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| How to Minister to Others No PhD Required! |
1. Preach from the heart.
a. God has prepared my heart already for speaking with conviction. Today it is harder to preach to people since they want facts, but at the same time knowing Bible verses helps in that area only so much. In the end, only my heart and what the Lord has taught me can truly convey the “Good News” of Christ. So what is my heart telling me to tell each person I meet?
2. Forget other peoples’ opinions
a. Everyone has their own opinion, but all that matters is what the Bible says and how the message is conveyed. Promoting positive change (repentance) and growth in Christ matters first and foremost, but each person needs to hear a different message.
3. Recognize the person you're speaking to. For example, two of my friends have trouble letting go of their wants, meanwhile others have trouble with worry, struggles with motivation to pursue Christ at all, and struggles with giving up emotional burdens to Christ. I am working on faith without doubt! Understanding who you speak to is imperative!
4. Recognize your strengths
a. Right now, my strength is passion about Christ being the only thing worth having in life, so knowing how to convey that message will be best until the Lord prepares me to deliver a new message
i. Christ is the only thing people have in life that cannot be taken away
ii. We are all born with Christ, but people can choose to die without Him, which is a tragedy that leads only to damnation, and for what? Things? A lifestyle that doesn’t even satisfy?
iii. I’ve learned that people are constantly searching for meaning and happiness in life, but all are raised by societies and families and friends to search anywhere BUT in God. Pointing a person to God is a great first step to discovering meaning and inspiring positive motivation for Truth. For a living example, my friend was someone who was searching for purpose, hope, and lasting happiness yet she never thought God was a realistic thing to look at. I pointed her to Him for 3 months, and just suddenly it clicked in her heart. The change was so sudden I almost didn't believe it had happened or that she was tickling my ear. She stopped looking for boyfriends on Craig’s list, she stopped worrying about money problems, she stopped feeling so depressed, and she started being more productive, sleeping more normally, and the list goes on. The issue is that this is a heart discovery. People must see this for themselves in their hearts, and realizing that GOD is real is a very difficult affair for some people these days.
iv. All those things that people want do not matter, because once they have them they will want more things or newer versions of those things. A computer is only top of the line for 4 months, a cell phone is obsolete in less than 6 months, a TV is replaced every 3-5 years, a video game becomes boring in as little as a few hours few to a few days yet so many people constantly wish they had all this junk! Why? Because people want enjoyment to cover up their lack of purpose. In they end, they have large accumulations of nothing.
In the end, the pursuit of "things" can leave the person dried out and passionless or even trapped because they feel they need them to be okay. Other people either spend too much time trying to get those things but cannot (the grass is greener paradox) and spend their days bitter for not having them while others do, or some people do get those things yet are never satisfied anyway (keeping up with the Benjamin's paradox). Convincing people with these lifestyles to pursue Christ is a specialty of mine and should be of yours too since materialism promotes a deepened heart-emptiness that plagues the world. Helping them to realize that Christ is real is an imperative first step because they always seek tangible things to fill their life with since their old habits covered up their pains and emptiness. Even nothing is something, this is something that drug addicts understand because filling the urge creates newer, stronger urges, and sadly materialism has become so much like a drug that there is no real difference anymore. The pursuit of sex is a real issue today as well. Pleasure can cover up pain with moments of extreme distraction, but it also creates a pit in a person's heart since they need more and more to stay distracted from what is really causing them pain. These people need to know that Christ is tangible and can fill up their hearts! The irony is that Christ Jesus will never need to be renewed or repaired or rushed after or bought and no one can be denied Christ! But instead He will renew and repair everyone who loves Him, He will never turn anyone away, rich or poor, sinner or saint.
Make a list yourself just as I have to cater to your specialties, talents, and passions for Christ when it comes to preaching. If your list is smaller than mine that is okay because God will fill it up if you are patient.
