Strong, deep, lasting love amongst us – who wouldn’t want to be a part of that? Three ways to create that culture in our ministries and churches:
One, “Outdo one another in showing honour” (Romans 12:10). No flippant put-downs. No undercutting. Not even waiting for the next person to make the first move. But me getting out of my self-concern to lift the next guy up with high honour. Doing this verbally, unashamedly.
Two, “Bear with one another” (Colossians 3:13). Not trying to change one another. Who appointed us to that role? Our privilege is to bear with one another’s “weaknesses and oddities, which are such a trial to our patience, . . . to break through to the point where we take joy in [the other person’s quirkiness]” (Bonhoeffer, Life Together, page 101).
Three, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths but only such as is good for building up” (Ephesians 4:29). The people of God filter every word by a higher standard. Even if the words wanting to come out of my mouth are factually true, the real question is, ‘Are my words positively helping the person listening?’
People of God loving one another intensely and openly are a life-enriching social environment.
Such an environment is full of the Holy Spirit. It helps us all grow. Let’s work towards it!
Both Cain and Abel worshiped the Lord. Both brought Him offerings. But the Lord rejected Cain's worship and accepted Abel's. Why?
Not because Abel's was a blood-offering while Cain's was "of the fruit of the ground." The law authorized grain offerings (e.g., Leviticus 2).
Hebrews 11:4 tells us that Abel's worship was acceptable to God because it was "by faith." And "whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him" (Hebrews 11:6).
Acceptable worship throbs with a conviction of the heart that God is real and that God rewards.
Cain did not worship God with the psychology of faith. His gift to God was safe: "Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground" (Genesis 4:3). He worshiped God out of his income from his past labours.
Abel worshiped God with the psychology of faith. His gift was risky: "Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions" (Genesis 4:4). He gave to the Lord from his breeding stock and from their best parts. The firstborn of his flock had the potential to become an adult animal that could reproduce for him more of its kind. He worshiped God out of his potentials for the future; out of his capital.
Is your worship of God safe or risky? Do you come to God just with the thanksgiving offerings of blessings in the past or do you come to God with your life and all its potentials for the future and lay it at His feet?
It is good to run from safe, no-risk worship. It is good to worship God with a practical demonstration that He alone is the future our hearts will be happy with.
"Let us offer to God acceptable worship" (Hebrews 12:28).
Today we’re witnessing the debut of the most-hyped movie of 2009, starring the most-hyped celebrity of our generation. When ‘This Is It’ premiered in the cinemas, I was so wanting to catch it. But today,I’m a little put off out by the over idolizing stuff that I’m seeing applied to the King of Pop.
In his new single Micheal Jackson referred to himself as the “light of the world.” The movie trailer is full of references to his amazing presence, the hope his music gives, and the fact that he is “at the centre” of everything.
It appears like we are seeing the truest picture of worship you may ever see here. It’s unheralded devotion. People are overcome with emotion. Hordes with voices raised, hands lifted, tears streaming. Isn't that worship?
Horrible god. But amazing worship.
MJ was an incredibly gifted musician: I won’t deny that. But he makes for an incredibly bad saviour. His life was as remarkable and enchanted and weird as they come, but in the end, he couldn’t save himself. He needed the true Saviour to do that for him.
Do I believe that Jackson thought of himself as God or as a Christ-figure? No, I really don’t believe that. But I wholeheartedly believe that there are people treat him as if he was.
Michael Jackson is certainly alive somewhere forever, just as we all will be one day. If his hope was in Jesus, that “somewhere” is in heaven. If not, he is not there.
So our greatest devotion and deepest admiration; the energy behind our raised voices, our lifted hands and our streaming tears must be to the true Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Because in the end, this world and its idols just isn’t it.
A voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:17
"There are many other voices speaking -- loudly: "Prove you're worth something." "Prove you have any contribution to make." "Do something relevant." . . . These are the voices Jesus heard right after he heard, "You are my beloved." Another voice said, "Prove you are the beloved. Do something. Change these stones into bread. Be sure you're famous. Jump from the temple, and you will be known. Grab some power so you have real influence." . . . Jesus said, "No, I don't have to prove anything. I am already the beloved."
Henri Nouwen, Leadership Magazine, Spring 1995.
There is more than one way to be strong. We can be strong with the dark energy of anxiety, because we need approval, or we can be strong with the bright energy of assurance, because we are already approved.
We have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. 1 Thessalonians 2:4
You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 2:1
"The joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10
Every church's leadership culture must have the boldness in Christ to look people straight in the eye and say forthrightly, "Hey, c'mon guys. This is for the Lord. Let's go for it!" Such must be our enthusiasm in serving the Lord. And the leadership must generate that kind of enthusiasm. Enthusiasm reaches for high standards, excellence, accomplishment. Enthusiasm demands of itself the best for the sake of a higher call. Enthusiasm crucifies the too-easily-wounded, silken Self for the sake of Christ. Enthusiasm cheerfully refuses to be held hostage by negative people.
Another word for this kind of leadership is humility.
Self-focused leaders worry too much about offending people. Christ-focused leaders risk offense for his sake. Some people will be unable to join in the enthusiasm. Let them go. Let the joy of the Lord triumph.
When one reads a statement like “The Trust Factor In Leadership” it draws out a wide range of emotions. Those emotions are derived from the types of experiences we’ve had with other leaders and leadership in general.
We can break “The Trust Factor In Leadership” down into two simple categories:
1. The Team Trusts The Leader- This is one of the most important aspects of leadership, ensuring that a leader earns the trust of his/her team. Seeking to earn trust becaise of your position will only get you so far. In order for a leader to be truly successful they must have the those virtues that earn them trust: integrity, genuine care and concern for the team, proven track record, boldness, no “yes man” syndrome, a living relationship with God, transparency, accountability … are just a few of the ways that a team will begin to truly trust a leader.
2. The Leader Trusts The Team - This is probably the second most important aspect of leadership. When I say trust your team that means believing in them so much that you don’t micro-manage, you get out of their way, you correct when necessary, you encourage them to lead up, you maximize their strengths and you watch them soar.
George Barna’s new book Master Leaders has one excerpt where this question was asked of many leaders: “How does a leader gain people’s trust?” Seth Godin responded: ”You have to trust them.” That’s simple, but brilliant!
If people don’t trust you, they won’t follow you. On the other hand, I truly believe in and trust my people. I trust them so much that they have no choice but to believe in and trust themselves. If I believe my team can fly, even if they can’t, they will get close to flying.
When the kids were younger (well, even now) they would get really annoyed when I begin to tell them a story that I had told many times before: "You've already told that story," But I would tell them, "I like telling it!"
At the time, my retort served only to further irritate them. I think only now as they are grown that they sort of appreciate why I tend to repeat certain stories.There is just a joy in re-telling them again and again. I did the same in re-telling the history of Agape at our church anniversary yesterday. There is just a joy in such repetitions.
Why? Because we don't just nurture others and ourselves with freshness and novelty. If we only talked with each other when we had something new or interesting to share, there would be mostly silence around our tables. There would also be a lot less humour and wit in our conversations. We don't just nurture each other through novelty and by being interesting, we also, and importantly, nurture family life, our friendship circles, and our workplaces by working and reworking to death old stories, old jokes, and old anecdotes, until that repetition becomes it own story, its own humour, and its own anecdote.
Some things happen in every repetition. It becomes more and more yours. It’s like you own that story. You move from a story teller tobecoming the story owner, like a musician takes ownership of the scores by repeatedly practicing the scales. The accomplishments of art, the efficacy of prayer, the beauty of tradition, and the force of character depend on repetitions to be effective and meaningful.
Many of us know exactly what this means. We have family and friends that entertain and irritate us by mercilessly repeating old stories, old jokes, and old anecdotes over and over until this very repetition becomes its own story and takes on its own character. Sometimes this irritates us and we want to protest, but, eventually we come to appreciate what that brings into the circle of family life, friendship, and community, namely, a colour, a wit, a character, and a peculiar idiosyncrasy that becomes a story onto itself. We don't live on novelty alone, but on every retold story that highlights the irony and colour within our everyday lives.
My own family has been irritatingly famous for this. We are a family that loves the joy of the of retelling old stories. At our dinner tables many of the same stories and jokes get told over and over again. And they aren't always received with appreciation. Not infrequently there is a raised eyebrow ("My God, he's not going to tell that one again!"). But, overall, there is the enjoyment of the old wit, of an old funny incident being enjoyed again, in a fresh new way, both by the one retelling it and by those listening. At our table, what's old and tedious nurtures and carries family life as much what's new and interesting, sometimes more so because the retelling of old anecdotes and stories help highlight our own particular history and character as a family.
I have a way with my humour, to repeat a punch-line over and over again, as if it somehow wasn't heard the first time. My two children will laugh at the fact that I just have to repeat it again. They think I am moving towards senility.
But there is a real reason we repeat a punch-line. We repeat a punch-line because we like saying it! We like the feel of the joy of repetition.
I suppose that is exactly what should happen whenever we repeat the Gospel story. We should do it again and again because we like sharing that story. We own it. It is our story. In the same spirit, we should never get tired of the Communion. Jesus instituted it for our remembrance; that we never ever forget the work of the Cross.
Yesterday, I had the joy of re-telling Agape’s history and we saw God all over again, in the past and in the future. There is a joy in repetition. And that story will be re-told for years to come, in every new generation.
