Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the tag “leadership thinking”

16 May 2016

The Basics are Basic #7

FELLOWSHIP

Memory verse:

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.                                          Hebrews 10:24-25

 Fellowship and the Body of Christ

  1. Christ is the Head of the Body of Christ

Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 5:22-23

  1. Every believer is a member of the Body of Christ

1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 1:22-23

  1. There are spiritual leaders in the Body of Christ

Hebrews 13:7,17; Ephesians 4:11-13

  1. All members are one in the Body of Christ

1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 2:11-22; Galatians 3:26-28

All those who have put their trust in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior are members of God’s family, the Body of Christ.  Within this Body all members have the same value before God, but they will have different functions.

Our unique function in the Body of Christ is determined by our design (spiritual gifts) given to us by the Holy Spirit.  Though we have different functions within the Body, no member is of greater importance than another;  all have the same importance and value to God.

The Goal of Fellowship

Acts 2:42        They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Romans 15:1              We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.

1 Corinthians 14:26               What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.

Galatians 6:2             Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:14             And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

Hebrews 10:24-25     And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

James 5:16                   Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

All believers will gather together regularly to worship the Lord.  Included in this fellowship together is prayer, teaching of the Word of God, testifying to God’s work in our lives, strengthening the weak, comforting the downcast and encouraging one another to continue to live lives pleasing to God.

Believers need each other.  There is no one who does not need the fellowship of other believers.

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
09 May 2016

The Basics are Basic #6

WITNESSING

 Memory verse:

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

 Who Must Witness?

 John 20:21      Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

 Acts 8:4           Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.

All people who have put their trust in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior must witness about Him to others.

What Does it Mean to Witness?

 John 4:39-42           Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”  So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.  And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

John 9:25        He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

Acts 22:21      “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'”

Acts 8:26-40   Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

Witnessing is simply telling another person what you already know and have experienced.  All people who have trusted Jesus as their personal Savior have a testimony that they can share with others.

To Whom Must We Witness?

 Matthew 28:18-20     Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Mark 16:15          He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.

Acts 1:8          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.” 

Believers must be led and empowered by the Holy Spirit to witness wherever they live, work and play, with the objective of reaching the whole world with the gospel of Christ.

When Must We Witness?

2 Timothy 4:2          Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction.

1 Peter 3:15               But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

We must always be prepared to witness to others about Jesus, morning or evening, when the time is easy and also when it may not be so easy.

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , ,
02 May 2016

The Basics are Basic #5

WORD OF GOD

 Memory Verse:

 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness             2 Timothy 3:16

Characteristics of God’s Word

 Psalm 19:7-11             The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.  The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous.  They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.  By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Psalm 119:160            All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.

Isaiah 8:20                  To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.

Isaiah 40:8                  The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.

Matthew 24:35          Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Hebrews 4:12             For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

2 Peter 1:20-21          Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.  For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

The Word of God, the Bible, is eternal, true and can be trusted.

Those who wrote the bible were guided by the Holy Spirit so that what was written was according to His will.  God’s Word is important to His children because it is His living, eternal, unchanging message to them.

II.     Why is the Word of God Important?

Psalm 119:105            Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:130            The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

Matthew 4:4              Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”

John 15:3                    You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

Acts 20:32      “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

2 Timothy 3:16-17     All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

God’s Word is given so that we may know our Heavenly Father in an ever deeper and intimate way and how to live a life that is pleasing to Him.  By studying and applying His Word we will grow in our relationship with Him.

The Word of God is spiritual food for the believer.  As such, we must eat from this spiritual food daily through reading, studying, memorizing and meditating so that we may grow spiritually.

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18 Apr 2016

The Basics are Basic #3

OBEDIENCE TO GOD

Memory verse:

“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”
John 14:21

Why Is Obedience to God Important?

1 Samuel 15:22  But Samuel replied:  “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD?  To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

Luke 6:46  “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

John 14:21-24  Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”  Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”  Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.  He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

Romans 12:1  Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship.

James 1:22-25  Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does.

James 4:17  Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

1 Peter 1:14  As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.

1 John 2:3-6  We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:  Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

God commands His children to obey Him. If we live in obedience to Him we demonstrate our love for Him. Because God gave His one and only Son to die on behalf of our sins, we should live a life of obedient submission to His will as a sign of thankfulness and gratefulness for all He has done. If we chose to live in disobedience to His Word, we sin.

Benefits of Obedience to God

Deuteronomy 4:39-40  Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below.  There is no other.  Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.

Proverbs 1:33  But whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.

Proverbs 16:7  When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.

Isaiah 1:19  If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land;

Jeremiah 7:23  but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you.

Matthew 7:24-27  “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

John 15:1-14  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.   Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.  This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Now remain in my love.  If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  My command is this:  Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command.

Obedience will bring forth the fruit of joy in our hearts.  Remember, in order to know the commands of God that we might obey them, we must read and study His Word. Obedience to God is always in alignment with His Word, the Bible.

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11 Apr 2016

The Basics are Basic #2

ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

Memory verse:

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
1 John 5:11-12

What is the Meaning of Eternal Life?

John 17:3  Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Colossians 3:4  When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Eternal life is a personal relationship with God which lasts eternally and begins the moment we put our trust in Jesus as our Savior.

How Do We Obtain Eternal Life?

John 1:12  Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God–

John 5:24  “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

John 20:31  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Acts 16:31  They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved–you and your household.”

Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–

1 John 5:11-12  And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Eternal life begins the moment we put our trust in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.  At that moment we become a child of God, a member of God’s eternal family (Romans 8:15-16).

Can Eternal Life Be Lost?

John 10:27-30  My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

John 14:16-17  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

Romans 8:35-39  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 1:13-14  And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 4:30  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Philippians 1:6  being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 10:12-14  But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.  Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

1 Peter 1:5  who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

2 John 1:2  because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever:

Eternal life cannot be lost. God’s Holy Spirit, who lives within all true believers, is our seal and guarantee of eternal life.  If we seek to live a life of obedience to Christ and His Word we will grow in our relationship with God.

What Happens When Believers Sin?

1. When God’s children (believers) sin, communication with their Heavenly Father is hindered, but they remain God’s children. We are not removed from God’s family.

Isaiah 59:2  But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

1 Peter 3:7  Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

2. Believers who fall into sin must confess their sins to God in prayer so that their communication with their Heavenly Father can be restored again.

1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

3.  If a “Christian” falls into sin and then begins to mock Christ, it is obvious that they never truly believed.

1 John 2:18-19  Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.  They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

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21 Mar 2016

Retirement – A Modern Concept?

Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere
your God. I am the LORD.     Leviticus 19:32

The LORD said to Moses, “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the Tent of Meeting, but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the Tent of Meeting, but they themselves must not do the work.      Numbers 8:23-26

The concept of retirement from work into a season of leisure, self-enjoyment and self-fulfillment took root in the 1950s in America.  Workers were encouraged to save for the future with those savings being used for self-indulgence and personal pleasure – a reward for the hard work one had to ‘endure’ during their working career.  Communities for ‘seniors’ emerged and the concept of a leisurely season of retirement after a work career ended became a destination.

With increasing longevity and life-expectancy growing dramatically due to improvements in health care, workers can now expect that their retirement years may be longer than their working years.  Increasing cost of living, increasing medical costs, and poor financial planning lead to aging American workers seeking to extend their working years so that they have income to live and possibly save for a longer than expected life.  Seniors working as Wal-Mart greeters and counter help at McDonald’s are now common.

The fracturing of the American family and the geographical scattering of children from their parents compound any possible means of caring for an aging population.  Few churches have adequate means or a vision for caring for the aging in their congregations.

What does the bible say about aging and caring for the aging? What should be the responsibilities of the local church toward our aging congregations?  Are there different expectations for aging Christian workers contrasted with marketplace workers?  What do we believe about the subject of retirement?

More to come….

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14 Mar 2016

Retirement Age at 65?

Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere
your God. I am the LORD.    Leviticus 19:32

The LORD said to Moses, “This applies to the Levites:  Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the Tent of Meeting, but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer.  They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the Tent of Meeting, but they themselves must not do the work.    Numbers 8:23-26

Retirement is a modern concept.  Cotton Mather, the Puritan firebrand, in the early 1700s attempted to encourage aging workers to consider being “…pleased with the Retirement you are dismissed into.”  This concept did not mean the worker would receive a monthly pension; rather it was an encouragement for the older to step aside and let the younger have a place of contribution.  Until the Industrial Revolution, mankind simply worked until they could work no longer.  It was the move away from primarily an agrarian society and to a factory work environment that was less physically demanding that gave older workers an opportunity to continue to work to increasingly older age.

In 1883, Chancellor van Bismarck of Germany had to face the growing attraction of the Marxists who were promising aging German factory workers an old age pension.  To counter the Marxists, van Bismarck offered to pay the German factory workers to stop working and receive a monthly payment from the government.*  He chose the age of 65 as the age to stop working.  It is interesting to note that the life expectancy in Germany at the time was 62 years of age!

By 1935 the Depression was in full bloom and President Franklin D. Roosevelt had to address the issue of caring for aging American workers who had lost their savings in the Depression and had little support to make it to old age.  The Social Security Act of 1935 established the age of 65 as the retirement age for American workers.  It is also interesting to note that the life expectancy for American workers in 1935 was 58 for men and 62 for women.  And now, with the Amended Social Security Act of 1988, the retirement age is gradually being raised to 67 by the year 2025 with life expectancy for men being 76 and women being 81.

It would seem that the age of 65 is a seemingly random and one adopted in a context very different from today’s.  But what about the entire concept of retirement?  Is it something that we should be aiming for?  More to come….

*  N.Y. Times, The History of Retirement, From Early Man to A.A.R.P.    March 21, 1999

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07 Mar 2016
3 Comments

A History of US Revivals

The history of America has been marked by multiple great movements of God’s Spirit. These intense periods of the Spirit’s activity begin with a deep work in the hearts of believers and then moves outward into the hearts and lives of those that don’t know Christ. Christians are “revived” in their walk with God as they confess sin and their renewed heart gives boldness in their witness to the unsaved.

Most church historians would agree that there have been six periods of revival in America. Let’s examine these revivals and draw some parallels for today.

1730-40 Revival The Great Awakening
The first movement of the Spirit of God in America occurred before American independence. The Great Awakening saw many of the colonists touched in a profound way. There were few colleges in the colonies during this time, but those that did exist were profoundly visited.

1805-06 Revival The 2nd Great Awakening
The 2nd Great Awakening began around 1805 and lasted for more than two decades. Though historians differ as to the exact dates, none doubt the profound work of God in the lives of many, especially the college students of the day.

At small Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, three students met in dorm room for prayer and Scripture reading. A student mob gathered outside the door swearing and shouting threats to stop the meeting or suffer the consequences. College president John Blair came to investigate the uproar and after discovering the cause, was vexed in his spirit at the moral state of his student body. The next week the meeting met in the president’s parlor with one-half the student body present. Revival swept the college and the country.

At Yale College “a spiritual revival took place that shook the institution to its center” In a letter from a student to his mother he wrote, “Yale college is a little temple: prayer and praise seem to be the delight of the greater part of the students while those who are still unfeeling are awed into respectful silence.”

1857-58 Revival The Prayer Revival
The third movement of God’s Spirit began with a noon prayer meeting in New York City on Sept. 23, 1857. Six people gathered to pray for the city and their neighborhoods. Within 6 months 10,000 gathered daily for noonday prayer in New York and the revival moved to campuses across America. The YMCA came to America from England, expanded into collegiate ministry in 1858, and was on 180 campuses by 1884.

1905-06 Revival
The fourth visitation of God occurred at the beginning of the twentieth century. “Never in the history of universities have there been so many genuine spiritual awakenings among students.” The seeds in this revival were found in the 1886 Mt. Hermon student conference with D.L. Moody for 250 students. The Princeton Covenant was created by a small group of students at the conference and later signed by thousands, pledging themselves to foreign missions.

1949-50 Revival
Two students from Los Angeles drove 2,300 miles to Minneapolis to pray with Dr. J. Edwin Orr and Dr. Billy Graham for campus revival. Orr preached at Bethel Chapel soon thereafter and, “there was much prayer in the dormitories, followed by intense conviction of sin among the students in chapel and in classroom…Conviction was relieved only by outright confession, restitution, restoration or conversion to God.” In October 1955, the NY Times stated, “more than 1,200 of the nation’s 1,900 colleges and universities now have a ‘religious emphasis week’ of some sort.”

1970’s Jesus Movement
Revival broke out at Asbury College in Kentucky in 1970 and moved to secular campuses. Campus ministers in California who were witnessing to the radical students began to see many converted! Hundreds were converted and baptized in the Pacific Ocean! It is estimated that 250,000 students came to Christ during the next few years.

Are we on the verge of another great movement of the Spirit of God in America?  Let’s pray and ask God for it to begin with us!

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15 Feb 2016

Leave Your Nets

16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.
19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Jesus recruited the busy and the successful. Note that both sets of brothers were actively engaged in their jobs when Jesus encountered them. They were fishing partners (Luke 5:10) along with the father of James and John. And it seems that they were good fishermen as they had formed a limited partnership and had hired employees.

Just because they had an established career and no doubt expectations from father Zebedee that his boys would take over for him one day, Jesus did not hesitate to ask them to leave that vocation and join Him in a new one. If we are not careful, we can fall into thinking that the busy and successful, or those with clear professional career paths, should not be recruited to staff roles, either full-time or associate. We must not hesitate to recruit those whom God is calling out of a fear of taking them from a lucrative job.

Navigator staff is not for everyone. Certainly we need many, many more conventional income laborers to see our Calling fulfilled and the movement advance into all the nations. But for some, becoming a full-time, vocational Navigator is the right thing. Our job is to simply ask them to prayerfully consider whether God would have them to leave their nets and come with us. Some will be called by God to do so. It’s a high calling and a great privilege to become a Navigator staff person.

So who is it that God has placed in front of you that you should be asking to prayerfully consider leaving their nets and coming to co-labor with us?

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08 Feb 2016
2 Comments

Bold Prayer Requests

Jesus encourages us to make bold requests. He says, “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9-11). In other words, because God loves us and wants what is best for us, He will not give us something that would be harmful or detrimental for us. He loves us too much for that.

Suppose one of my three children came to me and said, “Dad, I’d like you to give me a stick of dynamite for my birthday.” How would I respond? Obviously, I would not give it to them because of the danger. Having been refused, they continue to plead saying, “But I really, really want the dynamite, Dad! Please get me some!” Though they would ask me a thousand times (even with fasting) I would not give them what they wanted.

Why not? Well, not because I’m not capable or because I don’t want to meet their requests. The reason I don’t give them what they ask for is because I love them too much to give them something that could be harmful for them. Jesus says, if we who are evil and fallen in our natures can show that kind of reasoning and love, how much more will the love of our heavenly Father prevent Him from answering a request with something that will bring us harm.

James 4:3 says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” If we are seeking something with wrong motives, James says that we won’t get it. That is all; God will say, “Sorry, but the answer to that request is ‘no.’” He does not add, “And I will teach you never to ask for something like that again, you terrible person!” We simply won’t get what we request.

So pray and ask boldly!  But, always with the attitude that I submit my desires and will to His desires and will for me for I trust Him to always do what’s best for me.

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , ,

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