How God Prepares A Man Or Woman For Service

When God wants to drill a man,
And thrill a man,
And skill a man
When God wants to mold a man
To play the noblest part;

When He yearns with all His heart
To create so great and bold a man
That all the world shall be amazed,
Watch His methods, watch His ways!

How He ruthlessly perfects
Whom He royally elects!

Does God Still “Call” Men and Women?

The missionary call still exists. In fact, it comes in varied forms to different people. I would describe the “call” as God prodding a person to complete a specific duty or task for him. This call comes in many ways, as God Himself is unpredictable. One would say that a “call” is personalized by God, even though it may be fulfilling the same task or duty as another would. Moreau better describes it as “guidance” from God. For some people, this prodding to do may come in the form of a dream, a revelation, a vision, “an undeniable tug on the heart to be involved in a certain part of the world or with a certain people or in a certain type of role”  (Mor. 160). It is a feeling that is almost impossible to let go; once that will not dissipate until the act is fulfilled; one in which the individual finds fulfillment when engaging in the act/duty. 

There are 4 types of calls seen in scripture:

The Attitude Of The Christian Apologist

Every human being is made in the image of God, and worthy of respect (Gen. 1:27). This is worthy of consideration before engaging any and all interlocutors. The Christian apologist in faithfully executing the discipline of apologetics is called to both defend and commend the Gospel (2 Cor. 10:5; 2 Tim. 2:25; Tit. 1:9; Jude 3; Phil. 2:5-11), in a manner worthy of the Lord he or she represents (1 Pet. 3:15). Whether the apologist is engaged in responsive or proactive methods, the making of such defense will be key towards moving the interlocutor closer to a relationship with Christ. It surely “is not about you; it is about them.”[1] Having prayerfully prepared, skillfully considering the audience, the context, the quality of arguments, along with the all-important reliance upon the Holy Spirit, the Christian apologist is better equipped to both commend and defend the faith in a grace-full attitude worthy of a Christ-spirit-filled ambassador that brings glory to His name.

---

[1] James K. Belby, Thinking About Christian Apologetics: What It Is And Why We Do It, (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011), 176-7.

Thoughts On The Path Ahead - Mission & Spiritual Gifts

There is a connection between the work of ministry and the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer to fulfill the Great Commission mandate. The Spirit energizes His people and His church with the gifts. It is our responsibility to be in active partnership with the Spirit to identify and understand these gifts. Each person is given at least one gift, but there are times when there is a  lack of evidence of a gift/s because of adverse circumstances. God expects a return on His investment with each believer becoming fruit-full. These gifts are important both individually and corporately. Within the church, the top three gifts (based on importance in accomplishing God’s purposes) are (1) The Evangelist/Apostle – He or she will pioneer the cause; (2) Preaching; (3) Teaching. It is important that every church devotes resources to gift identification, development and deployment. This is why Paul told Timothy not to “neglect the gift” within him (1 Timothy 4:14).

Another key component of the church is the role of Prayer. Robertson McQuilkin said it well as he referred to the Holy Spirit as “the One with the knowledge of all factors involved in any situation. He alone has the wisdom to make the right decisions and the power to carry through the decision” (101). Why then would not the church/individuals pray? After all, there is a promise behind the command to seeking God – He promises that we will find Him. Christ through His Spirit aloe provides salvation, sanctification, renewal, guidance, provision and power (102).

Ecumenism - Any Hope For 21st Century Pluralistic Culture?

The goal of ecumenism (objective organic unity of Christian denominations) has been highly elusive for the church. During the last half of the twentieth century many Christian denominations have made great effort to develop closer relationships and understandings. Mergers were realized among groups such as the Methodists, Presbyterians and Lutherans. Still, ecumenism remained an un-ending series of high hurdles to cross over (as was the case with plenary sessions of the Consultation on Church Union 1960). I believe ecumenism as we envision it to be will continue to be elusive in America, especially since the idea of America has been built upon pluralism and the freedom of religion. It is Christ’s wish that we come together (Jn. 17:21), though the path is difficult (not impossible).

Struggles Of Blacks & The Church In Early America

Consider if you will the history of the Christian church in the early stages of the development of the New World, specifically the settlement of Virginia. It was the 1700’s. England colonized this portion of America, importing its religion of which the Church of England was preeminent.  The legal structure for the official Church of England was set up in 1660, with parishes being set up and one doctrinal standard established as set by the bishops of England. If you were not properly ordained and commissioned by the Church of England you could very well lose your livelihood. Here’s how the Virginian officials put it: “If any other person pretending himself a minister shall, contrary to this Act, presume to teach or preach publicly or privately, the Governor & Council are hereby desired and impowered (sic) to suspend & silence the person so offending.”[1] Talk about keeping it together!

God Gifts His Church

                        Spiritual Formation Enabled By Spiritual Gifts (Ephesians 4:11)

Now, at the heart of spiritual transformation into Christ-likeness is Holy Spirit guided living, described by Paul as “attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13b). In no way could this “fullness” (Ephesians 4:9b) be achieved through human effort. It is God who must “fill” his church in order that they may be “full”. It is the Holy Spirit who does an “inside job” by “empowering a transformed people to live out “God honoring lives within the context of community and healthy relationships.”[1] Christ’ desire is to see his people become agents of change in the earth. In verses 11-12 Paul fleshes out the offices or functions through which Christ’s mission would be accomplished:

“He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers” (Eph. 4:11). 

These gifts/functions/office (five main functions) were given to the entire church for the efficacy of Christ’s kingdom government. If anything is to be accomplished in Christ’s church, it will be through divine enablement. That said, Paul further explains: “And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues” (1 Corinthians 12:28). This was the work of God to spiritually empower men and women within and for the enabling of these gifts within his church. The first three gifts or offices that Paul numerated are sometimes called “higher offices” (apostles, prophets and evangelists). An apostle “was chosen and commissioned by Christ and were endowed through a special impartation of the Holy Spirit for the work of establishing the church.”[2] They played an authoritative role. “While they lived, they could provide teaching in person, but also committed their inspired revelation to writing, bringing into existence the New Testament.”[3]

Globalization & Missions: Getting The Message Out

Globalization in the twenty first century guarantees that neighborhoods Christians seek to communicate the gospel will be a blend of cultures. If the message of the gospel is to be effectively presented, fulfilling Christ’s mandate to go to the nations (Mat.24:14, 28:19; Lk. 24:47), then leadership must seek to have “some insight into how culture shapes the thoughts and behaviors of the people” within those communities.[1] The call to witness is not just for some far away country; globalization has brought the world next door. It will require greater effort; Livermore calls it “a disciplined effort to better understand cultural differences.”[2] What is valued in the American culture may be of a lesser value or even offensive to another culture. It would be wise to have at least a beginning understanding of the worldview of the target audience as “worldviews provide a system of beliefs reflected in values and behavior.”[3] While the Christian believes without a shadow of a doubt that there is only one God (Deut. 4:35,39; 6:4) and all else is false (and worthy of condemnation), there is a benefit to understanding the religion of those hearing the gospel. A good step in small-talk is finding common ground that leads to a more receptive audience.

It would not be uncommon for proclaimers of the gospel to have a cocooning mentality, yet this may very well be one of the core impediments of reaching outside the four walls of the church. Because the church is in the people business, “leaders must be both global and local in understanding and serving customers” (in this case, those to whom the gospel is proclaimed).[4] What works at home may not work in India or Africa. Although the gospel is a universal message, others may already have presuppositions about this gospel. For example, it may be seen as a “western religion” or “the white man’s religion.” History has shown that on numerous occasions, the western world has indeed imported its Christian worldview without consideration for indigenous peoples. That said, if the gospel is to be effectively proclaimed to the nations, the church ‘should be acutely aware that people have tastes, behaviors and assumptions that are not only different, but in conflict with one another.”[5] It is not enough to hit folks in the head with the Bible; the proclaimer of God’s word may wish to meet the listener at their point of need with an eye towards Christ’s kingdom (Mat. 6:33).

The gospel is in no way esoteric. It is universal in appeal, content and power to save. What makes the difference is the employment of fully functioning gifts of the Spirit under the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The Father already promised empowerment (Mat.28:18,20), but he also expects the church to be organized for effectiveness (Acts 6:2-7). There will be challenges working with individuals and teams of people, especially culturally diverse teams. Without compromising orthodoxy, Livermore suggests making an effort to (1) understanding how a family system works, (2) understanding culture, language patterns and non-verbal behaviors, (3) “slowing down long enough to observe the hearer” while drawing on cultural intelligence to resolve issues, and (4) “looking internally at biases and assumptions and then making conscious decisions to address them.”[6] This is where intercultural communication truly becomes effective. Proclaimers of the gospel who work regularly with culturally diverse ministry partners will “reap rewards from acquiring the awareness, knowledge and skills of flexible intercultural communication. This will be needed to solve problems, manage conflicts and forge new visions at home and abroad.”[7] Bottom line is that the effective spread of the unchanging gospel to the nations (“diverse contexts and cultures”) will require both a learning/developing to function across diverse cultures (CQ) and “developing a creative mindset to see things from different angles without rigid pre-judgment.” [8]

---

[1]  David Livermore, Leading With Cultural Intelligence: The Real Secret To Success, (United States: AMACOM, 2015), 67.

[2]  Ibid., 67-8.

[3]  Lloyd E. Kwast, Understanding Culture, 399, accessed September 6, 2018, https://learn.liberty.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-24419510-dt-content-rid-297477156_1/courses/GLST650_B02_201840/GLST650_LUO_8WK_DEV_ImportedContent_20180129105511/GLST650_M2_Understanding_Culture_by_Lloyd_E._Kwast.pdf

[4] Livermore, Cultural Intelligence, 16.

[5] Ibid., 14.

[6]  Ibid., 29-30.

[7]  Stella Ting-Toomey and Leeva C. Chung, Understanding Intercultural Communication, (New York: Oxford Press, 2012), 6-7.

[8]  Ibid., 5.

GoogleImage.

Written by Kevin A. Hall.

The Multicultural Mission Field

It is unfortunate that the church is seen as organized religion, packaging the gospel as determined by its target groups. But then again, this is not a new phenomenon. When Jesus came on the scene he not only denounced the religious class as hypocrites (Mat.23:13), he appealed to Isaiah as an authoritative reference (Mat.15:7; Isa.29:13).  His plan to reach the nations beginning with his immediate circle would be a radical and incarnational approach that raised more than a few eyebrows. As master communicator, Jesus made adjustments to his teaching style opting to use parables to communicate truths to those who wished to listen and as a source of judgment for those who rejected his message (Mat.13:10-17). Even Jesus then, believed it was necessary to make adjustments to the method of delivery in order to be more effective and relevant. While he made adjustments, he did not compromise his message, delivering his message with noticeable authority (Mat.7:29; Mk. 1:22). In many cases, this is what is lacking in the present proclamation of the gospel; many come in his name, with many titles, but are lacking spiritual authority.

Should We Care About Our Approach To Mission?

God has commanded that his message of salvation be communicated to all cultures. However, there are barriers to effectively communicating that message. If ever there was a mandate for the masses, Jesus communicated that mandate in Luke 4:18-20. Bob Ekblad posits that communicating the Scriptures can result in “reconciliation, unity, joint mission and spiritual renewal.”[1] In order to communicate the Gospel, communicators must “provide safe spaces for people to share openly their problems and thoughts,”[2] present fears, needs and concerns. If the communicator is to be effective, he/she should: (1) be aware of their own cultural and theological assumptions; (2) identify the racial/ethnic, cultural and class assumptions of the audience; (3) be fully aware of pitfalls to hearing the Good News; (4) seek to develop a spirit of awareness and dependence on God’s spiritual gifts and (5) learn effective pedagogies and communication strategies.[3]

Church History - The Big Split of 1054

There is much we can learn from the Great Schism of 1054. “The church was split along doctrinal, theological, linguistic, political and geographical lines” ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­(Lumen). The Roman empire was in decline; there were invasions by the barbarians, from Islam and from the Scandinavians. By 410, Rome was conquered, and its emperor deposed. The period resulting was characterized by Tony Lane (88) as “a period of turmoil and anarchy, with the near collapse of civilization”. By 800, Charlemagne (King of the Franks) was declared the new Roman emperor. This move was strategic for the Christian church. As with all events, there are opportunities and challenges, depending on if you see the glass as half empty or half full.

One Week Into Our Newest Church Plant! God is Calling People To Himself

Here we grow!  One week later….

The presence of the Lord was certainly within our midst. I am thinking we will need a much bigger space, very soon. I watched a baseball movie years ago and in it someone said “If you build it, they will come” (Field of Dreams). So too the Bible states “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). I tell you, if you ask of God, He will not disappoint. There were 10 visitors with us today! 10. Thank you Jesus!

Christians in The Minority or The Majority?

A Typical Day At The Beach In The Bahamas

It's the day before we launch a new Apostolic church ministry in Fort Lauderdale Florida . I thought how best to spend the morning than at the beach, one of my favorite places. Already a good group of people here, plus this is a tourist area (Bahamas). Some playing games, some walking, some exercising, some (like me) just hanging out. Oh, there's a couple hanging out with their dog ...dogs must have beach time too y'know.

But within the crowd is a small group of people (party of 7); they were up to something different. They were singing songs, praying and lifting hands and heart in worship...the worship of the sovereign God of heaven. How do I know? They were calling His name, Jesus!

Ministry Beginnings @ Transformation Fort Lauderdale

Day 1 – Transformation Ministries Florida

Well, it’s in the books! First day of Ministry. The day I have been anticipating for years. A dream, a calling, a passion? Call it what you will, my Dad and family have started a new ministry. This I believe is a high privilege. A bit anxious the night before. I flew in from Nassau, got a haircut, and went to hang out with the team in Deerfield Beach...Nothing like some good "American Food" - burgers, nachos with cheese, chicken wings, coke. Things we take for granted...Can't get this on the islands.  A little later, I headed back to the hotel to check out the meeting space. We'd been working on plans for a while. A range of emotions when we were done with the setup...

The Time Has Come... We start a New Ministry In Florida!!

PROJECT TRANSFORM FLORIDA

We are Transformation Ministries Florida. We are expecting explosive growth in the State of Florida, beginning in the City of  Fort Lauderdale.
Do you feel called by God to do more?
Are you praying for an opportunity to become mature in your Faith?
 Looking for Transformation?
Then Transformation Ministries Florida is the answer to your prayer.
Come join us and grow!

We are seeking to fill the following positions at our new location in Coconut Creek, Florida:
* Worship Minister - Praise team leader, Praise team, Choir members
* Musicians
*Minister of Evangelism - Evangelists, Outreach Leaders
*Minister of Youth
*Minister of Edification - Sunday School Director, Secretary, Area Leaders, Teachers
*Bilingual (Creole) Assistant Pastor
*Children's Ministry Director
*Deacons

Meeting Place:            Hampton Inn & Suites - Coconut Creek
                                    5740 N. State Road 7, Coconut Creek, Florida 33073
                                    Sundays @ 9:00 am & Thursdays @ 7:00 pm

Contact:                      Pastor Brown,  Pastor Hall
                                   (754) 214-5601/ (954) 248-0674                                                                                                               transformationministriesfla@gmail.com

Neglect In Building God's Kingdom?

To Build or Not To Build

³ Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, ⁴ “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? ⁵ Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways”    (Haggai 1: 3-5).

I have found that the Christian walk is filled with hills and valleys. There are those of us who pitch a tent after a valley event and never bother to head back up the hill. Our priorities become skewed and we lose the focus, settling for “status quo and the lazy lethargic attitude”. This is what happened to the first set of returnees. The Israelites had been exiled for over 70 years and were now in their land, having been given the challenge to return home and rebuild God’s temple (Ezra 1). After the hostility, dashed hopes - “With what are we going to rebuild? This is a huge effort! We have to fix our own living conditions too..” They took the focus off the rebuilding effort and pitched a tent in the valley of ease and contentment. They began to focus on their stuff – caught up with daily living (work, work, home, kids, fun, work, work, home kids, husband, wife, relationships).

Youth Ministry Can Get Tough

Common Issue Faced by Youth Leaders

I recently conducted interviews with 3 seasoned Youth leaders in two countries - The Bahamas and The United States. By far, the most common issue faced by all three Youth leaders is that of Team Motivation or a lack thereof. In the next few paragraphs I will attempt to provide encouragement for ministry leaders on the subject of Team Motivation and setting some boundaries to prevent burnout and loss of integrity.  Life in ministry can get difficult at times. It gets even more difficult when we do not have the right support system in place. Ministry was not designed to be a one man show. Take a page out of Pastor Moses’ book. He got to a place of frustration where the next thing to do besides blame God was to quit the job:

¹¹ So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all this people on me? ¹² Was it I who conceived all this people? Was it I who brought them forth, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom as a nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which You swore to their fathers’?¹³ Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat that we may eat!’ ¹⁴ I alone am not able to carry all this people, because it is too burdensome for me.¹⁵ So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness.”  (Numbers 11:11-15)

It does not have to get this way for any ministry leader. God in his wisdom provided Pastor Moses with a solution:

¹⁶ The Lord therefore said to Moses, “Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. ¹⁷ Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it all alone”. (Numbers 11:16-17)

God provided Pastor Moses with a team. We need people to be successful at ministry. In fact, “People are the Plan” (Robbins, 526). If we are to be successful at building a team, consider these seven competencies a leader should have:

Christians Living In Two Worlds

The Sacred-Secular Split

Ever asked yourself the question after engaging someone “I thought they were Christians?”

It is common among believers to operate one way in the world and another within church circles. It’s almost like changing into one set of clothes for work and another to go to the gym. I recall dealing with this issue at work – one of the biggest challenge of my adult life came at the hands of a Christian brother who does missionary work. Because I was his boss, he was required to sit down and talk it through (otherwise, this would not happen). I remember taking him to MacDonald’s for lunch (had to do this in a public space as he was notorious for twisting words and giving alternate facts. I said toward the end “You’re a Christian, right?”. He said “Yes, and I apologize for all this”. Then I asked “What were you thinking? I was only looking out for you and your staff”. He said “I don’t know. I guess I just got caught up.” One thing is for sure, If I had a dollar for every time I was disappointed with a Christian hire, I’d have a good sum in the bank. The root of this bent toward two different worldviews, is referred to as “The Sacred-Secular Split”. We will unpack this further at a later date. For now, I’d like to give an overview.

The Plan Of Salvation

GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION

Many people believe in God. Some believe there are many gods. Christians believe there is only One God and He commands men and woman from all nations to worship Him only. The Biblical text of Luke, chapter 4 and verse 8 (Luke 4:8) states “It is written, you shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only”. Christians also believe that the Bible is the normative source for Theology – The God of heaven is the ultimate source of His own theology, even though others have suggested many possible sources of revelation about God. God reveals Himself to us through the works of His hands (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:18-20), through the “built in knowledge of His moral laws” (Romans 2:15), through general and special revelation, and through tradition. We cannot rely on “subjective general revelation” as this can lead to error – “We exchange God’s truth for lies in order to justify our unbelief and to excuse our sinful ways” (Romans 1:25) [1].

The Bible affirms that God is its author (Matthew 15:6) and urges us to live by “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). Jesus when He was on the earth calls the word of God “His words” (John 5: 38-39) and the Apostle Paul calls the writings of the Bible “The very words of God” (Romans 3:2). The Bible therefore, is “inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness (the ways of God) and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible then is the divine authority of the God of heaven (2 Peter 1:20-21) and gives instructions to man as to the need for salvation.

Youth Ministry Can Be Challenging

Navigating The Rough Rivers of Youth Ministry

(Written by Kevin Hall  09.18.17)

We are encouraged not to think inside a closet. “The Bible is not an exhaustive revelation about everything we might need to consider” (246), as it is silent on many issues. Often times, Christian leadership calls for separation from the world, including its philosophies and practices of culture. But Robbins encourages otherwise. There are lessons on the impact of culture that can better shape of ministry effectiveness. These include:

(1)    Look beyond the surface movement of the river – We need to be sensitive about the culture around us. When we investigate and reflect we will find clues that influence our young people outside of the doctrine we feed them weekly: “Notions about God and spirituality, tribal affiliations (wear black), escape patterns (cutting themselves after a break-up), assumptions (this is what is fun these days)