We often use to term “dynamic” to refer to the way something works, or the way different parts of a system relate to produce desired results.

 

We speak, for example, of the “dynamics of a marriage relationship.” When we say that we are referring to the way in which a husband and wife work out life together. In one case you might have the husband doing the cooking (because he has had training as a chef) while the wife does the book-keeping (she is an ex-accountant). In another case, the roles might be reversed. “Dynamic” explains how the two use their different gifts to make a harmonious and productive marriage.

 

The Ezra Ministry can be thought of as having a “dynamic.” It has a definite purpose (spiritual life and leadership development), recognizes different components (knowledge, life and service), has operational workers (a Board of Trustees, a Director, a Manager, and a Communications Officer), and involves a range of activities (writing, publishing, teaching, mentoring, consulting etc.). The “dynamic” of this ministry is the way these various things work together to achieve the desired result.

 

The Ezra Ministry Dynamic
While there are many different aspects of the dynamic of the Ezra Ministry, central to them all is the dynamic that promotes spiritual life and leadership. How do Christian men and women generally and especially those in places of spiritual leadership, become people of influence like Ezra? What processes and interactions are involved? That is what we might call the “core dynamic” in the Ezra Ministry.

 

The core dynamic to the Ezra Ministry flows out of the Ezra pattern (or model) described elsewhere (see The Ezra Way). This model is described as “an integrated approach to spiritual life and leadership development.” It is based on the belief that spiritual maturity – or Christ-like character – is connected with knowing God, living our lives before and with him, and serving others in the power of the Holy Spirit. To be people who impact the world for Christ, we must learn the truth about God, absorb it into our lives, and let it work out in sacrificial service to others.

 

That forms the basis of the “core dynamic” of the ministry. Because spiritual maturity and influence comes as we know God better, the first element in the Ezra Dynamic is learning. Then, because it also requires that what is learned is practiced or experienced in life, we can think of the second step as accepting. Finally, since the goal of learning and accepting is serving others in Christ’s name, the third step in the Ezra dynamic is responding. These three actions – learning, accepting and responding – lie at the core of everything we try to do in the Ezra Ministry.

 

A Biblical Example
That same dynamic occurs in the well known parable of the sower (Mark 4:13-20). In this story Jesus likened the kingdom of God to a farmer who sowed seed in a field or paddock. Some of the seed fell on a path, some on rocky soil, some among thorns, and some on “good soil”. It was only the latter that produced a crop that lasted until harvest, just as only some people receive the seed of the “word” of the kingdom and produce the fruit of true faith.

 

It is Jesus’ explanation of why these people do so that is relevant to the dynamic outlined above. “Others, like seed sown on good soil,” Jesus says, “hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop – thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times what was sown” (v. 20). Note the three actions involved: hearing, accepting and producing. In the kingdom of God, people become fruitful through the process of hearing God’s Word, accepting it as true, and responding to it in faith. That was the way Ezra became a mighty man of God (Ezra 7:10); it is the way people today become spiritually mature and impact the world for Christ. The Ezra dynamic is aimed at assisting people not only to hear, but to accept and respond to the Word of God.

 

The Dynamic in Practice

 

Hearing the Word of God can take place in a variety of ways and through a range of means today. People can hear it through reading the Bible, through sermons and Bible readings in worship services, through books, DVD’s, podcasts and so on. The Ezra Ministry aims to assist people to “hear” God’s Word especially through writing. It’s Director, Andrew Young, has devoted many years to study, research, writing and teaching. He – and others who assist him – wants to make the treasures of our Christian heritage accessible to people through short articles, essays, papers, manuals, lecture notes and a range of other formats. There will be devotional, theological, practical, educational and biographical materials produced in time, all focused on spiritual life and leadership development.

 

Accepting what we hear and read so that it becomes part of us – our convictions, beliefs, inner passion and so on – is perhaps the most critical aspect of the Ezra Dynamic. It is also the most difficult to put into practice. Jesus and the prophets spoke of those who “saw” but didn’t “perceive” and “heard” but never “understood” (Isaiah 6:9, 10; cf. Mark 4:12). Again, Jesus warned against hearing but not doing his words (Matthew 7:24-27). Only the Holy Spirit can make what we hear part of our lives. He opens the mind and heart to receive God’s Word and makes us able to accept and live out what we learn. The Ezra Ministry doesn’t claim to be able to do that. But what it does is encourage people to read, think and pray in ways that will help them better receive God’s Word and respond to the Spirit.

 

Responding to what we hear and accept is the key to bearing fruit. The particular ways people (and local churches) respond to God’s Word will always have an element of uniqueness. But the steps in such a response are common to everyone. Action requires decision and frequently calls for communication. It usually requires teamwork, organization, motivation and the like, all widely recognized leadership and management skills. Above all it requires faith in the God who calls to provide all that obedience requires. Only the Holy Spirit can move a convinced heart to act in these ways. Information on skill training and management techniques abounds; however, the way this connects with the Scriptures and the Spirit working in our hearts is often not well explained. The Ezra Ministry will attempt to do that, encouraging a biblical and spiritual approach to doing the work of God in the world today.