The Call to Endure by Mark Driscoll

Many of the letter in the New Testament end with a commission to continue.

Matt 28:20, Gal 6:9, Eph 6:18, Col 4:2, 2 Thes 3:13, 1 Tim 4:18, James 5:7-8, 1 Peter 5:12, 2 Peter 3:17, Jude 24-25

All of these scriptures end with a challenge to persevere in the great commission. The Gospels and remainder of the New Testament close with the charge to keep moving forward.

Practical ways to Endure

Have the humility to learn and glean wisdom from every great leader.

We need to be intentional on finishing the race well. We need to have a goal and aspire to achieve that goal. We need to pursue our calling at all costs with full integrity.

Though the Bible calls us to finish the race well in order to hear “well done” and few will!

1.    We need to watch our life & doctrine closely

Get your losses out of the way young. Work hard to seasoned and sanctified while you are young. If not you will fail late in life and it will cost you far more.

Your character begins to set early and will calcify over time. Deal with the issues early so you will not be set in the wrong areas for life!

Endure in your Spirituality. You need time for silence and solitude with God! Make it a practice of life. In today’s world the noise of life is so addictive we cannot survive without it. Sometimes we need to run off all of our technology and spend that time with Jesus. It must be intentional and purposeful.

It is in the moments of solitude and silence we get clarity of vision and direction. We must make this a priority in our ministries. This will give us the ability to endure.

Minister from your life, Do Not make ministry your life! Minister to your wife, walk with your people, and live life the way God intended it.

Do not make ministry your idol.  Do not let your ministry become the primary focus of your life. Make sure your family is first and your walk with God is primary. Do you do ministry out of spite for God. Ministry can be the one idol that is blessed by other Christians!

Do not let your ministry remove you from the life that God intended for you. Love Jesus, don’t use Him for a living! Shepherd your own soul before shepherding others.

2.     We need to endure Physically

Make sure you take care of you health and your body. Do not become lazy and content. Also, do not become the “superman” who feels no need to care for your self.

You need time for rest. You need to make sure you get rest, renewal and a Sabbath discipline.

You must take your day off. Keep this day sacred. 

You need a true vacation! Not a speaking engagement or conference. A time away with your phone off.

Make sure you get plenty of exercise. Make sure you maintain the temple that God has entrusted to you.

Maintain your health through regular check-ups and treatments.

If you’re a pastor, you have no pastor! Your wife becomes your pastor. Make sure your wife guards you. Make sure you let your wife guard you. Let your wife love you and minister to you. Let her nurture you and push you to grow. Let her meet your needs, as you meet everyone else’s.

3.     Endure in Your Marriage

Your second priority behind your relationship with God is a Godly relationship with your wife.

The idea that if you care for the church God will care for your family….it’s a Demonic lie! 

Make your wife and family a higher priority than ministry and the church! If that does not happen, other people will destroy your family. Then you will have to destroy yourself in order to save them.

Be sure that you set boundaries that make your family a priority.

Define your wife’s role and guard it carefully. There is no Pastors’ wife role in Scriture! Your wife does not need to have any responsibility in the church. This is especially true if you have children who need their mother. There should be no demands on a pastor’s wife! She is a wife not a pastor!

Sync your life with your wife first. Make sure you have a battle plan for your family, not just your church. Set a date night and time together.

Let your wife be the helper that God created her to be. But, define her role for you. She is your helper, not the church’s helper. Let her do the things that she was created to do, she is there to minister to you. As you let her do that and make her a priority, she will feel completed.

Somebody can do everything else in the church. No one else can be the pastors wife! No one else can sleep with the pastor, but his wife!

4.    Endure as a Parent!

Make sure that your kids become a huge priority in your life. Realize that God entrusted our kids to us before the church! Children are a higher priority than the church God has called us to.

No one else can be your kids’ father but you. Anyone else can pastor your church!

Don’t let anyone else impose things on your kids. Don’t let anyone intrude on the time and privacy of your family. Guard your family. Be sure that you are not controlled by the fear of man….A People Pleaser!

Make sure that you are not controlled by technology in such a manner that you cannot disconnect to spend time with your children.

You do not need to be so accessible that your family suffers! Guard your time.

5.     Endure Theologically

Don’t cave in to the fundamentalist or the liberals. Make sure you stand your ground. Do not compromise the truth of the Gospel and the character of Jesus. The Gospel calls ALL people to repent and calls sin, sin. Do NOT Compromise on this.

You call religious people to repent of religiosity and sinner to repent of sin. Then get ready to be shot by those on both sides!

Do not ever let up on the truth of who Jesus is and what He represents as the Gospel. Make sure that you work out your salvation by fear a trembling….Phil 2:12-13

1 Cor 9…..Contextualize the truth to compel as many people as possible to worship Jesus

Jude say we must contend for the faith

You must do both of these to survive!

6.     Endure Financially

Make sure you are wise and careful with your money. Two pitfalls arise….Too much or Too little money. Make sure that ministry allows you to support your family first and then your church.

Scripture tells us that a man who cannot provide for his family is worse than a non-believer! We were burdened through Adam to provide for our families….We will labor in weeds and thistles!

7.     Endure Emotionally

Make sure you do the things that give you a charge and renew your spirit and energy.

If you’re a introvert, people will not energize you. If you’re a extrovert, people will give you a charge.

Make sure you know how to deal with your critics. If you have no critics, you’re not preaching the Gospel

Realize that people will criticize you. Turn your critics into coaches. What can you take away & what can you throw away?

Never respond to your critics on their terms. Be careful and sound.

Do not react in anger and frustration. Make sure you temper yourself and react through prayer and patience!

Sometimes you need to ignore your critics, not engage them on their terms.

Have a plan and idea of how to handle critics before they become an issue.

Know the size of your plate, then fill it. If it’s big, put a lot on it. If it’s small, put little on it. Use your plate to prioritize. Do not stack your plate.

If you are diligent in knowing what you can and cannot handle, it will destroy you. You must make sure you know what you can and cannot do. This will guard you from total breakdown.

If we do not endure emotionally, it will cost us everything that we have. Guard yourself at all costs!

8.    Endure relationally

You will have to work overtime to keep your relationships healthy. Building a church with friends will not be easy. You cannot be your friends’ boss. The two things do not miss.

Don’t live for the mythical day when you get a mentor. Some will have it, some will not. If you have a mentor, be blessed and thank God.

Build a bullpen of guys who can help you, advise you and support you. These are people who will be there when you call. They are you support team and wisdom resource.

To endure is to become a sanctified version of yourself. You do not need to be like anyone else. Be the very man God has called you to be. Don’t try to be anybody you are not. Realize that you need to grow and mature in the person God has created you to be.

Those who don’t endure are those who don’t repent. The key to endurance is repentance!

You cannot just teach repentance, you need to demonstrate repentance in your life!

If you want to endure, repent well. 

The Call to the Nations/City by Dave Bruskas

Your vision is too small!

No matter where we want to go, or the influence that we plan to make, we are never able to see the vision God sees. Psalms 2:8 & Phil 2:8 show us that God will give us everything, all we need is to trust His capability.

We are often more prone to love the call on our lives than the One who has called us!

Part of our problem is that we have placed the church in Jerusalem on a “shiny poster” as a goal and idol.

Acts 11:19-30

God will, providentially, spread His church and His Word through persecution and through exhortation. When the city/nation reacts, the church has the chance to respond.

We must PROGRESS in our call to reach the nations through God’s Providence. Acts 11:19

If we are going to communicate the Gospel (The Whole Story) people will not respond to that from a neutral position! They need a catalyst.

In scripture, persecution was the very catalyst. Far too often we strive for a community stamp of approval in order to grow our influence and ministry. But, sometimes we flourish through the rejection of a community.

Sometimes persecution causes us to scatter. When that happens the Gospel is multiplied and moves outward.

Persecution can keep the church from being inwardly focused and stuck in one spot!

We have to work extra hard to reach outside of our comfort zones and our culture to reach people. Sometimes we need to stretch and start sharing the Gospel with people who are not like us. This can be a racial, ethnic, ethical, sexual orientation, etc set of issues.

We have to be committed to plant churches. As we do this we have to be committed to scaling walls, and knocking those wall over!

We need to work through the Progression of People Acts 11:20-21

This means a move from Oikos to Xenos.

Move away from what we hold dear as a cultural bias and reach out to the lost. Don’t let the social norms and comforts keep you from reaching people.

We must have Progression in Paternership Acts 11:22-30

There is an umbilical cord in this church that reaches form it’s parent church. It creates a connection and cooperation. Churches do not need connection only, they cooperation!

If we are going to reach out to urban centers, we have to use partnerships in order to survive.

The problem with most church planters is that cooperation is not really part of our DNA. We connect to share war stories, not resource!

The problem with most pastors is they don’t want cooperation, and chose to live in competition! It’s called EGO & SIN!

We need to partner with people who will help us multiply our influence. We need to boost each other in order to boost the Gospel.

If we are going to multiply our influence we need cooperation and partnership.

We have seen a shift from strategy in planting to a structure for planting. There is little in scripture about the strategy. Why? Because we are to proclaim the gospel….that is the strategy. So, we need to know the structure in order to be healthy and prepared.

The Bible speaks directly about structure. That means we need to build our churches around the structure in the Bible! This is a must.

Build a church, leadership team and ministry around the structure that is taught in the Bible. The Bible has got to your highest form of authority.

Structure needs to be in place if the church is going to hear from Jesus! Leadership that is appointed by their calling will lead from the ability to hear and respond to God’s calling and direction!

Acts 13:2-3……….

Has God set you and your leadership apart? Has the mission been started by the calling of the Holy Spirit. Being yielded to the Holy Spirit is how these men in Acts 13 heard from God. By hearing from God they went out on mission. By hearing and following the power of the Holy Spirit, they were successful. That is why we need Godly men who hear from the Lord to lead us!

The culmination of a great mission is found in Acts 13:48, the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. As we begin to build mission, our focus has to shift from mission to worship. If that does not happen, missions will kill worship.

Mission is not the primary focus of a church, worship IS! Why? Because God deserve the focus, not man! God deserve the glory, not man.

Missional Communities Pt 2 by Ceasar Kalinowski

Fleshing out Missional Community on your world.

We cannot be effective by hiding out in our churches, our offices and our homes. We have to be out and be active in our community in order to build the mission!

We have to be busy instead of appearing busy. It is about what we do and not about what we talk about!

Vision will be cast and poured out so many times. As a leader we have to give our followers the steps, handles and tools to make it happen. The challenge is to be a doer of your own vision so that people can follow and emulate!

The Church is a family, mission, servant and student! If we live these very things out in our ministry and our life, then the churches we build will emulate the same.

If we do not teach identity, our identity in Christ, we are church effectively doing nothing in our church!

The life of a Gospel community is not just a series or events and programs, it is a life lived in rhythm. Programs and events become mile markers, not characteristics.

If we live on mission, we need to live like missionaries. That means we would constantly live immersed in the culture and the people. It has to be 100% about lifestyle.

Imagine if we looked at everything we do as a missionary gig! That means that our life is overflowing with the passion for the Gospel! That means we would look at the opp to be part of life with our in our jobs as a place to reach another life!

Treat your community and your neighborhood as a mission field. Go out and reach out to spread the fame of the Gospel.

Don’t form your Missional Communities around your friendships. Form them around your mission, where you are and what God has called you to!

Ask: DO we have any influence and interaction with lost people? Or, are we so busy with “church” work that we do not have the time to interact with unbelievers? HMMMMM.

Rhythms of Missional Community Outreach

1.    Be Story Formed in Your Life & Community

Your life and your history comes from a story! Your background, family and spiritual lives are all shared through stories. Our access to grace comes through knowing the story of God’s gift of Jesus.

We need to be helping all people find out where they fit into the story of life and redemption. We need to be able to tell the story well. This is done primarily through preaching and teaching. Doesn’t mean you need a pulpit, it means you need to be sharing the truth at all times.

Your life is part of a grand narrative that is found in the Scriptures. We need to help other understand this very thing. We do it by going where people are and sharing the story…..

2.    Listen……Be Attentive to God and your community

We need to set time to hear from God. We need to listen by reading the Word, praying and worshiping. This is a huge factor many communities leave out!

It is imperative that our communities be built on the foundation of prayer. How is it we are supposed to know what it is God requires of us if we are not listening to Him? We can’t do all the talking, we need to let God do some of that talking!

Be intentional about hearing from God. Set time aside on your daily calendar and schedule to hear from God.

Cultivate a listening people in your community. This is a foundation for a healthy community.

We have to work hard to be good listeners. It takes work and patience.

Listen to each other! Why? Because God speaks through His creation.

3.     Celebrate……Set aside times to recognize milestones & the Gospel

Set aside times to celebrate God extravagant gifts, graces and mercies. Make sure you set prioritize this very thing.

Use the celebration as a time to tell stories and listen! Share the triumph and share the ways that God has displayed His glory!

Make these times of Celebration fun, exciting and attractive! These celebrations should draw people in, and interest people outside the church. Make sure you celebration is always filled with God’s glory and the Gospel!

Make sure that celebration is not inwardly focused. It is NOT about us, it’s about God! We have more reason than anyone on earth to celebrate. So……DO IT!!!!

Make your celebration regular. Make them fun. Make them incredible. Make tem a reflection of the great character of God. Make your celebrations a party where people want to come and be part!

4.     Live in a Rhythm of Blessing

Bless others through words, service and gifts. Make sure we work to multiply the blessing that God has lavished upon us.

Prayerfully look for 3 people each week to bless! Ask God to bring them into your life. If all of your small groups do this dozens will be blessed each week!

When you work together and bless people, people start asking why! Asking why leads to sharing the Gospel. Make sure that blessing people is done with Gospel intentionality.

DO NOT give so people will like you. Give from our abundance, don’t give out of guilt. Our storehouse of blessing is inexhaustible.

Make a list of the blessings in your life. Then make a list of how you can use those to bless others.

God is looking for conduits of blessings and not reservoirs for blessings!

God’s intent in blessing us is that we would bless other!

5.     Eat Together……We need to break bread together.

We need to satisfy our hunger. This is common to all men. It is a place to meet without barriers. Let your meals be a time to allow god to meet your needs physically and spiritually.

Make sure you are hospitable and invite others into your home and eat with them

Make it a point to have 3 meals a week with someone who is not in your immediate family of circle of friends. Get into the rhythm of using this as a tool for perpetuating the Gospel. Ask God to bring 3 people to you each week.

If we can’t even eat meals with lost people, then how can we reach lost people in their world? We eat regularly, so add nonbelievers to your routine.

6.     ReCreate…..Meaning have fun, relax and joyful create opps to rest.

Look for creative ways to use recreation and creative ideas to glorify God.

Make sure that we do not become the over worked, freakishly committed people that have not time to rest. Remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy!

People need to see us enjoy life. We have every reason to enjoy life. Invite people to come along with us as we enjoy life.

i.e. Take people fishing, camping, shopping, watching football, etc

This is “low hanging fruit” in the personal evangelism realm. People need to see you restore beauty in your life. They need to see you enjoy hobbies, fun and games.

Non-believers need to see that we are not stuffy, fun murdering people as followers of Jesus. They need to see that we are all alike and all need times to unwind and enjoy life 

Display rest and relaxation. Make your life something that people want to emulate.

You cannot preach it into existence, you have to model it into existence!

When you display a life and community that people want to emulate, you will see your Missional Community multiply. This is a key in successful community life!

The Call to Proclaim by PJ Smyth

Points of Consideration: The words of Paul

1.     I am not ashamed of the Gospel Roman 1:16

2.     I am here for the defense of the Gospel Phil 1:16

3.     All of the world the Gospel is bearing fruit Colosians 1:6

4.     I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel Ephesians 6:19

5.     I want to finish the race and complete the task of testifying to the Gospel Acts 20:24

The 4 Main Aspects of Proclaiming the Gospel

1.    The Definition of the Gospel

2.    The Result of the Gospel

3.    The Enemies of the Gospel

4.    The Defenders of the Gospel

1.    The Gospel is Jesus Christ Romans 1:1-2

The question is not “what is the Gospel” but “who is the Gospel”! The Gospel is Jesus! The Gospel is the story of hope through the life, death and resurrection of Christ.

The Gospel is proclamational and demonstrable. It is about saying and doing.

The gospel is to be applied to every area of thinking, doing, being, acting, leading, praying, etc.

Eph 3:7-12 Through the church the manifold wisdom of God should be made known. 

2.    The Result of the Gospel 1 Peter 2:9-12

The Gospel of mercy creates a new community of people on the earth every time it is preached! God has always wanted people. Through the proclamation of the Gospel the local church is formed and exists.

The Gospel has to be multiplied and be spread. It is too big to stay put. God is too big for one place. His mercy and Gospel will be multiplied!

Upon His sacrifice the veil was torn allowing ALL people from All nations to come to Him. The Gospel is for all people.

Changed lives are the real result of the Gospel. He has purchased all people through His sacrifice. He has opened the road to redemption for all people.

The Gospel changes us! We have no choice but to change after coming face to face with the truth.

The Gospel changes:

Lifestyle Gal 2:17

Obedience & Good Works 2 Cor 9:13

3.    The Enemies of the Gospel

We must defend the Gospel. There will be enemies and falsehoods to be deterred in order to defend the Gospel.

Idolatry: The worship of created things is No. 1 Satan himself is a created thing, and he demands to be worhsiped by man. That is a truth we can stand firm on.

Anything that gets more focus time and worship than Jesus is idolatry! Recognize this a flee from it. Our problem with idolatry is perception! We don’t perceive the lies because we are a selfish and ignorant people.

Food Phil 3:19

Sex Romans 1:24 & 26

Self-Promotion Jeremiah 45:5

Money Matt 6:24

All of the things we worship leave us empty with promises of the Gospel, but they cannot fulfill it.

We need to expose the idols we worship! We have to call them the junk they are!

Then, we must expose Jesus! We can’t tell them the idols are bad unless we can show them the good! If we don’t do this, we risk the people becoming religious!

Then we must expose ourselves. Let the searching for the Gospel begin in our own hearts and lives!

The problems is not that we want to idolized and made big, it is that we desire “Mickey Mouse” junk in comparison to Jesus. Desire to be part of something HUGE!

Religion is another enemy of the Gospel. Eph 3:8-10. The good works noted in this set of verses is not our salvation, it is the result of our salvation. But the world says that these works are our salvation.

In Religion the source of salvation is me, In the Gospel the salvation is Jesus.

Religion =Get it yourself

Gospel = Get it from Jesus

Salvation is a gift of God and not the works of our hands! It is a gift of grace! Romans 3:20-22

The Gospel keeps our identity from being grounded in the works of our hands, and keeps our identity grounded in the grace of Jesus! 1 Cor 15:10

We know this to be true because Jesus extends salvation to the thief on the cross. He never had time to allow works to be his salvation!

Salvation is about who we know and not what we do! Faith only….

Religion says you suck, so change and you won’t suck.

The Gospel says you don’t suck and you’re not condemned, so go and sin no more! He is working in us to do as we should! Phil 2:12-13

God is there to tell us we are His and we are different than we believe. He does this in love. He is not harsh with us. He is patient and tempered, even in His wrath.

We have a new identity in Christ. That should be our center focus of worship…the transformation on Christ in us.

Identity in Christ will lead to a church full of good works!

Religion will provoke you to sin. If you want a church full of sin, load it up with rules! Romans 7:8

The law is impotent to produce righteousness Gal 3:21 & Romans 3:20

The law is only for us on the unsaved. 1 Timothy 1:8 & Gal 3:24-25

Jesus came to complete the law. We are no longer under the law. The law brought us to Jesus, now we are free.

Don’t use the law on your people, or they will sin more!

John 15 tells us that is we simply abide in Jesus we will be able to produce many good things. Not the law! If we will be a Jesus soaked people, we will bear good fruit.

4.    The Defenders of the Gospel

Aspect of the Gospel we know:

1.     Planting Churches

2.     Preaching the Gospel

3.     Honoring the Sovereignty of God

4.     Diligent Discipleship that results in changed lives

5.     Tearing Down Idols

6.     Tearing Down Religious Legalism

We must get convinced of the Gospel ourselves! 2 Tim 2:8

Get Set apart & Called to the Gospel Romans 1:1-2

Become accountable to the Gospel Gal 2:6

Check your Message & Calling

Become Completely Unashamed of the Gospel! Acts 17:26-27, Mt 5:14-16, Hab 2:14, Mt 4:17, Acts 2:38

Become a Slave to the Gospel Romans 1:1, Eph 3:7 Youmust ask yourself if God comes first in your life or do you? What is first in my life? What gets my primary focus and energy? If it is not the Gospel, you are not a slave to the Gospel!

“……..In Africa Christianity changes people’s hearts. It brings spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.” Matthew Parris and Athiest 12/27/2008

The Call to Preach By Matt Chandler

John 1:1-18

Some people say that preaching and teaching is under attack. That really isn’t true. There are some yahoo’s saying that “preaching doesn’t work” But it is a way to sell a book!

There is an introduction to John the Baptist in the middle of an introduction to Jesus! Why?

Exodus 3 If God is who He says He is, and He hears His people, and He is going to move to action….Then Moses had to ask the question…”Why are you talking to me then?” Moses had to ask why would God chose him to do the things that He could simply do himself?

When God decides to “flex” a bit, He chooses to use a herald or servant!

Isaiah 6 All of it! God sends Isaiah to do proclaim the truth to a people Who will not listen and will not see!

Jeremiah 1:4-10 God wants to speak His truth and spread the truth, but it comes through people. God chooses to use us as His heralds!

God does not use heralds because he has to, he does it because he wants to. God chooses to use us as His heralds!

He didn’t when he wrote on the wall in Daniel, but He mostly chooses to use us in His plan!

After a 400 year break, God chooses to begin working again through people in the life of John the Baptist. He was sent by God as a witness, to bear witness to the Light!

God’s method has not changed from the Old to the New Testament. He still uses man to herald truth.

Matthew 28:18-20 Read prior to this…As He is ascending into Heaven there are still guys standing there saying they are not sure if He is really God. But, His departing words were to go and herald the truth! He sends them out to PREACH and TEACH. It is our calling!

This truly began to happen in the power of the Holy Spirit when Peter stood at Pentecost and proclaimed the Gospel and the Holy Spirit fell on the people.

It can be contextualization, but you will never make the Gospel cool and good to All people! Realize that you will waste time of that is your main Goal. That was not Peter’s objective when he spoke at Pentecost!

All through acts Paul preached the gospel without compromise and it moved and made a difference! The Gospel made a massive change in the city of Ephesus!

The Gospel, when proclaimed, will make waves and make an impact. There is a need for man to proclaim the Gospel. There is a need for pastors to preach the Word!

2 Timothy 3:10-16 We have to wake up and quit being surprised by the “silliness” of the state of the church in America. There will be sermons without the Bible, there will be falsehoods taught as fact, there will be arrogant and selfish people leading. There has never been a glory day! We must stay in touch with the Gospel. The truth in the Scriptures is what will make us fall in love with Christ and subject us to the persecution of the world! The people who stand against us may not try to kill us, but they will try to discredit us!

Moses got to lead griping companioning people! Isaiah got to lead people who would hear. Jeremiah was sent to warn the people who wouldn’t heed the warning. But, God has called them to lead and speak…..So, they did. God used those men to impact the world. They just had to lead people. Things have not changed!

Preaching is not a game and it is not cute! You must work hard to keep from selling out! Do not compromise the truth of the Word and the Gospel! DO NOT SELL OUT!

We cannot leave out any of the Gospel. It is ALL profitable! @ Timothy 3:16

We must use the Bible! We must not be apologetic for this! We have to use the text. That is why God have it to us! Quit talking and preaching about nothing. USE THE WORD!

If you are not willing to call sin sin and point it out in the life of your people, you are a coward. You do not belong in the pulpit! Go do something else!

The scripture is used for the reproof, rebuking and correction of lives. We have to use this powerful tool for exactly what God intended it to be. That is the purpose of God’s Word. It is all God Breathed!

We have an obligation to take our people in to God’s Word and show them the truth that is found in it! We must make sure our people know the fullness of God’s Word. They need to know what is in there and how to live by it.

We have t use the Word for training in Righteousness. This is a huge must! We need to be striving for sanctification and holiness. The Word of God is used for training in righteousness. Where sin abounds, the Word is not being taught well!

We must be ready in season and out of season to preach the word! That mean we must be ready in and out of season to reproof, rebuke, train, etc! Do this with patience. Do not hate your people, shepherd them even when it’s rough. 2 Timothy 4:2 That is one of the core center of our calling.

Many guys do not realize that this opens us up to a higher level of judgment!

Recognize that when the times comes when people turn away from sound teaching that you must remain sober-minded and just. Sick to the truth and do not compromise! Make sure you guard your heart and guard your mind. Otherwise you will be operating out of your gifts and not the power of the Holy Spirit. 2 Timothy 4

As a pastor/preacher you have to check your ego at the door. Be prepared for people to be bothered and for them to leave. Be there only to fulfill your ministry and your calling!

Be who God created you to be. Be the pastor He gifted you to be. Fulfill your ministry. Do not emulate another guy’s ministry. Don’t try to be like the other guys. Don’t try to be the next Billy Graham!

Simply this, if you’re called to be a pastor the PREACH THE WORD!

We are here because someone entrusted truth to us and taught us the Word. This came through preaching and will continue through preaching. Preaching is a calling and a gift. It is a must in the proclamation and continuation of the Gospel!

It is not about a dialog, it is about the proclamation of God’s Word and the truth of the Gospel! Dialog only comes from a low view on Scripture!

We must continue to be heralds of God Word! Preach the Word!

The Great Commission Call to Plant by Scott Thomas

Condition of the Bride (The Church)

3500 Churches close every year

75% of Americans are not involved in a church consistently

80% of all churches are stagnant and dying.

40% of people relate or resonate with the local church! (What about the 60%!) in order to reach this 60% we must do thing differently.

If we do not breach these numbers and barriers the church will die out in its ability to impact the world.

So, how do we cross those barriers? We have to answer the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20

The Great Commission gives us 4 objectives! Go, Make Disciple, Baptize, Teach

The main verb in the Great Commission is to make Disciples, serving that is Go, Baptize and Teach!

Being a good pastor is participating in all four of these areas! We must multi-task.

(Book Recommendation “Outgrowing the Ingrown Church” by John Miller)

We have to get outside the internal wars within our church. We have to get away from cowardly leaders and petty argument.

As pastors we are called to lead. Called to lead people into lives built on mission! We have to be equipping people to go out and change the world.

Making disciples is NOT just sending money and hoping for return. We have to be pacesetters! We have to be setting the speed and mission for our people. That will ensure our ability to lead the people forward. If you don’t set the pace for your church, someone else will!

We have to make disciples of all nations. That starts in community. But, sometimes we have to GO to the community in order to reach it.

People are not interested in doing the same thing over and over again. That is the definition of insanity!

We have to be working to something new and different for the people in order to attract them to the Gospel.

At the center of Going, Making, Baptizing and Teaching is Jesus. The Great Presence of Jesus has to be the center of all we do!

Anybody can gather a group of goofball Christians……People like to belong to a group….All you have to do is give them a common reason to gather! But, when it starts with Jesus at the center, it is His power that will sustain us.

We MUST have the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Otherwise we will be defeated in a hurry!

Luke 24:44….The Gospel & Scripture must be at the center! Start with your proclamation at home and go out into the rest of the world. Holy Spirit must empower!

DA Carson…..on John 20:21-23…..Jesus made His mission the model of ours. Thus the church should define its task in the terms of Jesus’ tasks. If we are to make the mission of ours to be like Jesus we should look to Luke 19:10 and John 20:21 for the example.

Once Jesus gave the Spirit they had the power to proclaim the forgiveness of sins. Form John 20:21-23

Shalome is not found in religions, but in Christ

Jesus said that He was sent by the Father, therefore He is sending us. We must perpetuate the mission of Jesus by sending out more disciples.

Acts 1:8 says that we go with the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses. We must first receive the Holy Spirit’s power.

We cannot be successful without the Spirit. When we come to the place and realize that we have no clue what we are doing, that is when Jesus shows up!

When you work to replant, you will face issues you cannot imagine! In those times you will absolutely need the power of the Holy Spirit! You will need the power of the Holy Spirit because you will want to quit many times as a pastor!

You will need a calling. Because sometimes we have to love “The Bride” even in all her bad breath! That calling keeps you committed.

Romans 15:19-20 This is an example of Paul fulfilling the Great Commission in the power and calling of the Holy Spirit.

When you carry out the 4 objectives of the Great Commission churches will be birthed. It is a natural outflowing of the Call!

When people start understanding the Great Commission they will want to plant churches. They realize the need for new churches in new places. They want to see the Gospel be multiplied.

Plant the Gospel and not the Church! Alan W

Out of the mission of Jesus will come the church! We have to be reaching lost people before we plant. We need to be driven by the need of the Gospel in our community. We do not need to driven by the fact that there are not enough churches! If you plant a church only it can be highly idolatrous! We have to plant the Gospel. Plant the gospel, not the church” churches will result from mission. Be on mission. Don’t be driven to build an organization.

Seek to plant a great mission not a great church! Seek to plant the Gospel!

Every portion of your leadership both teams/committies and small groups should be Gospel focus communities. They must all be on mission. They must be on the mission of Jesus….To make the Gospel famous! This means ANY group of people that come together for the purpose of church!

By proclaiming the Gospel and the power of the Spirit to the world, new communities will be built! Churches are a natural outflow of this very thing!

As a leader within a church is our responsibility to set the DNA of planting new churches. We have to be about the mission of spreading the Gospel. It is our mandate until the end of the age!

Let God be glorified in all we do. It is not for our glory. What we do and all we accomplish is to His glory.

Breakout Session on Missional Community by Ceasar Kalinowski

We are working through building community through building Ecclesia in those groups.

We want a community that glorifies Christ.

What our plans are for our church or for our model needs to be the structure we choose for our church.

We have to plan for Multiplication! This is a MUST

Let’s define a Mission Community in 4 areas.

1.     Missional Community is a Gospel community. (Discover)

a.     It is a family, that lives out the mission of God together in a specific area and to a specific people group Displaying the Gospel in a tangible form and declaring the Gospel to others both to those who believe and those who are being exposed.

2.     We must be a sent people…A family of Missionaries.

3.     We must be a servant people. (Serve)

4.     We must be learners! We must be looking to know more. (Grow)

Missional Communities are not defined by Small Groups.

Missional Communities are not defined by a Bible Study.

Missional Communities are not groups of “Brady Bunch” Pastors & Parishioners.

Missional Communities are not about Weekly Meetings aside from the Weekly Service.

So How do we Build Missional Community?

1.     Start with Shared Leadership

A Tri-Perspectival Mentaliy helps to build solidarity in leadership and build missional community. i.e. Prophet, Priest & King This very thing bring balance and health to an organization as it grows! Help your leadership identify their role and submit to each other in those areas of strength. These three must be present. If a prophet leads the group become a support group. If a priest leads it will become a Bible study. If a king leads it will become a club. So, you need balance in all three areas in order to build balanced and healthy Missional Communities.

Identify which of the three you are strongest in and which you are weakest in. Then pray for God to bring leaders along to compliment you! This is imperative in building a healthy Missional Community. Then submit to the one who are better than you in certain areas. It will bring freedom and excitement.

2.     Build the Missional Community on the Foundation of the Gospel.

Ask this question first: What is the Gospel? You’ll never get the same answer twice! What is the answer? Simple. The Gospel is Jesus! This is a lifestyle and set of rhythms as well. We need to live this out in every aspect of our lives. In otherwords, do ordinary things with a Gospel intention! Lead your community into prayerful dependency in everything that they do! If what you do does not require prayer dependence, then it is your mission not God’s!

When things seem outrageous and insane, maybe we need to realize that it is not us that has to do it, it is God who will do it! In these times, we simply get to be part of what God is doing! Quit doubting, planning, and putting God in a box! Follow Him, Trust Him and lead people in that direction. Lead people to the end of themselves so they have NO choice but to cling to the Cross! That will build a huge amount of faith.

3.     Connect with the Culture of the People you are Reaching.

Recognize the cultural and societal markers that define your area. As you plant initially, you will have a specific group and demographic. But, as you grow, multiply and break out, you will begin to expand your influence on more people groups! Make sure you identify and get to know ALL the groups you are reaching.

Do you know the story and history of the people you are reaching? If so, what are the barriers to the Gospel in your area?

Recognize that you are not out to plant a service, but spread the Gospel. Be sure your focus is making disciples. Be sure to keep your eyes set on your people’s future and present hopes.  

4.     Build your Missional Community on Covenant.

Have your groups commit to hold one another accountable to specific areas and guidelines. This can be simple or complex. Covenant to eat together, serve together, share together, give together, grow together, and work together. All of these things require differing levels of commitment!

Be sure to emphasize the need to do more than meet together. Make sure covenant places focus on living in a Missionary Lifestyle. Make sure it requires studying the Word, Studying Culture, Studying People’s Needs. Be sure that the entire group agrees. Then plan how to live it out!

Have a passion for one another. Then use that passion for your peers to reach out to the people you connect with. That will continue to multiply as the emphasis is on reaching outside your four walls!

You have to be an Acts 1 church before you can be an Acts 2 church! Meaning that the Holy Spirit has to indwell and inspire you to go out and build community and change lives! Acts 1 flung people out on mission to become like Acts 2!

5.     Re-Adjust your Schedule, plan and model to make disciples. Re-Orient your lives!

Make sure you find out the best time to reach people. Sometimes a Sunday service is not the time and place. Sometimes Wednesday is not the answer. Sometimes Monday is the answer. This requires you ro re-adjust to the cultural influence and norm. Make sure you are connected and in touch.

When you do this, you will be gin to multiply and change lives. Be intentional. Being intentional is absolutely imperative. Sometimes we need to “breathe out” and be out in the community to reach people. Sometimes we need to “breathe in” and work on discipleship to grow the health for the new converts and seasoned followers! Literal seasons, peoples’ jobs, peoples’ neighborhoods, and many other factors influence how you reach out to the people and make disciples. Sometimes you have to orient and integrate into a community in order to impact and make disciples.

6.     Know the Gospel Barriers!

When you identify the barriers to the Gospel in your community, you can begin to craft your communications in order to present the truth in a way that makes disciples! You have to know your opponent before you go to battle. That is a simple wisdom issue.

7.     Keep your Missional Communities connected to an Elder!

This creates accountability, purpose and connectivity within the larger group. When the group know that they have a connection to the larger group, they find a better prupose. That Elder is simply an overseer. That Elder does not lead the group! It is a coaching perspective.

8.     Develop Strategic Plans together

Work with your teams/groups to set goals and make plans. Help them identify their purposes and goals. Then work to achieve them.

Check in periodically to be sure that are achieving the goals and putting plans into action! This builds confidence and ensures success.

9.     Have a plan for Multiplication from the beginning!

Make sure there is a plan to multiply in numbers and in leadership. Mentor the next generation, next regime, next person.

Once a group hits about 20 people (not set in stone, just an estimate) it must multiply. Otherwise, it will begin to shrink! You have to have a plan to split and multiply!

If you don’t do this, the clique develops. The people may be great, but they quit being accepting of the outsiders who come in. Then a group never changes, grows and multiplies. This will kill Missional Community. Really, it will kill community.

10. Empower you leaders!

Tell the people who lead these groups that they have the authority to carry out all of these aspects of building Missional Community. This becomes easier on the Church structure and even the budget. If the people are empowered to be missionaries, serve as learners, Make plans, focus on the Gospel, multiply, etc then success in inevitable!

When this happens it will make it easier to organize church plants! These groups will become self-sustaining and ready to multiply the influence of the Gospel within a community. This is a great way to be intentional about planting more churches!

As the leader of a Missional Community you need to think like the planter of a church with a core group! This creates a sense of ownership. It would also change to outlook for the future. The idea of multiplication would be central! This is a must!

This “core group” mentality will also force the need for the leader’s focus to be on the Gospel. It will be come their primary focus to see the Gospel be multiplied and made famous!

Building a Missional Community requires serious intention and focus. Pray, Plan, and Get to Work!

Session 1 Mark Driscoll March 9, 2009

Identifying you Call…The Call

The difference between a calling and a job is significant.

You will live your call as a lifestyle…Too many men pastor as a job instead of a calling. That’s why 3500 churches close every year!

Campus planting is a newer form of church planting in today’s world. We need men to plant churches and campuses of churches all over the world. It takes the same sort of man to do both a campus and a plant!

You will be tested in every area of your life as you plant. Your finances, family, marriage, etc. Your calling is all you have to hold string as you grow your church through your calling.

Paul identifies his calling Such as Galations 1 with a reminder of his calling. We will need to know our call and be certain. We will need to be reminded of that call 1000’s of times!

Apostolic calling…What is it?…..Not one equal to the disciples and of Paul! Those guys were in a office appointed by Christ/God. The Apostolic call we talk about is a gifting, not an office. A church planter must be gifted with an Apostolic calling.

The gift of Apostle is different from a pastor! A pastor can lead a church, an apostle can build a church! The Apostle has a missionary gift mix. There is a difference in shepherding a flock and making one! A pastor is trained to go in a steward the things that exist, an apostle is one who create those things. A church planter destroys existing churches! They are seen as trying to fight the old and “our new wine into old wine skins”.

1.     Have I responded to the Gospel call and received the Holy Spirit! Acts 1:8

I must be born again and be empowered to follow the Call! Work out your salvation with fear and trembling! Season your faith!

2.     Is the Holy Spirit out ahead of me planting the Church? Acts 2

We don’t plant a church for God, we plant churches with God! Has God prepared the way! Has God anointed the church you are planning to create with Him? Sometimes the Holy Spirit is working ahead of us and we spend our time trying to catch up! These things can be evidence that God has in fact chosen you to be the church planter. If you have money, people and a place…..God is working with you to plant. If those things are present, then God is out ahead of you planting the church!

3.     Is my call to plant obvious to other great leaders?

The best examiners of potential church planters are successful church planters! That is why leaders need to assess potential leaders! This is part of multiplying leadership. This is the main reason for the mentoring process of church planting. Are the people closest to you able to see this very thing in your life?

4.     Has God confirmed my church plant by showing up in miraculous manners? Acts 3-4

This is not always common…but, it can be! Grace Church is a great example. PRASIE GOD! Is it obvious it’s a God thing? If so, make sure you give Him the credit!

5.     Am I reaching lost people to start my plant?

You know you’re effective when non-christians are paying attention! Are you fulfilling our central call as a follower of Christ? Are you reaching lost people? If you’re not reaching lost people, you’re not a church planter! If meeting with Christians is boring you, and being around the non-believers is exhilarating….Then you’re a church planter!

6.     Has Jesus shown up and told me to plant?

Has God spoken clearly to you about being the planter? Has he given you a vision? Has he shown you what His plan is? Has He spoken clearly to you? (Yes for Allison and I at Grace!)

7.     Has God called me to plant through a vision? Acts 10:1-11:18

Have you had a vision for what God is going to do through you and  your church? Have you had a “visual prophecy” from God about the future of your calling? Make sure you test this to spiritual leadership! Submit to the authority and wise leadership in your life to be sure. Just because you have an experience does NOT mean you get to do what you want to do! This doesn’t not happen often, but it does happen! Make sure you do not abuse this if it happens.

8.     Has God providentially relocated me to plant? Acts 11:19-21

Sometimes God scatters us in order to place us where He needs up to be! Has God done this, and is He calling you to plant in this new place. This is a great example of God’s providential hand!

9.    Is God sending me to plant because my current church doesn’t need me? Acts 13:1-3

Sometimes we have too many chiefs in one spot. Sometimes God shows up and moves you out so you can multiply ministry! You may be in a good church, and God intends to use you to build another good church! God will send you to where you are needed. Sometimes this is part of campus planting! Maybe your campus needs to multiply and you would be best used and utilized in another location. The key is to be humble in this situation! BE HUMBLE!

10. Is God calling me to plant because I am wasting my time in a toxic place! Acts 14

Are you in a place of turmoil and division? Are you in a place where the church you are in has a bad reputation? Is you church itself in combat with the Gospel? If so maybe God is calling you out to be used where you are not opposed at every turn! Sometimes we need to get out when there are all “wolves” in the upper leadership!

11. Am I called to be a catalytic church planter or one to plant as a movement?

Will it be one place, or am I at the center of a movement? Will I be there long term, or will I be a missionary going from place to place starting new churches? There are 2 kinds of planters/leaders? Your family may be the determining factor! You may be a movement maker if you get bored easily. You may be catalytic if you hate change! You can be both! You can be the epicenter of a larger movement. Are you a “lifer” or not?

12. Has God called me to plant by giving me a deep burden/calling for my city?

Is the place where we are place that we are passionate about reaching? Do we have a heat beat for the city?

13. Has God called me to plant by giving me a core group?

Do I have the core people I need to get moving? DO I have a set of people who also has a desire to see God start a movement?

You prove yourself, then you plant. You do not plant to prove yourself!

Do not plant a church in order to have a lecture circuit! A church planter wants and needs a platform to reach people and chare the Gospel!

After recognizing your calling, you Need confirmation! That is the purpose of being assessed by other leaders. 1 Timothy 3 tells us that we need a calling. The Bible also tells us that wee need to be tested and approved.

Assessment is based on 1 Timothy 3, your character, your family, your teaching, your doctrine, your gifting, your courage, your personal life, your health, your financial ability & faith

After calling and confirmation, you need coaching! Success and failure is based on coaching! You need a guy in your corner who can help you as you face struggle! You will need a network and relationship to carry on.

Networks that survive and sustain have a calling, confirmation and coaching!

It takes humility to be coached and be loved, even if its tough love, by someone who is invested in your success and God’s fame.

Church planting is not something you to do prove who God is, it is something you do in humility as God uses you!