This is what the Lord says:
"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me..."
Jeremiah 9:23-24
Friday, July 30, 2010
Know the Lord!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Leader or Manager?
I remember turning 15 and getting my learner’s permit. For a year I drove under the close and constant supervision of my parents. They taught me so much during that year about how to drive a car… but the majority of what I learned came naturally just by being the one behind the wheel. Then on my 16th birthday I got my driver’s license. I was on my own. My dad handed me the keys to my very own car. I remember taking my dad out for a drive for the first time! It was finally time for me to drive him without needing him in the car. But to my disappointment he didn’t see it that way. He constantly told me when to start braking, or that I was going too fast. I remember being so frustrated that I thought, “either he is going to have to drive or else just get out of the car”. The problem was that as long as he was in the car, he couldn’t let go and trust me to be in control of the car. His lack of trust in me was a killjoy.
I couldn’t enjoy my new level of responsibility
because I didn’t even FEEL like I was the one driving.
No one likes a back seat driver!
Many pastors are guilty of being a back seat driver. They give leadership over to a person in the church but then fail to let go of control. They just can’t trust that God wants to use people who are different than themselves and who do things differently than they would do them. Therefore many pastors begin to micromanage their churches.
MICROMANAGE (verb) - control of every part, however small, of an enterprise or activity.
So what’s wrong with micromanaging a church if you are the pastor, head elder, and vision caster? First of all, micromanagement stifles the leadership of others. And this is a bad thing! God does not want one person to be the all controlling leader of a church, but rather one leader is vision casting while many leaders (under that vision) are leading out in that direction using various styles, methods and giftings. Hopefully the head pastor has a God-given vision for the direction of his church. However, a strong belief in the vision God has given does not come without it’s challenges. The call into pastoral ministry comes with a very strong opinion of the way things need to be done and how things should work. Therefore I believe that many pastors have a real struggle when it comes to relinquishing control. This will not only smother other leaders but will also hinder the Spirit’s control. God does not intend for any church to be one man’s baby, but many pastors see their church as just that. God wants the local church to be a conglomeration of multiple leaders with multiple strengths and inevitably multiple weaknesses. But the point is that we all have our blind spots. Every pastor has blind spots and so churches need multiple leaders all with different blind spots to lead in their respective areas of strength. This is what John Piper has to say about micromanaging;
“I think micromanaging—that is, constantly second-guessing the decisions that your staff is making—will destroy their confidence, morale, and delight in ministry. And besides, they're smart! They know what they're doing in their spheres better than I do. My perspective is limited and flawed.”
Churches need leaders and not managers. The fact is that a pastor who is micromanaging is not leading at all. A leader doesn’t do everything. That isn’t leading… that’s doing. Too many pastors wear too many hats at their church. Delegation of responsibilities only works if after you delegate you take your hands off! Give someone else the keys and then actually let them drive! Don’t try to make them drive the way you do. Get out of the car. Trust in God’s sovereignty! It is His church and not yours after all. Letting go of control takes humility.
I think a lot of people in leadership positions in the church don’t realize that they are micromanagers. George Barna produced a helpful chart contrasting how leaders tend to operate verses how managers operate. This full chart can be found in his book The Second Coming of the Church on page 37. Here are just a few of the more interesting differences between the two:
1.) Leaders tend to favor innovative thinking while managers tend to favor routine thinking
2.) Leaders tend to balance idealism and realism while managers tend to emphasize pragmatism
3.) Leaders tend to encourage revolutionary flair and managers are protectors of the status quo
4.) Leaders clarify the vision and managers implement the vision
5.) Leaders are excited by change and managers are threatened by change
6.) Leaders take risks while managers avoid risks
Encourage leadership in your church by handing over the keys and getting out of the car. Bold, entrepreneurial, risk taking, leaders will be frustrated and the Spirit quenched if one man has his hands in every ministry and decision made within the church. Trust. Cast vision and then watch as others take it and run with it!
For a great book on leadership within the church check out Leaders Who Last by Dave Kraft
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
DEMONS
"There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them." C.S. Lewis
I’ve been thinking about this quote and believe that I tend to err on the side of not giving Satan and demons enough thought. In other words, I ignore an enemy that hates me, wants to destroy me, spends every moment devising new ways to fight me and is smarter than me. Not very wise on my part. And I do agree with Lewis that it would be an equal error to have an excessive interest in them, but in this post I’m just going to address the issues with ignoring their existence.
Scripture explains that Christians are in a constant battle with an unseen enemy. We must not only battle against our flesh and the world, but also against a very intentional, very persistent and very illusive foe. We are not only to know that demons exist, but we must be aware of their tactics and practices and be mindful of their presence and activity in this world. Demons are at work around us, in our own lives. One of the most lucrative tactics used by this unseen enemy is to cause Christians to ignore and even completely forget about the battle waging around them.
WHAT SHOULD I DO?
1.) Study what the bible says about Satan, demons and the ways we should battle them. Know your enemy. It is never wise to go into a fight without knowing what you’re up against. Learn how Jesus stood against Satan and do as he did.
2.) Be alert. Don’t let your guard down. Simply begin to practice an awareness of the spiritual world all around you. Use your spiritual eyes and ears just as often as you use your physical eyes and ears.
3.) Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Fight. Stand firm. Pray at all times. Open your eyes. You are in a battle. Use your offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. Replace lies you have believed with the Truth.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
GOD or MONEY
Jesus said it, "You cannot serve both God and money". (Matt. 6:24) You will be devoted only to one or the other. Often times people read right over the many verses in the bible about money without giving much thought as to how they apply to themselves personally. Jesus spoke of money more than any other subject. Why is it such a big subject of interest? Isn't Jesus just talking to those greedy, crooked, workaholic businessmen... or to those who spend more than they make and get themselves into huge debt... or to those who lavish themselves with all sorts of unnecessary luxury goods?
Of course that isn't the case. Jesus had all people in mind; even the frugal, sensible, middle class American... especially the frugal, sensible, middle class American!
Jesus wants our trust. Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding". Hebrews 11:6 says that "without faith it is impossible to please God". To put your faith in God is to trust him completely. So it is impossible to please God without trusting God!
“TRUST IN THE LORD
WITH ALL YOUR HEART
AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR
OWN UNDERSTANDING”
The way we use our money shows where our trust is. Are you putting trust in your money? Do you count on your money to bring you happiness? Do you count on money to provide you with security for the days ahead? Imagine yourself with a much lower paying job and a smaller house with less money to spend on the non-essentials... is that person less happy? Do you trust God to satisfy you completely? Do you trust God to provide for your future whether or not you have any money in savings?
It is impossible to serve both God and money. It is impossible to trust in both God and money. If you trust in money, you will be devoted to money... to earning it, saving it, and to the things that money will get you including possessions AND entertainment.
God wants us to spend our money in such a way that it shows the world that our trust and our satisfaction is in Him and not money!
God or Money
Jesus said it, "You cannot serve both God and money". (Matt. 6:24) You will be devoted only to one or the other. Often times people read right over the many verses in the bible about money without giving much thought as to how they apply to themselves personally. Jesus spoke of money more than any other subject. Why is it such a big subject of interest? Isn't Jesus just talking to those greedy, crooked, workaholic businessmen... or to those who spend more than they make and get themselves into huge debt... or to those who lavish themselves with all sorts of unnecessary luxury goods?
Of course that isn't the case. Jesus had all people in mind; even the frugal, sensible, middle class American... especially the frugal, sensible, middle class American!
Jesus wants our trust. Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding". Hebrews 11:6 says that "without faith it is impossible to please God". To put your faith in God is to trust him completely. So it is impossible to please God without trusting God!
“TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART
AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR
OWN UNDERSTANDING”
The way we use our money shows where our trust is. Are you putting trust in your money? Do you count on your money to bring you happiness? Do you count on money to provide you with security for the days ahead? Imagine yourself with a much lower paying job and a smaller house with less money to spend on the non-essentials... is that person less happy? Do you trust God to satisfy you completely? Do you trust God to provide for your future whether or not you have any money in savings?
It is impossible to serve both God and money. It is impossible to trust in both God and money. If you trust in money, you will be devoted to money... to earning it, saving it, and to the things that money will get you including possessions AND entertainment.
God wants us to spend our money in such a way that it shows the world that our trust and our satisfaction is in God and not money!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Discipleship
I’ve been discipled in my past and have done some discipling as well. That certainly doesn’t make me a theologian, but it does give me a testimony to the way the Lord has used discipleship in my life. The Lord has rescued me out of a spiritual desert and used a discipleship relationship to revive my walk. My walk was dry and I was living in sin and God used a relationship with a person to pull me out of the desert.
That being said, let’s think about what keeps us from discipleship. I know of a few things that kept me from it for a long time.
1.) PRIDE Maybe we don’t want to ask another person to teach us, because it would mean that we are admitting weakness, or perhaps we aren’t sure that someone else can really add to what we already know.
- If that would describe you, think about this; a student wants to learn what a teacher knows, a disciple wants to live as the teacher lives. Maybe you have a lot figured out about the bible but you need someone to show you how to live what you already know. We don’t need more knowledge… we need a deeper surrender.
2.) COMPLACENCY It is likely that nearly every Christian in America is too content with our relationship with Jesus. Don’t brush that statement off until you ask the Lord if He could stand for you to seek Him harder. Complacency is a silent and sly killer, and almost always goes unnoticed.
3.) NEGLECT I believe that the biggest reason that people who love the Lord have little to do with discipleship is we have lost the vision Christ had for the church. Maybe if we can regain His vision for the church, our pride and our complacency will be crushed by our desire to do what Christ has told us to do… that is, “make disciples”. However, we will fail at making disciples unless we first become disciples. Jesus told 11 men to go make disciples, and He didn’t have to explain what He meant by that because they had been His disciples for over 3 years.
Christ’s Vision for the Church
Have you ever thought about what Jesus spent most of His ministry doing? I would bet that it wasn’t preaching, or private prayer, or even healing. Jesus spent three years with 12 men. He was living life with them. In essence Jesus spent the majority of His ministry hanging out! Don’t think I am secularizing Christ’s ministry. There was nothing worldly about the time Jesus spent with His twelve disciples. Isn’t it widely agreed upon that our God highly values relationships? Who were Jesus’ best friends? Think about this, the disciples spent 3 years with their teacher, Jesus. As we are taught, so we will teach.
Picture the disciples talking after the Spirit has fallen on the day of Pentecost and 3,000 were saved. They must have had a terrifying realization of the responsibility that was now theirs. The church was growing. I can just picture them saying, “What do we do now? We can’t possibly keep up with all 3000 people ourselves.” And it was never intended that they would have to. No pastor can preach the exact message that every person is needs to hear every week. He can’t possibly know the individual spiritual needs of every person. This is why discipleship is so incredibly crucial. Our Lord designed the church in such a way that we are to sharpen each other. “If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another…” (1 John 1:7) This is a simple equation, our relationships with our brothers and sisters will strengthen our relationship with the Lord, and as our relationship with the Lord increases we will grow in our relationships with others.
So going back to the day of Pentecost. Just what happened with the 3,000 believers added to the church? Acts 2:42 tells us,“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to FELLOWSHIP, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Amazingly, fellowship is mentioned along with such important disciplines as study, prayer, and the Lord’s supper! Have we missed the importance of this? Have we missed Christ’s holy vision for the church? The apostles were simply teaching others as the Lord had taught them, through a relationship. “And the Lord was adding to their number day by day.” (Acts 2:47) The early church DEVOTED themselves to fellowship, and I fear that we have simply treated it as something that we can do as of last importance when our schedules allow it. They spent SO MUCH time together! Jesus says that the world will know that we are His disciples because of our love for one another. The early church fellowshipped “day by day” (Acts 2:46) and this is what I’m learning that discipleship is… hanging out. Let’s not allow the world’s view of hanging out, ruin our perspective on it. Instead let’s get a sanctified view of hanging out. When believers who are walking with the Lord hang out, Christ is present and fellowship happens. When believers intentionally fellowship with Christ at the center, discipleship happens. When discipleship happens the church grows in spiritual maturity and as a result God grows his church!
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