Luke 2:49 “And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?” Even from at 12 years old Jesus understood that he was here for a purpose, and that his purpose was to be about his Father’s business. And then in Luke 4:18-19, at age 30, we again see him expounding on his purpose, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Jesus was a man of purpose, and we too must be people of purpose. Like Jesus, our purpose is to be about our Father’s business
As a church and as Christians God has commissioned us to take the gospel to the world. Mar 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
That means that we must be purposeful in our evangelism. Every one of us have within our circle of living (all the people with whom we have contact), we all have non-Christians. We have people that for whatever reason have not yet given their lives to Christ. Maybe they have rejected the invitation, but more than likely they have never been given the invitation.
Statistics show that the majority of people who don’t attend church say that they have never been invited. If we have trouble inviting people to church, then I can guarantee that we have an even harder time evangelizing them. Let’s be honest, most of the time the only people we invite to church are people we know are receptive to those invitations, (i.e. people who are already saved, or who are already attending another church.)
The word “evangelist” comes from the Greek euaggelistes (yoo-ang-ghel-is-tace) which means a preacher of the good news. Before the invention of twitter, e-mail, the world wide web, television, telephone, telegraph and even the postal service people depended on the evangelist to carry good news. For example, if the country was at war, and a battle was won, the captain would send an evangelist back to the city with the good news of victory. As an evangelist, we have been commissioned to carry the message of victory. 2000 years ago Jesus Christ won a decisive battle. As he hung on the cross he said it is finished. When he died he defeated the enemy. The bible says in Colossians 2:13-15, “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” Jesus defeated the enemy, he took the spoil and has paraded the enemy through the city as a sign that the people need no longer to worry or be afraid. The trouble is, not everyone has heard of the victory.
The enemy knows that he has been defeated, but he is willing to take advantage of those that are ignorant to the fact.
As the evangelist would run with the message of victory they would tell everyone. They would run through the streets, shouting the message for all to hear. As an evangelist it is your job to simply sow the word of God; we should share with everyone. We should sow the seed at home, at the store, at work, at school, while walking down the street, while riding the bus, while on vacation, everywhere we go. What they do with the message is not your concern, your only responsibility is to share it.
What happens if we fail to sow the seed? What if I just keep the good news to myself? Luk 12:16-21, “And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” This man’s field brought forth much fruit, and he built bigger barns to house his fruit, but God rebuked him. He rebuked him because within his fruit was seed that should not have been stored up for him, but sown. Fruit stored up, begins to decompose, to rot, to stink, to cause infestation
Or we could consider the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. The master was going away so he called to his servants and gave to each of them talents. To one five, to another two and to a third one. The first two invested their talents and gained more, and were rewarded when the master returned. The servant with one talent instead hid it and upon his master’s return presented him with the one talent. This servant had his talent removed and was cast into darkness. Some people are blessed with great revelation, and then there are some who only know one thing: That Jesus died for their sins. If you can’t invest that one thing into the life of another, if you can’t teach someone else that Jesus died for their sins, then based on this parable, the thing that you value, can and will be taken away. The message must be shared.
And let me take a moment to remind you that the message you are sharing is one of Good News. When I was in college there was a man who would preach in the middle of campus.
I have no doubt that his intentions were well intended, and it was his desire to evangelize
But his message was anything but good news. His entire message was about how God hated the homosexual. How god hated the drunkard. How god hated everyone that didn’t go to church.
I can honestly say that in the four years of listening to this man preach; almost weekly, I never saw one person come to Christ. Instead I saw lost people walk away, with a bitter taste in their mouth concerning God, Christians and the church. The heart of an evangelist is one of compassion, not condemnation.
When you function in the role of evangelist, you must remember that your ministry is focused on the lost; the non-Christian. That means that more than likely they are not going to live like you do. They may not be model citizens. They may be drunkards, prostitutes, or drug addicts. They may curse, they may be offensive. We must have compassion for them. Look at how Jesus dealt with the sinner. To the adulteress he stooped to her level, and refused to condemn her. To the tax collector he ate in his home. To the leaper he reached out. To the hungry he offered food. To the murderer he offered forgiveness. How far have we come when we see the adulteress and we talk about her. We see the tax collector and we shun him. We see the leaper and we avoid him. We see the hungry and we walk by. We see the accused and sentence them. How much more effective would we be if instead of waving signs of intimidation and hate in the faces of the homosexual, we decided to cross the line and offer them a hand of friendship and share with them out of a heart of love the truth of God’s love for them? What if instead of gossiping about the girl that just got pregnant, we reached out to help her?
What if instead of trying to keep hell out of our church, we took the church into hell? This is what Jesus meant when he said He would build his church and the gates of hell would not prevail. It means that hell will not be able to stop us from entering in and conquering the land. But instead of conquering, we have resorted to barring the church doors and doing all we can to keep the sinner out. Don’t let them in they might infect the whole church. Jesus said, I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinner to repentance. He said it is the sick that need a doctor, not those that are well. As Christians we have the medicine, we have the cure, and his name is Jesus. We want people to taste and see that the lord is good, not make it so bitter that no one is willing to take it.
The evangelist would share the message with everyone along the way, however his ultimate destination was to arrive at the throne room of the king. He was the one who the ultimately wanted to hear of the victory in the battle. So too it is with us. Our ultimate destination is to arrive at the side of our king, The Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who ultimately wants to hear of the victory. Thus we are to share the message from now until we reach that place, which ultimately means until we enter into eternity. We never cease being the evangelist. And upon entering the throne room of the king, the evangelist would receive his reward. The whole reason he was willing to carry the message was for this moment, when his job had been completed, the king himself would bestow upon him treasure. Likewise, when we finish our course, when we fight the good fight and keep the faith, and we stand before him as those who have carried the message, we will bow before him with the news of our victory, and he will place upon our brow, a crown of righteousness.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
The Art of Spiritual War
In this time of spiritual warfare, I though it profitable to read the authoritative work on warfare, “The Art of War” by SunTzu. While I realize that this book is about physical war, I have found that much of it can be applied to the Spiritual Battles we all face each and every day.
According to Sun Tzu the art of war is governed by five constant factors: Moral Law, Heaven, Earth, The Commander, Method and Disipline
The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless o their lives, undismayed by any danger. For the Spiritual battle, God holds the moral law. It is to him that we must be dedicated. We must be in complete accordance with Him and His Word (the Bible). We must be so dedicated that we are undismayed by any danger that may befall us due to our willingness to fight for Him. We must stand when others will not, even if it costs us our reputation, our position, or even our life. We must be willing to charge through the gates of Hell in order to set free those that have been taken captive. To do this we must heed his voice as He gives direction, realizing that any hesitation on our part could lead to failure on the battlefield. When the call is sounded we must follow Him with unquestioned obedience, with no thought of self.
Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons. In other words it represents the external conditions that must be considered in battle. Realize that there are times and seasons when conditions are right for attack and when they are not. Knowing these conditions is helpful when deciding when to attack or when to expect an attack from the enemy. The enemy knows when you are tired, when you are weary, when you are spiritually hot or cold. He knows that you are more susceptible to his devices when you are alone at night, or after a fight with your spouse. He knows when you struggle spiritually, and we too must be aware of these times and seasons in order to foresee the coming attack. Victory goes to the one who is able to discern the times.
The Earth comprises distance, great and small, danger and security, open ground and narrow passes, the chances of life and death. Knowing your terrain will determine your chances of victory or defeat. Recognizing when you are in range of the enemy, or knowing the place he may hide in ambush is important in avoiding a conflict with the enemy. A fight leads to casualties and loss of supplies, so avoiding a frontal attack is wise. If you know that the enemy attacks you when you are around certain people, stay away. If you know that he uses the internet to trap you, stay away. If you know that he uses that person at work to tempt you, stay away. Know the lay of the land and plan accordingly. Avoiding these areas will lead to victory.
The Commander stands for virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness. You are the commander, and must there for operate in wisdom. Getting council from those that you trust and seeking God’s council will aid in this wisdom. You must operate with sincerity or honesty. Love, courage and self discipline are also required. Failure in any of these areas will cause us to lose the control of our lives. Failure to be wise makes us easy targets for the deception of the enemy, causing us to march headlong into his trap. A lack of honesyt will lead to a life of lies causing us to lose sight of who we really are. Love; a willingness to put others before our selves is what keeps us humble, and allows us to lead properly. A loss of love leads us to use others as shields or steps to protect or promote our selves. Without courage we retreat to the back to allow others to lead our battle, or worse we surrender to the devices of the enemy, and quit serving God. And without self discipline we fall into a mindset that desires to win the fight, but is unable to do the fighting.
Lastly is the method and discipline. These are to be understood at the marshalling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the graduations of rank amoung the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army and the control of military expenditure. As Christians we must understand where we fit in the army, and be faithful to be in that place at the expected time. We must recognize the authority of those over us and follow their lead. We must maintain our relationship with Christ through routine fasting, prayer, and study. During an attack is not the time to realize you have not maintained your roads. This means we must make good use of our time and resources. We must be about our father’s business at all times. Attack is imminent, and we must be prepared.
Sun Tzu says, “These five heads must be familiar to every general; he who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them not will fail.” Let him who has ears to hear, hear what the Spirit is saying.
According to Sun Tzu the art of war is governed by five constant factors: Moral Law, Heaven, Earth, The Commander, Method and Disipline
The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless o their lives, undismayed by any danger. For the Spiritual battle, God holds the moral law. It is to him that we must be dedicated. We must be in complete accordance with Him and His Word (the Bible). We must be so dedicated that we are undismayed by any danger that may befall us due to our willingness to fight for Him. We must stand when others will not, even if it costs us our reputation, our position, or even our life. We must be willing to charge through the gates of Hell in order to set free those that have been taken captive. To do this we must heed his voice as He gives direction, realizing that any hesitation on our part could lead to failure on the battlefield. When the call is sounded we must follow Him with unquestioned obedience, with no thought of self.
Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons. In other words it represents the external conditions that must be considered in battle. Realize that there are times and seasons when conditions are right for attack and when they are not. Knowing these conditions is helpful when deciding when to attack or when to expect an attack from the enemy. The enemy knows when you are tired, when you are weary, when you are spiritually hot or cold. He knows that you are more susceptible to his devices when you are alone at night, or after a fight with your spouse. He knows when you struggle spiritually, and we too must be aware of these times and seasons in order to foresee the coming attack. Victory goes to the one who is able to discern the times.
The Earth comprises distance, great and small, danger and security, open ground and narrow passes, the chances of life and death. Knowing your terrain will determine your chances of victory or defeat. Recognizing when you are in range of the enemy, or knowing the place he may hide in ambush is important in avoiding a conflict with the enemy. A fight leads to casualties and loss of supplies, so avoiding a frontal attack is wise. If you know that the enemy attacks you when you are around certain people, stay away. If you know that he uses the internet to trap you, stay away. If you know that he uses that person at work to tempt you, stay away. Know the lay of the land and plan accordingly. Avoiding these areas will lead to victory.
The Commander stands for virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness. You are the commander, and must there for operate in wisdom. Getting council from those that you trust and seeking God’s council will aid in this wisdom. You must operate with sincerity or honesty. Love, courage and self discipline are also required. Failure in any of these areas will cause us to lose the control of our lives. Failure to be wise makes us easy targets for the deception of the enemy, causing us to march headlong into his trap. A lack of honesyt will lead to a life of lies causing us to lose sight of who we really are. Love; a willingness to put others before our selves is what keeps us humble, and allows us to lead properly. A loss of love leads us to use others as shields or steps to protect or promote our selves. Without courage we retreat to the back to allow others to lead our battle, or worse we surrender to the devices of the enemy, and quit serving God. And without self discipline we fall into a mindset that desires to win the fight, but is unable to do the fighting.
Lastly is the method and discipline. These are to be understood at the marshalling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the graduations of rank amoung the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army and the control of military expenditure. As Christians we must understand where we fit in the army, and be faithful to be in that place at the expected time. We must recognize the authority of those over us and follow their lead. We must maintain our relationship with Christ through routine fasting, prayer, and study. During an attack is not the time to realize you have not maintained your roads. This means we must make good use of our time and resources. We must be about our father’s business at all times. Attack is imminent, and we must be prepared.
Sun Tzu says, “These five heads must be familiar to every general; he who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them not will fail.” Let him who has ears to hear, hear what the Spirit is saying.
Monday, August 22, 2011
What Part are You?
In 1 Corinthians 12:14-27 Paul speaks of four members of the body; the foot, the hand, the ear and the eye. He relates these to the different members of the church, and draws out the fact that all members are needed for the Body of Christ to function.
In the Body of Christ some people are feet people. These are the people who move the church. They get us from point A to point B. They are the ones with the workhorse mentality that says no matter what we are going to get us where we need to go. They are the ones who are not afraid to get dirty to accomplish the task. It doesn’t matter if it is muddy, dusty, dirty or rocky they are determined that they are going to get the body to its destination. They may get hot, they may get sweaty, they may even get stinky, but they will do what needs to be done to get the church to where it needs to be.
Then there are hand people. They don’t like to get as dirty as feet people
They are more touchy feely people. They are the friendly and inviting. They are often more approachable than feet people;(That’s why we shake hands and not feet). They may not take you where you need to go, but they help you have fun on the way. They allow you to play the game,or hold the burger. They like to give pats on the back because they are encouragers. TThey make the trip enjoyable, more so than stinky feet people
Then you have the ear people. They are the listeners. They may not get involved directly, they just kind of hang out on the side. They are often compassionate, and caring. They want everything to be in harmony. Anything out of tune hurts them. They are the ones who always have an ear out for someone in trouble. They desire unity in the body.
Then there are the eye people. These people are detail oriented. They are the visionaries. These are the ones who see which way the body needs to go. They are planners. They are calculating. They are discerning
Unfortunately they can get tunnel vision, and get so focused on the plan that they forget to start the work.
Realizing that people are different, Paul points out that we can‘t function without all the parts. We can’t have a church full of feet people any more than we can have a church full of hand people.
Can you imagine a church that is only focused on the goal. All they care about is getting to the destination. And as a result they walk all over people to get there. They get to the goal and say, "We did it! We trampled everyone in the process, but we made it!" That isn’t God’s church
Or if everyone was a hand person. Where it's the friendliest church in the world, but we never go anywhere. We have fun, but we never make it to the destination. We haven’t accomplished anything, but we sure are having fun. The same with ear people, who would only be concerned with pleasing everyone else. Eye people who were so focused on vision and plans that they never accomplished the plan.
As a body, we need all parts working together. We need eye people that can see and plan. We need feet people that can walk out the plan. We need hand people that can make the journey fun. And we need ear people to keep us in harmony. That is the picture of God's church. A body tempered together into one unit capable of accomplishing great things for His kingdom.
Listen to the full message on the Media page: "The Body of Christ".
In the Body of Christ some people are feet people. These are the people who move the church. They get us from point A to point B. They are the ones with the workhorse mentality that says no matter what we are going to get us where we need to go. They are the ones who are not afraid to get dirty to accomplish the task. It doesn’t matter if it is muddy, dusty, dirty or rocky they are determined that they are going to get the body to its destination. They may get hot, they may get sweaty, they may even get stinky, but they will do what needs to be done to get the church to where it needs to be.
Then there are hand people. They don’t like to get as dirty as feet people
They are more touchy feely people. They are the friendly and inviting. They are often more approachable than feet people;(That’s why we shake hands and not feet). They may not take you where you need to go, but they help you have fun on the way. They allow you to play the game,or hold the burger. They like to give pats on the back because they are encouragers. TThey make the trip enjoyable, more so than stinky feet people
Then you have the ear people. They are the listeners. They may not get involved directly, they just kind of hang out on the side. They are often compassionate, and caring. They want everything to be in harmony. Anything out of tune hurts them. They are the ones who always have an ear out for someone in trouble. They desire unity in the body.
Then there are the eye people. These people are detail oriented. They are the visionaries. These are the ones who see which way the body needs to go. They are planners. They are calculating. They are discerning
Unfortunately they can get tunnel vision, and get so focused on the plan that they forget to start the work.
Realizing that people are different, Paul points out that we can‘t function without all the parts. We can’t have a church full of feet people any more than we can have a church full of hand people.
Can you imagine a church that is only focused on the goal. All they care about is getting to the destination. And as a result they walk all over people to get there. They get to the goal and say, "We did it! We trampled everyone in the process, but we made it!" That isn’t God’s church
Or if everyone was a hand person. Where it's the friendliest church in the world, but we never go anywhere. We have fun, but we never make it to the destination. We haven’t accomplished anything, but we sure are having fun. The same with ear people, who would only be concerned with pleasing everyone else. Eye people who were so focused on vision and plans that they never accomplished the plan.
As a body, we need all parts working together. We need eye people that can see and plan. We need feet people that can walk out the plan. We need hand people that can make the journey fun. And we need ear people to keep us in harmony. That is the picture of God's church. A body tempered together into one unit capable of accomplishing great things for His kingdom.
Listen to the full message on the Media page: "The Body of Christ".
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Perpetuating the Need to Rescue A Generation part 2
In my previous blog I spoke about how we may be perpetuating the need to rescue a generation, by focusing so much of our time, energy, and resources on rescuing teens from the pit. I also asked the question if it would benefit more if we focused on keeping them from falling into the pit to begin with. We do this by focusing more attention on them as children. In this blog I want to turn the spotlight of criticism on my own ministry to children, and ask the question are we as children’s ministers perpetuating the teen problem?
Research has shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that children are most receptive to the gospel. 80% of all first time conversions occur before age 12 compared to the 6% of adults. But we also realize that 75% of those children will leave the church as teens. Why is it that so many people give their heart to God as children, but then walk away as teens ? I propose that we in children’s ministry do a great job of introducing children to Christ, but we do a poor job of bringing children to maturity in their relationship with Christ. We are experts at telling the stories, but novices at explaining the lesson behind the story. We are masters of fun, but amateurs of application. An examination of most children’s ministries in America, whether in small rural towns or in major metropolitan cities, will reveal this common bond.
It is this deficiency in our ministry that is contributing to the need to rescue a generation.
This need to rescue a generation is also being perpetuated by conditioning that children are receiving in children’s ministries. Some children are being conditioned to believe church is boring. This conditioning is typically accomplished in ministries that are behind the times. In a world where kids are inundated by technology they are very sight and sound oriented. Television, video games, internet and media of all sorts are fast paced, energetic and instantaneous. So when a child of today enters a classroom with very little stimulation they are bored. When they ask them to sit and read a piece of paper they are bored. And when we pull out the flannel graph, they are really bored. As a result they are conditioned to think church is boring. This conditioning leads them to continue to view church as boring as teens and even adults. And because there is no relationship with Christ to ground them, when they are able to escape the boredom they do.
Some churches have realized the truth of this boredom factor, and have gone to great efforts to prevent it by making every service fun, exciting, energetic and stimulating. Loud music, bright colors, singing, dancing, games, prizes, televisions all come together to create a theme park atmosphere that kids are more than happy to come to week after week. But by time they move on to teen ministry they have been conditioned to think that church is all about fun, games, and excitement. So when they are faced with real challenges, and the real expectations of Christian life it is culture shock. It is like a bait and switch scheme where we have conditioned them to think, “Church is supposed to be fun and games and videos and entertainment; it’s supposed to be about making me feel good. “ However on their thirteenth birthday we pulled a switch and now we want them to change who they are friends with, who they date, what they watch, where they go, what they read, how they spend their time. This is not what they are used to. This isn’t what church is supposed to be like. And as a result they are overwhelmed, they walk away, and they fall into the pit.
“But we are planting seeds!” is the excuse of most children’s ministries that function like this. It is as if it has become expected that children will walk away. We are planting seeds so that while they are in the pit someone else might be able to water them and nurture them enough to give them a foothold out. Now if that happens, great, but shouldn’t we instead plant the seeds, water the seeds, tend the fields, and nurture growth while they are still children? Shouldn’t we want to help them grow now? Shouldn’t we want them to have fruit now, so that they can taste and see that the Lord is good? Shouldn’t we want them to be firmly established in their relationship with God now, so that they never have to be pulled from the pit? If the answer is yes, then we are going to have to start evaluating our ministry to children, and ask ourselves the tough question, “Are we producing Christians that go into the world, or are we producing worldly kids that go to church?”
Are we producing children who are like Christ? Do they understand who they are? Do they understand who ‘s they are? Do they understand their purpose? Are they equipped to fulfill that purpose? If a child is going to stay out of the pit, then they are going to have to be prepared before they reach the edge of the pit. We must train them to watch for the pit. We must teach them how to avoid the pit. We have to show them that they have power over the pit. To do this we must start looking at children as being able to achieve this maturity. We can’t just get them saved, we must disciple them. This means that we must start conditioning them to live for Christ. We must point them to the Word (not just the stories, but the principles). We must instill in them the expectations and responsibilities of being a Christian. We must correct wrong thinking and wrong behavior. We must teach them accountability. We must teach them what it means to carry your cross. We must teach them the whole truth. It is only as we do this, with a balance of fun and substance, that we will begin to see the teen crisis turn around.
Research has shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that children are most receptive to the gospel. 80% of all first time conversions occur before age 12 compared to the 6% of adults. But we also realize that 75% of those children will leave the church as teens. Why is it that so many people give their heart to God as children, but then walk away as teens ? I propose that we in children’s ministry do a great job of introducing children to Christ, but we do a poor job of bringing children to maturity in their relationship with Christ. We are experts at telling the stories, but novices at explaining the lesson behind the story. We are masters of fun, but amateurs of application. An examination of most children’s ministries in America, whether in small rural towns or in major metropolitan cities, will reveal this common bond.
It is this deficiency in our ministry that is contributing to the need to rescue a generation.
This need to rescue a generation is also being perpetuated by conditioning that children are receiving in children’s ministries. Some children are being conditioned to believe church is boring. This conditioning is typically accomplished in ministries that are behind the times. In a world where kids are inundated by technology they are very sight and sound oriented. Television, video games, internet and media of all sorts are fast paced, energetic and instantaneous. So when a child of today enters a classroom with very little stimulation they are bored. When they ask them to sit and read a piece of paper they are bored. And when we pull out the flannel graph, they are really bored. As a result they are conditioned to think church is boring. This conditioning leads them to continue to view church as boring as teens and even adults. And because there is no relationship with Christ to ground them, when they are able to escape the boredom they do.
Some churches have realized the truth of this boredom factor, and have gone to great efforts to prevent it by making every service fun, exciting, energetic and stimulating. Loud music, bright colors, singing, dancing, games, prizes, televisions all come together to create a theme park atmosphere that kids are more than happy to come to week after week. But by time they move on to teen ministry they have been conditioned to think that church is all about fun, games, and excitement. So when they are faced with real challenges, and the real expectations of Christian life it is culture shock. It is like a bait and switch scheme where we have conditioned them to think, “Church is supposed to be fun and games and videos and entertainment; it’s supposed to be about making me feel good. “ However on their thirteenth birthday we pulled a switch and now we want them to change who they are friends with, who they date, what they watch, where they go, what they read, how they spend their time. This is not what they are used to. This isn’t what church is supposed to be like. And as a result they are overwhelmed, they walk away, and they fall into the pit.
“But we are planting seeds!” is the excuse of most children’s ministries that function like this. It is as if it has become expected that children will walk away. We are planting seeds so that while they are in the pit someone else might be able to water them and nurture them enough to give them a foothold out. Now if that happens, great, but shouldn’t we instead plant the seeds, water the seeds, tend the fields, and nurture growth while they are still children? Shouldn’t we want to help them grow now? Shouldn’t we want them to have fruit now, so that they can taste and see that the Lord is good? Shouldn’t we want them to be firmly established in their relationship with God now, so that they never have to be pulled from the pit? If the answer is yes, then we are going to have to start evaluating our ministry to children, and ask ourselves the tough question, “Are we producing Christians that go into the world, or are we producing worldly kids that go to church?”
Are we producing children who are like Christ? Do they understand who they are? Do they understand who ‘s they are? Do they understand their purpose? Are they equipped to fulfill that purpose? If a child is going to stay out of the pit, then they are going to have to be prepared before they reach the edge of the pit. We must train them to watch for the pit. We must teach them how to avoid the pit. We have to show them that they have power over the pit. To do this we must start looking at children as being able to achieve this maturity. We can’t just get them saved, we must disciple them. This means that we must start conditioning them to live for Christ. We must point them to the Word (not just the stories, but the principles). We must instill in them the expectations and responsibilities of being a Christian. We must correct wrong thinking and wrong behavior. We must teach them accountability. We must teach them what it means to carry your cross. We must teach them the whole truth. It is only as we do this, with a balance of fun and substance, that we will begin to see the teen crisis turn around.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Perpetuating the Need to Rescue a Generation
Without a doubt, the youth of this world are in great need. They face pressures and temptations that are unprecedented. They are not only bombarded by their peers, but by adults that are in places of authority over them. God has been pushed out of their world view and replaced with secular humanism, atheism, and counter culture. This has lead to teens turning to alcohol, drugs, sex, depression, cutting and suicide. And for this reason they are in fact in need of rescue. It is this need that has lead to such an emphasis on "youth ministry". We invest time, energy and resources on rescuing teens. However, our focus on rescuing teens is perpetuating the crisis.
In crisis, decisions must be made that will benefit the greatest number. On September 11th, 2001 such a system was used. As rescuers made their way through the rubble they found people who were near death, their injuries and condition statistically pointed towards poor chances of survival. The rescuers had to make the decision to leave that person, and attempt to find those who had greater chances of survival. Failure to make that decision would have lead to even more casualties, as time and effort and resources were used to rescue the one, while others who may have made it were not reached in time, grew worse and eventually died as well. We are in the midst of a mass casualty crisis, and triage must be implemented. We must start investing in an area that will save the most people.
All the research shows that the greatest impact in a person's life occurs before they are 13. A person learns more in the first five years of life than they will the rest of their life. Personalities are developed in childhood. Social skills are developed in childhood. Moral foundations are set during childhood. 87% of first time conversions occur in those under 13. Of those in ministry, the majority say they knew they were called as children. Statistically children have a better chance of spiritual survival than teens or even adults, yet we spend all of our efforts, energy and resources on trying to rescue those with grim chances, and while we do the children of today are growing worse and dying spiritually. The church has developed tunnel vision on rescuing teens, and while I don't diminish the need, we must broaden our vision, to not only rescue them, but prevent the next generation of teens from also needing rescued.
We can't stand around the pit focusing our efforts on pulling people out, at some point we must turn our attention on keeping them from falling in the pit.
The children of today are the teens of tomorrow, and we need to focus on them just as much if not more, than the teens of today. We must invest just as much of our time, energy and resources to developing them into mature believers with a firm foundation of faith, before they become teens.
This means that we have to take our efforts off of rescue, and put them into prevention. We have to take of our resources away from getting them out, and put them towards keeping them from falling in. What if the money invested in teens was placed into children? What if churches looked for children’s pastors the same way they did youth pastors? What if ministers spoke with the same passion to children as they did teens? What if instead of reading Bible stories, children learned that they had purpose and a calling? What if instead of entertaining them, we challenged them? What if children were placed front and center rather than in the back corner? What if nurseries were more than just places for babysitting?
This does not mean that we forget about the teens in crisis, we will still rescue them, if we can. However we must deal with this crisis in a way that does the most good for the most people. Most churches have more children than teens within their congregations. If we would invest more in the children, then we would find less people in the pit; the crisis would be averted. As the old saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” If we will invest in raising up the children of today we will save the teens of tomorrow, and end the perpetual need to rescuse a generation.
In crisis, decisions must be made that will benefit the greatest number. On September 11th, 2001 such a system was used. As rescuers made their way through the rubble they found people who were near death, their injuries and condition statistically pointed towards poor chances of survival. The rescuers had to make the decision to leave that person, and attempt to find those who had greater chances of survival. Failure to make that decision would have lead to even more casualties, as time and effort and resources were used to rescue the one, while others who may have made it were not reached in time, grew worse and eventually died as well. We are in the midst of a mass casualty crisis, and triage must be implemented. We must start investing in an area that will save the most people.
All the research shows that the greatest impact in a person's life occurs before they are 13. A person learns more in the first five years of life than they will the rest of their life. Personalities are developed in childhood. Social skills are developed in childhood. Moral foundations are set during childhood. 87% of first time conversions occur in those under 13. Of those in ministry, the majority say they knew they were called as children. Statistically children have a better chance of spiritual survival than teens or even adults, yet we spend all of our efforts, energy and resources on trying to rescue those with grim chances, and while we do the children of today are growing worse and dying spiritually. The church has developed tunnel vision on rescuing teens, and while I don't diminish the need, we must broaden our vision, to not only rescue them, but prevent the next generation of teens from also needing rescued.
We can't stand around the pit focusing our efforts on pulling people out, at some point we must turn our attention on keeping them from falling in the pit.
The children of today are the teens of tomorrow, and we need to focus on them just as much if not more, than the teens of today. We must invest just as much of our time, energy and resources to developing them into mature believers with a firm foundation of faith, before they become teens.
This means that we have to take our efforts off of rescue, and put them into prevention. We have to take of our resources away from getting them out, and put them towards keeping them from falling in. What if the money invested in teens was placed into children? What if churches looked for children’s pastors the same way they did youth pastors? What if ministers spoke with the same passion to children as they did teens? What if instead of reading Bible stories, children learned that they had purpose and a calling? What if instead of entertaining them, we challenged them? What if children were placed front and center rather than in the back corner? What if nurseries were more than just places for babysitting?
This does not mean that we forget about the teens in crisis, we will still rescue them, if we can. However we must deal with this crisis in a way that does the most good for the most people. Most churches have more children than teens within their congregations. If we would invest more in the children, then we would find less people in the pit; the crisis would be averted. As the old saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” If we will invest in raising up the children of today we will save the teens of tomorrow, and end the perpetual need to rescuse a generation.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Elijah: Spiritual Father or Dead Beat Dad?
Many have focused on the relationship between Elijah and Elisha when speaking about father/son relationships. The fact that Elisha refused to leave Elijah’s side, and that he cried out, “My Father, My Father” when Elijah was taken into heaven by the whirlwind, have caused many to focus on the sonship of Elisha. His willingness to serve as a son gained him the double portion anointing. However very few people, if any, focus on Elijah’s fatherhood.
We know that Elisha served Elijah for several years, even though the Bible only makes a brief mention of them together. In 1 Kings 19 we see Elijah casting his mantle upon Elisha. However we do not hear any more of them together until 2 Kings 2 when we see them just prior to Elijah being taken in the whirlwind. Elijah alone is mentioned in 1 Kings 21 and in 2 Kings 1, but Elisha is not mentioned with him. We assume from scripture telling us that Elisha ministered to Elijah, and the description of Elisha as the man who poured water on the hands of Elijah, that they were together constantly. I mention it only to point out the scriptural pattern of the servant, though present being left out of the narrative. This is important when looking at Elijah’s fatherhood.
At the end of his time on Earth we read about the interaction between Elijah and Elisha. We see in 2 Kings 2 that three times Elijah tries to get Elisha to stay behind while he went ahead, and three times Elisha refused. It was after they crossed the Jordan that Elijah finally makes the statement to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.” We know that the request Elisha made was for the double portion. The thought that causes me to ask the question about Elijah’s fatherhood comes from his reply to the request. He says, “Thou hast asked a hard thing:” The word translated “hard” also means grievous, cruel, hurtful, and stiff necked. It is almost as if Elijah despises the request; feeling that such a request is hurtful and cruel; causing him to grieve. After all such a request could only be made by a stiff necked individual. Perhaps Elijah thought, “I thought you stayed with me because you cared, but now I see you had ulterior motives.” This then begs the question, why would Elijah be upset by such a request? Especially when in reality of the picture of father/son relationships that so many preach from this passage, Elisha shouldn’t have had to ask. He should have already been entitled to the double portion. Knowing his time was coming, Elijah should have offered it, laid his hands on him and blessed him, as fathers had done for centuries. But Elijah did not do this.
The question then becomes, Why? I believe it is because while Elisha saw Elijah as a father, Elijah never saw Elisha as a son. To him, Elisha was only a servant. As a result he felt no obligation to him, he felt no tie to him. For Elijah, he was just there to do his bidding and help his ministry. Elisha was to fix his meals and pour water on his hands. And when Elijah was ready to move on, he would simply abandon his servant. This was Elijah’s pattern. Few people focus on the fact that Elisha was not his first servant. 1 Kings 18:43-44 we learn that Elijah had another “servant”. While on Mount Carmel, Elijah sends his servant to look for the rain cloud. He then sends his servant with a message for Ahab. Until this point there has been no mention of this servant. How long had he been with the prophet? We do not know, because as I mentioned earlier, often the servant was left out of the narrative. It is possible that the servant was with Elijah when he made his first recorded proclamation that it would not rain in 1 Kings 17? What about when he fled to Cherith to be fed by Ravens? Was the servant with him when he asked the widow woman for a cake, or when he stretched himself over her dead son? Was he with him when Elijah stood before Ahab? How many years did this servant serve Elijah? And what did he give up? Did he leave his family, his business, his land, his inheritance? Truthfully we don’t know. But what we do know is that when Elijah was ready to move on, he abandoned this servant ( 1 Kings 19:3).
Elijah was without doubt a man of God, but his role as spiritual father is questionable. He had no desire to be a father, which is probably why he never married and never had children. Elijah was concerned about one thing and one thing only, and that was his thing. He treated those that ministered to him as servants, not sons. Their relationship was a servant/master relationship. He used those who served him to support his ministry, with no intent or thought of investing back into them. A father does not use his sons to build his kingdom, but rather builds his kingdom so that he can bless his sons. A true father/son relationship is one where a father with all that is in him desires to bestow blessing on his sons. In a true father/son relationship, a son need not ask, or beg, for a blessing, because the father, knowing the son’s heart, has offered it freely.
We know that Elisha served Elijah for several years, even though the Bible only makes a brief mention of them together. In 1 Kings 19 we see Elijah casting his mantle upon Elisha. However we do not hear any more of them together until 2 Kings 2 when we see them just prior to Elijah being taken in the whirlwind. Elijah alone is mentioned in 1 Kings 21 and in 2 Kings 1, but Elisha is not mentioned with him. We assume from scripture telling us that Elisha ministered to Elijah, and the description of Elisha as the man who poured water on the hands of Elijah, that they were together constantly. I mention it only to point out the scriptural pattern of the servant, though present being left out of the narrative. This is important when looking at Elijah’s fatherhood.
At the end of his time on Earth we read about the interaction between Elijah and Elisha. We see in 2 Kings 2 that three times Elijah tries to get Elisha to stay behind while he went ahead, and three times Elisha refused. It was after they crossed the Jordan that Elijah finally makes the statement to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.” We know that the request Elisha made was for the double portion. The thought that causes me to ask the question about Elijah’s fatherhood comes from his reply to the request. He says, “Thou hast asked a hard thing:” The word translated “hard” also means grievous, cruel, hurtful, and stiff necked. It is almost as if Elijah despises the request; feeling that such a request is hurtful and cruel; causing him to grieve. After all such a request could only be made by a stiff necked individual. Perhaps Elijah thought, “I thought you stayed with me because you cared, but now I see you had ulterior motives.” This then begs the question, why would Elijah be upset by such a request? Especially when in reality of the picture of father/son relationships that so many preach from this passage, Elisha shouldn’t have had to ask. He should have already been entitled to the double portion. Knowing his time was coming, Elijah should have offered it, laid his hands on him and blessed him, as fathers had done for centuries. But Elijah did not do this.
The question then becomes, Why? I believe it is because while Elisha saw Elijah as a father, Elijah never saw Elisha as a son. To him, Elisha was only a servant. As a result he felt no obligation to him, he felt no tie to him. For Elijah, he was just there to do his bidding and help his ministry. Elisha was to fix his meals and pour water on his hands. And when Elijah was ready to move on, he would simply abandon his servant. This was Elijah’s pattern. Few people focus on the fact that Elisha was not his first servant. 1 Kings 18:43-44 we learn that Elijah had another “servant”. While on Mount Carmel, Elijah sends his servant to look for the rain cloud. He then sends his servant with a message for Ahab. Until this point there has been no mention of this servant. How long had he been with the prophet? We do not know, because as I mentioned earlier, often the servant was left out of the narrative. It is possible that the servant was with Elijah when he made his first recorded proclamation that it would not rain in 1 Kings 17? What about when he fled to Cherith to be fed by Ravens? Was the servant with him when he asked the widow woman for a cake, or when he stretched himself over her dead son? Was he with him when Elijah stood before Ahab? How many years did this servant serve Elijah? And what did he give up? Did he leave his family, his business, his land, his inheritance? Truthfully we don’t know. But what we do know is that when Elijah was ready to move on, he abandoned this servant ( 1 Kings 19:3).
Elijah was without doubt a man of God, but his role as spiritual father is questionable. He had no desire to be a father, which is probably why he never married and never had children. Elijah was concerned about one thing and one thing only, and that was his thing. He treated those that ministered to him as servants, not sons. Their relationship was a servant/master relationship. He used those who served him to support his ministry, with no intent or thought of investing back into them. A father does not use his sons to build his kingdom, but rather builds his kingdom so that he can bless his sons. A true father/son relationship is one where a father with all that is in him desires to bestow blessing on his sons. In a true father/son relationship, a son need not ask, or beg, for a blessing, because the father, knowing the son’s heart, has offered it freely.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Theoretical Leadership
Many people speak about things, based on theory. There is the theory of evolution, musical theory, string theory, game theory and type theory. All of these deal with the way things “Should” work, or might work, however all of them run into concerns or roadblocks when it comes to looking at them in the “real world”. In other words when examined outside of the realm of theory, they have trouble standing the test. The same is true for those who practice theoretical leadership. They know how things should work, but when you examine them in the real world, you see that they don’t stand the test.
A theoretical leader is one who has a desire to be a leader, and as a result reads books on leadership, attends seminars on leadership, listens to tapes on leadership, and reads articles on leadership. As a result they know a lot about leadership; how a leader should act, and speak, and lead. However, when you examine their leadership, you realize that it is all theory. What they have heard and read is not lived out in their leadership. They may get on an occasional kick to do something. For instance they read a book that talks about the importance of “Team Building”, and they will get on a team building kick, where getting the team together to share in experiences together is important. They plan retreats and meetings and team building opportunities. But in time, it is no longer as important, and months or years go by without any consideration of team building. But by that time they have read a new book or attended a new conference that told them that a leader must separate himself from the group to maintain respect, and so now they are reclusive. No matter what the newest kick is, in a theoretical leader they are never enduring. The lessons heard, and the lessons read never become lessons learned. The lessons never get internalized; they never become a part of the leader’s core values and leadership philosophy.
Those who lead in theory are difficult to spot. They are so full of leadership principles, ideas and clichés that they can easily hold their own in a theoretical debate. They have the information necessary to converse with the greatest leaders. What they lack is the transformation necessary to walk with them. I knew a kid in college who was a wiz at physics. With a piece of papers and a scientific calculator he could figure out anything physics. He could tell you the force and trajectory required to throw a fifty yard pass. He could tell you how to make a free throw. He could tell you the spin needed to cause a tennis ball to bounce left after a serve. However he couldn’t do any of them. His small stature and less than developed musculature did not permit him to perform all that he knew to do. The same is true for a theoretical leader. They may know all the ins and outs of leadership. They may know all that you are supposed to do. They may even be able to tell others how to do it. But their own underdevelopment as a leader leaves them unable to do what they know to do.
This underdevelopment comes from the failure to internalize the lessons. They read the book, write it in their journal and then teach it to the masses. They never allow it to infect their own mind and heart. They never integrate it into who they are. As they read or as they listen, a phrase or an idea catches their attention, and they make note of it, but instead of meditating on it, and absorbing it, and learning it, and committing to do it, they simply resolve to wait for the next phrase or idea to be presented. They may go back and commit the things written to memory, but it never makes it to their heart. The idea remains theory, rather than becoming reality.
This underdevelopment leads to deceptiveness. The theoretical leader wants to be recognized as a leader, but also knows of the truth behind their leadership. So they cloak their selves behind their leadership rhetoric, and ability to draw from their vast amount of leadership theory, allows them to pretend that they have a firm grasp on the practice of leadership. This can also lead to manipulation by the theoretical leader, as they use their theoretical knowledge of leadership to make others feel small and inadequate. Confrontation is also a byproduct, as the theoretical leader seeks to put away anyone who may blow their cover. Anyone who questions, or points out the inconsistency becomes a target for ridicule and attack. A theoretical leader is all too aware of the fragileness of their masquerade.
How can you determine if you are a theoretical leader? First ask yourself the question, “Am I a leader?” Are you leading others? If so, then do you practice what you teach? Do you say things like, “If I were doing it I would do it like this.” Or can you say, “When I do it, I do it like this.”? When you teach others about serving, do you serve the way you tell them to serve? When you teach about giving, do you give the way you tell them to give? When you teach about communication, do you communicate the way you tell them to communicate? You can then ask, “Do I do it consistently?” Is it something that you have think about, or make yourself do, or is it something that is so ingrained in you that you do it without thinking? Do you lead through manipulation? Do you see trash on the floor and think to yourself, “I ought to pick that up to show others that they should pick up trash.” Or do you just pick it up? Is your motive to build others for the kingdom, or to build others so they can build you? Can you receive criticism from those you lead? In theory every leader would say, “Yes”, but what about in reality? How did you respond the last time someone pointed out an inconsistency in your leadership? Did you win them over, or did you run them through?
The cure for theoretical leadership is a simple one, in theory. All you have to do is take the time to learn the lesson first; internalize it. Make it yours before you attempt to teach it to others. Integrate it into your leadership principles. When you do you will find that you consistently perform the lessons you learn in your leadership. You remove the mask from your leadership, which removes the need for manipulation and confrontation with those that are following. In reality this is a process that takes time. And the more theory you have, the longer it takes. That is because the process is one of applying what you know. It is one of meditating, accepting, learning, strategizing and implementing all the lessons that would otherwise be pure theory.
A theoretical leader is one who has a desire to be a leader, and as a result reads books on leadership, attends seminars on leadership, listens to tapes on leadership, and reads articles on leadership. As a result they know a lot about leadership; how a leader should act, and speak, and lead. However, when you examine their leadership, you realize that it is all theory. What they have heard and read is not lived out in their leadership. They may get on an occasional kick to do something. For instance they read a book that talks about the importance of “Team Building”, and they will get on a team building kick, where getting the team together to share in experiences together is important. They plan retreats and meetings and team building opportunities. But in time, it is no longer as important, and months or years go by without any consideration of team building. But by that time they have read a new book or attended a new conference that told them that a leader must separate himself from the group to maintain respect, and so now they are reclusive. No matter what the newest kick is, in a theoretical leader they are never enduring. The lessons heard, and the lessons read never become lessons learned. The lessons never get internalized; they never become a part of the leader’s core values and leadership philosophy.
Those who lead in theory are difficult to spot. They are so full of leadership principles, ideas and clichés that they can easily hold their own in a theoretical debate. They have the information necessary to converse with the greatest leaders. What they lack is the transformation necessary to walk with them. I knew a kid in college who was a wiz at physics. With a piece of papers and a scientific calculator he could figure out anything physics. He could tell you the force and trajectory required to throw a fifty yard pass. He could tell you how to make a free throw. He could tell you the spin needed to cause a tennis ball to bounce left after a serve. However he couldn’t do any of them. His small stature and less than developed musculature did not permit him to perform all that he knew to do. The same is true for a theoretical leader. They may know all the ins and outs of leadership. They may know all that you are supposed to do. They may even be able to tell others how to do it. But their own underdevelopment as a leader leaves them unable to do what they know to do.
This underdevelopment comes from the failure to internalize the lessons. They read the book, write it in their journal and then teach it to the masses. They never allow it to infect their own mind and heart. They never integrate it into who they are. As they read or as they listen, a phrase or an idea catches their attention, and they make note of it, but instead of meditating on it, and absorbing it, and learning it, and committing to do it, they simply resolve to wait for the next phrase or idea to be presented. They may go back and commit the things written to memory, but it never makes it to their heart. The idea remains theory, rather than becoming reality.
This underdevelopment leads to deceptiveness. The theoretical leader wants to be recognized as a leader, but also knows of the truth behind their leadership. So they cloak their selves behind their leadership rhetoric, and ability to draw from their vast amount of leadership theory, allows them to pretend that they have a firm grasp on the practice of leadership. This can also lead to manipulation by the theoretical leader, as they use their theoretical knowledge of leadership to make others feel small and inadequate. Confrontation is also a byproduct, as the theoretical leader seeks to put away anyone who may blow their cover. Anyone who questions, or points out the inconsistency becomes a target for ridicule and attack. A theoretical leader is all too aware of the fragileness of their masquerade.
How can you determine if you are a theoretical leader? First ask yourself the question, “Am I a leader?” Are you leading others? If so, then do you practice what you teach? Do you say things like, “If I were doing it I would do it like this.” Or can you say, “When I do it, I do it like this.”? When you teach others about serving, do you serve the way you tell them to serve? When you teach about giving, do you give the way you tell them to give? When you teach about communication, do you communicate the way you tell them to communicate? You can then ask, “Do I do it consistently?” Is it something that you have think about, or make yourself do, or is it something that is so ingrained in you that you do it without thinking? Do you lead through manipulation? Do you see trash on the floor and think to yourself, “I ought to pick that up to show others that they should pick up trash.” Or do you just pick it up? Is your motive to build others for the kingdom, or to build others so they can build you? Can you receive criticism from those you lead? In theory every leader would say, “Yes”, but what about in reality? How did you respond the last time someone pointed out an inconsistency in your leadership? Did you win them over, or did you run them through?
The cure for theoretical leadership is a simple one, in theory. All you have to do is take the time to learn the lesson first; internalize it. Make it yours before you attempt to teach it to others. Integrate it into your leadership principles. When you do you will find that you consistently perform the lessons you learn in your leadership. You remove the mask from your leadership, which removes the need for manipulation and confrontation with those that are following. In reality this is a process that takes time. And the more theory you have, the longer it takes. That is because the process is one of applying what you know. It is one of meditating, accepting, learning, strategizing and implementing all the lessons that would otherwise be pure theory.
Friday, April 1, 2011
The Single Portion Anointing
Much has been said and written and preached about the double portion anointing. Much of it is good and accurate, however I believe it has led to a erroneous mindset within the kingdom of God. In 2 Kings 2: 7-15 we read about the double portion anointing.
And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
Here we see that Elisha requested that he receive a double portion of the anointing that was on Elijah, and we also see that he received it. However, what does that mean? Often times we think of the double portion as Elisha having twice as much anointing as Elijah; two times more power. However is this accurate?
To understand this concept of double portion we must first realize that it is a concept born from the tribal system of inheritance. When a father, having more than one child (especially male children), was ready to divide to those children his possessions as an inheritance to them, he would divide it in this manner. If he had two children, the possessions would be divided into three. If he had five children, the possessions would be divided into six. If he had twelve children, the possessions would be divided into thirteen. The reason for this is because the firstborn son was to receive twice as much as the others. He would receive two portions, and everyone else would receive a one portion. He did not receive twice as much as the father had, only twice as much as his brothers and sisters. Nonetheless, the brothers and sisters did receive a single portion. They were not left without. They were not neglected. They were given an inheritance.
So I ask, “What about the single portion anointing?” In 2 Kings 2 we see that after Elisha picks up the mantle and strikes the water, that the “sons of the prophets” recognized the spirit of Elijah resting on Elisha. But they failed to recognize the spirit of Elijah that rested on them. Instead of operating in their single portion anointing, they bowed down to Elisha.
I see this as a picture of today’s church. We have so focused on those that have received a double portion, that we fail to acknowledge what we have received. We fail to realize that we too have an anointing, we too have power, we too have the Spirit of God resting on our lives. And instead of operating in that anointing, we instead bow down to others. We watch in awe at the preachers and ministers. We run from prayer line to prayer line trying to get deliverance from the one with the double portion. Do we not realize that the same Spirit rests on us? When Jesus spoke in John 14:12, he did not say that those with the double portion would do greater works. Paul did not say in 1 Corinthians 12 that the diversities of gifts were dependant on your portion of anointing. Instead he pointed out that is was by the “Same Spirit”. A single portion anointing does not mean you are inferior. It does not make you an also ran. It is confirmation of your status as a child within the family.
The fact that Elisha did twice as many miracles had nothing to do with his double portion, but rather what he chose to do with his portion. Elisha invested the anointing he had; he put it to use, and by doing so he increased his anointing. The others who failed to recognize their anointing did little if anything. In the parable of the talents Jesus speaks on this principle. It doesn’t matter if you receive five, two or only one the expectation is that you will invest it and gain more. The reward or punishment did not come because of what they were given, but because of what was done with what they were given.
Are you a child of God? Are you a Christian? If the answer is yes then you have been given an inheritance. The same Spirit that abode in Christ now abides in you. It may only be a single portion, but it is an anointing none the less. God who gave it to you, now expects you to increase that anointing by investing it into the service of the kingdom, so that you will have an inheritance to leave to your sons and daughters.
And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
Here we see that Elisha requested that he receive a double portion of the anointing that was on Elijah, and we also see that he received it. However, what does that mean? Often times we think of the double portion as Elisha having twice as much anointing as Elijah; two times more power. However is this accurate?
To understand this concept of double portion we must first realize that it is a concept born from the tribal system of inheritance. When a father, having more than one child (especially male children), was ready to divide to those children his possessions as an inheritance to them, he would divide it in this manner. If he had two children, the possessions would be divided into three. If he had five children, the possessions would be divided into six. If he had twelve children, the possessions would be divided into thirteen. The reason for this is because the firstborn son was to receive twice as much as the others. He would receive two portions, and everyone else would receive a one portion. He did not receive twice as much as the father had, only twice as much as his brothers and sisters. Nonetheless, the brothers and sisters did receive a single portion. They were not left without. They were not neglected. They were given an inheritance.
So I ask, “What about the single portion anointing?” In 2 Kings 2 we see that after Elisha picks up the mantle and strikes the water, that the “sons of the prophets” recognized the spirit of Elijah resting on Elisha. But they failed to recognize the spirit of Elijah that rested on them. Instead of operating in their single portion anointing, they bowed down to Elisha.
I see this as a picture of today’s church. We have so focused on those that have received a double portion, that we fail to acknowledge what we have received. We fail to realize that we too have an anointing, we too have power, we too have the Spirit of God resting on our lives. And instead of operating in that anointing, we instead bow down to others. We watch in awe at the preachers and ministers. We run from prayer line to prayer line trying to get deliverance from the one with the double portion. Do we not realize that the same Spirit rests on us? When Jesus spoke in John 14:12, he did not say that those with the double portion would do greater works. Paul did not say in 1 Corinthians 12 that the diversities of gifts were dependant on your portion of anointing. Instead he pointed out that is was by the “Same Spirit”. A single portion anointing does not mean you are inferior. It does not make you an also ran. It is confirmation of your status as a child within the family.
The fact that Elisha did twice as many miracles had nothing to do with his double portion, but rather what he chose to do with his portion. Elisha invested the anointing he had; he put it to use, and by doing so he increased his anointing. The others who failed to recognize their anointing did little if anything. In the parable of the talents Jesus speaks on this principle. It doesn’t matter if you receive five, two or only one the expectation is that you will invest it and gain more. The reward or punishment did not come because of what they were given, but because of what was done with what they were given.
Are you a child of God? Are you a Christian? If the answer is yes then you have been given an inheritance. The same Spirit that abode in Christ now abides in you. It may only be a single portion, but it is an anointing none the less. God who gave it to you, now expects you to increase that anointing by investing it into the service of the kingdom, so that you will have an inheritance to leave to your sons and daughters.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Another Way to God (not what you think)
Many times the Bible records that Jesus would go to the mountain. Sometimes he would go by himself. Sometimes he would go with his three; Peter, James and John. Sometimes he would take all twelve. And still other times he would take a multitude. Of the mountains that Jesus climbed, the one that he climbed more than any other was the Mount of Olives. It was on the Mount of Olives that we see Jesus praying all night before choosing the twelve apostles. It was on the Mount of Olives that Jesus spoke about the end times in what has become known as the Olivet discourse. It was to this mountain that Jesus would retreat each night after teaching in the temple. It was from the Mount of Olives that Jesus made his triumphant entry. It was on this same mountain that Jesus would pray prior to his arrest. It was also the same mountain from which he would make his exit from this world. No doubt the Mount of Olives was a place where Jesus felt connected to the Father.
It was for this reason that Jesus made so many trips up this mountain. These many trip up and down the mountain helped Jesus become acquainted with the Mount of Olives. From his many trips he had no doubt learned the many paths. He could make it to the top from many different directions, whether it was from the Jerusalem side, the Galilee side, or event the side facing Bethpage. He was not limited to one way of connecting with the Father. He knew the routes that were difficult, that would only allow for one to pass. He discovered these during his times of solitude and prayer. He knew the paths that would allows for smaller groups, and even paths for the multitudes. Jesus knew when each path would be open, and when the weather or darkness would make them too treacherous to pass. It was this his intimate knowledge of the mountain that allowed him to make the journey to the Father whenever and however it was necessary.
How often do we as Christians become limited in how we are able to connect with God? For many, the only time we feel we can connect with God is in a corporate service. If the right song is played at the right tempo, the right number of times then we feel we connected with God. I can connect with God if I shout, if I fall out, if there is a move of the Holy Ghost. It is this mentality that has led to people feeling the need to constantly be “in service”. As a result they don’t want to serve in the nursery, or teach a class, or participate in life development classes, because then they don’t feel they connected with God. Jesus knew many ways to connect with God, and isn’t it interesting that not once does the Bible speak of Jesus connecting through a Holy Ghost shout fest. I am not saying that one cannot connect with God in a corporate service, but if that is the only way you can reach God then what happens when that route is cut off? What happens when it is a Tuesday and there isn’t a corporate service? What happens when you are supposed to serve in the nursery? The answer is you miss your time with God.
As Christians we must be willing to discover new ways to God. We must discover how to connect with God while serving in the nursery. We must learn to connect with God while teaching a class. We must learn to connect with God while developing spiritually. Jesus was in constant connection with God. He knew how to connect with God when he was alone, and with the multitude. He knew how to connect whether he was fasting or feasting. He knew how to connect He knew how to connect with God during good times and tough times. He could connect with the Father in the church or in the public square. He knew how to connect from any perspective, and he taught his followers to do the same.
It was for this reason that Jesus made so many trips up this mountain. These many trip up and down the mountain helped Jesus become acquainted with the Mount of Olives. From his many trips he had no doubt learned the many paths. He could make it to the top from many different directions, whether it was from the Jerusalem side, the Galilee side, or event the side facing Bethpage. He was not limited to one way of connecting with the Father. He knew the routes that were difficult, that would only allow for one to pass. He discovered these during his times of solitude and prayer. He knew the paths that would allows for smaller groups, and even paths for the multitudes. Jesus knew when each path would be open, and when the weather or darkness would make them too treacherous to pass. It was this his intimate knowledge of the mountain that allowed him to make the journey to the Father whenever and however it was necessary.
How often do we as Christians become limited in how we are able to connect with God? For many, the only time we feel we can connect with God is in a corporate service. If the right song is played at the right tempo, the right number of times then we feel we connected with God. I can connect with God if I shout, if I fall out, if there is a move of the Holy Ghost. It is this mentality that has led to people feeling the need to constantly be “in service”. As a result they don’t want to serve in the nursery, or teach a class, or participate in life development classes, because then they don’t feel they connected with God. Jesus knew many ways to connect with God, and isn’t it interesting that not once does the Bible speak of Jesus connecting through a Holy Ghost shout fest. I am not saying that one cannot connect with God in a corporate service, but if that is the only way you can reach God then what happens when that route is cut off? What happens when it is a Tuesday and there isn’t a corporate service? What happens when you are supposed to serve in the nursery? The answer is you miss your time with God.
As Christians we must be willing to discover new ways to God. We must discover how to connect with God while serving in the nursery. We must learn to connect with God while teaching a class. We must learn to connect with God while developing spiritually. Jesus was in constant connection with God. He knew how to connect with God when he was alone, and with the multitude. He knew how to connect whether he was fasting or feasting. He knew how to connect He knew how to connect with God during good times and tough times. He could connect with the Father in the church or in the public square. He knew how to connect from any perspective, and he taught his followers to do the same.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
A New View of Five-fold Ministry
Five-fold ministry is not new; in fact it goes back to the inception of the Church. When Jesus ascended he gave gifts to men (Eph 4:8), and those gifts (or ministries as the root word implies) were the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher (Eph 4:11); also known as the five-fold ministry.
For all my life I have heard people speak of five-fold ministry in the context of ministry position; as titles bestowed on individuals. Men, and women, are known as Pastor so and so, Evangelist what's his name, Prophetess this and that, Apostle whoever, Teacher whatever, as if that is the only role they play in ministry. I have even heard ministers make statements like, "I could never be a pastor; I don't have the heart for it". Or they say things like, "I'm not a preacher; I'm more of a teacher". It is as if we have compartmentalized ministry; viewing ourselves as an Evangelist, Prophet, Pastor, Teacher or Apostle, rather than a "MINISTER".
God never intended for us to separate the ministry responsibilities. They are five-fold. That means that ministry itself is composed of all five areas. The purpose of a minister is to make disciples. The Great Commission is a command from God to go out find the lost and develop them into mature Christians. To do this requires the minsiter to function in all five areas of ministry. It requires us to be an Evangelist to share the gospel with the Non-Christian and get them saved. it requires us to function as a Prophet to the Carnal (immature) Christian and points them to the Word of God in order to bring them into obedience to God. The Pastor must nourish, nurtur and protect the growing Christian while they mature. As a teacher we teach the maturing Christian how to minister to others. And in the role of Apostle we bless the ready Christian to perform ministry. If any of these five areas of ministry are neglected then the individual cannot progress to their fullness, and we cannot fulfill the Great Commission.
It is because of this compartmentalized view of ministry that people jump from church to church. They get saved in a church where the minister sees himself as an Evangelist, but is overcome by the emptiness of their relationship with God. This causes them to seek out another leader who functions as a prophet, pointing people to the word and telling them what God expects from them. But again they grow discouraged because while they know what they should be doing, but their spirit is so weak that they can't do what they know to do. If they don't give up, they again are driven to seek out another minister. This time it is a pastor who will feed them and care for them and protect them. Here they will find relief and satisfaction in sitting and eating each week, but still they can't fulfill God's plan in their life. They require someone who will challenge them, stretch them; they need a teacher. The teacher recognizes the potential in the person and begins to draw it out and develop it. However if the training is ongoing, and opportunity is never presented the person will grow disillusioned by the lack of fulfillment. This requires the ministry of the Apostle.
As ministers we must begin to see ourselves functioning in all five areas of ministry, and not just the area for which we wear a title. To do so is to neglect 4/5 of the people God has placed in my life. If I am a pastor only, then only the growing Christians will benefit from my ministry. The others will never progress beyond where they are; the non-Christian will never get saved, the immature will never grow; the mature will never learn, and the ready will never fulfill their ministry. It is ineffective to have to schedule other ministers to come and minister in the areas we cannot, or will not. We must begin to see ourselves as five-fold ministers (one minister responsible for five areas of ministry).
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