Kingdom Building - Term Paper Example

? Kingdom Building Word Count: 1319 (5 pages) PART ONE: My Fit in Ministry (Before Briefly describe where you are involved in ministry now and/or the ministry path you have been pursuing prior to taking this course. Later in your paper, you will discuss whether or not you feel this is still the ministry path you should continue or pursue. This should be at least one page long. The ministry path I am involved in now is basically helping people, especially the underprivileged and underserved populations which have traditionally been overlooked—people from all different nationalities, races, and ethnicities, with a wide variety of socioeconomic statuses. As for what I do right now, I do feel that I am called to help the poor. That is my job. In my ministry, everyone is equal, for God “looketh on the heart.”1 God looks upon what is on the inside—not upon that which is on the outside. Thus, it is important that we realize that God judges differently than humans judge, humans who look upon outward appearances many times—forgetting that there is a person underneath the flesh and bones. People are not just flesh and bone, but we are also mind and spirit. The whole mind-body-spirit connection must be made. People who minister only to one part of the body will not see the complete picture. If someone is hungry, he is not going to want to listen to spiritual platitudes about how one should feed the hungry. That makes no sense. Therefore, my style of ministry oozes with common-sense, on-the-ground approaches that will help people be ministered to on all levels, not just one single level. This is important to recognize because, so many people stress the spiritual level. So many people push about being spiritual. Jesus, however, taught us not to be spiritual, but to have a common-sense approach. If I see a hungry man or woman, I am going to feed that person. If I see someone who needs water, I will give that person a glass of water. I’m not going to come up to them and shove a Bible tract in their face and say, “Are you ‘born again’?” That kind of guerilla-style marketing approach in Christianity does not make sense nor is it practical. PART TWO: Spiritual Gifts: Based on the strengths and weaknesses of your primary gifts, discuss whether or not they fit with your ministry path and why you feel this way. If they do not fit in your ministry path, what kinds of people would need to serve along with you for successful ministry? This should be at least one page long. (275) I am a big encourager, and I like to see people do well. I would definitely have to work with other people who are encouraging, because without that form of encouragement, I don’t see myself or my parishioners succeeding. The people who attend my church should always feel welcome, and no one should be left out feeling they did not do a good job. It’s always a good idea to find some positive aspect about everything and everybody—it is never kind to speak ill of someone, even if they have faults. I know that sometimes gossip and fear-mongering can definitely ruin faith-based relationships and trust within a church. This is called lashon hara in Hebrew (literally, “the evil tongue”), which is the exact opposite of love.2 Speaking ill of someone is not only considered rude, but gossip is contagious. Once one person does it, it is tempting for someone else to want to “chime in,” and give their opinion. Soon, a molehill can be turned into a mountain with enough silver tongues spouting their opinions. In my ministry, another requirement would have to be working with people who are teachable individuals or people who are teachers themselves. People who are teachable are open to all kinds of learning. Similarly, teachers likewise might usually be the types of people who are open to learning of some sort. Thus, I have to work with people who are both encouragers and teachers, like myself. This gives me the ability to perfect my ministry to the point where people will come to rely on my consistency, as well as the steadfastness of the team I am working within. PART THREE: Church Evaluations: As you evaluated the various church ministries, did you find areas that interested you more than others? If so, what were they and why do they interest you? Do your findings fit with your ministry path? This should be at least one page long. There are several various church ministries, many of which interested me. But alas, I could not be involved in all of them. I Cor. 12 talks about the spiritual gifts.3 There is so much to learn really about spiritual gifts—because they influence the ministries that people end up ultimately creating and being involved in in the church setting. Some areas definitely interested me more than others. I liked various types of ministry which dealt with tending to the sick and needy. I was not as interested in church administration or church politics, or the everyday workings of the church. Rather, my main concern was caring for people. I think if someone has a Ph.D. in the Bible but they don’t know how to love their fellow human being, there is something grossly imbalanced about that—but one sees it a lot, more often than one should. There are people who have very high levels of education who let others fall through the cracks—and why, simply because they do not care. God cares, and so should his servants. These findings fit with my ministry path because I believe that we are all equipped to serve God and thus handle people with God’s care. I could be wrong, but I know that I am not. I am fully sure of my convictions that there is a God out there who loves everybody—and not just “a” God, but “the” God, the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last—whom I represent on a daily basis. I should not make Him ashamed. PART FOUR: Interaction with Church Leaders: As you interacted with the church leaders, what stood out to you the most? How does this affect your pursuit of ministry? This should be at least one page long. ?? Many people who are leaders talk about the “preferential option for the poor,” as Gustavo Gutierrez, the famous liberation theologian, notes.4 The problem with this ‘preferential option for the poor’ is that there is nothing preferential about being poor, nor is it necessarily an option for anyone. That term is misleading. Nor do others ‘prefer’ the poor, and nor is it an option to ignore the poor. Thus, this term is wrong on so many levels—spiritually, morally, in many ways…it is a bust. I know Gustavo Gutierrez is famous for Latin American liberation theology, but I just don’t agree with this high-minded terminology which eliminates the possibility that being poor is not an option—but that poverty is something that people are thrust into themselves. It is not by any good graces that people can come up from poverty except by doing hard work—and a lot of it. PART FIVE: My Fit in Ministry (After): Do you feel that you are on the correct ministry path? If so, what are the next steps that you will take to prepare to serve? If not, in which direction should you go so that you can most effectively use your spiritual gifts and the knowledge you have gleaned from this course? What advice would you give to someone planning to go into ministry based on what you have learned in this course? This should be at least one page long. I do believe that I am on the correct path. The steps that I plan to take to prepare to serve are to, first of all, be educated. I must strive to succeed at whatever I do in life so that I can devote my life to the Lord and delivering for him. I know that, at heart, I must try the best I can in order to ensure that I don’t let God down in any manner. The spiritual gifts that I found that I had will be very useful in the future in helping me determine where I serve, and what are the specifics of exactly what I will be doing. But, I also know that there is a great deal of knowledge to be had about God and about His Word, and I promise that I will try my best to better serve Him, as in the past I know I have not always done what He asked me to do in the first place. But now that I see God has shown up at my doorstep, I know that my battle to be in a relevant and effective ministry was not in vain. I am going to try to build partnerships with people who share the same vision and work in an organization which reflects my goals. The advice that I would give to people who are planning to go into ministry would be to go where God leads you most strongly, no matter what other people are telling you. God will place you where he wants you, whether it is organizing a faith-based effort or mission, or whether it is trying to get the community more actively involved in the churches. Whatever the reason, getting people to do good because they believe in a God that loves them is the key principle underlying any good and competent ministry and this should be duly noted. WORKS CITED Blue Letter Bible lexicon. Retrieved after accessing on 19 Aug 2011 at: . Gutierrez, Gustavo. “The Task and Content of Liberation Theology,” translated by Judith Condor. Edited by Christopher Rowland. The Cambridge Companion to Liberation Theology. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999. The Holy Bible (King James/Authorized Version, as well as the New King James Version). Passage Lookups. One Bible passage was accessed 19 Aug 2011 at: < http://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=spiritual+gifts&qs_version=KJV>. Read More