"Will they follow your lead ... Do People matter 2U?"

It becomes quite important when the state of the present world is considered to prepare the next generation for leadership. It has been said on more than one occasion and in many ways, the importance of the youth of today and tomorrow. As we look through the streets of “anytownusa” we see the remnants of a generation that allowed popular culture to play a significant part in the lives of their youth. Let’s face it, if you are reading this blog you probably didn’t grow up wearing your “pants to the ground”. But any effort you may have made to thrwart it has not been taken serious enough, either due to lack of urgency. And somewhere along the line it became less and less important to enforce proper modes of dress and behavior and more and more important to allow “free expression”. Let's get a CLUE: Our mission as Christian leaders is to “perfect the saints for the work of ministry” (Ephesians 4:12) this must be perpetuated in order to insure future generations continue to stay the course laid out for us by the Holy Scriptures.

            The result of a Transformational Leadership (see previous posts) environment on future generations is of paramount significance. A transformational leader seeks to cast vision for the future. He is a futurist. The vision of what can be must be passed on to the next generation. Considering the power relationships within leadership (Downward power of leader to subordinate, Upward power of the subordinate to the leader, Upward power of the leader to his superiors, Lateral power of the leader to his equals, and Downward power of the  superiors over the leader), the leader will inculcate his philosophy of life and leadership downward  to the coming generation.  When the “vision” is caught and ingrained in the minds of those subordinate to the leader, a powerful thing happens, the progression and perpetuation of the organization is realized.  

            The great apostle Paul instructs Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2 “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” In reality he is saying “The way I lead you into transforming your life is the way you are to lead others in transforming their lives. They in turn will lead others in transforming their lives, etc.” The potential is endless and awe inspiring. Each leader should be concerned about his/her legacy. A good leader is someone who makes their organization as strong as they can and prepares a successor to carry on. The leader must possess the understanding that “No matter how good he is, no leader can do it all alone.” He must begin to think of his finish soon after he begins and if possible begin to seek out and train his successor. This was strong point with Moses and his leadership in choosing and mentoring Joshua.

To gain a better “clue” of which I am speaking, all you really have to do is study the young people and children of a particular congregation. This will help you understand how they see congregational life. I challenge you to follow the children through the full life of the congregation … it will give definite insight on its future. Do they sit in total boredom? Do they leave the church after their eighteenth (18^th) birthday? How are they handling situations that come up in their lives? How do they face death and suffering? The fact is, they face these issues based on how effectively the leaders (Ministers, teachers, parents) have instructed and prepared them. Are the leaders transforming their lives? Are they leading in a way that helps the children to grow and learn and adapt to life situations?

            In a very similar vein, what level of commitment do our young people show to the congregation? Are they merely attending services or are they actively participating in them. A Transformational leadership will seek to involve them in the life and direction of the church. They must invest in them in order to perpetuate the goals, aims, and objectives of the congregation. This will have a tremendous impact on their affective commitment to the congregation.

            They will learn from a transformational leadership model that “People matter.” 

Now you've got the CLUE!

Are You “One Dimensional”? … Create what you “want”!

The transformational leader (see last post for definition) is needed in Christian leadership to help his/her organization reach the highest need they have which is to conform to the image of Christ. In the gospels and epistles, we find a number of things Christians should do i.e. love neighbors, be kind and gentle, preach the gospel, etc. However, at the root of everything we are commanded to do, is the call to “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5) A leader who envisions and inculcates the mind of Christ will encourage and help his followers become transformational leaders in their own respects as well.

            A transformational leader realizes that one particular style of leadership may not appropriate for every situation. He/she therefore will employ a variety of styles to fit each occasion. This in fact is “transformational.” No one wants to be “one-dimensional.” By utilizing different styles of leadership the leader is teaching i.e. transforming his followers and helping them to make decisions using various methods and experiences.

            The transformational leader should seek to build an environment where “life-change” and “life-touch” is possible and real needs are met and discovered. People must feel free enough to express their desires, thoughts, and goals in the open without fear of reprisals. One way of building this type of environment is through the art of “connection.” John Maxwell communicates this well in his writings. He states “Effective leaders know that you have to touch people’s hearts before you ask them for a hand.” When a leader connects, either publicly or privately he gives his followers the feeling that he truly wants to help them achieve their greatest potential. A very popular saying goes “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

            The wise leader will take upon himself the responsibility of initiating direct contact because as a leader you must create the environment you want.

Now you have the CLUE!

Let Me Upgrade You! Leadership that matters ...

Let me upgrade you!

In my studies in leadership I have found that there are many, many types of leadership. One type that I believe in and form my ministry around is Transformational Leadership.

Transformational Leadership is leadership that is concerned primarily with positive change in the person or organization. As a transformational leader, you must act as an encourager and nurture of people. You must help your followers reach their dreams and aspirations. Transformational leaders touch lives at the deepest level and seeks to change/transform their lives. Our Lord Jesus Christ was truly a transformational leader. He changed the lives of twelve ordinary men and they in turn, turned the world upside-down for his cause.

            A look into many of our churches and organizatons today may reveal the absence of this type of life changing leadership. Many church ministers/pastors have become merely “temporary-feeders” and not “life changers” in that they spend the bulk of their time making deals (meeting immediate needs) with members for a desired outcome (meeting the minister or leaderships needs). This type of leadership can be utilized and is “Transactional Leadership.”  A good leader will use a mix of both transactional and transformational leadership. Better organizations become better as their leader(s) become better. The leader who is lackluster will not produce the desired results of the organization and in the case of the church or religious organization, will not please God. Transformational leadership is perhaps the central key to developing a better organization. Jack Welch, former CEO of GE notes in his writings that leadership is more than just about the leader. He gives a list of certain things leaders do … Among them he says that leaders always and with persistence upgrade their team, using every encounter to evaluate, coach, and build self-confidence.

            That in a nutshell is a “Transformational” style of leadership. He states that leaders have to make sure their people not only see the vision, but that they have to breathe it. This is done on a daily basis. Every contact, every conversation, every chance meeting is used to bring the best out of their people. This helps foster a better work and team environment thereby making the whole organization better. Who have you upgraded lately!

Now you have the CLUE!

Peace

Into the "synagogue" I went ... Let us reason II

Now, I have been in the Lord’s church (church of Christ) for over 33 years … I’m a card carrying, charter member, mainline/traditional brother since the age of 12 … so you can imagine the inward response when I was asked to speak i.e. be the guest speaker at inner city church in the next city over from Hopewell.  The minister of the church and I have been friends for more than a few years i.e. the connection began when our kids played football together and attended the same schools. We would often sit on the sidelines and chat about “this and that”. On several occasions he asked me in a friendly way something like “Hey Doc, when you gonna come speak for me … we don’t believe in denominations either.” I would always find a reason or excuse as to why I couldn’t do it. I wasn’t quite sure if he was testing me to get my response, or if he was earnestly interested in hearing what I had to say. He is a seminary trained minister, so I gathered he studied the various religious bodies in the U.S. to include the “churches of Christ”. He would ask and I would say “one of these days Doc.”  Then I realized, “Why in the world am I hesitant … I mean if you speak the truth, it ought to stand anywhere you preach it!” My sermons are broadcast at least twice a week on cable and we are heard on the radio on Sunday afternoons, and I preach with the same fervor every week, and people in the community drop me a line or even a personal message to say they appreciate what I have to say.  The date was set, the church informed, and the day arrived.

I stated in my last post about the synagogue … how the apostle Paul went into the synagogue to reason with the Jews (Acts 18:19). Now of course, today the “synagogue” for us does not represent exactly what it meant in their day per-say. The synagogues then were remnants of a fifteen hundred year old religion that was ordained and instituted by God himself, but whose time had come to an end. Paul went in to prove that that dispensation had concluded and that they were now in the Christian age! That being understood, our synagogue today will most likely be a “denomination” or some other group or place that we may enter to preach the word of God that may or may not be accepting of our message. (Also James uses the word in James 2:2 for "assembly")

The date arrived and all day I had a strange feeling that wouldn’t leave me for the better part of the day. Certainly I have preached in front of denominational preachers before at funerals and held nothing back; but this time I was to be the main/keynote speaker for the night! I certainly wasn’t afraid nor ashamed … I just wanted to follow God’s leading and speak a word for the Head of the church!

When I first mentioned this to the congregation, one of the members said “yeah, sic ‘em” … wow! I explained that that was not my intention because we have done enough of that both locally and nationally and we need to make headway for the cause of Christ! It is my intent to preach the gospel … present the facts of the church that Jesus died for and provide the entrance requirements for the kingdom of God!

We arrived that Tuesday night in the midst of the “praise and worship hour” i.e. choir, praise dancers, youth dancers, etc. and the members who accompanied me looked a little taken-aback, but they kept their composure and responded with sincere smiles of appreciation for their energy.

After a series of songs, and other remarks by the minister, I rose to the podium and proclaimed God’s word! Among my texts were John 17:20ff … I appealed to those who were “believers” to prayerfully consider the Lord’s earnest prayer for the church and the world to be one in His name and that we can only be one when we agree on his word and submit to His will, worship, and ways. I preached the text and extended the invitation to come to Christ by faith, repentance, confession, and baptism, by which one becomes a Christian.

As I took my seat and gave the microphone back to the minister, the prophetic words of Isaiah came to my mind:  Isa 55:10-11

10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

The minister and I have agreed to keep the communication lines open and I could tell that his members (and he himself) appreciated our presence that night. All I ask is for the prayers of the righteous to avail much and that the door that was opened may remain open so further discussion and teaching can be achieved.

I, above all, was blessed with by this experience and will pray that I keep my eyes and ears open for further opportunities to share the gospel of Christ with this world (Rom. 1:16).

You’ve got the CLUE!

Peace.

Let us reason!

Acts 18:20
 19 And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.  (NKJV)


Synagogue ... an assemblage of persons; (the meeting or the place); by analogy, a Christian church:


Reason  ... to say thoroughly, i.e. discuss (in argument or exhortation): dispute, preach (unto), reason (with), speak.

On Tuesday, November 9, 2010 I will enter the 'Synagogue' and 'reason' with and from the word of God to others who do not necessarily share my religious convictions ... I will blog about my experiences on Wednesday ... Stay tuned for the CLUE!

Standing at the Crossroads (Jeremiah 6:15-17)

“This is what the LORD says: Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask which paths are the old, reliable paths. Ask which way leads to blessings. Live that way, and find a resting place for yourselves. But you said that you wouldn’t live that way.” Jeremiah 6:16

A striking comparison exists between God’s people of Jeremiah’s day and the people of world and the people of God today … Let's see ...

Judah’s condition is much like that of the world today:
1. They had No Shame - 15
2. They took No Stand - 16
3. They heard No Sound - 17

No Shame!
The world has no shame today! Anything goes … it’s ok to be whatever (gay, straight, both,, etc) … just as the people of Jeremiah’s day they have been lulled into complacency and have become insensitive to wrong … everyone says it’s your “God-given” right to be whoever you want to be!
The disrespect of authority has become commonplace i.e. the Presidential Office is blatantly disrespected … the man of God is often mistreated and abused … teachers who spend the better part of their day with our children are often threatened not only by the parents but by their own students. Even the officer of the law at times is hesitant to drive through some neighborhoods in the inner cities in America.

The movie and entertainment industry is seething with “in your face” lewd and lascivious behavior that would cause the most provocative burlesque dancer of yesteryear to blush in shame. Every other song or video is laced with a new brand of “take me as I am or leave me alone, I don’t care what you think” attitude that dares you to respond negatively.

The alternative lifestyle advocates gain more power and notoriety each and every year. Yes, the list of shameful acts portrayed on the large and small screen at any hour of the day is certainly shameful.

In Jeremiah’s day, God’s people were in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation that instead of changing and challenging they acquiesced and complied with the abominable acts of idol worship and immorality. Thus v. 15 again “they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush …”

It’s a sad state when the lifestyle you lead leads you to become so callous with sin … so heartless with iniquity … so unfeeling towards un-holiness …

And so the church, God’s church, the church of Christ must not partake in the shameless acts of the previous mentioned kind … it has to guard itself from the shame and degradation of the forces that would claim her purity … but there are many that like the people of Jeremiah’s day have little or no shame to their game!

We live in an age in church history where to some, the thought of shame never enters their minds … there are those perhaps here … in our fellowship that have a “catch me in you dare” attitude with their sinful state …

Many attend whenever they want … give whatever they want … shack-up with whomever they want … go wherever they want … take however much they want … all the while daring you or anybody to confront them with God’s word or your word! They’re hardened hearts and displayed on their chest like a badge of honor!
So we must guard our hearts to keep afresh the word of God and be open to correction and instruction from that same word of God!

No Stand!
The people in Jeremiah’s day … God’s people … Took No Stand.

They were encouraged to take a thoughtful introspection of their lives … they, like wayward travelers approaching a crossroads were admonished to Stand and See/Look and Ask for the “Old paths” … the “Good Way”. As a traveler must make a decision as to the next direction he was to take, so God’s people were instructed to peer into their past glory and inquire of the ways of their forefathers …

They were to reflect on the ways of the patriarchs … how they walked with God and God was their joy and protector … they were to reflect on the Mosaic tradition where God lead them through the Red Seas and by the dark places, the desert places and the places filled with death … they were to remember the sign of the stones of Joshua chapter 4

“That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying what mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be a memorial unto the children of Israel forever” (Josh. 4:6-7)

It was a mandate of God to reflect on the days of old: Deut 32:7; Ex 13:14; Isa 46:9

As they stood at the crossroads they were to reach back and remember the stories of the mighty hand of God: Egyptian Bondage/Red Sea, Law/Ten Commandments, Pillar of cloud/fire in the wilderness, Walls of Jericho falling, the defeat of many nations, the great rein of King David, the Wisdom of Solomon, the chronicles of the many worthy kings … they had a great and glorious history to reflect on … BUT … they refused walk therein … they said “We will not walk therein … we will not follow in their footsteps … we will not live that way … we will not take a stand!” We will do it our way!

Even though their way lead to death and destruction and God’s way, the “old paths” led to “rest for their souls!”

Oh the similarities are frightening today … there are many at a crossroads right now … many standing there gazing and wondering which way to go! Many have been living out loud before all to see and God wants you to stop for a moment … God’s word is still the same today! “Stand, Look, and Ask” … reflect on the many blessings of the Lord on our forefathers.

Ask about some of the “Old paths/ways” … [Now I know there are some “Old ways” that need to be left back there] … but there are some “Old ways” that can help somebody today!
- Courting/dating
- Modest dress
- Marriage/raising children
- Faithfulness to the local body/church
- Respect for the church of God and the man of God

BUT, many today are just like the people in Jeremiah’s day “We will not hearken … we won’t walk that way! And so you find yourself without the rest and reassurance of God’s comfort – Mat. 11:28


No Sound!
In Jeremiah’s day … all of this made it difficult for them to Hear No Sound …

The watchmen sound went virtually unheard … the watchmen were those prophets, those servants of God sent with His message of warning:
Jer 25:4-5

4 And though the LORD has sent all his servants the prophets to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention.
NIV

The prophets were to speak like a “trumpet” … a loud and piercing sound … they were to sound out God’s message without holding back … Isa 58:1; Isa 40:9; Jer 1:7-10

The trumpet/voice was to be sounded with no fear or shame …

Remember Jesus’ response - Matt 3:7-10 (What a Trumpet!!)

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
NIV

Stephen’s stinging rebuke during his sermon in Acts 7 cost him his life - Acts 7:51-53

The man of God today – the Preacher has been handed down through the centuries a Trumpet as well … I am to sound the trumpet of the gospel without addition nor subtraction … I am to stand flat-foot and bold on the word of God “In season and out of season” … Paul told Titus:
Titus 2:15

15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
KJV

He told Timothy “As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightiest charge some that they teach no other doctrine.” (1 Tim. 1:3)

BUT … even then, in Jeremiah’s day, as well as our day … They said “We will not hearken!”

2 Tim. 4:4 “And they shall turn away their ears from the truth …”

It has always been a dangerous thing not to hearken/listen to the word of God …

Because Judah refused to listen to the trumpet of God, God declared that He would “… bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.” V.19

I think this is Clear … Lucid … and Unambiguous …

You've been Clued!