I’ve been a Christian for over half a century and I’ve been in some form of paid Christian ministry for 40 years this year. Older and wiser? Certainly the former; maybe not the latter – that’s for others to say.
Over those years I’ve worked at building up local churches, trained Missional Leaders, and developed discipleship vision with national denominations and organisations.
No one is more surprised than me that this has been the shape of my life!
After all those years of teaching, reading, thinking and reflecting some things have become clearer to me (and some remain a mystery!). What is clear is that the job of a Christian pastor is to help people know God and follow Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible puts it this way: Their (Christian leaders) responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12).
That is what it is all about.
Not organising great church meetings.
Not running activities.
Not drawing a crowd.
Not keeping all the people happy all the time! (Sorry if that doesn’t make you happy).
It’s about helping people grow in maturity as Christians (of course, some of the things in the previous list may contribute to that!). It’s about developing a deeper and deeper awe and love for God, that transforms everything about my life. It’s about knowing and serving Him in everything with all I have.
And then helping others move in the same direction. That’s a life-long vision – and I need help!
I need a vision for how to know God and follow Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit that provides me with guidance and encouragement to stay on track.
That’s why I’m really excited about the potential for LifeWORKS – a new vision for following Jesus which we are launching at Thornbury Baptist Church. LifeWORKS is a way of helping us live our lives to the full, as followers of Jesus Christ. Whether we’ve just started following Jesus, or been doing so for many years – LifeWORKS aims to help our faith stay fresh and real.
As a new Christian, I need help to get on track and become fit.
As an older Christian I need help to stay on track and stay fresh.
LifeWORKS helps us get fit and stay fresh by paying attention to the three basic elements of being a Christian:
Immersing ourselves ever more deeply in what God has done for us – our LifeSOURCE.
Learning to take the shape of Jesus in our daily lives – our LifeSHAPE.
Connecting with God to stay fresh in our relationship with him – our LifeSTREAMS.
With these three themes constantly developing in our minds and in our spirits, we have a reliable guide to help us move towards Christian maturity: to get fit and stay fresh in our faith.
There’s a lot more to come to help us all develop a Life that Works.
There’s a webpage with a growing wealth of more information: videos, downloadable resources, questions for reflection, recommend reading – and more. Do check it out. We’ll be preaching through the LifeWORKS themes over the Summer. This Blog will follow LIfeWORKS. There’ll be resources in print to help you personally and there’ll discussion guides for small groups (on the webpage).
No T-Shirts yet but who knows?