Discipleship
The Jesus Model of Ministry: Education
All leaders are learners. A continuous commitment to lifelong learning should be the hallmark of every minister.
Education: We must never stop learning.
The Bible says in Luke 2:52, “As Jesus continued to grow in body and mind, He also grew in the love of God and of those who knew Him”. Jesus grew four ways—body (physically), mind (mentally), love of God (spiritually), and the love of those that knew him (socially).
The more balanced you are in these four areas, the more effective you will be in ministry. It’s interesting to me that Jesus took 30 years to prepare for three years of ministry. He was always growing, always learning, and always developing.
The worst thing to see is a pastor who appears to have stopped learning and trying new things. Being a disciple means learning for a lifetime. In fact, the word “disciple” simply means “learner.” If you’re not learning, you’re not a disciple of Jesus Christ.
What do we need to learn? How do we learn? Second Timothy 3:17 says, “The scriptures are the comprehensive equipment of the man of God, and fit him fully for all branches of his work” (PHILLIPS). A growing ministry requires a growing minister.
I believe there are three essential attitudes that keep you in a learning mode.
- Openness: You ought to be open to learn from anyone, any place, and any time. A growing person is an open person.
- Humility: You can’t learn without humility. Every time you see a prideful person, you’re looking at a foolish person. Any time you see a humble person, you’re seeing a wise person. Pride and foolishness go together just as humility and wisdom go together.
- Enthusiasm: We learn faster when we’re enthusiastic about what we’re learning.
Ask God to teach you something new, something great, and something innovative today. God has all kinds of learning experiences available to you on a moment-by-moment basis. He will arrange them for you, if you’ll be open, humble, and enthusiastic about learning.
Read the rest of the Jesus Model for Ministry articles:
The Jesus Model of Ministry: Identification
The Jesus Model of Ministry: Motivation
The Jesus Model of Ministry: Concentration
The Jesus Model of Ministry: Dedication
The Jesus Model of Ministry: Delegation
