Men in Ministry Seek First the Kingdom of God

In ministry groups, in conversation with Men in Ministry and in observation men and women, for that matter, struggle to pray each morning.  This is referring to meaningful prayer time. This does not refer to the morning microwave, fast food or drive through prayer.  The first place we need to turn for direction is the Bible. Mathew 6:33: “33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

You mean I can spend every morning
with the King of Kings!

The Bible clearly commands us in a number of ways to have a real prayer time with God first of every day. Seek first the Kingdom. It is a command. There are no reservations at the front end or anywhere in the scripture verse. Seek first the Kingdom. The first part of every day, the first part of every meal, the first part of every meeting, the first part of every thing we do. Get the power from God. Prayer is powerful!

First is an interesting word with deep meaning. Deep meaning especially as it is expressed in the Matthew 6:33. The definition describes when first is.  Look at the definition: being before all others with respect to time, order, rank, importance, etc.  The penetrating of the Holy Spirit is right in that definition.

Matthew 6:33 phrased a little differently might read: Seek God first in time of the day, first on my to-do list and first before I think of anything.  We can debate; on second thought there really is not a credible debate. First is only one thing, first!

Let us look somewhere else in the Bible. Every day we should strive to become  more like Jesus. In 1 Peter 1:14-16 there are a few more commands. “So you must live as God’s obedient children. (Skip forward in the reading) For the scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

One more look if we are to be holy because Jesus is holy, it makes sense that he gave us the example of living a holy life. In Mark 1:35 Jesus is the example: very early in the morning while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.”

Back to seek first the Kingdom of God the back end of the scripture describes the reward: “and all these things will be given to you as well.” Men in Ministry I want that promise in my life!

Then Matthew goes on to tell us not to worry. I think we worry because we are not giving Jesus the first of the day and all time. That is for another article or hub.

God commands us to seek Him first. He then tells us if we do he will meet all our needs.

We are commanded to spend the very first part of the day in a meaningful time with God. Seek first the Kingdom, be holy because He holy and Jesus’ example going off I solitude early in the morning while it was still dark.

Quality prayer time includes thanksgiving, praise, worship, Bible Study and petition. Psalm 100:4:  “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.”  In Matthew 6 Jesus gives us the framework for prayer when He gives the Lord’s Prayer.

Start today, "and all these things will be given to you" all your needs will be met. It is a promise from God.

Glad Tidings Men in Ministry

Choosing the Ministry Servant Leader Team

Working with Men in Ministry will be challenging and rewarding.  Leadership in this context is similar to leadership in the business world. A major difference is the men in ministry are from different economic, national origin and educational backgrounds, and they are volunteers. The most dedicated participants are the most desirable because of their heart for the ministry. All the men will personally believe that Prayer is Powerful.

In the ministry like the business world the leader, will want to be able to knit the group together by recruiting the members most likely to be dedicated and most likely to contribute to the ministry’s successful outcomes.  Train each person to perform in his role, in the ministry. Motivate each leader to participate and do what is required away from admiring eyes and recognition. Sounds a lot like business leadership where successful leaders hire well, train effectively and motivate in the group and individually.

The most important element, which is not listed in the business books but is necessary in ministry, is people who are an example of Christian Living. Each man is a Servant Leader. Men striving to serve as Jesus would serve. This is not easy we fail, but the honest striving to achieve this goal is the key indicator.

Normally the participants in the ministry cannot be chosen they volunteer. The leaders can be chosen. These men should be hand picked, prayed in and confirmed by your Pastor or Church Leadership. Look for men who are family oriented, they have volunteered for other ministries or jobs in the church they are active in a large group activities, church dinners, greeters, picnics and outings.

Develop a relationship with each leader through conversations with them over a coke or coffee to understand their interests. Do they have a passionate desire to make a difference?

Finally, when building Men in Ministry be sure and select leaders in the ministry that are respected in the church for how they act and what they “humbly” do. Leaders will need skill in communicating and organizing. The leaders will have a passion to win men to Christ, One Man at a Time.

Select 2 or 4 leaders plus yourself.  This creates odd number for decisions and enough people to spread the work and the responsibility. Keep in mind your leaders more than likely have a family and full time employment outside of the ministry, which will take most of their time. The family always comes before the ministry.

So spread the work around and do not keep giving the same tasks to the same people. In addition, each leader should be able to fill any role when it comes to an activity or project.

The key to a successful ministry to men is the leadership. The leadership team that is selected and approved to work to build and lead the ministry.

Glad Tidings Men in Ministry

Men in Ministry, How to Win a City for Jesus

The work to reach an entire city for Jesus will produce great results. The unifying nature of the pursuit the real prayer, fasting and Bible Study will change men’s lives. The Men in Ministry will be overcome by the Power of Prayer, which will result in a powerful move of God.

Below is a tactical outline for taking a city for Jesus Christ.

• Establish God’s Perimeter
• Profile the faithful Men in Ministry
• Men dependent on the leadership of the Holy Spirit and prayer not their own abilities
• Called to the city not just to a congregation
• Gifted along the lines of Ephesians 4 (the whole chapter)
• Eph: 4:22-24 “to be made new in the attitude of your minds and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
• Men committed to daily prayer, daily study of the Bible and fasting as the Holy Spirit leads.
• Secure the Perimeter
• Satan with his weapons infiltrates the church. We must secure it by identifying and using God’s counter weapons.
• Pray for the leadership of the church
• Pray for the Men in Ministry
• Sin – God’s Grace
• Anxiety- God’s Mighty Hand (Power)
• Strongholds – renewal of our minds through the Word of God
• Disunity, apathy, gossip
• Spiritual and Social Mapping of the City
• Take down, through prayer, any demonic strongholds
• Pray for the neighborhoods every day.
• Expand the Perimeter
• Establish the core group then gradually bring Spirit led men, with hearts for God, into the core group.
• Infiltrate Satan’s Perimeter
• Prayer Groups
• 1 Timothy 2:12 “I urge, then, first of all that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
• Ephesians 6:18 18 “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
• Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
  
• List the neighborhoods and streets
• Pray for each neighborhood and each street. The core group will grow so that daily prayer for each home will be the norm.
• Pray for the leaders of the city to come to Christ
• Establish permanent prayer groups
• Increase the quality of the small groups
• Bible study
• The prior weeks sermon deep dives
• Prayer commitments
• Prayer lists
• Continue to expand the core of Disciples
• Reach into the city with Business Men’s Prayer Groups
• Outreach into the city with Teen Challenge

Glad Tidings Men in Ministry

Men in Ministry Be Spirit Led!

Let us begin by blowing up any false teaching that God stopped speaking to His people somewhere in Acts 28 or before. Not true! God speaks to His people. The question: Are God’s People seeking His voice, listening to Him and obeying.

Men in Ministry You are Never Alone

The Holy Spirit is anxious to give Men in Ministry guidance, warnings, encouragement and correction. The Holy Spirit is anxiously waiting to talk to us. How do I know the Holy Spirit is anxious to speak to us? The Bible tells me so! 

The Holy Spirit is a person. He is the third person in the trinity. The Holy Spirit is God. You are never alone!

Romans 8:14: “For those that are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.”

Galatians 5:18 “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

Ephesians 5:18 “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,

1 Corinthians 6:19 “ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

Ephesians 3:16 “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Holy Spirit in your inner being,”

Have the Victory in Your Life Everyday

The Holy Spirit does speak to us in many ways. Are we listening and obeying? The preparation to receive the voice of the Holy Spirit is Prayer and Bible Study.

1 Peter 1:23 ‘For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”

John 14:26 “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

Just as sheep need to learn to understand and listen to the voice of the shepherd so to we must to learn to be led by the Holy Spirit. We have an inner witness, which we must faithfully nurture. The nurturing of the Holy Spirit is through prayer, Bible Study and obeying the Holy Spirit. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.

The apostle Paul urges, Galatians 5:25 “ Sine we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” We receive the Holy Spirit we also must walk in the Spirit. When putting on the Armor of God, our feet are fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace. The only way for that to happen is for us to know the Gospel of Peace.

You are never alone!

Glad Tidings Men in Ministry

Men in Ministry, Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

Open the meeting with prayer for the men, Teen Challenge, the families of all the men and the leading of the Holy Spirit in this morning's study.

Bible Study based on Matthew 14:22-33

Break the group into 5 small groups if there are more than 25 guys add a sixth group and they can do the group 5 lesson.

Give each group the verses they are to study and then explain to the entire group, with the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Leader YOU choose a leader, note taker and spokes person for each group.

Assign the verses, tell them to read the verses before and after for context, then spend 20 minutes discussing the verses and applying them to their lives.

Format:

1.     What is going on in the verses

2.     Center theme of the verses

3.     Message to us from the verses

The Discussion notes are for the leader to guide the discussion of each set of verses.

At the end discuss the complete set of scripture: Ending Discussion of Matthew 14:22-33.

Jesus walks on water:

Matthew 14:22-33

Group 1 VS 22-24

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

Discussion: Look at the verses before 22 Jesus had just fed 5,000 and could have taken the crown. The crown without the cross has no value.

Whenever Jesus sends the Apostles out in a boat, there is going to be a test.  It may be that the fisherman return to normal where they try to do everything on their own without God’s leading.

When God gives us direction, and we follow that direction we must still ask for His leadership in every move that we make. Prayer is powerful!

Group 2 VS 25

25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

Discussion: The disciples saw Jesus and they were still terrified why is this, how soon we forget what Jesus has done for us. In this example,  He just fed 5,000 so how hard is it to walk on water. Jesus was walking above the waves above the trouble, above the trials He is getting ready to ask Peter to walk with Him

The Apostles are in a terrible storm, and they are afraid of Jesus. Why do we wait so long to call on the Lord?

Group 3 VS 27-28

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

Leader: The phrase "it is I" is the same as "I am" the powerful words Jesus used in the Garden that knocked the soldiers and Judas to the ground. (John 18:5-6)

“Lord if it is you” Peter is our example Lord I know it is you directing me but....Lord I know you provide but…Lord I know you direct me to tithe but…Lord I trust you but…Peter is asking for proof, He saw Jesus He still wanted proof, this is us.

Group 4  VS 29-30

29 “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Discussion When Peter had his eyes on Jesus, when Jesus was the center of his attention not even defying the laws of physics matter, Peter lived his life on water he knew he could not walk on water, but with Jesus all things are possible.  Then Peter went back to normal he said I cannot walk on water he began to sink.

What is this in our lives, when we do not trust Jesus and take His promises as true.

Group 5 VS 31-32

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Discussion:  Peter called on the Lord put Him back in the center of His life and IMMEDIATELY Jesus reached out and caught him.  We doubt all the time. Most notable we take Jesus out of the center then doubt creeps in, in all situations. Once again Jesus proves He is the Son of God

Ending Discussion of Matthew 14:22-33.

The Apostles take their eyes off of Jesus maybe they were discussing how the heck they just fed 5,000, more than likely they were focused on the storm rather than on Jesus. Then Jesus walked above the storm and cam to their rescue.

We need to keep Jesus at the center of our lives. It is easy to focus on the situation or the trial. Jesus is above any situation and trial we need to focus on Him. We need to be faithful to obey His commands and do what pleases Him and He will stamp out the situation.

The message of the Power Of Prayer from RA Torrey: the power of prayer is that it keeps Jesus in the center of our lives.

What is your prayer commitment are you spending time with the King that He wants to spend with you.

Glad Tidings Men in Ministry

Prayer is Powerful, Prayer Changes Lives and Situations

James 4:2: “You have not because you do not ask God.” The phrase supports the premise that prayer changes lives and situations. Men in Ministry, the life we have we have created for ourselves as a reflection of our prayer life. When children decide not to serve the Lord, when the boss decides to put us in a terrible situation, when our marriage is not going well, when our finances are in disarray, all are a refection of our prayer life.

Ask in the Name of Jesus

Attached to the phrase from James 4:2 are a few if’s. God answers prayer to those who obey His commands and do what pleases Him. If my prayer life is in line with God, I will be in constant communication with the Holy Spirit. In this state, I will be obeying God’s commands and doing what pleases Him. Falling, repenting and turning from sin is pleasing to God. Not the falling part, but what we do immediately after the falling part. Prayer is powerful!

How long or how much time should I be praying? This is the wrong question. If a man has an appointment with a highly sought after leader, does the man ask: How much time do I need to spend with the person? No, the man asks how much time do I get with the person? This is the same question for us to ask when we are preparing to pray. God hears us. God will give us His undivided attention for as long as we want it. Prayer is powerful!

Psalm 40:1-2: “I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and the mire; He set my feet on a rock.” This Psalm strikes at my heart, to think that God will stop what He is doing turn to me and listen to me, then lift me out of my junk and put me on Jesus, the rock. I can get the King of King’s undivided attention.

Enter the presence of God with thanksgiving and praise. God inhabits the praises of His people.

Enter His Courts With Praise

Jesus says in John 16:23 “Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”  This tells us we need to pray to the Father in the name of Jesus. Ask for anything and it will be given to us, if we ask in the name of Jesus. Always keep in mind God knows what is best and when it is best for us to receive.

Examine your prayer life: does it mirror the prayer life of Jesus? Does your prayer life follow the directions of Paul, in Ephesians? Is it better for us to be in God’s presence consistently or only in an emergency?

Prayer changes lives and situations. God is waiting for us to enter His throne room and ask for whatever we need in the name of His Son Jesus.

Glad Tidings Men in Ministry

Glad Tidings Men in Ministry Neighborhood Prayer Groups Some Results

The purpose of the Glad Tidings Men in Ministry Neighborhood Groups is fellowship, discipleship, evangelism, and ministry and worship this separates the groups from affinity groups or ministry groups. The groups are intentionally Spirit-Led. The groups are following Biblical Principles from Acts 2:42 "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." The Glad Tidings Men's Small Groups are also in the vision of our Pastor.

The groups are in the will of God and the vision of our Pastor. The expectation is the results would be enormous. The results are hugely significant. Men's lives are changing. Something we hear all the time. So what if we did all this work and there was not any evidence of changed lives. Lives would have still been changed. Why would I say  that? God's Word never comes back empty. Isaiah 55:11 "so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

I can talk about men who are now engaged with the Word and Prayer for the first time in their lives. A man, who has gone from living for the world has entered an intense Christian intern program. Men who never participate, in any Men inMinistry activities are opening up to become consistent contributors in these meetings. Men, who are invisible on Sunday and Wednesday but are actively participating in the meetings. All of these men have a lot to contribute; we just needed to provide a comfortable forum. 

The city of San Francisco is changing because men are meeting, to fellowship, study the Word, worship and pray together. Based on Isaiah 55:11 if seventy men gather each week to obey God what will happen. The results do not have limits because God does not have limits. Here, also the men are demonstrating the love of Jesus through the love they have for one and other.

Jesus worked in small groups He had 12 Apostles. He had thousands of followers at one point He fed 5,000 men not counting the women and children another He fed 7,000. Jesus could have operated with a huge number of people. Jesus knew that He would be effective operating with a small group. Look at the results: Christianity. After the day of Pentecost Peter, being led by the Spirit, spoke and 3,000 were added to their number. Look at the results of being Spirit Led. 

The Glad Tidings Men in Ministry small group meetings are Spirit Led, Bible study, fellowship, and prayer and worship meetings. Can we even imagine the results that God will produce from these meetings?

San Francisco belongs to the Lord it is the light which will lead the world in the great revival.

Whenever I think is all the work worth it, God reminds me that He died for every one of of us. Even if, there were only one of us, He would have died for the salvation of that person. One man changed from these meetings produces massive results.

Glad Tidings Men in Ministry