Leaders Lead by the Light

Ye are the light of the world. 
A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 
- Matthew 5:14

Let's be honest.  Real Christian leadership cannot simply rely on charismatic personas or catchy buzz words and slogans.  Christian leadership must embody the True Light (John 1:9).  Christian leadership must reflect that same Light.  Christian leadership must lead others by living as "the light of the world."

We cannot hide that light.
We cannot dim that light.
We cannot deny that light.

We must let our light shine before others in order to lead others to the True Light.  

Assigned by the Almighty

Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.

- Acts 13:1-3 (NKJV)

Our assignments come from the Almighty.  He can set us apart for the work that He alone calls us to do in His name and for His sake.  He can single us out and call us out "for the special work"  that He has for us to do (v. 2, New Living Translation).  Even when there are other teachers, preachers, evangelists and prophets in the vicinity, He can still call for us to be separated from everyone else.

Such a calling is a heavy responsibility.  It requires us to act on it once we have accepted it. 

Look at Paul and Barnabas.  Look at the work that they did immediately folowing being set apart for this assignment of "special work." They took action with their assignment.  They had all of the confirmation that they needed to go.  They had gone through all of the preparations that you could imagine necessary, not possible.  Fasting, praying and the laying on of hands were all part of what took place prior to sending them out.

Imagine what you would do if and when the Lord calls you out.  Try to picture your response to the Lord picking you out for "special work." Go on and respond with some action.

A Penetrating Gospel

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. - Matthew 24:14 (NIV)

The "gospel of the kingdom" is to preached.  It is to penetrate throughout "the whole world as a testimony to all nations." There is no end of times until this is done. 

The gospel is to be proclaimed by those of us who believe it and know it as truth.  We cannot expect the world to carry its message forth.  The news media will not do it.  Certainly, we cannot expect the educational system or institutions of higher learning to spread the word about it.  No, we must proclaim it and penetrate the entire world with it, spreading around the seed that must be sown upon this earth.

We must go far and wide with the "gospel of the kingdom." It cannot remain contained behind the stained glass of our sanctuaries.  It cannot simply rest in our hearts.  It must come forth through our active engagement of sharing it with others. 

Let us approach this task as our primary activity while alive on this earth.  We must approach it with faith and fervor, fueled by the Holy Spirit who sets us afire to speak boldly of His endless grace and eternal love.  Let this gospel go forth out of you for all that God has bestowed upon you as one of His own children.

"We may well be ashamed of our own personal imperfections, but we have no need to be ashamed of our doctrine." - J.C. Ryle

5 Things Christians can Learn from the 2012 Political Race

"Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished

by being governed by those who are dumber."

-Plato

Read Plato's Republic or Walden by Henry David Thoreau and you can get a worldly view on politics and its citizenry.  That may not go well with the Bible.  In fact, it may not match at all.  However, there are some key things that Christians can learn by observing the current political race for presidency.

1. You have to announce that you are running in the race.  Christians should not act like they have the best-kept secret in town.  The gospel is translated as "good news." You share good news.  You don't keep it to yourself.  We have to announce it to the world that we are in the race.
2. You have to make an effort to reach people one way or another.  The Obama Campaign of 2008 incorporated all sorts of means and mediums to involve every type of potential voter around the country.  We have to reach people with our message with the same fervor that candidates push their agendas and campaign slogans online and in print, even through the media and public appearances.
3. You have to let people know where you stand on the issues that matter to them.  Politicians will constantly talk about taxes, public assistance programs, business development and employment, even education and health care.  They may step into controversial areas like birth control, abortion and same sex marriage, even illegal immigration.  We have to know what matters to people and share where we stand with people.  We lose any opportunity to win souls like we should when we fail to share what the Good Book says about this life and eternity.  Look at Luis Palau, James Dobson and Chuck Colson for examples of how to evangelize with hope and a firm standing on the issues of today.
4. You have to keep your cool and your composure in the heat of the debate.  Political jousting is nothing new.  It is as old as politics itself.  However, as Christians, we have to be able to maintain our cool when our beliefs are attacked.  We cannot get on the defensive, taking it personal, and become arrogant or abusive with our attackers.  The Bible tells us that our spiritual warfare is not fought against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:10-18).  After all, even as Jesus hung on the cross, He did not call upon the armies of angels to rescue Him as He endured the fatal punishment of the storied execution style of the Romans and the cruel mistreatment of His own people.  We, too, must endure the attacks of slander and assumptions regarding our beliefs.
5. You have to carry yourself as a winner.  No candidate enters the race with the hopes of being a loser.  No, political candidates go for broke with a winning attitude.  They are confident in their own abilities.  We do not have to get conceited or cocky.  We just have to go forward in faith, with full belief in the Lord's ability to provide for us and protect us.  We have to take Paul's words to heart, believing: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Witness to the World

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.
- Acts 1:8 (NIV)

Jesus shared that the Holy Spirit would come and empower His followers.  He pointed out that His disciples would serve as witnesses of Him all over, even "to the ends of the earth."



He spoke of specific places where they would witness, but He also shared of how the message would transcend their locale "to the ends of the earth." Their witness was so powerful that others caught on fire with the Good News and took hold of it.  They shared the gospel message and it spread throughout the world as God's people were dispersed under persecution.



You should be a witness of God's gospel of grace and forgiveness.  Let your testimony speak of God's lovingkindess towards all men.  Let your witness spread throughout the world.  Speak of God's goodness and grace by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Speak of it and spread it "to the ends of the earth."

Analyzing the Church's Commitment to the Its Calling

“Don’t ask what the world needs.

Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.

Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

- Howard Thurman (Christian clergyman, author, and activist)

Analyze where the Christian church stands today.  Take an honest look at the standing of one of the most treasured institutions of society.  Make an earnest appraisal of the modern church.  See where the church stands today.

For far too long, in the eyes of many, the church has remained in isolation.  In the opinion of some, the church has appeared inactive, almost docile, dormant and dulled, if not deadened.  Others have said that the church has simply dwindled into a state of sheer ineffectiveness.

George Barna has studied and evaluated the church for years.  Henry Blackaby has shared some insights and findings as well.  John Maxwell has offered multiple volumes on Christian leadership.  Rick Warren weighed in with The Purpose Driven Church.  There is no shortage of Christian perspectives of what the church is not and where the church has fallen short.

Don't disregard the Reformation or the Great Awakening.  Don't toss aside the Progressives or the Abolitionists.  Do not forsake the social activism of Prohibition and the Salvation Army, YMCA, and YWCA.  Don't forget how Christians fought Darwinism and the teaching of evolutionism in the U.S. school system.  Forget not Azusa Street and the likes of Oral Roberts or Billy Graham.  Do not frown upon the church's role in the Civil Rights Movement, the anti-war protests, and the pro-life debates.  Consider all of the church's storied past.

Recall that the church has been called to be more than a building.  The church has a calling as the body of Christ.  Look at Luis Palau, Chuck Colson and Prison Fellowship, and the countless missionaries and ministries that exist today.  See how many are fed, clothed, sheltered and ministered to through street ministries and storefronts alike.  See the church playing an active role in society.

Do not grapple with public opinion.  Do not spend hour upon hour debating with the church's critics.  Stand proudly and boldly to be counted among the many who diligently serve the Lord by doing all that they can with what little they have for "the least of these."



Develop Difference Makers

 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen. - Matthew 28:19-20 (KJV)

The Great Commission gives us the disciple-making formula.  We have been referencing it for years.  We have used it for our mantra in evangelizing the entire world, putting much of our focus on the going and baptizing with regards to all nations and unto the end of the world. 

What about the teaching part?

. . . and teach all nations. . .
. . . Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. . .

Our discipleship process should make a difference.  It should make a difference in the people who are discipled by us.  It should make a difference in them as they become fishers of men.  It should make a difference in them to the point where they make a difference in the world around them.  We, as the body of Christ, are to develop difference makers.

Get ideas and insights on how to develop difference makers:

• Outreach Magazine
• Urban Ministry
• Life Church
• Relevant  Magazine

We need today's Christian to be able to sort through the muck and the mire.  We need Christians who will know what is truth and what is false, calling out the false prophets and standing for the truth.  We need Christians who are not blinded by the glitz and glamor of Hollywood, MTV and other fantasies.  We need people who will stand upright as the world goes astray, working in this ministry of reconciliation.  We need Christians to serve as Christ's army.

Read the likes of J.C. Ryle, Francis Chan, Oswald Chambers, Watchman Nee, William Wilberforce, and William Carey.  Try to get a hold of the works of Hudson Taylor, Richard Allen, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Al Sharpton.  Look into men like William Tyndale, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and John Bunyan.  Let the words of these men sink into your heart, mind and soul.  See how they made a difference.  See how others taught and trained them.  See how you can develop others to make a difference.

Encourage as You Evangelize

How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

- 1 Corinthians 14:26 (KJV)

Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. - Romans 15:2 (NIV)

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, - Ephesians 5:19 (NIV)
But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. - 2 Timothy 4:5 (KJV)
Our work is to dispense the Word into the world.  That sounds simple.  However, that is only the main thrust of what we are called to do as God's people.  We have to have some tactics to go along with our teaching.  We need some methods to go along with our message.
 
Paul's instructions to Timothy in one of his pastoral epistles states that Timothy should do the work of an evangelist as well as fulfill his ministry.  It didn't mean that Timothy was to simply evangelize in any manner or method that he saw fit.  The directive exemplifies the teaching and training necessary for a newly-established pastor in maintaining his station as spiritual leader.  If no one else can lead someone to Christ in that local church, the pastor better be able to walk someone down the Romans Road to salvation as part of the work of an evangelist(my understanding of the Holy Spirit leaves doubting that He would leave any of His churches so barren and fruitless, though).  Additionally, he should be able to teach and train others in biblical methods in reaching others for Christ.
 
Encourage others along the way.  If you simply leave it at we all have sinned and fallen short or that the wages of sin is death, you just left someone dangling in suspense and plagued with wonder until worship service on Sunday.  That's not evangelism.  It surely isn't encouraging either.  That's a scare tactic.  Some of our people have mastered such techniques.  Rather than seeking what the Lord has to offer, people are turning to Jesus as the way to avoid going to hell.  Some of our brothers and sisters are persuasive in literally scaring the hell out of some folks rather than sharing the unsearchable riches of Christ.
 
We need to spend some time encouraging folks in the Word.  We need to use methods and mannerisms that build up people rather than manipulating them into a twisted-arm decision about what to do to gain eternal life.  Jesus didn't use that methodology.  That wasn't how John the Baptist did his evangelistic work.  Paul surely did not force anyone to accept Christ in such a way.  There is a way to reach someone for Christ and encourage them by your words and other things.
 

• Encourage with your words
• Encourage through your works
• Encourage by your ways

As I have shared before, people may need to see more Christ in you before they hear anything about Christ from you.  Live it out and let it be known.

Size Matters in Ministry

²⁵ Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, ²⁶ and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. - Acts 11:25-26 (NIV)

Paul (Saul) and Barnabas went to Antioch on a mission.  Earlier, in verses 20-21, men from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch and shared the "good news" and "a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord." Word of this reached Jerusalem and Barnabas, who was "a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith", was sent to Antioch where he encouraged the believers (vv. 22-24).  That's when he went for reinforcements, seeking out Paul (Saul) in Tarsus.

The Book of Acts gives the Bible reader an account of the missionary journeys of Paul.  Barnabas, also known as "Son of Encouragement," went to Tarsus and brought his partner to Antioch.  They spent a year there, teaching and discipling a diverse population of believers.  Obviously, they did some good works because the people were called "Christians," followers of Christ.  At some point, their teaching and fellowship must have hit home with those with whom they shared the Word of God.

Think it through.  There were those who brought the Good News that sparked the movement among the people.  Barnabas stepped in and offered some support to the new converts.  After that experience, Paul (Saul) was brought in to assist Barnabas in discipling the people at Antioch.  That was teamwork.  The teamwork occurred in phases or stages.

We need to examine the example of these men further.  Our ministries need to do something similar.  There needs to be a team who can go into uncharted territory and break new ground with the Gospel.  They need to be able to share the Good News with fervor, winning hearts and souls along the way.  They need to return to the house of God, sharing what they discovered as fertile ground, so that others like Barnabas can come in and edify the new believers with words of comfort, gladness and encouragement.  From there, those encouragers can leverage their relationship with the believers and other evangelists and workers who can support and strengthen the believers.  That's teamwork.

We need prayer warriors who can intercede on behalf of lost souls and those evangelists and missionaries.  We need workers within the ministry who are taught and trained, equipped to do good works beyond the confines of the house of God.  We need those who have the spiritual gift of exhortation, comfort, and other special gifts to serve in a variety of capacities in order to reach a dying world.

It takes a team who can work together to bring a community together in the name of Jesus.

5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.
- 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 (NKJV)



Living as Missionaries

"If we are all Christians, we shall all be missionaries."- D.L. Moody

Missionaries are on a mission.  They go out and about, spreading the gospel and good works.  Some teach English in foreign lands while teaching the Bible.  Others conduct special projects through urban ministry.  Missionaries do the will of God by doing the works that God called them to do among those who believe and others who are in unbelief.  They serve the Lord by serving people.

www.urbanministry.org
http://www.outreach.com/
www.paisproject.com

Share your spiritual gifts and spread the gospel.

Experience an Outreach Explosion

"The minister is to use all means to save some."- C.H. Spurgeon

There is work that must be done for the sake of the salvation of others. If you are keenly aware of what is going on around you, you will be in tune with the needs of those around you for meeting such needs through ministry and ministering to people to the point where they begin to recognize Christ in what you say and do. You cannot have outreach if you are not willing to reach out.

The evangelistic explosion that can occur within your church and community gets started by small sparks of inspiration among the faithful few. Depending on your culture and climate, your numbers may vary. This is key to understanding how you must approach outreach and evangelism. For some, you simply point out that there are unmet needs in your midst, while others will need a full-fledged blue print or outline for what needs to be done and who is in charge of getting it done.

The explosion is on the verge in San Diego. It is much like it has happened in Portland and other cities. Luis Palau has not reinvented evangelism for San Diego with City Fest. He's helped some leading clergy in town revive evangelism and outreach through the efforts and focus of City Fest's Season of Service. As we move closer towards the celebration of City Fest this September, San Diego is poised to experience the explosion.

Look at how you reach out to see what else you can experience on your way towards an evangelistic and outreach explosion.

Encountering Jesus

Since meeting Jesus:

• 
  Who have you brought to Him?
• 
  To whom have you brought Him?

It makes sense. If you have a relationship with someone and you think someone else should meet that peron, you arrange a way for the two to meet and get together. Levi held a party for his fellow tax collectors and others after leaving his tax collection table to follow Jesus. Zacchaeus hosted Jesus as well. Andrew took Peter to meet Jesus after John the Baptist showed Andrew and the disciple whom the Lord loved the Lamb of God- Jesus Christ of Nazareth. People introduce other people to Jesus. That's how it happens.

As believers, we are to bring people to Christ and bring Christ to people. We take the Word out into the world. We bring the world face to face with its issues as we bring people into a personal encounter with Jesus Christ and the message of God's Good News.

The believer is seeking out open opportunities to lead people to Christ daily. The believer's chief concern is not to get people to the church for mid-morning service on Sunday. The chief concern for the believer is to take God's Word to people who need a personal introduction to Jesus Christ.

Read Matthew 5:16; 16:24; John 1:29-46; Luke 19:1-10

How to Make Disciples

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations... - Matthew 28:19 (NASB)

Most Christians know something about it. At the least, you have heard something from someone else who has been a Christian longer than you who shared something about it. It is the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20). However, we tend to hear evangelists speak out about going, while the missionaries are in agreement with them, adding "all the nations." The Sunday school reformers and expository theologians are pretty much in agreement on teaching them to observe all things. Baptism is a horse of another color? [It starts and sparks more denominations than it actually unifies.]

What about the command to "make disciples?" Have we forgotten that as part of what Jesus said in the Great Commission?

We make disciples by sharing our Christian experience with others who have been introduced to Christ and must become indoctrinated in Christian faith and belief. We make disciples by edifying and engaging others in a livelihood that rests completely on the full faith of the people in the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is communal. The early believers were not the first disciples to live and share together. Andrew and John are identified as the two followers of John the Baptist who head off behind Jesus when John pronounces Him the Lamb of God. In fact, Jesus questions the two disciples and allows them to join Him (vv. 38-39). These men lived together, sharing what they had and camping out with Jesus. In fact, the Bible says that they were wanted men like outlaws after many attempts had been made to take Jesus down and to take Jesus out. They were known for being with Jesus the Nazarene and for being identified as Galileans themselves with the exception of Judas Iscariot.

As you seek to make disciples, as commanded, be sure to ensure that you share your livelihood with these would-be disciples. Fellowship and break bread with one another. Spend so much time with one another that others will mistake one for the other or vice versa. Let it be that you share so much that they become engrossed in all that Christ has to offer and all that Christianity can be.

Inside Out: Disseminate

And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.- Mark 13:10 (NIV)

The Good News is to be spread throughout the world. The Gospel of salvation and redemption, according to Jesus Himself, must be preached to all nations. The Word of God that saves and redeems the lost must be shared worldwide. Jesus said so.

How?

The church is called to share the Word with the world. The Spirit gives the church power. That's part of the way God has it in place. The Son came and showed us the way. Now, with the Son risen and ascended, the Spirit leads us in the way. The Son and the Spirit give the church all that it needs to reach the world just outside of the church's doors.

All we have to do as the church is step outside of the doors of the church and into the streets of our local communities. We need to have our eyes open to the conditions of those around us. We need to see ourselves as salt and light in the most missional sense. Our given mission is to share about Him and show others the way to Him. Let us share the Word by both word and deed. Let our walk talk more than our sermons. Let our ways and works speak more than our mouths and lips. All we do should speak and share about Jesus Christ, the Savior.

Quality before Quantity

As for church membership, the statisticians of the religious bodies often depend for their figures on the unchecked estimates of local pastors. As for church attendance, so confidently said to be increasing, no real statistics exist at all. Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,807867,00.html#ixzz0df51wDgu

*********************************************

What is staggering is that this Time article addresses the stats and figures of churches that may be inflated to some degree in order to establish a "movement" among houses of worship in America. We call it the "mega-church movement," but growth by numbers alone doesn't mean that our people are growing. My opinion is that some larger congregations make good hiding places for those who simply follow the crowd. Jesus had the mutlitudes following Him as He headed towards Jerusalem. Yet, He taught and trained twelve and in some instances as many as seventy whom He sent out to conduct the work. I guess the 80-20 rule still applied in biblical times. What we learn is that churches need to captialize on the opportunity to provide and promote quality rather than simply seeking to imitate "mega-church"movers and shakers with quantity.

Quality leads to sustaining quantity. If there is no quality, the quantity will eventually depart. Then, church leaders will either have to gather more to replace the departed or rethink their approach to how they manage and lead their flock. I believe quality is the key. Provide quality by offering the truth and the whole truth. Teach and train people based upon biblical principles and empower them to reach out to others. Based upon their quality experience, these individuals wil become your spokespeople for your worship services, small groups and Sunday school. If you lack quality, do not expect the large numbers to hang around long. They'll be gone when the next big thing hits town.

Modern-Day Disciples

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.
-Luke 10:1 (NIV)

Think about it. In verses 3-12, Jesus Christ lays out distinct and detailed marching orders for His disciples. If we were to look at modern missionary journeys, we would need to consider what today's missionaries would need to take with them.

Mobile phone: At the least, they would need a Blackberry or Palm, maybe even an iPhone. Text messaging, IM, internet capable, mobile applications for Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

Netbook/Laptop: I say laptop more so than netbook because of the current software limitations for netbooks, but modern-day "cloud computing" makes document creation and storage in cyberspace a snap. Check out www.mbible.com or www.olivetree.com for downloads and mobile versions of the Bible. Use www.biblemaster.com and www.lifeway.com for Bible study materials.

Cargo Shorts: Some fashion pundits may beg to differ but I've got to be real; street ministry is done on the streets. You need a pocket to carry your iPod and those Altoids, another one for that pocket-sized New Testament and mini steno pad, and then you need other pockets for your wallet, Swiss Army knife, cell phone, and invitation cards to your ministry's next fellowship function along with Bible tracts.

Happy Face T-shirts: Naturally, we need a conversation-starter of some sorts. I love when I wear my "I Killed Jesus" t-shirt from C28. People totally either read the fine print or tell me off. Find a shirt that makes a statement or check out what'sin stock at my e-store.

Make Disciples

The final words of the risen Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20 have been used to launch worldwide missionary journeys and to reach out to local communities with the Word of God alike. Much of this evangelistic outreach has more to do with the red letters of our bibles that tell us to Go rather than the full context of what the Lord shared at that appointed, hillside meeting place after His resurrection. In essence, what the Lord was saying was for His own disciples to make disciples of the vast world.

I have been quoted many times as saying: "Meeting people where they are does not mean leaving them there." I truly believe that such a statement rings true of the charity and evangelism, even discipleship, that should occur when people encounter us as Christians. No one should be left the same after meeting with one of us. Something should at least be stirred up within them to cause them to ask more questions about Christ or even salvation.

The command in brief summary is to: "Go and make disciples." Get out there, meet people and help bring about change within them. Go and make a difference in someone's life today and everyday. As we go out and evangelize our local communities and send out missionaries, let us not forget to build up people in what the Lord has taught us along the way.

Let us go and make disciples!!