the reluctant leader

10 Things You Must Know to Succeed in Ministry

I landed in Manila less than 48 hours ago, and as usual I hit the ground running. Today, despite the jet lag coma, I taught six sessions at our ministry school. My students included future campus missionaries, future youth pastors and future kids ministers.

I love training and equipping next generation leaders. No matter how busy or tired I am, I always have time and energy for future leaders.

Here's what I taught in today's three afternoon sessions: TEN THINGS YOU MUST KNOW FOR LONG-TERM SUCCESS IN MINISTRY.

1. You must know that GOD LOVES YOU and accepts you because of who he is and what he did for you, not because of who you are and what you do for him. Otherwise you will live and die on the performance treadmill.

2. You must know that GOD CALLED YOU to do campus ministry. Once you know this is a calling and not just a job, then the option to quit is off the table.

3. You must know that GOD WILL PROVIDE for all your needs. No way around it; this is a trust (faith) issue, and he is trustworthy.

4. You must that know THE GOSPEL WORKS in all situations at all times, otherwise you will spin your wheels trying all kinds of gimmicks and flavors-of-the-month. Cool hairdos and designer jeans never transformed a life.

5. You must know HOW TO FORGIVE. More than any other job, ministry will provide countless opportunities to practice forgiveness.

6. You must know how and when to SAY NO. Rather than doing everything that can be done in the name of God, narrow the focus and you will accomplish more.

7. You must know how to ENGAGE your culture & community. This is the starting line for making disciples.

8. You must know how to ESTABLISH biblical foundations. This is the central core of making disciples.

9. You must know how to EQUIP believers to minister. This ensures that discipleship grows in quality as well as quantity.

10. You must know how to EMPOWER disciples to make disciples. This enables discipleship to multiply exponentially.

Another episode of Man vs Jet Lag continues tomorrow. Stay tuned. Bye.

Random Acts of Green & the Real St Patrick

My waiter at Nero's Cafe had green hair today and my barista wore a goofy green top hat.

Beyond the random acts of green, what should we know about St. Patrick and his day?

Fifteen hundred years ago Ireland was an idol-worshipping, slave-trading nation of savage pagans. In just one generation Ireland was transformed into a godly nation known for its scholars and missionaries.

The best-selling book “How the Irish Saved Civilization” tells how this national transformation was primarily the work of one man, Patrick. During his thirty years of missionary work in Ireland, Patrick helped establish over 700 churches and schools and trained over 3000 ministers. But his ministry went beyond just church work. He also helped transform government reform laws that brought the end of slavery in Ireland.

I guess he did more than wear green hats, drink green beer, and sponsor parades.

Instead of merely going green today, why not celebrate St Patrick's Day the way Patrick would, by MAKING DISCIPLES?

"Go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28).

Patrick did. We can too.

Believing in God is Not Enough

Last Sunday I started a sermon series on the Apostles' Creed. This ancient baptismal confession begins with I BELIEVE IN GOD...

Most people in the world today believe in God. But, do they believe in the God of the Bible, or a god of their own making?

Following are some statements by people who BELIEVE IN GOD.

"I believe in one God. I don’t believe in religion. I don’t believe in Christians or Muslims. I think it’s all the same God, and I don’t believe in Hell. But as far as God, of course I believe in God." -Jay-Z

"I believe that there are many paths to God, or many paths to the light. I certainly don’t believe there is only one way." -Oprah

“Sometimes I believe in God, sometimes I don’t. I think it’s 50-50 maybe. But ever since I’ve had cancer, I’ve been thinking about it more. And I find myself believing a bit more.” -Steve Jobs

“I believe in Jesus, I believe in God, I’m very spiritual, I pray. At the same time there isn’t one religion that doesn’t hate or speak against or be prejudiced against another racial group or religious group or sexual group. I guess you could say I’m a very religious woman who is confused about religion.” -Lady Gaga

Jay-Z, Oprah, Steve Jobs, and Lady Gaga all BELIEVE IN GOD. But is belief in God enough? I don't think so. And neither did James who wrote, You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that---and shudder. (James 2:19)

The demons James writes about not only believed in God, they believed in the true God, and they believed the truth about God. Yet, despite their belief, they were still demons.

Likewise, many today who BELIEVE IN GOD still live like demons. Belief, even right belief, is not enough. Believing in God simply qualifies a person to be a demon.

Belief or faith is one side of a two sided coin. The other side of the coin is repentance. Faith is turning to God. Repentance is turning from sin. We can't do one without the other. And that's why mere belief in God is not enough.

So, the question is not simply do you believe in God, but have you turned from sin and turned to God?

 

 

When Life is Not Fair

I tweeted the following a few hours ago: While reading the book of Job this morning, I had this thought: MY LIFE IS GOOD. #thankful #fb

Yep, I'm reading the book of Job this week. Not my favorite book of the Bible, but I always gain new insight every time I read about Job's catastrophic struggles, his self-righteous friends and his amazing God. After reading Job, I always end up very thankful. If you feel that life is not fair, then I suggest a strong dose of Job.

Here are some thoughts I blogged after reading Job a few years ago, about the time that Typhoon Ondoy baptized Manila in flood waters, destroying homes, wiping out businesses and taking lives.

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1. Bad things happen to seemingly good and innocent people. Four times Job is described by God as "blameless and upright" yet he experienced horrible suffering.

2. The devil is real and he comes to "steal, kill and destroy." Chapter 1 makes it clear that all Job's pain and loss was an act of the devil, not an act of God.

3. People experiencing bad times need good friends. When you have friends who are suffering, try doing what Job's friends did in Job 2:13 "Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was."

4. Good friends often give bad counsel. Unfortunately, after that week of silence, Job's friends opened their mouths and stuck both feet in, nasty sandals and all.

5. Some things can't be explained and some "why" questions can't be answered. The book of Job never answers the "why" question. But it does paint a good picture of "how" - how to find God in our pain and how to respond to calamity in a way that honors God.

6. We can find God in our pain and loss, if we do what Job did when he realized the extent of his loss - "then he fell to the ground in worship..." (Job 1:20) Do we only worship God in the good times?

7. In the end, the blessing of God caught up with and overtook Job. Most people don't press through and read the whole book of Job. But if you endure til the end, you will find that "the Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the former." (Job 42:12) And if we endure past our pain, we will find God in the end.

Creativity and Relevance Are Way Overrated

A few days ago I tweeted the following: Creativity and relevance are way overrated. If you want a healthy church you might want to try consistency and reliability.

That one got multiple re-tweets, upping my weekly re-tweet average from one to two. For those unfamiliar with the twitterverse, a re-tweet means the author of said tweet is both profound and important. A re-tweet brings much honor to the family name.

Back to the point. I am tired of watching sincerely dedicated pastors and church planters focus on things that ultimately don't matter and on things that don't transform lives, all in the name of being creative and relevant.

Creativity is fine and good, but it does not break the power of sin. Relevance appears to be hip and cool, but it does not restore broken relationships or heal broken bodies.

I have done church for a long time. Sometimes I have been creative. Often I have not. But I have always tried my best to be consistent: to do what I say I will do, to stay faithful to the basics of the Faith.

Over the years, I'm sure there have been times when I looked relevant, and times when I did not. But I think my church is healthy today because relevant or not, I have been reliable (ie: authentic, genuine, trustworthy, dependable).

I know this is not an either/or situation. It is possible to be creative and relevant, and consistent and reliable at the same time. But too many pastors and preachers tend to go all OCD about creativity and seemingly forget that the power is in the gospel.

Question: I know you are creative and relevant, but are you consistently preaching the gospel?

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because IT IS THE POWER OF GOD for the salvation of everyone who believes... (Romans 1:16)