My dear son,
I realize you will be serving Christ in a world far different than the one where I was trained and first released into ministry. Your methods, your dress, your vocabulary, the technologies you use and even the problems you face may have little in common with the world I knew, or even the world in which we both minister today. You will be a faithful servant of Christ not because you mimic my words or imitate my ministry style, but because you live out the timeless values we share-values that come to us from the Word of God and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
So while I still have the opportunity, I want to take a few minutes to summarize in writing the values and life lessons I have attempted to live out before you and most want to pass on to you.
- Be a true leader, not a dictator.
- Have concern and compassion and love for others
- The best leaders serve others
- People’s souls are hurting, they will try to hurt you.
- The best way to dispel hatred toward you is to remember Christ’s words-forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing-
- Jesus heals broken hearts-not you
- Be very patient
- Even if it appears you don’t have time-pray!
- God always answers prayer
i. Yes, no, wait
ii. Trust
iii. Be persistent
- Even if you don’t think you have time-
- Read the Bible for pleasure in God
- Read the Bible to learn who God is and who you are and who unsaved people are
- Never stop learning
- If you have, you’re probably already dead
- If you think you know it already, you don’t
- Learn from the past
- Move forward
- Try new things
- Part of you should never grow up and whither
- Scripture is God’s word to you
- Listen
- Learn
- Be in awe
- Pray through scripture
- Preaching and Teaching begins and ends with scripture
- God’s word is true-all of it without exception
- Do what He says to do
- The end doesn’t justify the means
- God first, people second
- It’s not about you
- Let your motivation come from God
- Do all for God’s glory
- Do all for God’s joy to overflow into and through you, Psalms 16:11
- Do all to bring God’s joy to others and thereby increase yours
- It’s all about God
- Your identity comes from God, not yourself, not others, not you ministry
- God cannot and will not leave you; Josh 1:9
- Your prize is in heaven
- Missions exist because worship of God doesn’t
- You have a mission, find it, find new ones
- Love for God drives passion and service, not duty
- Much risk, much joy ( a lot of work too)
- If it doesn’t glorify God, don’t do it
- Ask this question, will it glorify God?
- This will solve a lot of questions and eliminate even more
- Be an example
- To your family
- To everyone else
- Try to work yourself out of a job
- Train others
- Give others opportunities
- Have a prayer team
- Others need to pray for you as you pray for them
- Failure to pray leads to failure
- Much prayer, much power