the reluctant leader

The Unknown Poet

Do you take notes when you hear a sermon preached?

Last Sunday I preached three services at Every Nation Church in Singapore. My text was John 19:28-30. "The Unknown Poet" was in the first service.

You might enjoy reading his notes from my sermon. His notes were better than mine. Here they are.

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The sermon was delivered by Steve Murrell
A three word summary of the Bible he did tell
Only fourteen minutes would he need
From John 19 : 28-30 he did read

All humanity deals with guilt and shame, Steve did say
Everyone deals with these in their own distinct way
Westerners tend to focus on guilt, Easterners on shame
But this is now intertwined due to the globalisation game

We should ask how Jesus dealt with these on the cross
Focus on His purpose, else His pain was a complete loss
The three words are "it is finished", from Jesus' last breath
They immediately preceded his humiliating earthly death

Start with "it", this is word number one
This is expiation, our atonement is done
For Jesus willingly sacrificed himself for our sin
Over death and the enemy, God did therefore win

Moving on to "is", our second key word
It is definitive, what is done by our Lord
In other words, this is our present reality
Not something that we may or may not see

"Finished" is word number three we heard today
For only Jesus can really have the last say
We are now forgiven, our guilt is gone
So we should not fall for the enemy's con

These three words are but one in the original Greek
"Tetelestai" means "it is finished", a word unique
It was often used to say that a bill was completely paid
So of sin's price we should no longer be afraid

The cross is about Jesus and what He did
Nothing we do can help our sin be rid
With His blood, His work he did sign
Thanks to Him, our future is divine
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http://the-unknown-poet.blogspot.com/2011/10/23-october-2011-encs.html

Every Nation (Not Yet, But Soon)

Now in Singapore at one of our favorite meetings of the year: the Every Nation Asia Pastors Equipping Conference (APEC).

The next four days we have the privilege meeting with amazing leaders, pastors, missionaries and church planters from 25 nations including:
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Cambodia
China
Guam (USA)
Hawaii (USA)
India
Indonesia
Japan
Laos
Macau
Malaysia
Mongolia
Myanmar
Nepal
New Zealand
Philippines
Singapore
South Korea
South Africa
Taiwan
Thailand
United Arab Emirates
Vietnam

Because of our security protocols I will not be able to tweet or blog about many of the testimonies that I will hear this week, but I ask you to pray for our Asia leaders this week.

We are not in EVERY NATION yet, but we pray that God will send workers for the harvest in every nation. Maybe you are the answer to that prayer for one of the nations.

Stupid Leaders

Because of their positions, all leaders know stuff that others in the organization do not know. Thus the need for professional confidentiality.

I recently had to correct a colleague who inadvertently leaked some confidential info during a meeting. He responded to my correction by saying, "You're right, I should not have said that. I don't get corrected very often, but I need it. Thanks."

He not only admitted his mistake, he embraced correction and he thanked me for it. I am thankful I get to work with such humble and wise people all over the world.

How do you respond to correction? Do you accept correction, or get offended? Do you love correction, or do you hate it?  

A long time ago a really wise man wrote: "he who hates correction is stupid." (Proverbs 12:1) Sadly, that verse describes many leaders today.

Wanna be a smart leader? Make peace with the fact that you are often wrong and need correction, then surround yourself with people who are willing to "speak the truth in love."

Church Growth: Slow is Fast

As I type these words on my iPad, I am 35,000 feet in the air somewhere between Nashville and Detroit, heading to Manila, reading Acts and thinking about church growth.

Too many of us (pastors & church planters) find our value in how many people show up at church functions. The more time I spend in the West, the more I have to shake off that sad obsession with size and remind myself that I am called to make disciples, not to build churches. Jesus said he would build his church - the kind of church that the gates of hell would not be able to stop. He has a long history of doing what he says he will do, so he probably doesn't need my help.

(Note to self: your job is to make disciples, not to build a church. If you make disciples, Jesus will build them into a great church.)

If Jesus had been obsessed with numerical growth like many pastors today, he would have felt like a failure.

QUESTION: After three years - preaching good news, healing the sick, feeding the hungry and discipling 12 men - how many did Jesus have in his "church"?

ANSWER: "In those days Peter stood up among the believers - a group numbering about a hundred and twenty" (Acts 1:15)

Three years and 120 believers. Outreach magazine would have totally ignored those results. And many modern church planters with similar results would be thinking about a career change.

While it took 3 years to grow from 12 to 120 - it only took weeks for the 120 to grow to 1000's. Why? Because in the words of Joey Bonifacio, SLOW IS FAST!

If we focus on making disciples (which is a slow tedious process) it is just a matter of time before those disciples begin to multiply out of control. That's the Book of Acts. And that can be your church, if you focus on making disciples and leave the church growing to Jesus.