers. Essentially, one person must now do the work of two. As a young woman who grew up without a dad said, “When my mom and dad divorced, I didn’t just lose my dad. I also lost my mom because she had to work long hours to support us.” There has to be a better way. What a Man Alive Does Differently We all know a handful of Christian men we admire more than others. Their faith has become robust and powerful. They’re living lives of influence because their primal needs have been fulfilled. They feel alive. Perhaps you have even witnessed their transformation from spiritual mediocrity. Likewise, you’ve known men who never seem to be able to get it together spiritually. What makes the difference? What are the guys who really have it together doing that the guys who live in spiritual mediocrity don’t do? What differentiates strong men from those guys who always seem to be on the outside looking in? What do successful Christian men do that unsuccessful Christian men fail to do? What’s Going On? Consider Jesus’ well-known parable of the four soils. A sower went out and scattered the seed of God’s Word on four kinds of soil: the hard path, the rocky soil, the thorny ground, and the good soil. Most men today would recognize themselves in the first three soils where the seeds don’t grow. Yet they honestly want to be like the good soil where the fourth seed fell–to be men “who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted” (Matthews 13:23). What is keeping men’s lives hard, rocky, and choked with thorns when so many urgently want more and when God created us for more–much more? Jesus gave us another insight when He was speaking to a group of confused religious men. He said, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). Do you see it? Jesus made a direct connection between knowing the Bible and leading a powerful life. Lukewarm men are in error because they “don’t know the Scriptures” and therefore “don’t know the power of God.” Their capabilities don’t equal their intentions. On the other hand, transformed men “truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest.” Digging into the Word of God is easily the number one factor that differentiates men who have tapped into God’s power. A Powerful Life The word “power” in the Bible is the Greek word dunamis, from which we get dynamite. An Army chaplain had a huge boulder in his backyard. He knew an Army explosives expert, so he asked for help. The chaplain suggested they put some dynamite on the rock to break it up. The explosives expert laughed. He said, “If we just detonated explosives on top of the rock, it would barely take a chip out of the rock–and we would shatter every window within a two-block radius! “But I can do anything with that rock you want. I can leave the rock intact and throw it anywhere in your backyard. I can split in two. If you want me to pulverize it, I can. You just tell me what you want, and I can shape a charge that will direct the power of the blast to do whatever you want.” That’s the kind of immense, versatile power that Jesus envisioned in making the statement in Matthew 22:29. In the Scriptures and in the Holy Spirit, you already have at your disposal the power–the dynamite–of God to change your life. Where Do We Go from Here? God gives us a huge promise in His Word. Jesus said it Himself: “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (John 10:10) You don’t have to settle for being half alive. You can heal each of your inner aches and pains. You can be the good soil. You can be transformed. God will change your life, one verse at a time. It’s not self-indulgent for you to become the man God created you to be. In fact, it’s your destiny to lead a powerful life transformed by Christ–not without ongoing opposition, but equipped and trained with the power to prevail. You don’t have to settle for being half alive. We are part of something bigger than ourselves, you and I. We share a common bond. And there are others too–millions of us. Everywhere. Men unwilling to settle for spiritual mediocrity. Men unwilling to settle for anything less than becoming fully alive. © 2012. Man in the Mirror. All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced for non-commercial ministry purposes with proper attribution.