FUNDAMENTALS FOR PROMOTION IN GOD’S KINGDOM
By George W. Black
(Psa 75:6,7 KJV) “For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.”
- PROMOTION IS GOD’S WILL FOR EVERY CHRIST-FOLLOWER
It is desirable that God’s children seek promotion in God’s kingdom for the sake of helping to serve and lead others. Promotion does comes from the Lord, but God’s under-shepherds are always watching for those who will answer the call to greater spiritual responsibility. At Rejoice there are ample opportunities for promotion in the areas of Christian service and ministry for those who will qualify themselves. This is done in a variety of ways.
- Church membership – The Lord added daily those who were being saved.
- Service attendance – Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together.
- Financial stewardship – Where your treasure is, there is where your heart is.
- Prayer meetings – My House shall be called a house of prayer.
- Word level – Study to show yourself approved.
- Volunteerism – Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.
- Faithfulness in delegated responsibilities – It is required of stewards to be faithful.
- Gifting and anointing – A persons gift makes room for them.
- Love & Loyalty – A covenant keeper.
- Sacrifice – Going the second mile.
- FOLLOW-SHIP BEFORE LEADERSHIP
Follow-ship is a part of Disciple-ship, which is a part of Leader-ship Training. A “ship” is a conveyor, a means and method to reach our goal in Christ.
It has been said that if we are too big too follow, we are too little to lead.
Jesus is our direct authority, but He ordained the first 12 apostles to lead the early church after His departure. These ordinations and assignments continue in each generation, and are the “ships” He uses to accomplish His purpose of building the Church and saving the lost. Eph 4:7-16
Christ is being formed in you as you follow Christ in your leaders. As you are mentored and developed, then your lives can become a pattern for others to follow.
Gal 4:19 NKJV “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you,”
1 Th 1:5-8 NKJV) “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. {6} And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, {7} so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe.”
1 Cor 4:16 NLT “So I ask you to follow my example and do as I do.”
1 Cor 11:1 NLT “And you should follow my example, just as I follow Christ’s.”
Phil 3:17 NKJV “Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.“
1 Th 1:6a NKJV “And you became followers of us and of the Lord…”
Heb 6:12 KJV “That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
- MENTORING RELATIONSHIPS ARE VITAL TO PROMOTION
Mentoring is having a spiritual coach. Those desiring greater spiritual development and ministry involvment must understand the need for a mentoring relationship with pastors and leaders. Even if a person has been a Christian for many years, and may have already participated in leadership or ministry in other churches, there is still a need to have the spiritual DNA of the Rejoice Church imparted to an aspiring leader before a person will be capable of helping us further the vision and ministry of this church.
For a young Christian this is usually not a problem because they understand their need of training and discipleship. But for a more mature Christian this is often a humility test. God has not sent a person to this church to teach us, but rather to be taught by us. Until a person can submit to the leadership and vision of this church, and desire to grow in new ways, they will not be properly equipped to help us lead this church in the vision God has given us.
God does not lead His church with a mixed multitude. We have a clear understanding of our calling and purpose. Only after a person has understood and embraced the vision of the house can they begin to know how their gift can best serve the church.
(Gen 14:14 NKJV) “Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.”
(Num 11:4 NKJV) “Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat?”
(Mat 6:22 KJV) “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.”
The pastors and other leaders offer mentoring constantly in group settings. Bonding and relationship building take place before, during, and after these meetings. Then one-on-one relationships flow from these connection points and grow. The pastors are always available for appointments when needed. But those interested in a mentoring relationship need to come where the pastors are and do what the pastors do if this is something a person desires. This is never forced…it is strictly optional. It is always up to you. This is not a season of you serving us, but rather of us serving you, teaching and imparting. And this happens little by little as a person takes advantage of the opportunities that are available.
For those that have already been leaders, it can be hard to be on the receiving end of things after you have been conditioned your whole life to serve others. But in a new church, this is how it needs to be. It is time for you to humble yourself and let God promote you in due time. Perhaps it is also a time of healing and redirection as well.
(1 Pet 5:6-8 NLT) “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you. {7} Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you. {8} Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.”
- CORRECTION IS NOT REJECTION, IT IS RE-DIRECTION
Many people come to Rejoice that are broken, but don’t know it. We didn’t break them, but as leadership pressure is applied, the brokenness that was already in a persons life may begin to manifest. “Father wounds”, hurts, pains, disappointments, abandonment, authority issues, etc. are not unusual in todays fractured society. But our calling as a church is to make disciples, which means we must touch these wounds if they are ever to be healed. When we do, we manifest the pain in that wound, like a dentist or doctor. We can reject the dentist/doctor, or we can submit to the healing process through trust.
Unfortunately many potential leaders leave the process of discipleship because they don’t understand that God directed them to Rejoice so the Master Potter could make a new vessel. (Jer 18:2-6) They want to hang on to the old vessel when God is wanting to remake the vessel with a new design, new DNA, new vision, new way of doing things, etc.
(Personal story of Bojangles the Dachshund.)
When anyone joins Rejoice, it is a time of receiving. And as a person catches the vision God has given our house, it will become your vision and your house too. It’s kind of like the transplant of an organ from one body to another. The new body and new organ take time to grow together until they are compatible. The organ needs the new body to survive, but compatibility takes time. You have left a previous church (or no church) and are now in a completely different one. This one is never going to change to be what you came from or were used to. But if you believe God has truly sent you here, then you have to accept that God already knows who we are and what we are, and that a new member needs what this church has to offer to be healthy and fully developed for your destiny.
It takes a while for you to pick up the spiritual DNA of a new church, especially a church that does not have the same roots or background. That is why the VIP class is such an important part of the process. The time will come when you will have learned the vision and direction we are going, and can then begin making a contribution that will help us build toward the vision God has already given us. Through faithfulness, humility and service, you will find your place on the TEAM. But in the beginning is a season of learning and growing in new ways. If you have found change to be a stretch for you, here is a suggestion: rather than worrying about how Rejoice can change to match your idea of what church should be, maybe the focus needs to be “Lord, what do you want me to learn and grow in at Rejoice since I know you have called me to be here.”
To enter into a mentoring relationship with a pastor or other leader, here are several helpful points:
- The lesser always seeks the greater. Don’t expect a pastor or other leaders to spend much time seeking you out. You must seek them out. If you want what they have, then you must understand the need to make your wishes known by your actions, not just your words. This is more than setting up one or two appointments. It means going where they go, doing what they do, coming early and staying late, putting yourself out to receive from their anointing. Impartation doesn’t come just from Sunday morning preaching. It comes from submitting your life to God’s ordained leader, praying together with your leader, working together with your leader, building relationships with your leader in the context of group activities. You will never have a one on one with someone in leadership until you have been willing to join yourself to their “band of followers.”
(1 Ki 19:19-21 NKJV) “So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him. {20} And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” {21} So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.”
2. Faithfulness. If you want a mentoring relationship with a leader, learn to be consistently faithful. No one will give you much time if you don’t demonstrate a high degree of respect for your leaders time. Faithfulness is to be an attribute of our character and nature if we growing into the image of Jesus Christ.
As in the old Timex watch commercial, faithfulness is the virtue that “takes a licking and keeps on ticking.” Faithfulness says of temptation, “other may, but I may not.” It rolls out of bed early on Sunday in plenty of time to finish important assignments. Faithfulness is punctual, never late. Faithfulness doesn’t make excuses for why it cannot, it makes excuses for why it can. Faithfulness is indefatigable. It says “if its to be, its up to me”, and then fearlessly charges ahead to the finish line. Faithfulness is firstly faithful to God, paying its tithes to honor God before taking a thought for itself. Faithfulness doesn’t have to be pursued, begged, coddled, coaxed, or pandered to. It scorns these baser attitudes as the character flaws of the unfaithful. No, faithfulness says “though none go with me, still I will follow.” Let the virtue of faithfulness be developed in your life, and God will see a reflection of Himself in you.
(1 Tim 3:10-11 NKJV) “But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. {11} Likewise their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.”
(Prov 20:6 NKJV) “Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man?”
3. In every area where you may be interested in helping your church grow and develop, please keep one vital principle in mind that we will not violate:
“Those who lead must first lead in prayer.”
(2 Chr 7:14 NKJV) “”if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
