Sometimes there are things that I read, hear or think that keep coming back to me over and over…here are a few that I just can’t seem to shake…
#1 - “In the Bible God calls those who will not work lazy, but He calls those who will not rest disobedient.” (See Isaiah 30:15) John Walker
EVERY leader needs to wrestle with that one!!! When we get tired we give up on God and begin to think the world is completely falling apart…remember Elijah, he faced down hundreds of false prophets and then ran from a woman who was mad at him! (See I Kings 17-19)
#2 - “In order to reach the people no one else is reaching we must be willing to do the things that no one else is doing.” Craig Groeschel
Leaders…IF you do this you WILL be controversial because people usually have a problem when the status quo is upset, especially in the context of church! I am seriously wrestling with the question and asking myself, “what else is it that we need to be doing to reach people who are far from God?” And please understand…I am NOT asking, “what activities do we need to add to our agenda to try and reach more churched people who are desperate for more Christian activities so that we can provide them with opportunities to isolate themselves from the very people Jesus commanded us to reach.” There is a huge difference!
In order to go where God wants us to go…we must be willing to embrace both the unknown and the uncomfortable!
#3 - “Of course criticism hurts, its supposed to! If you ever get to the point where it doesn’t bother you anymore then something is dead inside of you.” John Walker.
One of the dumbest things you can say to someone is “don’t let that criticism hurt you.” That would be equal to kicking a man in the nuts over and over again and then getting perplexed as to why he is on the ground screaming in pain. Telling him to “not take it personally” isn’t going to help!
#4 - “Becoming obsessed with what others think about me is the quickest way to forget what God thinks about me.” Craig Groeschel.
Craig’s words remind me of Galatians 1:10!
I can either allow what others say to define me (positive or negative)...or I can allow God’s Word to define me!
#5 - “We must dream, because we are made in the image of Him who sees things that are not and wills them to be.” DL Moody
I think God is bothered and disturbed NOT because we ask too much of Him…but because we ask too little! Church leaders should have bigger dreams and plans that ANYONE ON THE PLANET!!! How dare we allow Apple, Disney and Facebook to have a bigger vision than us…we are HIS CHURCH!!! It’s sort of like what CS Lewis said…
“Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased!”