Elements of Effective Ministry

Acts 14:19-28

Theme: Ministry/Service

Thesis: The elements of Paul and Barnabas’ ministry provide a good model for our Christian service today. Serve Christ with dedication, initiative, industry, thoroughness, and accountability.

Introduction:

It is good to look around at other Christians, ministries, and churches to learn how we can serve God most effectively. Yet, to see Christians and churches doing the same ministry in different ways is healthy and refreshing. The methods will change with time, peoples, and technology, but the objectives should remain the same. Each servant of God must follow Him step by step as He leads!

The best way to prepare and evaluate one’s service for Christ is to compare it with the Word of God. God’s principles are the key. God gives us several ministry models throughout the NT, and this passage in Acts 14 is one of them. It portrays for us some elements of effective ministry.

Message:

I.                Dedication: Suffering Persecution for the Cause of Christ (14:19-20).

A.    Dedication refers to being committed to God’s purpose and the associated tasks regardless of the required effort or the fierceness of the opposition. Half-hearted commitment will never suffice in the Lord’s work.

B.    Paul accepted opposition as normal

1.Paul was willing to be misunderstood

2.Paul accepted suffering as normal

3.Paul continued his work undistracted

C.    Take a handful of promises and press on in the work of God

1.Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. [12] Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you (Matt. 5:11-12).

2.If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified (1 Pet. 4:14). 

II.             Initiative: Preaching and Teaching the Gospel from city to city (14:21).

A.    Initiative is the capability of assessing what is required and independently pursuing it. Such servants do not act without God; they act with courage on what they know God requires. They are responsive, resourceful, and enterprising; they aren’t waiting around for God to say “go” again. Slothfulness and sluggishness are out of step with service to Christ.

B.    They Knew What Christ Required of Them and Threw Themselves Into the Work

1.Street preaching

2.Individual witnessing—God has already given the mandate; we must go!

3.Gospel conversations—Look for ways to get into a witnessing situation.

C.    They went to the people, cities, and regional centers first to Evangelize

1.Effective evangelism is usually a combination of many factors. Do not rely on a single method; employ multiple strategies. Be creative.

2.Develop a regular visitation night. This is always a part of an effective outreach plan.

3.Staffing for evangelism.  Some churches have individuals devoted to evangelism ministries. It is still important to emphasize, however, that evangelism is every one’s responsibility.

III.           Labor: Servicing the Disciples and New Churches (14:21-23).

A.    Industrious is the motivation and drive to work and labor in the gospel ministry. Ministry is not the place for the lazy or lover of conveniences. God uses servants who are not afraid of hard work and the demanding efforts associated with discipleship, education, training, and leadership development.

B.    Confirming—to establish, strengthen, and render more firm

1.Affording companionship

2.Answering questions

3.Beginner discipleship—Assurance, Bible, Church, Devotions, Evangelism, Fellowship, and Giving

C.    Exhorting—to entreat, instruct, and admonish

1.Regarding inward disciplines—prayer, fasting, and meditation

2.Regarding outward disciplines—simplicity, solitude, and submission

3.Regarding corporate disciplines—confession, worship, and generosity

4.The exhorter knows that mastery of remedial disciplines promotes growth and spiritual advancement

D.    Ordaining—to appoint to leadership by vote

1.Leaders were prepared and placed

2.Formal recognition of these individuals divine calling to ministry

E.     Commending—to entrust them to the Lord’s care and guidance

1.Christ takes immediate and full leadership of the church

2.The leadership and the church are responsible for discerning and executing Christ’s plan and will

IV.            Thoroughness: Revisiting Cities To Conduct Evangelistic Campaigns (14:24-25).

A.    Thoroughness is caring enough to give attention to details and ensuring the task is completed; giving the appearance an effort is being made to evangelize will not reach out to “every creature.” Token effort may soothe our conscious, but it does not please our Lord.

B.    Evangelism: Gospel preaching/witnessing

1.Our objective is to tell anyone and everyone about Jesus Christ

2.The fruitfulness and results are the Spirit of God’s work

C.    Response: Hardened city—Perga

1.Some people and places are unresponsive to the gospel

2.Seek to move the individual hard cases along the continuum to faith—antagonistic atheist, soft atheist, agnostic, unsure skeptic, unconcerned, observer, explorer, receptive, and responsive.

D.    Recourse: Not all people and places are equally receptive, hardened, or fruitful

1.Move on to other opportunities; don’t be discouraged, frustrated, nor become too fixated on a hard case

2.Maintain a prayer list of hard cases and serve them when you can

V.              Accountability: Returning to Sending Church to Give a Report (14:26-28).

A.    Accountability is simply recognizing a responsibility to God, our church, and others; irresponsibility is problematic and incompatible with ministry.

B.    An Expression of Accountability

1.Christians should make deep commitments to Christ and be held accountable for following through

2.Christians should be trained and unleashed into reproductive ministry

3.Accountability helps to stimulate actions

4.Follow up on decisions, commitments, and assignments is a vital part of personal and ministry growth and development

C.    A Recognition of Authority—these extraordinary servants were still submissive to their sending church

1.Even Spiritual Believers need accountability

2.Even Accomplished Believers require further accountability

D.    A Report on the Work that Has Been Accomplished

1.This can be in the form of a written statement

2.The back side of a visitation card could be used to report results

3.Keeping a record of attendance for Sunday School

E.     A Chance to Rejoice in the Lord’s Accomplishments

F.     A Time of Reunion and Reinforcement of Values, Vision, and Strategies

Conclusion: To be more effective in ministry, serve Christ with dedication, initiative, industry, thoroughness, and accountability. While there is nothing wrong with finding good men of God who will share their years of wisdom and experience, God should always be consulted first and foremost. It is good to ask ministry friends for advice about this ministry or that program, but we must personally trust the Spirit of God to use Bible principles to guide each of us in our service for Christ.

Merely adopting an idea or mimicking another servant’s ministry, program or style is never recommended. Each of us are unique servants of the Lord with our own blend of gifts, skills, knowledge, and motivations; it is correct to embrace this reality and trust the Spirit of God to work through us. We all have different co-laborers with different skill combinations in various locations with multiplied non-identical opportunities; this too must be accepted as God’s calling and allocation to each of us as individual ministers of grace.

What can characterize each ministry is dedication, initiative, industry, thoroughness, and accountability. We each will enjoy differing productivity and fruitfulness, but we all can cultivate the same character qualities for ourselves personally and for the work of the Lord. May our service for Christ never ever be marked by half-heartedness, slothfulness, laziness, token effort, and irresponsibility!

The Value of Bible Study

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Cor. 3:17, 18).

Ever wondered why we should read and study the Bible? Have you adopted the myth that closeness to God and Biblical depth are mutually exclusive? Do we unintentionally (subconsciously) believe that God places a premium on spiritual ignorance? Think about this carefully before answering. You see, all of these questions draw serious attention to the great importance of knowing God and His Word. The value of God’s Word to the entire Christian experience can never be overstated or stressed too much. In an age in which more people are rejecting the Bible, let every Believer embrace it with greater passion to know God intimately and deeply.  I firmly believe the Lord Jesus Christ would be pleased with that.

A Noteworthy Observation

It was Robertson McQuilkin who said, “God desires the response of faith and obedience to both the direct teachings and the principles of Scripture.” I was reminded of this crucial function of the Word of God while reading and studying Dr. McQuilkin’s book, Understanding and Applying the Bible as part of an undergrad Bible class several years ago. Yes, God calls His people to certain responses, values, beliefs, and practices through His Word. Ultimately, we are invited to Him for worship, fellowship, submission, and service through His love letter—The Scriptures. For me McQuilkin's statement reinforced something God had taught me years before. Primarily, that there is tremendous value in Bible study and every Christian should develop strong Bible exploration skills. 

Good Bible study habits and methods are crucial to viable Christian development, growth, and service to our Lord Jesus. While it is true anyone can pick up a Bible, share a truth, explain its application to modern life, and urge others to adhere to it, not anyone can do this regularly with accuracy or effectiveness. Sharing biblical truth with others is our Christian responsibility (Matt. 28:18-20) and a God-given privilege, but we should cherish a palpable measure of competence as we do so (2 Tim. 2:15). Certainly, we all make mistakes when handling Scripture, and we all will again, but still we must strive to represent our Lord well. A desirable aim is to express His Word as accurately and lovingly as we can to benefit the listeners on any given occasion (Eph. 4:11-16). As with any worthwhile skill, Bible study strategies must be learned, cultivated, and explored with diligence. In fact my own story regarding studying and sharing the Bible was fraught with many failures. God, in His infinite grace, eventually developed in me the necessary skills enabling me to research, study, and share His Word with a greater measure of accuracy. He desires to do the same for every Believer without a single exception. My own journey is a testimony to this reality.

Personal Testimony

As a new Christian, I recall a cavernous hunger for the grand teachings of the Bible. Being fascinated with biblical messages and thrilled with certain topics, I dreamed of handling Scripture competently also. However, desiring to study Scripture and possessing the ability to do so effectively, are as different as our solar system from a model of it. I was 23 years of age, four years into an Air Force career, and stationed at Plattsburgh, AFB, NY. It was there the Lord Jesus rescued me from my sin and unto Himself. God had saved and forgiven me of a life of sin, and now it was time to grow in this new relationship He had brought me into. Though I had read portions of the Bible for many years as a young person, I still did not possess any significant Bible study skills. I was starving for biblical insight and roundly inept at feeding my famishing soul.

Another distinct memory of my first Christian year was a bona fide passion to communicate the Word to both Christians and non-Christians. However, I was plagued with a few crippling problems. The most obstructive dilemma was my grossly inadequate biblical and theological understanding. For instance, I could tell someone they needed to be saved, but I could not show them adequately from the Bible. So, I witnessed to others from gospel tracks. Additionally, I knew that foul language was wrong, but I was unable to identify even one verse to support my opinion. It did not take long for me to figure out that my mere assertions do not make my statements true. Convinced that church attendance, prayer, and Bible reading were important, I commended them hardily to others; yet, I had little or no clue where God or the Bible required this. I even declared arrogantly, that "I believe the entire Bible from cover to cover!" The problem was I had only read about three-quarters of it at the time! In addition, I misquoted verses, misstated the Lord’s expectations, endorsed tradition over truth, disagreed with more mature Christians, misapplied Scripture repeatedly, and scandalously confused the topic of service with salvation. Frankly speaking, I even taught things that not even God knew. I even thought it was possible to be unsaved again. If you had known me, you would have described me as the poster child for ‘zeal without knowledge.’ God in His grace has forgiven me for these awful blunders; I had good intentions, but was severely wrong in many instances.

As previously mentioned, I was ill equipped in Scripture study methods. Thus, I had next to zero ability to acquire the knowledge I desperately needed for life and service. My study approach was entirely without rhyme or reason and generously peppered with unfounded theological biases. As a study method, I ransacked my Bible to justify my misguided ‘insights’ and ‘conclusions.’ Like a hunting dog with no sense of smell, I was ever searching for that illusive ‘proof text’ while ignoring the biblical context. Needless to say I made more than a few embarrassing mistakes along the way. Yes, I experienced some agonizing frustrations in my pathetic attempts to ‘serve the Lord’ and be a ‘blessing’ to others. However, through the gracious leadership of our patient Lord, personal growth became my first priority. That decision also directly impacted my ability to minister far more effectively to others in a manner pleasing to the Lord.

God's Providential Guidance

Nevertheless, there was one thing I did right in those early years. Realizing my severe ineptitude, I purchased a King James Study Bible to assist my personal growth endeavors. This proved to be a truly helpful move. The introductory book summaries, responsible Bible insights, outlines, and notes helped me to develop a fundamental doctrinal orientation. Praise the Lord, the Bible was making more sense to me! Not only did I read the Scriptures and the study notes, but I began following some of its guidelines regarding Bible study strategies. You see, that study Bible provided several different ways to explore the Scriptures in its introduction section. Taking these useful instructions seriously, I began using some of those study methods with notable benefit.

God in His infinite grace also prompted me to develop a simple worksheet to record what I was learning. By this strategy, I could preserve the insights He was teaching me and revisit them as I needed them or to share them with others. This proved to be especially supportive of my goal of growth in grace and knowledge (2 Pet. 3:18). These early and humble worksheets spurred me to think far more concretely about Scripture and its place in my own experience. Though my path to using sound Bible study methods was filled with blunders, my ever wise Lord Jesus gradually achieved His purpose in me.

Now there were three major positive developments that came out of those early struggles. The first was my experience of some modest spiritual formation as I applied myself to these study techniques. Secondly, a more effective ministry to believers and non-believers eventually emerged as I used what God was teaching me. People were actually coming to Christ as Savior! Younger believers were receiving some of the basic spiritual guidance they needed. Through my conversations, God was actually ministering to others through what He had taught me. I was delighted beyond my ability to express!

The third advancement was significant improvements of Bible study tools for my personal use. Because I had profoundly profited from these methods, I developed different study worksheets to target other areas in the Christian sphere. Some of these focused on acquiring biblical knowledge, while others zeroed in on application and sanctification. I even designed one for identifying Bible principles and applying them to my professional life. Borrowing ideas and concepts from many different sources, I constructed a number of tailor-made study tools for personal use. After refining these tools, I could confidently introduce them to others as Bible study training aids. In fact, this post is an additional expression of my desire to serve others through personal Bible study training.

Inductive Bible Study

Typical of Inductive Bible Study, my plan enables me to observe, interpret, and apply the Scriptures to daily life. As we interact directly with the Word of God, we are afforded additional opportunities to permit the Holy Spirit to teach us His Word. While this plan can be somewhat demanding, I believe it is equally rewarding to those who are serious about knowing God and making Him known to others. God desires for each of us to know Him through the revelation of the Scriptures; historically my plan has served as a catalyst in this regard. The intent is to grow in Christ as we use inductive study strategies, and certainly God will use us to influence many lives for Christ.

Finally, there are several fundamental guidelines that should influence and help us personally discover God’s eternal truth. My goal is to not only encourage you to study God’s Word habitually, but to also adopt Bible study helps and tools  that expedite Christlike formation and transformed living through Bible study. These guidelines for selecting a study strategy are:

1. The motivations for personal Bible study are obedience to God’s commands, spiritual strength for personal transformation, and preparation for Christian service (2 Tim. 2:15; Jn. 5:39; 1 Jn. 2:14). The goal is not to merely become smarter, to argue with others, to become a ‘know it all,’ or to become a prideful Pharisee.

2. The Inductive Bible Study Method uses the Word of God (Old and New Testaments) as the primary source of insight about God and Christian living (Jn. 14:26; 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:10, 13). Choose a study plan that concentrates attention on the Bible and makes proper use of observation, interpretation, and application techniques. Avoid, so called study methods that rely more on modern experiences, contemporary testimonies, and the ‘talking points’ from fringe movements. These tend to ignore major portions and teachings of the Bible while opting for trendy ideas and popular philosophies (Col. 2:4-12).

3. The study plan you choose should enable you to annotate your observations, interpretations, applications, and translate the message of the text into obedient living (Acts 8:26-39; Neh. 8:1-12; 1 Tim. 4:16). This is necessary to aid the adoption, application, and appropriation of Scripture truth.  A simple notebook will suffice; a Bible study worksheet is even better. The point here is to be sure to write it down. Capture on paper or in a computer document what God is saying to your heart from the Word. This is extremely important and must not be divorced from the Bible study exercise.

4. The obligation of personal growth recognizes that Bible study is not an intellectual or academic exercise, but part of a life-changing process. Once we know what the passage says and mean, we are responsible to live it (2 Pet. 3:18; James 1:22). God calls us to obedience and responsiveness to His Voice. The Gospel is to be preached, precious souls are to be won to Christ, Christians are to be feed with the Word, and ministry is to be executed to meet the existing needs.

Beloved, this is important because good study methods must be translated into obedience to Christ. Observation, interpretation, and application are the three vital facets of inductive Bible study. Choose a plan that provides a means of documenting, annotating, and capturing the valuable biblical information discovered as you explore the rich veins of the Word. Such a plan will enable us to effectively use Bible study as a catalyst for life transformation—genuine Christian formation and experience. 

A Process of Transformation

Yes, Bible study is far more than a scholastic work out for our brains! Possessing insight deeply rooted in eternal Truth is a wonderful achievement, but it is not the target at which we as disciples are to take aim. In fact the danger of more knowledge is more arrogance and impatience with those who are not as astute (1 Cor. 8:1)! No, the Word of God can save, sanctify, satisfy, strengthen, sturdy, stabilize, and stir us repeatedly in a continuing process of transformation. Since it is a supernatural Book, we require supernatural assistance from its Author, the Spirit of Truth, to help us grasp its message 1 Cor. 2). Since it is written in human language, ordinary reading and study skills can also be applied as we study it. According to Paul, the Scriptures were given to transform our lives and fit us for service to Christ (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Beloved, this is the value of Bible study!  

Paul, the apostle, said, “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ¹⁸ But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:17, 18).Yes, the Scriptures stimulate and advance a life changing process that results in greater Christ-likeness (2 Cor. 3:17-18). We must depend on the Spirit of Christ to exercise ourselves in the truths we have learned (Rom. 12:1-2). The wonderful result is a life enriched and changed for the glory of God and the service of our fellow man.

Books you may find helpful if you want to make the commitment to study the Bible regularly on your own are listed below in general order of difficulty, and they represent several strategies. Your best choice would be to look at all of them in a Christian bookstore and try to get a feel for one of them before you try it.

•           How to Study the Bible for Yourself, revised edition, Tim LaHaye

•           Bible Explorer’s Guide, John Phillips

•           Living by the Book, Howard Hendricks

•           How to Study Your Bible, Kay Arthur

•           Understanding and Applying the Bible, Robertson McQuilkin