Tag Archives: ministry

Part 4 – Reources, The First Fundamental Element

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As I stated in the last post, God created humans with needs and provided Four Fundamental Elements for those needs to be met. The Four Fundamental Elements are Resources, Opportunity, Instruction, and Relationships. With these provisions, humankind could live independently and have a full life.

Adam had a need for the resource of food and water and God provided for that need in the Garden. There were four rivers that ran through the garden, which would provide water and food was literally hanging from the trees. Adam had a need and God met that need. With these resources, he and Eve would be able to stay alive.

While this may sound elementary, this is God’s first Fundamental Element and God continues to provide resources to mankind when He wants something accomplished.

Let’s fast forward to Noah. For some reason God called Noah to build an ark instead of just giving him one.

Wouldn’t it have been easier if God had just told Noah, “Hey. I’ve put a big boat out in the wood full of everything you need...all you have to do is climb in and ride out the storm.” But He didn’t…God wanted Noah to do the work Share on X

But God provided Noah with the resources necessary to complete the task. Now Scripture does not tell us exactly how Noah got the resources, but it seems pretty apparent that they were available in the surrounding area. And unlike the Hollywood movie, I don’t think that a box full of tools found its way to Noah’s front porch and the wood wasn’t delivered by the Go 4 WOOD company.

Again, this would have been easier, but God had Noah do the work. In fact, Noah probably had to fashion the tools just to do the work. Now I used to remodel houses and I had the benefit of pneumatic tools, electric saws and trucks…and it was still really hard work. Can you imagine how much harder it had to be for Noah? But for some reason, God had Noah do the work. And work he did…it took him 120 years to build that ark.

Every time God called people to accomplish something, He made the necessary resources available. When He called the Israelites to build the Sanctuary, the resources were already in their possession. When God called Nehemiah to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, the resources were provided through the king in Nehemiah 2.

God made people do the work to accomplish His will, but He always provided the First Fundamental Element, Resources. He provided the Resources that were necessary for the work to be completed.

Part 3 – Intro to God’s Plan

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If you read the last post, you know that my wife urged me to close my company and take a year off of work (a sabbatical) to figure out what God wanted to do with our family. That year ended with a Biblical model for serving the poor and our commitment to empower a group of single mothers and help them gain the skills they needed to become everything God created them to be. Now that we’re up to speed, let’s continue with this post.

Watching my grandchildren grow and their thirst for knowledge and independence reminds me of one of the first things I learned during the sabbatical. That day in April 2002 when I read Genesis, it wasn’t the first time I read the creation story. In fact, it wasn’t even the first time I had read through the book of Genesis. I had failed many times at reading through the Bible, although I would always finish Genesis before February came and I abandoned my New Year’s resolutions, but that day was different. My reading began with the same verses that most every “Read through the Bible” venture begins with.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. (Gen. 1:1-2)

The statement “The earth was formless and empty” brought up my first set of questions. For the first time, I thought about the fact that God had a completely blank canvas that He was working with. It was a clean slate. God could have made the world, and everything in it, any way He wanted to. Why did He create the things He created? Why did He create them to do what they do? Why did He say that what He created was good?

I did some research and found that the word translated as “good” in the Hebrew means that it was perfect. It was beautiful, better, or even best. He created exactly what He was trying to create, but I didn’t understand why. As I continued to read through the creation story and into chapter 2, that’s where things got interesting. I noticed something I’d never seen before.

This may not shock some of you, but it did me. I learned that God had a plan. He didn’t randomly create things for no reason. God had a plan for how He would take care of humanity and how all of creation would work together within that plan for our good. Share on X My grandchildren’s desire to learn and grow is a perfect example of God’s plan at work.

We see His plan played out in the life of every child. At a certain age they don’t want us to take care of them anymore. They want to begin doing things independently. They want to care for themselves. Their desire is expressed through words that strike fear in the heart of every parent as they ring through their ears: I wanna do it. At that moment they take their stand and begin their journey towards independence.

For some reason, God created Adam with the need for a constant supply of food and water. It’s important we remember that Adam was created with a need for these things. God could have created Adam with no needs whatsoever because, remember, He was working with a blank slate and He is God and could have done it however He wanted. For His creation to be considered “perfect,” humans would die of thirst and starvation without food and water.

God provided for those needs through the garden. God also established a plan for Adam to meet those needs independently. We see God’s plan introduced in Genesis 2. As soon as God created Adam, in verse seven, His plan was put into place. God’s plan included four Fundamental Elements that are required for us to provide for our needs.

The Fundamental Elements are Resources, Opportunity, Instruction, and Relationships. With these four elements, Adam would be able to live and have a full life. In the next post, we’ll look at each element and where they are found in the life of Adam.

If you don’t want to wait for the next overview of Breaking the Broken – click here to order your copy today.

Relational Ministry?

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Why do we say ministry is based on relationships when most of the time we offer events? Share on X


Over the years I have asked this question to many pastors, non-profit leaders and volunteers who are involved in the lives of those they serve. The usual response is “Oh…we have a great relationship with our clients.”

I often ask them to tell me about it and here are several things often included in the list:

  • I know them and their kids
  • I stop by their house on a regular basis
  • I know where they work
  • I know what they like and don’t like
  • I know what they struggle with
  • I have their number in my cell phone
  • I just love our clients

In the loosest definition…that technically is a relationship, but that’s not a real relationship…that’s just information. You know as much about them as you can find out about any celebrity on the internet.

We have to understand that having all this information makes it a one-way relationship at best and using the term “our clients” might even be give you a little insight into the truth about this.

Let’s reverse a few of these questions to find out if you have an actual relationship.

  • Do they know your family and your kids?
  • Do they stop by your home on a regular basis?
  • Do they know your cell phone number?
  • Do they know what you struggle with?

If you haven’t figured it out by now, real relationships are a two-way street. A relationship shows a connection between two or more parties. But if you know all this information about them and they know nothing about you, the connections are different. You are not equal in the relationship.

To be perfectly honest, if you were saying all these things about a celebrity instead of your client, we might be hearing your story on the news because you might just be in line for a restraining order as a stalker.

Relationships are hard and can get messy. Relationships include people sharing life together, something that is sadly missing in today’s society. After 15 years on the front lines of ministry I understand the need for boundaries and having time to recoup, but I need that from my own family once in a while.

Maybe it’s time we change the way we live out relationships in ministry and see what kind of amazing transformation can take place.

The Kid Around the Corner

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I was recently at a dinner and a church was being recognized for their outreach and service. As the pastor talked about how their church impacts their community he said, “We are very active in our community. Every month we do a clothing and food give away and give backpacks to the kids every fall.”

A picture popped up on the overhead of this Pastor and a child as he went on, “This is the child that we support in a third world country.  We got to meet him last fall on a mission trip and our support is helping this young man break free from the bonds of poverty.”

As the crowd rose to their feet with applause, to shouts of “Amen”, “Great Job” and “Praise God”, I wondered, “Why do we want to break the bonds of poverty in  Third World countries but the kid around the corner only gets a backpack and a box of food?”

“Why do we want to break the bonds of poverty in 3rd World countries, but the kid around the corner gets a backpack and a box of food?” Share on X

I have started asking this question to Pastors and have received blank stares from some and a grimaced reality from others.

One Pastor responded, “Exactly”, as he proudly told me about their monthly food and giveaway programs. I am fairly confident he did not understand the question.

I asked his question to social media and got some very good responses.  While there are thousands of reasons, below are the thoughts of others as well as a few of my own as to why we only meet the immediate need to the kid around the corner.

  1. Some have a superman complex. They need someone to save. People on the other side of the world are not a threat. If you help the kid around the corner too much in ways that lead to independence and this person that used to be on the receiving end is now your peer/equal you have lost your power.
  2. It’s easy to write a check, pat yourself on the back, and move on. Not so easy to make a commitment, invest time in someone’s life, then see them continue to suffer. We live in the age of instant gratification in which we think 140 characters in ten seconds should yield a miraculous return on our investment. Besides, it’s harder to help someone you will see again because they might expect more of you, Rob! People don’t even want to walk across the street and meet their neighbor for fear of getting too close, much less look a hungry child in the eye because we might be compelled to try to help in some way, and then feel the pain when we fail to make a significant difference.
  3. Your post reminds me of a fav quote of mine from World Relief leader, Jenny Yang:
    “Charity removes us from the hard work of building relationships with people who make us uncomfortable. We have to transition from charity to justice.”
  4. We live in America…the land of opportunity. If somebody really wants to change, then they will change. Besides, we pay our taxes and the government takes care of them. They give them educational opportunities, healthcare and meet their immediate need. We limit our service because if this kid really wanted out, he’d “pull himself up by his bootstraps.”
  5. We alleviate our responsibility by not acknowledging the problem here in our own backyard. If we begin to invest ourselves in real solutions in our own communities, our reality will have to change. It could be considered a form of denial or self-protection to ignore the real needs of the kid around the corner, but help those who don’t really affect you in any way.
  6. Helping the kid around the corner is scary. It’s cool to go to an unknown, possibly dangerous place in a third world country for a couple of days, but the kid around the corner lives in a community that we try to avoid. He lives in communities with gangs, drugs and violence. We wouldn’t want to go there and we certainly would not our children to build a friendship with that kid.                                                                                       Last but certainly not least:
  7. We don’t really love our neighbor as ourselves. We want to do the minimum so that our ministry box gets checked and we can go home knowing we are good Christians.

The problem is, we are not being good Christians. We are not loving our neighbors as ourselves. To love the kid around the corner as you love yourself, you have to put yourself in their shoes. You’d have to ask the hard question, “What would I want if I were in their situation.”

Maybe a better question would be “What would I do if my child were the kid around the corner?” Share on X

Treating the Symptom Never Ends the Struggle

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783 million people lack access to safe, sanitary water.

I was recently doing some work around the house and had the radio on and heard a commercial for an organization that is trying to address this crisis. I was surprised and encouraged because of what I didn’t hear. I didn’t hear a famous person make an appeal. I didn’t hear that for the cost of a cup of coffee I could provide a case of water for a family on the other side of the world and I didn’t hear about their efforts to load up planes and boats and take bottles of water to villages in third world countries.

Nope, I didn’t hear any of that. What did I hear that encouraged me?

I heard about a group that is actually working to end this crisis by helping people gain permanent access to clean water. I was impressed as I listened to the commercial because they were trying to create “sustainable solutions” to this crisis that claims the lives of millions of people.

Why don’t we deal with other social issues in this same manner? Why do we consistently treat the symptoms instead of providing sustainable solutions for those we serve? People being thirsty is only a symptom of the real problem, which is lack of access to safe, clean water. Many of our ministries treat other symptoms, but treating the symptoms never ends the struggle.

While we must meet the immediate need and provide assistance with our ministry resources, these efforts are lacking. God calls us to do more.

God calls us to provide life and healing in the lives of those we serve. Share on X

The real work is in providing long-term, sustainable change.

Yes, we absolutely must provide a box of food for a hungry family or help a single mother with a light bill, but that’s not  that’s not the long-term solution and that’s not where we end. We have to take the next step and provide sustainable solutions. Let’s help them gain the resources, opportunity and instruction necessary to find employment and then let’s walk with them in relationships and help them overcome their struggles.

How about a job’s ministry attached to the food program? What about getting business owners in your church or community to take a chance on someone who doesn’t have the greatest work history and then work with that employer and their new employee to help them build a new work history.

If you are interested in learning more about creating sustainable change in the lives of those you serve, there are a few options as you move forward.

  1. Begin by ordering your copy of Breaking the Broken and learning more about God’s plan to provide life and healing to the poor and hurting.
  2. Contact us and learn how we can help your church or organization develop specific solutions to address the needs of the least, the lonely and the lost in your community.
  3. Click here and join us for the Sustainable Change Conference 2017.

If we really want to “serve like Jesus” then we need to provide sustainable change, because, like I said, Treating the symptom never ends the struggle Share on X.

A Problem in Thessalonica

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Paul was not a guy who liked to mince words. If he saw problem, he addressed it straight on. Well there was an obvious problem in Thessalonica and Paul addresses it with the believers living there on at least three occasions. The problem? There were people in the church that would not work and meet there own needs. The first time Paul brings this up is in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, where he writes:

1Th 4:9 – 12 –  About brotherly love: You don’t need me to write you because you yourselves are taught by God to love one another. In fact, you are doing this toward all the brothers in the entire region of Macedonia. But we encourage you, brothers, to do so even more, to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, so that you may walk properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone.

Here are a few points we need to recognize from this passage?

  1. “About brotherly love…do so even more…” – Caring for yourself is a display of love to others.
  2. “As we commanded you…” – this is past tense. It is a command that Paul had given when he was with them. Here he reinforces that command.
  3. “That you may walk properly…” – Working to care for your own needs is proper, it is the way we should live.
  4. “Not be dependent on anyone.” = We are not to ask others to provide for us if we are able to do the work on our own.

Paul wasn’t done with his instruction on this subject. He addresses it again in 2 Thessalonians 3.

2Th 3:6 – 12 – Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from every brother who walks irresponsibly and not according to the tradition received from us. For you yourselves know how you must imitate us: We were not irresponsible among you; we did not eat anyone’s food free of charge; instead, we labored and struggled, working night and day, so that we would not be a burden to any of you. It is not that we don’t have the right to support, but we did it to make ourselves an example to you so that you would imitate us. In fact, when we were with you, this is what we commanded you: “If anyone isn’t willing to work, he should not eat.” For we hear that there are some among you who walk irresponsibly, not working at all, but interfering with the work of others. Now we command and exhort such people by the Lord Jesus Christ that quietly working, they may eat their own food.

For further understanding of this passage, here is a segment from Chapter 4 – God’s Plan in the New Testament, from Breaking the Broken.

There is a lot here, so let’s take this passage one step at a time. Just like Paul did in 1 Thessalonians 4, he makes this a “command,” but this time the command is different. This command is very serious. This is the only command, in all of Paul’s writings, which is given “in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Could Paul have been any more serious when he made this command?

Paul “appeals” to them to pray fervently in Romans 15. Nine different times Paul “urges” people to display unity, to love, to live sacrificially for Christ, and to walk worthy of their calling, but here Paul “commands them in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The importance of what is coming next cannot be overstated. It could be argued that Paul believes this is the most important message he is going to deliver to the Thessalonians.

Paul introduces what is so important. They should “keep away from every brother who walks irresponsibly and not according to the tradition received from us.” Paul actually instructs them to break the relationship, but what was the tradition of Paul? That he worked hard to provide for his own needs. Paul says those who don’t do this are “irresponsible.” Notice that Paul refers to those who do not work as “irresponsible”
three times.

Paul reminds them that he and God’s coworkers had a right to support, but they did not accept it because they did not want to be a “burden.” If these believers worked so they weren’t “a burden,” then wouldn’t the opposite be true? Those who are able to work, but don’t, are a burden. Paul also worked hard to set an example for others to follow. If working to care for your own needs is an example worthy of following, then those who do not work live a pattern that should not be imitated. Paul believed so strongly in this teaching that if any of his coworkers did not support themselves, they did not eat.

Paul started this teaching and he ends this teaching with a command in the name of the “Lord Jesus Christ.” How much more of a priority can he put on this instruction? There is not any other passage of Scripture that Paul wrote with this high of a priority. So what was the final command in this section? To work quietly and eat their own food.

Final words are important. They are the last thing heard and often the first thing people remember. Living out God’s plan to work and independently provide for our own needs is the final instruction Paul gave to the Thessalonian church. Paul believed it, preached it, demanded it for his companions, and personally lived it out. Living out God’s plan was a really big deal to Paul.  (Breaking the Broken Pages 56 – 57).

There is a progression to this teaching of Paul on work. When he was in person he made it a command that people cared for their own needs. When he wrote the first letter he compared working for our provision to loving our brothers and emphasized again that this was a command. The last time he wrote about it he really made it clear. It is a command in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and if someone isn’t willing to work then they should not be provided food by others.

God provided ways for people to gain dignity and work for their own food. Providing for others, if they are able to care for themselves, is not good for them or the one serving.

To provide real hope and healing in your community, order your copy of
Breaking the Broken today.

FAQ 4 – What’s wrong with Social Justice?

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Debunking the Myth of Social Justice

“The Bible is all about social justice…it’s talked about from the beginning to the end.” That was the comment the gentleman made. He had come by the booth several times, stood several feet away and read our info from a distance. He didn’t want to engage in conversation, but certainly wanted me to know his position.

His statement is similar to a question I have received from several people. What’s wrong with social justice? To find the answer, let’s turn to Page 78 in Breaking the Broken.

The subtitle of Breaking the Broken is “Debunking the Myth of Social Justice.” There are certain aspects of social justice that are good, but there are many that are not. The good part of social justice is found in the dignity of every human being. We are all created equal. Those who preach social justice believe we all have the right to gain the resources, opportunity, and instruction necessary to meet our basic needs, but these are not new teachings. They are straight out of Scripture and are laid as the groundwork for social justice. Unfortunately, as the theory of social justice has evolved, it has begun to go against God’s plan for humanity.

Today, social justice focuses more on giving and distributing than it does on gaining and creating. It seeks to provide preferential treatment for certain groups by forcing a “just” outcome, but who gets to decide what’s “just”? Social justice creates top-heavy systems run by distant, detached people who are more concerned with rules and regulations than what is best for those being served. Social justice is reduced to a transaction. The benefits of social justice are a myth and do not exist.

Now this may appear to have taken a political turn, but trust me, this isn’t political. It’s biblical. I don’t trust the government to have any answers for the poor. I look to God for real answers. God created things to work a certain way, and I am opposed to anything that goes against His plan and systems.

God says we should not deny justice to the poor, but we are also not to give preferential treatment to the poor, which often is the goal of social justice.

“You must not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked to be a malicious witness. You must not follow a crowd in wrongdoing. Do not testify in a lawsuit and go along with a crowd to pervert justice. Do not show favoritism to a poor person in his lawsuit. If you come across your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you lying helpless under its load, and you want to refrain from helping it, you must help with it. You must not deny justice to a poor person among you in his lawsuit.”
(Exod. 23:1-6)

God calls for justice for everyone, but God wants more than social justice. God’s plan provides restorative justice. Restorative justice is always better than social justice. God’s plan provides what is best for every person involved: those who are rich and comfortable, and those who are poor and hurting.

The last point from this passage is the call for family members to care for their own and not have them be a burden on the church. Helping people who are able to help themselves takes vital resources that could be used for others who are truly in need. This hurts those served and those serving and creates frustration, distrust, and antagonism. God calls us to help the poor, but we are to help in the proper way. Share on X God’s plan provides what is best for everyone involved. The antagonism and frustration that drives wedges between us can be eliminated. Now we need to learn the difference between those who are truly in need and those who should be caring for themselves.

FAQ 2 – Why Would You Qualify People?

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Not Approved“Why would you qualify people? The Bible doesn’t tell us to do that! Jesus helped everyone.” These are some of the things I’ve heard during conversations about effectively ministering to the poor. I find the belief that Jesus never qualified people before helping an interesting idea…one that doesn’t have a lot of Biblical support. First we know that Jesus didn’t have to qualify anybody because, unlike us, He already knew their motivation, but there are a couple of times when Jesus did question people before He healed them.

Jesus asked “What do you want me to do for you?” with two blind men in Matt 20 and 1 blind man in Mark 10. Now it’s possible that these are the same instance, but there are a couple of interesting things to note about this exchange.

  1. Jesus asked what they wanted.
    • He didn’t need to ask. I believe Jesus was publicly checking their motives.
  2. Jesus made the blind come to him.
    • He didn’t walk over to them. He made them come to Him.

Now let’s look at a time when Jesus was really hard on people. The Bible doesn’t say they were poor, but He had fed them the day before. It’s found in John 6. Let’s set it up:

  • Jesus feeds the 5,000
  • Jesus goes to the mountain alone
  • The 12 leave in a boat
  • Jesus walks on water
  • The people find out that Jesus has gone to Capernaum
  • A “crowd” of people go and find Him

Jesus qualifies them…or should I say disqualifies them

  • They weren’t coming because they believed
  • They only wanted Jesus because their belly was full
  • They even bring up the manna that the Israelites were fed in the desert
  • They weren’t willing to follow Him as their savior
  • Jesus told them the hard truth
  • They walked away

Jesus didn’t chase the people down and try to convince them to follow Him. He knew their self-serving motives and He let them go.

Jesus didn't chase people down and try to convince them to follow Him. Share on X

There are a several passages where Paul tells us the right way to live and qualifies people. Let’s look at a couple.

1 Timothy 5

  • Only “genuine widows” should be cared for by the church
  • If someone doesn’t take care of their own family they are worse than an unbeliever
  • Refuse to provide long-term support for younger widows

1 Thess. 4 – These are things that are considered walking properly and they display brotherly love.

  • Lead a quiet life
  • Mind your own business
  • Work with your own hands

And we certainly can’t forget 2 Thess. 3 where Paul “Commands in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” that a man who is not willing to work should not eat.

Next time we’ll take on the question “why is work so important?”

Until then, can you think of other passages in the Bible where people were qualified before receiving help?

FAQ 1 – What about Jesus Feeding the 5,000?

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As I travel around the country speaking, and equipping churches to renew broken lives, there are some Frequently Asked Questions that I receive. I am going to take the next few posts to answer some of these F.A.Q.’s, beginning with the following question:

“What about Jesus feeding the 4,000 and the 5,000?
Doesn’t that show that Jesus wants us to feed the poor?”

This question is often asked by people who are struggling with the idea that God calls us to do more than just meet the immediate need. And while I appreciate this line of thought, we have to be careful not to take these two isolated instances out of context and use them to support systematic feeding programs.

Let’s look at the two passages and see what they have in common and how they are different from our feeding programs today.

Let’s start with the feeding of the 5,000. This is found in Matt 14, Mark 6, Luke 9 and John 6. Feel free to read them.

What was the situation when Jesus fed the 5,000?

  • Jesus was heading to an uninhabited area
  • People ran around the Sea of Galilee and beat Jesus to where He landed
  • Jesus spent the day healing people
  • There was no other food available
  • Feeding them was a necessity

What about the feeding of the 4,000? Found in Matt 15, Mark 8

  • Jesus was up on a mountain (remote area)
  • They had been with Jesus for 3 days
  • Jesus spent his time healing people
  • It was physically dangerous to send them home on an empty stomach
  • There was no other food available
  • Feeding them was a necessity,

These two passages have a lot of things in common, but the question is: do the people our feeding programs serve mirror those who Jesus fed?

  • Are they in a remote area?
  • Are they giving up their time and energies to be near Christ?
  • Are they there, or bringing their loved ones, to be healed?
  • Is there no other option for people to get food?
  • Are they physically in danger if they don’t eat?

As we look at these two instances, it becomes pretty clear that Jesus was not creating a model for feeding programs. Now think about this. When Jesus healed someone, He opened the door for them to work and care for their families.

While it is necessary to meet the immediate need, Jesus was not using Himself as an example for feeding the poor. In fact, there is no evidence in Scripture that the people he fed were even poor.

What other programs or services do we provide that stop short of restoring the poor because they only meet the immediate need?

Next time we will look at a second F.A.Q. I get asked regularly. Why do you qualify people before you serve them? Jesus didn’t do that.

Do you want to learn more about God’s plan to restore hurting people? Click here to order your copy of Breaking the Broken.

Do you Value or Pity the Poor?

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Do You Value or Pity the Poor

Many of us provide services or minister to the poor. We donate clothing and supplies, provide food and shelter and this is done because we value human life. To value something means to find it important and our hearts are broken when we see our fellow humans suffering so we work to alleviate their pain.

But there is another aspect of value and a very different way to respond. To value something also means to find it useful. We believe it has worth and is important. While we may see our service as important, do we really see the poor as important? Do we see their worth and usefulness?

Pity, on the other hand, is the feeling of sorrow and compassion caused by the suffering and misfortunes of others. The truth is, most of our services are driven out of pity and not value. You see we invest in what we believe in. When we only meet the immediate need, without working to help them gain sustainable change in their lives, we are showing our thoughts on their value.