Battle Briefing | August 2022
I used to love those “pull-back cars” when I was a kid. I had lots of fun pulling them back to load the spring and letting them go so they could zoom off! I often tell folks that aspects of Noble Warriors’ ministry are like those cars we enjoyed so much. Here’s how.
1. They’re more fun when they’re moving.
Cars are way more fun when you start to play with them and get them moving. Lots of folks talk about ministry but really don’t know how exciting it is because they don’t fully engage.
2. They won’t move if you don’t put in some effort.
Movement requires effort to begin. Many folks want ministry to take place and lives to change, but if you aren’t willing to invest any effort, you’ll never get momentum.
3. You can point them in the right direction but can’t steer them very well.
Sometimes they veer off course, run off the sidewalk, or end up under the sofa. The same is true of many ministry initiatives. You can point ministry initiatives toward the desired goal, but they may veer off course a bit. That’s why the next two points are important!
4. They eventually stop.
After a burst of exciting activity, they come to rest. This is how many ministry initiatives go as well. They take off with a fury, then come to rest. Eventually, the energy runs out, but that’s OK.
5. You can pull them back again.
I could play with the cars repeatedly. That’s what we recommend with ministry. Plan and execute a catalytic event, capture momentum, and sustain it if you can, but start over after each cycle. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. (Here’s a link to a video from Man In the Mirror explaining this cycle.)
6. Don’t break the spring.
Sometimes I ended up frustrated because I broke the spring and destroyed the car. God’s timing is not ours, and his ways are not our ways. We need to be careful to wait on him so we don’t destroy the vehicle.
7. You can cover a lot of ground a little at a time.
Trust the process. Faithfully take one step forward. Then one more step.
8. … If you never pull it back.
The fastest way to nowhere is never to begin. It is up to us to pull the car back. Take that first step of obedience and see where the ministry God has in mind takes you.
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12-14
We had the exciting opportunity this month to “wind up” and encourage the future generations of ministry leaders. We packed out the Noble Warriors office with folding chairs and teenagers as we hosted the student leadership team at Parkway Baptist Church. (See photo below.)
Thank you for making it possible to work with future disciplers in this way!
Please Join Us in Prayer:
- That the seeds planted in these students’ hearts will continue to be fertilized and grow.
- Pray for God to show you who to start discipling this Fall and say YES and get going!
- Pray that leaders (specifically your pastor, by name) will not become weary as they pour themselves into ministry.
This article first appeared in the Noble Warriors® Monthly Partner Letter, Battle Briefing. Click here to learn how you can partner with us.