Getting to the Core: Kingdom Builders

If you have been with me through the journey of the core values of Reliant Ministries, you can see why I'm so excited about starting this new work of the Lord.  It is so easy to get off track and get away from the biblical pattern of ministry that we must continually remind ourselves why we do what we do.  The truth is there are lives at stake.  It's one thing to start a business where the end game is to make as much money as possible.  If it fails, life goes on to the next adventure.  But when you are talking about the work of God and the ministry of reconciliation, what we do and how we do it will have everlasting consequences.

Here are the 5 Core Values of Reliant:

1. Disciple Makers: We will make every effort to multiply our faith through evangelism and mentoring.
2. Bible Believers: The Bible is our final authority for all life and practice.
3. God Pleasers: By faith we will please God and trust him with our lives.
4. Community Engagers: Ministry runs on the rails of relationships.
5. Kingdom Builders: We will take every God-given opportunity to advance His kingdom in this world.

There is no doubt that God is advancing His Kingdom in this world and is using the Body of Christ to do so.  Every time a person receives Jesus as Lord and Savior, the kingdom is advanced.  I remember the first time the U.S. invaded Iraq after the bombing of Kuwait.  When the Iraqi solders saw the U.S. troops coming at them, they would lay down their weapons and throw up their hands in immediate surrender.  I'm afraid that too many Christians do the same thing when it comes to advancing the kingdom of God.  When times get hard or demanding, God's people are too quick to surrender and the kingdom is not advanced.  We must get in the fight for the souls of men.  God is not willing that any should perish.  Those Iraqi solders knew that if they came under the protection of the so called enemy, they would have a life they could only dream about.  So it is with those we win to Christ.  Once you surrender and enter into the kingdom of God, you find it is everything you ever wanted.

We must be intentional in our pursuit of the lost and the advancement of God's kingdom.  Therefore, we will take every God-given opportunity to advance His kingdom in this world.  But to truly be kingdom builders we must have a trained army that can carry out the commands of the Lord and win the war for the souls of men, women, boys and girls.   We are Kingdom Builders!

Online Giving Here

Getting to the Core: Community Engagers

Our tagline for Reliant is "Ministry Runs on the Rails of Relationships."  We use a set of railroad tracks to illustrate the thought of people walking parallel to each other in this life connected at different points for different reasons.  The longer the tracks go, the closer they come together, and so it is with the relationships of this life.

One thing I know for sure is that all of life is about relationships.  A person is happy when their life is full of good healthy relationships and a person is sad if his or her relationships are not healthy or non-existent.  God tells us that we were created in his image and likeness which tells me that God is relational as well.  God has no desire to be alone but to share his life and creation with people who will share their love and life with Him. God cares so strongly about having these relationships that it drove him to sacrifice his own Son so that these relationships could be restored and maintained for all of eternity.  This in itself should reveal how valuable these relationships are.  I think it is a shame when people take the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus as a ticket to get out of Hell or condemnation and never give God the relationship for which He died.

Our core values at Reliant are:

1. Disciple Makers: We will make every effort to multiply our faith through evangelism and mentoring.
2. Bible Believers: The Bible is our final authority for all life and practice.
3. God Pleasers: By faith we will please God and trust him with our lives.
4. Community Engagers: Ministry runs on the rails of relationships.
5. Kingdom Builders: We will take every God-given opportunity to advance His kingdom in this world.

As we look at the pattern and example of Jesus in his earthly ministry, we don't see him building a big building and inviting people to come to it.  What we see is him walking the streets, going from house to house, spending time in the market place, or in the social gathering places (bars and such).  He was where the people were, building relationships with them.  This was one of the main differences to his ministry and that of the synagogues.  Jesus could preach anywhere.  Jesus was willing to go anywhere (John 4). He didn't need a structure to define him, his message defined him.  As he traveled he didn't travel alone, he had hand chosen 12 men to walk by his side and learn the ministry.  These disciples didn't learn to build buildings but to build people.

I don't believe anyone can effectively accomplish the ministry of Christ and not engage your community.  Christ's ministry was not a christian Walmart where consumers can come and find whatever they want and need.  Ministry is in the trenches with other people, loving them right where they are; finding the lost and shining the light of the gospel.  We can no longer sit back and hope that the blind wonder into our buildings.  We must follow the command of the Lord and go into all the world and preach the gospel.  We must seek and save that which is lost.  We Must Be Community Engagers!

Online Giving Here

Start Your Engines

There is nothing more exciting then when you go to a NASCAR race and the drivers get the call to start their engines.  The roar of the cars and the roar of the crowd lets you know that the race is on!!  This is exactly where we are in our church plant for Reliant.  Our core meetings are beginning a week from Sunday, getting ready for the starting line in August.  Can you imagine all the prep work that goes into getting that NASCAR to the starting line.  There is a lot of time, talent, and treasure that is stashed away under that hood so that it has at least an opportunity to run in the big race. That's why you see all the decals on the side of the cars.  Someone has said to that team, "I think you can win.  I think you have a chance to run with the big dogs and I want to give you that chance."  And the sponsors end up running the race with them because they are invested in the process.

So it is with church planting.  As we get ready, we are building processes and systems that will ensure our success when we pull up to the line.  If we don't spend some time, talent, and treasure under the hood before we pull up to the line we won't be going anywhere.  I need some people that believe in our cause of discipleship; those that know we can win the race for souls if we just have a vehicle to race in.  We need some sponsors!!

Our team has sacrificed and raised a little over $3,000 on our own over the past month, and we are "relying" on God to touch the hearts of others that will sponsor us in this race.  By the end of February we need to be hitting the $10,000 mark for sponsorship.  And I believe that if everyone reading this post would give a donation of $50, $75, $100 or more, we can scream up to the starting line and be ready to run our race.  Put your decal on the side of our car and run this race with us.

We have a secure website for your giving: CLICK HERE.  All donations are tax deductible. 

Getting to the Core: God Pleasers

The more I observe people and churches the more I see the trap of religion.  Religion is a control mechanism that places people in fear in order to produce a desired reaction.  The desired action varies from denomination to denomination but it usually ends up focused around your money.  If you fail to comply, there is some type of hell to pay or God will not be pleased with you.  There is no doubt that God is displeased with people because of our sin, but I would quote to you the same blessing that Paul quoted in Romans 7:24-25, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

You see, the love of Christ and his death, burial, and resurrection have set me free from the old wretched man that I am.  Jesus has not only paid my penalty for sin but has also lived out my righteousness.  Jesus Christ is my everything.  I don't have to live in fear wondering if God loves me because Jesus is the manifestation of that love. The perfect love of God has cast out all fear (1 John 4:18).

Now that I have a relationship with God and I don't have to worry about all the religious stuff that Jesus has already accomplished, how can I personally please God?  The answer is found in Hebrews 11:6, "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."  The way I please God is simply by faith; i.e. to trust him.  That's it!!!  To know that He is God and I am not.  To believe that if I seek him with my whole heart I will find him and he will reward me. The call of God to humanity has been the same since the garden of Eden.  God simply says, "Trust Me."

As I was talking with Kim about our new church plant.  I was sharing with her my desire to form a group of people that would learn to walk by faith.  A people that would take God at His Word.  I want to be the church that Jesus looks at and is moved by our faith as he was with the Centurion.  So we called the new Church "Reliant."  And we made sure that one of our core values is being God Pleasers: by faith we will please God and trust him with our lives.

On Sunday, February 1, 2015 we will begin our Core meetings getting ready for our grand opening in August.  I am trusting the Lord for 25 families that are ready to walk by faith and do something amazing for God.  We are asking God to give us our first meeting place that will hold us and our children.  I know God is going to provide.  If you would like to be a part of this new church, please contact me at bill.s@reliantrails.com.  I look forward to leading those that come by faith and walk by faith.  

Getting to the Core: Bible Believers

I remember the call of the Lord on my life to preach at a very young age.  My father wasn't a preacher nor my grandfather, but I knew what God was calling me to do by age 12.  I began seriously studying the Bible my senior year of high school.  I remember going into my local Christian bookstore and wandering around trying to figure out what book I should get and I settled on a book entitled "Coming Events in Prophecy" by M.R. Dehaan, M.D.  I was hooked.  That sparked a fire in me for studying the Bible that has been raging ever since.  I still have that book on my shelf as a keepsake to remind me of where it all began.

It's been 28 years since I purchased that first book and that has turned into the new church plant of Reliant Ministries, Inc.  Reliant is producing Jesus followers of faith that will expand the kingdom of God by their witness and His Word.  This has already begun to happen as we have many starting to embrace our first core value of being Disciple Makers.  Here are our five core values:

1. Disciple Makers: We will make every effort to multiply our faith through evangelism and mentoring.
2. Bible Believers: The Bible is our final authority for all life and practice.
3. God Pleasers: By faith we will please God and trust him with our lives.
4. Community Engagers: Ministry runs on the rails of relationships.
5. Kingdom Builders: We will take every God-given opportunity to advance His kingdom in this world.

The second core value is Bible Believers: The Bible is our final authority for all life and practice.  I am amazed today at the number of Christians that can't find the book of Ephesians if their life depended on it (and someday it might).  There is a growing epidemic of Bible illiteracy that has stifled evangelism and is causing the enemy to get the upper hand in the lives of the saints of God.

I am reminded of the words of Jesus when he was praying to the Father and said that he had given the words of the Father to the disciples and they received them and believed them in John 17:8, "For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me." (emphasis mine).  As Jesus continued in that prayer for the disciples of his day and those that would come after, he said, "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." (John 17:17)   Jesus knew that the way to live a sanctified life, holy, and unto the Lord was going to come through knowing and living the Word of God.  

Therefore, we will be very intentional about training the disciples that God has placed in our care.  I refuse to preach sanctification unto the Lord and not give them the Word that is able to sanctify.  It is the Bible that gives us all we need to live holy in this crooked and perverse generation.  I believe it is spiritual neglect to withhold from God's people the very words that will set them free.  We are Bible Believers.  The Bible is our final authority for all life and practice.

Consider a one time donation to help Reliant Ministries get off the ground.  Click Here to Give. 

Getting to the Core: Disciple Makers

Over the last few years you have seen a business term creep into the church world and that term is "core values."  As I was learning how to run a church in the early days, I understood you needed a mission statement, goals and objectives, and tactics to accomplish those objectives.  Now the language has somewhat changed in the fact that you have a vision statement, core values, and strategies to get it done. There is a not much difference in these sets of statements but I do believe they are better defined today.  For example, a core value is defined as "A principle that guides an organization's internal conduct as well as its relationship with the external world." (Read more: www.businessdictionary.com)

As we start the new church plant: Reliant Ministries, it is important that are core values be the very principles that guide our organization both internally and externally.  We have five essential core values:

1. Disciple Makers: We will make every effort to multiply our faith through evangelism and mentoring.
2. Bible Believers: The Bible is our final authority for all life and practice.
3. God Pleasers: By faith we will please God and trust him with our lives.
4. Community Engagers: Ministry runs on the rails of relationships.
5. Kingdom Builders: We will take every God-given opportunity to advance His kingdom in this world.

Everyone of our core values are given to us directly from God's Word, and our first core value is "Disciple Makers."  We are commanded in Matthew 28:18-20,

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Notice that Jesus didn't tell us to go and make converts or simply evangelize, but to go and make disciples.  The word disciple is defined as "a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another; follower." (Dictionary.com)  Jesus has commanded us to make followers.  It is so clear in the scripture that Jesus called the 12 disciples when he said "follow me."  After the ascension of Christ, Paul gives the same command to the church of Corinth when he says, "Follow me as I follow Christ."  There is a lot that goes into making a disciple.  The first step is to evangelize and win them to Christ, but that cannot be all there is.  Salvation is a spiritual birth.  You wouldn't leave a baby at the hospital and claim success as a parent.  No, the journey has just begun; and then the training begins.  And the way you train will have a direct impact on the life of that child, soon to be an adult. So it is in the life of a new born babe in Christ.  "Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation." (1 Peter 2:2)  

There are three key elements to any effective discipleship strategy:

• Building Intimacy with God
• Establishing the Authority of God's Word
•  Accountability to God's Word

Sound the Trumpet

For centuries now people have balked at organized religion because of the corruption that man brings with it.  You have movements of people that want to do something for God so they begin to rally together around a cause, but if they are not careful the cause in not conveyed to the next generation and the cause is lost and the movement stops.

The Pharisees of Jesus day thought that Jesus was the head of such a movement.  They had seen people come and go that were proclaiming to be the Messiah.  But a movement from God can not be stopped!  God sounded the trumpet and has gathered his armies to rescue the brokenhearted and wounded of this world; to forgive sins, and restore relationships.  Reliant is a part of that movement of God. This is our time to take up ranks and fight for the cause of Christ.  We are not here to organize religion, or create monuments for the next generation, but to fight for the souls of men, women and children that desperately need a Savior, a Messiah, and a friend.  They need Jesus!!!

I love the passage in 1 Corinthians 14:8 that says, "And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?"  With the organization of Reliant, God is giving a very distinct sound as he is calling us together for the purpose of making disciples.  Producing Jesus followers of faith that will expand the kingdom of God by their witness and His Word. 

We know that we are all part of something bigger than ourselves or even the Church that we belong to.  Every Christian is a part of the Body of Christ.  But yet in any great army there is organization for the purpose of movement.  God has organized different churches to accomplish different objectives as we all work toward the ultimate goal of seeing the world come to the knowledge of Jesus the Christ.  So Jesus has chosen some as apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers, to lead his people into this battle for the souls of men.If you know Jesus as your Lord and savior, yea as your King, you are in fact enlisted in his army.  So the question is, are you a good solder for your King?  Have you joined the movement that has changed the world?  Are you making disciples in the name of Jesus? 

Windows of Opportunity

Today, I close the door on a wonderful opportunity that God gave me to minister to the people of New Season Church in Hiram, GA. It is always hard to leave people that you have poured your heart and soul into.  My hope is that New Season will take the truths that I brought and continue to apply them to their lives.  I'm excited to see what God is going to do with the new staff that he is creating to accomplish the goals of New Season.  New Season will always be apart of me and part of my heritage in my journey for the Lord. I wish you all the best and will be praying for you all.

While the door is closing for me and my family at New Season, God is faithful to open another in the way of Reliant Ministries which is the name of our new church plant in the Acworth-Emerson area.  This is a huge leap of faith and I'm beside myself as I watch God provide and guide in this new birth.  I would ask all you to pray for us and the new planters.  Planting a Church will be the hardest thing I have done in the ministry thus far and I believe it will yield the greatest fruit for God's kingdom.

One of the first things I am teaching to the young church is how to pray specifically and in expectation of the mighty things God is doing. So, here are some ways you can pray for us:

1. We need to settle on our meeting place both immediately and when we open in August.
2. We need a core group of about 25 families to really get ready for the opening this fall.
3. We need people to be generous to the ministry as it takes quite a bit of money to start from scratch as we are doing. If you can help right now with any amount please click here. 

I know my God will supply all our need according to his riches in glory.  Here's my question, is he going to use you to do it?  Stay tuned with me over the next few weeks as I lay out God's vision and plan for Reliant.  If you haven't read the last few posts it might be good to go back and catch the last few.  

Establishment is Everything

The word motto is defined as "a maxim adopted as an expression of the guiding principle of a person, organization, city, etc."  So where a vision statement gives you the what, a motto gives you the how.  Yesterday I revealed that our vision statement for Reliant is: Producing Jesus followers of faith that will expand the kingdom of God through their witness and His Word.  This is what we will be doing.  But how are we going to get that done.  This is where a motto can come in handy.  A motto tells the organization in a few simple words the overlying principle of how to get it done.  For Reliant our motto is simple: Ministry Runs on the Rails of Relationships.

I first heard this phrase from a pastor/teacher of mine, Alan Shelby, the pastor of Harvest Baptist Church in Blue Springs, Mo.  The meaning is self-explanatory.  We know that all of life is determined by the relationships we have whether good or bad and ministry is no different.  When Jesus started his earthly ministry he did so by choosing some relationships that would last for all eternity.  These relationships would turn into more relationships that would eventually change the world.  Any true discipleship model will have the element of godly relationships built into it.  Without close relationships Christianity is just passing on information and information doesn't change lives, relationships do.

When we launch our website in February the address will be www.reliantrails.com.  We do this so as not to forget that building godly relationships is the key to our discipleship process.  Reliant members will be asking themselves three simple questions.

1. Who is behind me?  As mentors there should be someone that we are leading in the ways of the Lord.
2. Who is beside me?  As brother and sisters there should be people with whom you are walking.
3. Who is in front of you?  As ministers we will target and impact people with the gospel message of Christ. 

When these three questions are active in every members life well see a mighty moving of the Lord as he builds relationships through us.

Reliant Ministries

Ministry Runs on the Rails of Relationships   

Please consider a charitable gift to Relaint by Clicking Here. 

Why Another Church

I was running errands yesterday and I couldn't help but notice all the church buildings on every corner.  I live in Paulding County GA where the majority of the population never steps foot inside any of these places of worship. I have two thoughts on all these churches.  First, If your preaching the exact same message and targeting the exact same people, join up with the guy across the street and cut down on some the expense of running both places.  Second, if you have a building that seats 600 and your running 30, it time to change your strategy.  

In the midst of all these church buildings some would ask me, "Bill, why start another church in an area full of churches."  My answer come from Andy Stanley's book "Visioneering" (a must read for all church planters and pastors).  He states, "A God-ordained vision will begin with concern.  You will hear something that gets your attention."  God has gotten my attention over the last few years of this fact.  The people of God do not walk by faith anymore.  This breaks my heart for without faith it is impossible to please God.  If the church is not going to teach God's people to walk by faith we set them up for failure with God.

The vision statement for Reliant is:

Producing Jesus follower of faith that will expand the kingdom of God 

by their witness and His Word. 

We used the word "producing" on purpose to show the ongoing action of discipleship in the lives of the believers.  They will not only follower Jesus but will learn to follow him by faith.  This is the major lesson that Jesus pounded into the heads of the disciples.  His goal was to have them walking by faith by the time He ascended knowing that they could handle anything if they were walking in faith.

As I walk this journey of faith with the Lord my prayer is that I can be a shining example for others to walk by faith along side me.  Stay tuned.  

Join the journey by helping us get started.  Give Here  

The Journey Begins

As many of you may already know, Kim and I are about to embark on the biggest adventure of our lives. We are taking all the the wisdom and experience that we have learned over the past 25 years in ministry and starting a church. For the past 3 months I have been getting all the background work done (corporate papers, people management systems, bank accounts, vision statements and core values, etc., etc.) And now it's time to get the ball rolling with a core group of people that have the same heart and vision.

I had a great time with the staff of New Season Church as they gave me a send off lunch and blessings all around. I have learned many things during my two year tenure at New Season. It reminds me of all the things God has been teaching me from my first ministry 'til now.

The new church is called Reliant as we rely solely on God to see us through. It will be based on a discipleship model with many new ideas. When the vision comes to pass we will not look like traditional church at all. Our core group meetings beginning February 1st at my house. Our plans are to find a meeting place that will hold the core group of about 25 families (my house is not big enough). We will then look to open the doors to the public some time early August of this year.

During this start up time as we form the core, we could use some help with some simple start up money. It is amazing what happens when the people of God get together and give for the cause of God's kingdom. Many of you have been touched in some way through our ministry in the past and I'm asking all of you at this moment to pay it forward. The investment that I have made in many of your lives is the same investment I will be making in others. Some of you can give a little and some of you can give a lot to get this new church off the ground. I know that God will multiply your giving many times over. Please Click Here to pay it forward. All donations are tax deductible and will go directly to Reliant Ministries.

Stay tuned for the latest updates on the new church plant. And more than anything Pray, Pray, and when you get done praying, pray that God would do something amazing and unexplainable for His glory.

 

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