PRIMARY JOB

When we are talking about the church we need to always remember we are talking about people and not facilities. Keeping that in mind, we can talk about our primary task--both as leaders and as Christians. We have a mandate to develop people. "And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^£ the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 ( ESV ) )

"And he gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ." (Ephesians 4:11,12)

Leadership comes in many styles (according to the gifts and call God has given a person). But in a very generic way ALL leaders have the same call--equip the saints, build up people, focus on others. Leadership never was about my building my vision and my "kingdom" (however you want to define that word). Jesus, in fact, never did build a new synagogue or church building or school or town. What he did do was invest his life in a group of people and made them the best they could be. He helped them develop what God had given them. He sent them out to do the work, not trying to do it all himself. He understood his own mortality as a man and that some day he would leave and these people he had spent three years with (his disciples) would be without him. He wanted them to be ready to duplicate his work.

Our job, our ministry, is to help people have better lives and greater success in their particular part of God's kingdom. Not bigger churches--but bigger people. We want to develop people who will more fully yield to God (even more than we have) and can serve Him by serving others. Most, if not all, people want to grow, mature and become more than they are. They are made in the image of God (yes, even those who don't want it) and as such have potential far greater than they, or we, often imagine. We all need other people to help us move forward and grow. In the plant world things don't bear fruit or grow all by themselves. They need water and air and sun, and at times even dryness and darkness, to become what they were created to be. We cannot, and were not meant to, do this by ourselves. We want to teach people to establish realizable goals (not necessarily easy or small) and then help and encourage them to reach them.

If you are a young, aspiring leader just beginning to think these things through, this is not as difficult. You begin your leadership journey by doing this. You focus on and build people. If, however, you have been in leadership for any period of time this may require a major refocus of your priorities and thoughts. This, then, becomes part of your own growth on your journey of leadership. You can begin by filling your agenda with the names of people in whom you can invest. Don't just meet with them but begin to get to know them and let them know you. One of the most interesting experiences I ever had took place at the church I was pastoring. Early on we had regular "community meetings" where we worshiped but also did a lot of business and sharing of our lives. It had been awhile since I had had a vacation. I made the comment that I really needed the upcoming vacation. Afterwards one of the young men came to me and expressed his gratitude that I would share something as intimate as my personal need for a break with them. It's our lives that we are sharing in discipleship, not just our knowledge.

Another way of moving into this type of leadership is to ask what you are doing that someone else could do. Begin to back away from some of your responsibilities and allow others to grow into them. Another option is to send them out to begin their journey of leadership. Don't abandon them but walk along side of them. Encourage them. Pick-up the pieces, when necessary, and put them back together. And send them out again. They are going to make mistakes, even fail, and we need to tell them that that is part of the process of growing and maturing.

Our primary role, then, is developing people. It is not wielding authority but empowering people (serving people so that they can do their jobs). Jesus gave us some words on the subject.

Matthew 20:25-27 (NIV) Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.

John 13:13-17 (NIV) "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Seems pretty clear that our real role as leaders (remember Jesus was speaking to his future leaders) is to serve.

FOR YOUR JOURNAL

• Where have you found yourself off course and building things instead of people?
• If an outsider looked at your activities during the day explain what they would see at your primary job.
• What are you doing that someone else could do with a little bit of training?

HOLY SPIRIT MOVES

I love the Holy Spirit! This is one of my favorite topics—and relationships. Over the years I have seen the Holy Spirit do amazing things. From salvation, to healing, to signs and wonders, I have come to appreciate my limited knowledge of how he works and makes himself known. Having seen him work on five different continents in very different ways, my heart is more open to what he wants to do—and how he chooses to do it then ever before.

When I was growing up some TV shows encouraged you to sing-a-long. They would put the words on the screen and then a bouncing ball would bounce from word to word to help you sing along. Some people today think that the Holy Spirit is like the bouncing ball, touching the earth every now and then to help us out.

One of the great mistakes we make is to believe that what we know about the early church is the "holy grail" of church life. For some reason it is thought that the Holy Spirit began everything at Pentecost, established the church by about 300 AD and then disappeared. Wrong. The Holy Spirit has been with us from the beginning. He has been working in the church since he came and he will continue to do so until Jesus returns.

So...we need to respect what the Holy Spirit has done in history. Not everything is his doing for sure, but he has been at work through the ages. In the midst of the worst of the church there has always been a light in the world. In the midst of the Dark Ages, for example, there was a move of God in Ireland. In our prejudice and pride we often do not see it. We forget that the church (one, holy, catholic and universal) has consistently challenged the world and brought great improvement throughout its history. There are periods of disgrace, the Crusades, for example. There are periods where it may be very difficult to see the Spirit working. Our faith and God’s word tell us that he was and is still alive and living on earth.

This work is not just in signs and wonders, though if we look through history we will see these in various places, but in the very foundations of our current world cultures. The church in all of its glory and sinfulness has been the primary cause of positive change in the human condition. It has even promoted tolerance in the midst of prejudicial intolerance. Tolerance is seen in the way Jesus loved people. He understood that they, Jews and non-Jews, were made in the image of God. We see this prejudicial intolerance in the church in the treatment of heretics during the Inquisition, the reformation and the way one reformer (movement) treated another, and today, in the treatment of homosexuals, drug addicts and myriad other "sinners." We are told to love our enemies and yet we find ourselves much closer to hate than love.

As you consider this topic it would be good to do some personal investigation into church history. It is not all pretty. But open your eyes to see beyond the prejudices you were raised with to see the work of God throughout the history of the church.

From the personal perspective we need to embrace the work of Holy Spirit since He came at Pentecost.

You might want to view Francis Schaeffer’s series “How Should We Then Live?” It is available on DVD from Amazon and other locations. A quick search at any of the online bookstores will provide you with a number of books on the subject of church history.

FOR YOUR JOURNAL

• Each of us in our own way have developed some negative attitudes towards the church. What are yours?
• Think of the churches you think of today when you hear "dead" or "cold." Explain how you think they got that way.
• Pick one historical period, as short or long as you like, and explain how the Holy Spirit was working during that time.

OUR LIFE POSITION

John 17:15 ( ESV ) ¹⁵I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.^£

The implications of this Scripture are that we are in the world and we are to stay away from the evil one (present in the world-not be a part of the evil of the world).

When Jesus tells us to be in the world but not part of the world he places before us a bit of a challenge. What does he mean? I think we can define world as that which is outside of faith. This is a definition that looks beyond a specific church or denomination, culture or doctrine.

Now we need to define IN and PART OF. I would suggest that the term IN refers to our relationship to those things outside of faith. This would include people, systems, and things. We, falsely, think that we can hide away in our facilities and protect ourselves, and/or our children from the “world.” If we protect them, we surmise, they will grow-up into great Christian leaders. In this setting, decisions are made for us by people who have our best in mind. It is not necessary for us to make decisions about our relationship to the world if I stay in these “safe places.” However, our primary model, Jesus, did not live this way. He walked in the “world” and interfaced with them. Check out the story of Zacchaeus. (Luke 19:1-10)

PART OF the world would indicate to me an embracing or ownership of the principles, values, and actions of those people who are not walking as our model, Jesus. This becomes a dangerous place. Many people in our churches are not walking as our model, Jesus. Many of us disagree on what that even means. Rather than question, argue, struggle and work through these questions we hide in our own private places and hope no one will challenge our walk. Personally, as one growing in leadership skills, it is necessary to define some of these things. What principles, values or actions are worldly and therefore the wrong source of input? One obvious principle that is usually assigned to the world is materialism. But what does that mean? What is materialistic? Is it spending $40 for gift? Buying a Chrysler rather than a Chevrolet? Shopping at the Mall rather than Wal-Mart? Again, we come to a place where we need to define for ourselves and then extend a great amount of grace to others.

From these last two paragraphs it should be clear that we can be in the world and not part of it. We don’t need to hide away in our “safe places” but can interface with the culture around us without embracing its values. Is this dangerous? Sure it is. Is it exciting? Oh, it can be. Will it support our life together in faith? I think the lack of this interaction with the world is the reason our faith is so weak. Perhaps it is why we fight so much with each other.

So what does it look like when we are in the world? It does not mean giving up on the church! It might mean redefining some of our understanding of the church and how it does business. In many ways it will make the church a messier place. We need to be loving and caring for people who are not of faith; bringing these people into our faith relationships when appropriate and sharing our life with them. We can’t do that as long as we separate ourselves from them. There is a need to interface with their friends (we need to have friends that are part of the world) and their culture without condemning it. Going to their places of play (with some discernment), reading and listening to their stuff so we can better converse with them and then not giving up on them when they don’t respond to our presentation of the Gospel in the first 10 days or months or years..

Do we have friends that are not in the faith? Good friends? Ones we like? Ones we love? We will find ourselves in places that Christians might not normally frequent. But more important than the places are the relationships we will build for people we really care about. If we really care we will find ways of bringing Jesus – our best friend – into these “worldly” relationships. Eventually these friends join us as we live in the world but are not a part of it.

FOR YOUR JOURNAL

• In you life story, how have you experienced this concept?
• Do you have friends who definitely look to the church as a safe haven and protection from the world? How does this affect their way of life?
• What can you do this week to become more IN the WORLD without becoming PART OF IT?

HEART OF FLESH

Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV) ²⁶I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

What does this heart of flesh look like? Where does this heart of flesh come from? What does it mean as a disciple of Jesus? What does it mean for a developing leader?

We need to understand that this heart of flesh is replacing one of stone. One that is hard, unfeeling, cold and unchangeable. The heart of flesh is the opposite. It is soft, tender, moldable and warm. There is one other characteristic that I think is perhaps the most important. The heart of flesh can be hurt. A knife can penetrate it. Parts can be cut from it. Not a very safe thing to have, is it?

The heart of flesh appears when we come to grips with the fact that we are not complete; that we don’t have all the answers. When we begin to pontificate about things spiritual and forget that God is even bigger than we are we are functioning with a heart of stone. When it suddenly hits us that we are not perfect, that God’s voice to us is through our own filters and many times misunderstood, and that we are pompous, we begin to understand the “heart of stone” and experience that “heart of flesh.” When loving is more important then being right, we are beginning to see the heart of flesh formed within us. And yes it is painful.

There are times when we are so caught up in ourselves that we think we can do anything. We take on a project that is far beyond our capabilities but we are sure we can do it. We have been taught to be independent and to stand on our own. We do it well—being independent and standing on our own. All of us, though, at some point find ourselves in the middle of some vast ocean, alone, and with no one in sight to help. This might be in our struggle with sin, with relationships, with finances, or any other area of our lives. We sink—once, twice, and as we go for the third time we cry out—GOD! Help me. Our Father hears our cry and we find that we are no longer in the ocean. We have been saved. We throw ourselves on His mercy. These are the times that our hearts become flesh. When life has gone too far for us to control and we know we need someone to take control—God.

It may happen when the world seems to be falling on top of us or slipping out from under our feet. Things beyond our control begin to chip away at our stability—at the ground on which we walk. Loss of job, death of loved ones, broken relationships, or other “disasters” strike our lives. We want to quit! We want out! We find ourselves collapsing under the weight of our “situation.” At some time in this chain of events we break down or we turn to one who is able to bring us through. We find ourselves, once again, to be children looking to our Father for his love and care, surrendering to his will. These are painful times.

There are other times when choosing to do the right thing is going to cause us suffering. Keeping my mouth closed when others are accusing me of wrong doing. I remember years ago when I took some action because of information I had as a pastor. It would have been wrong of me to share those details. There were some who were not happy with my decision and felt that I needed to pursue a situation that was really out of my power to change. I could not defend myself without revealing pastoral confidences. Those times will come your way. You will suffer. And yet it is those times, too, that will bring the “heart of flesh.”

We find ourselves in good company. Luke 4 shows us some of the rejection that Jesus experienced. He experienced the denial of his closest comrades. Paul suffered many times and in many ways as he followed his savior. John, the writer of the gospel and letters, suffered persecutions, as did most of the followers of Jesus in the early church. You may not experience persecution or martyrdom but rest assured you will suffer as you walk into the way of leadership.

Yet, I believe that it is the pain and suffering that allows the “heart of flesh” to be planted in our heart and that it is a key to the success of a leader. A leader who is not willing to suffer will never be the leader that God is calling for today.

As you pursue this "never-ending walk into leadership" and take up the position to which God has called you, you will know that you have a heart of flesh because of the pain you will suffer. You need to be able to love with no expectation of reciprocal love. You need to give when the person in front of you is a taker and never responds. Sharing the gospel with a sinner who rejects the gospel is a very painful experience.

A heart of flesh is also an open heart. There are people around you that the church says to stay away from because they will be negative influences in your life. We need to be in the middle of these people if our God is going to infiltrate their lives (Matt 28:19-21). Oh sure, some will come to faith because of a tract or radio or TV, but most will never consider the gospel because they have never experienced anyone who lives the gospel. What we live within the safe walls of our churches is a part of the gospel (Acts 2:42-77), if our lives are being transformed into Christ. But can this be the complete picture when we see that Christ walked among sinners—among the worst. He was willing to stop and listen, to heal and to teach, to touch and weep. Is today's church going to impact the world? Are we, as leaders going to get off of our self-made thrones and walk among God's (each one was made in his image) hurt, bleeding, and suffering people. The Prince and the Pauper is a cute movie that in a simple way shows what happens when we leave the protective walls of our castle—ah, church. Watch the film sometime and see what truth you can find there.

FOR YOUR JOURNAL

• Convinced that you have experienced both a heart of stone and a heart of flesh in your life explain how they differed in feeling and in outcome.
• How has your church experience encouraged you to move out into the world of the lost?
• Write about any fears you might have regarding having a heart of flesh. 

INTEGRITY

"I will be there!"

The event comes and goes…and you never show. There may have been a good reason you could not keep your commitment and yet you never communicated that you would not be there. How important are the words we speak? They are much more important than we think. Are you someone who says you will do something and then forgets? Are you known for being late or not fulfilling your promises?

1 Peter 3:10 (NIV)  ¹⁰For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech."

The question is what is deceitful speech? Is it only when we intentionally tell a lie? Does it include the light-hearted remarks we make and the automatic responses we toss at each other in our conversations? Technically, you are probably safe in some of those areas. Perhaps a better question is, "Am I honoring those I'm speaking to in what I say?" When we make a remark like "Let's have lunch sometime," we probably are not taking part in deceitful speech. If, however, we don't follow-up on it, am I honoring that person? My word, what I say and how I follow-up, establishes the kind of person I am.

How important are words? In Genesis God gives man the responsibility of naming his creation. What man called something was its name. When the father blessed the son it was a finished deal that could not be reversed. (Check out Isaac’s blessing of his sons in Gen. 27.) The prophets caused it to rain by their words. And the greatest declaration, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (Jn. 1:1-3) THE WORD is the Son of God, Jesus. How significant that God uses “word.”

The parent who constantly refers to their child as stupid, dumb, worthless, a mistake, or an embarrassment are not just "spouting off." They are affecting the outcome of their child’s life. Word’s are not just sounds from our mouths.

Can people depend on us to do those things we say we are going to do? Are other people important enough for us to be concerned about what we say to them? Most often the only person we are thinking about when we are chit-chatting is ourselves. When we are with close friends we are extended much grace. They understand the type of person we are. They understand our sense of humor. They understand that our words may not be important to us. If we say that we will be there, they know we won't. (I'm not sure if this is grace or enablement.) It certainly is not how I want to be known.

We establish patterns in our lives that become automatic. When we meet new people our "automatic" ways can become very problematic. Suppose you meet someone for the first time, have a nice chat and say you will call for lunch sometime. Then totally forget about it. Friends understand—kind of. This new person however may have had many poor experiences with people in the church whose word is not important. They really thought you might be different. You were their last attempt to follow this Jesus. You never called. This person sees that Christians don't care.

Our culture is full of stories of people who spoke harshly to a parent, child, or friend only to find that they were the last words they would ever speak to that person. The person is dead but the one who spoke those harsh words must now live with their words. In some cases this leads to major psychological problems and years of suffering.

We need to understand that our words are important. People don't know what we are thinking. They only know what we say and do. Our impact as leaders will be greatly determined by our words. None of us is perfect! We will forget things, speak at the wrong times and say the wrong things. Our goal though needs to be “...excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us..." (2 Corinthians 8:7 NIV) When we fall short of this we need to learn to ask forgiveness quickly and sincerely.

FOR YOUR JOURNAL

• You already have a reputation among your friends and family. If someone were to ask them about your speech/word patterns, how would they answer?

• Explain how you think about commitments and promises made to people and how good you are at keeping them.  What about small things like being on time, or getting things done?

• Remember we take small steps. What is one thing you are going to do to "excel in speach..." today or this week.

DON’T QUIT

Having arrived at this page, I hope you have kept your journal. Go back to PERSONALITY  frequently and continue to let God adjust your personality and to challenge and change you. One character trait that we are going to look at in this chapter is being a person who finishes what he starts.

How many people have started out on a project - one they thought God had called them to - only to quit before they finish? There are all kinds of excuses. It was too hard. I forgot. Nobody was helping me. Something else came up. I just didn't feel that God was in it. Please understand, these can be good reasons for not finishing a project. More often than not, though, they are not legitimate reasons to quit but just excuses. How do you know the difference?

First we need to be sure we chose a task for a good reason and with good motivation. Suppose God has called you[1] to the mission field (you believe he has). Now (use your imaginations) you are in the midst of college (which is not an unusual time to get that call). Many people think they should quit and get at it. Others will finish college and having a substantial student loan debt they will get involved in something interesting (to pay back the  loans) and either forget the call or have excuses for not following through. We are not a people who like to wait - carrying a call for many years before we start. It may help to understand that God has carried you and your call since the beginning of time. He is patient. When God calls you to do something part of that call is the preparation for the call. That can mean school, training, short-term trips, other ministry, relationship development, and any number of different life experiences - maybe finishing this book. We often fail to understand that God is active in everything that is going on in our lives.

In 2003, after 23 years of pastoring a great church, God called Joanne (my wife) and I to full-time missions in Brazil. We understood that the 55 years we had lived on this planet were a preparation for this call, for this time in our lives. There were years of dryness, times of great pain - and great joy - times of abundance and times of want. We would not be who we are today without those experiences. For some reason we, as a people, have a very short attention span and a great deal of impatience.

It is worth looking at some Biblical leaders. Pick out two (David, Moses, Abraham, Jesus, Paul, Saul and/or others of your choice) and do a study (use your journal) of their preparation time for ministry. How old were they when they began their ministry (remember ministry is what you do in response to God's call on your life). What took place in their lives that would prepare them for this time? Explain how their successes and failures were tutors on their way to leadership. As you study their lives, consider how you would have reacted? Would you have quit? Acted differently? Why? As they entered ministry their success and failures continued. How did they finish and what part did these successes and failures play in the finishing of their ministry? How did God test each before they walked fully in their call?

If we know that God has called us - and we have all been called - then it is important to commit to finishing. Sometimes I look back and wonder how many lives might have been different had I not given up on them. How would my life be different had I finished what I felt God call me to do in this place or that. Don't give up. Don't quit. Have you been distracted from what God has called you to do? Finish well what you are currently doing and get on with what God has called you to do. In closing, consider the following Scripture verses.

Acts 20:24 (NIV) ²⁴However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

1 Corinthians 9:24 (NIV) ²⁴Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

Galatians 5:7 (NIV) ⁷You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?

2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV) ⁷I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV) ¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV) ¹³Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

FOR YOUR JOURNAL

• How have you been struggling in figuring out what God wants you to do with your life?
• Think back and write about a couple of areas where you did not finish. Include why you started, what you experienced in the middle of it and why you quit before it was finished.
• What are you in the middle of right now? How can you finish well?

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[1] Just a quick note about God's call: I am not speaking only of the pastorate or missions. I believe God calls us to all walks of life. Businessmen/women, doctors, lawyers, dentists, or any other profession or job (yes, even being a laborer) can be calls from God. Open you heart to his call. Some people have a very narrow definition of ministry. Don't believe it. Wherever God calls is ministry.