Tag Archive for 'Leadership'

Spiritual Bridge Building!

by Jonas Harley | September 7, 2010

In Acts 11:19-26 you find a “spiritual bridge-builder” who was effective, God-honoring, and impacted many Christians through his life. His name is Barnabas. How was he so effective? What were his secrets? Why did he do the things that he did?

In this post you will find the ministry Barnabas had to other Christians. In Acts 11:23 you will discover 4 ways on how you must minister to other believers.

1. You must be Visiting (v.22-23a).  Barnabas heard about the wonderful work God was doing in Antioch so he made the 300 mile journey north! The Bible says he “…came…” to visit the other Christians. In order for you to be a spiritual bridge builder you must make efforts to “visit” other people. If you aren’t willing to go and visit then you will never be an effective, God-honoring “bridge-builder.” An effective “bridge-builder” is available and wants to fellowship with other Christians.

2. You must be Noticing (v.23b).  Barnabas “…had seen the grace of God…” actively working in the lives of fellow Christians (see v.21). Did you know that God is presently working in the lives of those around you? Many times we tend to focus just on ourselves and overlook and neglect to “reach in” to others in our church, family, youth group, and community. An effective “bridge-builder” will take the time to notice the spiritual growth in others. Are you noticing?

3. You must be Rejoicing (v.23c).  Barnabas “…was glad…” (happy, cheerful, joyful) that God was actively working in the lives of fellow believers. Do you get excited when God is working in the life of another Christian?  Have you ever “jump for joy” when one of your brothers or sisters in Christ made a spiritual decision? An effective “bridge-builder” will be excited about God working in the lives of others! 

4. You must be Encouraging (v.23d).  Barnabas “…exhorted them all…” to continue in their walk with God. He did not play favorites. That word “exhort” is an imperfect active, which means continuous encouragement. In other words, Barnabas was constantly encouraging other believers in some fashion. Did you notice that Barnabas encouraged “them all”?  He didn’t play favorites or pick and choose who he wanted to be around. Barnabas encouraged everyone! An effective “bridge-builder” will encourage everyone to grow and serve the Lord. Are you an encourager? 

Pehaps you maybe thinking, “Why? Why? Why?”  Why did Barnabas take all this time and energy to visit, notice, rejoice with, and encourage these other Christians?  What was Barnabas’ “…purpose of heart…” to do all this?

Here is the answer,  So “…they would cleave unto the Lord” (v.23). That word “cleave” means “to continue with, to remain, to persevere, to abide.” Barnabas determined (purposed) in his heart that he would do whatever it took to exhort other Christians to remain faithful in their service to the Lord. He was an effective “bridge-builder.” Not only was he a “bridge builder” he was a good man, spirit-filled, and faithful. God used him in mighty way (see v.24)!

You have many opportunities right now to be an effective “bridge-builder” in your church, family, youth group, school, and community.  How can you visit others? How can you notice the spiritual growth in others? How can you rejoice with others? How can you encourage others to keep on serving God?

Barnabas set a great blueprint for us to follow and look at what happened in v. 25-26. “Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.”

Think about it… Barnabas built a bridge to a new Christian named Paul who went on to write Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and possibly Hebrews! Barnabas made an impact!

I wonder what kind of impact you could make on someone if you take the time to visit, notice, rejoice, and encourage them to serve God with their life?

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A God Directed Life!

by Jonas Harley | August 17, 2010

There is no doubt you want God to direct your life. I’m sure at some point in your life you have echoed what the psalmist said, “Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths” (Psalm 25:4).  There are countless people and organizations that are gladly willing to offer you advice and guidance for your life. I want to submit to you that a God directed life never falters and I will biblically prove it to you in Proverbs 3:5-6. In order for God to direct your life you must follow these three commands.

You must trust in the Lord with all your heart (3:5a) – The key word here is trust. It means confidence, to cling to, to confide in. You will never follow someone who you do not trust. You will not place your entire trust in a person whose character you have no knowledge of. A good leader will be trustworthy among his or her followers. The reason many Christians struggle with allowing God to direct their life is due to the fact that they do not know their God very well. Ashamedly, many Christians have a surface and academic knowledge of God, but when it comes to making life altering decisions they struggle in trusting Him with all their heart. If you want to live a life that is directed by God you must take some time to establish a biblical view of God. Your trust will be in proportion to your love for God and your love is in proportion by your knowledge of God.   

You must not lean into your own understanding (3:5b) – The key word here is lean. It means to support one’s self, to rely, to prop up. A good illustration of this key word is observing someone on crutches. When you choose to not trust in the Lord with all your heart your natural default is to trust in your own knowledge and wisdom (understanding). Wow! It’s scary to think that if you fail to trust God you will naturally depend in your own ability and judgment to make decisions! God says you are fool! Proverbs 12:15 states, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes…” To lean into your own understanding is an act of self-confidence that communicates there is no God! Remember, a God directed life never falters. You must depend and lean into God’s wisdom and understanding that is found through Scripture and in prayer.

You must acknowledge Him in all your ways (3:6a) – The key word here is ways. It means road, course of life, journey. It covers every area that life brings your way. God cares and loves you so much that He wants you to recognize (acknowledge) Him in every area. This keeps you on the right path, functions as accountability, and serves to keep you focused. When you are acknowledging God in all your ways that results in a God directed life!

Now, here is the best part. If you obey these three commands that are stated in Scripture, there is a promise that follows. God will direct your paths (3:6b)! This means God will make your paths straight. In other words, you have the blessings of God directing your life! God is your guide! A God directed life never falters! Amen!

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Mission Trip: Around The Corner!

by Jonas Harley | August 3, 2010

Mission trips are awesome! They are life-changing! If you have ever participated in a solid, service-oriented (not one of those “youth group vacation” ones) mission trip you know exactly what I’m talking about!

Every mission trip ought to be planned and designed to glorify God (1 Cor. 10:31), function as an extension of the sending local church, serve other like-minded ministries home and abroad, encourage the Pastor or Missionary of the visited ministry, train the members of the mission team to take their next spiritual step in their walk with God, and provide “hands on” exposure to ministries throughout the world. 

Every year I prayfully select a theme that will express what we, as a team, are seeking to accomplish. In other words, if my team members were to remember one thing about that year’s mission trip, I want it to be the theme. This year’s theme was “Around The Corner” and Acts 1:8 and Philippians 1:27 were the verses that supported this theme. Allow me to briefly explain how those verses were put into practice… 

Acts 1:8 clearly commands Christians to be gospel witnesses locally, nationally, and internationally. This year’s trip focused on the local aspect, hence the “Around The Corner” phrase. We traveled about 25-30 minutes down the road to the next town to help a young church plant in Holly Springs, NC run their very first Vacation Bible School, do some mega door-to-door canvassing, and participated in their Sunday Worship Services. What a blessing it was to see 1 young girl trust Christ alone for salvation! That is one more soul that will spend eternity in heaven because of the members of this mission team caring about advancing the gospel locally. Just think if every church member faithfully advanced the gospel “around the corner” how that would transform our communities with the gospel of Jesus Christ!     

Philippians 1:27 clearly commands Christians to be “…striving together for the faith of the gospel.” Christians and Church ministries ought to be unified in their efforts to advance the gospel. Oftentimes, there is debate, envy, competition, and pride among believers which greatly hinders the work of the local church. Christians around the world and around the corner must be functioning like a team for the faith! It was awesome to visibly see my mission team helping this local church plant. We were running side by side pursuing and focusing on the same goal…the gospel of Jesus Christ! What a great lesson to learn! Take a moment to think about what would happen if every Bible preaching and believing church were truly ”striving together” in unity, what kind of impact would make on the world? 

I praise God for the wonderful opportunity to lead yearly mission teams and rejoice in the lessons that I learn through them. They keep the ministry fresh and my zeal for God hot! Now it’s time to start planning the 2011 mission trip!

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Your Spiritual Profile!

by Jonas Harley | July 14, 2010

Social networking is becoming, if not already, a requirement to relate to other people. Having an online profile is commonplace in society today. One neat thing about social networking is that you get to choose who you want to follow (i.e. twitter) and be friends with (i.e. facebook). At the same time, other people are able to follow you and be friends with you! Scary huh?!  Did you know that in Philippians 3:17-21 the Bible gives you guidelines on how to manage your “spiritual profile?”

Follow those who Pursue Christ (v.17) – Paul encouraged his church to imitate him as he followed Christ. Church leadership (Pastors & Deacons) ought to be primary examples on how to pursue Christ and live the Christian life. Paul also recognized that there were other real life examples (patterns) that served as very powerful object lessons on how to live the Christian life. The Bible commands you to take note of, observe, and keep your eye (“…mark them which walk…”) on believers who passionately follow Christ. You must develop a “spiritual profile” of those who passionately pursue Christ because they encourage your spiritual growth. You must (1) identify and then (2) follow them.

For example, my youth pastor, Mike Washer (Director of National Hoops Ministries), is a great example of living by faith. I have personally seen God use him in great and mighty ways through his evangelistic ministry. My faith has grown as a result of “following” him when it comes to living by faith.

Who are you “following” that is an excellent example of living the Christian life? Are you a real life example of passionately pursing Christ? Would someone “mark” you as an example?

Avoid those who Oppose Christ (v.18-19) – On the other hand, there are MANY people in the world today who “profess Christ” or reject Christ and are seeking to distract and deceive you which will result in ruining your Christian testimony. These people are actually enemies of the cross of Jesus Christ and must be avoided. In other words, stop following them. The Bible lays out four descriptions of those who oppose Christ:

  1. Their Destiny - “Whose end is destruction,“ – Their eternal destination is destruction in hell. 
  2. Their Desires - “…whose God is their belly,” – They are occupied with selfish living. Self-esteem is their appetite!
  3. Their Boastings - “…and whose glory is in their shame,” – They boast in the most extreme forms of wickedness. They take pride in perversions (immorality, violence, rebellion).
  4. Their Focus - “…who mind earthly things.)” – They have a temporal focus. They think and live for the here and now.

You must identify and avoid following the enemies of the cross of Jesus Christ because they hinder your spiritual growth. Who are you “following” that is an enemy of Jesus?

Remember your Identity in Christ (v.20-21) – One of the primary reasons people participate in social networking is to create an identity. In these verses Paul reminds you of your identity as a Christian, that your true citizenship is in heaven and that you must be eagerly waiting for the return of Christ!

“Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”Paul encourages you to keep resting in the promise of glorification where you will be free from the presence of sin and receive your transformed (perfect) body. The core motivation for spiritual growth is the hope of the return of Jesus Christ, because that marks the end of your pursuit for the prize of Christlikeness!  

A gardener for a large estate in northern Italy was conducting a visitor through the castle and the beautiful, well-groomed grounds. As the visitor had lunch with the gardener and his wife, he commended them for the beautiful way they were keeping the gardens. He asked, “By the way, when was the last time the owner was here? “About ten years ago.” The gardener replied. The visitor asked, “Then why do you keep the gardens in such an immaculate, lovely manner?” The gardener replied, “Because I’m expecting him to return.”  “Is he coming next week?” The gardener replied, “I don’t know when he is coming, but I am expecting him today.” Are you excited about the day when your redeemed spirit and glorified body will be able to perfectly manifest the glory of God? 

In summary, you must diligently manage your spiritual profile by looking to godly examples, looking out for enemies, and focusing on the glorious return of Jesus Christ!

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