"If You're Not Serving, You're Not Growing"!

Christianity was never intended to be a spectator sport.  The Church was never intended to be a small group of ministry professionals serving a larger group of inactive consumers.  Certainly, as recipients of the ascension or five fold ministry gifts, we are called to feed and care for the flock of God but not as it is modeled in many places today.  Many leaders and pastors in particular,  have grown weary trying to get the members of the congregation to become activated into ministry and they have settled back into a role of entertaining, comforting and putting out fires as they erupt. 

There is a clear confusion in much of the Church world over patterns of ministry.  Too many still see the Old Testament patterns of Moses, Joshua, Elijah and Elisha as the  a picture of "just what they would like to become!" Problem is, it's not a New Testament pattern. Jesus changed all that.  The Cross and Pentecost catapulted the real church, the Redeemed Saints bought and commissioned by the Blood of Jesus into a Resurrected Jesus mode.  Rather than camping at the foot of a mountain watching our great leader go up the mountain to talk to God, we are now "Jesus heirs"!  We are now empowered and sent out to do His work in His Power, with His Presence and this is promised for all who go and SERVE!  Yet, most pastors still struggle with "how do I get these folks off dead center and activated to serve?  How do we get some momentum going?  Well, let's look at Jesus.  What did he do?  He preached the pattern, he demonstrated the pattern and he led them to practicing the Jesus Work for themselves.  When someone leads a person to Jesus, the are changed.  When a believer lays hands on one person and sees them healed, they are changed.  

As leaders let's get activated more ourselves in doing the work of Jesus and less of the "keeping the nursery work".   Then, pick out a disciple or two to take with you when you go.  You will never preach people into serving!  You must preach it, teach it and do it.  We must disciple the disciples in serving.  If only 3 will follow, then go with those 3 and in time others will follow.  What produces momentum? The activation of the people brings momentum.