Summary:
It’s amazing how many good Christians have a fear or apprehension when it comes to being lead by the Holy Spirit to pray for and encourage someonewho has a real need. A lot of the reason is because there aren’t more people who are willing to be equipped to do this. They feel that its up to the pastor or a few others who are supposed to do the ministry. You, as an individual, will never grow or become what God wants you to be if you aren’t willing to step out in faith and embrace this thing of being equipped for the work of the m...
Summary:
It’s amazing how many good Christians have a fear or apprehension when it comes to being lead by the Holy Spirit to pray for and encourage someonewho has a real need. A lot of the reason is because there aren’t more people who are willing to be equipped to do this. They feel that its up to the pastor or a few others who are supposed to do the ministry. You, as an individual, will never grow or become what God wants you to be if you aren’t willing to step out in faith and embrace this thing of being equipped for the work of the ministry.
Show Notes:
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It’s so easy for people, especially if they have been raised in the Bible Belt, to think that it’s only reserved for a very few to actually do the ministry and pray over people. It can be very foreign to their thinking.
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So many think that being equipped for the ministry means that you have to get up in front of people and preach, or lead in some way. That’s not what we are talking about. What we are talking about is just having a confidence to pray over someone, and believe with them when a need arises.
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If you will just try it a time or two, you will start to feel less fear and apprehension, and that’s where the excitement of this starts to come. Don't be overconfident, but humbly approach it, believing that God can, and will, fix it.
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Wouldn’t be nice if there were 20, 30, or more people who have been equipped, who you could call of you have a need, rather than always calling the pastor or two or three others employed by the church who normally do the ministry? That could easily happen if there were those open to being equipped to pray with and encourage the people.
Quotes:
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99% of the time there hasn’t been this mindset or this concept of being equipped for the work of the ministry, and if people won't buy into it, it becomes not just the fear of it, but it becomes an apprehension. They feel like, “You know what? Now I know that’s probably something I should do, but I’m just not sure how to get going in it”.
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It’s finding your identity and your place in the body of Christ, and allowing God to use you like He wants to use you. If you will embrace this truth, God will start to give you opportunities. So, heads up, pay attention to the Holy Spirit in these situations.
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One of the easiest ways to determine if it’s God or not is if someone comes to you, telling you their problems. They have some level of trust with you, and they are asking for help.
References:
Ephesians 4:11
Takeaways:
People who have grown up in the Bible Belt, especially, find it very hard to grasp the concept that they could be a part of the ministry, even though they aren’t a pastor or an elder. Actually, being equipped for the ministry should be in everyone’s heart, and not for just a few. If there were many people who were equipped and trained to be a part of the ministry, think about how many needs could be met without having to go to a pastor for every little problem that we encounter.
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