Ministry Prep (Week 11)

We spent 3 days doing ministry prep for our outreaches coming next month. This information would be very useful for any mission trip or team.

Team Unity:

Unity is not everyone being the same.
Unity is an acceptance of the diversity in gifts and strengths, a common goal, cooperate humility, and having a clean heart towards each other.

Humility is the vine, unity is the branch!

Openness is critical but it may not always equal depth.
Openness needs to be paired with trust and commitment.

How committed to you to the people on your team?

Humility always asks this question: "What can I learn from you?"


Biblical Themes of Effective Team Work:

• Forgiveness, confession, grace
• Acceptance of self and to others
• Good communication
• Humility
• Teamwork
• Freedom in Christ
• Encouragement
• Truth
• Enabling of Holy Spirit for gifts and to meet weaknesses 
• Servant heart

Embrace change and uncomfortableness because that's how we become more like Jesus. 

If we don't enjoy the people we are ministering to our hearts are wrong. 

When we ignore the Holy Spirit when He's leading us to minister to someone, it's like we are cutting God's arm short.

We need to obey, not just based on results.


Sharing Your Testimony: 

Testimony- what you have seen or heard

As we share our testimony we need to share what we have seen or heard, not just the story of how we prayed the sinners prayer, or how we were living horribly and now we are not.

Edit your testimony for clarity. Edit any unclear words, unclear circumstances, and unclear challenges, that the unsaved would understand.

A testimony is like a window that someone can look through and see God's beauty. 

We have many testimonies, not just one.

We have to remember not to keep what God's been doing to ourselves. It needs to be shared.

Using Stories to Show God's Love to Others:

Effective story telling uses:

• Actions (Acting out)
• Engaging audience
• Questions
• Eye contact (if appropriate in that culture)
• Enthusiasm

The primary way Jesus ministered was through stories!

Pick a story in the Bible (Ex. Jonah, the lost sheep, etc.) and decide how you want to share it.


Questions to ask God while preparing stories:

1. Why? To make sure your motives are right and your heart is aligned with God's.
2. What? What to speak on. The goal is to bring reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 3:19. 
3. How? Through drama, puppet show, art, props, etc.

You don't have to be a gifted speaker to be God's anointed messenger!