A big part of the services that the company I work for provides our client is making sure there are Business Continuity Plans in place for unexpected disruptions. The over reaching structure of the plan is organized at the national level, but has to be cooperated with and implemented at the local level. If a Site Manager like myself doesn't submit requested information , or doesn't cooperate with changes in the plan, then the entire plan will fall apart.
Having this mindset allowed our client to empty offices of tens of thousands of employees, across the nation, as the pandemic emerged, with just minor interruptions of thier work flow.
With what we learned , we are now able to run once large offices filled with hundreds, and some with thousands of employees, as our clients employees operate almost fully remotely. Our client could not operate as they are required to without our services , mainly because of the Continuity and Contingency plans we have in place.
If you are a Pastor over a church, especially if you are over a series of churches, make sure you have a ministry continuity plan. If you have a non-profit, make sure you also have the plan in place.
Ministry , unlike a business or a job, is given by God . It is imperative that every Christian Ministry has a plan and mindset in place , to continue being The Church, and Gods hands extended, even if everything changes, funding dries, or normal communications are interrupted.
I see a period of time coming where all ministry, if only for a season, will return to the base of the church, the pillar and ground of the truth. Be open to that. Pastors, be open to that. Outreach founders, be open to that. Meet regularly with your contacts and fellow ministers that you do your ministry with. Coordinate with those contacts you have. Have a solid continuity plan in place so that , as much as possible, you are able to continue ministering to the people and bringing peace to thier lives.
We have a plan in place that ensures if one region goes down, all that work and forms will be diverted to another. If one office goes down, there is another office ready to pick up the work load.
In ministry have the same thing. Most importantly, have FAITH. If all modern luxuries and technologies were taken away, The Gospel is never chained. If all grants and funding go away, God is still a provider for what He call us to do. If everything that defines what you built your non-profit or church to accomplish, becomes obsolete because of travel or monetary restrictions, The Gospel must and will continue to go forward.
This next part may seem off topic, but it is not,
When we bring The Ministry back to the foundation of what Jesus was sent to reveal, create, expose and establish, we will be preaching The Gospel of The Kingdom, purely and without filter.
I think one of the failures of the modern western church is that in error we have thought that by building programs, facilities and comfortable entertainment venues, that somehow we are prolonging the very real, very destructive end of all things.
This world is passing away. The wickedness that is being performed all over this planet is getting darker, and more powerful. That is not negative statement, it is the truth. The Kingdom of darkness is very comfortable in how it kills ,steals and destroys, with very little spiritual, authoritative resistance from much of The Church World.
Isaiah 60:2
For behold, the darkness shall
cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
I think part of the reason for that is Mixed Missions, Mixed Messages and Mixed or Misunderstood Mandates.
I am not , I repeat, I am not saying there is no place for non profits that do not outwardly preach The Full Gospel. Jesus went about good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. However, we can not mistake good works, public praise or even the natural success of those we are reaching out to with Preaching The Gospel of The Kingdom.
Matthew 5:14-16
14 “You are the light of the world. A
city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor
do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it
gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let
your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify
your Father in heaven.
Listen, you can create a non-profit that eradicates poverty in your city and raises up brilliant young men and women. But, if they go into the world as unsaved as they were before, you have failed, if you laid aside the preaching of the gospel of salvation.
What good does it do to give a person the whole world, great success, life tools, if they lose thier own soul? Some say we preach the Gospel without saying a word. You cant, it isn't possible.
Matthew 16:21-28
21 From that time Jesus began to show to His
disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders
and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke
Him, saying, “Far be
it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get
behind Me, Satan! You are an
offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of
men.”
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If
anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross,
and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to
save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find
it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he
gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in
exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man
will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He
will reward each according to his works. 28 Assuredly,
I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till
they see the Son of Man coming in His
I think The Lord had a reason to make His Message a message of Words. A Mission to Go and TELL His Story. With a Mandated Authority to do so, with a promise to confirm those WORDS. A story about a fallen relationship, and evil enemy and a liberating King.
Mankind is living under the oppression of a kingdom that encompasses the globe. Demonic forces are ravaging mankind in the most horrific ways. Darkness has fallen upon the earth and deep darkness the people. I know you dont see it from your comfy couch and your 200 dollar church chair as you sing worship songs without fear of being locked in and burned alive, but that, and even worse things are happening , to your family, your brothers and sisters, who are one body with you, right now.
John 5:19-20
19 We know that we are children of
God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.
20 And we know that the Son of God
has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And
now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with
his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.
So what does this have to do with the topic I started on? Well, it may be, and I will not say this is a prophecy, but a spiritual observance of the landscape. that our false sense that we can rely on stuff, politics, technology, systems, nicely folded plans of keeping things balanced and clean, will be shaken down to the foundations. Comfortable humans have a way of ignoring the pain and storms around them, until that pain and storm effects them.
Nobody in Washington or on the east coast cared much about the dust bowl, and in ignorance didn't realize the danger that it posed to them and the entire nation, until Washington DC was hit with a dust storm. What was happening in the west, because of ignorance and misunderstood farming practices, could have ended our nation as we know it, but, not many in Washington cared, until they had to.
We are not like the world. The day (the time) of The Lord, The Last Days, The Time of Trouble, should not take us by surprise as if we didn't know. The very real demonic entities that will become more active soon, should not cause us to fear, hide, or try and explain away thier existence in a message that is friendly to reporters, or the world. The darkness should not be able to overtake us or cause even a shadow in the light that shines from us. We should be like the wise ones that prepared and were ready.
Acts 11:28-29
28 Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up
and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout
all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. 29 Then
the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to
the brethren dwelling in Judea
If our light is dimmed, it is because we have taken The Gospel of The Kingdom and hidden it under a bowl, or within a sugar coated message, or under "our good works", or behind our secular funding that we would lose of we let The Light of Christ and The Gospel of His Kingdom shine fully. Or , and this is where many of us, myself included, have failed, we have hidden it inside our own fears of men.
I will end here. Make a Ministry Continuity Plan in partnership with all your churches and ministry connections. Within that plan, make sure that if all else fails, you and your whole staff and church are comfortable with having The Gospel of The Kingdom being the only foundation they have to stand on.
Make sure The NAME OF JESUS holds more power and authority in thier hearts than any other name. Make sure The Great Commission is the only Mission that is allowed to stand, when all else does not.
Do not hold on to any Mission, Message or Mandate, that will cause you to replace, or lesson The Mission, Message and Mandate that was delivered to us In Gods Word. That Great Commission is the only hope for mankind, and the only Mission, Message and Mandate He is bound Himself to confirm.
Most of all: Have FAITH that Jesus IS LORD over all The Earth! He has us and is not short on anything. He is faithful, able and more than willing to confirm His Plan!
Matthew 11:1-6
11 When Jesus had finished giving these
instructions to his twelve disciples, he went out to teach and preach in towns
throughout the region.
2 John the Baptist, who was in
prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his
disciples to ask Jesus, 3 “Are you the Messiah
we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone
else?”
4 Jesus told them, “Go back to
John and tell him what you have heard and seen— 5 the
blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead
are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” 6 And
he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.”
Mark 16:14-20
14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at
the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they
did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He
said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but
he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs
will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they
will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and
if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will
lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Christ Ascends to God’s Right Hand
19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to
them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand
of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord
working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying
signs. Amen.
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