As we talk about spiritual giants and what it means to be a leader, I couldn’t help but think about all the roadblocks we come across in day to day life. If we are supposed to be leading others to Christ, how do we fit that into a schedule that is already filled with kids, soccer games, work, church, family, and friends? This question has an answer which is simple in theory yet more complicated in practicality. The answer is PRIORITIZING.
Look around at today’s young people. One thing missing is the discipline of prioritization. Caught up in incredible technology, advanced communication, and an ever changing culture, young people have become accustom to the art of multi-tasking. However, while this is an important skill, when it is not balanced with prioritization multi-tasking becomes a crutch. In fact, even adults deal with this dilemma. A church does not grow by adding 20 or 30 ministries to its portfolio. Rather, it grows by assessing and prioritizing needs. It grows by excelling in one or two areas. Sadly, because so many want to play the resume game, multi-tasking becomes the only disciplined practice of Christ’s body. If we are going to be intentional about growth, we must prioritize.
A poem by William H. Hinson reads:
He who seeks one thing, and but one,
May hope to achieve it before life is done.
But he who seeks all things wherever he goes
Must reap around him in whatever he sows
A harvest of barren regret.
Interestingly enough, this mirrors a teaching of Jesus found in Luke 14:28-33. It is here that Jesus discusses the discipline of planning and prioritizing. As Hinson and Jesus point out, those who fail by lack of prioritizing will be ridiculed for it.
As a church (and individual) we can take a very important lesson from this. If we take a shotgun approach to reaching our community, we will likely fail. Although that multi-tasking is at times beneficial, it cannot be separated from prioritization. However, if as a congregation we prioritize and excel in one or two areas to begin with, growth will come. The same is true for ones spiritual life. We all have lots to work on. Some of us need to work on our prayer life, cussing, drinking, Bible reading, etc. Rather than tackling all at once, try focusing on one or two at first. Once those are mastered it’s time to move to the next. This approach will bring more success and will leave you with a better sense of accomplishment.
—Josh
“Try great things for God and expect great things from Him!”
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Great Leaders Set The Example
A young boy had just gotten his driving permit. He asked his father, who was a minister, if they could discuss the use of the car. His father took him to his study and said to him, "I’ll make a deal with you. You bring your grades up, study your Bible a little and get your hair cut and we’ll talk about it." After about a month the boy came back and again asked his father if they could discuss use of the car. They again went to the father’s study where his father said, "Son, I’ve been real proud of you. You have brought your grades up, you’ve studied your Bible diligently, but you didn’t get your hair cut!" The young man waited a moment and replied, "You know Dad, I’ve been thinking about that. You know, Samson had long hair, Moses had long hair, Noah had long hair, and even Jesus had long hair...." To which his father replied, "Yes, and they walked every where they went!"
Moses, Samson, Abraham, and Noah are all considered leaders. These great leaders all had something in common: whenever they led the people, they FOLLOWED AFTER GOD. Another good example of this is the Apostle Paul. We would all agree that Paul knows how to lead people. After all, he had a HUGE impact on the early church and has continued to impact us over the last many centuries. Paul was able to confidently say “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1).
As leaders, we must be able to make a similar claim as Paul. We need to encourage others to follow us. They need to have an example of how to walk, talk, live, and give of themselves. We must be able to exclaim “follow me as I follow Christ.” It isn’t for our glory. It’s not to bring attention to ourselves and our actions, it is to point those following toward Christ. We are only a mirror of Christ. We reflect the image of Christ back to Christ himself. What do you need to change in your life so that you can exclaim “follow me as I follow Christ?”
—Josh
“Try great things for God and expect great things from Him!”
Moses, Samson, Abraham, and Noah are all considered leaders. These great leaders all had something in common: whenever they led the people, they FOLLOWED AFTER GOD. Another good example of this is the Apostle Paul. We would all agree that Paul knows how to lead people. After all, he had a HUGE impact on the early church and has continued to impact us over the last many centuries. Paul was able to confidently say “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1).
As leaders, we must be able to make a similar claim as Paul. We need to encourage others to follow us. They need to have an example of how to walk, talk, live, and give of themselves. We must be able to exclaim “follow me as I follow Christ.” It isn’t for our glory. It’s not to bring attention to ourselves and our actions, it is to point those following toward Christ. We are only a mirror of Christ. We reflect the image of Christ back to Christ himself. What do you need to change in your life so that you can exclaim “follow me as I follow Christ?”
—Josh
“Try great things for God and expect great things from Him!”
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Greetings From Virginia
Greetings from Richmond, VA! As you worship this morning, Katie and I are worshiping in Richmond, Virginia (along with her mom) and preparing for the journey back to the great, white north! This morning, Terry Tenney will be bringing our message about God’s Grace and how it restores us to a relationship with Him. This is one of the most important ideas when speaking to a non-Christian. We need to completely understand that if it was not for the grace of God, we would not be able to be in communion with Him! In fact, if it wasn’t for Jesus Christ, we would not be set free from our sins!
Tonight, brother Chris will bring our lesson concerning commitment and salvation! When you share the gospel with an individual, you cannot stop with only sharing. We have to call for a response of sorts and that is where commitment comes in. If a person accepts the appropriate response, they can move on into salvation. However, we must remember that from time to time, we will need further study with somebody as they may not be ready at the moment. Many times they have objections and questions as Joe discussed in class this morning! Evangelism is about having patience and love. We must make sure our focus is to help them in the process and remember that we may not have all the answers. We must remain vulnerable and able to share our own personal stories with them.
This study has truly been a wonderful one! I pray daily that you have all gained a nugget of fresh knowledge and have been more prepared in the process of reaching out to your friends, family, and even those you don’t know yet! In order to learn the most effective means of evangelism, find somebody who has accomplished it and learn from them. Be careful who you look to…if you learn from someone who is no longer effective, you will not be effective. If you learn from somebody who has been effective and practices it daily, you too will learn to be effective. Katie and I were blessed to have learned and walked with many wonderful and effective evangelists. If you think about the wisdom of all who have mentored me…I have over 150 years of experience. You should also study under somebody! Make sure the 150 years of experience are from those who are effective and you will be unstoppable in this world!
—Josh
“Try great things for God and expect great things from Him!”
Tonight, brother Chris will bring our lesson concerning commitment and salvation! When you share the gospel with an individual, you cannot stop with only sharing. We have to call for a response of sorts and that is where commitment comes in. If a person accepts the appropriate response, they can move on into salvation. However, we must remember that from time to time, we will need further study with somebody as they may not be ready at the moment. Many times they have objections and questions as Joe discussed in class this morning! Evangelism is about having patience and love. We must make sure our focus is to help them in the process and remember that we may not have all the answers. We must remain vulnerable and able to share our own personal stories with them.
This study has truly been a wonderful one! I pray daily that you have all gained a nugget of fresh knowledge and have been more prepared in the process of reaching out to your friends, family, and even those you don’t know yet! In order to learn the most effective means of evangelism, find somebody who has accomplished it and learn from them. Be careful who you look to…if you learn from someone who is no longer effective, you will not be effective. If you learn from somebody who has been effective and practices it daily, you too will learn to be effective. Katie and I were blessed to have learned and walked with many wonderful and effective evangelists. If you think about the wisdom of all who have mentored me…I have over 150 years of experience. You should also study under somebody! Make sure the 150 years of experience are from those who are effective and you will be unstoppable in this world!
—Josh
“Try great things for God and expect great things from Him!”
Friday, May 1, 2009
The Challenge
Our current series truly has been a delight to work on and share with you. I pray that you are continually learning more about yourselves and God’s story throughout this study. The point of our endeavor is to learn how to effectively reach the “lost” and evangelize not only our back yard, but the world. As somebody who has been learning, studying, and practicing this since high school years, I find no greater joy than passing on the bit of knowledge I have learned concerning the subject. I have been blessed to have many people in my life take me under their wing and mentor me and I pray as we finish up this study of the next few weeks you will decide to find someone to pass this onto!
Next week, I will be absent due to my travel to Virginia. However, Sunday has been left in very capable hands! I know you are all excited to hear brother Terry speak in morning worship and brother Chris bring a lesson in the evening! Terry will be discussing God’s restoring grace and how His grace restores our relationship with Him. This will prove to be a wonderful study that uses Romans 5 as a springboard. Chris will be bringing the lesson for our Thematic topic that night and will be covering our response and God’s salvation using events and examples in the book of Acts as a springboard. Both sermons will prove to be worthwhile and I wish I was able to hear them in first person (although, the recorded audio will have to work for me this time). Also, Joe will be teaching the morning adult class and will lead you through different objections you may run into throughout the evangelism process! Please keep these three in your prayers as they prepare for Sunday! I am so thankful we have wonderful men who are willing to step up and lead the congregation!
Challenge: I challenge you to continue working on your story and begin practicing that story until it is concise, to the point, and 3-4 minutes in length! Then pray for an audience to share it with (i.e. a non-Christian).
—Josh
“Try great things for God and expect great things from Him!”
Next week, I will be absent due to my travel to Virginia. However, Sunday has been left in very capable hands! I know you are all excited to hear brother Terry speak in morning worship and brother Chris bring a lesson in the evening! Terry will be discussing God’s restoring grace and how His grace restores our relationship with Him. This will prove to be a wonderful study that uses Romans 5 as a springboard. Chris will be bringing the lesson for our Thematic topic that night and will be covering our response and God’s salvation using events and examples in the book of Acts as a springboard. Both sermons will prove to be worthwhile and I wish I was able to hear them in first person (although, the recorded audio will have to work for me this time). Also, Joe will be teaching the morning adult class and will lead you through different objections you may run into throughout the evangelism process! Please keep these three in your prayers as they prepare for Sunday! I am so thankful we have wonderful men who are willing to step up and lead the congregation!
Challenge: I challenge you to continue working on your story and begin practicing that story until it is concise, to the point, and 3-4 minutes in length! Then pray for an audience to share it with (i.e. a non-Christian).
—Josh
“Try great things for God and expect great things from Him!”
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