Has a cell that feels 'dead' got to do with the leaders not hearing God's voice?
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
A thought that i've been pondering over the weekend...Are my cell members more spiritually 'inclined' to the things of the Kingdom of God, or are they more inclined towards movies like 200 pound beauty, frivilous talk and TV shows like Prison Break? meaning what is the talk on their lips all the time.
Because I realise that sheep take on the inclinations of the shepherd, and the shepherd always personifies the things he or she is passionate about. As such, I do believe that one practical measure of the level of the spiritual atmosphere of our cell groups are the type of conversations the shepherds model when they talk. I'm starting to see that, even though i as a shepherd and cell intern i sometimes think that i don't have that much of an influence over most of my cell members lives, the truth is that i'm still being observed and watched by them all the time, in the way i dress, in the way i talk, in my mannerisms, in my behavior, and in my actions.
Therefore, if a shepherd always ranting about the latest movies in town all the time (Spidey 3 is here..Tobey Macguire is stylo! Pirates is next!), then it really comes to show that the shepherd personify movies as something he or she runs after. Conversely, if the shepherd is always making an effort to encourage sheep about the latest experiences with God in his or her life, and encouraging and exhorting them with the Scriptures, then it comes to show that he or she is really putting Romans 8:6 "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" to the walk!
Thus, I've compiled the following stock-check of questions that I as a leader and shepherd in the youth ministry should always ask myself from time to time. As i go through the list every now and then, i do so in prayer, because it takes the Holy Spirit to illuminate the hidden faults in my life:
1. Do i find ministry(cell, functional ministry etc,) exciting and alive with the Presence of God each time i serve?
2.Do i find it very easy to talk about God in my life when people ask me, or is it easier for me to talk about material stuff around me(movies,tv,games, clothes etc)?
3.What are the topics that i am always keen to talk about to others?
4.With what manner do i speak?Abrupt? Loud? Soft-Spoken?
5.Do I speak with hope and grace on my lips and carry the fragrance of Christ around all the time? or do i shirk and give pessimistic, replies?
As you may see, the questions are quite progressive and serve to reveal the general situation of where i currently am at. Honestly, majority of the time the 'NO' answers to the questions have got to do with a broken communication line with God. Then, that's where the most rudimentary question comes "Am I on talking terms with God?". In other words, have i been talking to God lately and hearing from Him in the secret place? Because if I really do hear God speak, i would not be personifying all these other idolatrous loves like the latest movies in town! Hearing God speak is a cause-and-effect process.; the more you hear hear the Lord speak, the more you'll be driven to obey what He's telling you! God speaks, I obey, and i obey easier when i have been closer to hearing His voice!
If we feel our cell group is very 'dead' and purposeless, could it be because the shepherds and leaders have not been hearing the voice of the Lord speaking? When leaders articulate great ideas, plans and instructions from their minds, nothing really happens. But when God uses leaders to speak the words He has told them, life comes in and is infused into the very hearts of the sheep!
So let's press on to hear His voice everyday!
Posted byjohn leow at 9:57 AM
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