By JAY Wilber |
|||
|
HEALTHY CHAPTER VS HEALTHY
FOLLOWER OF CHRIST many times have you
HOW heard the question , which came first , the chicken or the egg ? Well , I β m not going to try to answer that question , but I will ask which came first : a healthy chapter or healthy followers of Christ . So many articles have been written on healthy chapters and what they should be doing . We know the four pillars of a healthy chapter are Prayer , Fellowship , Discipleship , and Evangelism , but do we know what makes up a healthy follower of Christ ? Followers of Christ look for ways beyond chapter meetings or church to serve God . They understand the Scripture .
β Remember this β a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop . But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop . You must each decide in your heart how much to give . And don β t give reluctantly or in response to pressure . β For God loves a person who gives cheerfully ββ ( 2 Corinthians 9:6- 7 , NLT ).
Many people look at this scripture and say it β s about giving money . Yes , but it β s also about giving of yourself . When we evangelize , we plant seeds . If we only do it on the day of the chapter meeting , we will plant small crops . If we reach out to bikers at events in our community , we are planting generously . Remember the parable of the Sower ? It starts with a farmer who goes out and sows . He sowed generously because he spread the seed everywhere . Are
|
you planting generously or sparingly ? What do our fields look like ?
Are we encouragers in our chapter ?
β Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works . And let us not neglect our meeting together , as some people do , but encourage one another , especially now that the day of his return is drawing near β ( Hebrews 10:24-25 , NLT ).
One of the most significant issues in chapters that could be solved is we lose our desire to gather and do good works . We get tired of being the only ones that go anywhere . Could it be because we tell members they need to do something , or do we encourage them by leading by example ? That is called discipleship . To mentor , encourage , teach , and lead . It says motivate for acts of love and good works . That is another way of saying ministry . Are we , as a chapter , ministry-focused , or are we meeting-focused ? You can tell this easily through your quarterly reports . What are you spending your time on ? Scripture says where your treasure is ; that is where your heart is . What is your treasure , focusing on the issues in your chapter or on ministry ?
β Don β t look out only for your own interests , but take an interest in others , too β ( Philippians 2:4 , NLT ).
I will step on toes with this , but here we go . Why are we part of our chapter ? Are we looking for things that only interest us ? Or are we looking for the interest of others ? Let β s put it another way : increasingly
|
, we are seeing opportunities to help with off-road events , adventure rides , flat tracks , and sport bike racing . I hear many members say , I don β t ride that kind of bike , or I don β t feel called to go . You hear that more often regarding rallies , which might be messy . Is it because we only do what we want , or are we looking at what is in the people β s best interest at the events ? They need to hear about Jesus . We call that outreach .
So , I guess the answer to the question of what comes first , a healthy chapter or a healthy follower of Christ , is that you can β t have a healthy chapter if your members are not healthy followers . It takes all of us committed to Christ and the ministry of CMA to have a healthy chapter . We need prayer warriors , seed spreaders ( evangelism ), encouragers ( disciples ), and in fellowship , do what the Scripture says .
β Instead , be kind to each other , tenderhearted , forgiving one another , just as God through Christ has forgiven you β ( Ephesians 4:32 , NLT ).
Whatever your chapter β s status is now , if we stop worrying about growing and being healthy and focus on being healthy followers of Christ , our churches , chapters , and ministries will grow and be more effective . We can β t fix the result ; we can only work on the symptoms .
Love each other and lift each other up . Then , see what God does in your life and in your chapter . CMA
Jay and Jane Wilber oversee the North Central Region as National
Evangelist .
|