Back in 2008 I wrote an article in K! entitled “Leading with Help.” I've also used that article here on my blog. In that article I talked about how it is not God’s plan for us to do ministry or life alone that is why he has sent us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our teacher, He is our guide, He is our helper and He is our comforter! When the pressures and problems of teaching kids and leading others come, you don’t need to try to handle them in your own strength but in the strength and power of the Spirit of the living God! Just because you are doing the “Lord’s work” doesn’t mean you won’t have problems. We all have problems Psalm 34:19 tells us, “A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 says “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” I believe this verse describes us as “getting up people! When we lead with the help of “our helper-the Holy Spirit we are not leading in our own strength but in the strength of the promised power source.
This also works with teaching.
In that article I talked about a very valuable lesson I learned several years ago about relying on my helper. One day as I was leaving for work I had an impression in my spirit that I needed to bring my bass guitar with me to church. Rather than be quick to obey I started reasoning with myself and to make a long story short I blew off the leading and went to work. No sooner as I walked in my office the phone rang and it was my Wednesday Night bass player in my pre-youth class informing me that he just got to work and found out he had to work late and asked if I could play bass myself for him. My helper (The Holy Spirit) wanted to help me save time. As I drove back home to get my bass I saw that the more I listened to the voice of the Spirit in small things the easier it was to hear him in major decisions. I also realized it would have better for me to brought my bass and didn’t need it than to blow off the voice of the Spirit. I’ve also learned through the years to never disobey a check in my Spirit. If I sense a strong leading to not go somewhere or to not do something or to pass on a worker even if I can’t explain it I trust my helper. Not only can the Holy Spirit help you in leading the children’s ministry we must help our teachers and volunteer workforce learn to live the Spirit-led life in and out of the classroom.
If we want children to be led by the Spirit we must model it! So here are ten practical ways we can model and encourage ourselves and others to be led by the Spirit in children’s ministry
1. Start early in the week inviting your “Helper” to help you. Get in the habit of reading next week’s lesson when you get home from church and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you this next week to make it real to the children. Go ahead and highlight key areas that jump out at you.
2. Pray for the children as the Spirit guides you! Call their name and pray what flows from your heart for each child and their family. Repeat this step throughout the week.
No comments:
Post a Comment