APEST

This shows your ministry style in relation to the philosophy of the fivefold ministry of Ephesians 4.
It measures your minstry motivation and expression.

APOSTLES extend the gospel. As the “sent ones,” they ensure that the faith is transmitted from one context to another and from one generation to the next. They are always thinking about the future, bridging barriers, establishing the church in new contexts, developing leaders, networking trans-locally. Yes, if you focus solely on initiating new ideas and rapid expansion, you can leave people and organizations wounded. The shepherding and teaching functions are needed to ensure people are cared for rather than simply used.

PROPHETS know God's will. They are particularly attuned to God and his truth for today. They bring correction and challenge the dominant assumptions we inherit from the culture. They insist that the community obey what God has commanded. They question the status quo. Without the other types of leaders in place, prophets can become belligerent activists or, paradoxically, disengage from the imperfection of reality and become other-worldly.

EVANGELISTS recruit. These infectious communicators of the gospel message recruit others to the cause. They call for a personal response to God's redemption in Christ, and also draw believers to engage the wider mission, growing the church. Evangelists can be so focused on reaching those outside the church that maturing and strengthening those inside is neglected.

SHEPHERDS nurture and protect. Caregivers of the community, they focus on the protection and spiritual maturity of God's flock, cultivating a loving and spiritually mature network of relationships, making and developing disciples. Shepherds can value stability to the detriment of the mission. They may also foster an unhealthy dependence between the church and themselves.

TEACHERS understand and explain. Communicators of God's truth and wisdom, they help others remain biblically grounded to better discern God's will, guiding others toward wisdom, helping the community remain faithful to Christ's word, and constructing a transferable doctrine. Without the input of the other functions, teachers can fall into dogmatism or dry intellectualism. They may fail to see the personal or missional aspects of the church's ministry.

From Forgotten ways

Trust comes before knowledge

In the Garden we chose knowledge over trust. We live in a knowledge based world view. 'Knowledge will take care of it'
We want clarity over trust.
We want to know before we trust but the only way we will get to know is if we trust first.

God tells Moses that he will know that He has been with Moses when his promises come true. Then he can look back and know. At the front end it is trust and his word.

Is it more important to be right (assert my rightness) or trust God? I ask myself.

Connect, Hebrews- Set aside every encumbrance, be intentional

Let us lay aside everything that hinders (or encumbrance)
This does not necessarily mean sin. It just holds us back. This happens when we say yes to everything and are unintentional.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:1-3

Connect 09- Wrong religious reasons

Missional practices are secondary to the heart of the message. We can go wrong by focusing on the practice and nto the message behind the paractice.
people do religous things is because of...
Habit- It's what I've always done
Duty- What i'm supposed to do
Fear- What happens if I don't
Self Image- I like how it makes me look in the eyes of others

What if I came home to Tasha and brought her flower and she asked why and I said any of these reasons above?

Source- Dudly




I did see a Gallup poll that showed some good reasons people attend church...
For spiritual growth and guidance
25 protest.
17 catholic
Keeps me grounded/inspired
16
28
It's my faith
14
21
To worship God
16
13
The fellowship of other members/The community
17
3
Believe in God/Believe in religion
13
11
Brought up that way/A family value/Tradition
11
15




Below is interesting because only ten percent of the people who don't attend church say that they don't attend church because of their belief in God.


Americans who say they attend church only seldom or never -- a little over 40% of the adult population -- give a variety of reasons for their non-attendance.

(Asked of adult who seldom or never attend church services) What is the most important reason why you do not attend church or synagogue? [OPEN-ENDED]
BASED ON 439 ADULTS WHO SELDOM/NEVER ATTEND CHURCH
2007 Mar 26-29
%

THOUGHT-OUT, RATIONAL REASONS
Don't agree with organized religion/
what they preach
24
Don't believe in going to church
16
Atheist/Don't believe in God
10
Church wants/asks for too much money
3

PRACTICAL OR "DEFAULT" REASONS
Don't have time/Don't get around to it
21
Don't have a church I connect with
9
I'm lazy
6
Poor health/Disabled
2
Family members are different religions
1
Other
5
No reason in particular
6
No opinion
3

FAST- discipleship

Article on FAST

FAST
They were willing to commit (faithful), give their time (available), seek after God with all their hearts (evidence of being Spirit-filled), and humble themselves to learn (teachable).

Three benchmarks we look for before graduating an apprentice on to greater responsibility—
calling
character
fruitfulness.

That apprentice, in turn, was required to take an apprentice under himself to help lead the group

Speaking is more of an expression of our hearts than a function of our abilities.

Speaking is more of an expression of our hearts than a function of our abilities.

Like Clint said, Good stage presence isn't having a big personality but having a right heart. Stage presence comes from the heart.

Jesus says that out of the heart the mouth overflows. (Matt 12:34)

Moses said that he could not lead his people but God said that he is choosing Moses. It was more about Moses' obedience to God than it was about his studdering.

We don't pray with big flowey words and long monologues like the nonchristians do. Why should we speak that way? (Mt 6:7)

We have been given a message. (1Jn 1:5 "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you.") (Romans 10:14,17 how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ... faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.)

We have been given a voice. Our words are powerful. God's word is sharper than a double edged sword. (Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.)

I hope that others will be encouraged to use the voice that God has given to share our beautiful message. God will equip us for what He calls us to do.

(New thought)
Somehow we've gotten the idea that our words and our actions are exclusive. We think that because we have swung too far to talk that we need to let our actions do all the talking. We wait for people to ask us the reason for the way we live. But that doens't happen all the time since we are works in progress or because other may be blind to it. I

God reminds us how powerful our words are in passages like James'. If we forget this we will either be careless with our words and hurt people with them or we will lose the opportunities that God has set before us to pass on His message of love, redemption and relationship.

Words and actions were meant to go together. When one is forgoten the other one suffers. Words without action or actions without words are both crippled.

It seems somewhat misleading to do good things in hope that someone will ask you about why you are doing them. Or to talk about good life without living it yourself. It feels proud to expect people to notice how different we are. It is a good challenge but can it be expected? Shouldn't we be showing people that we are works in progress with them and telling them to keep their eyes on Jesus. Afterall Christianity is less about what we do than what has changed on the inside and how can we expect people to know what has changed on the inside without us telling them?

Jesus says, "“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

Both deeds and words are mentioned in this passage. We must do good deeds, but how would they know to give praises to their father in heaven if they did not tell them in whose name they come in.

Paul write to the Philippian church,
"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold outc the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me." Phil 2:14=18

Paul talks about both our toungues (complaining and arguing) and our actions (sacrifice and service). We will shine as we hold out the word of life.

Connect 09- Marriage

Roles and stereotypes are naive
It's not my mariage is hard and theirs is easy, marriage is a function of what you put into it.

When we are born we have no sense of identity
Then we make an attachment- Out of that attachment we form a sense of identity- it's based on need. Many people never gain a sense of attachment such as families where connections are not allowed in the family. We go through this until we are ten.
Detachment- recognise you are a unique individual
(See Eat,Pray,Love for an example of this)

Many marriages are based on need. But moving to maturity we need to move past attachment. Attachment is not initmacy. Intimacy does not occur until the next stage.

There is the cycle from attachment to detachment and back again.
"I don't want to be alone." to "I want to be alone because you consume me."
(See Eat,Pray,Love for an example of this)

Connecting- What most people call connnection is actually attachment. Attachment is predictible, connection is not.

Unhappy and Stable Marriages:
-See marriage as completion; two halves making a whole and not two wholes coming together. "If you love God more than you love your spouse you will love your spouse more than if you love your spouse more than God."
-Characterized by relationship of demands. They see the other person for what he/she provides for them and expect/demand for them to complete it. ex. of one person always starting the conversation and the other person relying on them to do that.
-Think about marriage as natural and self maintaining. Think a good marriage is a gift. If only we find the right person than everything will be alright.
-Are reactive and not responsive
-Think "if you really knew me you would leave me."
-Wants to change the other person's culture. You be like me. (Colonial approach)
-Don't want to know how they impact the other person. Don't want to see who they really are.
-Is about control and dependancy (follows the pattern of addiction)
-Emmeshed, co-dependant

In Healthy Marriages:
-Exposes their incompetencies and emptiness. See exposure as an opportunity to move toward mature at each exposure. Not looking for the other person to complete them.
-Knows a good marrage is an achievement that takes a lot of work. (and a gift from God.) Understand our relationship is breakable. They are intentional, relational, and make counter intuative actions like forgiveness, exposure, and confession etc.
-Plays together
-Respects the other person's culture. Knows that they have no control over wheather the other person understands them. Studies what the other person does, how they are shaped, longings, history, reactions,etc (antropologist approach)
Ex of potato. Can find potato usually but if we peel it than harder or mash it it is impossible. Why do we peel or mash our personalities. Let the unique indiviual personality come out.
-Makes their own model. Looks different from other people's marriages. No biblical model for a healthy marriage. Corriagraph your own dance.



Other thoughts:
Men and women have more like 85% the same and 15% different and not the other way around.
Processing with an intravert or extravert is still necessary. Intraverts like to have limits on the length of the converstaion. Ok to say, "I want to talk about it but just not right now." as long as you make a time to talk about it later.
In marriage you make a vow to God and not to the other person.
We are maticulously made. We will never know the other person fully because they are infinately complex.
We don't usually need agreement. We need understanding.
If pathology is invloved it changes things.


Q. How does someone break out of the attachment/ detachment cycle? Attach to God?

Source: Hud McWilliam