BLESSED: Guiding Verses, Part 2

Welcome to another installment of BLESSED resources for women's ministry. I hope this will become a valuable well of information for you over time, giving you vision and practical ideas for your ministry.

As I shared in Part 1, BLESSED stands for Belong, Love, Encourage, Share, Serve, Equip, and Disciple. Each of these key words are associated with a Scripture intended to guide, challenge, and focus the work of the ministry team as well as train up the women being ministered to. Each verse brings out a different aspect of working with the body and growing in relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

One of the ways we, as a team, are using these verses is by studying one a month through using a short, thought-provoking devotion that focuses on that particular Scripture. As the beginning of our first monthly meeting, we spend about 15 minutes discussing the verse and how it relates to us as a team and in serving the women of our church. I'll be sharing those devotional studies with you in the next month.

Here are the verses, along with some of the guiding thoughts,

B for Belong ~ 1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Women hunger to belong, to be affirmed, to be significant. As sisters in Christ, we need to remind one another that we belong to God and as holy and chosen women, we fill a significant role in the body of Christ.

L for Love ~ John 13:34
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

A ministry without love is simply a business. The body of Christ without love is just a gathering of people. We must answer the call to love one another, as an expression and response to His love for us.

E for Encourage ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Encouragement doesn’t mean compliments. It means using words, actions, and resources to challenge women to rise to the next level in their spiritual journey. As sisters in Christ, we must encourage each other to take the next step, no matter how hard, big, or overwhelming it may be, in fulfilling their God given purpose in this world as they march onward and heavenward.

S for Share ~ Romans 12:13
Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

When it comes to women’s ministry, hospitality is usually something that stands out in terms of pretty floral arrangements and coordinated dinner ware. Yet, God’s definition of hospitality is about sharing with those in need. This means we need to develop a mentality that looks for spiritual and practical needs, and seek, as a body working together, to meet those needs. It may be through organizing meals for a single mother on the nights she works late or by hosting an event that shares the Good News with women of all ages. Practicing hospitality means sharing!

S for Serve ~ Ephesians 6:7
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord,
not men...

The greatest challenge for almost any women’s ministry is learning to serve others as unto the Lord. It is a heartache waiting to happen, as women pour out their blood, sweat, and tears and then feel undervalued, under appreciated, and overlooked. In God’s economy, we shouldn’t be serving one another, but Him out of the gratefulness in our hearts for all the ways He has served us.

E for Equipped ~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Word is quintessential to any women’s ministry. Without it, there can be no ministry, for there will be no equipping of the women nor training up of new leaders. Every women’s ministry needs to be built on Biblical principles and include Bible studies grounded in the Word, for through it, women in every season of life will be trained in righteousness and thereby equipped for every good work, in ministry, at home, at work, and as ambassadors of Christ.

D for Disciples ~Matthew 28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...

Most women’s ministries fall in a predictable rut. They end up serving themselves and their faithful attendees, instead of training up new leaders, sending out seasoned believers, and making new disciples. BLESSED, as ministry vision, keeps discipleship at the forefront of everyone’s mind, continually looking for opportunities see sinners saved, saints nurtured, and the body of Christ sent out to all the nations, thus fulfilling another of the Lord’s call on the body of Christ.

Whether you are involved in your women's ministry at church or looking to be more effective in your online ministry, BLESSED can be a guiding vision for you. Simply take the verses and apply them to your personal and public life. Hold yourself and your ministry work accountable to the all of the Word, and you will grow in your faith and in effective service unto the Lord. BLESSED is just a starting point. A course to plot through Scripture and application bit by bit for the glory of God.

What is the vision of your ministry? Do you have a guiding verse or verses? How do you focus on that vision or verses throughout the year? I'd love to hear from you!

By His Grace and Mighty Power,