For the past year and a half I have been meeting with a pastor from another country in a weekly video conference. We have studied 2 Peter, Ephesians, Romans, and now we are working through Jeremiah. I have mentioned earlier in this blog, several times, that I similarly meet with several men on Tuesday mornings. That group finished Jeremiah this spring and we are now working through Hebrews.
This morning the pastor and I were working through Jeremiah 6. About half way through the conversation, I got a strong sense that I needed someone else in the conversation to help him with some of his questions and observations. Strong it needed to be, my sensitivity to the Holy Spirit is not as well developed as I would like it to be, getting better, but have a long way to go. But this morning the urging was strong and clear.
So I asked for a time out and got one of my Tuesday morning brethren in on the video conference. This man’s spiritual gift is teaching. I thought I might have vestiges of a teaching gift until I got around him. The three of us spent about 35 minutes working through the last half of Jeremiah 6.
The differences in my friend’s gift of teaching and my gift of exhortation were clear in the conversation. It was a great time.
I was re-listening to a message by Prof on the elements of a Disciplemaking Ministry while I was mowing the yard last week. One of the things he mentioned is that he never worked with a man longer than about two years. He wants them to have input from others. He did not want to reproduce his weaknesses in those he was helping. That was one of the things that was on my mind when I got my Tuesday morning friend involved.
Our charge, should we choose to take Matthew 28:18 – 20 in any way seriously, is to be about the business of making disciples. In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul said that he instructed Timothy in the presence of many witnesses. I know that I do not have all the gifts. The men I am helping need other men, other mentors in their lives. It is something on which I need to work on and prepare.
I will bring others in on those Thursday morning video calls from time to time.
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| None of these people are referred to in this post... |
So I asked for a time out and got one of my Tuesday morning brethren in on the video conference. This man’s spiritual gift is teaching. I thought I might have vestiges of a teaching gift until I got around him. The three of us spent about 35 minutes working through the last half of Jeremiah 6.
The differences in my friend’s gift of teaching and my gift of exhortation were clear in the conversation. It was a great time.
I was re-listening to a message by Prof on the elements of a Disciplemaking Ministry while I was mowing the yard last week. One of the things he mentioned is that he never worked with a man longer than about two years. He wants them to have input from others. He did not want to reproduce his weaknesses in those he was helping. That was one of the things that was on my mind when I got my Tuesday morning friend involved.
Our charge, should we choose to take Matthew 28:18 – 20 in any way seriously, is to be about the business of making disciples. In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul said that he instructed Timothy in the presence of many witnesses. I know that I do not have all the gifts. The men I am helping need other men, other mentors in their lives. It is something on which I need to work on and prepare.
I will bring others in on those Thursday morning video calls from time to time.
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