Church of God

Some of our featured resources for laity and men’s ministry can be found on amazon.com.  They are as follows:

• LifeBuilders Essentials
• Excellence for the Rest of Us
• Apologetics for the Rest of Us
• Celebrating Pastor Appreciation: Ideas for a Successful Pastor Appreciation
• Reaching the Children of Ishmael

Isaiah 43:18-19
Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in bad lands. (From The Message)

I love to hear the innocent comments from children that reveal deep spiritual truth. Recently I read the comments of a little girl during the end of the year holiday season. She said, “Merry Christmas and a Happy New You!” Of course we know that she meant “year” instead of “you” but that doesn’t sound too bad does it? Wouldn’t it be great if 2010 could be the year of a “Happy New You?”

We get the word “January” from the pagan Roman god “Janus.” He was depicted with gates and doors and with two faces pointed in the opposite direction: one looking forward and the other backwards. This concept is still very appropriate for us today because January is a “hinge” month. We look backward over the past year and forward to the new year.

We have to glance back but only briefly; we cannot live our lives looking into a rear view mirror! Someone said, “We must take our hats off to the past but our coats off to the future.” Let me suggest five simple steps for a new START in 2010 that will make possible a “Happy New You.” (Click below “for more information” to see these.)

Five Steps for a New S.T.A.R.T. in 2010

1) S — Stop Making Excuses

Some people spend their entire lives just making excuses for hurtful or wrongful behavior. Consider this example. It is the story of a young man arrested for stealing a car. When confronted by the police and asked for an explanation for his actions he had the year’s most novel excuse. He said, “I found the automobile in front of a cemetery and thought the owner was dead.”

There is an old saying that there is an I in every accident and a U in every excuse. Proverbs 28:13 says it this way: A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance. TLB

The next time you feel like making an excuse for any inconsistency in your life consider some of the great heroes of the Bible. Here are some of the “excuses” they could have used for not being all that God wanted them to become.

Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
Elijah was suicidal
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
John the Baptist ate bugs
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer…
AND
Lazarus was dead!

What do you have that’s worse than that? So no more excuses!

2) T — Take stock

Perhaps your present circumstances do not reflect the true purpose of God for your life. We have to be prepared to go onward and upward for Christ. Sometimes the biggest miracle can be in the smallest opportunity. God’s best blessings sometimes come in “surprise” packages.

In Galatians 3:4 Paul says, Did all your experience mean nothing at all? Surely it meant something! (TEV). At the beginning of this new year, perhaps you should ask some questions about where you have come from, where you are and where you are going. Here are some examples:

o What have I learned?
o What are my assets?
o Who can help me?
o What is God doing in and around my life?

3) A — Act in faith

Matthew 9:29 According to your faith will it be done to you. We get what we expect. Our expectations affect our future. If we act in faith, we must do something. We must make preparations for the new year but trust God to do His work in our lives. Proverbs 16:9 says, We should make plans counting on God to direct us. (LB). Here are some examples of goals that we can set for 2006.: personal (physical, mental, spiritual), relational (family, marriage, children, friends), professional, church and personal ministry, and financial.

4) R — Refocus

As you set and reach new goals for 2006, you will notice that your mind as well as your behavior will change. Let the Word of God renew your mind this year. Proverbs 4:23 says, Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.(GN). In Romans 12:2 Paul says, Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is. (NLT).

Have you ever wondered why a pigeon walks so funny? According to an interesting article in the Detroit Free Press, a pigeon walks the way it does so it can see where it’s going. Because it can’t adjust its focus as it moves, the pigeon actually has to bring its head to a complete stop between steps in order to refocus. This is the way it walks: head forward, stop; head back, stop.

In our spiritual walk with the Lord we have the same problem as the pigeon. We have a hard time seeing while we’re moving. We also need to stop between steps — to refocus on where we are in relation to the World and the will of God. Our walk with the Lord needs to have built into it a pattern of “stops,” which enable us to see more clearly before moving on.

5) T — Trust God

A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was leaving the room after paying a visit to the patient’s home, and said, “Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.” Very quietly the doctor said, “I don’t know.” “You don’t know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is after death?”

The doctor was holding the handle of the door, and from the other side of door came a sound of scratching and whining, and, as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness. Turning to the patient, the doctor said, “Did you notice my dog? He had never been in this room before. He did not know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing: I know my Master is there, and that is enough.”

We may not know what is “behind the door of 2010″ but we know that God is there and that is enough.

Here are 10 things you can count on in this new year:

10. Bible will have the answers you need.
9. Prayer will still change things
8. Holy Spirit will still be active in our lives.
7. God’s praises will still abound
6. The anointing of God will still be available.
5. Church will still continue to grow.
4. Blessings of God will still be abundant.
3. They will still be room at the cross for you.
2. Jesus Christ will always love us.
1. God will give anybody a new START.

By Leonard C. Albert

My friend of many years, Pat Morley, says “Give men what they want in the context of what they need.”  Our minds immediately ask two questions: (1) “what do men want?” and (2) “what do men need?”  Men want adventure—they want a challenge.  They need a structure, a system to make number one work.   John Eldredge in his now famous book titled Wild at Heart says it this way, “Life is not a problem to be solved, it is an adventure to be lived.  A man just won’t be happy until he’s got adventure in his work, in his love and in his spiritual life.”  Where can a man find this “adventure” in his spiritual life?  Most of the time in church, he is required to just come and sit and listen to teachings or sermons.  What men really want is a church that will call them to action and they are attracted to churches that offer opportunities to really make a difference in this life.

What is “Matthew 25 Men?”

The LifeBuilders Men’s Ministry discipleship model has three elements:

1. Walk with Christ (know Him as Savior);
2. Live like Christ (know Him as Lord and Master;) and
3. Work for Christ (find a personal ministry).

Matthew 25 Men speaks to this third area: work for Christ.  This is a “servant” type ministry that helps people in the church family, the community and beyond.  It involves Church Projects such as “Workday at Church” where men volunteer for repair, painting, and maintenance work at the church.  The men of the church can meet periodically on a Saturday to trim shrubs, pull vines, spread pine straw or mulch, paint, make repairs, and do whatever else needs attention.  These church projects can include reaching out to the less fortunate of the church family by doing small repair work on homes like adding a wheel chair ramp, or repairing the steps, etc.  It involves Ministry Projects such as visiting shut-ins, people in hospitals, nursing homes, jails and prisons.  It involves being salt and light by sharing the gospel through personal testimony and showing kindness.  It involves doing good deeds both inside and outside the church such as snow removal, leaf raking or lawn mowing.  It involves Community Service Projects such as “Car Care Saturday” to help widows and single moms.  It could be a project like installing smoke detectors in low-income homes, or washing cars for free, or giving away coffee and water at a sporting event.  Your local chapter of LifeBuilders Men’s Ministry can plan a monthly service project lasting a half or a full day for most months of the year.

Matthew 25 Men is the outreach that helps a man find the adventure he is looking for, and at the same time reach out to hurting people in the church and community.  Matthew 25 Men challenges men to become active in a “feel good about helping others” outreach.  Our goal for men is to help them grow in Christ by moving toward the center of God’s will.  We do not aim to change a man’s behavior—we want God to change the core affections of his heart.  When a man works for Christ he discovers his own personal ministry using his unique spiritual giftedness.  Usually three things will happen.  (1) He will serve others in need in the church and community through special projects, (2) He will help family and friends grow in Christ and (3) He will win the lost to Christ.

As I travel and speak to thousands of men I feel they are sick and tired of not being challenged and offered some type of ministry adventure.  They are weary of just talking about sports, the weather, and the stock market.  This exciting outreach ministry of LifeBuilders helps fuel their competitive drive.  It helps them find adventure, change, competition, and expansion—all within the mission of Jesus to seek and save the lost.  Once a man has been in the real presence of Jesus, he will never be happy until he finds a way to express his gratitude through love and good deeds.  We believe that men have a passion in their lives that will make a difference in the world.  This ministry helps them find that passion.

Who are the men of Matthew 25 Men?

Matthew 25 Men are men who are being discipled in their local churches.  They work out of the existing men’s ministry group as this effort is always under the sponsorship of the local chapter of men’s ministries.  Matthew 25 Men are men who take seriously the challenge to us in Matthew 25: 35-36 where Jesus said, For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. We need more men in local churches to reach out to others with a servant’s heart.  Church of God LifeBuilders has thousands of men who are ready to put their skills and personal ministry to work in the local church and beyond.  It can be a great adventure to feed the hungry, give to the thirsty, help the stranger, clothe the needy, visit the sick and reach men in prison.

Steve Sonderman is a great men’s leader.  His book on How To Build a Life-Changing Men’s Ministry is sold here in our bookstore.  Here’s what he says about challenging men:

Men want to be involved in a cause greater than themselves. If I have learned one thing during my years of ministry to men, it’s that men want to be involved in something driven by a compelling vision. They want to be involved in something bigger and grander than themselves.  Men want to know what hill the church is climbing, where we are going, what we are about. Men are not going to give you their time, money, and energy to move papers around and attend committee meetings. They want to be about the work of Kingdom Expansion. They want to see a discernible difference in the world in which they live?

We believe Matthew 25 Men can make that difference in a man’s life.  Why not get started today?!

From here:

A total of 55 men from the New York metropolitan area, including men from Connecticut and Rhode Island, were treated to both the insight and humor of Leonard Albert during the Discipling Strong Men Seminar held at Solid Rock on Saturday, October 10.

Leonard Albert is the International Director of Church of God Laity Ministries. He is an enthusiastic motivational speaker specializing in training and equipping people to reach their full potential in ministry. Leonard Albert is a firm believer that you can’t share the gospel or your faith with others unless you have been taught on how to do so. So what does that mean exactly? Well for starters, telling someone that they must “turn or burn” or “sanctify or fry” is not an effective way to reach others for Christ.

So how did Christ impact so many? During his time on earth, Christ used stories (parables) to explain spiritual principles in a way they could be understood. He also established relationships to build disciples. “Discipleship is not just Christian education, Saturday morning breakfasts at the church, or memorizing scripture,” Leonard explained, “Discipleship is the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), it is multiplication through reproduction (2 Timothy 2:2), and apprenticeship (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8).

The goals of this seminar were clear: Learn a strategy, leave with a plan of action, and acquire resources. Leonard shared statistics on men in the church and why it is hard to keep them engaged. For the most part, understanding the needs of men and what they are looking for is key to maintaining or establishing a successful men’s ministry. Leonard shared several examples, acquired during his travels, of different creative methods that churches are using to reach men. “There is no one way that works for every church. You have to get to know the needs and types of the men in your community before you can be effective.” However, regardless of the method, he emphasized that we must identify a strategy that best fits their needs, create a plan of action to execute it, and acquire the resources to keep the momentum going.

In keeping with the strategy for Discipling Strong Men, seven more men just completed the “LifeBuilders Essentials” study with Don Stedge. Jose Pena, Terrance White, Ray Gonzalez, Leland Parkinson, Wilson Ortiz, Rick White and Sheldon Scott-Bonnick received their certificates of completion after finishing the 12 week study. This makes a total of 38 men from Solid Rock who have taken this first step to becoming a disciple.

Currently, Bim Nathaniel is leading another four men through the Kingdom Calling study and Mike Anson, Sr. is beginning the “10 Questions That Trouble Every Thinking Man” small group starting this Tuesday. As you can see, Armorbearers Men’s Ministry is on the forefront of “Discipling Strong Men”!

If you would like to hear this entire seminar for yourself, the Solid Rock Bookstore is selling a 4 CD set recorded live on October 10 for $10.

Leonard C. Albert

Recently, I heard the story of Larry Walters, a 33-year-old man who decided he wanted to see his neighborhood from a new perspective. He went down to the local army surplus store one morning and bought 45 used weather balloons. That afternoon, he strapped himself into a lawn chair, to which several of his friends tied the now helium-filled balloons. He took along a six-pack of beer, a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, and a BB gun, figuring he could shoot the balloons one at a time when he was ready to land.

Walters, who assumed the balloons would lift him about 100 feet in the air, was caught off guard when the chair soared more than 11,000 feet into the sky—smack into the middle of the air traffic pattern at Los Angeles International Airport. Too frightened to shoot any of the balloons, he stayed airborne for more than two hours, forcing the airport to shut down its runways for much of the afternoon, causing long delays in flights from across the country.

Soon after he was safely grounded and cited by the police, reporters asked him three questions:

“Were you scared?” “Yes.” “Would you do it again?” “No.” “Why did you do it?” “Because,” he said, “you can’t just sit there.”

Eyes For the Harvest

His answer caught my interest. I have pondered his reply and its implications for some time…”You can’t just sit there!” One prevailing thought emerges in my mind: when it comes to God’s intervention in our lives, we can’t just sit there—we must act! His Word calls for a response—or a reaction—from us especially in the area of evangelism.

Evangelism will become a priority in our lives when we have God’s perspective. All of us see people, but few of us see them with spiritual eyes. Early in Christ’s ministry, He challenged His disciples to see people as God sees them. Christ’s followers were devoted to Him, but they were blind to the task to which their Master had been called. They did not have His compassion for people who were alienated from God. The Lord used several encounters with needy people to help them open their spiritual eyes.

Do you have eyes for the harvest that is all around you, or are you still only seeing people from an earthly perspective?

You Can Win People to Christ

The most fertile ground for evangelism today is through personal relationships. One writer calls it “F R A N gelism,” that is, witness to your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors. This is more likely to happen if we see that friendship evangelism is a process, not a project. It begins with cultivation, an approach to the heart; then seed planting, an appeal to the mind; and finally, harvesting, an appeal to the will. There it is, the head, heart and feet! This is the approach. We tell the facts (head knowledge), the Holy Spirit takes it to the heart (sorrow for sin, an 18-inch conversion!), and then there is true repentance with the feet (a turning from sin).

Here is How to Do It

Know Someone. It takes a personal relationship with Christ. We cannot do a spiritual work for Christ unless we have had a spiritual encounter with Him. We must have a life-changing and genuine experience.

Be Someone. Our lives have to back up what we say. People may doubt what you say, but they will always believe what you do! What you do will always speak louder than what you say. Jesus said, “Ye shall be witnesses unto me.” Have you ever heard anyone say, “Humph, well! If that’s what a Christian is like I don’t want any part of it.”

• I’d rather see a sermon lived than hear one preached.
• I’d rather see a conviction demonstrated than hear it defended.
• You’ve got to be like Christ in order to tell of Christ.
• You’ve got to let Jesus be Lord in you before you can say, Jesus is my Lord” to someone else.

Tell Something. Christ must be proclaimed, not defended. You cannot be a secret disciple. It must be a verbal communication. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). One cannot catch a good case of salvation any easier than he can catch a good case of algebra. There are facts that must be explained. God has commanded all of His children to go to those who have not heard and proclaim these facts.

To know Him, be like Him, and tell about Him—that is the secret! When we see people like Jesus saw them and feel for them like He did, we can win them to Christ.

If we have a better understanding of the world, we will know that the unbeliever is not our enemy, but is a victim of the enemy. According to an old legend, a man became lost in his travels and wandered into a bed of quicksand. Confucius saw the man’s predicament and said, “It is evident that men should stay out of places such as this.” Next, Buddha observed the situation and said, “Let that man’s plight be a lesson to the rest of the world.” Then Mohammed came by and said to the sinking man, “Allah has willed it.” Finally Jesus appeared. “Take my hand, brother,” He said, “and I will save you!”