The Way I See It

Ministry Philosophy: Acts of Service

Ray Deck III — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:20:28 -0800

The final category of ministerial activity that I'd like to write about (acts of service) is probably the most currently controversial. Social Justice is a big-time buzz word in our culture, and has been almost universally condemned by traditional evangelical churches, but social justice played a vital and irreplacable role in the ministry of Christ and the Apostles. I hope to study (and write) more about it in the future.

Acts of Service: John 2:1-11, 5:1-9, 6:1-14, 11:1-44, 21:1-11

“Christ’s miracles were a display of his power, and a revelation of the purpose of his power.” –JD Greear

Each time Christ exercised miraculous power it was in order to meet the need of another person. No raw demonstrations of divine power for demonstration’s sake are recorded. Christ actively resisted temptation by Satan himself to misuse his power for personal benefit. (Luke 4:3-4) The purpose of these miraculous actions was not only to demonstrate divine power, but also to reveal divinity’s intention toward mankind.

Benevolent action today fulfills the same purpose in a contemporary context as miracles did in Christ’s ministry. Expression of divinities intention toward mankind is the task of the Body of Christ, and this is often most affected by unsolicited acts of selfless benevolence and service.

Cross-Cultural Ministry Acts 16

The Macedonian Call: “Paul, come over to our culture and share the gospel with us.”

When Paul responded to the Macedonian Call, he traveled to Philippi & encountered 3 different people who represent different types of spiritual condition. Each of them was won to Christ in a different way.

Lydia: The God Fearer – came to Christ by way of a traditional Bible Study. She was prepared for the message before she heard it. Direct delivery was effective.

The Demon Possessed Servant Girl: Poor & Exploited – Came to Christ after Paul took action on her behalf (social justice). The loving justice drew her to faith.

The Philippian Jailer: Ruling Class – Came to faith when he encountered Paul’s incomprehensible joy and ability to cope with hardship. Ultimately it was Paul’s selflessness that drew him to faith.

Love translates into any language, crosses all cultural, racial, ethnic and religious barriers untainted. Pure, selfless love is equally incomprehensible to any who do not know God.

Christian Identity John 13:35

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. --John 13:35

Love is the single most distinctive characteristic of a Christ-follower.

Ministry Philosophy: Mentorship

Ray Deck III — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:14:23 -0800

Continuing our study of Christ's ministry model, today we look to mentorship as a ministerial activity. Probably right behind formal instruction or teaching, mentorship is the most obvious activity of Christ and the Apostles. It was, however, the most difficult to study for me. I had trouble seperating those activities which could only be performed by the Son of God with perfect knowledge of his disciples from those activities set up as an example for all people to follow. I attempted to identify the characteristics of Christ's ministry that were both intentionally counter-cultural and replicated by the Apostles throughout the growth of the Church. It's not my goal to create a handbook of discipleship, but rather to create a framwork inside of which to continue to study.

Mentorship: Mt. 4:18-22, Mark 4:33-34, Luke 9:1-6

Jesus specifically invited a small number of people to regularly be a part of his ministry. These individuals were virtually ever-present throughout Jesus’ 3-year ministry.

The Mentor’s Role

The people that Jesus selected were:

Unremarkably talented, wealthy or influential
Uneducated
Willing & Teachable
Zealous & Committed

Christ included them in nearly all of his interaction with others, maintaining an “Open Door” Policy with them throughout his ministry. They often received additional instruction or clarification following a session of public teaching.

Christ empowered them to act on his behalf, trusting them with real authority and meaningful ministry.

The Mentee’s Role

The Disciples:

- Observed Jesus’ interaction with others Mark 6:53-56

- Listened to Jesus’ teaching Luke 6:17

- Heard exclusive instruction from Jesus Mark 4:33-34

- Duplicated Jesus’ message to new audience’s Luke 9:1-6

- Demonstrated miraculous servant hood according to Jesus’ example Luke 9:1-6

These individuals were not students alone, but practitioners and distributors of Jesus’ worldview.

Ministry Philosophy: Teaching & Instruction

Ray Deck III — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:05:30 -0800

When examining the ministerial activites of Christ and the Apostles, probably the most obvious category to study is that of formal instruciton or teaching. As I studied the teaching of Jesus specifically, I found that the vast majority of his formal instruction could fit into one of two categories: 1.) Direct Instruction: Preaching/Teaching 2.) Instruction via Storytelling or Object Lessons: Parables Nowhere could I find a distinction between preaching and teaching. It seems to have been a categorical seperation manufactured sometime between now and the time when Jesus did ministry. Prior to this study, I tended to believe that preaching and teaching were drastically different activies, and thus studied them seperately. However, I could not find biblical prescedent for this distinction, and thus will handle them together here.

Communication: Matthew 13:11-14, Matthew 5-7

Communication is more than merely an articulation of orthodoxy, but rather transference of biblical truths in a way that illustrates how unchanging truths are relevant in a contemporary setting.

Preaching/Teaching/Instruction: 2 Timothy 4:1,2; Matthew 5-7

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke and exhort with complete patience and teaching.

Effective Biblical Preaching consists of Four Components:

Textual Fidelity -- The preacher is not entitled to deliver his own messages, but rather to declare the mind of God as it is revealed in Scripture. (Preach the Word)

Timeliness—the “season” should guide delivery method, but it does not alter content of the message. (in season & out of season)

Confrontation—Exposure of fault (Reprove), and expression of disapproval. (Rebuke)

Instruction—Delivery of the truth converse to the fault exposed and disapproved. (Exhort)

Story Telling: Matthew 13:11-14

He answered, To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

Jesus used parables to reveal truth to those who were spiritual prepared to receive it, but they also effectively concealed truth from whose were not yet ready. Parables were both interesting so as to grab a listeners attention and memorable. These characteristics gave the parable a greater reach. When a previous hearer ultimately reaches a point of readiness, the Holy Spirit may activate the message still contained within the memorable story. In the same way, communication by creative arts delivers truth to the spiritually prepared but conceals it inside of a memorable message that may be activated at a later time.

Ministry Philosophy: Foundational Principles

Ray Deck III — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 06:58:20 -0800

Over the last 3 months or so I have been working to formally articulate my own philosophy of ministry. It may seem redunant, when so many have done so ahead of me. It would be very efficient for me to piggy-back on their scholarship and copy a statement of philosophy from someone who's ministry I'd like to model, but I didn't want to do that.

I very much want to stand on the shoulders of the men who have been doing ministry for years before me-- to neglect their experience would be foolish, but I also beleive that a statement of personal philosophy would be hollow if it were not truely mine. The work of searching the scriptures for timeless principles is as much an experience of personal growth as much as it is an articultation of held belief. Discovery always accompanies communication. Today, I'd like to share the groundwork of the Philosophy that I've come to hold. Over the next couple weeks, I will follow up with a more detailed look at some of the facets, but today is Big Picture Day.

I start, at the most universal entry point that I could imagine: the sum of the Law and the Prophets.

The Great Commandments: Matthew 22:37-40

Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with 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.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’”

The 2 essential mandates for all believers is to love God and love others. Every Christian is called to first and foremost love God and secondly to love others. A growing love for God will always lead to greater love for people created in his image.

The Great Commission: Matthew 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 am with you always, to the very end of the age.

The Great Commission flows from the Great Commandments. “Making disciples” is a love-driven mandate. Love for God motivates obedience to divine ordinance while love for others results in a desire to see others come to know Christ. The Great Commission is not fulfilled when an individual accumulates a large number of converts, but disciples are made. A disciple or a committed student of the Gospel becomes an agent of Great Commission fulfillment, and thus cooperates in the objective of making disciples. Fulfilling the Great Commission by way of love will result in a natural diversity of ethnic, racial economic backgrounds as the church works corporately to make disciples.

Ministry Model of Christ: Ephesians 1:22, 1 Corinthians 12:27

And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. --Eph. 1:22

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is part of it. --1 Cor. 12:27

Scripture speaks of the church as a bride in the context of our relationship to Jesus and it speaks of the church as the Body of Christ in the context of our relationship with the world. Christ said, “I have come to seek and to save that which is lost.” He then commissioned the church to reach the world as he had been doing. All believers are called to play a role in this ministry.

Whoever says he abides in Him out to walk in the same way in which He walked. – 1 John 2:6

Jesus’ ministry model consisted of 3 elements:

1.) Teaching/Instruction

2.) Mentorship

3.) Acts of Service (Miracles)

I structured my personal philsophy around these three divisions of activity. I see these three activities not only in the life of Christ but in the ministry of the Apostles that followed.

Look for Ministry Philosophy: Part 2, 3 & 4 in the coming weeks each to focus on a different category of ministry activity.

Where Was God When...?

Ray Deck III — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 06:44:00 -0800

Below is the Press Release for a new Book & DVD Series that I have been working on for the last year. It is set to release this summer. You can read about it here, and poke around the website: wherewasgod.wol.org for even more detail.

Word Of Life Fellowship is proud to announce the July2010 release of a Book and DVD Series about the Attributes of God entitled Where Was God When…? jointly from authors/speakers Mike Calhoun & Ric Garland.

The Book Where Was God When...? is the product of both biblical study and personal experience. Mike Calhoun and Ric Garland have both experienced profound loss, and come to understand personally how the unchanging nature of God provides stability and hope in the midst of incredible heartache. It was their personal experiences that prompted Mike & Ric to write such a book, but the content is not limited to their own perspectives.

The DVD series is designed to equip pastors, ministry leaders, parents and teachers of students with straightforward, unapologetic teaching on the character of God. Youth leaders can attest to the fact that when Millennials are not taught how faith intersects with real life and are not given answers, they often abandon faith in search of those answers.

God often answers the "why" questions with "who " answers. One of the most difficult questions many Christians face is why God allows bad things to happen to good people. The Millennial Generation is asking this question with more urgency than any generation before it. Where Was God When...? will answer these questions in the same way God does in Scripture - by focusing on the character and nature of God Himself. To a generation that is increasingly curious about spiritual things, this series cuts through the noise, and gets to the heart of the issue

Each of the 8 sessions begins with a true story. These first-hand accounts are moving and transparent. Each of these stories pose a question that many of us have asked: Where Was God when this happened? Mike and Ric then open the Word of God in search for an answer.

Omniscience “God knows All Things” in response to an accidental death
Immutability “God Never Changes” in response to a sudden suicide
Faithfulness “God is always Faithful” in response to an unexpected divorce
Sovereignty “God is in Control” in response to an incurable illness
Love “God Is Love” in response to the discovery of a tumor
Wisdom “God Cannot Learn” in response to fearful uncertainty
Omnipresence “God is Everywhere” in response to a missing person
Mercy/Justice “God is Always Fair” in response to senseless violence

Reading this book is like walking with them through the process of recovery, healing and growth. As you progress through this book it becomes clear that, "God never wastes pain."

Originally delivered at Word of Life Snow Camp, Where Was God When...? is an 8 part study on the attributes of God and how that truth shapes our understanding of tragedy. Both the Book & DVD Series are set to be released in July of 2010, but both are currently available from Word of Life at a special advance rate.

http://www.Wherewasgod.wol.org

http://www.mikecalhoun.wol.org

It's Begining to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Ray Deck III — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:19:59 -0800

Christmas comes early in Tampa Bay, Florida. The day after Thanksgiving marks the opening of The Sights & Sounds of Christmas at the Harry Balback Performing Arts Center (HBPAC for short) on the campus of Word of Life Florida. I am very thankful that when I was hired by Word of Life back in August, it was written into my job description that I would travel down to Tampa for the Christmas and Easter productions. I absolutely love the ministry of Gospel Productions, and I am very grateful for the chance to be involved twice a year.

If you are familiar at all with the work that I do at Snow Camp, on the Island or in Jesus: Behold the Man, you might be suprised to learn of my involvement in Sights & Sound s. At Christmas, life becomes a musical. Sights & Sounds is 2 hours and 25 minutes of Christmas cheer. End to end music, the production consists of 3 acts each one more joyful than the one before it.

We begin with a full hour of remembering Christmas in the '40's. The 1940's was an interesting time in America's history. Especially the post-war '40's were extremly prosperous. A great deal of popular Christmas music was written during the late '40's which gives us quite a library to chose from. We alternate between soft, romantic ballads and rousing choreography-ready show tunes. All 90 feet of stage come alive with yuletide cheer. The anticipation is contagious. It's impossible to sit through Act I as a scrouge. In Act II we remember what Christmas was like as a child. The giant Christmas tree & oversized presents on the stage return us to the wonder of childhood. Act III is the natural culmination of our Christmas celebration where we all turn our attention to the very first Christmas. We view the story of the nativity from several different perspectives. Looking through the eyes of the angels, the shepherds and the kings, we come to Bethlehem.

Sights and Sounds is an incredible production that inspires wonder and jumpstarts the Christmas Season for roughly 15,000 people each year. If you are in the Tampa area between now & December 13th, you should stop in and see this show. As you would expect from a Word of Life Production, the overarching purpose is to present the Gospel. What better way to celebrate Christmas than to spread the good news of eternal hope in Christ! In our opening weekend alone, we have seen 28 people come to trust Christ as their only way to heaven. Pray for us as we continue to present the Gospel in this unique way over the next 2 weeks. Pray for soft-hearted audiences and pure-hearted performers.

National Youth Workers Convention 2009

Ray Deck III — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:28:51 -0800

I just returned from the National Youth Workers Convention (NYWC) in Cincinati. It was an eye-opening experience. Quiet Time, a concept as familiar as breathing to some of us, was revolutionary to almost everyone I spoke to.

I had never attended the NYWC, put on in 3 different cities each year by Youth Specialties, though I have heard some pretty good things about the event. I was not disapointed. Even attending as exhibitors we were able to sit in on some of the "Big Room" sessions. The ones I saw were phenomenal. Very well done production that allowed for real encouragement for a big group of tired Youth Workers. At all of the sessions I could almost feel the collective sigh of refreshment in the room. It's a great thing when leaders get ministered to. If you are a ministry leader, and you've never been to a conference, you really should pick one and attend. There are several to chose from, and I would guess that the recharge alone is worth the price of admission.

We (myself and 5 others from Word of Life) were attending the conference as exhibitors to tell people about Word of Life Island and the Quiet Time. The one thing that struck me as incredible throughout the whole weekend was how novel the Quiet Time concept was to everyone I spoke to.

Quiet Time seems simple to me:

One passage, two questions each day
Age appropriate journals with everyone on the same passage

But each time I explained it to a ministry leader it was greeted like the greatest thing since the New Testament. After the first day, we literally had a line of people waiting to talk to us. Word had spread throughout the convention & many people were seeking us out. (it probably helped that we were giving Quiet Times away) I personally spoke to several Pastors who intended to impliment the Quiet Time churchwide.

For someone who uses the Quiet Time on a regular basis, (and has for quite a while) it was a good reminder of what a great tool it is. When a group of people buys into the system whole-heartedly it really does facilitate a great deal of unity.

Imagine what would happen if everyone in YOUR church was reading the same passage of scripture every day...

The Quiet Time makes this possible. It's a tool that many of us under-use.

The whole experience challenged me to take better advantage of the tools I already have at my fingertips. Many people are searching (some frantically) for a tool that facilitates the kind of structure required for unity & community among beleivers. The Quiet Time allows that, and I take it for granted.

Top 10 Favorite Blogs (and why)

Ray Deck III — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:43:36 -0700

There is no science in this list. I didn't measure blog-authority or check Technorati rankings like other Top Church Blog List-ers have done. (Come to think of it, the order is fairly arbitrary.) But, we all have certain voices that resonate with us. We all tend to turn our ears in a certain direction for specific topics, and if you are anything like me, you are probably on a never-ending search for new voices. This is my 10 Ten voices and influencers n the Blogosphere.

10.) Ed Stetzer

Ed Stetzer works at Lifeway Research. He is an author of several books about church leadership, generational studies and church planting. He is a sought after speaker and leadership coach. Some have called him the "yoda" of church planting. His blog is regularly full of useful content.

9.) Mister Nifty

My old friend Mister Nifty is still my go-to source for church tech questions. He's not the biggest blog about church tech, and he hasn't posted in a while but you just can't beat his explanations of new technology and it's practical application. I'm really hoping that he gets back to posting regularly, because... I miss him.

8.) YouthMin Blog

This is a relatively new blog. It is a coordinated effort (much like MinistryLIVE) between several different Youth Ministry Pro's. They cover all sorts of topics related to youth ministry. Most recently: Follow-Up, and Moments Worth Celebrating. The editor (@coffeewithchris) is a really nice guy. We (Brandon Collins and I) have worked with him to build the Youth Ministry Spaces, a place where youth minsters can go to collaborate on youth room set-up ideas.

7.) Mark Driscoll

The Lead Pastor of Mars Hill Church (in Seattle, NOT Grand Rapids) is no stranger to controversy, but I find his blog (and podcast) to be full of doctrinally sound, culturally relevant teaching. I learn something every time I visit his blog. Don't go there expecting fluffy writing, Mark doesn't mess around. His content is always deep and substantial. I like that.

6.) Stuff Christians Like

On the other extreme of the spectrum is the sarcastic, ever-growing list of "Stuff Christians Like". I, for one, believe you can learn a lot through comedy. This site is honest (sometimes, painfully so), but we must be able to laugh at ourselves. My favorites: Sermon Body Language, Throwing Out Disclaimers Before You Recommend Something Secular, and Sin Synonyms

5.) Jonathan Merritt

I was introduced to Jonathan Merritt by reading his work in RELEVANT Magazine. I was so impressed with the way he handled an article about Abortion Reduction, I went looking for more of his work. I was psyched to find his newly re-designed website and blog. Remember the name 'Jonathan Merritt'. You're going to be hearing it more often.

4.) Adam Walker

This one is a new find. I just stumbled upon it in the last week, and I love it. Adam Walker covers everything from commentary of new TV shows to open letters to other bloggers.

3.) Mike Calhoun

What can I say? @wolmike is my boss, but truth be told he does have a lot to say. I would dare say that he is the most influential person you've never heard of. His blog is still in its infancy, but already he's got a series out there called Autonomous Youth Ministry which is killer. You should have a look.

2.) Kem Meyer

I started following Kem Meyer's blog on the day that I started blogging. I wanted to find another communications nut who was out in cyberspace doing what we were considering. After about an hour of google searches, I realized that only one blog had appeared in every single one of my searches. It was Kem's. If you are interested in communication, creative arts, church production or leadership you should be reading Kem Meyer's blog.

1.) J.D. Greear

The Summit Church is doing some great things in my hometown (Raleigh/Durham NC). I wish that I had found The Summit when I lived there, because I would love to hear this man preach every week. He preaches The Word boldly and communicates clearly with his audience. His model of ministry (service + evangelism) is one that I can buy into without reservation, and his passion is contagious. I don't miss a single blog post or podcast.

Practical Use for Twitter... no really...

Ray Deck III — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:24:41 -0700

If you were waiting for Twitter to become "mainstream" before you got on the bandwagon, it would seem your wait is over. The latest in a long list of twitter mentions in the news is that Cincinnati Bengals receiver, Chad Ochocinco, used Twitter to help orchestrate his touchdown celebration.

In a pre-game press conference, Ochocinco announced that he wanted to do a Lambeau Leap when his team played the Packers. (for you non-football fans, it's not generally a good idea for a visiting player to attempt this traditional celebration in Lambeau Field) Most people laughed it off as typical antics from a professional athlete... until he did it, and was received by the crowd!

Reporters did some digging, and it turns out that Chad Ochocinco used twitter to connect with Bengals fans that were going to be at the game. Ochocinco even sent them upgraded tickets. You can read the whole story on ESPN.com.

While this might not seem exceedingly practical to you as a ministry leader, don't judge too quickly. Twitter was only the vehicle of communication that allowed people to connect in a way that was previously impossible.

Communication happened.

Connection was made.

A spontaneous event was orchestrated.

A life-long memory was made.

Sounds like ministry potential to me. What you do with Twitter is completely up to you. Chad Ochocinco uses it to help celebrate touchdown catches. How are you going to use it?

Oh... and did I mention that Teenagers are the fastest growing demographic on Twitter?

Who do you think holds that distinction on Facebook?

Leadership Lessons from 9/11

Ray Deck III — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:59:08 -0700

I think everyone remembers where they were at 9am on September 11^th 2001. I certainly do. We were glued to the television screen in my English class. The room was full of conflicting emotions. On hearing the news of the terrorist attacks in New York City, a few of my classmates went into shock a condition that they maintained for several days. Their eyes glazed over, they started moving in slow-motion and they exhibited an irrational disbelief. There was no denying the horrible reality of what had happened, but they tried to anyway. It was like their mind could not handle the images they were seeing. Others passed through denial very quickly into anger. I will never forget listening to one of my friends, a fifteen year-old, call his Father and ask how much ammunition they had stored at their house. One of my friends transformed into an amateur journalist, recording everything she heard or saw in her journal. Some were afraid. Some were sad. Some felt a compulsive need to go fix what was wrong while others wanted to hide from the world until the nightmare was over.

If I’m honest, I was conflicted mess of emotions like everyone else. I remember being sad, scared, angry, ashamed and proud all at the same time. Some people describe a feeling of numbness, but not me. I felt overloaded by emotion. It was like every circuit was surging with feelings. Frankly, it was exhausting.

9/11 means a lot of different things. It became a call to patriotism, a turning point in America’s relationship with several other countries, the justification for 2 different wars – our second “day of infamy”. For me, September 11^th is also a leadership clinic. In the weeks that followed those attacks, thousands of leaders took action in response to the crisis. We all watched George W. Bush and Rudy Giuliani, but on a smaller scale, we all experienced or exercised crisis-leadership on a smaller scale. There are no doubt lessons to be learned. I’d like to talk about a two of mine:

Honesty is Golden

The only thing scarier, than the crisis you know is the crisis that you don’t. I remember talking to the students at other schools in my area. They described mass panic and fear among the student body because the administration was not telling students what had happened in New York and Washington, but the rumors were flying (and growing).

The fastest way to kill a rumor is with the truth. Throughout all of the news coverage, I remember that whenever Rudy Giuliani was interviewed I felt better. I didn’t know why at the time, but I have come to believe that I appreciated how frank and candid he was. He was honest about everything from what was happening on the ground to how he was feeling. He was straightforward about what he knew, and honest about what he didn’t. He wasn’t afraid to say, ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I’m scared too’.

As so many people have said before me, courage is not the absence of fear, but the judgment that something else is more important than fear. And a courageous leader does more good when he honestly admits his fear, and publicly walks through the rationale of his judgment. It’s not enough for a leader to believe it himself; he must help others believe it as well.

Recovery Takes Time

The aftermath of a crisis is an important time. It is a time when emotions are raw and rational thought (generally) goes out the window. The whole world stops. It takes time for normal life to resume. When it comes to resuming normal life, sooner is not necessarily better. Decisions made in the aftermath of a crisis are rarely decisions that we are proud of later. It is a foolish leader who does not acknowledge that pain dramatically affects our decisions making. Irrational decisions made in the aftermath of a crisis are often vengeful.

If courage is the judgment that something else is more important than fear, than recovery is the ability to judge that something is more important than pain.

Today we are a long ways from the aftermath of that crisis, but it does still hurt. So today, I remember. I encourage you to do the same. Not paralyzed by fear but acknowledging it, and in the spirit of courage that makes our nation great, judge that other things are more important.

Today, I ask myself, as I did on 9/12/2001: What is more important than the pain that I feel?