Friday, September 30, 2005

Leading with Vision

There are a lot of good books and articles around on Vision today. This one caught my eye so I am passing it on to you. It comes from a Blog called The Leading Edge by Dr. Earl Creps.

“Being a visionary does not mean drowning others in my “big” personality, using power on others to get my way, or being a narcissist who cleverly pretends to care for others. A visionary is a dream-keeper, a person who represents the combination of God’s plan, God’s people, and God’s leadership that will forge a future we have never known before.”

It is under Leader Life on his blog. http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=leadingedge
Click on the link to read his entire article.

Dr. Creps ask
What is your vision?

Then closes with “Be a leader worth following.”

You may also want to visit his other site The Emerging Culture cafe http://www.earlcreps.com/

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

The River of God One River Many Streams Revisited

Today we see God speaking to and working through His people (the church) who are organized into a variety of groups with differing structural and theological values (wineskins). Some of God's people are waiting for the next move of God, some are experiencing a Fresh Fire now, some are getting a slight trickle, but the river of God that flows out from under His throne is flowing into all who seek Him and call out to Him. In some places whole cities are experiencing transformation and this transformation has been documented for the entire world to see by George Otis.

Picture by John Campbell

The partial list of Wineskins or groupings is listed next. There is the House church movement, the Emerging church movement, the New Apostolic Reformation movement, the New Reformation or 21st Century Reformation movement, the Third Wave or New Wave Church, and the Multi-cultural multi-generational church. There is also renewal in the Denominational, Charismatic and Pentecostal movements, although they might describe it as renewal. The Seeker Sensitive church, the Cell church and the Messiahanic Jewish church are going strong as well. There are a number of other groups I am sure I have missed so I want to apologize in advance.

There are some unique elements in these movements or groups of believers which I want to draw attention to today. Some groups will emphasize more than one item on the list below. Each of these groups is responding to the working of the Holy Spirit to draw people into a Biblically health relationship with God. Each sees different elements of Biblical teaching as important for that relationship to function well.

Below is a list of some of the areas which are being emphasized today as each group tries to hear and do what the Spirit is saying to the Church today.
1. The need to relate to the culture and times each group is a part of.
2. The methods needed to relate to a culture full of people who have little or no positive knowledge of the people or message of God in Jesus Christ.
3. The necessity for more intimacy with God and passion in a person’s relationship with Him.
4. The supernatural elements of God's interaction with people that are missing from the believer’s daily life and the priority of their operation in believer’s lives and gatherings.
5. The lack of Godly servant leaders in business and government.
6. The value of seeing people made whole in Spirit, Soul (mind, will, emotions) and body.
7. The equipping of leaders who can lead with Godly character, sound knowledge of the Bible, a disciplined spiritual life and healthy relationships with other people, which are empowered by God's Spirit.
8. Music which stirs the believer to a passionate, daily commitment to a Biblical lifestyle and a healthy zeal for the things which God states in His word are important.
9. Individual believers who are ready to give an answer for the hope that is in them.
10. Strategies and methods that allow the good news to be heard as good news to people today from every walk of life and from every people group and culture.
11. A rediscovery of the Jewish roots of the Christian faith.
12. The renewal of interest in the structural, organization life of the New Testament Church and the power that God demonstrated in the lives of New Testament believers.
13. Passionate intercessory prayer networks which cross all church organizational lines.
14. In addition there is a growing sense of urgency to evangelize the lost and to find the most effective methods to accomplish this.
In fact this was the initial catalyst for much of the Intercessory Prayer movement and the Spiritual Warfare teaching of the 1990's.

The heart of what these different groups of people who call themselves Christians desire is; To have more of what Jesus came to live, die and be resurrected for; a restored relationship with the heavenly father; a restoration of what people were intended to be and do.

To accomplish the above items there are a wide variety of formats for equipping the people within each group to become mature believers and prepare them for a life of building up other believers, reaching the lost, making disciples of all nations and growing them into the fullness of the stature of Christ. Ephesians 4:13. '...to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.' NASU

What is the process by which these many streams form new groups of believers and their organizational unique nesses? Read my next article, as we move toward exploring a working model for Equipping people, ' to a mature person, to the measure of the stature of Christ.'

First we will look at the formation that takes place when God's presence flows into the people who seek Him and how their time in history, culture and understandings, along with their gifts, talents and personalities form the new wineskin or organizational units in and from which the glory of God flows out to the people of their day.
The Formation: When God Mixes His Glory With Our Lives, Culture and Times.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Equippers Ministry Launch Notes

Coaching & Training Equippers to:
1. Fulfill Their Calling to Start Ministries & Churches
2. To Build Up God’s People
3. To Become Mature, Reaching the Full Stature of Christ.

The Equippers Network exists to help you fulfill God’s Calling and Release His Revolutionary Life today. We are on the threshold of a revolution in the Church today as we seek to fulfill God’s plan ‘to make disciples of all nations.’ As George Barna says in Growing True Disciples;
"We need to be igniting and nurturing people’s passion for God and get out of their way.”
Those who are called by God need the continuous mentoring and training that is required to send forth radical, healthy people of the Spirit who are focused on accomplishing what Jesus has called them to at all cost. I have had the privilege over the years of helping to mend, equip, train, mentor and release people into cutting edge Spirit led ministry that flows from God’s heart.

My passion is to help you fulfill to the max God’s Call on your life by Coaching and Training you as God works through you to:
1. Birth, Develop and Mature the Ministry or Church God has given you Vision for.
2. Build you and other leaders up through connecting you with other equippers.
3. Mature you through Coaching_mentoring and training.

God the Great Creator has given us the unique God ability to create. These Creative Visions for Ministries flow from His calling and all that we are in Him. Equippers Network Can Help You Birth, Develop and Mature the Visions that flow from God’s Call in Your Life!

How We Will Get This Done?
Monthly Meetings One Saturday Morning 8:30 to 12:00 Each Meeting will include:
1. Free Flowing Worship it will be different each time
2. Training teaching and doing what we are learning
3. Connecting with other Equippers and discovering what God is doing in each others ministries with an ear to hear what the spirit is saying to the People of God.

Coaching-Mentoring: Individual, Couples or Teams Helping each person, couple or team to Move from where you are to the continual fulfillment of God’s Call in your life. Team Rates set according to the number of people and duration.

Network Options
1. Monthly Participants $75 individual & $100 married Couple Includes Monthly "FULFILL THE CALL" meetings, One hour of Mentoring and Interactive access to the Members only web site. People who are not monthly partners may attend the monthly meetings for $25.
2. Hourly Coaching_Mentoring $50 individual & $75 married Couple Also Includes Web Access
3. Weekly group training options also available as needed.
Cost to be determined by the number of people and duration of meetings.

For additional details and future announcements please go to http://equippersedge.blogspot.com

Monday, September 12, 2005

Biblical World View Development by George Barna


An important part of being a 'follower of Jesus', is having a view of the world based on scripture. Read the following material from the Barna website.

Developing a Biblical Worldview

"George Barna contends that the key is developing a worldview that incorporates critical scriptural principles and translates those beliefs into specific action. The premise is simple: you cannot act like Jesus until you think like Jesus. So, how can we think like Jesus? George Barna contends that the key is developing a worldview that incorporates critical scriptural principles and translates those beliefs into specific action.
He found that rather than simply participating in numerous church programs, completing studies on books of the Bible, or memorizing Bible passages, the people who are able to think like Jesus are the ones who ask themselves seven key questions prior to making critical life decisions."

Want to know more?
http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=Resource&ResourceID=135


Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Equippers Network Ministry Launch-Celebration

You are invited to the Launch-Celebration of The Equippers Network Ministry on Tuesday September 20th 7:00 to 8:30 PM in the Solomon’s Porch book store at 8081 E. Orchard Rd. in Greenwood Village. This is on the North West corner of Orchard and I-25 in the Orchard Road Christian Center building. This get-together will be a time of Vision Casting, Worship and Connection.

We are on the threshold of a revolution in the Church today as we seek to fulfill God’s plan ‘to make disciples of all nations.’ As George Barna says in Growing True Disciples;” We need to be igniting and nurturing people’s passion for God and get out of their way.”

Those who are called by God need the continuous mentoring and training that is required to send forth radical, healthy people of the Spirit who are focused on accomplishing what Jesus has called them to at all cost.

I have had the privilege for several years of helping to mend, equip, train, mentor and release people into cutting edge Spirit led ministry that flows from God’s heart. My passion is to help you fulfill to the max God’s Call on your life.

Come find out if the Equippers Network is what you have been hoping for so that you can fulfill God’s best for you! If you know others who might be interested bring them with you.

Please let me know if you will come so that we can have materials for you when you arrive.

By His Grace

Wayne Newcomb

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Do You Want to make a Difference?

"Ignite people's passions and get out of the way."

In this first chapter of 'Growing True Disciples', George Barna gets to the point and hits it with a sledge hammer. His point without quoting him at length is that we need to redefine success in ministry to focus on those who have already ask Jesus to be their Savior, "and do everything we can to help them grow into inspired, unmistakable disciples of Jesus?" (pg 2)

He then goes on to ask; "What would happen if we did not consider our jobs complete when," they accepted Jesus, "but would use their new commitments to Christ as a launching pad for a life long quest to become individuals who are completely sold out-emotionally, intellectually, physically, spiritually-to the Son of God?"

I have to admit he is singing the song of my heart. Throughout the Bible and Church history this was the description of the sold out radical believer who would shake the earth for God. Who would cause a stir as Paul did in Ephesus when the Ephesian temple icon salesman panicked and started a riot because Paul's was turning people to Jesus and away from their god. Hebrews chapter 11 is full of their stories.

I believe it was D.L. Moody who said that if he could have one man who was completely sold out to God that man would turn the world upside down for Jesus.

Barna goes on to quote Matt 28:18-20

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
NIV


Barna here goes on to ask a few questions which could be summed up in the next few sentences. If this was so important to Jesus why is it not so important to us?
When is the last time we had as the desire of our hearts, the thoughts of our minds and the passion of our hearts a day in and day out focus on making His command a part of all we do each day?

Here are some ideas.
Maybe we could day dream about ways to fulfill this command or when a meeting got boring scribble notes about ways to fulfill it. Perhaps we should be having dreams in the night and brainstorming sessions at startbucks or even a Trivial pursuit game that focused on fulfilling it. What if our dinner conversations with friends and family were about how to make disciples. Then what if we were actually telling each other about our success in fulfilling the Great Commission?

When you do a personal time management analysis, what we spend our time energy and resources on proves to be are major priority.

Before we go on in our study why not think about what we have covered so far and ask God if you need to have a revolution in your world to bring yourself in line with this command and priority of Jesus!

For additional info on this book click the link below.
http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=Resource&ResourceID=55

Friday, September 02, 2005

Ways to Help Victims of Katrina's Destruction

If you have been looking for effective ways to help those in need from Katrina's wrath, here are my recommendations.

Convoy of Hope http://www.convoyofhope.org/

Samaritian's Purse http://www.samaritanspurse.org/

More options at The Truth Laid Bear , and Instapundit
http://www.truthlaidbear.com/communitypage.php?community=katrinarelief

Instapundit
http://instapundit.com/archives/025235.php


Thanks for helping these people!
It is what Jesus would do!