Worship & Giving

On my way in to the church this morning I was pondering what to Blog about. I have always believed that the situations at hand make for the best discussion. I think that it is because it makes the discussion more real to life, it also helps me as a Christian to work out my faith, and it also assumes that other’s are working through similar thoughts and issues which I have found is true most of the time.

Since we are in a series involving Financial Fitness, I thought this would make for a great discussion this week in how much giving is a part of Worship. I think that everyone would agree that giving is a part of worship. Where we will find ourselves at different places will revolve around how much we think giving is a part or how important of a roll it plays? Does how we organize our finances affect other areas of worship? Should we give based on New Testament or Old Testament concept? What impact does giving have on my ability as a Worship Leader?

This week please ponder that these questions. Pray about them, talk about them with family, and even google the topics and see what others have shared about these issues. As you ponder I have some scriptures that will help you wrap your heart and mind around the issue. 2 Corinthians 9:7; Genesis 28:22; Matthew 23:23; Malachi 3:6-12. There are many other scriptures that involve this topic, but these are a few to get the discussion started.

Pastor Larry

Nothing New to Say…

Sometimes as creative people we feel we have to be creative all the time. However, at times we would be better off to be reminded of things that we think we already know. This week when I was thinking about what to blog, nothing would come to mind. But as I thought more about the upcoming ORBC DREAM Conference I started to think about all the wisdom that God has gifted our worship ministry with. Then my mind drifted back to a BLOG I did in November.

I think instead of looking at something new this week, I would like to go over something that we all need to be reminded of as we approach this upcoming conference. Here is the BLOG that I am referring to http://orbcworship.blogspot.com/2011/11/3-phases-to-ministry.html.

Take a quick look at it and on THUR I would like you to come knowing how it applies to you within your worship ministry. I think that realization will help us prepare for this year as well as for the upcoming conference.

Pastor Larry

Who Should You Focus on In Your Ministry?

As a Pastor who serves at a larger church, I often get the question: How can you begin to serve everyone that is in your ministry area? It is a valid question. After all as your ministry grows there comes a point in time where it is not possible to minister to everyone at a one on one level. So, how do you handle that situation? Well, I think that Jesus left us an excellent example. In essence His life has touched most of the world; a much larger crowd that I can hope to impact. But the principle that He used is sound. Jesus focused His time with those who took initiative!

What I love about this principle is that He chose not to necessary invest in the most talented. He chose the people that were not considered the most talented, intelligent, or wealthy (A far cry from our country today). He allowed in many ways those who had initiative to approach Him. It is the principle of investing in Heart over Ability. We see this principle lived out for both extroverts and introverts. Two examples I want to lift before you this week are Peter and Andrew.

They were brothers, so they came from similar backgrounds and circumstances. But what I love is that they are opposite personalities and yet both showed great heart and initiative. If you know anything about Peter (Brash, Outspoken, Confident…), then it is easy to understand his natural ability to take initiative and lead. But it is harder to see it with Andrew. To see it just read John 1:41 and John 6:1 -13. In the first passage we see that Andrew is the one who brings Peter to Christ. Talk about a leader that took initiative! In the second we see the apostles unsure how to feed all the people, but Andrew is the one that says in vs. 8 that he has a boy with some bread and fish. Andrew new that if he brought whatever he had to Jesus that Jesus could make it great.

So, as a leader who do I want to invest in. I want to invest in people like Andrew and Peter. People who take the initiative to solve problems and lead people into a deeper experience of who Jesus is have a large impact on the world around them. I learned along time ago that if you use talent as your sole measurement for investment that you will see very little growth in your ministry. Why? Because, God values heart over talent. When and where you find both, it is even better.

This week as we prepare for worship, ask yourself some critical questions. “When I see a problem in the worship ministry do I first complain or do I think about how I can be a part of making it better? When I think of my next step in worship ministry, am I waiting on someone to approach me or am I brining my gifts to the leadership and saying here is what I can do here is what I can offer? Help me to see how Jesus can get greater fame with my gifts.”

Can’t wait to see you THUR for our devotion time.

Pastor Larry