Influencers Weekly Devotional

Go With ME

Embracing our Sacred Responsibility with Christ

The Heart of a Volunteer

“My heart is with Israel's princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the LORD!” Judges 5:9 (NIV)

I love the line out of the movie, Pearl Harbor, when Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle says: “There's nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer.” When I heard it, I thought of the men around me I’ve seen, and not seen, who are faithfully serving our King by the way they give their life in serving others. For you men volunteering your services in the greatest army ever assembled, the Army of God, this devotional is dedicated to you. I wish I could be with every one of you, lift you up on my shoulders, walk you around the stadium of God, and allow the applause of Heaven to fill your ears. I cannot do this. However, you can hear it if you listen closely, by faith. By faith you must strain your ears, and position your weary spirit in such a way that you listen to it being spoken to your heart. It is being sent down to you right now. Your good works, although they may be obscure and hidden from view by the people around you, are being seen and are deeply appreciated by the pioneers of the faith who have gone before us, as well the angels of God, and God Himself. Take it by faith this is true. There is a great “cloud of witnesses” watching your works, cheering you on, pulling for you, as you strain to the finish line at the end of your life. Influencers is a ministry built on the shoulders and willing spirit of volunteers. We have only a few essential paid staff who support the work of these volunteers, and yet, we minister to thousands of men and their families across the nation and globe. It is these volunteers who are the hands, voice, and heart of this ministry. I am assured that God is delighted by the service of these men, and He has anointed our work because of it. As far as I can see, this will never change for this ministry, for a process has begun that will eventually transfer my leadership of Influencers to an Executive Cabinet of highly gifted, called volunteers, who will lead this ministry into the future. If God allows, I will always be part of Influencers to play my part in going after God's men. But the movement God began almost 10 years ago by Christian businessmen must be sustained by like-minded men who will carry the torch into the future. In this day and time of the institutionalism of many churches and other ministries, we are seeing volunteers being replaced by paid staff for most ministerial functions. The fact is these paid staff members actually become the ministry of their church because it is required of them. I am not faulting this paradigm, for I praise God that He financially provides for people who dedicate their careers to serve Him professionally. I have precious loved ones and friends who faithfully serve our God, while serving as pastors. But I also know these men and women are overworked and are close to burning out. In many ways, an institutionalized church will always burn its staff out, for a tacit, hidden message is conveyed that volunteers are needed only to support the “real” ministers who do the work. This message is demeaning and demoralizing. It is certainly not one God would convey, or approve of. Therefore, there must be a balance within a ministry where volunteers and paid staff serve in a ministry together, not based not on a W2 designation, but rather, on giftedness and calling. A “tentmaker” who supports himself financially, while serving our God with a minister’s heart and gift set, is no less called, or needed, or fruitful, than one who is “paid staff.” This needs to be stated over and over in the Body of Christ, for the Harvesters need to be raised up to go to God’s great harvest that unfolds before us. Some time ago, I felt God was leading me to understand the process He has given the Church for raising up “Harvesters.” Like many other things in our current church culture, we have forgotten a very important formula God has given us to equip men and women to be part of God’s great campaign for reaching a lost and dying world. It goes like this: Saved → Discipled →Abiding → Transformed →Enabled →Expressing = A Harvester for Christ Paramount to seeing a new convert go from a baby Christian to a seasoned Harvester for Christ, is a much-needed discipleship process that will move him or her into an abiding relationship with Christ. The reason this process is essential is because abiding transforms a believer and then enables his spiritual gifts. When this occurs, the combination of an authentic love relationship with Christ,the equipping of discipleship, and the enablement of the Holy Spirit, creates a supernatural expression. It is at this point in the life of the believer when he is made supernaturally ready to join God in the harvest, by becoming the Harvester God has inspired him to be. This process God gave the Church for making disciples, and for those disciples to evangelize the world as Harvesters, has been overlooked in the church culture far too long, and it must now change. The Body of Christ is formed to be God’s tool for making disciples, and then sending them to the harvest. This should be the main mission of a church, as it builds up the Body of Christ, and equips its members for the work of the ministry. For those who would say the main mission of the church is to glorify God and to enjoy Him, I would agree. However, making disciples and sending these men and women to the harvest glorifies God, and we enjoy Him best when are co-laboring with Him in something near and dear to His heart. Getting a Christian into close proximity with Christ and into an abiding relationship with Him will create a disciple. This is the place a disciple is formed. People do not make disciples. Christ does. But the Church plays its part by getting a believer close to Him. In addition, we should never simply evangelize and then forget a new convert, as is the habit of some churches. On the contrary, we disciple a new convert, and then, they become evangelizers as well when they are made ready. Believe me, I have never seen anyone who is engaged in an intimate, abiding relationship with Christ who is not also very concerned and active, in some way, in evangelism. A disciple of Christ will always be concerned for the lost people in his world because he is a disciple. However, not all Christians are disciples, and very few are engaged in evangelism. For this reason, a church culture of the “hired gun” developed, as church members hired, and then handed off , their sacred responsibilities to the church staff. Before long, it was expected by both staff and member alike that this is the way things are done. A fragmented church culture developed, and it is now time for this culture to change! This change will have to occur first in the minds and hearts of both the church leaders and their volunteers. No longer should volunteers be delegated to simple support roles for the staff ministry. Volunteers must be integrated into the fabric of the ministry of the church, and in every position. Church members must also accept their ministry responsibility and opportunities. If no opportunities exist in your church, or you are not invited to be part of its ministry, take your heart and spiritual gifts to a place that will use them. The harvest is plentiful, the workers are few, and you are needed. But you must be first equipped for the work your ministry will require. Now let’s get this right about being equipped. To the Church Staff I say: Do not start a new evangelism campaign without properly equipping your members. And members, you need to submit yourself to your staff for being equipped. But both of you please understand a very important distinction: Being equipped is not just being trained to explain, or hand out a gospel track. A volunteer must be discipled, to be equipped. But the discipleship process must lead to an intimate, abiding relationship with Christ. If this is not done, your efforts will be just another good program but will not create a transformed life. It is the transformed life God wants to put in the harvest fields. This is His plan for evangelizing the world and is what His church must do. This process creates a lot of manpower if we do it His way. So, let's do it His way and trust Him with the results. His way, Rocky CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THIS DEVOTIONAL