The personal site of Jonathan Hayashi
What were bits of information that would have been helpful to known before entering into ministry? Here are five things that bible college/seminary did not teach us but has been helpful knowing serving in the local church.
Today, if you face any sort of difficulty with people, the world will say to take the highway. I believe Christians are called to take the higher way.
Lately, I have had an opportunity to pull back from all the busy activities of ministry and to simply stop, reflect, and think. Here are three lessons I’ve learned about leadership over the past 10 years.
Theological disagreement can cause church splits, tear up churches and ultimately jeopardize Christian Unity.
Could someone who struggles with past sin be disqualified from preaching? At what point does a man who struggles with pornography be disqualified from ministry altogether? Can a man who is divorced or remarried be a leader in a church? Can he ever be restored again?
The longer I’m in ministry, it seems like anxiety seems to be more prevalent in ministry. How could we deal with our anxiety? Where does anxiety come from?
Here are the five important biblical solution to creating a healthy church that becomes more a singing church.
He crossed the Allegheny Mountains more than sixty times; he saw more of the American countryside than any other person of his generation; and he may have been the best–known man in North America.
What is a calling? General calling? Specific calling? What location or timing can we see in a calling?
What’s the strangest criticism you’ve received?
Here are the 10 weirdest criticism I have received in the past 10 years of ministry.
The joy of ministry outweighs the hardship of ministry.
Pain and suffering are inevitable in this broken sin-tainted world. The question is, “What could I or should I say in those situations?”
The threats upon the family are implausible. The question we as Christians must ask is this: “What should be the response of the church?”
The Bible reminds believers to avoid worthless foolish empty chatter, but instead to be thoroughly equipped and qualified with careful study of scripture. (2 Tim. 2:16; 3:17).
The heart of the matter is to whom/what is worship given and how does one’s life exert what one truly value?
Tricking ourselves of engaging in discipleship by simply talking about it has forsaken the mission and purpose as a church.
Choosing the right system for the right type of leadership is crucial.
Ministry is not easy, and I don’t think it will ever be easy.
Jesus didn’t take these men and immediately throw them into leadership. Jesus instead walked with them, prayed with them, and disciple them. In order to make disciples as Jesus did takes hard work, it requires grip, nurturing time, requires emotional intelligence, capacity, and fortitude.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer even said it well, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
They say it takes a village to raise a child. The Bible shows us it takes a church to grow a Christian.
Discipleship is not simply staffed by elite paid clergy by the few for the few. Instead, it is God’s call for all the saints (priesthood of believers) to biblically counsel and disciple all.
The word “toxic” comes from the German “toxikon” which means “arrow poison”. In a literal sense, the term in its original form thus means to kill (poison) in a targeted way (arrow).
