Nov 13

Kneeology: Steer clear of the barking dogs and religious busybodies

A Little Kneeology…… 

(Msg)  Philippians 3:2  Steer clear of the barking dogs, those religious busybodies, all bark and no bite. All they’re interested in is appearances—

Last week I was in Galveston, TX ministering at the Lone Star Motorcycle Rally, one of the largest in the nation.  Bikers For Christ set up prayer and blessing stops throughout the rally, praying for folks and praying over their bikes.  We had banners up that simply said, “Need Prayer – Stop Here”.  We greeted folks as they walked by saying “God Bless You” and when we recognized a veteran, we said, “Thank You For Your Service.”  We did not hand out tracs to litter the ground, but did have some Biker Bibles for those who requested.  We ministered to thousands each day, prayed with many.

Across the street were a group of non-bikers from the city who were dressed in prayer shawls, holding signs and banners of poles that spoke of God’s hate of sin and consequently God’s hate for the sinner.  They shouted at folks who were going down the sidewalks and street drinking beer, smoking, or even some of the women who might be dressed rather skimpy how God despised them and how they were.  The police intervened several times and finally an officer was stationed with them to keep the angry public from attacking them.  I found myself wanting to thump them on the head pretty hard as they offered no recourse for God’s grace.  They were stepping out in front of traffic, nearly causing some bikers to go down.

A young woman who was selling beer at a stand near our location came up to me and said, “That is what has kept me from the church.  I love the way your people handle themselves and it is an encouragement to me.”  I replied, “We try to use the ‘Jesus method’. Surprisingly, she said, “That’s the kind of people that put Jesus on the Cross.”

I guess what I am saying is, she might or might not have been a Christian but at least she knew what she expected a Christian to act like.  As evangelists and ministers we must follow the example of Jesus when ministering.  Our goal should always be to bring focus on Jesus, not ourselves.  Our purpose must not be on our church or organization but on the Kingdom of God.  Although God despises sin, we must speak of repentance, forgiveness, and grace.  We must offer hope for all.

As I thought back on the words of the young lady, I had to agree that I too had been accosted by such folks in my younger days and that kept me from desiring to have anything to do with church, and for that matter, Christians.  People that are broken, chained to the ways of sin, who are searching for truth need to know the true Jesus, not that which is conjured up by religious zealots.

In all things let us show the Jesus that the woman at the well encountered. He spoke of her sin, offered grace, and then sent her off to tell others about Him.

NOTW…Bro. Mike

Oct 31

Ministry tips and tools-Ministry Attitude Checkup

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/uwPQiasO3kg

I find that re-reading 1 Peter 5:2-11 helps keep my ministry priorities in order. I read and meditate on this scripture at least four times a year.

1 Peter 5:2-11: 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.  5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.  11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.  NKJV

Here are some of my reflections on this passage.

Verse two tells me.  Shepherd the flock – First of all leaders must lead. That sounds simple, but what God is telling us is that we are responsible for the ministry and the people He has given us. We cannot default to someone else.  I should be a willing leader and eagerly serve the people. Remember Jesus is our example as a leader. What did he say?  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) We are not to serve because we going to get something out of it, but to serve so that God is glorified through us.

Verse three tells me. Not as being lords over … Not to be overbearing as a leader. As leaders, it is our responsibility to teach and lead our people into the vision God has given us. We do that by discovering their giftings and placing them into the part of the vision that will bring them success as they help fulfill the overall vision.  As leaders, it is our responsibility to help all who are under our leadership to succeed, to help to bring victory to all who are involved. Then make sure we celebrate the victory and thank them for their service.

We also must be the godly example, as the TMCI ordination service says, “for the people under your care to follow-day in and day out-offering yourself always to be judged by those who need to meet the Lord”.

Verse Five and Six:  submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, Reminds us that we should submit to other believers especially those who are spiritually mature. I encourage you, like me, to get someone who will hold you accountable and is willing to ask the hard questions and willing to speak into your life. Proverbs 11:14 says: Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety. We need to humble yourselves before God. Remember it is what God wants in your life, not what you or your friends, your relatives, or even the one you minster to wants.

We are part of a theocracy: Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Remember as we lift Jesus up, He will lift us up in His timing.

I am reminded that when God give us a vision, we are not ready to complete it.  He first has to make us the persons He needs so He starts the process of refining us for the ultimate propose he has for us. It takes time. All I know is that God had to get a lot of Bob out of Bob before he could start using me. He is still refining me.

Verse seven.  casting all your care upon Him.  The quicker we learn this, the better off we will be. Remember Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” So, if you are struggling with ministry, it could be that you are taking on things that you are not supposed to. If you do not have peace of mind, turn it over to God and let him have it. Worry or fretting over the situation will not solve it. Once you give it, do not take it back.  This casting all your care upon Him is 1)something most leaders give mental assent to, but have trouble doing.

Verse eight 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion,  Be sober or have self-control and be alert or watchful, because Satan is always trying to exploit a situation. He always attacks at the weakest point. Sometimes it is with our families, especially our children, but many times through carnal Christians in our ministries. We have to be alert, because small problems become big problems if not addressed. Do not let Satan get a foothold: deal with it quickly.

Verse nine: Resist him, steadfast in the faith  Resist Satan and He will flee. It is like facing down a bully when you were a kid.  Most of the time the bully was a lot of talk, but no power. Satan, whose name mean deceiver, only can talk big, but has neither authority nor power to back it up. Jesus has taken that away from him. Stay in faith; do not let the circumstanced dictate your feelings. Let the Word of God dictate your feelings.

 Remember there is nothing new under the sun, Satan’s tactics have been tried on all the brethren – what you are going through many other leaders have been through. Read about some of the leaders in the Bible and see what they went through.  And remember what John said: He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. Our faith is built on Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

Verse Ten and Eleven But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.  11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen These verses are a great comfort to me as I know even though I go through these trials, Jesus is always there, will restore me and make me strong, firm and steadfast.  And I glorify Him for all that He does for me and through me. Amen

Also less you thought I forgot Verse Four you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. Our reward for our leadership is we will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.   And we will have the privilege of laying it at the feet of Jesus when we get to heaven.

I pray this will help you in your leadership walk,

Bishop Bob Coulter

The book I would recommend at this time is Developing the leader within you by John Maxwell

Oct 30

Kneeology… Trained to Be a Warrior

A Little Kneeology …. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (Msg) The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.

Many years ago when I was a young man arriving in boot camp I thought I was tough and ready to stand up against anyone and anything. About three or four days into my basic training I began to doubt whether I was even human or not and I just knew that my Drill Sarge hated me. He seemed to be attacking my identity and desiring to change everything about me. It wasn’t until weeks later that I realized that he had to begin with changing my independent mindset, that of the world, to the mindset of a warrior.

The mindset that I had brought in from the world would only provide for my defeat. He was instilling within me a warrior mentality. A warrior mentality would be able to carry me through the many obstacles and threats of the enemy. Just as he and others prepared me to fight the physical battles that would be before me, God’s awesome Holy Spirit prepares me to not only fight through the physical but also the spiritual battles that the enemy affronts us with daily.

We have to be careful to maintain a spiritual warrior mentality and not allow ourselves to be distracted by the world’s way of doing things as they are weak and not of the Kingdom. For example, we have churches and ministries that are marketing themselves to appeal to worldly values, churches using gimmicks to attract people and then continuing such to keep them. Out of that comes the warped philosophies, what was once sound doctrine now mixed with junk of this world mindset that erect barriers to folks having an understanding of the truths of Scripture and the real promises of God. Consequently, there seems to be a church or so-called doctrine for every taste or whimsy whether it be of Scripture or not. I see ministries that were once built on the obvious calling of God that have drifted from their original focus towards competing with one another using worldly mindsets and tactics instead of submitting to spiritual guidance. Our Daddy God has equipped each of us whom He has called for battle because He knows we face a spiritual enemy that is manifested both spiritually and physically, attacking our spirit and using worldly methods and obstacles to trip us up. We need to know that if we are going to be the conquerors and over-comers that God has called and equipped us to be, we can’t straddle the fence, seeking the power of God and then letting the world order our steps. Our greatest witness to the power of God is live, minister, fight and conquer in the supernatural power of God. After all, if we have read the Book, we know which side wins. We just need to stay on the winning side and keep focused on a warrior mentality.

Yours in Christ, NOTW Bro. Mike

Oct 24

Bishop Coulter: Word to TMCI for this next year (September 2015 – September 2016)

Word to TMCI for the next year (Sept. To Sept) Bishop Coulter released at annual conference September 24, 2015

Make a joyful noise into the Lord for he is worthy to be praised!

Open the doors with shouts of joy
Break through every gate with boldness and power
See the road set before you and press steady onward. Not hesitating or turning back.

Decisions will come at nano-second speed
Your ears have been tuned to hear me as never before… Not only in minutest detail but in the lowest or highest range you will hear me and recognize and know it is me. You have come into a place of true understanding and experiencing of “that still small voice” … Be swift to hear; swift to obey

The days ahead are full of adventure filled with delight.

Be strong in the Lord and the power of his word (mandate, declaration, a new anointing)

Take every chance I give you and seize the moment that my glory will explode and fill the earth

You are the leader for this hour and are leading my people into “the promised land.”

Trust and obey

Oct 22

Bishop Coulter: Just a Thought – Are You a Grasshopper?

Dear Friends,

Several days ago during our morning devotions in the office, Judy Covington read excerpts from Numbers 13 about the spies’ report after they had spied out the Promised Land. We all know the story of how Joshua and Caleb said, “we can take the land,” but ten spies said “no we can’t”, and the people believed them and not God.

But the verse that struck me was verse 33 which says.
Numbers 13:33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

Notice they were like grasshoppers in their own sight!  So the enemy viewed them the same way.
They did not go up to spy the land in faith, but in fear. They let fear guide their thoughts. They let fear dictate who they were.  Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinks within himself, so he is.

The 10 spies defeated themselves with their negative thinking. They were thinking, “we cannot do that” but they forgot that God could do it through them.   Remember, the enemy will always reinforce your negative thinking. When you say,” I can’t do that”, the enemy is quick to agree with you. He will send you well-meaning friends who will reinforce the negative with words like, “that will cost you too much, you do not have the experience, or what happens if you fail”?

Remember the battle is always for the mind. If Satan can get you into negative thinking, he will be able to stop you in all your endeavors. I will remind you of 2 Tim 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.  So when fear or negative thinking comes to you, know that it is an attack from the evil one.

In these situations I always like to remind myself of two verses;
Luke 1:37 For with God nothing will be impossible.
Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

What is God calling you to do today? This is a season where God is moving quickly and powerfully. He is calling his people to new exploits. He is moving us out of our comfort zones. The question is, “Are you going to allow Him to work through you and gain new ground or are you going to stay and think that is impossible?”

I encourage you today to let God move you into that new territory He has for you. The Israelites did not understand that God would go before them and the victory was assured because God was with them.  Joshua and Caleb understood that with God’s help nothing is impossible.

Today I encourage you to let God stretch you once again. To believe in the God who has called you and believe in yourself. God does not make mistakes. He called you because He has a great victory for you and your ministry.

Let us move forward to all that God has in store for us,
Bishop Bob Coulter

Oct 07

A Little Kneeology…… John 1:50 (NLT) “…. You will see greater things than this.”

A Little Kneeology……  John 1:50 (NLT) “…. You will see greater things than this.”           

A couple of weeks ago while attending the TMCI annual conference in Lancaster, SC, I was listening to some folks discuss Bishop Ben Covington and as they did I began to be reminded of my experiences with him.  Later that same day, Sister Judy Covington spoke of some founding events as TMCI was being birthed and subsequent years of development.  I was reminded of the above words of Jesus and the promise He was making for those who would just believe and obey.  Certainly, Bishop Ben and Sister Judy believed and obeyed the words and leading of Jesus as they began and guided TMCI into the ministry that it is today.  They knew through the promise of Jesus that they would provide for others to see greater things with and through TMCI than they themselves have seen and, praise God, we have seen that continue on through Bishop Bob and others within the leadership of TMCI.

In the days and years to come we must perpetuate the promise and continue to follow the leading of Jesus and move in the directions which the Holy Spirit moves us with the same goal and provision.  In fact, we as individual ministries must focus on the same.  I firmly believe that if God called us to a certain ministry, we should do everything in obedience and with the desire to provide its continuance beyond our years and time on this side of the Kingdom.

I don’t know where I heard the saying that “no man is an island” but it is true.  As our ministries have an effect on the lives and souls of folks today, should they not be continued for the future?  I have spoken to several folks that seem to have had very little concern for their ministry beyond themselves.  Is that being a good steward of God’s blessings?  I had one mention that he wanted to keep the ministry going until he could retire.  What about beyond?  It seems that we sometimes take the worldly view of ministry being a job or profession instead of a calling to establish a foothold for the work of God.  Jesus cursed the fig tree that failed to bear fruit, to continue beyond the seasons past.  I know that God does not waste His blessings, nor should we. 

It is my prayer that everyone who left the conference will not only realize the need to perpetuate their ministry beyond themselves but will also persuade others to do the same.  TMCI is such an awesome tool for that purpose as we encourage people to submit themselves to the ministry or for current membership to broaden their areas of ministry as God leads. I recently talked to a brother who was retiring from ministry and found him to be delighted as he said, “Praise God it is all over now. No more sermons, no more counseling, just doing what I want to.”  Not only did my heart break for him, wondering just how long he had been so miserable, but also hurting for all the folks that his ministry touched and praying that they don’t feel abandoned.

The Word speaks of us not thinking of ourselves better than we really are and to be honest in our evaluation of ourselves, so then, should our ministry calling solely rest or end with us.  It is most important that we take the attitude of Bishop Ben, Sister Judy, Bishop Bob and the leadership team of TMCI and seek to be constantly renewing the workers preparing the harvest.  We are all called to complete submission to service to the Kingdom and a great part of that is the act of making new disciples and developing new workers for the vineyard.  Let us not get so self-focused that we fail to provide for the next season.  

NOTW…Bro. Mike

Oct 07

Ministry Tips and Tools: Making Disciples

Matt 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. NKJV

This Scripture is very familiar to all of us. Unfortunately the church as a whole is not fulfilling the great commission. The church is good at making converts, but lacking skill in making disciples of Jesus Christ. Some are good at making members of the church by entertaining them every Sunday with the hope they come back next week. One of the reasons the American church is so spiritually weak is that we stopped making disciples and instead chose to operate entertainment centers.

But the church is required to make disciples of Jesus Christ. We are required by Christ to teach them to observe all things that I have commanded you. You could say “I was not there with the disciples so I did not observe what Christ did.” But in fact we have 20-20 hindsight through the Bible. The Holy Spirit has inspired men of God to write the Scripture through His guidance. Even today, the Holy Spirit speaks to our spirits to give us the revelation we need for each new day.

So how do we make a convert a disciple? By taking time with them. We must become their friend. One interesting statistic is that a new convert must meet at least 5-10 new Christian friends, in order to keep them in your church or ministry. If this does not happen, they will gravitate back to their old friends and eventually into their old life style. So to put it simply, we must truly love them.

Next, we need to get them into the Word of God. I suggest that you give them a Bible that is easy to read. I remember when I accepted Christ I went to an adult Sunday School Class and shared with the teacher that I had a King James Bible that I could not understand. He blew me away by saying, “Here Bob take my Bible.” That Bible is still being used in my family today. What a blessing.

Next they got me involved in a weekly Bible study where I grew steadily. The key to bringing a convert to maturity is getting them into the Word of God. So if you do not have a Bible study to bring them to, start studying the Bible with them. If the new convert does not learn the promises from the Word of God, when tribulation comes, he will be discouraged and may give up. We need to teach him to stand on the Word of God.

It takes time to make a disciple so we might be inconvenienced to help them grow; i.e., lay down our lives. Why make disciples? Christ modeled it; commanded us to do it; and the New Testament disciples applied it as we see in:

Acts 2:42-47 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.

46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. NKJV

The apostle taught the Word, they fellowshipped and prayed with each other. They were in awe of what God was doing in their midst and signs and wonders followed them. They broke bread together, went house to; they had the gift of hospitality and praised God together as the Lord added to their numbers.

Next, in making disciples, you must find them meaningful ministry. The interesting thing is that people come out of a need. But within six months they need to feel needed. The baby busters and millenniums want to make a difference with their lives. Interestingly they are very like the people who went through the great depression and World War II. They are workers. They do not want to throw money at the problem; they want to be part of the solution.

So they are attracted to churches or ministries that are doing social outreach. They do not want to just sit in church; they want to be active making changes in their community or the world.

Part of discipling is to help them find and exercise their spiritual gift in ministry. The best way is to put them with a mature Christian that is operating in that gift. But the important thing is that we allow them to practice their gifting so they can grow and mature in that gift.

Lastly, we must release them for ministry so they can influence other in their sphere of influence. Remember for churches and ministries to grow we must encourage our people to minister outside our walls. Remember sheep beget sheep, not shepherds. So to increase the kingdom of God in your area you need to release your people to go outside the wall and reach the lost for Christ and have them in turn disciple their new converts.

Making disciples fundamentally means making friends, taking time to know the person. It seems that the gift of hospitality has left the church; but I encourage you to reignite it in your ministry and church. Take the time to fellowship with new converts; invite them to your home along with other members of your ministry or church so that they get to know others as well. As I said earlier, new converts need to meet 5-10 new Christian friends in order for them to feel accepted.

So discipling simply means taking a believer and moving him on in faith, so he begins to mature and employ his gifts in the body of Christ.

As Bill Hull said in his book The Disciple Making Church, Christ was the ultimate disciple maker. Christ employed a six-step method.

  1. Tell them what.

  2. Tell them why.

  3. Show them how.

  4. Do it with them.

  5. Let them do it.

  6. Deploy them.

Many years ago, I saw a street ministry led by Randy White making disciples. Randy was getting people saved and asking the local churches to work with them. Because it was an affluent area, the pastors were reluctant to allow street people to attend their church. So Randy started his own church and started to make disciples. His ministry fed the street people so one method he used was he use a simple Bible study. What he did was to assign one chapter at a time with an answer sheet that they had to bring back filled out in order to participate in the meal that week. Out of that group he raised up leaders. A physician who was an alcoholic got saved and delivered from alcohol, and became the pastor of that church. It took Randy about two years to raise up the leadership. Making disciples takes time, but to the glory of God, Randy was successful in making disciples for Christ.

So I encourage you not just to make converts, but to fulfill the great commission, by making converts into disciples of Jesus Christ.

Be Blessed,

Bishop Bob Coulter

The book I recommend is: The Disciple Making Church by Bill Hull

Oct 02

Bro Mike: A Little Kneeology – Proverbs 20:12 12   “ Ears to hear and eyes to see—both are gifts from the Lord.”

Many of us attended the TMCI Annual Conference in Lancaster, SC last week and received some awesome teachings about cultivating our spiritual gifts.  Great fellowship was had and awesome, Spirit-led preaching was certainly the call of the day.  Not only did we experience the presence of the Holy Spirit with our ears in hearing His direction for each of us but we were able to experience with our eyes the working of the Spirit in the people around us and within us.

By Saturday morning the majority had left for home or their next assignment from God.  As He had gifted us to experience the mighty presence of the movement of the Holy Spirit with our eyes, ears, and heart, as I was driving home I was thinking what would be the very best thing that could result from such a witnessing of the movement of the Holy Spirit and what would be the very worst thing that could result.

Of course, the very best thing would be for us to return to our ministries on fire for the gospel and be used to bring many others to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  The very best thing would be to set our ministries, our churches, and the lives of others on fire for God and to see the manifestations of the Holy Spirit take over the lives of the people with which we would come in contact.  I continued to think of things such as revival, our nation being taken over by Holy fire, churches actually becoming temples of the Lord instead of cold mausoleums for the frozen chosen, missions blossoming all over the world, and the list just continued to flow and God showing me that there would be no end to the movement of His Holy Spirit upon the world.  It was truly exciting .  I found myself anxious for God to use me and for the Holy Spirit to get anything within me  that was in the way of His moving completely out of the way regardless of the pain.

But then, I began to think about what would be the most negative thing that could happen now that the conference was over and we were all leaving the awesome presence that we had experienced.  All  I could see in my mind was a big empty and blank square, indicating that nothing was happening, nothing was within the square.  I realized that vision was revealing what would happen if we did not take back to our ministries and churches, to the people, what we had seen and heard at the TMCI Annual Conference.  The most horrible possible thing that could occur is “nothing”. 

“Nothing” is happening right now throughout the world because we are not allowing our mouths to witness to what we have seen and heard and know what is true.  Jesus Christ, forgiveness, and the power of transformation through the Holy Spirit are still among the best kept secrets in the universe.   God has given us the gifts of hearing and seeing and the gifts of speech.  We must use these gifts to tell others about the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit to change lives.  We seem to feel that because the church has been silent for so long that it should be the norm.  What has become the norm is a crippled and lifeless group of people who are content for nothing to happen. In fact, when something happens it disrupts the norm so badly that chaos takes hold.  We have to allow our mouths and our lives to bear witness to that which our ears have heard and our very own eyes have seen.

I pray that we go forth with nothing not being an option as nothing produces nothing.  Just a thought.

NOTW…Bro. Mike

Sep 14

Ministry Tips and Tools: Cultivating Your Giftings in the Spirit

VIDEO: 

Lev 26:7-8 You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you. NIV

This year’s Annual Conference theme is Cultivating your giftings in the Spirit.  It is also the challenge for TMCI around the world for this year. God has gifted all of us with special gifts to further God’s Kingdom. Please note that we are not gifted so that we can build our reputation or increase our ministry but to increase the Kingdom of God.

The above scripture challenges me. Our society gives great honor to what they call a self-made man: the person who through much effort on his part singlehandedly reaches his goal.  But if you look at the lives of “self-made men”, you will find that they had people around them who helped them along the way. God’s will is that people not be lone Rangers. Jesus sent his disciples out two by two.

 We need each other as Paul outlines in 1 Cor 12:14-20

14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.  NIV

We all have various gifts but no one person has all the gifts. Jesus is the only one who operated in all the gifts.

One of the mistakes people make is that instead of looking at the gifts God has given them, they look at the gifts they do not have. I remember complaining to God, (now I know you would never do that) about my becoming interim pastor at my church – replacing a pastor who was a dynamic preacher and operated in the gifts of the Spirit with power. He could paint a picture on the wall with his words. So there I was early Sunday morning praying, but reality I was complaining that I did not have the gifts that former pastor had. Then the Holy Spirit spoke to my spirit and asked who preached on the day of Pentecost and 3000 got saved.

 I said Peter, of course, but the Spirit said no, I did through Peter and the same Holy Spirit that preached through Peter is in you, so stop your complaining and do what you are called to do and let me operate through you.

The other mistake we make is try to” work on” the gifts we do not have, and neglect the one we have. We should always try to refine; to perfect the gifts God has put in us by reading the Bible to see how they are used in Scripture. We should join with mature Christians who operate in the Same Gifts becoming an Elisha to that person. Remember, Elisha did not start his ministry; he let Elijah train and speak into his life.

So when you need a gift you do not have, reach out to those who have the gift and join with them so your gifts will bless them and their gifts will bless you.  When Barnabas was sent to Antioch (Acts 11) he saw that they needed more than encouraging, they needed a strong teacher so he went and got Paul and together they ministered to the people.  It is like TMCI’s partnership with Live School in Africa. Live School helps train church people to plant other churches:  they have the people and curriculum so we help them and they help us in training our TMCI-Liberia churches and the kingdom is advanced.

This coming year is a year of Divine appointments. Last year, God called us out as His “no name army”. This year, I believe he wants to unite us together in force that will attack and take back territory from the enemy. I believe that there are areas in this country and throughout the world that God want to use you and other TMCI ministers to take ground and overcome the enemy by helping each other with our giftings.

My pledge to you is that, if you are interested in doing something special in your geographic area of ministry, I will put you in touch with other TMCI ministries in your area and help organize your event with these TMCI ministries. If you want to do something international, let me know what area of the world, and we will put you in touch with the TMCI missionaries in that area.

It is time for us to not only look to our ministry, but also look to see how we can work with others to make a bigger difference for Christ in our geographic area.  We need to help  each other solidify the victory by making disciples of new converts and  making sure the territory gain is solidified before moving on to gain more ground. What do I mean by that? Too many times we think we won the victory only to lose it because we did not follow through and solidify the gains.

Let look at David and Goliath, David threw the stone that felled Goliath, He had knocked Goliath out but had not defeated him completely until he took Goliath’s sword and cut off his head. Then he had complete victory.

Too many Christians throw a knockout punch and walk away thinking they have the victory when they only won a battle and not the victory.  We need to follow through, solidify the gains and only then move on.

How do we do that? By making converts into disciples for Christ and then releasing them for ministry to help us take more ground from the enemy.

So I encourage you today to have a shift in your ministry thinking. To ask yourself, whom can I connect with to make a bigger difference in my ministry area. I do not feel God has called us to be lone rangers, but to unite our ministries with others in our area of ministry to make a bigger impact in the world.

That is my prayer for you. Go forth united and build the Kingdom of God with your other brothers and sisters in Christ.

Let us move forward together,

Bishop Bob Coulter

Please remember the Annual conference September 23 -25 in Lancaster, SC; I pray that you will join us either in person or via the web.

This month’s recommended book is The Coming Shift by Larry Randolph

Sep 01

Ministry Tips and Tools – Spiritual Gifts – Part 2

Today we continue our look at Spiritual Gifts found in Romans 12: 4-8. These gifts have variously been called Grace Gifts, Motivational Gifts or Foundation Gifts.

Romans 12: 4-8

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. NKJV

God has given each believer one or more of these gifts.   Many believers exhibit more than one gift, but almost always one is dominant. Each gift affects the way that a person views all ministries. Because we all view ministry through our gifting, we find that some gifted saints can offend differently gifted folks if they do not take time to understand each other’s giftings.

Therefore, I am not going to teach these gifts in the order given, but will compare the gifts that tend to offend each other.

In our last Tips and Tools, we learned about:

Gift of Prophecy compared to the Gift of Mercy:

Gift of Ministry (Serving) compared to the Gift of Leadership (Administration)

Today we will look at the gifts of Teaching compared to Exhortation; and finish with the gift of Giving.

Gift of Teaching: The Teaching gifted derives great joy from studying the Word and doing Biblical research.

Characteristics of the Teaching Motivated:

  1. They want everyone else to be excited by the Scriptures
  2. They enjoy studying the word as much or more than presenting their findings to others.
  3. They prefer to use Biblical examples and rarely use personal experiences.
  4. They are watchful that others who teach the Word do not deviate from the truth.
  5. They present truth systematically.
  6. They use Biblical foundations to test new truths. They know that the Bible is not self-contradictory; it always flows together, and if a new teaching contradicts foundational biblical truth, it is false teaching and should be ignored

Guidelines for teaching motivated people:

  1. Be careful to present material in an interesting fashion.
  2. Make sure the lessons have practical applications.
  3. Teach with humility and compassion: because teachers love to spend time in the Word, they often become very knowledgeable about it. This may lead to a prideful attitude.

Gift of Exhortation very strongly life-related; drawing upon the practical applications of life experiences to produce abundant living in others.

Characteristic of the Exhortation Motivated:

  1. They like to give others “Steps of Activity” to follow to bring them out of their misery, trials and tribulations.
  2. They like for teaching from God’s Word to be applicable to everyday living.
  3. They give practical applications.
  4. They want you to relate to the subject matter and incorporate it into your daily life.
  5. They are very perceptive to others’ reactions.
  6. They like to relate personal examples to Biblical truths.
  7. They love to counsel others and give others new insights into the Word so they can practice it and see changes in their lives.

Guidelines for exhortation motivated people:

  1. Be sensitive to the Lord’s Exhorters may tend to emphasize their action steps more than stressing depending on the Lord who gives the steps.
  2. Have faith in God. If the people to whom exhorters minister do not follow their advice, the exhorters may feel that they have failed God.
  3. Be careful not to take Scripture out of context. Sometimes exhorters want so badly to prove their points that they may twist Scripture to fit the example they are giving.

Teachers are very protective of God’s word. They will be the first ones to point out to a preacher if he misquotes a Scripture or takes a Scripture out of context. So if an exhorter takes a scripture out of context, it can bother and upset a teacher. One of my gifts is exhortation so I will give a personal example of how an exhorter can offend a teacher. Recently I was preparing one of my teachings and was tired and could not get the word for the point I was trying to make, so I got sloppy and just threw in a word. Now Judy Covington (the teacher) reviews all my teachings. When she saw what I wrote she immediately challenged me saying that’s not what the Scripture says and suggested another word. And of course she was right. Teachers will protect the word of God; exhorters must not take the Word of God out of context.

Gift of Giving: Means to share spiritual gifts, finances, oneself and the gospel.

Characteristics of the Giving motivated:

  1. They not only offer their money, but also their time and themselves to the Lord’s work.
  2. They feel they are part of any ministry into which they give. They may not be involved with the day-to day activities of all the ministries to which they give, but they feel they are knit together spiritually with those ministries
  3. They are very burdened that the church or ministry’ financial needs are met.
  4. They do not like to be pressured into giving. They are often offended when they receive an appeal letter from ministers or ministries.
  5. They give high quality gifts, often giving the best and keeping lesser quality items for themselves.

Guideline for giving motivated people:

  1. Remember that God is your source and do not use your gifts for manipulation.
  2. Remember that others may need encouragement to give.
  3. Maintain balance in your giving. Do not go to extremes – do not neglect your family’s needs.
  4. Be careful not to help someone who God is trying to discipline in the area of finances. Pray before you give to individuals or organizations to make sure God want you to do so. Do not give because it makes your flesh feel good; make sure it is where God wants to sow His resources through you.

I pray that these teachings will give you some food for thought as you “cultivate your giftings in the Spirit”. This is the theme for this year’s annual conference. We will be teaching and discussing more about cultivating your giftings at the annual conference. On Friday afternoon, we have scheduled a time for small groups so you can give your wisdom on this important subject.

I look forward to seeing you at the Annual Conference which is September 23-25 in Lancaster, South Carolina. Please go to our website www.tmciworld.com for more information.

Be Blessed,

Bishop Bob Coulter

Recommended book: Know Your Ministry by Marilyn Hickey