THE ESSENTIALS OF MINISTRY 2017.pdf.pdf

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“The Essentials of

Ministry” Yomoca D.

Joseph

CHMN 201 – B07 LUO J

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Abstract

This paper will discuss and explain the 10 essentials of ministry, preparing for the call,

responding to the call, prayer, maintaining an eternal perspective, continuing to grow, loving

people, uncompromising faith, loyalty to the truth, being the biblical church, and commitment to

obedience, and then I will explain why I agree or disagree, my weaknesses in two of the areas

and ways I plan to improve in these areas.

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“The Essentials of Ministry”

The Essential of Ministry is a subject that I firmly believe every Ministry should teach

their up and coming Ministers. To identify with this topic, I had to first look up the word

“Essential”. According to Merriam-Webster, essential means of the upmost importance, basic,

indispensable, and necessary.i That definition alone helped me understand more of why Dr.

Gutierrez was so passionate, in the first video, about everyone that studies this topic get the most

out of it.

Preparing for the call

Isaiah, like many of us when we are called, we are normally broken and upset about

something going on with us, around us or with our families. God then comes along and shows us

a better way, like He did Isaiah. The angel used a piece of burning coal to purify Isaiah’s lips and

we are purified through the Blood of Jesus Christ. Just like Isaiah, when we accept the call we

say, “Here I am,” he was making a total commitment. He was literally saying, “Lord, here, take

all of me. Here is my past, my present, and my future. I give you all of me—my dreams, my

hopes, my aspirations. Here I am. Send me. I am available. Use me. Send me to turn Judah back

to You. Send me to my people. Send me.”ii

Responding to the call

Responding to the call of God, is when you hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and you make it up in

your mind to give your life to Him. In his book, “God’s Calling Plan”, Pastor MacDonald wrote:

“

For some of us, the call-story is dramatic. In one forceful moment, you gain

a sense of conviction that God has spoken and directed. You are never the

same again. For others, like myself, the call is like a continual dripping; it

just beats on you until you capitulate.”iii

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Prayer

Prayer is essential in ministry because if any Pastor or Minister ever think they can lead

people without the guidance and direction of God they are sadly mistaken. We see that in

Chapter 13, “Living a Life of Prayer”, with Moses and Timothy.

Maintaining an Eternal Perspective

Maintaining an eternal perspective was best lived out by the Apostle Paul. Dr. Earley said

it best: “Paul maintained his perspective and endured in ministry because he refused to play

games. He kept it open and authentic. He was transparent and real.”iv

Continuing to Grow

Continuing to grow is a must in today’s Ministry. I have seen so many people accept the

call and start off great but then they become complacent. They do the bare minimum in Ministry.

They come to Church on Sunday but to Bible Study every now and again. Dr. Earley paraphrased

Romans 14:12, “God says that we will have to give an account of ourselves when we stand

before Him. No one else is responsible for our personal growth. No one else can grow for us,

learn for us, and improve for us. We have to grow, learn, and develop for ourselves.”v

Loving People

We can see throughout Scripture how God loves His creation. If God loves us

unconditionally what makes us think that we are not to love one another. Loving people is

definitely as absolute essential when it comes to Ministry because if it wasn’t for people who

would you be ministering to.

Uncompromising Faith

In Chapter 17, we learn that uncompromising faith is not by how many Scriptures a

person can quote or memorize, or how big their Ministry is, or how good they can write a book.

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Dr. Gutierrez stated, “we can see that spiritual giants are anyone who has developed an

uncompromising commitment to live according to the truths of the Word of God no matter

what.”vi A great quote to remember is by Andy Stanley, “There is never a reason to compromise

God’s standard in order to maintain God’s Blessings.”vii

Loyalty to the Truth

Loyalty to the truth is best described by Pastor John MacArthur: “Discernment is the

process of making careful distinctions in our thinking about truth. The discerning person is the

one who draws a clear contrast between truth and error. No one can be truly discerning without

developing skill in separating divine truth from error.”viii

Being the Biblical Church

Being the Biblical Church is being a part of the body of Christ. Many people participate

in a religious ceremony and give accolades to the “Churches with the biggest buildings but they

fail to realize that we are called to be the church not the building. “The goal of Ministry is not

merely to do church but to be the church.”ix

Commitment to Obedience

I have learned in Ministry that no matter what you do somebody is watching you. That’s

why it is essential to be committed to obedience no matter how you may feel or how much you

may doubt.

I believe that the essentials that Earley and Guetierrez have identified are extremely

important. They have covered every aspect of a person’s life. They did not leave any area

uncovered. It brings a person to reality that Ministry is not just something you do on Sunday and

mid-week but Ministry is a lifestyle that one must live by every day.

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The two areas of weaknesses that I identify with are prayer and commitment to

obedience. Some people that know me would ask me why did I say I need improvement in

prayer. I have a prayer call every morning and four times a week in the evening. The reason I say

I need improvement in prayer is because sometimes I lose focus on who is in control. I begin to

think that I can change things through my own might and my own wisdom. My other weakness

is commitment to obedience because at times I doubt God. I question God on things that I do not

understand instead of just trusting that He is in control and He knows what is best for me.

My plan to improve in prayer is to actually take the time and stop and wait until I can

hear God speak back to me in prayer. I have learned that prayer is a two-way communication

between you and God. In order for me to get better I cannot do all the talking, I must do some

listening. So instead of getting off my prayer call and carrying on with what I think I need to do I

will take an extra 10 to 15 minutes to stop and hear what God is saying for the day. My plan to

improve my commitment to obedience will be to study God’s Word an additional 30 minutes to

an hour a day. This is help me conquer doubt, fear and unbelief. This will open my heart to trust

and believe God and His Word.

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Bibliography