Friday night is date night at our house. Tara and I had a wonderful time at Chili's (all 5 girls were at home, yeah!). During our relaxing evening we began to reminisce about our Church planting adventures. We planted a Church in Alabama in which we saw God do some amazing things. As we talking God impressed upon both of us that our labor had not been in vain. He reminded me of what Paul said in Galatians (6:7-9). God is not mocked, whatsoever a man sows, he shall also reap, and he later says, "Do not become weary in well doing for you shall reap a harvest if you faint not". At that moment both of us knew that the seeds we had sown in couples, young men and women as well as old men and women was not in vain, God would not be mocked we will reap a harvest. I believe that someday we will see those we have invested in, return to us as sons and daughters who will join us in what God has called us to do.
We poured into people that are not representing the seed we had sown. I will not give up on the investments, God will harvest the seeds, they will become world changers and history makers, they will do great exploits, I have invested too much in them for them to fail. I am expecting a harvest from those seeds though I had given up on them , God hasn't forgotten!
Monday
Friday
"Vision Flows From the Top Down"
I will be dealing with things that affect and cause Church growth. Over the next several issues I will be highlighting growing Churchs and interviewing the leaders of "America's fastest growing Churches". Church leaders and planters (launchers), please shoot me comments of things that worked for you.
Jesus often said, "If you have seen me, you have seen the father.
Here is how it applies to us as Pastors and leaders:
Psalms 133 tells us that the anointing and vision flows down from the head, to the beard and then to the edge of the garment.
* Every ministry volunteer and leader should represent God by representing their leader. It is not possible for every person as your Church grows to know intimately the Senior Pastor but if they have seen you, they have seen the Pastor. If they hear you, they should hear the Pastor, if they see the parking lot attendants, they should hear the Pastor. We are to be speaking the same thing (examples of life transformation). True vision is always life transformation centered (Luke 4:1-6).
* Paul calls us ambassadors of Christ. If their is a crises in Europe, the ambassador who represents America goes and speaks the opinion of the govt he represents. He does not voice his own opinion. He has the backing of his govt (anointing and authority). In the same way no matter where you serve in your Church, you are a ambassador who represents your leadership, you do not voice your opinion publicly. If you have a opinion you voice it to your leader privately. It does not matter if you disagree, when you voice it publicly it is the seed of rebellion. I have learned I may not always agree with my leader but I will never voice that disagreement publicy, but instead I honor him before the people.
* When you receive a vision from your leader, as you share with those you lead, it may have your personality, D.N.A, hard wiring, and temperament embedded in it, but it is the same vision.
* Senior leaders are responsible to empower their leaders publicly (those who are faithful) through their voice. This stimulates a multiplication of the vision and a flowing down of the vision. It is not intended to stay at the head but to flow down to the edge of the garments (body life).
* Jesus said, my sheep know my voice, do your followers know your voice (voice of the vision)?Once it is embedded in them, they will not follow another vision.
* Do you provide a platform so that your leaders can amplify your voice (test them privately before release them publicly)?
Here is a great illustration I heard recently, the difference between Duplicating tapes and digitalizing Cd's.
* When you are duplicating tapes, the more tapes you make of the original copy, the worse the quality of that tape. The sound quality is compromised.
* With digital recording and duplication, it does not matter how many Cd's you copy, you still have the original quality.
We must find a way to digitize the vision by zeroing in on what needs to be said, how it needs to be said, and to whom it should be said, so that the same oil that flows at the top flows all the way to the edge of the garment. No matter who people encounter in your ministry, they are getting the same quality of the original.
When training your leaders and reproducing leaders, the emphasis should be on 25% detail and 75% vision. How do you do this? By sharing with them 1) How lives are changed and 2) How they are part of the transformation process.
As pastors we need to reinforce vision every week by celebrating on stage (publicly) the life transformation of you vision (stories of people who have been impacted). Then you celebrate the people who make it happen (those that clean the Church, greet people, plug speaker cables in...). This spreads excitement and builds momentum.
Rick Warren says the vision should be repeated every 23 days. I have observed the leaders of the exploding Churches doing it weekly, it is intertwined in every service. One leader told me recently that people do not give to need, they give to vision (putting lives that have been impacted on public display). It is not your mission statement or vision statement, it is stories of lives that have been impacted by your vision. Vision is contagious!
Blessings,
Craig Sloan
Jesus often said, "If you have seen me, you have seen the father.
Here is how it applies to us as Pastors and leaders:
Psalms 133 tells us that the anointing and vision flows down from the head, to the beard and then to the edge of the garment.
* Every ministry volunteer and leader should represent God by representing their leader. It is not possible for every person as your Church grows to know intimately the Senior Pastor but if they have seen you, they have seen the Pastor. If they hear you, they should hear the Pastor, if they see the parking lot attendants, they should hear the Pastor. We are to be speaking the same thing (examples of life transformation). True vision is always life transformation centered (Luke 4:1-6).
* Paul calls us ambassadors of Christ. If their is a crises in Europe, the ambassador who represents America goes and speaks the opinion of the govt he represents. He does not voice his own opinion. He has the backing of his govt (anointing and authority). In the same way no matter where you serve in your Church, you are a ambassador who represents your leadership, you do not voice your opinion publicly. If you have a opinion you voice it to your leader privately. It does not matter if you disagree, when you voice it publicly it is the seed of rebellion. I have learned I may not always agree with my leader but I will never voice that disagreement publicy, but instead I honor him before the people.
* When you receive a vision from your leader, as you share with those you lead, it may have your personality, D.N.A, hard wiring, and temperament embedded in it, but it is the same vision.
* Senior leaders are responsible to empower their leaders publicly (those who are faithful) through their voice. This stimulates a multiplication of the vision and a flowing down of the vision. It is not intended to stay at the head but to flow down to the edge of the garments (body life).
* Jesus said, my sheep know my voice, do your followers know your voice (voice of the vision)?Once it is embedded in them, they will not follow another vision.
* Do you provide a platform so that your leaders can amplify your voice (test them privately before release them publicly)?
Here is a great illustration I heard recently, the difference between Duplicating tapes and digitalizing Cd's.
* When you are duplicating tapes, the more tapes you make of the original copy, the worse the quality of that tape. The sound quality is compromised.
* With digital recording and duplication, it does not matter how many Cd's you copy, you still have the original quality.
We must find a way to digitize the vision by zeroing in on what needs to be said, how it needs to be said, and to whom it should be said, so that the same oil that flows at the top flows all the way to the edge of the garment. No matter who people encounter in your ministry, they are getting the same quality of the original.
When training your leaders and reproducing leaders, the emphasis should be on 25% detail and 75% vision. How do you do this? By sharing with them 1) How lives are changed and 2) How they are part of the transformation process.
As pastors we need to reinforce vision every week by celebrating on stage (publicly) the life transformation of you vision (stories of people who have been impacted). Then you celebrate the people who make it happen (those that clean the Church, greet people, plug speaker cables in...). This spreads excitement and builds momentum.
Rick Warren says the vision should be repeated every 23 days. I have observed the leaders of the exploding Churches doing it weekly, it is intertwined in every service. One leader told me recently that people do not give to need, they give to vision (putting lives that have been impacted on public display). It is not your mission statement or vision statement, it is stories of lives that have been impacted by your vision. Vision is contagious!
Blessings,
Craig Sloan
Wednesday
"Understanding the Seasons of Life"
My guest blogger today is Craig Groeshel.
Because a pastor’s schedule, role, and duties differ from other professions, the rhythms of life should differ as well.
*Your rhythms will vary based on several things including: The stage of development of your ministry. For example, starting a ministry or transitioning a ministry might take more effort than other seasons.
*The age of your kids.
*The focus of your ministry.
I’d suggest that you embrace the season that you are in. (Don’t act like it is summer if it is winter). Here are a few of the ways I’ve embraced the different seasons.
In the early years of the church, I worked almost non-stop. Some might think I’m exaggerating, but my wife would tell you I’m not. (She understood and embraced that season as best she could with the promise of a new season coming.) Once the church was off-the-ground, I intentionally slowed the pace and arranged my schedule to spend much more time at home with our growing family. Instead of multiple short breaks from ministry/church, I’m now taking fewer, but longer and more restful breaks. During the first ten years of the church, I didn’t write books or speak at conferences. My sole effort was on building the church.
In this season, I invest way more time in developing leaders than in the past. With six children at home, I limit my travel schedule to about one night out a month. Once the kids are older, I look forward to much more international travel. Are you doing anything that is inconsistent with your season of life and ministry? Please share any seasonal rhythms that work well for you.
Because a pastor’s schedule, role, and duties differ from other professions, the rhythms of life should differ as well.
*Your rhythms will vary based on several things including: The stage of development of your ministry. For example, starting a ministry or transitioning a ministry might take more effort than other seasons.
*The age of your kids.
*The focus of your ministry.
I’d suggest that you embrace the season that you are in. (Don’t act like it is summer if it is winter). Here are a few of the ways I’ve embraced the different seasons.
In the early years of the church, I worked almost non-stop. Some might think I’m exaggerating, but my wife would tell you I’m not. (She understood and embraced that season as best she could with the promise of a new season coming.) Once the church was off-the-ground, I intentionally slowed the pace and arranged my schedule to spend much more time at home with our growing family. Instead of multiple short breaks from ministry/church, I’m now taking fewer, but longer and more restful breaks. During the first ten years of the church, I didn’t write books or speak at conferences. My sole effort was on building the church.
In this season, I invest way more time in developing leaders than in the past. With six children at home, I limit my travel schedule to about one night out a month. Once the kids are older, I look forward to much more international travel. Are you doing anything that is inconsistent with your season of life and ministry? Please share any seasonal rhythms that work well for you.
Tuesday
"Putting Power in Your Prayers"
I have been studying about "Honor" for several weeks. This week God showed me something, I would like to share with you.
1 Peter 3:7
Husbands, likewise dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel.
Here are several thoughts, that I received out of this scripture.
* Weaker vessel doesn't mean your wife is below you, it only means she can't bench press 300 pounds. The amplified says physically weaker to all you chauvinistic men out there. She may be weaker (physically) than you are , but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life.
* We are equal partners, joint heirs... She receives the same grace, anointing, and potential as I do.
* Peter goes on to say that when we do not properly honor our wives, our prayer will not be answered (ouch!). If you honor your wife, you can have confidence in your prayers to God.
* Let me speak to some husbands, including me, do you treat your wife as valuable? D you listen to her words, or do you shun her? I have learned the hard way that most wives are far more discerning than we are, and more often than not, if we fail to listen to them, we will experience pain
* In the Kingdom of God there is neither male nor female... (Gal. 3:28). If you take the masculine and the feminine and put the two together and you'll find the complete reflection of God's image, Genesis tells us that He created him, male and female He created them (Genesis 1:27). God created him in His own image, but "him" is spelled out "male and female". It takes the male and female to give us the full representation of God. For that reason Paul states, "Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord" (1 Cor. 11:11).
* We honor our wives in two ways: first as the weaker vessel (means we treat them like ladies) by protecting them, opening doors for her, pulling out the chair in the restaurant, protecting her from rude people (always protect), it also means we should prefer our wives, for example if you only have enough money to buy one outfit for a special occasion, buy it for her instead of buying one for yourself.
To lead in the Kingdom is not dominating but serving, always prefer her desires to yours unless it is a major decision and you have clear direction from God.
Secondly, by honoring them as joints heirs. This means she has equal standing in the eyes of God. This is contrary to most denominational mindsets. Women are not inferior, you don't have an advantage over them because you are a man. God's favor is held from Churches that believe the women are inferior. In fact you will find oppression, heaviness, and bondage in these places.
We must ask ourselves some questions, in some Churches why are women not included in the leadership teams? Why are females not given the same privilege to minister as the men? Why are women not included on the pastoral teams of some Churches? Why do we hear the Fathers voice and not the mother's voice? The body of Christ has been crippled due to the dishonor shown to women.
* Joel prophesied of the full restoration of women in ministry in the final days of the Church (Acts 2:17-18).
Psalms 68:11 says in the amplified, "the Lord gives the word (of power); the women who bear and publish (the news) are a great host (company).
* The first evangelist was Mary Magdalene, Jesus himself commissioned her to go tell the disciples, He had risen (John 20:17-18), and in Luke's gospel she was the lead speaker in proclaiming the Lord's Resurrection (Luke 24:10). The first person to speak to others of the Messiahs arrival was Anna (Luke 2:38). Philip had four daughters who spoke the word of the Lord (Acts 21:9) (I have 5 young evangelist). How can we fulfill the great commission if over half of the body of Christ is not honored to fulfill their calling?
Here is what we get men if we honor our wives.
1) Fulfilled women who are free to give full expression to what God's called them to do. The opposite is they will be depressed, unfulfilled, and limited.
2) Double the fruitfulness and maximum potential. You can produce and accomplish more together than you can by yourself.
3) Fulfilled Love life. If we honor our wives, they will honor us (yea baby!) Some men are still wondering why they never get sex from their wives, it is because if you treat them like they are nothing, you will get nothing!
4) Your children will serve the Lord. It is much easier for your children to serve the Lord if they can see the fullness in God than if they see division in the home. Who wants to serve a God that treats women like that. Let's be real men at home and not just at Church.
5) Answered prayer and open doors.
6) The Lord's blessing and favor on your finances, family, and faith. I believe one of the number one reasons marriages struggle with finances is because we don't honor our wives.
Let me finish by clarifying, I'm not a expert, I have not been perfected in this, but I can tell you I will strive to honor my wife in every way possible. From 1999 to 2004 I was on the road preaching. All I remember is getting on airplanes and getting off. Tara never complained, she was behind me and beside me 100%. I know someday, I will have the privilege and honor of carrying her bags and holding the fort as she travels all over the world preaching the gospel, I always tell people, she is a much better communicator than me, and I also know she will write many best selling books.
Here's to you babe, I will do my best to honor you for the rest of our lives. God, forgive me when I haven't.
1 Peter 3:7
Husbands, likewise dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel.
Here are several thoughts, that I received out of this scripture.
* Weaker vessel doesn't mean your wife is below you, it only means she can't bench press 300 pounds. The amplified says physically weaker to all you chauvinistic men out there. She may be weaker (physically) than you are , but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life.
* We are equal partners, joint heirs... She receives the same grace, anointing, and potential as I do.
* Peter goes on to say that when we do not properly honor our wives, our prayer will not be answered (ouch!). If you honor your wife, you can have confidence in your prayers to God.
* Let me speak to some husbands, including me, do you treat your wife as valuable? D you listen to her words, or do you shun her? I have learned the hard way that most wives are far more discerning than we are, and more often than not, if we fail to listen to them, we will experience pain
* In the Kingdom of God there is neither male nor female... (Gal. 3:28). If you take the masculine and the feminine and put the two together and you'll find the complete reflection of God's image, Genesis tells us that He created him, male and female He created them (Genesis 1:27). God created him in His own image, but "him" is spelled out "male and female". It takes the male and female to give us the full representation of God. For that reason Paul states, "Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord" (1 Cor. 11:11).
* We honor our wives in two ways: first as the weaker vessel (means we treat them like ladies) by protecting them, opening doors for her, pulling out the chair in the restaurant, protecting her from rude people (always protect), it also means we should prefer our wives, for example if you only have enough money to buy one outfit for a special occasion, buy it for her instead of buying one for yourself.
To lead in the Kingdom is not dominating but serving, always prefer her desires to yours unless it is a major decision and you have clear direction from God.
Secondly, by honoring them as joints heirs. This means she has equal standing in the eyes of God. This is contrary to most denominational mindsets. Women are not inferior, you don't have an advantage over them because you are a man. God's favor is held from Churches that believe the women are inferior. In fact you will find oppression, heaviness, and bondage in these places.
We must ask ourselves some questions, in some Churches why are women not included in the leadership teams? Why are females not given the same privilege to minister as the men? Why are women not included on the pastoral teams of some Churches? Why do we hear the Fathers voice and not the mother's voice? The body of Christ has been crippled due to the dishonor shown to women.
* Joel prophesied of the full restoration of women in ministry in the final days of the Church (Acts 2:17-18).
Psalms 68:11 says in the amplified, "the Lord gives the word (of power); the women who bear and publish (the news) are a great host (company).
* The first evangelist was Mary Magdalene, Jesus himself commissioned her to go tell the disciples, He had risen (John 20:17-18), and in Luke's gospel she was the lead speaker in proclaiming the Lord's Resurrection (Luke 24:10). The first person to speak to others of the Messiahs arrival was Anna (Luke 2:38). Philip had four daughters who spoke the word of the Lord (Acts 21:9) (I have 5 young evangelist). How can we fulfill the great commission if over half of the body of Christ is not honored to fulfill their calling?
Here is what we get men if we honor our wives.
1) Fulfilled women who are free to give full expression to what God's called them to do. The opposite is they will be depressed, unfulfilled, and limited.
2) Double the fruitfulness and maximum potential. You can produce and accomplish more together than you can by yourself.
3) Fulfilled Love life. If we honor our wives, they will honor us (yea baby!) Some men are still wondering why they never get sex from their wives, it is because if you treat them like they are nothing, you will get nothing!
4) Your children will serve the Lord. It is much easier for your children to serve the Lord if they can see the fullness in God than if they see division in the home. Who wants to serve a God that treats women like that. Let's be real men at home and not just at Church.
5) Answered prayer and open doors.
6) The Lord's blessing and favor on your finances, family, and faith. I believe one of the number one reasons marriages struggle with finances is because we don't honor our wives.
Let me finish by clarifying, I'm not a expert, I have not been perfected in this, but I can tell you I will strive to honor my wife in every way possible. From 1999 to 2004 I was on the road preaching. All I remember is getting on airplanes and getting off. Tara never complained, she was behind me and beside me 100%. I know someday, I will have the privilege and honor of carrying her bags and holding the fort as she travels all over the world preaching the gospel, I always tell people, she is a much better communicator than me, and I also know she will write many best selling books.
Here's to you babe, I will do my best to honor you for the rest of our lives. God, forgive me when I haven't.
Monday
"When to Pray for Your Pastor"
I have a guest blog today from Perry Noble who is shaking South Carolina for the Glory of God. I will be going to visit his campuses soon, to see how they do what they do. Keep up the great work Perry!
Perry Noble dot com
pastor, NewSpring Church
When To Pray For Your Pastor
I’ve had four conversations in the past several weeks where someone has said to me, “Perry, my family and I pray for you and your family everyday.”
Let me be very clear…there is almost NOTHING ELSE I would rather hear from a Springers (attender/member of NewSpring) mouth than that! It always blows me away that people would think enough of me, Lucretia and Charisse to talk to the Creator of the Universe on our behalf.
I know there are people from other churches who read this site and I would strongly encourage you to pray for your pastor…when are the three times he needs it the most?
#1 - Sunday Night/Monday Morning
If a pastor EVER feels like giving up–it’s either on Sunday night or Monday morning.
I would say that 99% of the worlds population doesn’t really have a clue as to what pastors endure emotionally, physically and spiritually.
If they are going to be under a heavy spiritual attack…it’s usually during this time.
If they are going to have a sleepless night, even though they are exhausted–it will be on Sunday night.
If they are going to battle discouragement…it will be on Sunday night.
Trust me on this folks…I am saying what most pastors won’t tell you (either because of insecurity or some sort of Messiah complex!)
When a pastor preaches a message he has SEVERAL adrenalin rushes–ever had one of those? Sure you have! Let’s say you are riding down the road in a car and another car runs a stop sigh and you manage to avoid a collision by mere inches.
BAM…you get an adrenalin rush that studies show it takes between four to six hours to recover from.
NOW–take under consideration that most pastors in today’s world preach more than one sermon per Sunday…and with the shots of adrenalin the body produces to keep the dude going…it completely kicks his butt–I promise. That is why it is so essential to lift him up during this time–he feels like a used washed cloth!
#2 - On Saturday Nights
If I am going to have a sleepless night, other than Sunday night–it’s Saturday.
Pastors have a hard time shutting their minds off on Saturday night–we think about the message, the music, who is and is not going to be there…and about one million other things. We can literally drive ourselves crazy.
ALSO…for me personally, if I am going to have any sort of nightmare–it’s usually on Saturday night. Oh yeah…PLEASE don’t just pray for him…but his entire family as well!!! There needs to be complete peace in and on the pastor’s house the night before church…and I believe that this comes through people passionately praying to God on his behalf.
#3 - Anytime The Holy Spirit Brings Him To Mind
If you are riding down the road and your pastors name pops into your mind…pray for him. It really is that simple.
If you are in your living room and watching television and his name pops in your mind…pray for him.
If you are riding down the road and you see a dead squirrel splatted all over the place and your pastors name pops in your mind…PRAY FOR YOURSELF, you have issues!!! :-)
The Holy Spirit knows when people need prayer…and I can’t tell you the number of times He’s brought someone’s name to my mind, I’ve prayed for them and then later found out that at the exact time I prayed for them was at a time when God was doing some serious work in their lives.
Perry Noble dot com
pastor, NewSpring Church
When To Pray For Your Pastor
I’ve had four conversations in the past several weeks where someone has said to me, “Perry, my family and I pray for you and your family everyday.”
Let me be very clear…there is almost NOTHING ELSE I would rather hear from a Springers (attender/member of NewSpring) mouth than that! It always blows me away that people would think enough of me, Lucretia and Charisse to talk to the Creator of the Universe on our behalf.
I know there are people from other churches who read this site and I would strongly encourage you to pray for your pastor…when are the three times he needs it the most?
#1 - Sunday Night/Monday Morning
If a pastor EVER feels like giving up–it’s either on Sunday night or Monday morning.
I would say that 99% of the worlds population doesn’t really have a clue as to what pastors endure emotionally, physically and spiritually.
If they are going to be under a heavy spiritual attack…it’s usually during this time.
If they are going to have a sleepless night, even though they are exhausted–it will be on Sunday night.
If they are going to battle discouragement…it will be on Sunday night.
Trust me on this folks…I am saying what most pastors won’t tell you (either because of insecurity or some sort of Messiah complex!)
When a pastor preaches a message he has SEVERAL adrenalin rushes–ever had one of those? Sure you have! Let’s say you are riding down the road in a car and another car runs a stop sigh and you manage to avoid a collision by mere inches.
BAM…you get an adrenalin rush that studies show it takes between four to six hours to recover from.
NOW–take under consideration that most pastors in today’s world preach more than one sermon per Sunday…and with the shots of adrenalin the body produces to keep the dude going…it completely kicks his butt–I promise. That is why it is so essential to lift him up during this time–he feels like a used washed cloth!
#2 - On Saturday Nights
If I am going to have a sleepless night, other than Sunday night–it’s Saturday.
Pastors have a hard time shutting their minds off on Saturday night–we think about the message, the music, who is and is not going to be there…and about one million other things. We can literally drive ourselves crazy.
ALSO…for me personally, if I am going to have any sort of nightmare–it’s usually on Saturday night. Oh yeah…PLEASE don’t just pray for him…but his entire family as well!!! There needs to be complete peace in and on the pastor’s house the night before church…and I believe that this comes through people passionately praying to God on his behalf.
#3 - Anytime The Holy Spirit Brings Him To Mind
If you are riding down the road and your pastors name pops into your mind…pray for him. It really is that simple.
If you are in your living room and watching television and his name pops in your mind…pray for him.
If you are riding down the road and you see a dead squirrel splatted all over the place and your pastors name pops in your mind…PRAY FOR YOURSELF, you have issues!!! :-)
The Holy Spirit knows when people need prayer…and I can’t tell you the number of times He’s brought someone’s name to my mind, I’ve prayed for them and then later found out that at the exact time I prayed for them was at a time when God was doing some serious work in their lives.
Thursday
"Who is Over You?"
Someone recently asked me, how do you know the men (or women) that God has placed over you in your life (Galatians 4:1-3)?
Paul tells us that though we are heirs to everything, as long as we are children, we will live like slaves. As long as you remain immature, you will live your life falling short of your destiny. It will always be within your reach, but you can't quite grab it. He also tells us that we are put under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the Father.
He is telling us that the Father has prepared everything we need to fulfill our destiny but it is locked up in those that God
places over us. One pastor recently told me that his life did not really progress into fruitfulness and success until he discovered those that God had placed over him, I call them the voices of wisdom. They hold the keys to your future. The can speak one word and it unlocks...
Here is how I qualify them:
1) Will always speak to your strengths not your weaknesses.
* If you are under people that always point out your weaknesses but never speak to your strengths, you will stay frustrated and limited.
* They will see potential in you others don't see, and they call those things that are not as though they were.
* God has always called people by their prophetic potential not their present reality (Gideon,
Abraham, Peter...).
2) They will celebrate your insignificant successes.
*They will affirm you and build you up. They will not be insecure of your successes. Saul was intimidated by David's success. When did he begin to hate David? When the people began to say, Paul has slain his thousands but David has slain his tens of thousands.
* What you celebrate will grow, what you ignore will diminish.
* People are built to be reward oriented. When you reward them and celebrate their victories, it will empower them to go to the next level and they will be loyal to you.
* Jesus didn't perform one miracle until His father affirmed him (This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased). Here the father is affirming his son even though Jesus had not accomplished anything in his minstry yet.
3) They will resource you for success.
* They will not give you handouts because then you will be dependant upon them. Rather, they will teach you how to get what they got. For example if you are always having to get someone to loan you money (cycle), you will always need someone to bail you out, but if you can learn how they got it, you can get it and keep it. (The power of asking the right questions)
* Great leaders will resource you by either buying great books or suggesting books that you need to read. They are willing to share the secrets of their success.
4) You will enjoy being around them.
* Every time you are in their presence, you will feel refreshed, encouraged, and sharpened.
* The primary role of leaders is to encourage (To put courage in) and empower (To tap into resident power or potential) those who they are leading. Everything you need is already in you, you just need the right voice to uncover it.
For example, on the day of creation God spoke to the waters and it gave up the fish, spoke to the earth and it gave up the cattle, spoke to heavens and commanded the starts to come forth. Notice everything that He created was in the source He spoke to. When He got ready to create man, He spoke to himself (Let us bring forth...). It is already there, it just needs the right voice to unearth it.
* Our focus as leaders is not to put something in you, but to pull out what is already there. we are not trying to make you, God has already made you. Our job is to introduce you to the real you!
Pray that God will reveal who is your guardians and stewards. I will deal more with this later.
Blessings,
Craig
Paul tells us that though we are heirs to everything, as long as we are children, we will live like slaves. As long as you remain immature, you will live your life falling short of your destiny. It will always be within your reach, but you can't quite grab it. He also tells us that we are put under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the Father.
He is telling us that the Father has prepared everything we need to fulfill our destiny but it is locked up in those that God
places over us. One pastor recently told me that his life did not really progress into fruitfulness and success until he discovered those that God had placed over him, I call them the voices of wisdom. They hold the keys to your future. The can speak one word and it unlocks...Here is how I qualify them:
1) Will always speak to your strengths not your weaknesses.
* If you are under people that always point out your weaknesses but never speak to your strengths, you will stay frustrated and limited.
* They will see potential in you others don't see, and they call those things that are not as though they were.
* God has always called people by their prophetic potential not their present reality (Gideon,
Abraham, Peter...).
2) They will celebrate your insignificant successes.
*They will affirm you and build you up. They will not be insecure of your successes. Saul was intimidated by David's success. When did he begin to hate David? When the people began to say, Paul has slain his thousands but David has slain his tens of thousands.
* What you celebrate will grow, what you ignore will diminish.
* People are built to be reward oriented. When you reward them and celebrate their victories, it will empower them to go to the next level and they will be loyal to you.
* Jesus didn't perform one miracle until His father affirmed him (This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased). Here the father is affirming his son even though Jesus had not accomplished anything in his minstry yet.
3) They will resource you for success.
* They will not give you handouts because then you will be dependant upon them. Rather, they will teach you how to get what they got. For example if you are always having to get someone to loan you money (cycle), you will always need someone to bail you out, but if you can learn how they got it, you can get it and keep it. (The power of asking the right questions)
* Great leaders will resource you by either buying great books or suggesting books that you need to read. They are willing to share the secrets of their success.
4) You will enjoy being around them.
* Every time you are in their presence, you will feel refreshed, encouraged, and sharpened.
* The primary role of leaders is to encourage (To put courage in) and empower (To tap into resident power or potential) those who they are leading. Everything you need is already in you, you just need the right voice to uncover it.
For example, on the day of creation God spoke to the waters and it gave up the fish, spoke to the earth and it gave up the cattle, spoke to heavens and commanded the starts to come forth. Notice everything that He created was in the source He spoke to. When He got ready to create man, He spoke to himself (Let us bring forth...). It is already there, it just needs the right voice to unearth it.
* Our focus as leaders is not to put something in you, but to pull out what is already there. we are not trying to make you, God has already made you. Our job is to introduce you to the real you!
Pray that God will reveal who is your guardians and stewards. I will deal more with this later.
Blessings,
Craig
Wednesday
"Worthy of Honor"
I was thinking of all the great leaders who have impacted my life. I believe it is important that we honor those who have held the keys that have unlocked our destiny. I want to dedicate this blog to them. Here is what they taught me.
Bishop Tony Miller
* Dream Big! The sky is the limit! God has a great Destiny for me! They were my first Pastors with a worldwide vision. I am in ministry today because of them. One of the greatest preachers on the planet!
Dr. David Rosier
* One of the greatest men of character I have ever known, genuinely cares about me as a person. He taught me that your name is more important than money, fame or power. He always sees the best in people. No matter how imperfect I am, He still sees me as a man of God.
Pastor Kathy Miller
* When I first started preaching, she saw something in me others couldn't see. She was my first real fan, cheering me on.
Pastor Ben and Elma Williams
* When I was a confused teenager, they opened their home to me, they modeled a Christ Centered Life. They helped guide me during my high school years.
Pastor Tony and Rosa River
* These are my adopted parents, they taught me that God can not only save and impact you, but He is the God who saves the entire household. Pastor Tony taught me that no matter what sell out for Christ. They modeled the sacrificial life.
Apostle Ron Carpenter
* You will always have critics in life, doubters and skeptics, but if you will maintain resolve, you will succeed and success silences the critics.
Pastor Johnnie Denson
* Be you, God made you unique and you are the best you we've got! He gave me my first ministry assignment and was the father to my awesome wife!
To all of you, I want to say thanks for believing in me, the best times of my life were spent learning from you. I can't wait for the day when I Pastor a city impacting Church and I am able to honor you every year. I dream of having a yearly celebration service where I can give you the honor you deserve. Thanks for guiding me, seeing potential in me, and no matter what sticking with me. Most of all, thank you for praying for me.
Lastly, I want to honor my best friend, an awesome preacher, teacher, administrator, Pastor's wife, writer and so much more. Thanks for enduring with me. The best is yet to come!
Blessings,
Craig
Bishop Tony Miller
* Dream Big! The sky is the limit! God has a great Destiny for me! They were my first Pastors with a worldwide vision. I am in ministry today because of them. One of the greatest preachers on the planet!
Dr. David Rosier
* One of the greatest men of character I have ever known, genuinely cares about me as a person. He taught me that your name is more important than money, fame or power. He always sees the best in people. No matter how imperfect I am, He still sees me as a man of God.
Pastor Ray Berryhill
* In the short time I have known him I have observed and admired his passion for souls and a stick-to-it-tive-ness.
Dr. Vernette Rosier
* Mom Rosier has opened my eyes to the prophetic in a new way. She is one of those people with a stirring passion for the things of God. I have always operated prophetically however there were those times when I would play it safe. It was at one of those instances that Mom Rosier looked at me square in the eye and said, “What else did God show you?” She did this about three times before I finally gave it all up and poured out what God had revealed to me.
She and Dad Rosier have been instrumental in the lives of Tara and I and we are forever grateful to God for bringing them into our lives.
Pastor Kathy Miller
* When I first started preaching, she saw something in me others couldn't see. She was my first real fan, cheering me on.
Pastor Ben and Elma Williams
* When I was a confused teenager, they opened their home to me, they modeled a Christ Centered Life. They helped guide me during my high school years.
Pastor Tony and Rosa River
* These are my adopted parents, they taught me that God can not only save and impact you, but He is the God who saves the entire household. Pastor Tony taught me that no matter what sell out for Christ. They modeled the sacrificial life.
Apostle Ron Carpenter
* You will always have critics in life, doubters and skeptics, but if you will maintain resolve, you will succeed and success silences the critics.
Pastor Johnnie Denson
* Be you, God made you unique and you are the best you we've got! He gave me my first ministry assignment and was the father to my awesome wife!
To all of you, I want to say thanks for believing in me, the best times of my life were spent learning from you. I can't wait for the day when I Pastor a city impacting Church and I am able to honor you every year. I dream of having a yearly celebration service where I can give you the honor you deserve. Thanks for guiding me, seeing potential in me, and no matter what sticking with me. Most of all, thank you for praying for me.
Lastly, I want to honor my best friend, an awesome preacher, teacher, administrator, Pastor's wife, writer and so much more. Thanks for enduring with me. The best is yet to come!
Blessings,
Craig
Tuesday
"What I Wish Somebody Would Have Told Me"
Here is my priority list:
1) God
2) Family
3) Occupation (ministry)
4) Church
I want to share a awesome blog from Perry Noble that explains this very well. Let me know what you think.
What I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me (Part Ten)
#10 - Senior Pastor/Church Leader–You MUST Take Responsibility For Setting Your Schedule.
When I first became a senior pastor I thought every time opportunity knocked that it meant that God was knocking and so I had to say yes…and it caused me to set a pace that no human being could EVER sustain.
When people would call and ask me to go to lunch, I would go. When people would ask Lucretia and I over to supper–we went. When organizations would call and ask me to speak for them–I obliged. At one time I did ALL of the weddings, the funerals, the follow up…and just about anything else you can think of–AND, as I mentioned above…I NEARLY FRIED MYSELF.
Something all senior pastors must battle through is the guilt associated with saying no. Why? Because the previous generation of pastors did it all for the flock, never really asking for help and not allowing others to discover their potential in Christ…THUS today we have hundreds and thousands of impotent churches who were built on the ministry of one man–and thus died when he left.
One of the statements I make all of the time around NewSpring Church is, “The church IS NOT effective when the pastor ministers to the people, but rather when the body ministers to the body!” One of the most liberating things I’ve ever seen in Scripture is the story of Acts 6:1-7 where the apostles actually said that it would not be right to wait on tables…BUT they raised up leaders who made sure the job was done. (Thus freeing up their schedule so that more people could be reached for the kingdom–see Acts 6:7)
Pastors, hear my heart…you cannot base effective ministry on whether or not you are meeting the expectations of everyone in your church. If THAT is the definition of success then Jesus pretty much missed the mark, didn’t He? BUT…even a casual glance at Scripture clearly points out that Jesus refused to allow the expectations of others to dictate the direction of His ministry. He FAITHFULLY followed the Father.
I took responsibility for my schedule two years ago…and it has set me free. I say NO to an overwhelming number of the “opportunities” that come my way so that I can say YES to the greatest opportunities that God has given me - Lucretia, Charisse and NewSpring. (In that order!)
Pastors, one more thing…and I am just being honest. You can work your butt off for the church, completely fry yourself emotionally, spiritually and physically, begin making bad decisions (maybe even some REALLY bad ones) AND…the church you’ve slaved for, when you begin to “fall off” in your performance, will DROP YOU like a bad habit! I’ve seen it–you have to!
I am NOT trying to cause doubt and division…but I do want to warn you of the church that will work you to death and scream your praises while you do so…I once heard a wise man say, “Those that deify will also crucify–they screamed “Hosanna” on one day…and in less than a week were yelling “crucify Him.”
I say this because I am sick and tired of seeing pastors work their tail off for lazy church members and then, when their lives fall apart OR marriages go bad OR children begin to rebel…those SAME church members who once sang their praises often turn on them and begin to want to “vote them out” so that they can obtain some more fresh meat to tear into…all in the name of Christ. (For some reason…I am thinking He is not happy about that pattern!)
Pastors…our job is to seek Jesus with every ounce of energy and passion we have…and to train the people to do the work of the ministry. (Ephesians 4:11-16 is VERY clear on this!) THAT WAY…everyone gets to participate in advancing God’s Kingdom and seeing God build His church.
SO…go ahead and set realistic expectations from the beginning. Raise people up to DO the work of the ministry instead of trying to do it all. Love your wife, your children and then your church…and don’t let the expectations of others trump the expectations and calling of God on your life.
One more note on this–YES, tragedy’s take place…things come up…audibles MUST be called from time to time…but those should be the exception, NOT the rule.
1) God
2) Family
3) Occupation (ministry)
4) Church
I want to share a awesome blog from Perry Noble that explains this very well. Let me know what you think.
What I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me (Part Ten)
#10 - Senior Pastor/Church Leader–You MUST Take Responsibility For Setting Your Schedule.
When I first became a senior pastor I thought every time opportunity knocked that it meant that God was knocking and so I had to say yes…and it caused me to set a pace that no human being could EVER sustain.
When people would call and ask me to go to lunch, I would go. When people would ask Lucretia and I over to supper–we went. When organizations would call and ask me to speak for them–I obliged. At one time I did ALL of the weddings, the funerals, the follow up…and just about anything else you can think of–AND, as I mentioned above…I NEARLY FRIED MYSELF.
Something all senior pastors must battle through is the guilt associated with saying no. Why? Because the previous generation of pastors did it all for the flock, never really asking for help and not allowing others to discover their potential in Christ…THUS today we have hundreds and thousands of impotent churches who were built on the ministry of one man–and thus died when he left.
One of the statements I make all of the time around NewSpring Church is, “The church IS NOT effective when the pastor ministers to the people, but rather when the body ministers to the body!” One of the most liberating things I’ve ever seen in Scripture is the story of Acts 6:1-7 where the apostles actually said that it would not be right to wait on tables…BUT they raised up leaders who made sure the job was done. (Thus freeing up their schedule so that more people could be reached for the kingdom–see Acts 6:7)
Pastors, hear my heart…you cannot base effective ministry on whether or not you are meeting the expectations of everyone in your church. If THAT is the definition of success then Jesus pretty much missed the mark, didn’t He? BUT…even a casual glance at Scripture clearly points out that Jesus refused to allow the expectations of others to dictate the direction of His ministry. He FAITHFULLY followed the Father.
I took responsibility for my schedule two years ago…and it has set me free. I say NO to an overwhelming number of the “opportunities” that come my way so that I can say YES to the greatest opportunities that God has given me - Lucretia, Charisse and NewSpring. (In that order!)
Pastors, one more thing…and I am just being honest. You can work your butt off for the church, completely fry yourself emotionally, spiritually and physically, begin making bad decisions (maybe even some REALLY bad ones) AND…the church you’ve slaved for, when you begin to “fall off” in your performance, will DROP YOU like a bad habit! I’ve seen it–you have to!
I am NOT trying to cause doubt and division…but I do want to warn you of the church that will work you to death and scream your praises while you do so…I once heard a wise man say, “Those that deify will also crucify–they screamed “Hosanna” on one day…and in less than a week were yelling “crucify Him.”
I say this because I am sick and tired of seeing pastors work their tail off for lazy church members and then, when their lives fall apart OR marriages go bad OR children begin to rebel…those SAME church members who once sang their praises often turn on them and begin to want to “vote them out” so that they can obtain some more fresh meat to tear into…all in the name of Christ. (For some reason…I am thinking He is not happy about that pattern!)
Pastors…our job is to seek Jesus with every ounce of energy and passion we have…and to train the people to do the work of the ministry. (Ephesians 4:11-16 is VERY clear on this!) THAT WAY…everyone gets to participate in advancing God’s Kingdom and seeing God build His church.
SO…go ahead and set realistic expectations from the beginning. Raise people up to DO the work of the ministry instead of trying to do it all. Love your wife, your children and then your church…and don’t let the expectations of others trump the expectations and calling of God on your life.
One more note on this–YES, tragedy’s take place…things come up…audibles MUST be called from time to time…but those should be the exception, NOT the rule.
Monday
Winners Verses Losers
Tara found this over at Eric's Blog today.., these are great words to live by! Thanks for sharing Eric!1. When a winner makes a mistake, he says, "I was wrong."
When a loser makes a mistake, he says, "It wasn't my fault."
(A winner focuses on personal responsibility)
2. A winner makes commitments.
A loser makes promises.
(Focusing on integrity in relationships and following through)
3. A winner says, "I'm good but, not as good as I ought to be."
A loser says, "I'm not nearly as bad as other people."
(Focusing on Christ as the standard)
4. A winner tries to learn from those who are superior to him.
A loser tries to tear down those who are superior to him.
(Focusing on responding to learning from authority)
5. A winner says, "There ought to be a better way to do it."
A loser says, "That's the way it has always been done here."
(Focusing on fear instead of fear)
Be Blessed!
Craig
Funn With Ed and Joel
Gotta love it! C'mon all you leaders out there... you know we all have a Joel Osteen impression in us! Joel is a GREAT sport! Enjoy this little bit between Pastors Joel Osteen and Ed Young
"Big Things Come In Small Packages"
Have you ever heard the statement, be instant in season and out of season (Paul to Timothy)? Yesterday I learned firsthand, you have to be ready at all times. This past week I have been working on "Chicago's Largest Easter Egg Hunt" Eggstravaganza 2008. I was flat out tired Saturday night, I usually stay up late but being tired I went to bed early. When I woke up Sunday, I was still tired, and we were running a little behind in getting ready for the first service (I have 5 girls and a wife) and I live in house with all girls. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. When I first got up, I felt like I would be asked to preach in the first service (I ignored it!). Sure enough, the phone rang and I was asked to preach the first service. I am almost always ready, but because of my focus on the Eggstravaganza, this was one of the few times I wasn't.
I then had to make a choice, do I pull out something old (already memorized and rehearsed) or do I go with something fresh that God has been dealing with me about? I then had to take my family to the Church and when I got there I had about 30 minutes to prepare. I remembered that all my notes were at the office, so I drove to the office frantically to go to the office to look through my notes. To make a long story short, after all of this, I felt the Lord impress me to share out of my devotional time concerning "The Reward of Honor". I want to share a few of the thoughts that I shared.
* Many times God sends you what you need in a package you least expect.
* We place great priority on honoring God and our leaders which we should, but we have not done very well at honoring each other.
* Honor means to esteem or value highly.
* The greatest testing ground is not in the world it is in your own house, Jesus was not able to many miracles in His home town, in fact they said, "Is this not the carpenter's boy...
* Imagine everything they needed was standing right in front of them in the flesh of Jesus but because they could not perceive Him correctly they missed the very thing they were waiting for.
* Paul admonishes us to know no man after the flesh, and that when Christ died, we all died (2 Cor. 14-17), meaning that personality flaw, character flaw in that person that irritates you, that thing about your boss that you don't like died when Christ died. Inside of every vessel of clay there is a treasure and for you to draw out the treasure, you have to perceive me correctly, if you perceive me as regular Joe then that is all you will get. Paul also said, that in my flesh is no good thing. I must perceive you after your anointing (1 John 2:20).
* Everyone who has received Jesus Christ as their saviour has a flesh nature and a God nature. The people in Jesus hometown perceived Him after His flesh nature thereby limiting the anointing that was in Him. The scripture says, He could not do many miracles there, not He would not. He was willing but they did not perceive Him properly (Mark 6:1-6).
* In the Church we often strive for the person with the microphone to get them to lay hands on us. We put a high value on the visible parts of the body, but scripture tells us that God puts higher value on the less visible parts (1 Cor. 12:22). For example, I can do without my hair (I don't have any), toenails, and even a finger or two. Those are the visible parts, what you see. I can't do without my liver which you don't see. This tells us just because someone is visible does not mean they are more important. The greeter that opens the door for you and gives you a bulletin, the person who does the sound check, turns the volume up or down is less visible but just as important. (try preaching in a large crowd without a sound man)
I remember when me and my wife planted a Church and we had to preach, greet the people, clean the restroom, set up and tear down, take up the offering... I realize more than ever that if the less visible parts don't do what they do, then I can't do what I do. Let me illustrate this.
Let' say that Sally receives a report from the doctor that she has cancer and she only has three months to live. She rushes to the Church on Sunday so that she can get the pastor to lay hands on her, she rushes past Jim the greeter, who in fact has the anointing for healing that she needs so that she can get the pastor to pray for her. Let's try another example.
Let's say Sally gets the report from the doctor and calls the Church. The pastor sends the elders (pastoral staff and deacons) to anoint her with oil. She gets mad and says, I don't want Joe the elder, I want the Pastor. Because she didn't perceive Joe properly she dies. She perceives Joe by his activity which is carrying the Pastor's briefcase. God placed the healing she needed in Joe. But because she percieves Joe by his activity, she misses the healing that she needs that is in Joe.
Paul admonishes us to discern the body properly and because some are not, they are weak, sick, and dead (1 Cor. 11:29-30). He is not talking about wafers and juice, he is talking about properly discerning the body (we are called the body of Christ). We must learn to properly discern each other. There is something in you I need!
Lastly, we often perceive someone by their activity (what they do). If their activity is not what we want (title and position) we miss the treasure God placed in them for us. That's why whenever I see someone doing menial tasks I greet them and thank them for their faithfulness. Why? Because big things come in small packages. I listen to what they have to say.
I have received more timely words of encouragement from people that others may consider insignificant than I have from "mighty men of God". In fact anytime I am around someone who is faithful in small things, I recognize God has placed big things in them. So next time you enter your Church, business or school, why don't you stop and honor those who are less visible, who knows they may contain the solution, miracle, answer that you need. Lets' learn to honor one another.
*
I then had to make a choice, do I pull out something old (already memorized and rehearsed) or do I go with something fresh that God has been dealing with me about? I then had to take my family to the Church and when I got there I had about 30 minutes to prepare. I remembered that all my notes were at the office, so I drove to the office frantically to go to the office to look through my notes. To make a long story short, after all of this, I felt the Lord impress me to share out of my devotional time concerning "The Reward of Honor". I want to share a few of the thoughts that I shared.
* Many times God sends you what you need in a package you least expect.
* We place great priority on honoring God and our leaders which we should, but we have not done very well at honoring each other.
* Honor means to esteem or value highly.
* The greatest testing ground is not in the world it is in your own house, Jesus was not able to many miracles in His home town, in fact they said, "Is this not the carpenter's boy...
* Imagine everything they needed was standing right in front of them in the flesh of Jesus but because they could not perceive Him correctly they missed the very thing they were waiting for.
* Paul admonishes us to know no man after the flesh, and that when Christ died, we all died (2 Cor. 14-17), meaning that personality flaw, character flaw in that person that irritates you, that thing about your boss that you don't like died when Christ died. Inside of every vessel of clay there is a treasure and for you to draw out the treasure, you have to perceive me correctly, if you perceive me as regular Joe then that is all you will get. Paul also said, that in my flesh is no good thing. I must perceive you after your anointing (1 John 2:20).
* Everyone who has received Jesus Christ as their saviour has a flesh nature and a God nature. The people in Jesus hometown perceived Him after His flesh nature thereby limiting the anointing that was in Him. The scripture says, He could not do many miracles there, not He would not. He was willing but they did not perceive Him properly (Mark 6:1-6).
* In the Church we often strive for the person with the microphone to get them to lay hands on us. We put a high value on the visible parts of the body, but scripture tells us that God puts higher value on the less visible parts (1 Cor. 12:22). For example, I can do without my hair (I don't have any), toenails, and even a finger or two. Those are the visible parts, what you see. I can't do without my liver which you don't see. This tells us just because someone is visible does not mean they are more important. The greeter that opens the door for you and gives you a bulletin, the person who does the sound check, turns the volume up or down is less visible but just as important. (try preaching in a large crowd without a sound man)
I remember when me and my wife planted a Church and we had to preach, greet the people, clean the restroom, set up and tear down, take up the offering... I realize more than ever that if the less visible parts don't do what they do, then I can't do what I do. Let me illustrate this.
Let' say that Sally receives a report from the doctor that she has cancer and she only has three months to live. She rushes to the Church on Sunday so that she can get the pastor to lay hands on her, she rushes past Jim the greeter, who in fact has the anointing for healing that she needs so that she can get the pastor to pray for her. Let's try another example.
Let's say Sally gets the report from the doctor and calls the Church. The pastor sends the elders (pastoral staff and deacons) to anoint her with oil. She gets mad and says, I don't want Joe the elder, I want the Pastor. Because she didn't perceive Joe properly she dies. She perceives Joe by his activity which is carrying the Pastor's briefcase. God placed the healing she needed in Joe. But because she percieves Joe by his activity, she misses the healing that she needs that is in Joe.
Paul admonishes us to discern the body properly and because some are not, they are weak, sick, and dead (1 Cor. 11:29-30). He is not talking about wafers and juice, he is talking about properly discerning the body (we are called the body of Christ). We must learn to properly discern each other. There is something in you I need!
Lastly, we often perceive someone by their activity (what they do). If their activity is not what we want (title and position) we miss the treasure God placed in them for us. That's why whenever I see someone doing menial tasks I greet them and thank them for their faithfulness. Why? Because big things come in small packages. I listen to what they have to say.
I have received more timely words of encouragement from people that others may consider insignificant than I have from "mighty men of God". In fact anytime I am around someone who is faithful in small things, I recognize God has placed big things in them. So next time you enter your Church, business or school, why don't you stop and honor those who are less visible, who knows they may contain the solution, miracle, answer that you need. Lets' learn to honor one another.
*
GO FOR IT!
In this blog I want to deal briefly with a couple of thoughts. Both of these were things that other great leaders challenged me in.
1)The thing that makes you different from everyone else is the thing that makes you powerful.
2) Making your life count.
* God is challenging me to make my life count for something, I don't want to die never having accomplished something great. The richest place in the world is not Fort Knox, it is the graveyards. There lies unwritten songs, history unfulfilled, stories never told and great exploits never done. I don't want to die with greatness still inside of me. I want to go for it! Take risk, dream big, reach for the impossible, and step out of normality and sameness. Jesus Christ didn't die for me to be average, He died for me to make my life count!
* As I evaluate my life I realize I have played it safe. One of my Mentors challenged years ago with this statement, "If what you have in your hands is enough to accomplish your dream, it is not a God dream". In other words if you can do it without God's supernatural intervention, then you need to evaluate whether your dream is from God or not. I was born to do something great, something never done. One leader challenged me today, to take the limits off, think outside the box, do like Abraham who went out not knowing where he was going. God told him to leave his country, his people, and his father's house and go to the land I will show you. I can imagine Abraham asking God, "Where am I going". God answered I will tell you when you get there.
Most of us want God to show us and then we will go, but God told Abraham go and I will show. Step out in faith, do something that will require God's help, GO and God will SHOW! If you will step out God will rock your world!
1)The thing that makes you different from everyone else is the thing that makes you powerful.
This reality is equally comforting and challenging.
Comfort: There is no pressure for me to fit in. (What a relief it is to be able to be me.)
Challenge: The culture of carbon copy makes it hard for me to boldly stand out.
One of my favorite verses is in 1 Peter 2:9-10, it tells us that we are chosen, royalty, called out, and peculiar generation. The word peculiar means to be different like two shoes that are completely different. It is those who discover their unique factor, that thing that separates them from everybody else that makes them impacting.Those who insist on being similar to the point of blending into the background are ignored. Here is what one pastor who pastors one of the fastest growing Churches in America in Charlotte, North Carolina recently said.
Juno wasn’t nominated for an Academy Award because it was just like the other movies…it was recognized because it was different. Quirky.
Kurt Cobain didn’t spark an entire musical movement because Nevermind sounded just like all the other albums of the early nineties. His legacy was his uniqueness.
I didn’t marry my wife because she was just like the other girls. I married her precisely because she was an anomaly.
It’s too bad that our educational systems (and more specifically, our Bible colleges and seminaries) are typically focused on mass producing mediocrity rather than custom designing excellence.
As for you: if you ever put your finger on what makes you different-maybe even a little bit strange- you’ve just discovered the reason you were born. And you’re well on your way to greatness.
Society is not attracted to sameness, yet the Church celebrates sameness. They sing the same songs, do the same rituals, and dress alike and then expect everyone to be like them. Cloning didn't start with science it started in the Church. We are not called to conform but transform and you can't transform if you are trying to be like everybody else. This comes with a warning label: If you are different, you will be criticized, frowned upon, and persecuted, but know this, what is different about about reveals a side of God that others have never seen. I am asking God to help me discover and deploy the uniqueness of my life.
2) Making your life count.
* God is challenging me to make my life count for something, I don't want to die never having accomplished something great. The richest place in the world is not Fort Knox, it is the graveyards. There lies unwritten songs, history unfulfilled, stories never told and great exploits never done. I don't want to die with greatness still inside of me. I want to go for it! Take risk, dream big, reach for the impossible, and step out of normality and sameness. Jesus Christ didn't die for me to be average, He died for me to make my life count!
* As I evaluate my life I realize I have played it safe. One of my Mentors challenged years ago with this statement, "If what you have in your hands is enough to accomplish your dream, it is not a God dream". In other words if you can do it without God's supernatural intervention, then you need to evaluate whether your dream is from God or not. I was born to do something great, something never done. One leader challenged me today, to take the limits off, think outside the box, do like Abraham who went out not knowing where he was going. God told him to leave his country, his people, and his father's house and go to the land I will show you. I can imagine Abraham asking God, "Where am I going". God answered I will tell you when you get there.
Most of us want God to show us and then we will go, but God told Abraham go and I will show. Step out in faith, do something that will require God's help, GO and God will SHOW! If you will step out God will rock your world!
Thursday
"FINISH IT!"
Characteristics of Great Leaders
1) Start with the end in mind.
Luke 14:25-34
Most people in the world today when recruiting people for their team, will advertise the benefits, the accommodations, the extravagance, the blessings of being as part of the team. Jesus attracted His team by describing the cost of being with Him, in fact at one time he said, can you eat my flesh and drink my blood? There is something about not finishing that discredits a leader or for that matter anyone. We see marriages that are not finishing, ministries that are not finishing, families that are not finishing. We live in a world that says, if things get rough, get you another wife... Jesus begins to admonish His followers that if you are going to finish you must count the cost, you must start with the end in mind. Can you go all the way with me? Will you still be with me when things get difficult, have you thought out what finishing will require of you, what will it cost you? Here are some principles that He teaches us to help us finish well, after all it is not how you start, it is how you finish.
* Finishing requires that I love Him more than anything else. He actually says, if you don't hate your momma (hate my momma, I will sock anybody that says something about my momma!). In other words if you love and value anything more than me, you will not finish with me.
* verse 31, He tells us that when you go to war, the odds will be stacked against you. You know you are anointed for greatness, when the odds are stacked against you. The greater the battle, the greater the reward. You can tell the size of your future by the size of your opposition. If you are going to finish you must know that all hell will try to stop you! If you can be denied, you will be, if you can be stopped, you will be. You must determine that you are unstoppable.
* Salt if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is not even fit for the manure pile. God has put you in that hostile environment to sprinkle you as salt there. You are light that is assigned to darkness. God puts you in the most adverse environment not so that you can leave but so you can change it! God has enough confidence in you that he trusted you with that carnal job. You are anointed to change it.
One of my spiritual fathers once told me on my wedding day a powerful statement that has stayed with me my entire life. He said "The will of God will never take you, where the grace of God won't keep you". In other words if God's grace comes on you, it is the place of your assignment, if you can take it and keep smiling then it is the place. If there is no grace for the place, then pray about where God's place of grace is for you. You can be in lions den but grace will shut the mouth of the lions.
Lastly, I was privileged to attend a network meeting online recently. The speaker who leads one of the fastest growing Churches in America, said something that impacted me. He said, "I would never tell my sons to plant a Church the way I did, I did not have clue what I was doing, but one thing me and my wife had was resolve". He later went on to say that the secret to their success was that before they started, they determined that they would die for that city, that there was no turning back, they would stay there until they got their breakthrough. Fifteen years ago they didn't have half the books, conferences, and information that we have today, but one thing they had was resolve, a determination that come hell or high water, they would finish. If people leave, we will finish, if people criticize, we will finish, if we are not popular we will finish. Why? Because the price of popularity is conformity, but the price of greatness is a determination to finish.
No matter what you are going through, I want to help you get your second wind, you can finish it. If there is no grace for that place, God will provide a way of escape (exit). Let's finish it!
Tomorrow, I will share on the regret of not finishing and two kinds of pain.
1) Start with the end in mind.
Luke 14:25-34
Most people in the world today when recruiting people for their team, will advertise the benefits, the accommodations, the extravagance, the blessings of being as part of the team. Jesus attracted His team by describing the cost of being with Him, in fact at one time he said, can you eat my flesh and drink my blood? There is something about not finishing that discredits a leader or for that matter anyone. We see marriages that are not finishing, ministries that are not finishing, families that are not finishing. We live in a world that says, if things get rough, get you another wife... Jesus begins to admonish His followers that if you are going to finish you must count the cost, you must start with the end in mind. Can you go all the way with me? Will you still be with me when things get difficult, have you thought out what finishing will require of you, what will it cost you? Here are some principles that He teaches us to help us finish well, after all it is not how you start, it is how you finish.
* Finishing requires that I love Him more than anything else. He actually says, if you don't hate your momma (hate my momma, I will sock anybody that says something about my momma!). In other words if you love and value anything more than me, you will not finish with me.
* verse 31, He tells us that when you go to war, the odds will be stacked against you. You know you are anointed for greatness, when the odds are stacked against you. The greater the battle, the greater the reward. You can tell the size of your future by the size of your opposition. If you are going to finish you must know that all hell will try to stop you! If you can be denied, you will be, if you can be stopped, you will be. You must determine that you are unstoppable.
* Salt if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is not even fit for the manure pile. God has put you in that hostile environment to sprinkle you as salt there. You are light that is assigned to darkness. God puts you in the most adverse environment not so that you can leave but so you can change it! God has enough confidence in you that he trusted you with that carnal job. You are anointed to change it.
One of my spiritual fathers once told me on my wedding day a powerful statement that has stayed with me my entire life. He said "The will of God will never take you, where the grace of God won't keep you". In other words if God's grace comes on you, it is the place of your assignment, if you can take it and keep smiling then it is the place. If there is no grace for the place, then pray about where God's place of grace is for you. You can be in lions den but grace will shut the mouth of the lions.
Lastly, I was privileged to attend a network meeting online recently. The speaker who leads one of the fastest growing Churches in America, said something that impacted me. He said, "I would never tell my sons to plant a Church the way I did, I did not have clue what I was doing, but one thing me and my wife had was resolve". He later went on to say that the secret to their success was that before they started, they determined that they would die for that city, that there was no turning back, they would stay there until they got their breakthrough. Fifteen years ago they didn't have half the books, conferences, and information that we have today, but one thing they had was resolve, a determination that come hell or high water, they would finish. If people leave, we will finish, if people criticize, we will finish, if we are not popular we will finish. Why? Because the price of popularity is conformity, but the price of greatness is a determination to finish.
No matter what you are going through, I want to help you get your second wind, you can finish it. If there is no grace for that place, God will provide a way of escape (exit). Let's finish it!
Tomorrow, I will share on the regret of not finishing and two kinds of pain.
Monday
It's Your Serve!
I want to thank all of you that have requested that this blog be emailed to you. We have been swarmed with request. Send me your comments, I love reading them. What is really cool about blogging is that I can see where the blog is being read. There are people reading this blog in different nations. How cool!
Once again I want to share a lesson I have learned in studying great leaders. Bishop Tony Miller who is one of the greatest leaders I have ever known did a teaching years ago while I was on staff in Florida. Here is what he not only taught me but he lives by example even today.
* There is only one position open in the Kingdom, not apostle, prophet, pastor, teacher, or evangelist, the only position available is servant.
* God refers to Moses my servant, Joshua my servant. God is not impressed with our prophet card. I have been to conferences when someone approached me with a business card saying, "I am a prophet..." No, that is not who you are, that is your function. If you have to tell me that you are anointed, you probably aren't. You don't have to tell me, all I have to do is watch you, and what you do will tell me who you are.I am first and foremost a son who serves. You put your pants on the same way I do. You brush your teeth just like I do (at least I hope you do)
* There are two doors of access in the Kingdom, 1) Faith towards God 2) Service to men, in fact you can serve your way anywhere.
* The Father affirmed and accommodated Jesus before he ever performed one miracle, or preached one sermon. The Father is pleased with who you are ,not your performance. Your identity is not based on where you work, or what ministry you lead, it is based on who you are, a son of the most high God. Even if you lose your job, you still are a King's kid! When you discover who you are, they can take your stuff, but you will get it back in multiplied form.
* The greatest fear of religion is that you will discover who you are. The religious leaders attempted to stone Jesus, they said, we do not stone you for what you do, but for who you claim to be (John 10:31-33). Hell fears your discovery of your identity in Christ. Religion always desires to lower the level of your life to the level of your experience.
* Jesus was able to serve rather than be served because He knew what He had, where He had come from and where He was going (John 13:1-16). Those who become too great to serve are insecure in who they are, they don't know who they are, where they are from, and what they have.. Jesus said those who are greatest in the Kingdom are servants.
* I am learning that I don't have to have the approval of men to know who I am, God is pleased with me. In fact when I serve someone I can look past who they are, because I am serving Christ (Col. 3:23-24). Christ means the anointing. I can look past their flaws and weaknesses because I am serving the anointing which is a multiplier.
* How you serve where you are will determine how others will serve you. When I was Church planting I never lacked for people to serve me because of my faithfulness to serving Bishop Tony Miller for over 15 years. The greatest season of my life was when I was able to serve under Him. I was under the flow of anointing.
* The greatest flow of anointing is not at the top but at the bottom. The woman with the issue of blood crawled through the crowd and reached for the the edge of His garment (Mark 5). I was reading this one day when I asked myself a question, Why did she grab the edge of the garment, why didn't she grab his head, or the arm? The light switch came on, I realized she didn't grab the edge of the garment randomly, she had read over in Malachi (Mal. 4:2). The word wing in the Hebrew is edge of the garments. When King David was anointed the prophet poured the oil on top of his head and it would run all the way down to the bottom of the garment, the greatest consecration of oil was not at the head but at the bottom of the garment. David later wrote that the anointing flows from the head (Christ) to the beard (Elder ship), to the edge of the garments (body life), and there God commands the blessing! It actually reads, there is where the greatest release of blessing will be.
Here is what I am saying, the greatest anointing will not come from individuals in the pulpit but it will come from servants who discover who they are and they rise from the obscurity of the pews. It is not going to be superstars but it will be unknown servants who will see God's power and anointing in a dimension that we have never known. In the gospels and the book of Acts over 80% of the miracles and signs and wonders took place outside the temple. Why? Because God does not dwell in temples made by hands but He lives in vessels of clay, desiring that Christ in you becomes the hope (manifestation) of Glory (Authority and Power). You don't need a title, you don't need a position, you don't need the approval of men, all you need to do is discover who you are and begin to serve right where you are. In fact , the reason you are where you are is because you are anointed to change it! That's why you are working in that ungodly dark place. They can take your position, your job, but they can not take who you are. If you know who you are, when they get done taking all the stuff, God will restore it to you in multiplied form.
You have been chosen to change the atmosphere!
It's your serve!
Once again I want to share a lesson I have learned in studying great leaders. Bishop Tony Miller who is one of the greatest leaders I have ever known did a teaching years ago while I was on staff in Florida. Here is what he not only taught me but he lives by example even today.
* There is only one position open in the Kingdom, not apostle, prophet, pastor, teacher, or evangelist, the only position available is servant.
* God refers to Moses my servant, Joshua my servant. God is not impressed with our prophet card. I have been to conferences when someone approached me with a business card saying, "I am a prophet..." No, that is not who you are, that is your function. If you have to tell me that you are anointed, you probably aren't. You don't have to tell me, all I have to do is watch you, and what you do will tell me who you are.I am first and foremost a son who serves. You put your pants on the same way I do. You brush your teeth just like I do (at least I hope you do)
* There are two doors of access in the Kingdom, 1) Faith towards God 2) Service to men, in fact you can serve your way anywhere.
* The Father affirmed and accommodated Jesus before he ever performed one miracle, or preached one sermon. The Father is pleased with who you are ,not your performance. Your identity is not based on where you work, or what ministry you lead, it is based on who you are, a son of the most high God. Even if you lose your job, you still are a King's kid! When you discover who you are, they can take your stuff, but you will get it back in multiplied form.
* The greatest fear of religion is that you will discover who you are. The religious leaders attempted to stone Jesus, they said, we do not stone you for what you do, but for who you claim to be (John 10:31-33). Hell fears your discovery of your identity in Christ. Religion always desires to lower the level of your life to the level of your experience.
* Jesus was able to serve rather than be served because He knew what He had, where He had come from and where He was going (John 13:1-16). Those who become too great to serve are insecure in who they are, they don't know who they are, where they are from, and what they have.. Jesus said those who are greatest in the Kingdom are servants.
* I am learning that I don't have to have the approval of men to know who I am, God is pleased with me. In fact when I serve someone I can look past who they are, because I am serving Christ (Col. 3:23-24). Christ means the anointing. I can look past their flaws and weaknesses because I am serving the anointing which is a multiplier.
* How you serve where you are will determine how others will serve you. When I was Church planting I never lacked for people to serve me because of my faithfulness to serving Bishop Tony Miller for over 15 years. The greatest season of my life was when I was able to serve under Him. I was under the flow of anointing.
* The greatest flow of anointing is not at the top but at the bottom. The woman with the issue of blood crawled through the crowd and reached for the the edge of His garment (Mark 5). I was reading this one day when I asked myself a question, Why did she grab the edge of the garment, why didn't she grab his head, or the arm? The light switch came on, I realized she didn't grab the edge of the garment randomly, she had read over in Malachi (Mal. 4:2). The word wing in the Hebrew is edge of the garments. When King David was anointed the prophet poured the oil on top of his head and it would run all the way down to the bottom of the garment, the greatest consecration of oil was not at the head but at the bottom of the garment. David later wrote that the anointing flows from the head (Christ) to the beard (Elder ship), to the edge of the garments (body life), and there God commands the blessing! It actually reads, there is where the greatest release of blessing will be.
Here is what I am saying, the greatest anointing will not come from individuals in the pulpit but it will come from servants who discover who they are and they rise from the obscurity of the pews. It is not going to be superstars but it will be unknown servants who will see God's power and anointing in a dimension that we have never known. In the gospels and the book of Acts over 80% of the miracles and signs and wonders took place outside the temple. Why? Because God does not dwell in temples made by hands but He lives in vessels of clay, desiring that Christ in you becomes the hope (manifestation) of Glory (Authority and Power). You don't need a title, you don't need a position, you don't need the approval of men, all you need to do is discover who you are and begin to serve right where you are. In fact , the reason you are where you are is because you are anointed to change it! That's why you are working in that ungodly dark place. They can take your position, your job, but they can not take who you are. If you know who you are, when they get done taking all the stuff, God will restore it to you in multiplied form.
You have been chosen to change the atmosphere!
It's your serve!
Saturday
Gourmet Chefs But Terrible Eaters
I was privileged to attend a meeting this evening in which Pastor Wayne Cordeiro from Hawaii was sharing. Needless to say I was challenged and provoked. He shared a story of when a member in his Church came to him and told him he was leaving because he was not getting fed. If I could get a dollar for every time a Pastor has heard this statement, I would be a millionaire. Pastor Cordeiro replied with a question, how long have you been saved? After the man said 18 years. Pastor Cordeiro said, if my son who is 28 years old was still depending on me to feed him, he would be shriveled up to nothing. By now he should be able to feed himself.
How many Christians depend on one service a week for somebody to feed them? Yes, I do believe that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, but as my spiritual father Bishop Tony Miller says, you can't live off another man's nickle. How many Christians are driving around in circles waiting for a meter that someone else has deposited their nickle in? Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. In other words you don't just need someone to break bread with you, you need a word out of God's mouth, a word that is just for you. God wants us to grow up into maturity where we are not like a baby that refuses to be weaned even though she is no longer a baby but a child. I am OK with giving baby Christians milk but what I have a hard time with is having to part the mustache to get the milk bottle in.
Here is where God challenged me. Most preachers are great gourmet chefs but they are lousy eaters. We know how to cook a great meal once or twice a week for our congregation but we don't feed ourselves on a daily basis. Bishop Tony Miller has said many times that the width or breath of your ministry is determined by the depth of your devotional life and if you have lost your devotional time you will eventually lose your ministry. Many of us are a mile wide but only three inches deep.God doesn't intend for you to live out of the bottom of the barrel, He intends for you to live the overflowing life out of your abiding relationship with him. He said various times in the gospels if you abide in me I will abide in you and in John 15, He said unless you abide in me, you can do nothing. Without His annointing on our lives we can accomplish absolutely nothing!
I afraid that much of the powerlessness in our pulpits is a result of living off another preachers nickle rather than getting your own nickle. Our primary call is to first be with Jesus (Mark 3:13) and then He can send us out with the deposit that He has placed in us in your times with Him. If there has been no deposit there can be no withdrawal and if you continue to live out of the bottom of the barrel you will eventually break down. Nothing great will happen around you or for you, until it happens in you. Your life on the outside is mirror of what is in you. That's why I believe that there are more preachers leaving the ministry than there are entering the ministry. They have gotten way from their daily time with the master.
Pastor Cordeiro shared about how he met a great jazz musician who shared with him how people would come up to him asking him how did you become a great musician? The musician told them that he was only as good as his daily practice on the scales. he said if I practice one hour a day a week, I will know the difference, if I practice one hour a week, the world will know the difference. Why? Because true greatness comes out of living in the overflow of your daily routine. I told Pastor Cordeiro that he had challenged me to spend more time in God's presence and less time trying to live off the residue of someone else's experience with God. I don't know about you, but I want the overflowing life, so that when I walk into a room, the atmosphere is changed without me even saying anything. I want to be able to say less and impact more because the anointing makes me better than I really am. I will share later some practical things you can do to develop a devotional life.
How many Christians depend on one service a week for somebody to feed them? Yes, I do believe that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, but as my spiritual father Bishop Tony Miller says, you can't live off another man's nickle. How many Christians are driving around in circles waiting for a meter that someone else has deposited their nickle in? Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. In other words you don't just need someone to break bread with you, you need a word out of God's mouth, a word that is just for you. God wants us to grow up into maturity where we are not like a baby that refuses to be weaned even though she is no longer a baby but a child. I am OK with giving baby Christians milk but what I have a hard time with is having to part the mustache to get the milk bottle in.
Here is where God challenged me. Most preachers are great gourmet chefs but they are lousy eaters. We know how to cook a great meal once or twice a week for our congregation but we don't feed ourselves on a daily basis. Bishop Tony Miller has said many times that the width or breath of your ministry is determined by the depth of your devotional life and if you have lost your devotional time you will eventually lose your ministry. Many of us are a mile wide but only three inches deep.God doesn't intend for you to live out of the bottom of the barrel, He intends for you to live the overflowing life out of your abiding relationship with him. He said various times in the gospels if you abide in me I will abide in you and in John 15, He said unless you abide in me, you can do nothing. Without His annointing on our lives we can accomplish absolutely nothing!
I afraid that much of the powerlessness in our pulpits is a result of living off another preachers nickle rather than getting your own nickle. Our primary call is to first be with Jesus (Mark 3:13) and then He can send us out with the deposit that He has placed in us in your times with Him. If there has been no deposit there can be no withdrawal and if you continue to live out of the bottom of the barrel you will eventually break down. Nothing great will happen around you or for you, until it happens in you. Your life on the outside is mirror of what is in you. That's why I believe that there are more preachers leaving the ministry than there are entering the ministry. They have gotten way from their daily time with the master.
Pastor Cordeiro shared about how he met a great jazz musician who shared with him how people would come up to him asking him how did you become a great musician? The musician told them that he was only as good as his daily practice on the scales. he said if I practice one hour a day a week, I will know the difference, if I practice one hour a week, the world will know the difference. Why? Because true greatness comes out of living in the overflow of your daily routine. I told Pastor Cordeiro that he had challenged me to spend more time in God's presence and less time trying to live off the residue of someone else's experience with God. I don't know about you, but I want the overflowing life, so that when I walk into a room, the atmosphere is changed without me even saying anything. I want to be able to say less and impact more because the anointing makes me better than I really am. I will share later some practical things you can do to develop a devotional life.
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