Category: Church Chat

The Kind of Person God Uses

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Have you ever wondered why God uses a particular person or a certain church?  Have you ever looked at them and wondered what they had that you did not have?  I believe there are at least four observations we can make about people or churches that God uses….

  • God uses the person who is following His mission. As Dr. Henry Blackaby said in Experiencing God, most of us pray “Lord, bless what I’m doing” when we should be praying “Lord, help me to do what you are blessing!”  God will bless those who are focusing on HIS mission instead of focusing on THEIR mission.
  • God uses the person who is willing to risk failure. Following Jesus is not for the faint at heart.  Acts 15:26 reminds us that Paul and Barnabus “risked their lives for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Erwin McManus says that we have become domesticated Christians, unwilling to risk anything for the cause of Christ.  The truth is, that our lifestyle is far-removed from the Book of Acts.  I’m not saying we should simply take foolish risks for no reason, but we should be willing to go anywhere God leads and attempt anything God says we should attempt, even if there’s no guarantee of success.
  • God uses the person who expects to be used. Jesus told the two blind men, “According to your faith will it be done to you”  (Matthew 9:29).  Rick Warren says that there is one consistent ingredient he sees in every church where God is working — people who are willing to believe God.  In other words, the faith factor.
  • God uses the person who never gives up. Paul reminds us to “not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).  Most people miss the harvest simply because they quit too soon.  The harvest takes time, but God’s timing is always perfect.  We should NEVER give up.  Sometimes the game is won on a last-second shot….on a two-out blast….on a hail-Mary heave.

This past week my mom’s youngest brother went home to be with the Lord.  As I sat and heard his children, my first cousins, talk about what a wonderful father he was and what a Godly example he was, I was reminded that we should serve God passionately.  We should serve Him daily.  We should serve Him to the very end of our life.  We should finish the course and keep the faith.  THAT is the kind of person God uses.

Change Is Good

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If something is not changing then it is DEAD!  I have served of senior pastor of Shelbyville First Baptist Church for 2 1/2 years now and we’ve seen a lot of changes.  I’m especially excited about changes that are happening now and changes that are just around the corner.  This is an exciting time to be at Shelbyville FBC.

Our student ministry is EXPLODING under the Godly leadership of Pastor Andy McDonald.  God is blessing as students are coming to faith in Christ and growing to be more like Jesus.  Our children’s ministry is also growing by leaps and bounds.  Pastor Dave Menser is doing a marvelous job leading the children’s ministry with a fresh, creative approach.

Without going into detail, expect to see changes in both morning Worship Services over the next few weeks.  Now, repeat after me, “change is good…..change is good…..change is good!”  I would add, “change is of the Lord!”

Discover Prayer

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Yesterday at Shelbyville First Baptist Church I kicked off a new series I’m calling Discover. Each week we will take an in-depth look at one of the key elements of the Christian life.  The first sermon in the series I called Discover Prayer.

In the first sermon, I answered the following four key questions concerning prayer:

  1. What is prayer?
  2. Who can pray?
  3. How do we pray?
  4. What can prayer do?

The text was taken from the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7.  The main memory verse from the sermon was Matthew 6:6.

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”  Matthew 6:6 (NIV)

John & Dave

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Today, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to John Raizor for the outstanding job he did as our part-time Minister of Recreation.  John built our program from scratch and worked well with the Recreation Committee.  John went about his work with great integrity and did things in a way that honored the Lord.  John did not cut corners and did not compromise when it came to his work.  The three things I respect most about John is that he knows what he believes, he knows why he believes what he believes, and he stands up for what he believes.  We need more Christians who display those traits in our churches today.  If you know John, be sure to express your personal thanks to him and to the Recreation Committee for the great work they did to get us to this point!

In addition, I want to welcome Pastor Dave Menser as our full-time Pastor of Children & Family Life.  Dave was unanimously approved at our August Business Meeting.  Dave is uniquely gifted and equipped to excel in both areas of children’s ministry and recreation ministry. 

Dave began his work today, August 23, with big shoes to fill, but he will do an awesome job.  John and Dave have met to discuss the FBC recreation ministry—this, along with the work that John has been doing over the last few months, will help Pastor Dave to get off to a fast start in the area of recreation.  In addition to expressing your personal thanks to John, be sure to give Pastor Dave a BIG First Baptist welcome when you see him!

The Glue of the Church

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The importance of helping members develop friendships within our church cannot be overemphasized. Relationships are the glue that holds a church together.

Friendships are the key to retaining members. One pastor took a survey in his church. When he asked, “Why did you join this church?” – 93% of the members said, “I joined because of the pastor.” He then asked, “What if the pastor leaves? Will you leave?” – 93% said “No.” When he asked why they wouldn’t leave, the response was “Because I have friends here!”

Do you notice the shift in allegiance? This is normal and healthy. Lyle Schaller has done extensive research that shows the more friendships a person has in a congregation, the less likely they are to become inactive or leave. In contrast, one survey asked four hundred church drop-outs why they left their churches. Over 75% of the respondents said, “I didn’t feel anyone cared whether I was there or not.”

It is a myth that you must know everyone in the church in order to feel like a part of a church. The average church member knows 67 people in the congregation, whether the church has 200 or 2,000 attending. A member does not have to know everyone in the church in order to feel like its “my church” but he does have to know some people!

 Every member should join a small group.

Small groups are crucial to the retention of members and newcomers. Not only do they help people connect with one another, they also allow our church to maintain a “small church” feeling of fellowship as it grows. There’s no possible way one pastor can provide complete care to a church of 200 or more. Small groups can provide the personal care and attention every member deserves no matter how big the church becomes.

Our church must always be growing larger and smaller at the same time. By that I mean there must be a balance between the large group worship services and the small group meetings. Both are important to the health of a church.

The large group celebrations give people the feeling that they’re a part of something significant. Large group meetings are impressive to unbelievers and are encouraging to our members. But you can’t share personal prayer requests in the Crowd.

Small affinity groups, on the other hand, are perfect for creating a sense of intimacy and close fellowship. It’s there that everybody knows your name. When you’re absent people notice. You’re missed if you don’t show up.

If you are not already involved in a small group then join one soon. You can join a small group that meets at church like a Bible Fellowship class or a ministry team. You may feel led to start a small group on your own. Contact me at srice@fbcshelbyville.com and I will be glad to help you get started! Always remember that people are not simply looking for a friendly church; they’re looking to make friends at church!