Inspiring and Challenging Dreamers

It’s what you do daily that changes your life, not what you do fanatically and intensely.  It’s consistency that is the key to change.

These are five habits that if you do them daily, you will become a great leader.

5. Pray

Let’s face it – you don’t have the wisdom and strength in yourself to do what you are doing.  But the Lord is your wisdom and your strength.  Learn how to roll your cares onto Him, learn how to fellowship with Him, learn how to flow with Him.

Learn how to allow Him to lead you through peace and joy to set your priorities the right way.  Let Him show you the obstacles ahead that you know nothing about.

4. Give

A generous spirit is the most powerful force on the planet.  There is something amazing and life changing about being generous.  We live in a culture of stinginess, of self-serving and queue-jumping.  Learn to give – give time, give space, give financially.  Every day you should be giving and investing.  Look at those you are developing – what can you give them today?  Sometimes a simple email is life changing for someone.  Every day what can you give?

3. Honour

What you honour is what will move towards you, what you dishonour is what will move away from you.  Learn to honour what you want and who you need in your life.  Honour those who support you – tell them thank you, don’t treat them like commodities but like people.  Honour those who help you and lift you up – tell them thank you.  Honour your wife, your children, your friends.  Honour God’s Word, honour things that bring you happiness and health.

2. Read

Leaders are readers.  It really is that simple.  You should be reading books on leadership, books on your field, books on thinking, books on the Bible.  All sorts of books.  Develop a habit of reading daily.  The TV is no substitute for reading.

When Paul was in prison, he called for Mark to bring him his books.  Paul, even in jail, was still a reader.  That’s a good daily habit to have.

1. Reflect

We build systems, we build organizations.  We do things because they work, because they fit us, because of a host of reasons.  Sometimes we are doing things in a way that is less than optimal just because we haven’t thought things through.

Spend time daily reflected about what you are doing.  What systems do you have in place for your leading – are they working?  What parts of your day are taking too long?  What could be done differently?

Learn to dream, to reflect on what has gone before and consider what could be ahead.  Do this daily, make course corrections every day.  When they flew the first rocket to the moon, they had to correct the course every half hour.  To fly your life into your dreams, you have to constantly make course corrections.

Jeremy Clarkson – leadership lessons we can learn

1. Your gift and talent is what brings you promotion and success.

2. A lack of restraint will cost you what your gifting will bring you.

3. A loyal group of people who perceive you as being loyal to them, and being their voice in life will delay that loss, but not indefinitely.

4. Never believe your own press reports – you are only a success as part of a team and treat your team as precious or you will lose your success.

5. You will get a second chance to bounce back. But it will be hard work.

6. There are some behaviours which can negate a million signatures of support.

7. Never make decisions hungry.

The next requirement for an elder, as given in 1 Tim. 3.3, is “not given to filthy lucre”.  Lucre is any money gained through religious manipulation.  To be honest, it’s a lot easier for a pastor to do this and fall for this than an elder, and I am sure you have heard horror stories of churches raising money through fear and guilt.  But it can happen in a Living Church (home group, house group) with an elder (house group leader).

If the elder leads prayer times with “hey, let’s all pray for me, I need £300 to get a new washing machine” that sort of thing can put pressure on younger Christians to take care of that need.  It should also go without saying that elders should not ask for money from people in their groups!   Another issue that sometimes happens is someone, especially with some of the pyramid schemes, will use their Living Church to sell product – do not do that!  The Living Church is for meeting, magnifying, message and ministry – it is not for make up and mumbo jumbo and so on!  Keep your business and Living Church separate!

Listen – if you become an elder for a short cut to riches, you have made the wrong choice!  In fact, you might be worse off (certainly printer ink becomes a new ongoing expense!).  We become elders to serve and love people, to make disciples and to invest our lives in the kingdom.  We look to God for financial increase, not our role in the church!

The next requirement for an elder in 1 Tim. 3.3 is “no striker”.  This is not really referring to physical fighting – though if someone is getting into actual fights I would recommend you stand them down as an elder.

What it is referring to is the kind of person who is always spoiling for an argument.  The kind of person who is happy in conflict.  Look, conflict will always come.  Just teaching the truth of the Bible is controversial enough for most Christians!

But we should never be those gunning for a fight.

Sometimes what we teach at the Tree of Life cuts against a number of religious, denominational and cultural traditions.  We bring the Word of God in a way that may shock someone or kill a sacred cow or two.  But we should never, ever be the people gunning for a fight – “I’ll show them, I’ll get my grace guns out and shoot their legalism right down”.  No – we should never be that person.

Beware of the person who always has to take a contradictory view to everyone else.  The one who always sticks out.  Charismatics might label him or her a prophet or prophetess, but it’s more likely they are just carnal and divisive and spoiling for a fight.  Don’t promote them into your leadership team, you want leadership without drama.  You can’t stop drama in the church, but you can keep it out of your leadership team.

People who have the unhealthy need to always be right are not people who you can trust with the souls of others.

This blog is part of our leadership development, something that comes under the heading “Gates of the City”.  We have a leadership academy and an annual leadership conference.

This post is just to invite you to our annual conference this March 19th-21st.  All are welcome – we will make a leader out of you!

Please click on http://www.gatesofthecity.net to register or ask questions.  This is going to be life changing!

The first requirement for elders given in 1 Timothy 3.3 is that they are not given to wine.  Now those of you who follow this series will know that we have already found out in 1 Timothy 3.2 that elders should not be drunk and should be sober, so is Paul repeating himself?

Well, it could be that as sobriety is a very important character trait for elders and leaders.  However, if we look at the Greek word that is translated “given to wine” here it is “paroions” which comes from two words “para” and “oinos”.  Para means given to, and “oinos” is the Greek word for wine.

So you can see why the translators would translate this word “given to wine”, it is what it literally means.  However, the origin of a word cannot always be used to tell you what it means, and the components of a word cannot always tell you what it means (for example a butterfly is not butter or a fly!).

So, by digging into the Greek culture that Paul was immersed in and writing to, we find out that this one word “paroinos” was used firstly to describe people who got drunk a great deal.  Then its usage came to mean the kind of drunk who was a fighter.  You know some people get drunk and sad, others get drunk and glad, others get drunk and mad.  Well, paroinos became the word people used for those who get drunk and mad – those who would fight at the drop of a hat, those who would fight battles over nothing, over imagined slights; those who would get involved in battles that were none of their business.  Eventually over time the word was used for people who were always angry and always ready to fight, whether or not wine was the cause of this aggression and rage.  It would describe the men who would physically abuse their wives, it would describe the men who were always fighting and brawling; in inappropriate places for inappropriate reasons.  It was particularly used for men who didn’t have a high opinion of women as well.

And this is vital: don’t appoint a brawler to your leadership team.  You may think that you can work around it – you can’t!  These guidelines are given to Timothy for a reason – if you appoint people who are brawlers it won’t work.

And it doesn’t have to be physically fighting.  You know the kind of people who are always at the centre of every drama, are always quick to give their opinion on anything, who want to challenge everything and anything.  The problem with criticizing everything is that when you do have a valid criticism no one listens.  You do not want a leadership team where people are afraid to speak because they know the same person is going to fight them on their opinion.  You do not want a leadership team where there is drama.  You cannot keep drama out of a church – a healthy church should be adding new people, inspiring people and challenging people – so it inherently creates drama.  But you can keep drama out of your leadership team by refusing to appoint brawlers.

And don’t appoint sexists to your leadership team – of the male or female kind.  If someone is critical of people just because of their gender (or race or nationality) then that kind of bias will not lead to healthy leadership teams or healthy leadership.

When Paul asked people to pray for him he asked them to pray that he would have boldness to preach the gospel (Ephesians 6.19-20).

That word “boldness” doesn’t mean yelling and screaming and sliding around – though there’s nothing wrong with a preacher doing that as long as you don’t mistake *that* for the anointing and the power of God.  The word “boldness” means to be honest and confident in what you are saying.

That’s what our generation needs – preachers who are honest and open about what they are saying.  People who are not just imparting doctrine, but teaching life that not just gives people truth but shows and reveals how those truths are worked out in life.  Not just teaching, but making disciples.

We need apostles who are planting churches openly – not stealing bricks from another man’s building to do so, not sneaking into other churches like wolves among sheep to rip people to pieces to get them in their church.  We need people who are going where they are sent and trusting God for the increase.

We need prophets who are upbuilding local churches, not cursing them.  Anyone can look at a valley of dead bones and go “thus saith the Lord, you are a bunch of dead, dry bones with no life and no spirit”.  But we need the prophets who stand up and say “Live!  Be filled with the Spirit!  Let bone connect with bone, let flesh appear, let life be!”

We need evangelists who are working with local churches not outside them.  We need people who are honest about their gospel, not relying on sales techniques, but the power and life of the Holy Spirit.

We need teachers who are teaching the Word not just to provoke and divide but to bring life and stability to people. Confident enough in their truths that they do not have to speak against other teachers and teachings to get their revelations to people.

And finally we need pastors who are bold.  Honest with their people about their walk.  More concerned about the dreams of others coming true, than using others as slaves to build their pyramids of prestige and power.

Let’s pray for every minister we know – pray for boldness.  Pray for them to be open and honest and real about the power that is in them.  So we may be equipped and furnished and mature.

Whatever you are doing this Christmas, have an awesome time.  I am going to have a holiday from posting until the first week in January.  Remember, you don’t stop influencing people just because you are at a party with them.  Be sober minded and gracious whatever you are doing.

Thanks for reading this blog, thanks for the comments – here’s to an awesome Christmas and a Happy New Year,

Grace and peace,

Benjamin

No matter whether your Christmas service this year is a tradtional nativity, involves children, has modern carols, has old carols, has no carols, has candles, has mulled wine, has anything like that – do yourself a favour and present the gospel of Christ during that service and give an altar call for people to accept Christ!

We are still looking at the requirements for an elder as listed in 1 Tim. 3 and we now come to the final word in 1 Tim. 3.2.

This word is translated “able to teach” in the KJV, but is one word in the Greek, the word didaktikos, which means skilful at teaching.

Now at first glance this is the exception in the list Paul has given Timothy – as all the other requirements are about character, this one seems to be about gifting.  However, as we dig deeper we find out that this requirement is not an exception and is, like the others, about character.

You see, Paul starts this description of the requirements for eldership with the comment that he who desires to be an elder desires a noble task.  That’s true – and it means anyone can be an elder.  It’s not like being a prophet or pastor or other fivefold minister where you have to be called by Jesus Himself, elders are appointed by pastors and apostles.  So anyone can be one.  If one of the requirements was a gift, then it would be not be about anyone – it would only be for the gifted.

So how can I say that “able to teach” is a character requirement.  Well, let’s look at that, reading Titus 1.9, part of a passage in which Titus as a pastor was given similar instructions to Timothy about leadership:

Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

Titus tells us that to be able to exhort and convince the elder had to hold fast the faithful word as he has been taught.  In other words, the kind of teaching that was expected of an elder was not and is not fresh-from-heaven preaching and teaching as expected from the fivefold, but in their ability to faithfully hold to and share what they have been taught.

And that is a character issue.  Elders who are teaching on the Wednesday night in their house should be listening to the message on Sunday morning in church.  So reliability and church attendance are keys to their teaching.  That goes back to character!  Elders have to be humble, and listen to what their pastors are teaching so they can reproduce it.  They have to have the grace not to share their personal pet doctrines but trust that their shepherds are leading them to still waters and green pastures.  That kind of humility and submission is a character issue.  Elders have to hold fast to the Word in their personal life.  So pastor preaches on healing, and sickness attacks them – they have to fight the sickness with the Word so that they can exhort and convince people.  That is character.

Jesus Christ puts teachers in the body of Christ to teach His Word.  He puts pastors in the body of Christ to feed His sheep.  Pastors put elders in place to take that teaching and exhort and convince others.  Their role is to take what they have been given and share it.  Being an elder is like being a disciple feeding the 5000.  You take the bread from Jesus and distribute it to those around you in your living church, watching everyone get fed and there is always plenty left over.

But if you go – well, that bread only came from a little boy, our pastor is not that wise, he doesn’t get this and that, he hasn’t got the life experience I have, the wisdom I have, and you replace the bread with your own dish – no matter how tasty and yummy that dish is – you are bringing something that hasn’t been blessed by Jesus.  It will not feed everyone.

This is not just a character issue – this is the key character issue.  When appointing elders – you have one question you must ask – can they reproduce what I am teaching as the pastor, or are they looking for a way to bring their teaching into the church and have a group to influence?  When you are being appointed as an elder, can you hold on to what is taught.  If you can’t, politely decline because you cannot feed people if you are not feeding them the bread blessed by Jesus.  If you can’t see beyond the humanity of your pastor, see beyond the small boy’s packed lunch, and realize that every Sunday a miracle is happening that you are being invited to be part of – then don’t accept the role of elder.

Pastor – visit your groups!  Speak to the people in them.  Are they being fed fresh bread from heaven or cakes from the elder’s cupboard?