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In thinking through things this year, here are an assortment of questions that would be helpful for us to consider for ourselves, not just in assessing corporate ministry, but our personal spiritual status and ministry.
1) Am I a Bible pupil or Bible practitioner? The difference between a pupil and a practitioner is what you do with the knowledge you receive. A pupil may get smarter, but a practitioner lives what they learn. The pupil is worried about hearing a good sermon, while the practitioner is more worried about living a good sermon.
2) Worship: Am I greedy or glorifying? The greedy are selfish approach worship for what they will get out of it. The glorifying are sacrificial with their worship, not wishing to give God that which costs them nothing. When the greedy leave worship their biggest concern is if they were filled up. The glorifying are not satisfied if they did not empty themselves out.
3) Growth: Am I dormant or dynamic? The dormant believer tends to live on their spiritual growth of the past. They wander through a spiritual life that is stale and lifeless. The dynamic continues to experience growth through God speaking to them through new Bible insights and experiences. They are not content with what they had previously learned, changes God once made in their lives, but continue to pursue learning and living a life more and more like Christ.
4) Ministry: Am I inactive or involved? The inactive let others carry the weight of ministry. They complain when ministry doesn’t get done, but barely lift a finger to see it happen. The involved find the place where they can contribute. They jump into ministry with both feet, and hang in when the going gets rough. When they see needed ministry they might even fill a hole for a period of time because the ministry getting done is so important. The involved experience a level of fulfillment and purpose that the inactive never do.
5) Outreach: Am I an engager or evangelist? Engagers wait for guests to arrive at church. When guests arrive they graciously welcome them. Evangelists don’t wait for guests. They look for ways to share God’s grace beyond the church walls with people who may never enter the confines of a church building. Evangelists see the relationships they have as a platform for inviting others into God’s family, while the engager waits for people to invite themselves.
How did you do on this assessment? What changes do you need to make in the coming year?