January 2005

1. Christ: Jesus Christ is Supreme

Col. 1: 18 “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”

• He is our hope and He fills us with his hope !
  
• In everything, what would He do? What would He have us do?
  
• He is the Head of the Body - His church . . . us
  
• He is grace-giver/truth, way and life/Savior, friend and living Lord
  
• Let Him be the issue, not our politics, opinions or church traditions
  
• He is the absolute center of our life and ministry:He chooses us & appoints us to bear fruit that will last (Jn15:16)
  

2. Priorities: People Matter More than Things

John 13: 34b “ . . . As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

• Although it is easier to count and to measure things and material success, our calling is to value people far above things
• In our ministry, people are not a bother, they are our priority
  
• We are called by Jesus to treat one another with respect - as friends - as we like to be treated
  
• Meetings, budgets, job descriptions, goals, strategies, programs, even the Sabbath (Mark 2:27) are created for people, not people for them
  

3. Purpose with Passion: Jesus Christ calls us to fulfill His Great Commission

Matt. 28: 19-20 “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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.”

in the spirit of His Great Commandment

Matt. 22: 37-39 “Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord you God will all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

• We desire to be purpose-driven and Spirit-drawn
• Developing intimate friends and devoted followers of Jesus is a life-long passion and calling by which all of our ministry must be measured
• The attitude of our hearts matters even more than quantifiable results
• God desires both faithfulness and fruitfulness
  

4. Attitude: Positive Problem-Solving is our God-given privilege and our goal

Phil. 2: 4-5 “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”

• Glance at problems, stare at solutions
  
• Bring the hope of God as the fundamental assumption
  
• Actively seek God’s best possibilities for one another
  
• Understand unselfish sacrifice is required to bring about God’s solutions
  
• By faith, see beauty rising out of ashes
  
• Be both a grace-receiver and a grace-giver
  

5. Speech: Talk to the Right People in the Right Spirit

Eph. 4: 29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” See also Matt. 18: 15ff

• We are called to talk with one another, not about one another
• It takes more courage, more faith, more sanctifying grace to speak directly than indirectly
• The health of our souls and of the Body of Christ is largely affected by our our patterns of talking
• The test of our speech is not whether we are being honest, but whether we are ‘building up’ others according to their needs
• Disagreements in the Body of Christ are expressed in a respectful, mutually beneficial spirit
• Words that encourage and bless ‘warm a winter’s night’
• Love means we speak in love; any other speech falls short of God’s norm

As Jesus leads us, prayer is our continual life-line to God, keeping us in tune with His word, His living presence and the power of His Spirit. Joy and thankfulness overflow in our lives and ministry together. (I Thess. 5: 16-18)

“Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant - not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Cor. 4-6)

Dr. John P. Williams, Jr.
General Superintendent, EFC-ER