Becoming like Jesus (Part Three)

5.    Embracing a Ministry Team Concept

I watch a high school television quiz show called “Brain Busters.” Three students from two different schools compete against one another. Any of the three students can answer a quiz question.

Losing schools are eliminated from additional appearances on the show that season. Finally, after many rounds of competition, one high school is named the champion.

One year, one of the three students representing our local high school was also a javelin thrower whom I coached. He was a trivia master. More than 75 percent of all correct answers to the quiz questions came from him. The other two students had a minor role in the team’s success. The trivia whiz made our team one of the final four in our area.

Church ministry is often like that. The pastor is usually the equivalent of the trivia master, far more responsible for the team’s success or failure than anyone else. As the pastor goes, so goes the church. Meanwhile, God’s design is for church leaders to equip every believer to minister (Ephesians 4:12). 

Healthy churches emphasize gift-oriented ministry. Every believer has one or more spiritual gifts to contribute to the body of Christ.  “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other” (1 Corinthians 12:7 NLT). When we utilize our spiritual gifts, we love God and others most effectively.

My spiritual gift of writing to communicate spiritual truth is finding its greatest fruitfulness in my retirement when joined with those who have the gifts of giving and teaching. Our ministry team has no stars. We are equally important.

My book, His Power for Your Weakness: 260 Steps Toward Spiritual Strength, is my contribution to the team. African pastors with the gift of teaching have communicated it through more than 100 classes taught in Chichewa, not English.

Other team members donate Chichewa Bibles to the students the pastors teach who could not afford them. Receiving these free Bibles is a significant incentive for those who attend the classes.

The team is like a three-legged stool. Remove any of the legs, and the ministry collapses. As of April 21, 2025, working together for three years, we have taught the basics of following Jesus to 11,178 people, delivered 7,897 Bibles, and celebrated 4,151 new believers in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. These Bibles equip them to become His devoted followers and influence others to become the same.

6.    Reading Christian Books

Our ability to see deteriorates as we age. By contrast, our ability to see the world as it is increases as we mature spiritually.

Christian authors have significantly enhanced my understanding of God, the Scriptures, myself, others, and the world. Reading what more mature brothers and sisters in the faith have written about following Jesus helps us immeasurably. They become our spiritual parents and mentors and still teach even though some died before we were born.

I have read many more Christian books than I am listing. These have had the greatest influence on me.

·       Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. The Cost of Discipleship. 1995.

·       Bridges, Jerry. The Pursuit of Holiness. 2016. NavPress.

·       Bruce, F. F. The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? InterVarsity Press. 1978.

·       Gumbel, Nicky.  Questions of Life. 1996. David C. Cook.

·       Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity. 2001. Zondervan.

·       Lewis, C. S. The Problem of Pain. 2015. HarperOne.

·       Lewis, C. S. Miracles. 2015. HarperOne.

·       Lewis, C. S. The Screwtape Letters. 2015.

·       Lawrence, Brother. The Practice of the Presence of God. 1982. Whitaker House.

·       Little, Paul. Know Why You Believe. 1967. Intervarsity Press.

·       Little, Paul. How to Give Away Your Faith. 2014. IVP.

·       McDowell, Josh. More Than a Carpenter. Tyndale. 1977.

·       McDowell, Josh and McDowell, Sean. Evidence That Demands a Verdict. 2017. Thomas Nelson.

·       Packer, J. I. Knowing God. 2023. IVP.

·       Piper, John. Desiring God. 2011. Multnomah Books.

·       Tozer, A. W. The Pursuit of God. 2015. Moody Publishers.

·       Tozer, A. W. The Knowledge of the Holy: The Attributes of God: Their Meaning in the Christian Life. 2009. HarperOne. 

·       Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Life. 2013. Zondervan.

·       Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Church. 1995. Zondervan.

·       Yancey, Philip. What’s So Amazing About Grace 2023. Zondervan.

·       Yancey, Philip. The Jesus I Never Knew. 2002. Zondervan.

·       Yancey, Philip. Disappointment with God. 2015. Zondervan.

·       Yancey, Philip, and Dr. Paul Brand. The Gift of Pain. 1997. Zondervan.

See additional free spiritual growth resources for Christians. See Becoming like Jesus (Part Four).

#freediscipleshipresources #freeevangelismresources #freechristianleadershipresources 

See free spiritual growth resources for Christians at https://www.christiangrowthresources.com.

God has empowered me to write His Power for Your Weakness—260 Steps Toward Spiritual Strength. It’s a free, evangelistic, devotional, and discipleship e-book. Pastors have used it in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia to lead more than 4,151 people to Christ and teach the basics of Christianity to 11,178 people. I invite you to examine it.   https://www.christiangrowthresources.com/his-power-for-your-weakness

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