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The topic yesterday was titled “10 Things the Church Does That Scares the Crap Out of Me.”  According to my stat counter it was a big hit so today I want to share 10 more from my list of 30.  In case you missed reading yesterday this blog comes out of over 25 years of church consulting and church staff experience.  This list is random and not in order of priority.

10 More Things the Church Does That Scares the Crap Out of Me!

11.  Refuses to take risks - Fear of failure is the root of refusing to take risks.  It is the opposite of who God calls us to be.  It’s okay to be scared! It is not okay to allow it to control you.  If it were impossible to fail what would you attempt for God?  Life is too short not to go for it.  God is too big not to go for it.  If you’re not failing enough you’re not risking enough. 

12.  Pastor Driven vs. Team Driven - When I served on staff at Skyline under John Maxwell everyone knew he was the Sr. Pastor. It was also clear we were on a team.  He was a great mentor and model for the principle together everyone accomplishes more.  The congregation was part of that team and felt ownership.  This is one reason John saw such encouraging financial results with giving.

13.  Refuses to change - I will never understand why churches who are not growing refuse to change.  You may have heard that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.  Enough said.  I think I have a previous blog post on Preparing Your People For Change.

14.  Is not grace filled - We should be so overcome and humbled by Gods grace that not showing grace to others is never an issue.  The Sr. Pastor is responsible for creating a culture of grace. Everything (including grace) does rise and fall on leadership.

15.  Does Not Teach Or Practice Matthew 18 - When I was a collegian a girl in our college ministry went to the pastor to request an appointment to discuss an issue she had with me.  Dennis Beatty, college pastor at the time asked her if she had spoken to me.  When she replied no he told her the biblical principle was that she talk to me first.  She never spoke to me or Dennis about the issue (whatever it was) again. I have never seen anyone model this better than Dennis, John Maxwell or Dan Reiland.  They refused to allow anyone to score an end run by going to the pastor first to gossip discuss an issue.  Unfortunately this is a problem in many churches and why our workshop on Honest Conflict Resolution vs. Peace Faking is a regular request. 

16.  Has too many ministry programs - In the local church we often equate effectiveness with how many ministries or programs you have.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Reminds me of the old quote jack of all trades but master of none.  Ever read Simple Church by Eric Geiger?  Dan Reiland recently had an excellent Pastors Coach article on this topic which you can get by email to his assistant Gail at gail.reignier@12stone.com.

17.  Does not follow up visitors - After years of seeing this it still shocks me to find non-growing churches not do follow up.  Many times over the years Todd and I have visited churches and not received a letter or call even when we have requested it.  Amazing.  In the past few months I went to two church websites requesting info on worship services and never received a response.  I recently emailed a pastor to ask about their youth ministry. He acknowledged  my email with an “I am out of town but will give you a phone call next week.”  The pastor never called.  My sister and family visited a struggling church in her city and there was no type of follow up card or tear off in the bulletin.  Though people were nice and spoke to her the potential relationship ended with that first encounter.  It’s not necessary to bombard folks with an unannounced visit but mailing a thank you card or letter with info about your church is one of the easiest things to do.  Some churches do a handwritten thank you while some send an informal email.  There are many ways to reach out to a visitor and no excuse for not doing so.  We like to make multiple suggestions to help a church choose what fits their culture.

If you feel called to have special outreach events please don’t spend the time or money without giving guests an opportunity to respond to Christ and offer follow up.  There are many creative ways to do this.

18.  Does not disciple -  Sometimes a church is good at attracting a crowd or good at leading people to Christ. But nothing much happens after conversion and people fall away.  Discipleship does not happen from the pulpit because it requires getting up close and personal. Todd and I teach that the goal of evangelism is not converts but discipleship.  One of the simplest definitions of discipleship is leading people to Christ and teaching them to obey His Word.  The most effective way I have seen deep spiritual transformation take place is through one-to-one or small group.  Jesus loved the world, helped many and discipled a few.  In Master Plan of Evangelism Billy Graham was quoted to say if he had it to do all over again he would have spent the majority of his time investing in 12 men.  Recognize that strategy?  see previous postings on Discipleship and Spiritual Transformation. 

I’ve made it a habit to never assume where a person is in their relationship with Christ even if that person is on staff at a church.  Too many times I meet with a church staff person expecting that they are asking for leadership development help and what they ask for is basic discipleship.  A few years ago I met with a women’s ministry leadership team at a church and after speaking on How to Develop a Dynamic Women’s Ministry in Your Church 8 of the 9 women present (including 2 pastors wives) asked me if I would disciple them. 

If people in your church are not being discipled, they may eventually go to another church seeking more or tragically they may fall into such sin that they spend their lives struggling vs. experiencing the abundant life that Jesus promises us. 

I enjoy working with churches who believe discipleship happens from the pulpit .  The first thing I do during the evaluation process is give the congregation an anonymous survey to reveal where they are spiritually. The results are usually shocking  to the Sr. Pastor.  It’s common for a pastor to assume his people are much further along than they actually are.  It’s also enlightening for a Sr. Pastor to sometimes see where his pastors and key people are.

19.  Does not reproduce and multiply - If a ministry does not reproduce and multiply it will eventually fizzle out.  This is a basic life principle but one that many churches have difficulty grasping.

20.  Does not develop leaders.  The one thing the greatest leaders in the world understand is that developing people is their greatest asset.  What ever vision God had called you to, you can’t do it alone.  You may see it but you need other leaders to make the dream a reality.

Most leaders have followers around them and believe this is the key to leadership.  It is unfortunate that few leaders in the church surround themselves with other leaders.  The ones who do are able to accomplish greater things for the glory of God.  Todd once consulted with a church that had great potential for growth but the Sr. Pastor did not understan leadership development. A result is that ministries eventually fizzled out and the church began to decrease year after year.  Even though the Sr. Pastor was convinced it would never work he agreed to allow Todd to mentor one-to-one with key leaders on a regular basis and also once a month at our home for dinner and leadership development.  The pastor was convinced people would not respond and claimed Todd did not understand the culture of the northeast.  Todd began to seek out and recruit the top 20%.  The response of the people was better than he expected and they were so hungry and grateful. The bottom line is they responded with great enthusiasm the whole time Todd got up close and personal offering leadership development. John Maxwell taught us that those closest to you will determine your level of success.  This is the greatest leadership principle I have learned in 25 years of ministry and the one Todd and I are the most passionate about. 

Who are you developing as a leader?

Among other things God wired me to do church consulting.  Back when I started over 25 years ago it wasn’t called that. It really didn’t have a name. Or if it did I didn’t know it. A pastor who was mentoring me when I was a collegian asked me to evaluate his ministry.  Within a week I gave him a written report with a suggested strategy to consider for improvement.  He liked my work and referred me to other pastors. They were hesitant at first because I was considered a kid who had not even finished college yet much less graduated from seminary. At his urging I began to get requests from pastors and church leaders. With every opportunity my passion for the church and experience with consulting grew and developed. 

From over 25 years of working with churches across America I want to share 10 things the church does that scares the crap out of me.  Actually there are 30 but “Top 10″ is a better title. These are not shared in any order of priority but at random. Churches scare me who…         

1.        Forget their purpose - This scares me silly but I see many churches who totally forget the purpose Jesus has for the church…the Great Commission.  I still find it odd how we can be involved in so much time consuming stuff that is only remotely related to our purpose and not even realize it.

2.  Is in denial - I have seen many churches who are in denial of where they are and how they got there. Kind of like a house is on fire but you pretend everthing is fine. Crazy. You cannot change what you don’t acknowledge.

3.  Without vision - When there is a fog in the pulpit there is a mist in the pew.  A leader without a God given vision is headed for disaster.  The vision must come from the Sr. Pastor and not another church or pastor that you heard speak at a conference.  I love Rick Warren, Bill Hybels,Andy Stanley, Perry Noble, Craig Groeschel, Mark Batterson and all those guys too. But a vison is personal and from God. Without a vision the people will perish.

4.  Without faith - We preach without faith it is impossible to please God and somehow from a multiple of reasons or excuses we forget that we need faith to experience what God wants to do in the church.  The opposite of faith is planning for those things that we can see the funding for or have the staff for.  Attempt great things for God.

5.  Is not growing.  God wants your church to grow. If anything living is not growing it is dying. Period.

6.  Is fearful.  One of the questions Bill Hybels will ask when a church is not growing is what are you fearful of?  Are you fearful of losing people? Not making everyone happy?  Failure?  Being replaced?  Losing control?  Whatever it is it will keep you from becoming what God wants.

7.  Is controlling. The second question Bill Hybels will ask when a church is not growing is what are you controlling.  Being controlling in any area is not healthy and in fact dysfunctional.  This trait is a cousin to fear and will never allow your church to flourish. A few years ago I consulted with a church in the northeast with  so much potential but in reality has not grown in over 10 years. The lead pastor is a control freak and though he wants his church to grow he is unwilling to give up conrol of anything within the church. Until he does so the church will continue to die.

8.  Is self-focused vs. Jesus focused.  Some churches are like a country club that exists for the purpose of its members vs. glorifying Christ.  When ever you put yourself ahead of Jesus you are more self-focused.

9.  Is not a praying church.  What happened to my father’s house being a house of prayer?  We often forget this and think taking a minute to ask God to bless what we are doing is it.  Without prayer a church will never experience the supernatural power available for the asking.  It was so refreshing to visit the Tuesday night prayer meeting that Pastor Jim Cymbala started at the Brooklyn Tabernacle in NYC.  To get a seat I always arrived about 2 hours early to attend this prayer meeting. The large sanctuary was always packed with folks from every age group and represented about 100 different countries.  It is the responsibility of the Sr. Pastor to create a culture of prayer dependence and power.

10.  Does not do regular evaluations.   Most people understand to stay healthy regular checkups are needed.  The same is true for the church.  The Sr. Pastor can do this himself if he knows the questions to ask and is a strategic thinker. It is helpful to bring in someone from the outside who can offer more objectivity and discernment.  Be careful to consult with someone who has the discernment and integrity to be honest with you.  This is not a given.  Unfortunately I have seen church consultants who would share their evaluation with me but lacked the courage to share the whole deal with the church that was paying them.  Look for a consultant who will personalize a strategy to fit your vision vs. offer the same plan they give every other church around. This is far too common among consultants. If a church thinks they need but cannot afford to hire a consultant they should pray and ask God to provide one anyway.  My organizaion works pro bono for churches that need help but truthfully lack the resources. 

Okay.  This if 10 from my list of 30 things. What would you add?

Last week my sister had to call the fire department because her kitchen caught on fire.  Because they acted quickly the fire was contained and the damage was minimal.  It reminded me of a time when my kitchen caught on fire while living in La Jolla, CA.  Wish I could say I acted quickly but I didn’t.  In fact I just continued what I was doing because I assumed it was a false alarm.  I was meeting in my office with a student for discipleship and expected one of my roomies to reset the alarm. Problem was no one was home. Long story short is that though the house was saved and no one was hurt, we did have damage in the kitchen and it could have been much worse. I realized later that the fire was my fault because I had not turned the stove completely off when assuming I had.  Assuming is not a good thing and especially when it is an alarm.  The purpose of an alarm is to save lives.  This morning as I was reading over some church consulting material I got to thinking about how we as leaders can ignore alarms.  Not very smart but it happens all the time.  Here are  5 ministry alarms that we should always respond to:

1.           Declining personal devotions.  For the Christian leader this is the most deadly alarm to ignore.  Without a consistent quiet time with the Lord everything will begin to crumble. Sure a person can go on natural gifts and abilities for a while but eventually it will all crash.  John 15:5 is one of many verses to support this Biblical principle. 
2.           Declining family time. How is your time with your spouse? Do you have a regular date night?  Do you invest time to connect?  Do you keep short accounts? How is your relationship with your children?  How are they doing?  Whenever you put your ministry ahead of your family watch out.  Sure there can be crunch times like special projects or deadlines you are working on.  But whenever you short change your spouse or children it will destroy what you are working so hard to accomplish.  Not to mention that we can miss out on the greatest blessing God has given us.
3.           Declining Vision.  Have you been so busy that you have forgotten your vision?  Do your team members know it?  I’ve seen it happen time and time again…a person gets so busy that they forget it and that means everyone around them will also forget it.  Are you recruiting to a vision? Without a vision the people will perish.
4.           Declining Passion.  Are you excited about Jesus?  Are  you passionate about following him?  Do you feel ablaze for God?  Passion is like cream in your cofffee.  Without this you miss the best part.  For you non-coffee drinkers what about sugar in your cake?
5.           Declining Growth. Is your church growing?  Are people coming to Christ?  It’s a temptation to live in denial and ignore a decline in your church.  But the principle still stands if you are not growing you are dying.  Are you growing?  Do you have a personal growth plan?  If you are not growing you are dying.

Have you experienced any of these alarms recently?  At the next post let’s discuss healthy ways to respond.

 
When it comes to shoes I used to be pretty basic & boring. Black, brown or navy.  Maybe white in summer. But during the summer of 2005 my good friend Liz had the coolest bright blue flip flops with sparkly thingies on at the ball park.  Since seeing her flip flops I went a little wild over summer shoe color.  I’ve had many colors but not pink.  I searched 3 years for pink flip flops. Couldn’t find a cute pair in my size that fit my budget. It took 3 long years but I finally found some on sale a month ago. Hoorah!  I was so excited to find them. Is it really possible to feel happier wearing pink flip flops?  I thought so.  If you’re a guy reading this please hang with me.   
Tonight as I was wearing my pink flip flops my son ran in the house and told me he saw a girl fall off her bike in front of our home.  With no emotion in his voice I assumed we were talking about a skinned knee in need of a band aide.  When I got outside there were already a few people standing near the accident victim…4 kids and two adults.  The 13 year old girl hit her head on the side walk and blood was everywhere and also running out her ear.  She was scared, dazed and confused.  Someone had just called 911 and she was crying for her aunt and uncle whom she was visiting from TN.  Problem was she had no memory of their phone number or address.  She could remember her uncles name but someone had been unable to find the name/number in the phone book. I immediately called 411 and got the number.  Fortunately the aunt and uncle she was visiting lived in our neighborhood and only a couple of streets over.  The aunt arrived just as the EMT were placing her niece on the gurney.  She had rushed over without shoes and was going to go back home to get shoes before driving to the ER.  I told her she needed to go with her niece in the ambulance.  She replied that she was barefoot.  I quickly threw off my pink flip flops and said you can have these. Hurry.  We’ll take care of your car.  Todd drove the car from the middle of the road to our driveway. More Ashley Green neighbors gathered in our driveway to find out what had happened.  We gathered for about an hour, discussing the accident and then got caught up with one another.  As I walked through our front door I remembered I was barefoot.  I also remembered something else…pink flip flops do not make you feel happier…but people gathering together, helping one another, caring about one another, honest fellowship,  loving one another, while realizing how fragile we are and that every day of life is a gift of God…this is what makes our lives real and relevant.
How fragile we are.

I remember 25 years ago when Skip Gray, (who btw is one of the best staff by far The Navigators ever had) informed me that your best ministry opportunity will never be 9-5. Skip was speaking at a Campus Outreach Christmas conference for college students in Gatlinburg, TN.  Soon after when I went on staff at UCSD for ministry to students I quickly found out that was very true.  Good thing I was a night person at the time.   I didn’t get a lot of sleep but we had a great time and built lots of wonderful memories.  During my nine years at UCSD many students came to Christ, were discipled and are laboring in the harvest today. 

Little did I know that statement would one day make me a better parent. Your best ministry opportunity will not be 9-5. Last night I had a full day and was grateful that I could go to bed at 11PM.  Since becoming a mother I have become more of a morning person.  I slipped into bed and my son sat on the edge and talked. I told Matthew it was past his bedtime and I got up to tuck him in and pray with him. I discerned that I had a window of opportunity.  My introvert son who often keeps his feelings and thoughts to himself was still in the mood to talk. We talked for at least an hour and I never once looked at the clock.  Our time was more precious than gold to me.  I would have continued but he looked at the clock and said he was ready to go to sleep.  As I left the room I remembered the words of Skip Gray and prayed that I would see every opportunity before this window is closed forever.

Recently I heard an interview with a newly drafted NFL player on the radio. Sorry that I can’t remember his name.  The player became an orphan and homeless at a young age.  When he was a teenager he met a Christian family who adopted him.  The interviewer asked him “What was the best thing about being adopted?”  The football player paused for a moment and then said “being tucked in.”  I cried upon hearing his statement and the words resonated within my heart. 

To  some the concept of holiness may seem impossible to our current generation.  The news is filled with adultery, fraud, theft, deceit, murder and a variety of crimes against children among many other things.  Even within the church and among those of us who claim to be Christian I sometimes ask myself:  What happened to holiness?   In my own life the Holy Spirit will sometimes remind me that “sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.”  Romans 6:14

Holiness is a scriptural principle.  The word holy in various forms is found more than 600 times in the Bible.  God commands us to be holy (Leviticus 11:44).  There are many false concepts of how to actually live a holy life.  In some circles holiness is equated with with a list of do’s and don’ts.  When we follow this approach we are in danger of living like the Pharisees which can result in self-righteousness, pride and legalism. And for still others it means unattainable perfection, an idea that can result in discouragement and defeat about one’s sin. 

Living a holy life means to live in conformity to the moral precepts of the Bible in contrast to the sinful ways of the world.  It is the ongoing process of being shaped into the image of Christ.  Seel Romans 8:29 & 12:2.  This transformation is a journey of learning to think, feel and act like Jesus. Is it really possible to live a holy life in our times?  Does God actually expect this of us?  I believe the Lord would never ask us to do something that is impossible.  As Christians we are to live a holy life “Since then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go.  It’s rotten through an through.  Get rid of it!  And then take on an entirely new way of life, a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces His character in you.  What this adds up to, then, is this:  no more lies, no more pretense.”  Ephesians 4:22-24

If holiness is so basic to the Christian life, why do we not experience it in daily living?  Why do so many Christians feel defeated in their struggle with sin?  Why do so many churches seem to be more conformed to the world around it than to God?  The answers to these questions will be answered in the next post. 

In the meantime, what are your thoughts on holiness?  When is the last time holiness was taught in your church?

(For more info on holiness see previous post on American Discipleship, Spiritual Transformation)

Has God put a new vision on your heart that is HUGE?  Are you excited and terrified at the same time?  Do you feel like your passion for Him is so on fire you will burn up if you don’t share about Jesus with others?  Have you survived a period of brokenness and come out on top?  Do you wake up excited about co-laboring with Christ in ministry to the world?  Do you feel like He is enlarging your territory?  Do you have a burden to reach the lost?  Have you recently re-surrendered your life to God and said “I’m yours Lord, where ever you lead me I will go.”  If you answered yes to any of these questions, this post is especially for you.  Please sit down, grab a cup of coffee and read on.

Satan is ticked off!  At you.  He hates you. He is scared of the vision God has given you.  He is scared of your faith, passion and willingness to be used by God.  He is scared of your surrender, your brokkeness and especially your burden to reach the lost.  You are going after people that are currently his.  The enemy is scared of any Christian leader that will co-labor with the King of Kings.  Don’t think for a minute that he will go down without a fight. Remember Scripture teaches he is going down. Because Greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world.  But the fact remains if you answered yes to any of the questions above and you are a pastor or missionary you will experience spiritual warfare on a magnitude that most people cannot identify with.  

Satan concentrates on pastors, missionaries and other Christian leaders because he knows if he can get them he may also influence thousands of others by his diabolical plan.  The Word teaches he will attempt to keep people from trusting Christ in the first place. But if they do embrace Jesus, he makes every attempt to keep them from growing and developing.  If he is not successful at that, he will spend years in an effort to cause the Christian to fall. 

Sometimes one of the most weakest areas for a Christian leader is to continually yield hour by hour to God’s Holy Spirit.  We get busy “serving the Lord” and doing so many things that we can began to cheat our personal communion time with Him.  We are not keeping the communication lines open with God as Scripture commands us.  When we do this we are no longer plugged into the power. Ministry will cease to be an overflow of our walk with the Lord.  Instead it becomes a task that we do in the flesh.  We depend on gifting and experience vs. the power of the Holy Spirit.  Sometimes ministry can come between you and God. Please don’t allow this.  When that happens you are wide open for the enemy to attack head on.  You are no match for that battle.  But Jesus in you is.  We must rely on Christ vs. ourselves  for the battle to be won.

I believe Satan often temps us in an area where we seem most vulnerable.  This can be different with each person.  If you have issues with pride, jealously, insecurity, anger, fear or other undesirable traits, he may zero in on those weak areas.  If he can’t get you then he will go after those closest to you.  He will go after your spouse or children. He may go after your inner circle or your team. 

Although we are assured of victory, we must engage in the struggle until Christ comes, because Satan is going to battle against all who are on the Lord’s side.  We need supernatural power to defeat Satan and God has provided that in His Holy Spirit within us and His armor.  (Ephesians 6:10-20)  When (not if) you become discouraged in the battle, remember Jesus words to Peter:  Upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell shall not preail against it.  Matthew 16:18

Are you putting your armor on every day?

Relationships are important to me.  And I enjoy connecting with new people. My desire is to know and minister to my neighbors and others that I come in contact with.  A primary motivation for anyone going into full time ministry should be a burden and love for people.  But working with people is going to be painful at times.  I can’t tell  you how many pastors I’ve talked to who are afraid to open up.  They have a wall up because they are afraid, certain that if they let someone in, they will get hurt — again.

Honesty is important in any relationship. It is a requirement for authenticity.  But sometimes the church reminds me of the the court room scene in the movie “A Few Good Men” with Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson.  Do you remember that?  Jack is being interrogated by Tom Cruise and then screams “You can’t handle the truth.”  Have you known people like that?  You begin to ask  questions  or share observations and they freak out.  And then maybe turn on you.   All of a sudden they don’t want a relationship with you and blow you off.  They don’t return calls or emails. Maybe they leave the church.

Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation church posted a great blog in 2008 titled “People Will Turn On You.”  But if we don’t let people in we will never become all that God wants us to be.  Nor will be be effective in ministry.  Even if one is not in ministry, a life without rich relationships is a pitiful and lonely existance.  Going deep with individuals is a requirement for real fellowship.  Our responsibility is to work through the pain of relationships, discover what we can learn from the experience, get up, brush ourselves off and continue the race. 

The following is an excerpt from Pastor Craig Groeschel in his book “It” on ministry in the church:  “It’s not surprising that many twenty-first century people are afraid.  With as much relational pain as they endure, especially those who have served in ministry and leadership roles, it’s no wonder they’re gun shy.  Amy and I talk often about our ministry scars.  We’ve lost some of our closest friends to misunderstandings and false accusations.  Doing what we believed was the right thing, we’ve had to fire people we cared about.  Some still hate us to this day.  Good friends have left the church bitter at us, or God, or both.  People we opened up to betrayed confidences, dragging us through awkward seasons of pain and fear.  For a while, we didn’t ever want to trust again.”

Regardless of past pain and current fear, God want’s you to share your life with others.  Beware of the temptation to protect yourself by becoming emotionally isolated and independent.  Watch carefully against the attitude of tolerating one another. (see previous post titled “Do You Love People or Just Think You Do?” ) To be independent is to be distinctly non-Christian.  God designed us to be inter-dependent.  To experience the rich and abundant life that God desires for us we must live in authentic community with God’s people. 

Are you afraid to trust people because of past hurt?  Has a betrayal motivated you to set up relational walls?  Do you feel that something is missing in your life?

Here is a verse that has helped me through every time someone has turned on me:  No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgement shall be condemned.  This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from me says the Lord.  Isaiah 54:17

Last night Aaron, my 11 year old, had a nightmare.  In summary he dreamed that we were in a war but it was not bloody or gory.  The weapons were bow and arrows and swords.  Though the world was in danger most people were not aware a battle was going on. He, our family and many others were being attacked by a mob that had the bow and arrows. Aaron was afraid. We only had dull swords that did not seem to cut anything.  But when he would swing the sword through the opponent’s body they would turn into something different, a new person who became a “good guy.”  The battle was intense. At times the “good guys” thought they were winning and then the “bad guys” would return in supernatural numbers.  The good guys were losing the battle and decided to send Aaron off to the mountains to get a new strategy. In the mountains he found a huge book. The book was huge and required five to carry it.  From the mountain top they opened the book and held it up.  A bright light shined down on the battle field and there was a red cross in the middle of the light.  Our injured were healed and the battle was won. 

Aaron’s dream was another reminder to me that we are indeed in a war.  Throughout scripture we are taught that the enemy will always come after the leader’s family.  I was also reminded of this in a blog today by Pastor Perry Noble.  www.PerryNoble.com  Here is a summary of his post…

“In Matthew 10:34-39 Jesus clearly tells those He has called and gifted your life is not going to be one of relaxation and enjoyment on a consistent basis. 

It amazes me the number of times Jesus clearly told people in the Gospels that following would cause controversies and divisions.  It you want a nice, quiet, peaceful life; the ministry is not a place for that.  We will experience family problems, we will experience emotional problems, and we will experience spiritual warfare on a magnitude that most people cannot identify with.

When we begin to do effective ministry the target on our backs for every demon in Hell to take a shot at gets larger and larger so if peace, prosperity and niceness is something we achieve to, ministry should not be the road we go down. 

Jesus never promised us a peaceful life this side of eternity.  In fact, He promised the opposite.  We should not be surprised when all hell breaks loose…because it usually means the stage is being set for God to show how AWESOME He really is.” 

What has been your experience with spiritual warfare? 

We will continue with this topic ‘Ministry Ain’t For Sissies” tomorrow.

A little boy in our neighborhood has been eager to make new friends.  New in town, only child, left with a babysitter during the day and long summer days fill his world.  Having some medical issues don’t help in his quest for friendship.  After observing my boys play nerf gun on our property he asked if he could join in the fun.  It wasn’t long before Matthew and Aaron saw there was something different about him.  Nevertheless they included him and said yes to his request to come inside and play.  After two hours of playing his mom came to take him home.  That night my sons forgot the rule of Everyone must help clean up and return one toy before getting a new one out.  The rooms were a mess not to mention some damaged items.  Seeing the disappointment on their faces I offer a lecture about when you have kids over to play stuff happens. It’s just a price you pay for friendship.  If you don’t want to have boys inside to play then don’t.  My first born son then replies..But Mama, you make it sound optional.  What about the good commission?   What I asked? You know, the good commisson in Matthew 28:18-20.  Ouch. My heart was pierced. You’re right son. The Great Commission. 

After praying with Matthew at his bedside and tucking him in, I thanked the Lord that he saw the importance of loving others even if they were a little different.  Both of my sons learned that this boy has never been to a VBS and does not attend church anywhere.  I learned again that God will put people into our lives for a reason.  And that He blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others. 

“The Great Commisson is not an option to be considered, but a command to be obeyed.”  Hudson Taylor