5. Watering the Soil
1 Corinthians 3:6-10 "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. 10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds." (NIV) Paul said that Apollos watered. (A symbol of the Holy Spirit is water). This tells me that Paul laid the foundation, got the church going and Apollos nurtured it for growth. To nurture the flock, the following is needed: 5.1 EXPERIENCING THE HOLY SPIRIT While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found two disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." 3 So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied. 4 Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." 5 On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied." Acts 19:1-6 (NIV) A good friend of mine once gave me these words of wisdom: "All Word and no Spirit – you dry up; All Spirit and no Word, you blow up; Word and Spirit – you grow up!" (Letter kills but the Spirit gives life.) People want to experience God when the come into a church. They are tired of showmanship and dry rhetoric sermons. They want to feel God's presence. You cannot run a church effectively if you do not give the Holy Spirit His rightful place.
5.2 TEACHING THE SOLID FOOD OF THE WORD "Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." (Hebrews 5:13-14) The New International Version We must concentrate on bringing God's people to maturity. The reason why so many pastors are counselling people over and over is because they have not come to maturity in the Lord. 5.3 EQUIPPING Equipping the believers is far more than teaching. It is providing "on-the-job-training". Some training can not be done in a classroom or correspondence situation. Have you ever heard of someone who did a correspondence course on "How to swim"? Yet we do it in the body of Christ. "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Ephesians 4:11-13 (NIV)
We explain something from the pulpit and then expect the leaders to do it as well as the pastor who had the advantage of studying and also acquired valuable experience.
5.4 LEADERSHIP TRAINING If you fail to train – you train to fail. Everything rises and falls on leadership.
There are many characteristics of a church planter, which I cover in detail in Chapter 8 of this manual. But there is one particular "Campus" where leaders are trained and equipped more effectively than at any other. God's campus of personalised training cannot be substituted by any Bible School or seminary. Let's have a look at some of the subjects addressed in the curriculum of this training school.
GOD'S TRAINING GROUND
2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (NIV) INTRODUCTION When God calls He also anoints and equips. It is like David said, "He trains my hands for battle..."(Ps 18:34) There are certain things a Bible College cannot teach you. After I had graduated from formal theological training I found myself in 3 more schools. I also found that God himself is the professor and He sets up the curriculum. All Christian Leaders must of necessity pass through these schools if we want to rightly divide the word of truth. What are these schools? 1. THE SCHOOL OF THE SPIRIT
John 14:26 "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."
John 16:13-14 "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you." (NIV) • Not all truths unfold as a result of conscious study. I Cor 2:9-13 There are truths that are directly revealed to us by the Holy Spirit as we meditate and reflect on the Word of God. These truths have direct application to our lives and must be tested by the Word of God so that we aren't deceived by our own imaginations. That is why it is so necessary to teach people on hearing the voice of God.
LEARNING THE LANGUAGE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. • Through the Word of God (Rhema) Romans 10:17 All truth is revealed through the Word of God (Rhema). There is no doctrine or revelation that qualifies as truth unless it is tested by the Scriptures. Revelation in a person's life is progressive. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to feed us and through the application of that Word, we grow.
The Holy Spirit often uses dreams. Joel 2:28 The Bible is full of examples where God speaks to His people through dreams. These dreams are full of symbolism that needs interpretation. I strongly believe that the interpretation lies with the dreamer. • The Holy Spirit uses visions. Acts 9:10-12 These visions may be real-life images that play off like a movie. IN other instances, it is like flashes of pictures in the mind. There is always a message with it. • The Holy Spirit obviously uses people. Acts 21:10-11 These people are not only pastors, but also very ordinary people and even children. Remember Samuel? God used him to speak to Eli. • Through spiritual words 1 Cor 2:13-14 These are impressions that you get in your mind. They must always be tested against the Word of God. If it doesn't measure up with God's Word, then it is a temptation. Often it is like a word of knowledge. • The Early Church was led by the Holy Spirit Acts 13:2-4 If the Holy Spirit does not have His rightful place in the church, it will be governed by human reason and business skills. People will leave a church like this and look for a church where they can experience and meet with God. • It is vital to have relationship with the Holy Spirit 2 Cor 13:14 Your ministry will only develop as you have fellowship with the Holy Spirit. 2. THE SCHOOL OF LIFE • Learn from others. ¾ Success stories
I love to read about the successes of others – never to copy them, but to learn from the principles they applied. ¾ Failure stories
I also try my utmost to learn from the mistakes of others. There are not many books on failure stories, but if you observe around you, you will quickly spot them.
Keep yourself updated with current news ¾ World Events
People find it difficult to relate to pastors who only speak Scripture verses and whose history knowledge is only the Old Testament. World events will also give you an indication of what to pray for. ¾ World Trends
It is important to watch world trends as far as technology, industry and commerce is concerned. I predict that the ones that will be deceived by the anti-Christ will be people who never kept their eyes on world trends. All these are necessary because the people we ministry to are struggling with these issues. They are looking for answers. People are living now and want now answers. ¾ Jesus was able to relate to everyone
He used parables and illustrations that could relate to: ¾ Farmers ¾ Fisherman ¾ Wildlife enthusiasts ¾ Politicians ¾ Pharisees ¾ Prostitutes ¾ Paul was a well-read man
II Timothy 4:13 "When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments." (NIV) 3. SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS • Christian service is involvement in conflict. ¾ Personal conflict ¾ Staff conflict ¾ Marital conflict etc. • Paul's testimony ¾ II Corinthians 4:1,8,9
Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart… We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." (NIV) • Paul's advice to young Timothy ¾ II Tim 4:5
"But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." (NIV) • Be a good student of yourself. Know: ¾ The signs of inner fatigue ¾ The signs of your emotions etc. REMEMBER
"Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it."
- Winston Churchill
The Church Planting
Process
6. Removing the Weeds