Church Ministries - Lecure 15 - "Growth"

Nehemiah 6:11 And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.

Don’t Go… GROW!

1 Timothy 4:15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

Another way to say it;

1 Timothy 4:15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. (NASB)

Prokopē= could have been translated, “Furtherance” or “Progress!” This word means pioneer advance into new territory.

Jeremiah 12:5 If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?

“If you have run with footman and they have tired you out,” God asked grumbling Jeremiah, “then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?” (Jeremiah 12:5 NASB) 96

The pictures of ministry that Paul painted in 2 Timothy 2 all suggest that God has called us to expend energy and effort, for you cannot be a successful steward (v.2), soldier (v.3-4), athlete (v.5), or farmer (v.6) and sit around doing nothing. 96

What Paul wrote about Christian giving can be applied to Christians who give of themselves in ministry: 96

2 Corinthians 9:6-11 6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) 11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

God’s ministers aren’t manufacturers; they’re distributors. As God supplies the spiritual seed and bread to us, we gladly share it with others, and we ourselves are enriched in the process. 96

The privilege of ministry is growth, but the tragedy of ministry is arrested development and stagnation. 96

Arrested development produces painful consequences in the life of the servant of God. 97

The minister becomes protective and defensive. 97

1. He is not able to face honest criticism. 97

a. The congregation attracts people who resist change and it repels newcomers who might introduce relevance and excitement. 97

b. The absence of problems in a church usually signals that people aren’t being challenged, organizations are becoming ossified, and the enemy is satisfied. 97

How does the servant of God keep growing, no matter how many years of ministry he has experienced?

1. He seeks always to be himself. 98

a. Nothing robs us of maturity like trying to be what we aren’t or imitating somebody we’d rather be. 98

2. He keeps his life open to God and His truth. 97

a. Truth is from God. Seek truth!

i. People who grow read widely and aren’t afraid to read authors they disagree with.

b. “Leaders are readers.”

i. I have many friends in the ministry. Some are what we would call successful, many are not.

ii. You know one of the common characteristics of the ones that are successful?

1. They are learners.

2. They are TEACHABLE.

c. “Bro. Pinson, I don’t like to read.”

i. Make yourself read!

ii. Listen to audio books.

iii. Listen to podcasts.

iv. Listen to preachers.

3. He is honest with God in his devotional life. 97

a. Openness and honesty with God in the secret place will deliver us from deception and evasion in the marketplace. 98

i. To be honest with God you must be honest with yourself!

1. (Read a Spirit-Controlled Temperament by Tim LaHaye)

ii. Do you know what your weaknesses and strengths are?

1. Figure that out!

2. And become better at both!

4. He is accountable to others and learns from them. 99

a. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.

b. “The growing minister, therefore, cultivates a network of people (not all of them Christian workers or even believers) who stimulate his thinking, challenge his ideas, stretch his mental and spiritual muscles, and occasionally shoot down his pet dreams and plans.” 99-100

5. He determines to send his roots down deep and stay as long as the Lord directs.

a. ILLUS: I was a youth pastor for 4.5 years in one place, 2.5 years at another place, and we were in NY for 9 years.

i. In my opinion I left to early in my first place. I should have stayed there 7 years and never went to the second place.

ii. I feel that we stayed just the right length of time in NY.

b. Many ministers: Worry, Hurry, and leave too Early.

c. The difficult situations of ministry encourage growth and reveal that a maturing process is going on. 100

d. “Don’t resign on a Monday.”

i. It takes time, so we plan to stay. It takes faith, so we rest on the promises of God. It takes courage, so we pray. And it takes love, so we yield to the Spirit who alone can fill our hearts with God’s love. 100

e. Phillips Brooks – “Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be strong men and women. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.” 101

f. Before you ask to be transplanted, try to get your roots down deeper. Growing is easier than going. 101

The Benefits of Growing Rather than Going:

Title: Spiritual Vagabonds (Jeremy Pinson - Preached in 2022-2023)

Jeremiah 17:7-8 7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh. But her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Psalms 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The word Vagabond means having no settled home.

There are a lot of spiritual vagabonds.

People that REFUSE to put down roots.

Lowes.com “How easy is it to move a tree? It isn't easy. The project requires root pruning during the season before tree transplanting, digging up the plant to be moved, digging a new planting hole, moving a heavy plant with the root ball attached, positioning the plant and refilling both holes. Providing plant care after the transplant is critical as well.”

Top Ten Tree Transplanting Mistakes:

#1 Poor Selection. #2 Inadequate Root System. #3 Poor Planting Site. #4 Pot Bound / Girdling Root.

#5 Planting Hole is Too Small. #6 Planted Too Deep. #7 Improperly or Not Mulched. #8 Not Staked.

#9 Improper Watering. #10 Failure to Monitor.

The Benefits of Growing Rather than Going:

Sending Down Roots;

i. Location. (V. 8 “…planted by the waters…”)

a. Selection.

1. Seek God's Face.

2. Seek Godly Counsel.

b. WHERE ARE YOU PUTTING ROOTS DOWN AT?

1. “by the waters…” “by the rivers…”

A. The people of Israel new the value of this.

I. A tree planted by the river is never dry and wilted; it is green, lush…

II. The believer that is planted in the right place, will not be dry…

A. Lot put roots down in Sodom. HE thought because he had an elevated position that it was worth it.

c. WHAT ARE YOU PUTTING ROOTS DOWN INTO?

1. Roots grow where they are planted! And they grow faster where they are fertilized.

a. Are you allowing your family to put down roots into the septic tank of this world.

b. Hollywood (and Youtube) is making things normal that should never even be thought of, much less made normal.

ii. Proliferation. (V. 8 “…spreadeth out her roots by the river.”)

a. Strength.

1. When you plant yourself somewhere know this:

Doing the right thing, in the right place, will yield the right results.

b. Illus: God uses many things in life to teach us. One thing I have learned from my job, sticking to something pays off. Every level that I have been at, I have made friends that have helped me to the next level. (At my job)

c. Planted also means we have roots.

1. Some folks seem to be like tumbleweeds. You don’t have to be spiritual tumbleweed!

2. Tossed to and fro with the wind.

3. When you place your faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ; we are planted.

4. We are given purpose and permanence.

Eph. 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

Colossians 2:7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

iii. Determination. (V. 8 “…shall not see when heat cometh.”)

a. Surety.

b. The enemy was cannot steal your salvation. But he can try to erode your faith, and affect your fruitfulness!

1. Discouragement.

2. Dissatisfaction.

3. Discontent.

iv. Multiplication. (V. 8 “…Neither shall cease from yielding fruit!”)

a. Staying.

b. “…when the heat cometh…” “…shall not be careful in the year of drought…”

1. But her leaf shall be green.

2. Neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

A. This too is part of God's purpose for us.

I. Jesus said, Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you…and it is for a purpose.

II. That purpose is to be fruitful.

III. What does that mean?

a. Well, in simple terms it means to reproduce.

b. When the Lord told Adam and Eve to be fruitful that is what He meant.

c. After the flood waters receded He gave the same instructions to Noah.

d. But when Jesus gave us the command to be fruitful…He wasn't talking about reproducing physically…He was talking about spiritual reproduction!

John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.