Cru Weekly Ministry Tip, Spring 2012, #8
Hebrews 12:1-3 is a great passage talking about keeping our eyes on Jesus. In a world today with so much distraction and temptations, keeping our eyes on the Lord will protect us from moving away from Him. Here’s the passage:
Hebrews 12:1-3
1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
In verse 1 we read that there is a great cloud of witnesses watching us. The writer of Hebrews talks about all the believers who came before us in Hebrews 11. We are following their legacy and faith. This is a potential figure of speech where these Old Testament saints, who form a cloud of witnesses, are watching us run the Christian race today.
We always want to keep our eyes on Jesus as we follow his commands and example. If we don’t, we could end up sinking like Peter did in Matthew 14:22-33 when Jesus was walking on the water. Jesus alone is our hope and He is why we do not lose heart. He went through tremendous sacrifice for us. Consider memorizing Hebrews 12:1-3 this week, you might be really encouraged.
Steps To Training Your Leaders
Recently, a student had this to say about what a professor said in class,
“So today two professors said some bad things. My education professor compared Christianity to the KKK and my history professor thinks the Bible is not good because of the gospels separate accounts and that there is hardly any evidence of Jesus’ life. This is what I pay thousands of dollars for. Initially, I had no clue how to react, but I just knew they were wrong.”
We are all on the front lines of ministry and we face a real enemy. But we can do all things in Christ who is our strength (Phil. 4:13). There are a number of campuses that specifically hold special meetings regularly on campus as well as retreats, targeted at training and sharpening the skills in evangelism and discipleship for the ministry leaders. One campus in Colorado calls the meetings “Cross Training”, which helps equip students to take a stand for Jesus in their living situation and in the classroom. The key leader said, “These classes are where students learn to share their faith and is a big reason God is working so mightily on our campus.”
Another campus holds a retreat called, “Experts Weekend”. At this weekend they “teach, inform, and encourage the up-and-coming leaders in CRU.” Many of these students who come to the weekend will take over leadership on campus.
Hold Specific Evangelistic and Leadership Training Opportunities On Your Campus
Perhaps one thing you might think about is how you can keep the vision, training, and motivation for ministry, fresh in the hearts and lives of your students. Is it possible to hold a weekly, or monthly training, targeted to your student leaders, to arm them with the skills and inspiration to forge ahead with reaching their campus? There are lots of great training you can take your leaders through that could make a big difference on your campus. Connect with your staff coach and talk about this possibility. For now, check out this site on evangelism training.
As we keep our eyes focused on Jesus, keep moving ahead by effectively training your leaders so that you will have a greater multiplied impact on your campus.
Talk to you next week,
Ben Rivera/GodSquad and CruPressGreen Team