BEING A PERFECT USHER IN THE HOUSE OF GOD

CHURCH USHERS' MANUAL

By Sylvester Simon Secretary Ushering Unit      

Winners Chapel The Gambia

 

 

  A Handbook for Church Ushers and all others who would like to promote the Spirit of Fellowship in the House of God.

Few forms of Christian service are adorned with loftier privileges or laden with weightier obligations than that of ushering in the Church of Christ. Whosoever is honoured with this office, should immediately declare himself for maximum efficiency.

The usher is the Church's official representative of the host spirit.  Aside of Church expressional life, which in too many cases has been neglected, and has resulted to the serious detriment of the Church as a soul-gripping institution. The usher cannot bear the whole burden of friendliness, but it is his privilege to stand in the gap to perform for the Church that which the Church as a whole cannot do for itself.  Some men do well in this capacity without special training, but few there be who may do better by giving the matter careful study. This, along with prayer and practice, will work wonders for any one who earnestly desires to be a good host in the house of God.

The purpose of this Manual is to present in brief form some of the principles of ushering and of welcoming strangers at church services. It is little more than suggestive, but if rightly used, may give inspiration to all who are willing to be helped. At least it should aid to a better appreciation of the importance of this work. Let brotherly love continue: be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares (Heb. 13:1- 2).

THE USHER

1       The very foundation of efficiency in this work lies in having a right mental attitude toward it. Start right by seeing it in its large proportions. Weigh its values. Ponder over its possibilities. Be impressed with its importance. Hold it in high esteem.

2.      Think of it primarily as real Christian service. It is Kingdom work. You are working under Divine orders. Take this as your working motto: “I serve the Lord Christ”. As you repeat it to yourself over and over again, the Spirit will direct you as you turn your attention to a guest.

3. Resolve to give it the best that is in you.  Measure up to the opportunity, Magnify the office with a whole-hearted service. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as unto the Lord and not unto men: knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ'  ( Col. 3: 24).

4. You are receiving guests in the Church of Christ. It is of utmost importance that Christ has first place in your own heart.

5. Constantly recall that all Christian work is accomplished by the Holy Spirit. He works through human instrumentality. Therefore at the very start, surrender yourself to Him and give Him a chance to work wondrously through you. Mingle prayer with your service. Get on to your knees and actually talk to God about this. Consciously turn your thoughts often to Him while performing your duties. Trust and obey Him and your deeds will count eternally.

THE USHER AS HOST

 MEETING THE GUEST, OR THE POINT OF CONTACT:

1. Frequently remind yourself of the fact that the way in which things are done is often more important than the things themselves. This is true of church-ushering.

2. Present a neat personal appearance. First impressions count much. A well groomed host appeals to observant people, while one who is careless in this regard is oft times repellent.

3. An Usher should have confident in himself, showing he knows what he does, please do not mixed up confidence with pride. Ushering service is similar to that of a military formation. Be at alert, communicate and understand signs and signal without distracting the congregation.

HISTORY OF AN USHER

In many denominations of the Christian Church, a '''Church usher''' is the first official representative seen when entering the church. The role of the usher in church is a volunteer position, and is often considered one of honor, particularly if the church or a church committee member selects an usher by nomination. As seen in ACTS 6:1-6

1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples were multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.

3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:

6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

== ANCIENT ==

The concept of an Usher is not new. In the Old Testament, there were positions addressed as "Doorkeepers" or "Gatekeepers", and their roles were very similar. (2 Kings 22:4) Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum  the silver which is brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people:  (1 Chronicles 9:17-27)         17 And the porters were , Shallum, and Akkub, and Talmon, and Ahiman, and their brethren: Shallum was the chief;

18 Who hitherto waited in the king's gate eastward: they were porters in the companies of the children of Levi.

19 And Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren, of the house of his father, the Korahites, were over the work of the service, keepers of the gates of the tabernacle: and their fathers, being over the host of the LORD, were keepers of the entry.

20 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the ruler over them in time past, and the LORD was with him.

21 And Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was porter of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

22 All these which were chosen to be porters in the gates were two hundred and twelve. These were reckoned by their genealogy in their villages, whom David and Samuel the seer did ordain in their set office.

23 So they and their children had the oversight of the gates of the house of the LORD, namely , the house of the tabernacle, by wards.

24 In four quarters were the porters, toward the east, west, north, and south.

25 And their brethren, which were in their villages, were to come after seven days from time to time with them.

26 For these Levites, the four chief porters, were in their set office, and were over the chambers and treasuries of the house of God.

27 And they lodged round about the house of God, because the charge was upon them, and the opening thereof every morning pertained to them. (Psalms 84:10) For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

*Jesus' Twelve Disciples can be considered ushers, in the sense that they:

**Prepared the way for Jesus.

**Kept order among those listening to Christ.

**Served food to the audience.

**Cleaning up after a service, such as the Feeding of the Five Thousand.

== IN MODERN TIMES ==

In modern times, the church usher has many duties. Depending on the church's denomination, size, and preferences, ushers may perform all, some, or a few of the following.

* Greet people entering the service

* Seat attendees (varies by denomination, some churches seat themselves)

* Collect the tithes and offering

* Keeps order at the entrance

* Cleans and prepare the Church (varies by denomination)

* Count people in service

* Distributing and collecting surveys    (such as flyers, hand bills or visitor pamphlets)

* Distribute bulletins and service programmes

* Prepare the altar for service.

KNOWING MORE OF THE USHER’S JOB:

*               Ushers are Gate Keepers

*               Ushers are Presenters / Preventer

*               Ushers are Watchmen

*               Ushers are Image Makers

*               Ushers should always be in uniform & of good conduct

*               Ushers are like receptionist.

*               Ushers eyes should always be open, even              while                  the church is praying

*               Ushers should always be cheerful and ready to assist.

· Ushers should always be at the lookout for distress person(s)

· Ushers communicate at any given service with God, Pastorate and the Congregation at the same time. They stand in the gap between these three.

· Ushers should always remember that they could never over serve God, and should expect no thank you from anyone.  Your spirit will affirm to you when you have done well, and when you have failed.

Ushers are required to be punctual and time conscious as they are required to be in the church far earlier than the rest of the congregation. Since they are part of the service, they need to meet early in order to pray with the Pastors or other church workers. Adequate spiritual preparation by the usher ensures a service full of the presence of God.

== MISCONDUCT==

The following behaviours are among those deemed inappropriate while ushering.

* Dress inappropriately (e.g. tight or short clothing, immodest apparel)

* Force a hug when greeting

* Separate families when seating them

* Rudeness

* Swearing

* Beckon incoming person with a finger or two (it’s  a sign of command, belittle, or command. Beckon with your palm or all of your fingers together).

== CHRISTIAN LIVING ==

Ushers, as the ones who stand at the door, greet, and distribute pamphlets, can be considered an ambassador for the church, and a key part in the Body of Christ. The role is supposed to continue long after the church has adjourned. The life of an usher should be an example of Christian living, Evangelism. Daily conduct should be in line with the word of the Christian God, the Bible, and the Ministry of Jesus.  

 

From the diagram above, we could see how important an usher is and how important it’s for an usher to be in spirit at all time during service.  There is a two way communication between him and God, between him and the pastorate, and between him and the congregation.  Wishing you happy service to God and humanity.           

 

Copyright  Sylvester Simon

745 04 79, 93 69 254

www.sylmons.blogspot.com

sylmons@yahoo.com

HELLFIRE: IS IT A MYTH OR DIVINE JUSTICE?

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HELLFIRE IS IT REAL? I started discussing this topic on Facebook group 'Followers of Christ' and there were a couple of people who contributed their knowledge of what hellfire is about. Here are sample opinion of members of "Followers of Christ":

Sylvester Simon: HELL/HELLFIRE: Is there a place call hellfire? Hellfire as we come to assume or believe is a place where sinners will be tortured 4 eva. Will God torture sinners in a burning fire? Some denomination believe there is hell others don't Eccl:3;19 says a man & a beast are the same, both live & die final. God is love, will he torture sinner? Heb9:27, after death is judgment, and then what? What do you think?

Antonio Bank Hell is real, but who created hellfire? I dont want to go there.If God created hell, how lovable is he?

Victor Eke Many things in life is confusing. At the end of the day, we shall find out the truth behind it all. Brethren, there is hell. Christ gave us a parable of Lazarus and the rich man. Believe it or not, there is Hell. But, is that hell meant for just sinners or it's meant for satan and it agents I don't know. 

Jeremy Brown Hell is when you invited to Kim house for greens and she don't use no fatback 

Sylvester Simon: I don't know, how many of you consider Hellfire as dead end for divine justice? Have you eva been tortured? I guess not. The sight of it is sickening. Can you then imagine a torture inflicted by God? Lets take a scene of this lil imagery. A person been roast on a hot iron place. In that excruciating agony, he screams for mercy, but no body listens, the torture goes on for hours, days, months, years without pause! Maybe in the dead of night while you are asleep you hear his cry for mercy, would you be merciful or not? I belief your heart will go for him no matter what crime he might have committed. I am not saying there is or there is no hellfire. I need your opinion. Please, if you can, asked your pastors, lets get some light on this.  

Kimberly Parker I don't think there is a place underground that are full of people burning. Hell can be a metaphor. The hell that bad people go to could be a hell that they create, could be a place that is void and dark, or it could be that they cease to exist. People who reek havoc on the innocent deserve to be punished. 

Jeremy Brown hell is real and its in kim stove.  

Sylvester Simon:These were some of the sample opinion about what many of us know about hell, or could describe hell to be like. However, have you ever seen someone tortured? We hope not, except perhaps in movies. Deliberate torture is sickening and abhorrent.  What, though, of torture inflicted by God? Can you imagine such a thing?  Yet, this is exactly what is implied by the teaching of hellfire.

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  Imagine, for a moment, the following horrific scene: A person is being roasted on a hot iron plate.  In his agony he screams for mercy, but nobody listens.  The torture goes on and on, hours after hours, days after days without pause!

  
  

  Whatever crime the victim may have committed, would not your heart go out to him? What of the one who ordered the torture?  Could he be a loving person? In no way! Love is merciful and shows pity.  A loving father may punish his children, but he would never torture them!

  
  

  Nevertheless, many religions teach that God tortures sinners in an eternal hellfire. This, it is claimed, is divine and eternal justice. 
  
  Hebrews 11:27 says that it's appointed unto man to die once and after this, judgment, in every judgment, once an accused is guilty, there is always a penalty. What is the penalty for our sins?  This will be look into later in this article. 
  
  If hellfire is part of divine justice, and if that is true, who created that terrible place of eternal torment? And who is responsible for the excruciating agonies inflicted there?  The answers would seem obvious.  If such a place really exists, then God would have to be the creator of it, and he would be responsible for what happens there. Can you accept that?  Many portions of the Bible speak of God being a symbol of love. 1 John 4:8 says 'God is love'.  He is love Himself.
  
  

  WHAT DID CHRIST SAY ABOUT HELL?
  
  

  What did Christ says about Hell.  He is the only one that came from above, so he knows what is and what shall be: Matthew 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth
  
  There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth
  
  
  

  49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
  50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

  Matthew 22:13, 24:51, 25:30 and Luke 13:28 these verses of the scripture all say the same thing. "...there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

  
  
  

  After one dies what next?

  
  

  From the above scriptures, word spoken by our LORD JESUS, is there any mention of Hellfire? Yes/No.  ........................................... Leave your comment at the comment box, and in your heart.
  
  

  We still believe that the wicked will go to a fiery hell and be tormented forever.  Is this teaching logical?  The human life span is limited to about 70 - 90 years. If a man dies at 90, during his life time he perpetrated extreme wickedness for his whole lifetime, would everlasting torment be a just punishment? In our own eyes, this will be a grossly unjust to torment a man forever for the limited number of sins that he can commit in a lifetime.  But we are not God, and our ways are not His ways. 

  
  
  

  The Darkness will be thicker than this

  
  
  

  Who knows the truth about what happens after we die?  Only God can reveal this information, and he has done so in his written WORD the Bible, referred to above.  Here is some other things the Bible says: Eccl: 3:19 'As the beast dies, so the man dies; and they all have but one spirit...All are going to one place.  They have all come to be from the dust, and they are going to one place.  They have all come to e from the dust, and they are all returning to the dust.'  There is no mention here of a fiery hell. Human return to dust - to nonexistence-when they die.

  
  

  In order to be tormented, an individual has to be conscious. Are the dead conscious?  No. Eccl:9:5 "the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten."

  IS THE TEACHING OF HELLFIRE A HARMFUL TEACHING?

  Some pastors maintain that the teaching of hellfire is useful, true or not.  Why?  They say it serves as a deterrent to wrongdoing, that the fear of hellfire makes people rethink of their evil. Could this be true?  Well, in our secular world, is the rate in regions where people believe in hellfire lower than in other places?  Hardly!  In fact, the doctrine of hellfire is it very harmful or not?  One school of thought, or some denomination believe that the doctrine of hellfire is very harmful. Their reason being that, how would a person who believes that God torments people who have sinned view torture as something abhorrent?  Why should he? Those believing in a cruel god often become cruel like their  god.

  IS THERE PUNISHMENT FOR SIN?

  Does this mean that we are not punished for our sins? No, that is not the case.  Our holy God punishes sinners, but he does not torture them.  He says  in his Holy Book, that we shall give account of every idle word spoken, the wicked shall not go unpunished, everyone shall be rewarded according to his work on earth.  When sinners repent, he forgives them.  What is the punishment for sin?  The Bible gives a forthright answer: "The wages/reward/salaries/payment of sin is death" Rom. 6:23. Life is a gift from God.  When we sin we no longer deserve that gift, and we die, this is the reward when we sin.

  You may ask, 'How is that just?  Why, everyone dies!' That is true because we are all sinners. In effect, no one deserves life. "Through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they ad all sinned." (Rom 5:12)

  
  

  At this point you may be thinking; 'if we all sin and so we all die, why should we try to be virtuous?  It seems that the wicked man is treated exactly the same as the man who tries to serve God.'   But that is not the case. Although we are all sinners, God forgives those who sincerely repent and try to change their ways.  

  
  
  

  IS THERE REWARD FOR THE GOOD

  
  

  We cease to exist when we die.  But that does not mean that everything is finished.  The faithful man Job knew that he would go to the grave (Sheol) when he died.  But listen to his prayer to God: "O that in Sheol you would keep me secret until your anger turns back, that you would set a time limit for me and remember me! If and able-bodied man dies can he live again?  You will call, and I myself shall answer you."  Job 14:13-15 

  
  Job believed that if he was faithful till death, he would be remembered by God and resurrected.  This was the belief of all of God's servants in ancient times.  Jesus himself confirmed this hope when he said "The hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.

  
  

  HAVE YOU CHANGE YOUR OPINION AFTER READING THIS?   HELLFIRE IS IT REAL OR NOT?!  LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW.

ONE WINNER - ONE SOUL - EVERY MONTH - 2011

One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
 
John 1:41, "He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ." - Andrew was the first disciple of Jesus to share his faith and bring another to Christ. And look who it was that he brought.

Peter became one of the greatest apostles of Jesus. He preached on the day of Pentecost and saw 3,000 born again. He healed a lame man at the gate of the temple and 5,000 were born again as a result. He raised Dorcas from the dead, introduced Christianity to the Gentiles, and wrote two books of the Bible which have ministered to millions of people through the centuries.

Just think of how many millions of people Peter touched, and Andrew was responsible for it all. The accomplishments of Peter recorded in scripture, far outnumber those of Andrew, and yet without Andrew, Peter would not have known Jesus.

In the eyes of God, what Andrew did was just as
important as what Peter did. As the one who introduced Peter to Jesus, Andrew had a part in every exploit of Peter. In the day when we receive our rewards from the Lord, Andrew will share in every reward that Peter receives.

Very few of us will shake our world as Peter did his, but all of us are called to share our faith with others as Andrew did. And who knows? One of those that you reach could be the next Peter.

Lets endeavour to draw soul for Christ. Depopulate the kingdom of darkness, there are many waiting for a word from  you.  The Word of God is good news to the hungry soul. What would Jesus do in your situation, your environment, your work place, your school, in a bus, or when what you need is in short supply...?

YOUR PLACEMENT IN LIFE

It is important for us to be reminded that our placements in life, especially at work, are for the purpose of solving problems.

You are employed to solve a problem and when you are no longer a problem-solver, you are no longer fit for the job. Your present placement was necessitated by problems, so when you are no longer solving problems, you will naturally be on the list of those to be displaced.

The positions of life are not just meant to be occupied, they are meant to be functional. Whether you are called a manager, teacher, CEO or whatever, your rating is according to your function.

When you are no longer functioning, you are dysfunctional and would soon be tagged 'redundant.' So, for you to maintain relevance and remain on line, you must remain a problem solver. Your relevance is tied to the problems you are able to solve.

That is what makes you a contributor. And when you are a contributor, your worth is enhanced. With the enhancement of your worth, your value rating will change.

 A problem solver can never be ignored; a problem solver will always have a place among men because he will always be needed. A problem solver is an asset not a liability.

THE BENEFITS OF PROBLEMS

It is the problems you solve that reveal you to your world. It is what earns you recognition among men. If there were no problem in Israel, nobody would have known David.

Problems are opportunities for fame and greatness. A man is as famous as the problem he solves. It was after David killed Goliath that his status changed from a mere shepherd boy to chief of army staff and eventually to the king in Israel.

People don't know you in your hiding place; they know you in the open place where the problems are. The problems you solve will reveal the real you. Every man is described according to the problem he solves.

 That is why you never find an ordinary name in a history book, every name in history is tied to an achievement. Think of people like Michael Faraday, in our contemporary times and Joseph, Gideon and Moses in the Bible, they were all problem solvers.

What gave them names were not their looks or appearances, but the problems they solved. You can never find an idle name in history. So, for your name to enter into history you have to be a problem solver.

If you leave where you are today, what will you be remembered for? Is it for the problems you solved or the ones you created? Wherever you find yourself, ensure that you are a problem solver and you will never need to struggle for promotion or recognition among men. Now, how do you become a problem solver?

1.    Have A Correct Perspective Of Problems!


Your number one point of victory in life is your perspective. How do you see things in life? Your perspective determines how you handle your situations. If you have a poor perspective, you will always have poor results.

Your perspective determines your control. How do you address problems? Because the problem you can't address you will never be able to arrest. How do you see problems? Do you see problems as opposition or as opportunity? When the giant called Goliath challenged the Israelites, none could face him because they all saw him as an insurmountable opposition; only David saw him as an opportunity, so he was able to overcome him (1 Samuel 17).

When you see your problem as an opportunity, solving it becomes very cheap. Problems may, initially put you under pressure but with the right perspective you can turn it into pleasure.

 It is perspective that turns pressure into pleasure. Problems may stretch you but it will ultimately spread you. There can never be a spread without problems. That is to say, problems don't leave you the way they met you. They either stretch or shrink you.

2.    Hunt For Ideas!

Secondly, you must always hunt for ideas. Ideas are talents or instruments for improvement. If you are full of ideas, you will always be on line of improvement.

 So, always hunt for ideas and the way to do that is to give yourself to deep and focused thinking on your job. How do I improve on my assignment? How do I handle this situation? How can I gain speed and time in my assignment? How do I make this and that to function? There are no dull brains; there are only unused, unutilized brains.

Every man's brain can function - God never made a useless brain! We have heard stories of people who were once described as complete dullards; but when they decided to wake up and instigate their brains, ideas began to flow.

How much use you put your brain to is what determines what comes out of it. So put your brain to work. Break through that barrier that tells you, you are not smart enough or that you can't make it. Breakthrough! You are full of ideas, you are full of inspirations. There are many resources in your brain that you can bring out to add to what you are doing.

Keep thinking! It will amaze you that ideas are so close at the corner but until you give your mind to it you don't lay hold on them.

3. You Need Fortitude
The third thing you require to do to be a problem solver is fortitude. What is fortitude? Fortitude is inner strength.

It is the conviction that the challenge before you can be handled, and not just that it can be dissolved but that you can be the one to get it done. Fortitude is 'stay power.' You stay on till the result comes out. Most people get tired too soon. They give up too soon and begin to console themselves by saying,

"I have tried." When I hear a man say, "I have tried my best", it reveals to me his lack of fortitude. A genuine worker will never commend himself until the problem is solved. Above all, when you tell him, "Well done" before the job is completed, he is not comfortable because he feels he hasn't done what he ought to do, so what are you greeting him for? If people greet you 'well done' for what you have not done well, they are only mocking you. So, beware of such greetings.

You need fortitude to look at a problem and say, "No, this problem must be solved!" Sit down and start thinking! Document the ideas that come to you and start taking practical steps. That is fortitude! You need such inner strength to be able to keep on pushing at the mountain before you, until it gives way.

4. You Must Press On!
Those who are weary will never wear the crown. Those who give up will never go into the next phase of life.

 Ironically, they give up at the eve of their going in. The closer you are to your breakthrough, the higher the pressure. That is why you must be determined to press on. The Holy Bible talking of Gideon and his men when they were in pursuit of the Midianite kings that had oppressed Israel for so many years, said

".He, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing." (Judges 8:4). Even when you are fainting, keep pursuing. Most people give up too soon, that is why they never make a mark.

Talking of Jesus also, the Bible says, ".Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross." (Hebrews 12:2). He was stumbling and falling under the weight of the cross yet Jesus pressed on. The difference between excellence and good is fortitude. Don't stop where others have stopped, stay on! Don't commend yourself the way others commend themselves.

Don't peg yourself to a particular spot by saying, "I have tried." Remove that phrase completely from your vocabulary and replace it with, "This problem can be solved and it must be solved!"

5. Go The Extra Mile!
There is the story of a great scientist called Albert Einstein.
 He had a very large laboratory, and one day, it got burnt. Rather than become discouraged, he rose up and built another one.

 When Jesus was told that John the Baptist had been killed, He went to the next village to preach. John was very precious to Him, but He couldn't stay there and allow people to start consoling Him because that might distract Him from His assignment. No matter what is happening around you now, don't wear out too soon

The difference between a worker who is watching and waiting for the closing time and the one who stays beyond the time is fortitude. And you discover that those who spend extra time are the ones who solve problems.

Only those who go the extra mile make an extra mark in life. Fortitude is the trade secret of problem solvers; those who will not sleep until the problem is solved. You need fortitude, you need extra input to become extraordinary.

If you don't want to be a burden in life, if you don't want to become a liability, then you must be an asset. Be a problem solver. Be blessed!

Author: Pastor Israel Etim (WINNERS CHAPEL INTERNATIONAL)

SETTING GOAL FOR A BETTER FUTURE

Everyone should look beyond today. Setting goal should be a pleasurable thing. A man without a goal will actually chase any goal, or no goal in life. Goal is the compass for life, to show us direction.

Goal setting allowed you to know your direction in life. It serves as a compass and does not allow waste.

WHAT IS SUCCESS?

Attaining the goal God has set for us in life, and seeing yourself advancing from where you were or more than your worth yesterday.

WHERE CAN YOU SUCCEED?


You can succeed anywhere you find yourself, either in Africa, in Europe, in America or any part of the world. You can succeed either in business or in personality, in the kingdom service to God, in family and whatever you lay your hands on.

WHO CAN SUCCEED?

Those who are informed. Life is a continuous process of learning. The information we gathered in our every day life is knowledge, and the application of this knowledge is wisdom. You can succeed, I can succeed, we all can succeed. Every contender is likely to succeed. If we all put in as a prospective contender we all could be winners. One with goal is likely to succeed nine times likely than one without goal.


WHAT IS GOAL, AND WHAT ARE THE SOURCES OF GOAL?

A goal is the purpose or objective towards which an endeavor is directed. And there are three sources of goal:
1: Dream
2: Vision
3: Mission in Life
From our dreams, we get a vision and the mission to achieve it. Dreams are series of images, ideas, emotion, and sensation occurring involuntarily in the mind or in our subconsciousness.

WHAT GOAL DO I SET?

Have something in mind to achieve. We can indeed take great example from our Lord Jesus Christ. There are two things in Jesus. His life on earth takes us to Heaven, while His principle makes us a success on earth.

GOAL DISTRACTION

Goal distraction are things we see if our eyes are off our goals. These may come in form of Obstacles, Criticism, Circumstances, other people and lack of self control.

WHAT IS VISION?

Vision is a calculated attempt to achieve your dream. Where you are, where you are going and how to get there, and what to do when you get there. These steps have to be calculated and mapped out your strategies. Vision sees the invisible, believes the incredible. Lets go biblical a bit. Noah's vision of an ark, Gen6. Abraham's vision of a city in the wild Gen.12. Nehemiah vision of a completed wall, Nehemiah 1. Peter's vision to evangelize the gentiles Acts 10. Such are the power of vision.

                                                               


WHAT IS A MISSION?

Mission is the task, together with the action to achieve it. 20% of what we do will accomplish 80% of what we want.

 Dream big act big.  Dream more while awake.  Set a goal for yourself and go after it.  The goal you set for yourself should be S-M-A-R-T-E-R

S- Specific
M- Measurable
A- Attainable
R- Realistic
T- Time Bound
E- Enjoyable
R- Rewarding

Your goal should be endless, once one is achieved, set another goal for yourself. Goal must be personal, stated positively, and should include character change, and must be in writing.

The Seven areas of goal listed below should be prioritize.
1. Ministry
2. Family, social and cultural
3. Physical and Health
4. Financial
5. Professional
6. spiritual Ethics
7. Intellectual & Educational

Here are simple methods in defining action plan for your goal.

1. Select your goal in each area
2. Brainstorm the action needed
3. Prioritise them
4.  think on possible obstacle
5. Think of solution

6. Set Time limited for achieving this goal.  You could be on time or late in achieving this. Reward yourself.
7. Do same for all goal you have outline.

Why do people fail to set Goal?
These are probable explanation I could find why people fail to set goal for themselves.

1. Misunderstanding of the scripture
2. Laziness
3. No desire to grow
4. Fear of change.  Champs don't fear failure.
5. Fear of failure. No one makes you inferior without your consent.

Hear this:  GOAL required HARD WORK, DETERMINATION AND COMMITMENT

BUILDING A GODLY CHARACTER

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Character is a life of a living being. The ways and who we are, truly reflect through our characters.  Who God is can be known by his character.  God's character is in earthen vessel.  A man's character is like smoke.  It can not be hidden, no matter how hard we try to camouflage it. My mother always say, no dead thing is hidden from the fly. A man's true character will always comes out sometimes when he least expected.


Our body respond when they are pull or attracted to something. First, discover who you are, and how you respond to certain things in life.  Unless you understand your character, you may not be able to know God's.


Our godly character  can be reflected as: Preparation, foundation, carcass, finishing. 


1.  Preparing ourselves through the journey of life.

2.  The foundation determine the structure our life takes.  As in building, the foundation determine the number    of floors it can accommodate.

3. Carcass: The quality of work done during the building process determine the life span and durability of the house. How you build your life, tells how durable and enviable your life would be. How you make your bed, that is how you lie on it, so to say.

4. Finishing has to do with the fittings. We are the finishing point of the end of end time era. We are the AC, paints, electrical socket, etc in the household of God.  What are your values in the church, society, and for humanity today?  Life is a continuous movement.  For a christian, the Bible says, it's up & up on to a perfect day, for others, it's full of ups and down, so they say. Keep refining yourself and keep riding less you fall.







5. Control yourself of all sort of sinful pleasure, so as to keep the spirit alive.

6. Say of yourself, I am a temple build by God to last. I shall last. Temple, are structure build for God or gods to dwell and for worship.  We are God's living temple-God's building.

THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW OF YOURSELF AND WHAT OTHERS KNOW OF YOU

From the above diagram or information box, human has for characteristic-fold. Each dependent on the other. Our characters are like smoke.  It cannot be hidden, no matter how hard we try. Those with dual personality, if any still cannot tell when they leak out what they intended to hide.


1. YOUR & YOURSELF:  In the first box, it tells us of what you know of yourself of your character, and others don't know. Your secrets, how your mind works, how you think within.  No one can read your mind, except you and you alone. 

2. YOUR & OTHERS: In the second box, this is simple. Our everyday interaction with ourselves and others.  What we know of ourselves and others know about us.


3. NOT YOU BUT OTHERS: What others know about you, that you don't know of yourself.  You may wonder, what on earth is he talking about.  Is there something I might not know of myself and someone from outside of me can tell of me?  Yes, there is.  Many a times, we have fallen victim to others or to ourselves. For instance, our laugh, smile, the way we move our hands, blink our eyes.  Generally, our mannerism.  People around us can read this signs about us, yet we are the possessor and we can.  Maybe, you have heard something like this.  "...the way the guy smile at me, is like he is in love with me." or You might have approach a lady or a man, and you hear words like, "...hey, since when or I don't expect this from you".  Before then you were convince such a person will never say no to what your advances, because you thought you have assurance from the way he/she act with you.

4. UNKNOWN: We are always afraid of the unknown.  There is nothing much here to hide from anyone.  It's basically, what you don't know of yourself and others don't know about you.  God alone knows.  

In all that you do in trying to build a perfect character, never ever give up.  Nothing good comes easy.  Try, try, and try again.  No pain, no gain.

In summary, does our character truly reflect God's image?  Does it help others to draw near to you?  Does it help us come close to know God through you? Does it leave you and other around you in a happy state? Does it make the earth a better place to live?  

Yes, we can please everyone, we can't satisfy all.  You are not in this world to live to my expectation,

YOUR HEALTH, PERSONALITY, AND SOCIETY

Make out time to pray and talk to your God.  He hears in silence and grant request speedily.  God has no store room for prayers of a righteous one.  Mathew 7:7 An Assurance from the great mediator Himself...Ask, and it shall be given to you...

YOUR HEALTH

Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.  BEGGAR!  You actually need little or nothing before going to bed.  It's advisable to take fruit or very little beverage before going to bed.  As an African, we were thought to eat a lot at all time even at night..  Food was never a problem.  The danger is this, the food you eat at night before going to bed can kill you.  This is what happen to the undigested food.  It roam about in your system finding a place to rest.  Two things can happen at this point.  The food can therefore becomes a poisonous gas in the system that can be harmful to our health.  Secondly, if by chance the undigested food float to your chest, liver or through region, it can choke and kill instantly.  Also, drink less liquid at night; this could be harmful to you and to the bladder.


Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.  Organic food are best for our health.  I could remember my grandmother, she was 125 years when she died.  She never lived in a town or city all her life.  She lived her life on farm produce, organic product. At age 115 she was still walking on her feet unaided.  But today, most of our food are container food, processed food, and canned food.  The chemical used for the preservation process are harmful to our health.  We have seen sickness like cancer, cancer, cancer.  Where is it from?  Why is it rampant in the west and not in Africa?  Africans eat less of canned food and are having less cancer compared to the west.  My advice is Drink Plenty of Water at all time except at night, Eat less of Processed food.


Try in all you do to live with the 3 E's.  Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.  Happy people live long, stay young and are charge forth with bustling energy from others.  Ever stop tho think why soldiers match n uniform or why jet fighter take their flight in triangle or why birds on a long trip fly in triangles?


Read more books than you did the previous year.  Read anything readable, out of that nonsense, there is more-sense in it.  The faintest ink is better than the best brain, I have heard that before.  The books you read today tells how your life will in the next four or five years.


Don't always be the tail bearer, don't always let your mouth drop in sound.  Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.  Dedication is the food of the soul.  It brings the mind, body and soul to a perfect equilibrium.


Take a 10 to 30 minutes walk daily.  And while you do, smile.  That is the height of the benefit it gives.  Your smile helps stimulate the facial muscles and keep you younger than your age.  In addition sleep for 7 hours a day.

YOUR PERSONALITY

You don't have to compare your life to others.  You have all it takes to be the great.  God created you and put all it takes in you.  You are padded and fully load with abilities to succeed anywhere on earth.  One more thing, you never know what they journey of those you envy are like.


Be very careful that you don't have negative thoughts on things you cannot control.  Instead invest your creative energy in the positive present moment, and see how you can bend the present to suite your future, the present they say is flexible, yesterday is rigid and tomorrow is adsorbent.  Your tomorrow is accommodating to your wish and plan of today, if you have none, it gives you what it prepared for your, of which you might not like. 


Don't over do anything.  Too much of everything is bad, keep your limits.  don't take yourself too seriously, no one else does, stop trying to impress everyone but yourself.  You may end up being a failure that way.  And don't  waste your precious time and energy on gossip.  Time is precious, if not ask a businessman who misses the train by few seconds.  envy is a waste of time, you already have all you need in you.  Look within and bring it out. Everyone is package well.


Dream big act big.  Dream more while awake.  Set a goal for yourself and go after it.  The goal you set for yourself should be S-M-A-R-T-E-R


S- Specific
M- Measurable
A- Attainable
R- Realistic
T- Time Bound
E- Enjoyable
R- Rewarding


Your goal should be endless, once one is achieved, set another goal for yourself.




Forget issues of the past, and don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past.  This will ruin your present happiness and put a question mark a dark cloud hanging over your future relationship.  The Bible says, he that covers the sin of a friend seek friendship, but he that reminds others of their past deed, the very same scatters friendship.  Every negative issues of the past; leave it buried and let the sleeping dog be still.  Life is too short to spend time hating anyone.  Don't hate others; this is the seed of the devil.  All you have to do is make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present and make you a wanderer tomorrow.  No one is in charge of  your happiness except you.

LET THE SLEEPING DOG LIE

Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.  Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appears and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.  sometimes in life we have to pass through school of hard knocks, and move on in life.  You don't have to win every argument, sometimes you have to agree to disagree for peace to reign. Smile and laugh more.

YOU AND THE SOCIETY AT LARGE


Get connected, call your family often.  give to your parent substance that will cause them to bless you from their heart.  This is the first of God's commandment that goes with promise.
Ephesian6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;
3 That it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live long on the earth.  
In each day give something good to others especially the poor.  It is a command.  Mark 14:7 for ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.


Forgive everyone for everything, happiness lies in forgiven others without look back. In all you do, never forget to spend time with people over the age of 70 and kids under the age of 6.  Untapped wisdom lies beneath.


As you stepped out each day, try to make at least three people to smile. What other people say about you is never your business.  No one knows you better than you know yourself. There was a time, some journalist took it upon  themselves to write something negatives about my Bishop in the newspapers.  Some of the elders came to him panicking to report what they have read in the papers. He calmly told them, '...I don't need to read those papers, can anyone outside of me know thing about me better than myself?  Except it be lies...'  There are distractors to channel you off your goal in life. Be deaf to their taunting.


Finally, your job won't take care of your when you are sick, your friends will, stay in touch and stay connected.  It is true that grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of joy, you must have somebody to share it with. Protect yourself with friends, not with fence.  But in all, remember the words of George Washington. 'Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it's better to be alone than in bad company.'


I hope you find got something refreshing.


Do not hesitate to leave a comment or question.