Wimbledon is with us once again & top men tennis players from around the world are congregating at London SW19 to try to lift the coveted Grand Slams Mens' Singles Trophy. Britain's No.1 Andy Murray [seeded 12] raised a ray of British hope when he beat No. 8 seed Richard Gasquet from 2 sets down to book a place in the Quarter Final. After the win, he showed off his bicep to a cheering crowd and put the win down to disciplined physical training. Sadly the British hope ended two days later when Andy lost his match in straight sets to No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal, who was fitter & stronger!
All top sports persons understand that to be the best at a Grand Slams level, they need to reach epic level physically & mentally. A whole year's of preparation and training will hopefully peak in the 2 weeks when it matters. The reality is often much tougher than what one hopes. Each round gets harder, as Andy Murray has found out!
If winning the championship is tough, I think church planting is tougher. After 10 years of church planting in Europe, I can see a lot of similarities. Both require strict training and unyielding discipline! Apostle Paul said it well in [1 Cor 9:25] "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."
The reason why I say church planting is tougher is because the grind of ministry constantly challenges one's body, mind & spirit. Above all, it is not for a month, not for a year, not for 10 years, but for life, unless one gives up. And the temptations of giving up are many!
One motivation for us to keep going is our consciousness of God [1 Peter 2:19] - consciousness of His majesty, His love and His promises. '"Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?"....Then I thought, ".....I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people.......'" [Ps 77:7-15 NIV]
The consciousness of God is cultivated by a daily walk with Him. Just like the command God gave to the Israelites through Moses. 'The LORD said to Moses, "Give this command to the Israelites and say to them: '......'This is the offering made by fire that you are to present to the LORD: two lambs a year old without defect, as a regular burnt offering each day. Prepare one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight,....This is an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD."' [Num 28:1-8 NIV] This is what strict training and unyielding discipline are all about. Without God's input, we will not have the sustainable power to run & finish the race!
Recent statistics show that UK weekly church attendance is about 6%, but declining at 2.3% a year. The Church seems to get a bad press a lot of the time and the resistance is very subtle '...... but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition.......we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts......We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else.......And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? [1Thes 2:2-6,13,19 NIV] Indeed, seeing lives being transformed by God is another great motivation in building the Church!
One of the temptations of giving up is distraction, distraction from the vision & purpose of building the Church. The challenge is the ability to 'let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left.........' [Prov 4:20-27 NIV] Again, this requires unyielding discipline. :o)
All top sports persons understand that to be the best at a Grand Slams level, they need to reach epic level physically & mentally. A whole year's of preparation and training will hopefully peak in the 2 weeks when it matters. The reality is often much tougher than what one hopes. Each round gets harder, as Andy Murray has found out!
If winning the championship is tough, I think church planting is tougher. After 10 years of church planting in Europe, I can see a lot of similarities. Both require strict training and unyielding discipline! Apostle Paul said it well in [1 Cor 9:25] "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."
The reason why I say church planting is tougher is because the grind of ministry constantly challenges one's body, mind & spirit. Above all, it is not for a month, not for a year, not for 10 years, but for life, unless one gives up. And the temptations of giving up are many!
One motivation for us to keep going is our consciousness of God [1 Peter 2:19] - consciousness of His majesty, His love and His promises. '"Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?"....Then I thought, ".....I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people.......'" [Ps 77:7-15 NIV]
The consciousness of God is cultivated by a daily walk with Him. Just like the command God gave to the Israelites through Moses. 'The LORD said to Moses, "Give this command to the Israelites and say to them: '......'This is the offering made by fire that you are to present to the LORD: two lambs a year old without defect, as a regular burnt offering each day. Prepare one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight,....This is an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD."' [Num 28:1-8 NIV] This is what strict training and unyielding discipline are all about. Without God's input, we will not have the sustainable power to run & finish the race!
Recent statistics show that UK weekly church attendance is about 6%, but declining at 2.3% a year. The Church seems to get a bad press a lot of the time and the resistance is very subtle '...... but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition.......we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts......We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else.......And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? [1Thes 2:2-6,13,19 NIV] Indeed, seeing lives being transformed by God is another great motivation in building the Church!
One of the temptations of giving up is distraction, distraction from the vision & purpose of building the Church. The challenge is the ability to 'let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left.........' [Prov 4:20-27 NIV] Again, this requires unyielding discipline. :o)
Amen.
1 comment:
Hi Pastor PK,
I enjoy your posts alot. Keep on sharing your insights and the word.
Thanks =)
Post a Comment