Church Encourager
Our hope at Church Encourager is to provide practical support to help pastors, churches and leaders have greater confidence, enthusiasm and strength in their lives and walk with God.
We are excited to announce that we are launching the Church Encourager Initiative to enhance leadership effectiveness, improve team dynamics, and reduce burnout among faith leaders. Use the button below to find out more about this exciting opportunity.
For Pastors and CHurch Leaders
Pastors and church leaders often experience high levels of stress and burnout, with limited access to personalized coaching and development tools. Many struggle with team conflicts, leadership challenges, and personal discouragement, leading to ineffective ministry and, in some cases, early resignation. We are launching the Church Encourager Initiative to enhance leadership effectiveness, improve team dynamics, and reduce burnout among faith leaders.
For Churches
Utilizing a process we call Virtual Church Spark we work with you through a series of steps to help pinpoint problems and offer solutions.
Books & Publications
Establishing a daily life of prayer and meditation on the Word of God are vital to the life and health of every believer. My devotional books help to incorporate proven Spiritual disciplines into your daily life.
Discipleship Training
Daily Psalt Intake
From the beginning, the church has used the Book fof Psalms (Psalter) as the center of its daily practice.
Discipleship Training
Daily Sage Intake
The Proverbs help to develop the way that we live our life “in Christ” in a fallen world on a broken planet.
Discipleship Training
Daily Strength Training
Have you prayed today? That is a question of four simple words that can help us to become a people of prayer.
Recent Church Encourager Posts
Kingdom Incarnate Part 8 with Discussion Guide
Kingdom Incarnate Part 8 Discussion Guide
Summary
This sermon focuses on the story of Jesus healing a man born blind in John 9. The pastor explores three different perspectives of the miracle: Jesus’ perspective of seeing someone who needs connection with God, the Pharisees’ perspective bound by religious rules, and the blind man’s journey from physical and spiritual blindness to sight and worship. The sermon emphasizes that all humanity is born spiritually blind and only through believing in Jesus can we receive spiritual sight.
Intro Prayer
Lord, as we gather to discuss Your Word, open our spiritual eyes to see You more clearly. Help us move past our preconceptions and rules to truly encounter You. Guide our discussion and reveal the truths You want us to understand today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Ice Breaker
Can you share about a time when you finally understood or ‘saw’ something that you had been struggling to grasp?
Key Verses
John 9:1-7
John 9:25
2 Corinthians 4:4
John 20:30-31
Questions
How does cause-and-effect thinking sometimes prevent us from seeing God’s bigger picture?
What’s the difference between how Jesus saw the blind man versus how the Pharisees saw him?
How does the blind man’s progression of understanding who Jesus is (from ‘a man’ to ‘Lord’) mirror our own spiritual journeys?
Why do you think the Pharisees couldn’t celebrate the miracle even when it was right in front of them?
In what ways might we be spiritually blind today?
How does worship naturally flow from truly seeing who Jesus is?
What ‘boxes’ do we sometimes try to put God in that might limit our ability to see Him work?
How can we help others move from spiritual blindness to spiritual sight?
Life Application
This week, identify an area where you might be spiritually blind – perhaps a prejudice, a rigid religious view, or a limitation you’ve put on God. Ask the Lord to help you see from His perspective and be open to how He might be working in ways you haven’t recognized.
Key Takeaways
All humanity is born spiritually blind and needs Jesus for true sight
Religious rules and cause-effect thinking can prevent us from seeing God’s work
True spiritual sight leads naturally to worship
Jesus seeks out those who need Him, even when others reject them
Spiritual sight is a journey that develops over time as we know Jesus more
Ending Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for opening our spiritual eyes to see You. Help us move beyond our religious boxes and preconceptions to truly see You at work. Give us hearts that naturally flow into worship as we understand more of who You are. Help us to be instruments in helping others move from spiritual blindness to sight. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
This series may be taken as a course offered by the Online Bible Institute. For more information check out the Keys Vineyard Ministries Courses page.
Steve Lawes is a Church Consultant and also provides coaching for pastors, churches, ministries and church planters.
Kingdom Incarnate Part 7 with Discussion Guide
Kingdom Incarnate Part 7 Discussion Guide
Summary
This sermon focuses on Jesus walking on water from John 6:16-20, following the feeding of the 5,000. Pastor Doug emphasizes that this miracle isn’t just about Jesus’ power over nature, but reveals His identity as King and why He came. The message explores how people often try to control Jesus rather than submit to Him, and how Jesus meets us in our storms, whether literal or figurative.
Intro Prayer
Lord, as we gather to discuss Your Word, open our hearts and minds to understand Your kingship in our lives. Help us to see where we need to surrender control and trust in Your perfect timing and plan. Guide our discussion and reveal what You want each of us to learn today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Ice Breaker
What’s the most memorable storm (literal or figurative) you’ve experienced, and how did you get through it?
Key Verses
John 6:16-20
Romans 5:6-11
Exodus 3:14
Jonah 1:4-15
Questions
In what ways do you sometimes try to ‘make Jesus king by force’ in your own life?
Why do you think Jesus sometimes chooses to walk with us through storms rather than immediately calm them?
How does Jesus’ statement ‘It is I’ (ego eimi) reveal His divinity?
What’s the difference between how Jonah and Jesus responded to their respective storms?
How do you typically respond when God doesn’t answer your prayers in the way you expected?
What areas of your life do you need to hear Jesus say ‘Don’t be afraid’?
How does knowing Jesus endured the ultimate storm (the cross) impact your view of personal struggles?
What does it mean to let Jesus be the pilot instead of the co-pilot in your life?
Life Application
This week, identify one area where you’ve been trying to control Jesus instead of trusting Him. Write it down and deliberately surrender it to Him daily through prayer, asking not for your will to be done, but His.
Key Takeaways
Jesus is King and cannot be controlled or manipulated to fit our agenda
Jesus sees us in our struggles and meets us in the midst of our storms
Sometimes Jesus walks with us through storms rather than removing them
Jesus endured the ultimate storm (the cross) for our salvation
Our greatest refuge is found in Jesus Himself, not in the absence of storms
Ending Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for being our refuge in every storm. Help us to release control and trust in Your sovereign leadership over our lives. Give us the courage to face our storms with faith, knowing that You are walking with us. May we remember that You endured the ultimate storm for our sake. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
This series may be taken as a course offered by the Online Bible Institute. For more information check out the Keys Vineyard Ministries Courses page.
Steve Lawes is a Church Consultant and also provides coaching for pastors, churches, ministries and church planters.
Church Encourager
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