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 9 with Discussion Guide
Kingdom Incarnate Part 9 Discussion Guide
Summary
This sermon focuses on the story of Lazarus from John 11, exploring Jesus’ power over death and His transformative impact on those who believe in Him. Jesus isn’t afraid of our brokenness and wants to free us from our old ways of living, comparing our past life to ‘grave clothes’ that need to be removed. The message highlights that when we come to know Jesus, resurrection power begins working in our lives now, not just in the future.
Intro Prayer
Lord, as we gather to discuss Your Word, open our hearts to understand the power of resurrection life available to us now. Help us to be honest about the ‘stones’ in our lives that need to be rolled away, and give us the courage to help one another remove the ‘grave clothes’ that bind us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Ice Breaker
What’s the most dramatic transformation you’ve ever witnessed in someone’s life?
Key Verses
John 11:25-26
John 11:35
John 11:43-44
Questions
What do you think was going through Martha and Mary’s minds during the four days they waited for Jesus?
Why do you think Jesus wept even though He knew He was about to raise Lazarus?
What are some ‘stones’ people use to hide their brokenness from others?
How does the community of believers help remove each other’s ‘grave clothes’?
What’s the difference between Lazarus’s resurrection and Jesus’s resurrection?
How do you see resurrection power working in your life today?
What ‘grave clothes’ might you still be wearing that Jesus wants to remove?
How can we help others experience the freedom Jesus offers without feeling condemned?
Life Application
This week, identify one area of your life where you’re still living as if bound by ‘grave clothes’ – old patterns, guilt, shame, or regret. Share this with a trusted believer and ask them to pray with you and help you walk in the freedom Christ has already given you.
Key Takeaways
Jesus isn’t afraid of what’s behind our stones – our mess and brokenness
We need community to help remove our ‘grave clothes’
Resurrection power is available to believers both now and forever
In Christ, we are no longer bound by our old way of living
When we come to Jesus, we become a fragrant offering instead of something that ‘stinketh’
Ending Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for the resurrection power that’s available to us today through Jesus Christ. Help us to live fully in the freedom You’ve given us, removing the grave clothes of our past and walking in newness of life. Give us courage to help others experience this same freedom. 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 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.
Church Encourager
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