Here’s my email to the elders/deacons of Crestview on 11/5/13:
In last week’s email, we reviewed session 9 of our DVD curriculum with Paul Tripp’s Dangerous Calling series. Today, I’m wrapping up the brief review of these final sessions with a summary of session 10. Session 10 was entitled “Removing Pretenses.” The major Scripture Tripp engaged was 1 Peter 5:6-11. He unpacked what pretenses were and got into some main points:
· We will blame situations or people for the separation we may have between our public ministry and our private lives.
· We all experience a loss of awe and feelings of arrival, but can fight these temptations by:
o Remembering your place: humble yourself under the mighty hand of God
o Resting in God’s care (He cares for you)
o Taking the war of ministry seriously
o Resisting (evil), no matter what
o Trusting God’s sanctifying grace
Some questions:
1) What is a pretense? How do we use pretense to make ourselves comfortable with a separation between our public ministry and private lives?
2) What changes would you like to see in your church ministry culture? In yourself?
3) What perceptions about yourself or ministry have changed as you’ve worked through this material?
Applications:
· Which action do you need to be more mindful to incorporate into your life and ministry: humbling yourself under the mighty hand of God; resting in God’s care; taking the war of ministry seriously; resisting, no matter what; or trusting God’s sanctifying grace?
· How can we build a healthy and effective culture of ministry together?
I trust these sessions have been good for us as a leadership team. I’m going to do 2 more emails and then wrap up for the year. Hope you have a great week living out these truths.