Why Ministry?

Why Ministry?

Why are we in ministry?

Why set a goal to be in full time ministry?

I have a cousin that was a full time youth minister. Everyday at lunch he would go to the YMCA and play basketball with the youth from the church and community. One day one of his sons came to him and said, “Dad, I want to grow up and be a minister like you.” This made my cousin feel good that his son wanted to follow in his foot steps. As my cousin pursued this a little by asking his son why he wanted to be in ministry when he grew up? His bubble was popped when his son replied, “so I can get paid to play basketball everyday like you.” I do not think this was the answer my cousin was looking for.

A lot of times we want to be in ministry because it looks like an easy occupation. Any one with a successful ministry knows that ministry is spelled W.O.R.K.

A lot of times we want to be in ministry because our father and grandfather were in ministry before us, and we think we should follow in their footsteps. Some may think ministry looks glamorous from the outside. A lot of people see our ministry programs and say “Man I wish I could do this!” If they only had to walk in our shoes for a year the majority of them would want to quit. If all you see is our live ministry event it looks like a spectacular lifestyle. However, most people never see all the behind the scenes of the day to day lifestyle that being on the road consist of. A lot of young aspiring ministers that have gotten to travel with us as interns are very excited at first about getting to travel and use all of our equipment. At first their commits always are “Man when I get my own ministry I want equipment just like this.” About half way through the tour season the statements change to “I don’t think I want to do this when I have my own ministry.

There is too much to set up and tear down. There is too much work involved. Too many hours spent traveling in a vehicle.“ If we do not have a genuine love for people and a desire to see the furtherance of the kingdom this lifestyle gets old real fast.


I believe we should ask ourselves periodically throughout our time in ministry why we are doing this. Over and over in the Bible we read that Jesus was moved with compassion when he ministered to people. When he healed the sick, when he raised the dead, when he multiplied the loaves and fishes to feed the multitude, and when he taught the crowds of people. The overwhelming love for people (compassion) was Jesus motivation to do what he did during his ministry on earth.

It was not that he felt it was his duty, it was not to make a name for himself, it was not that it was the only thing he knew how to do, it was because he looked at the need and was moved with compassion. Compassion was the overwhelming love for people that motivated him to do something.

Why did God the father send his only son into the world to die on a cross? It was because he loved the world. He was moved with such an overwhelming love that he had to do something.
Our motivation in ministry should be the love God has put in our heart. The bible says in Romans 5:5 that the love of God has been put in our heart by the Holy Spirit. When we are born again we receive the life and nature of God. The Bible says in 1 John 4:8 that God is Love. It is his nature, His Character. When we are born again we are now born of God. His life and nature is inside of us.

1 John 4:7-11
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

1 Pet 1:3 says God has given us all things that pertain to life and Godliness (Godliness means having God like qualities) it’s up to us to allow this love to be the motivating factor of our lives.
2 Peter 1:4 says that we have been given exceeding great and precious promises that through these we might become partakers of the divine nature. What is the divine nature? 1 John 4:8 says that God is love. Where do we find these great and precious promises? We find it in the Word of God, the Bible.
As we renew our minds with God’s word it becomes part of our lives. The more it becomes part of our lives the more we become partakers of it. The Bible says in Romans 12:2 be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. Be transformed into what? We should be transformed into the Image of Christ.

Eph. 4:15 says that we should grow up until we look like Christ. What does Christ look like? He looks like the father and the father is Love. Let this overwhelming love for people be the motivating factor in our lives and ministry.

We truly need to grow up until we look like Christ, so the world can see God in our lives. Let us be moved with compassion when we see a need.

Love for people and the furtherance of God’s Kingdom should be the motivating factor in our lives and ministry. I have always said true ministry is reaching people and touching Lives. Everything else is just stuff we have to do.

Before I had my own ministry, before anyone knew who Jerry Moyer of the Jubilee Gang was, and before anyone wanted to schedule us at their church, I did not wait on a big break. I did not hope that someday my schedule would be full. I starting going to the local housing projects in Southern Ohio because of the love in my heart for the people there. No one was reaching out to them and I saw a need. When I went to the local housing authority and asked if we could do a crusade in the projects, they told me that there had never been any preaching in the projects and there never would be.

I did not give up on what was in my heart to do. As I was reading the news paper one day, I saw where a professional base ball player had came back to our home town and started a anti drug program in the projects. I felt in my heart to go to that organization and tell them that the “Just say No” campaign was not working. Kids need something to say yes to so they can say no to drugs.

I offered to do an anti drug program for them that said say yes to Jesus so that you can say no to drugs. Anything to do with an anti drug message was welcome through this organization. Our first event in the local housing projects we saw around 100 people born again. This happened over and over in different projects around the area. Before long the projects were calling us.

As I put my hand to ministering in the local housing projects because of the love I had for the people God continued to open more and more doors to our ministry. First it was public schools. We offered them a free anti drug program in exchange for the use of the building that evening for a large event where we could present the Gospel. Our first public school outreach we had 250 children in the school and 180 people came out that night to hear the gospel. Almost every one of them came forward to be born again. Then, we opened our program up to churches and it has grown from there.
Let love be the motivating factor in everything we do. God has given us everything we need. Its up to us to use it!

By
Jerry Moyer
The Jubilee Gang
Website http://www.jubileegang.com
FaceBook http://www.facebook.com/jubileegangministries
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/jubileegang
YouTube http://www.youtube.com/jubileegang

Why do we use Games to teach?

Why do we use Games to teach?

Games are for more than having fun!
They are a teaching tool!

1. Learning becomes fun.
2. Children learn without realizing it.
3. When information is transferred in an appealing way, it stays with you.
4. If your emotions are involved, you learn more.
5. Games reinforce the lesson in a fun and exciting way.
6. It gets children involved in the class.

We must stay relevant to reach this generation.
The message never changes but the methods must change.

Excerpt taken from our book called Six Types of Games that teach that can be bought on our website at...
http://www.jubileegang.com/OnlineStore.html

Chapters include...

• Icebreaker Games
• Object Lesson Games
• Memory Verse Games
• Power Point & Multi media games
• Review Games
• Crowd control games

11 children born again in Parkersburg, WV today

We had an awesome day of ministry in Parkersburg, WV at the 19th St. Church of God. We did 2 family services today one at 10:30 AM & one at 6PM. Tomorrow night Monday Jan. 16th we will be ministering at a community wide outreach event at the 19th St. Church of God.

Below are some Pictures from today's events.

Jerry teaching the Power Verse put to a beat in Parkersburg, WV at the 19th Street Church of God during the PM Family service.

Jerry Praying with 11 Children to be born again in Parkersburg, WV at the 19th Street Church of God during the AM family service.

Jubilee Gang @ The 19th street Church of God in Parkersburg, WV Jan. 15-16

The Jubilee Gang will be ministering at the 19th St. Church of God in Parkersburg, WV on Sunday Jan. 15 AM & PM services and Monday night, Jan 16th. Come join us for this very fun weekend of ministry for kids and families. They will be with us in both the morning service at 10:30 AM Sunday and 6:00 PM on Sunday evening as well. We will also have a special rally with them on Monday evening the 16th at 7 PM. Please pass the invitation along to your friends and encourage them to come and hear the gospel of Jesus presented in a high-energy,light-filled and robotics kind of way. Monday night we are encouraging all of the area churches to bring their kids and join us for this special night. We wanted to provide an opportunity for other churches to come and join us in worship without interfering with their regular services.

The Church info is below...
19 Street Church of God
505 19th Street
Parkersburg, WV 26101
304-428-5625
www.19thstcog.org

2011 Tour Pictures

Check out our 2011 Tour Picture Album on The Jubilee Gang FaceBook Page by clicking on the Picture Below...

Why I still give altar calls or invitations to be born again.

Why I still give altar calls or invitations to be born again.

Altar Call in Urbandale, IA where a whole family (Mom, Dad, son & 2 niece's ) came forward together to be born again! God is so awesome!!!


I realize that a lot of the church world has moved away from doing altarcalls during their services. Many people have questioned why I continue touse this method of evangelism. Let me start off by stating a few things thatI see that would cause leaders to shy away from this method.

1. I understand that just because someone comes forward during aservice does not mean that a change has taken place in their livesand many people have walked away confused.

2. Another reason would be because of abuse in the past with highpressure and preaching of hell fire and brimstone that would scarepeople into coming to the front to receive Christ into their lives sothat they would miss hell. When people are scared into comingforward it sometimes causes more harm than good.

3. I also realize that there is no biblical example of altar calls in thebible and that it is a method that the modern church world hasadapted for evangelism.

Saying all this, I still like to invite people forward to receive Christ duringmy services. I am always sensitive to the churches that I am ministering inand the fear factor of the people in the audience to come forward. In somechurches people are more reluctant to come forward to receive Christ. Andwhen I sense they are, I usually just pray with people where they are intheir seats.

When I do give an invitation to come forward to be born again, I almostdiscourage people from coming forward. Yet the front is always lined withpeople receiving Christ. I have been in many services in the past whereyoung people went forward just to get close to the person on stage orhoping to get a special gift or something for coming forward. I have hadchildren in the past come forward expecting to get candy or to play a game.When I invite people to come to the front to receive Jesus and to be bornagain, I am very specific about who I want to come forward. I always tell theaudience not to come forward to get close to me, see the lights, play agame, or get a prize. I tell them not to come forward because their neighbordoes or they think it’s cool. The only people that I want to come forward arethe ones that are serious and understand what I am talking about. I tellthem that if they do not understand or are confused not to come forward.I am also very specific about what being born again is during my service. I do not just tag an invitation on the end of each service as an afterthought.If I give an invitation to be born again, I spend a little time teaching on thesubject.

I believe that faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). Ifthe word is not taught on the subject, how can a person have faith toreceive salvation? When an invitation is tagged on the end of each servicewithout any explanation of what we are asking people to respond to, it hascaused a lot of confusion in the past.

I am not saying that everyone that has been born again truly understoodeverything about salvation. God is much bigger than that. I was 6 years oldwhen I was born again. I went forward on New Years Eve in my father’schurch. No one even prayed with me but, I knew that I was changed thatday. I went home and told my mother that I had become a Christian that night.

A lot of people in the world today have many misconceptions about being aChristian. Many believe that it is anything from being a good person tobelonging to a church makes one a Christian.

In the past I have been accused of herding people to the front duringinvitations. This is why I have become so specific in whom I want to comeforward. I also qualify people before I ask them to come forward. I first askhow many know for sure that they have been born again. With all eyesclosed and heads bowed, I ask them to raise their hands. Then I tell themthat if they have been born again that they do not have to keep being bornagain over and over. If they mess up and sin that the bible says in 1 John1:9 that if we confess our sin that he is faithful and just to forgive us. Thisdoes not mean that we have to keep getting born again and again.Next, I ask how many have never been born again or are not sure that theyhave been. With all eyes closed and heads bowed, I ask them to raise theirhands. Then I ask for the people that have never been born again andwould like to receive this gift to stand up, but only if they are serious andunderstand what I am talking about. Don’t stand up because you wantexercise, because your neighbor does it, or you think it is cool, butbecause you truly want to become born again.

After waiting a little while to give people a chance to stand up if they wantto receive Christ, I then tell them that I want them to do one more thing.But before I do I tell them, I do not want them to come forward to get closeto me, play a game, see the lights, or receive a prize. I ask them that if theyare serious and understand what I am talking about to come forward. Nopressure, no fear, no manipulation, only if this is what they truly want fortheir lives. 9 out of 10 times the front is lined with people receiving Christ.After I get them to the front, I sit them down on the floor around me and askthem what they came down here for. Usually a few children raise theirhands and answer to be born again or to ask Jesus into my life. I then askthe group if this is why everyone came down front. I proceed to tell themthat this is the only reason I want them down here right now. Then I tellthem that I am going to say a prayer, and I want them to repeat it after me. Ialways ask them if they know that just because they repeat a prayer doesnot do anything for them. When we pray we are talking to God, so I wantyou to mean this from your heart. If you pray this to God, and you believe itin your heart, and are serious, he will come in and change you on theinside. I always include the whole audience in the prayer. And I tell all inattendance that even if they did not come forward and have not askedJesus in their life, that they can be born again right where they are.I never threaten with hell or in any way scare people into coming forward. Ibelieve that it is the goodness of God that brings man to repentance. Whenpeople understand the good news of the gospel and that the price hasalready been paid for them, they will want to receive this gift that has been offered to them.

By coming forward it is making a public profession of their faith. It letseveryone there know what they did. People have more of a grip on it whenthey come forward than just repeating a prayer in their seats. It is a morepersonal environment where I can get close to them and lead them intosalvation.

There is a new trend that teaches that it is the parent’s job to lead thechildren into the new birth. I do not disagree with this. Ultimately it shouldbe the parent that prays with their children to be born again. I prayed withmy son to be born again while driving in a car when he was just a child. Butto be honest about this, a lot of parents do not have a firm grip on whatbeing born again is themselves, or are not comfortable discussing it withtheir children. I pray that this changes.

If we always put it in the parents ball park and they drop the ball, or maybethey are not even born again themselves, or they do not go to churchthemselves, do we let these children creep through the cracks of oursystem? There must be a time where children have a chance to be bornagain while they are attending our services. It must be high on our prioritylist for children coming up through our churches.

I am in no means saying that this is the only way or even the best way tolead people to the Lord, but it is what works for me. The best way would befor churches to go into their communities and personally lead people to thelord individually. If every person in every church would lead at least one ortwo people to the lord each year our churches would double or triple eachyear. Unfortunately, this is not happening. Even in churches that teach thismethod of evangelism or was founded on the premise of personalevangelism. Somewhere it always seems we loose our site of the missionin front of us and leave it up to evangelist like myself, to come into thechurch and evangelize the small group of the community that will come outto the event that the church is offering.

I pray we as the body of Christ will rise up and take back this generation.

below is a link to a video of one of our Altar calls in Sayreville, NJ where around 300 people came forward to be born again....
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1146493016046

God Bless
Jerry Moyer
The Jubilee Gang

You know you have experienced revival when…

In Jan. 2011 Our local church concluded a 28 week revival. One night during worship toward the end of the revival the following list came to me and I wrote it down in my notes on my phone.

You know you have experienced revival when…

1. When you start laying aside all weights & sin that gets in between you and God.

2. When you have a renewed love & passion for the things if God.

3. When you begin to serve God with not just your mouth but our actions.

4. When you fervently serve God not just at church but every day of the week everywhere you go.

5. When you get so full of God that his presence begins to overflow in your life and begins to touch those around you.

6. When nothing else satisfies you, but more of God.

7. When you become so desperate for God that you do whatever it takes to get Him.

8. When your desires become God’s desires.

9. When your love for God becomes so strong that you just can't help but tell others.

10. When the fire of God in your life becomes so big that people start to come from all around to watch you burn.

11. When you submit yourself to God so much, that the change in your life becomes so evident that people can't help but notice and start to ask you what is different.

12. When the desire to be in God’s presence is so strong that you don't ask if you should go to church, but nothing can keep you from going to church.

13. When your love for God is so strong that you would never dishonor him by allowing sin in your life

14. When you love God so much you can't help but worship him not just at church but every day through your lifestyle.

16. When you love God so much that you don't have to be manipulated to give. You can’t help but to give because you love Him and his works so much.

17. When you rediscover your first love. The feeling & passion you had when you were first born again.

18. When you don't need to be led into worship, you just enter in.

19. When it ceases to be about us and it becomes about him.

20. Instead of constantly seeking a blessing from God you become a blessing from God.

Revival is a lifestyle.

Someone once said " I would rather live a fasted lifestyle than go on and off of periods of fasting."

I personally would rather live a revival lifestyle than attend a series of meetings.

The reason we need a series of meetings is that we are so dead we need to be jump started.

After we have been jump started we should be able to keep the charge.

Actually this list is the lifestyle that a christian ought to be living in the first place, but because we become distracted from the things of God and become spiritually dead we need to be revived.

By Jerry Moyer
The Jubilee Gang
www.jubileegang.com