Ministering the Way Jesus Ministered

Ministering the Way Jesus Ministered (Transformed Service)

On December 11, 2012, I added a post to my blog titled ‘New Testament Model of Discipleship’ from the book ‘Choose the Life’ by Bill Hull. That post referenced the five dimensions of Discipleship. The piece that appears below describes the fourth of the five dimensions.

**************

“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for man” (Matthew 20:28). Jesus ministered out of who he was: his influence came from his character. The way he exercised power was consistent with the humility and submission that governed his character and service (John 14:12-14). As disciples of Jesus we can have the same impact Jesus had.  

A Change in Philosophy

One of the new ways being espoused to create business is to give your product away free. Yep free as in free. The book ‘Free: How Today's Smartest Businesses Profit by Giving Something for Nothing’ by Chris Anderson, the editor of Wired Magazine, talks about this concept in more detail.

The thought of giving things away free has been floating around in my head since I noticed a new frozen yogurt business that opened in the mall where I occasionally walk. It is a kiosk-type of set up in an area of the mall where there are no other food vendors in the vicinity. It is near an entrance and it is at an intersection of two corridors so it doesn’t seem that adequate foot traffic is an issue.

But I have seen only one person that I recall during the past several weeks buying yogurt at this stand. Granted I am only there about an hour when I walk on weekdays and haven’t really been there much on weekends.

I think the concept of free will work for this business because the brand is not a national brand name that is easily recognizable and no one is eating the yogurt that I am aware of to tell others about it. So there is no buzz! But there are other food businesses that give away samples in the mall – businesses that sell popcorn, candy, tea, chicken, and Asian foods.

And I don’t think the owner of the yogurt business is there to see what is going on. The only one working at the kiosk is a younger woman who doesn’t appear to be an entrepreneur.

The owner can use the concept of free by giving away a few hundred free samples of yogurt or more in small cups in the evening and on the weekends. How much could this cost? If the yogurt is really good people who try it will like it, buy it and tell others about it. And then the business will grow.

***************

Now I didn’t stop there with the idea of free. I realized that we Christians can use this concept of free to share our faith with others. We can and are supposed to give away kindness, respect, concern, attention, interest, help, understanding and more to those who don’t know Jesus as we do.

It is just a taste we offer in the beginning but it should gain their interest because we are different than others and hopefully our behavior will get them to want more and to come to know Jesus. It’s not about us getting something from them but about us showing an interest in others as Jesus has taught us.

It doesn’t take a lot of effort. It takes a willingness to talk to others and get involved in their lives.

What is Timeless?

When it is cold or rainy I prefer to walk indoors for exercise at a local shopping mall. Not because of the stores, although all the top retail brands are represented there. This particular mall is one of the largest malls in the country with a significant amount of common area square footage for traversing the mall that is ideal for walking.

Although I am not there to shop at the stores I heard a comment while walking past the Ralph Lauren store the other day. A young mother with her child and her parents were walking past the store going in one direction while I was walking by in the opposite direction.

The young Mom commented to her parents that the style of Ralph Lauren’s clothing is timeless and that it stays the same throughout the years and that makes it appealing.

This got me to thinking about God being timeless and staying the same throughout the years. He is the same as He always has been and His teachings are the same and will serve us the way they did all those who have come and believed in Him since Biblical times if we will follow them and apply them. Hebrews 13:8 states: ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever’.

You can count on God, as we have through the ages, but you can’t be so sure that Ralph Lauren will always make the clothes that people see as timeless or that Lauren will even be in business.

In the book ‘The Black Swan’ by Nassim Nicholas Taleb he repeats a story about the Thanksgiving Turkey. The turkey is fed every day and this feeding confirms the bird’s belief that it is the general rule of life to be fed every day by friendly members of the human race… On the afternoon of the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, something unexpected will happen to the turkey. It will incur a revision of belief.

You have a choice to make for your future and your family’s. Do you continue to live the way you have been by putting all your faith in the ‘stuff’ of the world, i.e. Ralph Lauren, etc., that won’t last forever and won’t protect you or do you begin to believe in God and trust that He will be there for you forever as He has promised.

Let's talk apples and apples

I saw a comment on ESPN.com on 1/29/13 where Ed Reed, a safety for the Baltimore Ravens, commented that Junior Seau, a former All - Pro linebacker who shot himself, knew what he was signing up for when he decided to play pro football.

There didn't appear to be any animosity in Reed's comments but I thought that due to the position that each played there should be some disparity in the number of tackles each made during there career.

Out of curiosity I looked up the number of tackles made by each player during his respective career (Reed is still active at age 34 and will play in the Super Bowl on 2/3/13/) and found that Seau who played 20 years from 1990 to 2009 has made almost 3 times as many tackles as Reed from 2002 - 2012. The numbers are 1,524 for Seau and 510 for Reed.

Reed has complained about 'feeling the effects from some blows'.

Seau's career doesn't require anyone to stand up for him but I think Reed who is a great player in his own right needs to be involved in an additional1,000 tackles before he can comment on Seau or his actions.

I got the stats at the pro-football-reference.com site.

Go 'Niners

The San Francisco 49 'ers just intercepted with the score against the Atlanta Falcons being 24 - 21 in favor of Atlanta.

I was rooting for Seattle to beat the Falcons last week and thought Seattle should have.

Not sure what defense Seattle played at the end of the game last week but I thought Seattle lost the game rather than Atlanta wining it.

I just want to see San Francisco and Baltimore win today.

Using Wisdom

I like stories, like the one below, that show interesting and creative ways of doing things or solving problems. The story below is a different way of seeking a resolution to a problem. To me the beginning of the story is about utilizing wisdom. It kind of reminds me of something Solomon would do.

 The full article is primarily about using persuasion to cure incivility. I think the question we should consider is can we, or will we, adopt this method, this attitude and the wisdom involved in it and include it in our repertoire?

 

***************

Persuasion as the Cure for Incivility

What if, instead of demonizing opponents, we took steps to persuade them?

By JOHN I. JENKINS

Appearing in the January 8, 2013 Wall Street Journal

Several decades ago, my predecessor as the president of the University of Notre Dame, the Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, was presented with a dilemma. A Jewish student, after repeated hazing by some kids in his dorm, had left campus and gone home. After thinking it over, Father Hesburgh summoned the perpetrators. "Pack your bags," he told them. "Go find your friend. Either you persuade him to come back to Notre Dame, or you don't come back."

The approach worked for everyone concerned, and it may offer an idea for easing the incivility that marks much public discourse and leads to political stalemate. We need to try harder to persuade one another—to try to get people to change their minds.

Father Jenkins is president of the University of Notre Dame. His book "Conviction: The Power and Peril of Our Passionate Beliefs" will be published by Random House later this year.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323339704578173860563117812.html

Some observations about the first part of this article:

·         What this story presents is Father Hesburgh utilizing wisdom to solve a problem

·         That it may be possible to eliminate incivility

·         That people who disagree can be shown how to work together to solve a problem

·         That you as the leader can teach those who work for you to solve things simply

Why I stress attendance for men at men’s seminars

 My wife and I spent a number of years in a network marketing business. This was before the internet, computers and cell phones. There was a lot of personal contact in the business at that time through attendance at in-home meetings, larger group meetings in hotels, regular counseling or mentoring sessions and monthly seminars.

The business was built on the concept that others who were more successful in the business would teach us and others how to grow and succeed by attending the types of meetings identified above. In addition we were encouraged to read positive thinking books and to listen to tapes (no CDs or DVDs at that time) of successful distributors that were made at the monthly seminars. Part of the system was to read at least 15 minutes a day and listen to tapes every day.

Not only would we attend the meetings but we would encourage the distributors that made up our business to attend meetings and read and listen. This would encourage others, new and existing, to learn the system that helped others to succeed and all this was made available to all of us at the same time if we chose to attend and listen. (Choice was a key to this whole process). Some grew faster than others and some didn’t grow at all. But it was hard to grow if you didn’t put yourself in a position where you were exposed to the information or the encouragement or the success environment where you could see and learn what was possible.

I tell you all this because we saw how this system worked in a business environment and we have also seen this same type of system work with people as they learned to grow as Christian Disciples and then to teach others to grow as Christians. This is the Discipleship process.

There are a lot of similarities to growing as a Christian. But if we don’t choose to be around people who are becoming more mature Christians and if we don’t do what they are doing it will be hard to grow in our Christian life.

Weekly Church attendance, weekly (home) group attendance, minimal or no daily Bible or Christian book reading, minimal or no daily prayer, minimal volunteering, and minimal or no mentoring relationships won’t help us become like Christ which is God’s Will for us. Not everyone in the above environments wants to grow so the messages are somewhat watered down.

Attending seminars can help because you will be challenged in a more concentrated or intense environment by men who are committed Christians to become more like Christ. None of this is complicated. Becoming like Christ involves church, groups, reading, prayer, mentoring and getting in an environment in seminars where you can grow in your faith. It’s about increasing your faith.

I hope you are at a point where you want to be more like Jesus. If so sign up and attend the seminars listed below.

If you are not ready, find someone who is more mature in his faith than you and begin to ask him questions about why he believes what he does and what you have to do to grow in your faith. You have to be proactive.

Your life can be so much better.

***************

There are some great Men’s Conferences coming up that you can attend in this or other areas around the US. These conferences are designed to help you grow in your spiritual life and become a better Christian man. The speakers will address issues that all men face and the speakers can help you grow through these issues. Many times they will tell you things that your Pastor or friends won’t.

Call a friend or two and make arrangements today to attend. An occasional day in the seminar environment can be better for you and your family than a few hours with your family because the seminar will elevate you so you can be more effective with the time you spend in the future with your family.

Your wife will probably be happier that you want to go to a seminar to become a better man and that you aren’t doing the same old things around the house.

There are two video seminars on 2/2/13 so pick one, and plan to attend the 4/27/13 conference in Downingtown where there will be live speakers.

No Regrets Men’s Conference (formerly known as Top Gun Men’s Ministries) - 2/2/13 = 8:30AM – 4:00PM – Bethany UMC Church, Allentown, PA area

 

The No Regrets conference (formerly Top Gun) is a single day men’s conference which happens on the first Saturday of February each year. The conference consists of two general sessions in the morning and afternoon. The general sessions feature a time of worship, testimony and a keynote address. In the middle of the day there is a lunch and breakout session.

Location and Registration

http://www.bethanyumchurch.com/men/mens-breakfastconference-2013

1208 Brookside Road, Wescosville, PA 18106 (Allentown Area)

Stepping Up – 2/2/13 – Trinity Lighthouse Church, Royersford, PA – 7:30AM to 5:00PM

As football’s elite athletes prepare for the Super Bowl® battle on the gridiron, Dennis Rainey and Family Life invite men to tackle an even bigger challenge: the battle for godly, courageous living in their own lives.

Location and Registration

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5018622836/es2001/?rank=2#

 

About the conference

http://mensteppingup.com/

 

Upcoming Iron Sharpens Iron Conferences sponsored locally by Point Man Ministries

 

April 27th, 2013 - Iron Sharpens Iron National Men's Equipping Conference - Calvary Fellowship Church, Downingtown, PA

 

May 18th, 2013 - Iron Sharpens Iron National Men's Equipping Conference - Calvary Baptist Church, Easton, PA

 

About the Conferences & Registration

http://pointmanministries.net/event-registration/?ee=1

 

 

 

 

 

Do You Hear the People Sing?

The lyrics from the song ‘Do You Hear The People Sing’ from the show Les Miserables appear below. This show was about a rebellion in France.

Is there a chance that we in America will be singing songs and taking actions like this in the near future?

**************

 

Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?

It is the music of a people

Who will not be slaves again!

When the beating of your heart

Echoes the beating of the drums

There is a life about to start

When tomorrow comes!

Will you join in our crusade?

Who will be strong and stand with me?

Somewhere beyond the barricade

Is there a world you long to see?

Then join in the fight
That will give you the right to be free!!

Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?

It is the music of a people

Who will not be slaves again!

When the beating of your heart

Echoes the beating of the drums

There is a life about to start

When tomorrow comes!

Will you give all you can give

So that our banner may advance

Some will fall and some will live

Will you stand up and take your chance?

The blood of the martyrs

Will water the meadows of France!

Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?

It is the music of a people

Who will not be slaves again!

When the beating of your heart

Echoes the beating of the drums

There is a life about to start

When tomorrow comes