Author Archives: Barry

What Non-Christians Miss Out On

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Left Out“However, as it is written: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

1 Corinthians 2:9

As we enter into this Christmas season where Christians celebrate the birth of God’s Son, Jesus, and the good news of mercy, grace and salvation for ALL of mankind that He brings, I can’t help but think about what His life means to me. Christmas is not only a time of joy, giving and celebration, but it is also a time of reflection on what God has given to me and to everyone who would believe in His Son, Jesus. Christmas to me is not about decorated trees, parties and gifts. It is about a time when God entered into our humanity in the form of a baby boy who would grow up to sacrifice His holy and sinless life for yours and mine. God did this solely because He loves us so much (John 3:16)!

Those who do not know God or believe in Him or His Son Jesus therefore miss out on this incredible FREE gift that God offers to every human being. It’s like having a multi-million dollar winning lottery ticket in your hand and either not knowing it’s a winning ticket or simply refusing to collect on it! Those who reject Christianity, or who attack Christians and our beliefs, are often unaware of what God is really offering them. They only see an institutionalized church, sinful & hypocritical behavior by those who call themselves Christians, or an attitude of condemnation and self-righteousness by Believers. They only see a blank lottery ticket. They desperately need to see God for who He is and not see us for who we are! They need to know that He is their winning ticket!

I would like to share 7 things that I believe non-Christians miss out on by rejecting God’s gift of His son Jesus:

  1. Joy – There is a joy in knowing God and Jesus that cannot be explained. It can only be experienced. It is a daily contentment in all that God has done and continues to do in the life of every believer. It is not a temporary happiness but a deeply felt joyfulness!
  2. Confidence – There is a confidence in knowing that God is in control of everything and that His promises to save us, protect us and walk with us every day are assured. Despite anything that happens to us in this life, God is always there to lift us up in our time of need!
  3. Knowledge – God left us His Word and His wisdom to help us navigate this life that we live. Without the knowledge that our Creator provides we turn to our own knowledge and wisdom which is unreliable and often wrong. Trusting in man’s wisdom instead of God’s wisdom will always leave us worse off.
  4. Perspective – Believing in God and His Word gives us a perspective on our world and our place in it that cannot be found anywhere else. It enables us to see what sin and evil are, how our behavior impacts our lives and those of others, and helps us understand how to relate to others and our world in a positive way.
  5. Fellowship – Belonging to the body of Christ means we will never walk this life alone. As a Christian, we have brothers and sisters all over the world who will pray for us, help us in our time of need, or simply walk beside us in times of trouble. We are part of a larger family that gives us purpose, support, and love.
  6. Power – As Christians, we have the power of the Holy Spirit living in us that is available 24/7. It is the power to overcome, to do the impossible, or to endure the trials that this world has to offer. It is a power like no other. And it costs us nothing while it cost God everything – His only Son Jesus! Faith in Jesus is all we need to gain access to that power!
  7. Love – While most humans experience human love from family and friends, nothing on this earth can compare to the unsurpassing and unconditional love that the Father God has lavished upon us! (1 John 3:1) It is a love that goes to our inmost being and tells us that no matter who we are or what we have done, God loves us with a passion and depth that is beyond our human understanding!

So how can non-Christians experience these 7 incredible blessings that those who follow Christ know, feel, and appreciate? It is only when we share the gospel message of Christ with them (and what Christmas really means) and they allow the Holy Spirit to convict them of the truth of His Word and His Son Jesus! Metaphorically speaking, we need to show them that their lottery ticket is valid, worth millions, and absolutely real!

So this Christmas, let us not just celebrate the birth of our Savior, but let us tell others about the birth of their Savior! “So let us now grow weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” – Galatians 5:9

Developing Leaders

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Developing Leaders

So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua, son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him.”

Numbers 27:18-20

With church or ministry leadership comes a huge responsibility for completing the ministry work that the Lord has called us to. More often than not, we assume that as a leader we need to be intimately involved in every aspect of our ministry if we are to lead it effectively. But the reality is we can’t. We cannot lead every meeting, oversee every detail or make every decision. As leaders, we need to enlist the support and abilities of others if we are to meet the goals God has given to us. That means that we need to identify other people who are potential leaders and develop them so that they can lead, act, and manage according to our objectives and authority. Just as Moses laid his hands on Joshua, you too will need to identify other leaders who are “in the spirit,” and commission them to act on your behalf, and with your authority.

The first thing we must do is to determine what a leader is according to the Bible. I believe there are 4 factors that describe a leader from a Biblical perspective:

  1. A leader knows their identity is in Christ (1 Peter 2:9)
  2. A leader acknowledges that they are to help others employ their spiritual gifts (1 Peter 4:10)
  3. A leader understands that their job is to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16)
  4. A leader is committed to spreading the gospel (Acts 1:8) and making disciples of Christ (Matthew 28:19)

Knowing how to develop other leaders is extremely important for the growth and success of any ministry. If there is only one leader then that leader will be the “lid” on the ministry according to John Maxwell in his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. In other words, the ministry will not grow beyond the leader’s own abilities. Enlisting the help of other leaders enables a ministry to multiply and to go places where one leader alone cannot go by themselves. It also unleashes the power of the Holy Spirit as it works through more people!

The first step in developing leaders is to identify those who have potential. Often in our culture, churches rely on secular criteria, such as education, experience and personal references. But the Bible says there are only 3 criteria we should use:

  1. People of character (1 Timothy 3:2-3)
  2. People of faith (1 Timothy 3:9)
  3. People full of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:3)

Failure to use these criteria often results in bad leaders. And removing bad leaders is one of the most difficult things to do in ministry. The only way to avoid that is to choose wisely and use God’s criteria for a leader and not the world’s criteria. If a potential leader exhibits the Biblical criteria, then we can use education, experience and references to select the best candidate. I would add that it is also good to select people with a passion for the ministry, people who are trainable, and people who have the appropriate spiritual gifts to ensure the best fit for the position.

Once a potential leader has been selected the development process begins. It starts with discipleship and making sure their faith is mature and that they have the knowledge to lead. Next they should be given a responsibility to see how they handle it. The leader should also clearly communicate their expectations to them and hold them accountable to complete the tasks they are assigned as agreed to. Start with small tasks and then gradually increase the level of complexity. After they have proven their capability and knowledge and as their leader you are comfortable with their leadership, release them into ministry by assigning them a responsibility. This is what Jesus did with the disciples when he sent them out in Matthew 10.

Raising up other leaders is one of the most gratifying accomplishments of any leader. But be sure to do it according to Biblical criteria, take your time in selecting the leader, and pray for God’s wisdom to make sure you have the right leader!

By  Barry D. Voss

Good vs. Evil

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Good & Evil

“Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”

Romans 12:9

I think most people would agree that there is evil in the world today. Whether it is ISIS, mass shooters, drug cartels, corrupt governments, or greedy businesses, there appears to be no shortage of people who are intent on harming others or seeking power and domination. There has been evil in the past and there will be evil in the future. This is nothing new or unusual. But is evil only limited to the obvious? Does evil exist elsewhere that we are perhaps not aware of until it is too late?

Well, we first must understand what evil is. The dictionary defines it in two ways. First, it says it means morally bad or reprehensible, sinful, or wicked. Second, it also defines it as causing harm to someone. In other words, it is anything that is not of God, since God is good (“taste and see that the Lord is good” – Proverbs 34:8) and God is love (“love does no harm to its neighbor.” – Romans 13:10)

When evil is viewed from a Biblical perspective we begin to recognize that evil is far more pervasive than we might normally think. Thus, common behaviors in our culture that many people often consider as personal choices can be classified as evil. This includes things like abortion, prostitution, lotteries, fornication, homosexual behavior, gay marriage, drug abuse, divorce, gossip, cheating, gambling, drunkenness, dishonesty, arrogance, pride, gluttony, laziness, and the list goes on. These are the things that draw us away from God and are therefore evil. The Apostle Paul also gives us a list in Galatians 5:19-21 when he says, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” So evil is not just found in horrific atrocities, but rather is found in many of the everyday activities of this life and culture we live in.

So why do we not recognize these things as evil? Simply put, it is because we do not know God. The person who loves God and follows Jesus can more easily recognize evil, because they are walking in His truth and light (1 John 1:7). Those who do not have a close relationship with God or Jesus are therefore unable to distinguish evil from good because they are walking in darkness (Proverbs 4:19). They are blinded and just can’t see it. When we read Scripture and begin to know God more and more our eyes are opened and we become offended at what offends God – sin and evil! And that will often bring us into direct conflict with our world/culture and with Satan, the great deceiver.

You see, Satan is the Prince of Darkness and works to deceive everyone about who he is and what is evil. He packages things in such a way as to make us desire them, even though they are not good for us, or are against God’s commands. He also masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) in order to deceive the world as to his true intention – which is to lead people away from God and His Light that is Jesus! And once we believe Satan’s lies and deceit, we are hooked into accepting evil as good.

So how do we deal with Satan and the evil that is all around us in our culture? First, Romans 12:9 tells us to “hate what is evil and cling to what is good.” Secondly, Romans 12:17 says that we should “not repay evil with evil.” Finally, Romans 12:21 goes on to say that we should “not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” So we are not called to fight evil with evil, but rather to overcome evil by God’s goodness. That means that we must continue to draw closer to Jesus, to study His Word so we will know the truth, and to reach out to the lost, and our enemies, in love. That’s the deal and the only way it will work. To quote Edmund Burke, “the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing!” To be a good men/women means we must know God and His truth and live accordingly.

So let’s commit ourselves to being good by seeking God and His ways and then walking in His Light. Only then we will be able to see the evil around us, overcome it by His goodness, and become “more than conquerors.” (Romans 8:37)

Managing Conflict

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Conflict

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”

Matthew 5:9

Every church or ministry leader should know that conflict is inevitable in any organization. It is even more likely in the church, because the church is about people, and whenever there are people there will be conflict.  Since Jesus calls us to be peacemakers, church leaders should be prepared for it and have a Biblical way of dealing with it. So learning how to manage conflict is important for every church leader because it exists in the church, causes problems and divisions, and often results in ministry stagnation.  Confronting and dealing with conflict effectively will enable a church to move forward.

There are also sources, reasons and causes for conflict, and leaders must understand the difference.

Sources of conflict are related to the different people groups in a church.  They arise between individual church members, between the pastor and church members, between generations, between genders, and between ministries. In many churches people group together according to their preferences, interests or abilities. Some examples include worship style, home fellowship groups, children’s ministry, or choirs. They are like special interest groups whose participants have a greater concern about their particular part of the church ministry. When special interests collide, there is conflict.

Reasons for conflict are related to the actions or in-actions of a church.  They arise when there is no vision or goals being pursued, there is no strategic plan in place, there is inadequate discipleship, there is poor communication, or when the church does not deal with problems. In other words, poor leadership. When the people are not sure of what the church is trying to do then they will generally decide for themselves what is best, and hence conflict will ensue. As it is stated in Judges 21:25, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.”

Causes of conflict are related to spiritual forces that are at work (Ephesians 6:12). There are 3 underlying causes for most conflict: Satan, our sinful nature, and our sinful world. The Bible teaches us in 1 Peter 5:8 that “the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” That’s Satan at work trying to cause us to sin or pit us against each other. In Galatians 5:17 Paul writes that “the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit.” Our own humanness is always working against us and against God’s will. And finally, the Bible says in 1 John 2:16 that “everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world.” So the world in which we live is corrupt and always trying to corrupt us and lead us away from God. As a result, these 3 causes drive most every conflict. So we must be careful not to hate those whom we are in conflict with, but rather to recognize the underlying cause and to hate it instead. “Hate what is evil, cling to what is good.” (Romans 12:9)

Most conflict is obvious, such as  emotional outbursts, written complaints, or gossip. When a leader sees them they can deal with them.  But some conflict is not so obvious, like withdrawal from church activities, project delays, or no communication. Leaders must be mindful of these and often explore them for their hidden conflicts so they can be dealt with as well.

How are we to resolve conflict? Fortunately, Jesus gives us the answer in Matthew 18:15-17 where he outlines a process for dealing with conflict and sin between people.  It is based on repentance and forgiveness. Jesus also says in Luke 6:42 that we are to “first take the plank out of our eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”  So first, we go to the person and try to resolve it between us by first repenting of our sin and asking forgiveness. If there is no repentance or forgiveness from the other person, then we are to gather 2-3 witnesses and try again. And if that does not work, we are to take the issue before the entire church.  Church leaders are also sometimes called in to mediate a conflict. In that case, it is important for the leader to get all the facts, to encourage both sides to repent and forgive the other, and to follow the process that Jesus has outlined.

The key to resolving conflict, therefore, is found in humility and forgiveness. Both of these are very powerful spiritual tools that when used can overcome Satan, our sinful nature, and the sinful world, and lead to peace.  But remember, we are only responsible for our own actions. We cannot force others to forgive nor can we change their hearts or attitudes.  Only God can do that.

So let us all seek to be peacemakers through our spiritual actions of humility and forgiveness!

Christian Persecution

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Persecution

“In fact, everyone who wants to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

2 Timothy 3:12

 

In the past couple of years, ISIS has brought the issue of Christian persecution to the forefront of the world with their release of videos showing the be-headings of Egyptian Christians on a beach in Libya and the vicious attacks on Christians in Syria and Iraq. But there have been other attacks on Christians that have gained the world’s attention, including the kidnapping of 200+ Christians girls in Nigeria by Boko Haram and the murder of 70+ Christian college students in Garissa, Kenya. There have also been many lesser known attacks on Christians worldwide as documented by Open doors International that include church destruction and the incarceration of Christians. I am also personally aware of church bombings in Pakistan and the intimidation of Christians in India through our network of contacts. These are horrible atrocities that we Christians here in America are shielded from and have rarely, if ever, faced ourselves.

But does that mean that Christians in America are not persecuted? Hardly.  While we rarely face imprisonment for our faith, it happened just recently when Kim Davis, the Rowan County Clerk in Kentucky, was jailed for not issuing marriage licenses to gay couples because of her faith. Then there is Aaron & Melissa Klein, who own an Oregon bakery, who refused to put a celebratory message on a wedding cake for a gay couple and was sued and ordered to pay $135,000 in damages. There are blistering attacks on Christians who share their beliefs on the internet and in the media as well as the continual erosion of respect for the rights of Christians to express their faith in this nation. While these may pale in comparison to what is happening in the rest of the world, it is deeply troubling that it is now happening in America!

We Christians in America have been living a blessed life for many years, owing to the faith of our founders and forefathers in this land. But the culture in America has changed radically in the past 50 years and has become more secularized.  America has turned its back on God and began doing so long ago. And yet we should not be surprised. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:12 that “In fact, everyone who wants to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Additionally, Jesus said in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” And again in John 15:20 he said that “if they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.”  So it is clear that persecution goes along with being a Christian!

And that should be obvious, because the world is against God and has been corrupted by satan since the fall of man (Genesis 3). Paul writes in Galatians 5:17 that “the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other.” So as a Christian develops a deeper faith in Christ they should expect more persecution. The more we become like Christ the more the world will hate us and persecute us. That’s why Jesus was crucified, because he was a threat to the ways of the world (and people doing what they want instead of submitting to God).

Ah, but wait!  There is good news!! Jesus said in John 16:33 that “in this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus went to the cross for you and me, and even those who killed him. But God raised Him from the dead for all to see.  He did this to save us! Why? Because our God is a loving God and does not want anyone to perish but to come to repentance (1Peter 3:9) and to experience eternal life with Him!! He did this so we might have everlasting joy and the assurance of eternity with our loving God and Savior Jesus Christ.

So no matter what happens in this world, Christians know that there is a better world waiting for us. We should not fear death nor should we fear persecution. But as it is written in 1 Peter 4:13, “Rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.” And again in  1 Peter 4:16, “However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.”

So c’mon world, bring it on! My God is bigger than your hate!!

Global Trainer Network Exceeds Goals!

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Goals

Last year FaithLife Ministries established our Management for Church Leaders™ Global Trainer Network. Our strategy was simple – to multiply and spread our training through indigenous ministry trainers around the globe rather than sending more Americans abroad to train our material. Not only is this a less costly means of training, it has also proven to be more effective as well since national trainers know their cultures and needs better than we do.   When we started this network there were 28 pastors and leaders we had previously trained who agreed to join our network and commit to training others on our behalf. However, we did not anticipate how successful this strategy would become.

In its first year, 2014, our network of 28 global MCL Trainers trained 3,401 leaders in 21 nations through 70 training conferences.  The training was also taken to two new nations – Pakistan and Togo. That compares with our training of only 400 leaders in 8 nations through 7 international trips.  The effectiveness of this strategy in the first year alone would appear to be obvious, and the results were great!

So as we entered 2015 we set some goals for our network of global trainers to reach. We wanted to see them train 2,000 leaders in 20 nations, and we wanted to add 10 new trainers to the network. Although these goals may seem a bit low, we were unsure after only one year if the results from 2014 would continue.  We soon found out that it would! As of today, our network has exceeded all of these goals, having trained 2,496 leaders in 21 nations through 70 conferences, including the 3 new nations of Burkina Faso, Mali and Chile.  And our network has plans to train in 20 more conferences still to come, including 4 new nations (Niger, Zambia, Botswana and Bhutan). We have also added 16 new MCL Trainers this year, bringing our network total up to 47 trainers! God is indeed awesome and we are thankful to Him for everything that has been achieved so far! As Paul reminded the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”

Realizing the success of this strategy, and what God was doing, we began to direct more of our mission funds towards supporting our network of trainers financially and developing more support tools for them, such as a Trainer’s Manual and more recently some instructional videos on how to teach our material to others. We are now focusing our efforts on establishing our training in new nations, raising up more MCL Trainers in new nations for our network, and training and equipping our network of trainers to train others. Our overall vision is to see our training reach 100 nations.  We are currently at 41 but expect to be close to 50 by the end of this year, due in large part to our network which will take our training to 7 new nations this year, compared to our 3. We believe that this strategy will also enable us to achieve this vision in the next 10 years.

All the glory, honor and praise goes to God our Father, and His Son Jesus Christ, whom we seek to serve, obey and trust for the success of this ministry!

 

Discipleship Planning

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Planning 2

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…”

Matthew 28:19

Before Jesus left this earth to join His Father in Heaven, He left us with instructions on what to do as His followers.  He said in Matthew 28:19 that we are to “go and make disciples of all nations.”  We call this the Great Commission and it is the sole purpose and calling of the Christian church in the world. There is no other reason for the existence of the Church. And yet so few churches actually make this the priority and focus of their ministry.  Instead they create activities, such as worship services, fellowship events, Bible classes and even mission trips that they hope will eventually produce disciples.  But activity is not necessarily accomplishment.   In my global travels and experience I have found that there are very few churches that have a plan on how they intend to make disciples. Having a goal of making disciples and not having a plan on how to do it is just wishful thinking!

Several years ago I read a book by George Barna entitled “Growing True Disciples” (2001, Waterbrook Press).  In his book Mr. Barna researched many churches in the USA and discovered that “Few churches or Christians have a clear, measurable definition of spiritual success.”  In other words, they have no goals and no plans on how to effectively make disciples. They simply create church activities that they hope will inspire their members to seek God and to follow Jesus. This is rarely effective and typically results in churches with more people who are church goers rather than Jesus followers!

Pastor Robert Schuller, author, speaker and former pastor of the Crystal Cathedral in California once said, “Fail to plan and you plan to fail.” He was saying that success rarely happens without a plan.  We often have goals we want to achieve, such as losing weight, owning our own business, or competing in the Olympics.  But without a plan to achieve them one is likely to fall short, lose interest, or miss the mark entirely.  Planning helps us organize and focus our time, money and resources to reach our goal.

So if making disciples is the goal and priority of the church, why do so many churches lack a plan to achieve that goal?  Perhaps it is because they simply believe its the work of the Holy Spirit and that it is just too difficult to measure.  I agree completely that it is the work of the Holy Spirit but I would disagree on the measurement aspect. Yes, the measurements are not always easy to quantify and often hard to measure, but it is possible, especially on a church-wide basis.  For example, one could measure worship attendance, small group participation, or Bible class enrollments, and then compare statistics from year to year to see if there is any growth.  Another method would be to look at the participation rates in the service, prayer, mission and evangelism activities of the church. As church members become more committed to Christ we should see the evidence in terms of greater giving and involvement in ministry to others. Matthew 7:20 reminds us that “Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”

A discipleship plan for the church would then simply involve setting goals for these measurements every year and then organizing all church activities and resources towards achieving these goals. These measurements could also be tracked on an individual as well as a church-wide basis to see how individuals are growing in their faith. Then churches could evaluate all of their activities every year as to how they are impacting discipleship and the growth in faith of its members. They can see where they are having successes and they can also see where they are not effective.  It is not rocket science, but it does take discipline to adhere to the goals and to track measurements.

Planning is nothing more than organizing one’s resources to achieve a goal or a vision. For the church to be effective in making disciples they must do two things.  First, the church must set measurable goals for discipleship. This means they must determine appropriate measurements and stay focused on their goals.  Second, they must develop a plan that will enable them to achieve those goals.  This means they must have the procedures in place to track statistics and have ongoing evaluation of the plan.  Failure to do both of these will ultimately cause the church to fall short of achieving the Great Commission and the vision that Jesus has called all of His followers to pursue.

Finally, it is important for the church to be intentional about making disciples and not to just assume that it is happening. We should also remember Proverbs 16:3 which says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed.”  To God alone be the glory!

 

 

Holiness Anyone?

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Holiness

“Be holy, because I, the Lord your God, am holy.”

Leviticus 19:2

In today’s American culture, as well as many other nations around the world, people who do not fit the cultural norms are often mistreated, ridiculed, and persecuted. The cultural norm today in America seems to be tolerance of any individuality, whether it is sexual preference, clothing (or lack thereof), artistic creativity, drug use, foul language, or a whole slew of other behaviors that used to be considered in bad taste or out of bounds. There is even a cable television channel dedicated to to it – USA – that declares all characters (being unique or different) as good. However, somewhere along the way America has lost its boundary lines of what it considers to be good behavior and what is not. And in many cases the more outrageous the behavior the more it is publicized and glorified by the media, held up as acceptable, and in some cases, promoted as desirable.  I guess we should not be surprised, because we live in a fallen world that is corrupt. But America did not used to be like this when I was growing up.

Regardless of what the culture believes or does, as Christians, however, we are called to live holy and God pleasing lives.  God says in Leviticus 19:2, “Be holy, because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” Jesus says in Matthew 5:48 that we should “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:3 & 7 that “It is God’s will that you should be holy” and “God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” Peter adds in 2 Peter 3:11 that “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what type of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and Godly lives.” So it is clear from Scripture that we are to live lives of holiness, dedicated to following Christ and obeying God’s Word. This is the standard for all Christians!

What is holiness? It is the avoidance of sin and the sinful nature. The sinful nature is described in Galatians 5:19-21, It says “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like.”  That’s quite a list! Notice how it says that these are obvious.  I wonder how many Americans would agree? In so many ways our American culture celebrates many of these acts of the sinful nature. It is even sadder to me that so many people who claim to be Christian in America also revel in these sins, participate in them, and sometimes even advocate them.

That is not what God had in mind for His people and the followers of His Son Jesus! He sent His Son to pay the penalty for those sins of the human nature, to put to death once and for all the things that will destroy us, and to show us through His Son what a perfect, holy life looks like. Yes, we fail miserably to be holy.  But that does not mean that we stop trying or try to redefine sin so we lower God’s standard. God has set His standard for all time in Jesus!! That will never change. If we truly want to follow Jesus then we must always endeavor to be holy and to seek His holiness in our lives. But we are also assured of His forgiveness and mercy when we do fail and repent of our sin.

As Christians in America, we must distinguish ourselves from our culture by living God-pleasing, holy lives.  We must be careful not to get “entangled” in the sin that draws us away from God, but to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2). We must stand firm in our faith, trust in the Lord, and resist the temptation to be like the culture if it does not align with God’s Word. We should expect to face rejection, persecution and ridicule from our culture, just like Jesus did from His. The culture will not tolerate us any more than the Jesus’ culture tolerated Him. That’s what it means to be holy and a follower of Christ!

Finally, one more encouragement and word of truth from Scripture:  “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14)

Holiness, anyone?

 

Servant Leadership

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Jesus Washing Feet

“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 – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 20:26-27

In the Bible, Jesus clearly taught the principle of servant leadership, and that the person who wants to lead must first be a servant of others.  This is precisely how God designed humans to lead one another for the benefit of all.  Of course, the world views this much differently and often those who pursue leadership want to have the power to do what they want or believe is best.  Just look at the 2016 American Presidential race that is now underway.  How many candidates would we say are servant leaders? Not many, I suspect. And unfortunately, we will get what we vote for!

I would like to share a true story from a few hundred years ago.  There were a group of soldiers responsible for a cannon on wheels. On one particular day, it had been raining and the ground was very muddy.  Eventually the cannon got stuck in the mud. The Sergeant of the group rode on a horse and barked out instructions to the soldiers on how to get the cannon out of the mud, but to no avail. No matter how hard they pushed or pulled they could not get the cannon unstuck. Then a General came along and asked what the problem was.  The Sergeant said the cannon was stuck and his men could not get it out of the mud.  The General asked the Sergeant, “why don’t you get down and help them and maybe together you can get it out of the mud.” The Sergeant replied, “I am the Sergeant and they are the soldiers. It’s not my job to do that.  Besides, I might get my uniform dirty.” At this, the General got off of his horse and helped the men move the cannon out of the mud. That General was George Washington, the first President of the United States!

You see, George Washington understood what servant leadership was.  That’s what made him such a great leader!  It was not sitting high on his horse and telling others what to do. Rather, it was getting down in the mud and working together with his followers so that problems can be solved and goals can be reached. Effective leadership is when the leader humbles himself and seeks to support his followers, and not make demands of them.

A more current example came from a friend of mine from Indonesia, who recently sent me this story about President Jokowi of Indonesia. “On the 18th of June 2015, he invited 400 orphans to the presidential palace for a breaking of fast occasion. What was really touching and endearing is the fact that during the occasion, President Jokowi lined up for his food just like the orphans!! There was no special table for him or his Ministers, nor did they have any special food!! I could not help but be full of admiration for this great man and leader. How many people of his stature would do such a thing? How many would even contemplate inviting orphans to their breaking fast occasion!! Even if he had food served to him on a special table with lavish decorations, culturally we would have accepted it. But he personifies this concept of servant leadership i.e. he insisted on doing what his followers were doing and demonstrated that although he was their leader, he was full of humility.”  President Jokowi also understands servant leadership, and his nation will undoubtedly be blessed because of it.

The world needs more servant leaders. We need them in government.  We need them in business.  And we need them in our churches. When leaders lead according to Biblical principles, as humble servants, the people will be blessed. But when leaders lead for their own glory and purposes, the people are harmed in the process.

So let us pray for all leaders and for them to lead as servants. And let us nominate, appoint, and elect only those leaders who will demonstrate servant leadership!

 

 

So You Want to be a Leader?

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Leader Price

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

Luke 12:48

It seems like everyone wants to be the boss these days.  Whether you are running for President of the United States, want your boss’s job, want to start your own company, or want to lead a church, leadership comes with a price. Many people often do not count the cost of leadership and what being the boss really means. They simply see leadership as an opportunity to “call the shots” and tell other people what to do. But nothing could be further from the truth!

I once worked in a company and felt that I could do my boss’s job better than he could. Then one day he gave me the opportunity to act in his place for a week while he was on vacation. I relished the opportunity to make my own decisions for a change.  But when I sat in his office and saw the responsibilities that he had and the tough decisions he had to make, I suddenly realized I was in over my head! I had only seen the virtual “tip of the iceberg” of his job and I was unprepared to make all of the decisions that he made every day.  It also taught me a valuable lesson about leadership. Leadership is not about being boss.  Leadership is about taking responsibility for the welfare and actions of others.

Jesus told his disciples via a parable that “to whom much is given, much will be demanded.” (Luke 12:48) Jesus had poured his life and wisdom into them and was expecting them to do as He had done. Jesus further says in this passage that “much more will be asked” of them as well.  In other words, those who desire to be leaders will be expected and asked to give even more than others.  Additionally, leaders will also be held accountable for their actions, including those on behalf of others (Matthew 12:36, Romans 14:12 & Hebrews 4:13). Jesus also issues a warning to all of us, but especially to leaders, that “things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin” (Luke 17:1-2) So leaders must accept the responsibility of caring for their followers and be careful not to lead them astray or abandon them.  Leaders must therefore take their responsibility very seriously.  Failure to do so has grave consequences.

Leaders must also understand that becoming a leader also makes them a target.  Every leader will face challenges, including rejection, criticism, and betrayal. Jesus did and leaders will as well. Christian leaders will also face attacks from satan, who “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8), because satan knows that if he can bring the leader down, he can bring his followers down with him.

So you want to be a leader? Unless you are willing to take responsibility for others and accept the reality of greater expectations and challenges, I suggest you reconsider wanting to be the boss.

However, when you are ready for leadership and willing to accept the responsibility that comes with it, know that God will guide you and support you with His Holy Spirit! (“I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:13.)