(Rick Warren Interview, Pastor's.com, August) I can show you thousands of churches where pastors are doctrinally sound they love the Lord they're committed and spirit-filled and yet their churches are dying on the vine.' We've all heard speakers claim, 'If you'll just pray more, preach the word, and be dedicated, then your church will grow.' Well, that's just not true. It really bothers me that some pastor's conferences promote that myth - leaving pastors feeling discouraged and guilty instead of encouraged.

Some of the most dedicated prayer warriors I know are pastors of dying churches. 'It's a myth that all you need is prayer and dedication to grow a healthy church. (A Regular Purpose-Driven Guy, Christianity Today, ) 'We were captivated by his positive appeal to nonbelievers. 'He had a profound influence on Rick,' Kay says. 'We had a very stony ride out to the conference,' she says, because such nontraditional ministry scared her to death. 'During his last year in seminary, he and Kay drove west to visit Robert Schuller's Institute for Church Growth. Although Paul never used the term 'Seeker Sensitive,' he definitely pioneered the idea.' God tells us to be sensitive to the hang-ups of unbelievers in our services. 'The point Paul is making is that we must be willing to adjust our worship practices when unbelievers are present (1 Corinthians 14:23). 'Keep your pastoral prayers short in your seeker services.The unchurched can’t handle long prayers their minds wander or they fall asleep.' (Rick Warren, 'The Purpose Driven Life helps readers determine the focus of their lives,' ) 'The goal of 'The Purpose Driven Life' is to help people develop a heart for the world.' ' For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book,' Revelation 22:19. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar,' Proverbs 30:5-6. ' Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. “Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord’s service is ever useless” (1 Corinthians 15:58 GNT).' Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you,' Deuteronomy 4:2. Nothing is insignificant when you serve God. Second, you remember that God uses every little thing. The Bible says that God “will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers” (Hebrews 6:10 NLT). So what do you do when you start to get discouraged? You remember two things.įirst, you remember that you’re going to receive a reward that’s going to go on for eternity. Sometimes you’re going to get discouraged. The truth is, serving God by serving others is not always easy. It is the mutual ministry of every believer in the family of God to every other believer in the family of God. The Bible uses these kinds of phrases 58 times: “Love one another.” “Care for one another.” “Pray for one another.” “Encourage one another.” “Help one another.” “Counsel one another.” “Support one another.” And on and on the list goes. That means you use your talents and gifts to make a contribution in life, to be a giver, not a taker. Not every Christian is a pastor, but every Christian is to be a minister. has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others” (TLB). He wants you to make the world a better place!Įvery time I hear somebody say, “I live for the weekends,” I want to say, “Then why should God keep you alive?” If you’re not fulfilling your purpose, you’re missing the whole point of life.Įphesians 2:10 says, “God. God did not put you on Earth just to live for yourself.

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