The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (TEV): "Encourage one another."A big part of our job in ministry is to help, encourage, and build up others. Your experiences can help do this.
Your experiences give people hope. You show them they can get through their problems.
Give people hope and you take away the fear that plagues them. When you go on a roller coaster that you've never been on, it's comforting when the guy in front of you in line says, "This is a great ride. I've been on it five times." You realize that you're going to live. If the guy in front of you lived, you'll probably live too. That's encouraging!
Pastor, your preaching can do this for people. When you speak from personal experience, it's always more effective than any other kind of teaching. The most powerful way to say anything is the most personal way to say it. When you speak from your own personal experiences, particularly difficult ones, you'll motivate others to keep going through their troubles.
3. You use them to model for others.
Paul says in Philippians 3:17 (NLT): "Dear brothers, pattern your lives after mine and learn from those who follow our example." Paul tells the church of Philippi to follow his example; he's going to be the model.
Paul knew that we all need models. It is human nature to imitate. Just about everything you learn in the first five years of life you learn by imitation.
There's nothing wrong with your church members imitating you. You're not perfect, and I'm not perfect; only Jesus is perfect. But it's better to have people following you as a model than some Hollywood celebrity who is obsessed with himself or herself. You're trying to follow Jesus. If you're trying to follow Jesus, then it's a good thing if others are following you.
You need to have models in your own life, and you need to be a model. If you're not being a model, you're wasting your experiences.
God never wastes experiences - good or bad. He wants to use your experiences to make you a more effective minister. Will you let him?
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Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose-Driven Life and The Purpose-Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for ministers. Copyright 2005 Pastors.com, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
