the reluctant leader

I Hate Fasting But I Do it Anyway, Here's Why...

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their REWARD in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will REWARD you. --Jesus in Matthew 6

Jesus said that our heavenly Father rewards fasting. Following are seven rewards of fasting:

1. Fasting turns back God’s wrath and judgment.
Moses recorded that God was angry enough to destroy Aaron and the children of Israel because of their gold cow idol (Dt 9:18-20). But, as we know, God’s wrath was turned back after Moses fasted and prayed. There has been much said and written the past few years about God’s wrath and judgment on different nations. I’m convinced that Christians can turn back God’s judgment through fasting and prayer. Of course that will never happen unless God’s people get more concerned about the next generation than their next meal

2. Fasting releases prophetic strategies for victory.
The Moabites, Amonites, and several other hostile nations were arrayed against Israel. (See 2 Chr 20:1-30.) King Jehoshaphat called for a fast. You know you are in a desperate situation when a guy nicknamed J-PHAT calls for a fast. During the fast, a prophetic word was given that laid out God’s strategy for their battle. “No swords. No shields. No spears. Get your tambourines ready, we’re going to war!” I’m sure there were some battle-hardened warriors who thought that word was way off. After all, “We’ve never fought a battle like that before.” As always, God knew best. If we are willing to skip a few meals, we may receive prophetic strategies to influence our cities for God’s glory. They may be new and untried strategies, but if they are from God, we can be confident they will work.

3. Fasting activates people and provision for God’s work.
Nehemiah’s building project was preceded by corporate fasting. Would it have been as successful without the fasting? I don’t think so. In 1984, God opened the door for our fledgling Manila church to have its own (rented) building in Manila’s crowded University-Belt as we fasted and prayed.  Each time our church has expanded to a new building to own or rent, a vital part of our fund-raising strategy has been prayer and fasting.

4. Fasting releases wisdom and favor.
Daniel and his friends went on a partial fast (vegetables and water only). At the end of the fast, they were compared with the rest of the young men of Babylon. The results are recorded in Daniel 1:20. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. Would you like to be ten times better than your competitors? Just lay off the pizza for a few days and seek God wholeheartedly.

5. Fasting clarifies and redirects callings and ministries.
Paul, Barnabas, and a few other Antioch church leaders were me eting together, and while they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said: set apart for me Barnabas . . . (Acts 13:1-3). While they were fasting, the Holy Spirit spoke. Would He have spoken this new direction even if they had not fasted? Probably. The real question is: Would they have been sensitive enough to hear the Holy Spirit speak if they had not fasted? Maybe. Maybe not. Are you seeking God for a new direction in your life or ministry? Good time to fast.

6. Fasting breaks demonic strongholds.
On one occasion, the disciples unsuccessfully attempted to cast out a demon. When they asked Jesus why they had failed, He responded:  this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting (Matt 17:21). This seems to indicate that there are certain demonic situations that, for one reason or another, can only be defeated through fasting. Isaiah said that true fasting will loose chains . . . untie the cords of yoke . . . set the oppressed free and break every yoke (Is 58:6). Have you ever encountered a stubborn demonic situation? Maybe it’s the kind that only goes out by prayer and fasting.

7. Fasting increases spiritual power.
Luke records that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit and that He was led by the Spirit.  After His forty day fast, He returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit (Lk 4:1,14). How many Christians do you know who are full of the Spirit and led by the Spirit, but do not walk in the power of the Spirit? Need more power? Spiritual power is one of the rewards of fasting.

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This blog was originally an article called "Freedom from the Stomach God" written for Evangelicals Today magazine. A few years ago I wrote several fasting blogs on my "accidental missionary" site. The first was called "I Hate Fasting."

(Note: We encourage only healthy adults to fast. If you are pregnant or nursing, you should not fast. If you have any medical condition, you should check with your doctor before fasting.)

Top 10 Books I Read in 2012

I love books, digital books and dead tree books. Here are some of the best I read in 2012.

10. The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony. A gift from my South African friends, Roger and Nicola Pearce, I read the whole book on a Joburg to Nashville flight. Couldn't put it down. The Last Rhino by Lawrence was just as good. Both books made me want to get on the next flight to Africa!

9. The Trellis and the Vine by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne. This book could revolutionize the way you think about church and ministry. Highly recommended for pastors, church planters, missionaries, and everyone who works in ministry.

8. Faith to Live By: A Practical Guide to the Life of Faith by Paul Barker. Historical, biblical, theological, practical. This might be the best book on faith you will ever read.

7. The Mormonizing of America by Stephen Mansfield. Learned a lot of interesting and scary stuff. Also enjoyed Lincoln's Battle with God. Stephen is a great writer and a better friend.

6. No Man is an Island by Thomas Merton. Devotional classic. Not a wasted word. For best results, read slowly with a humble heart. 

5. Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas. Long and tedious, but worth the time. I suggest the digital version, unless you want to carry around a ten pound book.

4. The Expositor's Bible Commentary. I did not read all of the 10,000 plus pages of the thirteen volumes, but I have enjoyed every page I've read. In don't know if my sermons are better because of these books, but I'm pretty sure I am better because of them.

3. The Century of the Holy Spirit: 100 Years of Pentecostal and Charismatic Renewal by Vinson Synan. This thick book has been on my Nashville bedside table for a year. It's the last thing I read as I fall asleep. It informed my mind, stretched my faith, convicted my heart, and inspired my dreams. If you love church history, you gotta read this book.

2. The Lego Principle by Joey Bonifacio. Might be the most important book about doing ministry that you'll ever read. Discipleship really is relationship! Great book, Joey! Can't wait to read the sequel.

1. The Bible. I've read it a few times before, but this was my first full reading using YouVersion's "Blended" plan, with daily OT and NT selections. I am now officially hooked to YouVersion and plan to use it in 2013 and beyond.

Honorable mention, but not quite top ten:

Necessary Endings by Henry Cloud. My first Henry Cloud book. Made me want to fire someone. But I resisted. All leaders should read this one. Also recommended for people stuck in dysfunctinal relationships and horrible jobs.

Calico Joe by John Grisham. Fatherhood. Family. Forgiveness. Baseball. Great themes woven together in classic Grisham fashion, minus the ubiquitous lawyer and tired courtroom.

Drop Dead Healthy by AJ Jacobs. A hilarious look at America's health obsession/hypocrisy.

What did you read in 2012? 

Here's my 2011 list, and here's my 2010 list.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 Simple Keys to Success

When things go wrong, we tend to create all kinds of complex reasons (excuses) for our lack of success. When things go right, the reasons are usually ridiculously simple.

Consider Hezekiah. He was a good king. One of the best. Here's the Bible's summary of his life and success:

"In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered." (2 Chronicles 31:21)

Hezekiah's keys to success:

1. He sought God

2. He worked hard

This simple formula worked for King Hezekiah 2700 years ago, and it will work for us today. If you are a church planter or campus missionary, an entrepreneur or salesperson, a songwriter or inventor who wants to succeed, I suggest you learn from Hezekiah: SEEK GOD and WORK HARD.

Some people are just too lazy to succeed. They are allergic to work. Others are working hard doing something completely contrary to God's will because they have not bothered to seek Him.

Life is not complicated. Seek God. Work hard.

Never Allow Your Staff to Attack a Leader

Another US presidential election is over. Unlike post-election reality in many nations, the opposition is not dead and not in jail. I am grateful for the rule of law.

President Obama will be in the White House for four more years. Some of my American friends are happy about that, others are threatening to move to Canada, but not until spring when the great white north thaws a bit. 

I am bothered about the disrespect some pastors show toward the highest office in our land. You may not like the person, party, or policy - but you must respect the office. Respect for the office is an important leadership principle taught throughout the Bible.

Enough about American politics. I am also concerned about the disrespect many Christians show towards authority in general - especially authority in the home, the church, and the Bible.

If you are a leader, I hope you are also a follower. If you have authority, I hope you are also under authority. And, if you are a leader with a following/staff/team and you sometimes get frustrated with the leaders you are supposed to follow, please read this verse and learn from David.

"David rebuked his men and DID NOT ALLOW THEM TO ATTACK SAUL." (1 Samuel 24:7)

Saul was a difficult leader to honor. But David still honored him. And David expected his men to honor Saul as long as he was their king.

It was not enough that David refused to dishonor Saul. He took it a step further. David did not allow his men to dishonor Saul by attacking when Saul was in a vulnerable position. David rebuked his men for even hinting at an attack.

Maybe Saul deserved to be attacked, but it was not their place to decide that.

If David had allowed the attack and dishonor to go unchallenged, then it would not be long until someone decided that David deserved to be attacked.

Wise leaders do not allow their staff to attack other leaders, no matter how poorly those leaders are currently leading.

Leadership lesson: if you ever hear your team attacking a leader, shut it down immediately and permanently.

Here's a blog I posted a few years ago on a similar topic: The Lost Art of Honor & Respect.

Rubber Ban Shooters & 5 Ministry Tension Points

Last week I spoke to 250 female pastors and pastor's wives at the New Zealand Assembly of God national conference. My previous blog is my confessional from that meeting.

Here's a blog version of my message to those female leaders:

Remember shooting rubber bands at your friends in elementary school? If you stretch the rubber band too much, it breaks and stings your finger. If you don't stretch it enough it will not fly all the way to the target. If you stretch it and aim it properly, you can hit the second grade bully three rows over and the clueless substitute teacher will never know who the sniper was. The trick is to keep the right amount of tension on the rubber band.

Managing tension in a healthy way - that's what leadership longevity is all about.

Here are 5 tension points that leaders - male and female, young and old - must learn to manage. Too much tension and we snap. Too little tension and we accomplish nothing.

1. MINISTRY & FAMILY. This tension transcends nations, cultures, ages, and careers. No matter if you are a businessman or a pastor, you will have to deal with this one. We can't afford to sacrifice our families on the altars of temporal success. Consider Hebrews 11:7. "By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his FAMILY." Noah's calling enabled him to save his family, and in saving his family, he saved the world. We do not have to choose between family and ministry. God has called us to do both. Is family or ministry first in your life?

2. LOCAL & INTERNATIONAL. According to Acts 1:8 we were given the power of the Holy Spirit so we can reach "Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth" not just so we can have a spine-tingling religious experience. As we build strong local churches, we must not forget the nations. This local/international tension creates difficult personnel, time, and money decisions. I believe God wants every church to be a house of prayer for all nations. Is your church local or global?

3. ESTABLISHED & EMERGING LEADERS. My generation knows how to teach and lead the next generation. But if we are serious about reaching the ends of the earth, we must learn how to listen to and lead with the next generation. Leading the next generation and leading with the next generation are not the same. Leading with and listening to the next generation will cause tension. Accept it and manage it. What are you doing to intentionally connect with other generations?

4. UNITY & DIVERSITY. Heaven is described as "a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language..." (Revelation 7:9) Diversity in heaven is a beautiful thing, but on earth diversity causes tension. Diversity will pull us apart unless we make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit. Jesus had diversity in his genealogy. Do you have diversity in your church?

5. CAMPUS & CHURCH. We are called to plant churches and we are called to reach campuses. Building the church by reaching employed adults helps the financial bottom line. Growing the church by reaching the campus costs money - lots of money. And students don't generally give a lot in the offerings. No matter the cost, we must do both - it's a calling, not a preference. What are you doing to reach the campus?

I pray God will give us wisdom to lead through these and other tensions you will certainly face in the coming years.

The Most Intimidating Crowd I've Ever Faced

That was the most intimidating crowd I have ever spoken to. I felt like a lion in a den of Daniels, like Samson at a barbershop, like a blade of grass facing a Weed Wacker.

I am a professional public speaker. I fly all over the world to speak in front of small groups and large crowds and everything in between. I've been doing the this for thirty years. I rarely get nervous because of an audience. But yesterday I was beyond nervous. I was totally intimidated by those 250 people in the pews in front of me. To put it in Tennessee English: I was scared spitless.

I am in Napier, New Zealand speaking to 600 Kiwi pastors at the Assembly of God national conference. I preached to the whole group the opening night. No problem. But those 250 staring at me in the second morning elective session had me shaking like a leaf in a typhoon.

I have spoken in many nations, many denominations, many cultures, but never to a group like this one.

On the way to the podium, I prayed in desperation, "God help me. Please!"

None of my best messages seemed appropriate for this group.

I continued my prayer: "God, you know my eschatological position doesn't allow me to predict a date for the rapture, but if it be thy will, now would be a great time to beam me up. And please hurry!"

God did not answer my prayer; the rapture did not happen.

So there I am, standing in front of 250 FEMALE pastors and pastor's WIVES. Yes, because of some strange cosmic mistake or a disturbance in the force, I'm the speaker at the WOMAN'S session.

I guess there is a first time for everything.

I have no messages in my iPad for women in general, female pastors, or pastor's wives. So, I preached a leadership message that I have preached to leaders (mostly men) all over the world.

I honestly had no clue if I had hit the mark or not. But to my great relief, several women approached me after my message with slight variations of this line:
"Thank you for speaking to us like leaders, rather than giving us the typical condescending woman's meeting message."

Lesson of the week: All leaders face the same obstacles, so I should speak to leaders - male and female leaders, young and old leaders - like they are leaders. And if I treat them like leaders, there is a good chance they will act like leaders and lead.

Blinded by Success

In ministry, business, sports, entertainment, and politics it is common for people who reach the top, to gradually become blinded by success.

Observation has taught me that the more impressive the title - Rev, Senior Pastor, Department Head, Regional Director, Apostle, Bishop, CEO, President - the more difficult it becomes to keep a firm grip on reality.

There are two reasons lofty titles pull leaders toward unreality: 1) very few are willing to speak the truth in love to bigshot leaders, and 2) many at the top actually believe their own bio. (I cringed when I was recently introduced as a "best-selling author." I think they misread the que card that said "Steve once read a best-selling author.")

In my own experience I have noticed that the larger our church (Victory Manila) has grown, the more people tend to exaggerate my importance in the growth. When Victory passed the 20,000 attendance mark after 18 years of team work, it was as if I suddenly became an overnight success in the eyes of the church world. I started receiving invitations to teach and speak like never before. In my mind I was the same dude as a few years before, but "somewhere out there" I was somebody important, some kind of discipleship/leadership guru.

The more impressive our title and the bigger our church, the more people who don't really know us will tend to overestimate us. This is a dangerous thing for successful leaders. And this is why success is often a blinding experience.

Impressed with success and rumors of success, people wrongly project greatness on individual leaders. It would be good for ministry leaders to remember that true success results from team work and God's grace, not individual brilliance.

The moment we believe otherwise, we are in big trouble.

A Simple Solution to the Leadership Shortage

Churches and other volunteer-based organizations are always plagued with leadership shortages. Too many good people are waiting around for a title, a position, a salary, or an invitation to lead. But that's not how real leadership works.

Consider the leadership lesson in Judges 10:18.

"The leaders of the people of Gilead said to each other, 'WHOEVER WILL TAKE THE LEAD in attacking the Ammonites WILL BE HEAD over all who live in Gilead.'"

In other words:
Whoever acts like a leader will be recognized as a leader.
Whoever takes responsibility will get authority.
Whoever takes action will get a title.
Whoever leads will be the leader.

You want to be a leader? Start leading and you will be.

5 Tips for Finishing Strong in Life & Ministry

I do not understand young leaders who do more talking than listening when around ministry veterans. Far too many act as if they already have it all figured out. There is absolutely no way they can learn anything from a ministry dinosaur who owns a suit, shaves daily and can't spell UFC. 

Maybe it was the way my generation was raised, but I have always had deep respect for ministry elders and spiritual fathers, even if they are pitiful at self-promotion and totally unimpressed with their own accomplishments. When around these spiritual heroes I try to ask a lot of questions and listen aggressively.

Pastor Jack Hayford is one of those elders we can all learn much from. Ed Stetzer (Mr Ed) included the following Jack Hayford gem in his blog today. (Pastor Jack's words are in bold italics. My comments follow.)

In this my 77th year, I am still privileged to speak to thousands of pastors annually. Their most asked question: "What is the secret to an abiding fruitfulness in ministry." To answer, I acknowledge the essential touchpoints:

1. Fidelity to God's Eternal Word. (The Bible is always a good answer, no matter what the question is.)

2. Faithful devotion to one's wife and family. ( As Vito Corleone once said to his worthless son, Sonny: "A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man." And a pastor who does not prioritize family...)

3. Personal purity and self-discipline in all things. (This is not a side issue or a afterthought, but a daily and lifetime conviction and passion.)

4. Love Christ's people, humbly and respectfully acknowledging the worth of all who honor Christ, though they differ from my theology. (There is so much we can learn from other movements and denominations, as long as we don't assume our group has all the answers.)

5. Keep a life of personal worship and intimate prayer fellowship with Jesus. (So simple, yet so powerful. Probably the key to all of the above.)

 

10 Leadership Lessons from My 1st Global Leadership Summit

I don't go to conferences. Ever. Unless I am speaking or hosting. But I caved-in to Every Nation Nashville office peer pressure and attended the Nashville live satellite feed of the Willow Creek Association's annual Global Leadership Summit last week. I'm glad I went. I learned a lot.

Here's my summary based on my top 10 tweets during the conference. Some people take notes in meeting. I tweet my notes. What I tweeted is in bold font. Tweeted quotes are in bold italics. My comments follow each tweet.

1. "Everyone wins when a leader gets better." -Bill Hybels (Lots of winners this week because tens of thousands of leaders got better. Thank you Bill Hybels and Global Leadership Summit!)

2. "I hate cats." -Bill Hybels (I've always respected Bro Bill, but never more than this moment, which was probably the highlight of the whole conference. I felt the power when he made that statement. Wanted to stand and shout HALLELUJAH!)

3. "People in positions of authority need truth tellers... who will walk in the room and say 'YOU ARE WRONG.'" -Condoleezza Rice (My question after this session: why is this woman not running for President? Run, Condi, run!)

4. "The X factor of great leaders is not personality; it is HUMILITY." -Jim Collins (This guy said so many profoundly simple things, it was impossible to capture them all in 140 characters.)

5. "An organization is not truly great if it cannot be great without you." -Jim Collins (What level of arrogance is required to build a church or ministry around a fallen fallible human leader?)

6. "Authenticity trumps cool... Nothing worse than a 50 year old fat preacher in skinny jeans." -Craig Groeschel (Big decision: should I diet, or toss my skinny jeans?)

7. "Everything I say is simple... People need to be reminded more than instructed... Life is simple but hard." -Patrick Lencioni (Lencioni was hilarious, deep and quotable. Not enough space for all the tweetable quotes from his session. One of the rare times when a speech seemed too short.)    

8. Usain Bolt can run. Gabby Douglas can flip. Joey Chestnut can eat. John Ortberg can preach.   #statingtheobvious (After that tweet and one of the greatest sermons I have ever heard, I immediately went to the lobby and bought this book by John Ortberg. Seriously, maybe the best sermon I have ever heard.)

9. "The local church is the hope of the world." -Bill Hybels (It is a good thing I love the local church, because I am a member of not one, but two local churches. One is pretty big and the other is small but growing. One is in Manila, the other is in Nashville. Both are healthy and filled with some of the finest people on the planet.)

10. My Global Leadership Summit summary/conclusion: I get to work with amazing people at Every Nation, Victory Manila and Bethel Franklin. 

It will probably require much less peer pressure to get me to the 2013 Global Leadership Summit.