Ixtheus Christian Devotionals

"O Lord, I ask you to give me,
A MISSION-a call to be sent out
A MINISTRY-those you want me to be sent to
A METHOD-how exactly you want me to carry your ministry out
A MESSAGE- either initial evangelism or discpling existing Christians
THE MOTIVATION- the driving push to get me committed to the work."

We have looked at the Mission, the call to be sent out, next is 

The Ministry, those who you are sent out to. 

Acts 1:8 (KJV) 
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: 
and ye shall be witnesses unto me 
both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, 
and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

It was once explained to me that the succession of people mentioned in this verse may be clarified in this way: look at those who this was spoken to who were the people of ...
Jerusalem? Their familes and friends.
Judea? Those living in the surrounding area of their homes.
Samaria? Their racial enemies. "The Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans" (John 4:9)
The uttermost parts of the earth? Everyone else. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A METHOD-how exactly you want me to carry your ministry out.

It is necessary  that you begin your ministry in prayer, and bathe it in prayer the whole time. Nothing can happen to change a person's heart from darkness and deadness to light and life unless God does it. These words should haunt you...

John 15:4-5 (KJV) 
Abide in me, and I in you. 
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; 
no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 
{5} I am the vine, ye are the branches: 
He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:
 for without me ye can do nothing.

And again, 
John 6:44 (KJV)
 No man can come to me, 
except the Father which hath sent me draw him: 
and I will raise him up at the last day.

So to start your ministry, pray:
"Lord, send me just one person that you want me to disciple or lead to Christ. And I will be faithful to minister your love to them as you live Your Life through me. In Jesus Name, Amen."

You don't need a whole room full or a whole tent-full of people to start a ministry. One or 2 people who are really dedicated to getting serious about Christ is where to start. If you really get one serious baby Christian to care for, you will have your hands plenty full just answering questions and praying for guidance and ministering seriously to them.  And let's remember the goal...multiplication not necessarily addition. As in this verse: 

2 Tim 2:2 (KJV)
 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses,
 the same commit thou to faithful men, 
who shall be able to teach others also.

See, God takes the long view to measure success.. We like to see large numbers of converts and filled pews. God looks into the heart of a person to see of they are dedicated and committed over the long haul. It has been said that 10% of an average evangelical congregation does 90% of the work. This is the problem of seeking a large number of shallow converts who were not discipled properly. 

Jesus, the Lord of Glory, spent the bulk of His earthly ministry teaching and training and pouring Himself into 12 men. By our standards, this was either a wasteful use of his brief time and energy, and in terms of numbers He was a failure. But was He really a failure, or was He modelling for us a profound truth about  propagating the Gospel: that a small group of dedicated followers can do more in the long haul than a large mass of casual hangers-on?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A MESSAGE- either initial evangelism or discipling existing Christians.

Depending on the circumstance of the ministry the Lord leads you into, you will either have to start by leading someone to Christ, or you will have an already-saved person who now needs to grow up in Christ. So the message becomes one either of evangelism or discipleship. It has been my experience that some preachers seem to ignore the need for growing their congregations up in the Lord, and are content to keep "getting them saved" week after week with a salvation message that they have heard hundreds of times already. Once they are saved, they are ready to move onward and upward. Get on with it.

So what kinds of things do you need to teach your new disciple ? 

Who God is, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, what is Their function and everything about them you can.

What is salvation? Moving from darkness to light, repenting of sin and keeping a "short account" with God if you happen to sin. One of the most important verses in all of scripture for this: 

1 John 1:8-9 (KJV) 
If we say that we have no sin, 
we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 
{9} If we confess our sins, 
he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, 
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This is only the dusting of snow on a very large iceberg. 
They need to make certain to have invited Christ into their heart, Rev 3:20 
They need to know about Christ living in them by the Holy Spirit.
How to pray without ceasing.
What behaviors are acceptable and unacceptable from the scriptures.
How to bind Satan and what wiles Satan uses to tempt us to sin.
How to know that their eternal salvation is secure

 1 John 5:10-13 (KJV) 
He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: 
he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; 
because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 

{11} And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, 
and this life is in his Son.
 {12} He that hath the Son hath life; 
and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 
{13} These things have I written unto you
 that believe on the name of the Son of God;
 that ye may know that ye have eternal life,
 and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

I could go on and on. 
Teach them about the Rapture, death, Hell, Resurrection, Creation vs Evolution, 
the ten commandments, The Lord's Prayer, how to study the Bible.......so much more. See what I mean about a roomful of converts? If you really teach one person about all this, in such an intensity that they can begin to teach someone else, and more, you will have an astounding ministry.

If you want a good outline of things to start teaching your new disciple, please refer to my evangelistic presentation at 
http://www.execpc.com/~ixtheus
There are many other helps and devotional Bible studies available from this ministry, you need only to ask, I will be happy to provide them.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE MOTIVATION- the driving push to get me committed to the work.

Again, you need to pray and ask God to warm your stagnant heart, and fill you with His Spirit, and set you on fire to minister to Him. He will answer this prayer. He is waiting to answer it. Are you ready to ask it ?

In Christ.....brother bob......<><

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 IXTHEUS CHRISTIAN DEVOTIONALS 
ALWAYS FREE OF CHARGE
(but not necessarily  free of COST)
feel free to redistribute these materials to whomever you want...
be careful to observe copyright information where appropriate...
for questions, comments, help or suggestions, or subscriptions, contact us at
 ixtheus@execpc.com

Visit my evangelistic presentation at...
http://www.execpc.com/~ixtheus

God Bless You.....brother bob.......<><

If you have comments or questions, email me at ixtheus@execpc.com