By: Pastor Claudia Castellanos
A leader’s success or failure is determined by the company they keep, I can testify that this is a fact. Those who form part of a G12 group have the ability to empower or destroy us. Some individuals will never meet their goals in spite of the fact that we invest time in them. When we evaluate how we are doing with our goals we discover that these ones have detained the entire group’s growth,
Although everyone who is under a ministry receives the same teaching, some grow rapidly while others may have numerous arguments against them which impede them from fulfilling their call. Every pastor desires their leaders to be successful, but there are some that grow a rapid rate while others in the group stay stagnate. For this reason you must continually be asking yourself: Do I have a strategy that will ensure that my disciples will be successful? Are my disciples experiencing true growth? Are they helping me carry the ministry load or are they simply spectators?
Henry Ford, the renowned American businessman, once said: “You can take my plants and burn down my buildings. But give me my staff and my business will resume to function in perfect working order.” Church is founded on leadership, church life is dependant on how equipped we are as leaders. If you desire to have a great congregation, if you want to have an ample vision you need many leaders and the pastor must dedicate themselves to that specific goal – that is the key.
Napoleon Bonaparte’s success as a great political leader was due to the fact that he devoted himself to know his men’s needs, he then proceeded to do everything in his power to help them attain what they wanted. This is the reason why his army was faithful to the end. Your primary purpose and great challenge as a leader of a G12 group (the first thing that you must do) is to personally get to know your disciples needs. If they are going through family crisis you must counsel them, if they are dealing with childhood traumas minister inner healing and deliverance to them. If necessary, help them meet their financial needs. Whatever they need, you must be willing and available to help them meet it. The majority of them are in dire need of a word of faith and hope; once they receive that word it becomes the saving grace for their lives. As you are conforming your G12 group it is vital that you be a leader with vision. Everyone that walks into a church has a sleuth of problems, no one is perfect but we are to walk them through the perfecting process which is the main objective in their formation.
When you are forming your team you must do as Michelangelo did. While he was sculpting his masterpiece David (IN SPANISH IT SAYS MOISES WHICH IS INCORRECT) someone asked him how he did it, and his response was: “The sculpture was always in the stone, all I had to do was carve it” He had envisioned and seen more than a mere piece of rock. Something similar is what must occur when the Lord brings those individuals that are to be part of our group, we should not focus on the bitterness, pain, need, lack or the countless problems they have – we must see them through the eyes of faith as the great servants of God that they will one day become that are Holy Spirit filled and will enrich God’s work.
You must also ask the Lord to bring you disciples that have a right spirit and servant’s heart that will be loyal at all times and have a heart than can be molded and that they have integrity.
The night before Jesus chose His twelve disciples, He spent the entire night in prayer, and He then proceeded to integrate them as part of His team. The best way for you to complete your G12 group is by first moving God’s hand in prayer, so that He will be the one to bring them to us and that He also opens our spiritual eyes so that we will be able to identify them. This will enable us to be assured that the time we dedicate to them will be a profitable investment which will produce a great harvest in ministry.
Tuesday, 20 March 2007
Wednesday, 14 March 2007
Joyce Hope's Sharing - The Battle with the Flesh
I'm very thankful that God's training method for my ministry is really, using my own life's battles. My own desperate need to be set free, drove me to God.
Growing up in a slightly dysfunctional family (emotionally), I've always been familiar with anger. Situations that I prayed against (I knew God young, and I also knew His will is for me to have a peaceful family filled with His love) kept occuring again and again. I was always the one that was at the brunt of things yet nobody listened to me. I was helpless and the whole situation spinned out of control. I grew angry, and because I wanted the situation to go my way, I was desperate to have something in my hands that I could control the situation with.
I told God "If You don't answer my prayer, I'm going to backslide!" That's when another flesh grew too - Wrath (Punishment, wanting the other person to pay for my anger)
Later on, in another occassion, I told my ex-BF "If you don't get back with me, I'll slash my wrist before your eyes now!" (That explains the 2 scars on the back of my left wrist)
God has since shown me grace, I've learnt to repent and daily, crucify myself and walk in victory in His cross. But of late, this flesh started to come back again. (Clue: Brunt of it is my husband!) All when I began to teach on "The Adversary".
I can emphathise with myself, and say that its my background, family and past that resulted in this flesh more difficult to overcome. I can also give myself excuses that its' cos I'm teaching on this topic, this Flesh enemy is giving me problems to distract me. I think these are reasonable and to much extent, real reasons.
But I've learnt, in battles, no mercy should be shown to the enemy. Sincerity, transparency are all good virtues to show in relationships. (And accountability) But with the enemy? No. Only the truth sets us free. Only crucifying the flesh and appropriating by faith Jesus's work on the cross consistently and daily, gives us continual, moments by moments victory.
There will be some flesh that are so deep, it seems, it's harder to battle. Don't let your knowledge of your past get the better of you. Truth is- It's the truth that will set you free. Jesus commanded us to "Lay down your life, and carry the cross daily" Laying down = Crucifying your flesh. And Carrying the Cross = Claiming the Victory of the Cross. That's all you need to do. After all, everything was already done on the cross. This battle is definitely won!
Growing up in a slightly dysfunctional family (emotionally), I've always been familiar with anger. Situations that I prayed against (I knew God young, and I also knew His will is for me to have a peaceful family filled with His love) kept occuring again and again. I was always the one that was at the brunt of things yet nobody listened to me. I was helpless and the whole situation spinned out of control. I grew angry, and because I wanted the situation to go my way, I was desperate to have something in my hands that I could control the situation with.
I told God "If You don't answer my prayer, I'm going to backslide!" That's when another flesh grew too - Wrath (Punishment, wanting the other person to pay for my anger)
Later on, in another occassion, I told my ex-BF "If you don't get back with me, I'll slash my wrist before your eyes now!" (That explains the 2 scars on the back of my left wrist)
God has since shown me grace, I've learnt to repent and daily, crucify myself and walk in victory in His cross. But of late, this flesh started to come back again. (Clue: Brunt of it is my husband!) All when I began to teach on "The Adversary".
I can emphathise with myself, and say that its my background, family and past that resulted in this flesh more difficult to overcome. I can also give myself excuses that its' cos I'm teaching on this topic, this Flesh enemy is giving me problems to distract me. I think these are reasonable and to much extent, real reasons.
But I've learnt, in battles, no mercy should be shown to the enemy. Sincerity, transparency are all good virtues to show in relationships. (And accountability) But with the enemy? No. Only the truth sets us free. Only crucifying the flesh and appropriating by faith Jesus's work on the cross consistently and daily, gives us continual, moments by moments victory.
There will be some flesh that are so deep, it seems, it's harder to battle. Don't let your knowledge of your past get the better of you. Truth is- It's the truth that will set you free. Jesus commanded us to "Lay down your life, and carry the cross daily" Laying down = Crucifying your flesh. And Carrying the Cross = Claiming the Victory of the Cross. That's all you need to do. After all, everything was already done on the cross. This battle is definitely won!
Tuesday, 6 March 2007
Drink Deep- From Sinful Flesh to Fruits of the Spirit!
Romans 7:15-25
Paul, the great apostle of modern church times, confessed the following (The Living Bible)
"I don't understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I can't. I do what I don't want to - what I hate. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience proves that I agree with these laws I am breaking. But I can't help myself, because I'm no longer doing it. It is sin inside me that is stronger than I am that makes me do these evil things.
I know I am rotten through and through as far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can't make myself do right. I want to but I can't. When I want to do good, I don't, and when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. Now if I am doing what I don't want to, it is plain where the trouble is: still still has me in it's evil grasp.
It seems to be a fact of life when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love to do God's will so far as my new nature is concerned; but there is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is sitll wiithin me. In my mind, I want to be God's willing servant but instead, I find myself enslaved to sin.
So you see how it is: my new life tells me to do right, but the old nature that is still inside me loves to sin. Oh what a terrible predicament I'm in! Who will free me from my slavery to this deadly lower nature? Thank God! It has been done in Jesus Christ! He has set me free."
If I where to tell you this was taken from the Diary of anyone of my disciples, would you believe it? I'm sure you would. It is the Christians that are really following Christ, not the Pagans or the half -hearted Christians, that experience the war of of their flesh against the Spirit. It is the Christians who understand the extent of their sinfulness (the sinful nature), that understand the extend of what it means for God to die on the cross. These are sober-minded people, who know that apart from the Cross, everything that they build upon is meaningless. They do not lust after the things of the world, nor strife in pride, to build upon their flesh. They live, minding their business and doing the work of God, with full awareness of the war against their flesh, claiming the victory of the Cross in their lives.
God can only use a man that is filled with the Spirit. And order to be filled, we need to take up the cross daily, and wage war against our very flesh. Many times, our greatest adversary is not Satan, but our old nature! Let's take this whole season to go deep - Crucifying the Flesh, and Move in the Spirit!
Paul, the great apostle of modern church times, confessed the following (The Living Bible)
"I don't understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I can't. I do what I don't want to - what I hate. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience proves that I agree with these laws I am breaking. But I can't help myself, because I'm no longer doing it. It is sin inside me that is stronger than I am that makes me do these evil things.
I know I am rotten through and through as far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can't make myself do right. I want to but I can't. When I want to do good, I don't, and when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. Now if I am doing what I don't want to, it is plain where the trouble is: still still has me in it's evil grasp.
It seems to be a fact of life when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love to do God's will so far as my new nature is concerned; but there is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is sitll wiithin me. In my mind, I want to be God's willing servant but instead, I find myself enslaved to sin.
So you see how it is: my new life tells me to do right, but the old nature that is still inside me loves to sin. Oh what a terrible predicament I'm in! Who will free me from my slavery to this deadly lower nature? Thank God! It has been done in Jesus Christ! He has set me free."
If I where to tell you this was taken from the Diary of anyone of my disciples, would you believe it? I'm sure you would. It is the Christians that are really following Christ, not the Pagans or the half -hearted Christians, that experience the war of of their flesh against the Spirit. It is the Christians who understand the extent of their sinfulness (the sinful nature), that understand the extend of what it means for God to die on the cross. These are sober-minded people, who know that apart from the Cross, everything that they build upon is meaningless. They do not lust after the things of the world, nor strife in pride, to build upon their flesh. They live, minding their business and doing the work of God, with full awareness of the war against their flesh, claiming the victory of the Cross in their lives.
God can only use a man that is filled with the Spirit. And order to be filled, we need to take up the cross daily, and wage war against our very flesh. Many times, our greatest adversary is not Satan, but our old nature! Let's take this whole season to go deep - Crucifying the Flesh, and Move in the Spirit!
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