MentorLink Leaders' Covenant

General Christian Theology
MaxPC
Posts: 9044
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2016 9:09 pm
Location: Former full time RVers
Affiliation: PlainRomanCatholic
Contact:

Re: MentorLink Leaders' Covenant

Post by MaxPC »

silentreader wrote:A close friend of mine died early this morning.

I find myself seeking His face.
Prayers for you all. Have been through this several times this year and each time is no easier than the next.
0 x
Max (Plain Catholic)
Mt 24:35
Proverbs 18:2 A fool does not delight in understanding but only in revealing his own mind.
1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God
silentreader
Posts: 2511
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2016 9:41 pm
Affiliation: MidWest Fellowship

Re: MentorLink Leaders' Covenant

Post by silentreader »

...its been a while...considerable intervening emotional trauma...considerable darkness...an occasional brilliant blaze of light in the darkness...God is good!!
...but I digress...
6. I WILL SEEK HIS FACE
Our Lord esteems and honors those who walk in humility and dependence on him and who seek his face in fellowship and communion. Jesus gave us a pattern of regularly spending time alone with the Father to seek his heart and commune with him in prayer. He did this even in the midst of many demands, pressures and even harsh circumstances. Following Jesus’ model, I want to seek him regularly in personal communion and prayer. I know this will please him and enable me to more align myself with him, his ways and his will. I also want to live within my human limits by taking regular times of rest (Sabbath) to restore my soul. I know this will mean withdrawing from the pressures of my world for periods of time. My heart is to serve him in faithfulness all my days until he takes me home or returns in his glory. By his grace I want to seek his face.

(Isa. 66:1-2; Matt. 14:23; Matt. 26:36-39; Mark 1:35-39; Luke 4:42-43; Luke 5:16; Phil. 4:5-7; 1 Peter 5:6-8)
I hesitate to extrapolate the idea of human emotion to Jesus, although there is no reason to think that they were not present during His earthly life. I wonder how often He was 'frustrated' by the dullness of hearing and understanding, and the hardness of heart and the biases of His audiences.
Certainly present with that 'frustration' was a heart of love, something which I at least sometimes have difficulty with.
In some of the Gospel references above, we see Jesus going apart, to seek His Father's face. We don't know what they talked about, but it caused me to think about the concept of sabbath.
We, as Jesus did, need a recurrent time alone with our Father. For us, at least, the regular, personal communion with God which we lost to some degree in the Garden of Eden, is necessary for our spiritual health. When we can seek His face with a clear conscience, with no known unconfessed sin, it can be a time of 'sabbath', that rests, strengthens, and brings us great blessing.
It looks forward to the eternal 'sabbath' for us, the people of God, who will be before His face in the full reality.

I'd like to drag a list across from another thread, acknowledging Bootstrap as the poster;
I wonder if its helpful to list the things that make it hard to hear God.

- It's hard to hear God when I'm speaking so loudly he can't get a word in edgewise.
- It's hard to hear God when my allegiances to other things are too strong to let him challenge them.
- It's hard to hear God when I'm not convinced that he is speaking to me.
- It's hard to hear God when I want to decide what he should say and how he should say it.
- It's hard to hear God all by myself, without help from other listeners.
- It's hard to hear God with just my analytical brain.
- It's hard to hear God with just my feelings.
- It's hard to hear God just by paying attention to circumstances.
- It's hard to hear God if I don't want to obey anyway - and he might not bother trying to speak.
- It's hard to hear God if I'm trying to suppress my mind and my feelings and circumstances.
- It's hard to hear God if I'm not already taking the steps he has told me so far - and he rarely tells me the next step until then.
- It's hard to hear God if I want to be in control.
- It's hard to hear God if I'm not looking straight in his direction and listening.

Do we seek His face with openness, or do we seek it with trepidation because of some of the preceding baggage?
There is an eternity of difference in the result.

I'd like to look further at a couple of the remaining Scripture references, hopefully sooner rather than later.
0 x
Noah was a conspiracy theorist...and then it began to rain.~Unknown
Hats Off
Posts: 2532
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2017 6:42 pm
Affiliation: Plain Menno OO

Re: MentorLink Leaders' Covenant

Post by Hats Off »

silentreader wrote:
5. I WILL DEVELOP LEADERS
One of Jesus’ top priorities was to develop leaders. He did not mass-produce leaders but intentionally focused on a small number of them. I affirm that developing leaders as Jesus did calls me to build close, personal relationships with promising men and women, and to invest time in mentoring them. I affirm that the heart cry from many younger leaders around the world is for a spiritual mentor. I also acknowledge my calling to equip saints for ministry and to release them to serve as the Holy Spirit directs. I am aware that many leaders ignore this priority. I ask for grace and insight to intentionally equip saints and strengthen the hearts and lives of younger leaders.
(Matt. 4:18-22; Matt. 28:16-20; Luke 6:12-16; John 17:6-19; Acts 11:22-26; Acts 15:39-16:5; Eph. 4:11- 16; Phil. 2:19-30; 2 Timothy)
Maybe it was a case of him feeling that pastors needed an extra dose of mercy from God perhaps because of their extra responsibility and accountability as undershepherds of the flock. I believe it was Charles Spurgeon who said that was the case.
Are we always willing to extend mercy to our pastors? Perhaps it is an area in which we could grow?
I want to do this - I am having difficulty - but I want to!
What is bright and shining here is that Paul did not spend a lot of time dwelling on his own situation, but was more concerned about the spiritual well being of Timothy.
Another application for me. Even in dire straits a true Christian can and should be an encouragement and source of strength for other Christians. Even from a dead-end prison cell, I need to be useful in mentoring others.
I have seen the suggestion that we write to Ken Miller and Timo Miller in prison with our concerns since they have much time for prayer. Seems like a good suggestion to me.
0 x
silentreader
Posts: 2511
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2016 9:41 pm
Affiliation: MidWest Fellowship

Re: MentorLink Leaders' Covenant

Post by silentreader »


6. I WILL SEEK HIS FACE
Our Lord esteems and honors those who walk in humility and dependence on him and who seek his face in fellowship and communion. Jesus gave us a pattern of regularly spending time alone with the Father to seek his heart and commune with him in prayer. He did this even in the midst of many demands, pressures and even harsh circumstances. Following Jesus’ model, I want to seek him regularly in personal communion and prayer. I know this will please him and enable me to more align myself with him, his ways and his will. I also want to live within my human limits by taking regular times of rest (Sabbath) to restore my soul. I know this will mean withdrawing from the pressures of my world for periods of time. My heart is to serve him in faithfulness all my days until he takes me home or returns in his glory. By his grace I want to seek his face.

(Isa. 66:1-2; Matt. 14:23; Matt. 26:36-39; Mark 1:35-39; Luke 4:42-43; Luke 5:16; Phil. 4:5-7; 1 Peter 5:6-8)
One of the things we see in the account of Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane,
Matthew 26:36-42(ESV) Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch[a] with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”
is that in seeking His Father's face, even the Son of God did not try to tell God how things should be done. He did pray, "if it be possible", but He did submit His will to the Father's.
The lesson I learn from this, is that I do not attempt to convince God, when I seek His face, that my will should implemented but rather I try to align my will to His.
It is not wrong for me to bring my needs and even my desires before God,
Philippians 4:4-7English Standard Version (ESV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness[a] be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Footnotes:
Philippians 4:5 Or gentleness
but I need to recognize, with thanksgiving, that God knows what I need better than I do, and will meet those needs in a much superior way and much more abundantly than I can imagine or plan.
So in humility, I want to seek out and work out His perfect will in my life, as by grace I seek His face.
0 x
Noah was a conspiracy theorist...and then it began to rain.~Unknown
MaxPC
Posts: 9044
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2016 9:09 pm
Location: Former full time RVers
Affiliation: PlainRomanCatholic
Contact:

Re: MentorLink Leaders' Covenant

Post by MaxPC »

silentreader wrote:...its been a while...considerable intervening emotional trauma...considerable darkness...an occasional brilliant blaze of light in the darkness...God is good!!
...but I digress...
6. I WILL SEEK HIS FACE
Our Lord esteems and honors those who walk in humility and dependence on him and who seek his face in fellowship and communion. Jesus gave us a pattern of regularly spending time alone with the Father to seek his heart and commune with him in prayer. He did this even in the midst of many demands, pressures and even harsh circumstances. Following Jesus’ model, I want to seek him regularly in personal communion and prayer. I know this will please him and enable me to more align myself with him, his ways and his will. I also want to live within my human limits by taking regular times of rest (Sabbath) to restore my soul. I know this will mean withdrawing from the pressures of my world for periods of time. My heart is to serve him in faithfulness all my days until he takes me home or returns in his glory. By his grace I want to seek his face.

(Isa. 66:1-2; Matt. 14:23; Matt. 26:36-39; Mark 1:35-39; Luke 4:42-43; Luke 5:16; Phil. 4:5-7; 1 Peter 5:6-8)
I hesitate to extrapolate the idea of human emotion to Jesus, although there is no reason to think that they were not present during His earthly life. I wonder how often He was 'frustrated' by the dullness of hearing and understanding, and the hardness of heart and the biases of His audiences.
Certainly present with that 'frustration' was a heart of love, something which I at least sometimes have difficulty with.
In some of the Gospel references above, we see Jesus going apart, to seek His Father's face. We don't know what they talked about, but it caused me to think about the concept of sabbath.
We, as Jesus did, need a recurrent time alone with our Father. For us, at least, the regular, personal communion with God which we lost to some degree in the Garden of Eden, is necessary for our spiritual health. When we can seek His face with a clear conscience, with no known unconfessed sin, it can be a time of 'sabbath', that rests, strengthens, and brings us great blessing.
It looks forward to the eternal 'sabbath' for us, the people of God, who will be before His face in the full reality.
I wonder if its helpful to list the things that make it hard to hear God.

- It's hard to hear God when I'm speaking so loudly he can't get a word in edgewise.
- It's hard to hear God when my allegiances to other things are too strong to let him challenge them.
- It's hard to hear God when I'm not convinced that he is speaking to me.
- It's hard to hear God when I want to decide what he should say and how he should say it.
- It's hard to hear God all by myself, without help from other listeners.
- It's hard to hear God with just my analytical brain.
- It's hard to hear God with just my feelings.
- It's hard to hear God just by paying attention to circumstances.
- It's hard to hear God if I don't want to obey anyway - and he might not bother trying to speak.
- It's hard to hear God if I'm trying to suppress my mind and my feelings and circumstances.
- It's hard to hear God if I'm not already taking the steps he has told me so far - and he rarely tells me the next step until then.
- It's hard to hear God if I want to be in control.
- It's hard to hear God if I'm not looking straight in his direction and listening.

Do we seek His face with openness, or do we seek it with trepidation because of some of the preceding baggage?
There is an eternity of difference in the result.

I'd like to look further at a couple of the remaining Scripture references, hopefully sooner rather than later.
I remember that list on hearing God from a writer named Dave Root. Can't recall the periodical's name at the moment but I do recall he is the relative of a good friend. It was an outstanding piece.

It's good to read your posts again, Silentreader
:up:
0 x
Max (Plain Catholic)
Mt 24:35
Proverbs 18:2 A fool does not delight in understanding but only in revealing his own mind.
1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God
silentreader
Posts: 2511
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2016 9:41 pm
Affiliation: MidWest Fellowship

Re: MentorLink Leaders' Covenant

Post by silentreader »

7. I WILL SEEK SPIRITUAL FRUIT
I am chosen to bear fruit. Jesus taught and modeled that spiritual fruit comes from “abiding in him”. I acknowledge that I cannot manipulate spiritual results or spiritual changes in the lives of people by means of my human wisdom or selfgenerated pressures. My role is to faithfully give myself to people through my gifts and calling and leave the results to God. My heart is to follow Jesus in his ways, walk in the Spirit and abide in him so that he works through me to bear much fruit for his glory.
(Matt. 7:15-20; Matt. 16:21-23; John 15:1-11; 1 Cor. 3:5-9; 2 Cor. 1:12; 1 Tim. 4:6-16; 1 John 2:3-6)
Matthew 7:15-20English Standard Version (ESV)
A Tree and Its Fruit
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
It is interesting to me that the first reference for the article on seeking spiritual fruit begins with Jesus' warning about false prophets. This says to me that not only must I examine my own fruit for veracity, but I must also be cautious about my source of spiritual nourishment that allows me to bear fruit. I must be sure that the fruit of those who mentor me is good and in accordance with the Word of Truth. I must be certain that what I am listening to is not primarily what I want to hear or what pleases me, but rather I must be sure that I am listening to what I need to hear in order to grow into a state of bearing good fruit.
So I need to be able to discern what truth is, an order to bear a fruit that is true.
Jesus said, "...you will recognize them by their fruits." Which says to me that I can discern truth, if I honestly seek it.
A quote from John MacArthur...
"Jesus assures us that we will know them by their fruits. A fruit tree may be beautiful, decorative, and offer pleasant shade in the summer. but its primary purpose is to bear fruit, and it is therefore judged by what it produces and not by how it looks. (That understanding is the key to interpreting John 15 properly.)"
Matthew 16:21-23English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord![a] This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Footnotes:
Matthew 16:22 Or “[May God be] merciful to you, Lord!”
Matthew 16:23 Greek stumbling block


One of the great hindrances to fruit bearing as well as a mark of a false prophet,
in v23b "...you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."
0 x
Noah was a conspiracy theorist...and then it began to rain.~Unknown
silentreader
Posts: 2511
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2016 9:41 pm
Affiliation: MidWest Fellowship

Re: MentorLink Leaders' Covenant

Post by silentreader »

7. I WILL SEEK SPIRITUAL FRUIT
I am chosen to bear fruit. Jesus taught and modeled that spiritual fruit comes from “abiding in him”. I acknowledge that I cannot manipulate spiritual results or spiritual changes in the lives of people by means of my human wisdom or selfgenerated pressures. My role is to faithfully give myself to people through my gifts and calling and leave the results to God. My heart is to follow Jesus in his ways, walk in the Spirit and abide in him so that he works through me to bear much fruit for his glory.
(Matt. 7:15-20; Matt. 16:21-23; John 15:1-11; 1 Cor. 3:5-9; 2 Cor. 1:12; 1 Tim. 4:6-16; 1 John 2:3-6)
John 15:1-11English Standard Version (ESV)
I Am the True Vine
15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
English Standard Version (ESV)
So how do I bear fruit? Evidently, from this passage, I need to 'abide' in Jesus Christ continually. Notice the parallel in v2 and v6, not bearing fruit, and not abiding bear similar consequences.
Notice the 'pruning' that takes place to help me bear more fruit. In this case 'pruning' could have been just as easily translated as 'cleansing', because of v3, "...Already you are clean because..."
So because I am abiding in Christ I am clean and bearing fruit, but because I am abiding in Christ and bearing fruit I am continually being cleansed/pruned so that my yield for Him may increase. Not for my glory, but for the Father's.

What is involved in abiding? Clearly my obedience to Jesus as Jesus' obedience was to the Father. No wonder I need continual pruning/cleansing!!
1 John 2:3-6English Standard Version (ESV)
3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
[/quote]

Abiding, a high calling, to walk as Jesus walked!!!...And so bear fruit...
0 x
Noah was a conspiracy theorist...and then it began to rain.~Unknown
silentreader
Posts: 2511
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2016 9:41 pm
Affiliation: MidWest Fellowship

Re: MentorLink Leaders' Covenant

Post by silentreader »

8. I WILL COLLABORATE
God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are One, with each Person fulfilling unique roles, yet acting in perfect harmony. Their collaborative leadership operates in the context of mutual submission yet each with appropriate authority for their roles and functions. I want to follow collaborative leadership modeled by the Trinity as the standard for leaders. I ask for grace to grow in serving and collaborating harmoniously with my fellow leaders.
(Matt. 28:16-20; John 5:22-23; John 16:13-15; John 17:21; Acts 13:1-3; Rm. 8:14-17)
I find that collaborating with my fellow 'leaders' on the same level of purity of purpose as we see in the working of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is challenging. I find that my humanity often wants to get in the way, and that I want to feel that my role is more important than an other person's.
I am admonished, however:
Romans 12:3-8English Standard Version (ESV)
Gifts of Grace
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members,[a] and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
and I am reminded of the example set before me:
Philippians 2:5-11English Standard Version (ESV)
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
and as I consider this as well:
Ephesians 4:4-7English Standard Version (ESV)
4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.

Ephesians 4:11-16English Standard Version (ESV)
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.


I find that even though in one situation my role may be the most essential, there will be many other occasions in the building of the Body, that someone else's role is most important.
And in order for collaboration with my fellow 'leaders' to work the way it is supposed to, I need to not only accept this, but also affirm it.
0 x
Noah was a conspiracy theorist...and then it began to rain.~Unknown
Wade
Posts: 2683
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2016 12:09 am
Affiliation: kingdom Christian

Re: MentorLink Leaders' Covenant

Post by Wade »

:wave:
9 & 10?
0 x
silentreader
Posts: 2511
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2016 9:41 pm
Affiliation: MidWest Fellowship

Re: MentorLink Leaders' Covenant

Post by silentreader »

Wade wrote::wave:
9 & 10?
Been thinking about it for quite some time, haven't had a big block of time to do it justice, my wife is recovering from her second hip replacement surgery this year. Maybe after we're through this.
0 x
Noah was a conspiracy theorist...and then it began to rain.~Unknown
Post Reply