Love or Fear

One could argue that the two strongest motivating forces in the universe are LOVE and FEAR. Most significant actions taken by people are ultimately rooted in one or the other, maybe even both. More specifically, our relationships are ultimately rooted in one or the other, or both.

Stop and take a minute to evaluate the significant relationships in your life (your spouse, your kids, your parents, your closest friends, God, your boss, etc.). Think about how you feel about the person in each relationship. What are your feelings based on? Is your treatment of that person based on love or fear or a mix of both? What is the way you talk about that person based on?

As I think about the reationships in my life, I can't help but wonder which is the stronger motivating force. Am I driven to develop the relationships in my life based more on love or fear? I am pretty sure I know the right answer to this question, but it doesn't really matter what I think. I want to challenge you to consider the question for yourself as you evaluate the relationships in your life, especially the closest ones.

Just to reveal a bit of my thinking, I want to explore my relationship with God. What motivates me to develop my relationship with God? Do I LOVE God? Do I FEAR God? The answer to both questions is a resounding YES!!!

I fear God because of His unlimited power. I fear Him because He is perfect and I clearly am not. I fear God because He has the power to send me to Hell. I fear God because I know I don't deserve to ever be in His presence and can't possibly earn a place in Heaven. I fear God because He is everything and I am nothing!

I love God because of the fact that He has unlimited power and still loves me anyway. I love God because He is perfect and I am not, but He loves me anyway. I love God because He has the power to send me to Hell, but loves me so much that He made a way for me to escape that punishment. I love God because I don't deserve to be in His presence, but He desperately desires for me to be in His presence anyway. I love God because I can't earn a place in Heaven, but He has promised me a place there anyway. I love God because He is everything and I am nothing, but He wants me and loves me anyway.

My point here is that fear motivates action and can be very powerful. Fear will make me obedient. Fear will make me do what I'm "supposed" to do. However, love will accomplish all of those things and more. Love makes me WANT to do those things with all of my heart.

What are your relationships based on? When LOVE is your motivating force, you will experience true joy. When FEAR is your motivating force, you might succeed, but I'm afriad you will experience something a bit short of "true joy". Just something to think about!

Inertia

As a follow-up to my previous article "Pushing Rope", I wanted to redirect my thinking away from my own motivations for serving or participating in ministry and focus more on how to successfully motivate others to move into service or ministry. I call this "leadership"!

Inertia (in-ur-shuh) - the property of matter by which it retains its state of rest or its velocity along a straight line so long as it is not acted upon by an external force. (www.dictionary.reference.com)

I was watching a show on National Geographic the other night (yes, I love earth science!!!) and the topic was the geographic formation of Manhattan Island, the foundation of New York City. I'm sad to report that I have never actually been to NYC, but am holding out for a trip there one day around Christmas.

One interesting geographic feature of the island is found in Central Park. All over the park there are random boulders scattered about. These bounders were not brought in for park decor. They were there long before a city was built in this location. As I watched I wondered what these rocks have witnessed over the past few thousand years. As the city that never sleeps was built around them, they have not moved - not one single inch. They are sitting exactly as they were upon being deposited by a glacier during the last ice age.

In physics, a law exists called inertia (defined above). This law says that those rocks in Central Park will be there indefinitely if they are left alone by man. They will not move on their own. They will not decide to sit in a different position. They are content to stay exactly in the same position forever unless another force that is more powerful than them decides differently.

Inertia applies to people too! People get used to doing things a certain way. They get used to viewing the world in a certain way. They develop opinions and ideas about life and settle down right in that spot. They get comfortable there and have no desire to move from that spot. Movement for people requires a force that is bigger and more powerful than them. Movement will also require time and patience.

Because inertia is not just a law of physics, it is a law of human nature as well; as a leader in a church it is important that I take this into consideration as I try to move people from where they are comfortably sitting to a deeper and more ministry/service focused relationship with God. Even though people like to get comfortable in their churches and routines, as LEADERS we must help people realize that movement towards God is essential whether you are a new Christian or have been one for 75 years.

This concept is scriptural. Paul addresses it in Philippians 2:12 when he says, "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." In other words, salvation is something we are striving for every day. One cannot just say a little prayer or get dunked in water and assume that is the END of the journey. Becoming a believer, repenting, and being baptized are the BEGINNING of the journey! From there we are called to pursue God, pursue holiness, and be disciples every day we are given.

This all is easy to write, but actually moving people is VERY difficult. Inertia! As leaders we must realize that we must teach AND teach with a purpose. If we hope to create disciples who are focused on making new disciples and pursuing God in their daily lives, we must make sure we are mentoring and teaching to that end. Even more importantly, we must realize that we are simply not a big enough force to move people on our own. God's Holy Spirit is the bigger force that is going to move people into this deeper relationship focused on service and ministry. However, as leaders we must be ready to challenge people to really be soaking in God's Word so they can receive their own convictions about service and ministry.

It just isn't good enough to fill up a church with comfortable and happy people. I don't want my church to look like Central Park with a bunch of unmovable rocks sitting around. To move them I MUST make sure I am guiding them into God's Word and helping them recognize the force of the Holy Spirit that is trying to move them. Once people get moving, look out! Inertia quickly becomes another physics law called MOMENTUM, and that can be very difficult for Satan to stop!!!

Pushing Rope

I imagine there are few things that look funnier than watching me attempt to thread a needle. My fingers are clumsy, my coordination is not all that great, and my eyes keep crossing as I try to see what I'm doing! The problem is that thread pulls much easier than it pushes.

Similarly, think about a rope. In a tug-of-war, each team PULLS on the rope. Imagine how silly it would look if we pushed the rope instead! Pushing rope is a futile and worthless activity. Rope is meant to be pulled, not pushed. Getting a job done by pushing rope would be frustrating and would ultimately result in failure.

Many times, church-workers get the feeling they are just "pushing rope" as they try to work with and motivate people in their congregations. We constantly put opportunities for service and ministry in front of people. At first there seems to be some enthusiasm and desire for taking on the project, but it usually doesn't take very long before the project is stagnant and nothing is being done to pursue the objectives of that project.

Here's the point...It is impossible, useless, futile, and a waste of energy to push people into service or ministry if they don't already have a desire and passion to pursue those things because of their own personal convictions and relationship with God.

As a true disciple of Jesus, it is vital that I spend time in God's Word so it can pull me deeper into my relationship with Him. The result is that I DESIRE to be in ministry, I DESIRE to serve others, I have a PASSION to impact people's lives. Nobody is PUSHING me into ministry, I am instead being PULLED into ministry by God.

If I want to see someone succeed in ministry I MUST guide them into God's Word and allow them to mature and grow to the point that God is pulling them into ministry rather than me pushing them there.

If you are frustrated because nobody else seems to be helping or joining you in ministry, it is likely because they are not being PULLED by God's Word and His Spirit to do so. Maybe, instead of pushing people into ministry, start with spending some time mentoring them into a deeper and more mature relationship with Christ. With that you will get to see the difference between pushing rope and pulling it!

Hearing and Listening

Its easy to hear, but its hard to listen.

Lately I have found myself focusing extra hard on hearing God's Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit, perhaps more than I ever have in my life. The results have been powerful for me personally. I am seeing things and thinking about spiritual things in a way I can't really explain other than to say that there is no question in my mind that God is indeed speaking to me through the Bible and his Holy Spirit.

Today I spent some time reading Acts 21, where Paul is leaving Miletus with the ultimate goal of reaching Jerusalem. For some reason, Paul feels a driving need to get back to that city and realizes that a warm reception by the Jews is not likely. Along the way Paul is confronted by believers in two different locations. Their message for him was to avoid Jerusalem because bad things were waiting for him there. Scripture makes it clear that the people telling Paul not to go back to Jerusalem were being led by the Spirit. Paul never really argues with them, he hears their message, but he is determined to go back anyway - and he does. Paul was hearing the message, but he wasn't listening!

This thought has been burning in my head all day since reading that passage: Perhaps I am hearing God's Word and His Holy Spirit speak to me right now, but I have to ask myself, "am I really listening?"

There have been so many times in my life that I have wanted to follow God's lead and do the right things, but missed the mark because I heard the message without really listening to it. It is so easy to see good and Godly things to do with your life and to pursue those things without really listening to God tell you where HE wants to use you.

Maybe you're thinking about a new job or a major financial investment or commitment. Maybe your dealing with issues in a relationship or in raising your children. Maybe you have a major decision that needs to be made. There are a multitude of "good" options to choose from in most decisions we make in life. The real question is whether or not you are really LISTENING to God's leadership in that decision.

It is hard to judge whether or not Paul made a mistake or was "wrong" in going back to Jerusalem, but one thing seems clear to me - this was one time that Paul wasn't really listening to God very well.

There is a big difference between doing "good" things on your own compared with doing "right" things under God's direction and leadership. I believe the difference between "good" and "right" is similar to the difference between hearing and listening.

It is great that I am hearing God in my life right now, but Acts 21 really made me think about whether or not I am really listening at the same time. I don't just want to make good decisions and do good things for God. I want to listen to Him and be right in the MIDDLE of what He has planned and how He wants to use me.

Are you hearing God? More importantly, are you LISTENING to Him?

Producing Fruit?

James 2:14 tells us that claiming to have faith, but having no evidence of that faith in your life is useless. If you have true faith you will produce fruit.

John 15 tells us that if we are connected with Jesus in a real and personal relationship, we will produce fruit like the branches of a vine produce grapes when they are connected to the vine. A branch not producing fruit is cut off and thrown into the fire.

In Luke 8 we see a story about a farmer who throws seed onto 4 different types of soil. The seed on the path, among the thorns, and on the rocks all eventually died. Only the seed on the good soil was able to grow to maturity and produce fruit.

There are quite a few passages in the New Testament that use the metaphor of producing fruit in your life to describe what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus. Unfortunately, many of us use the terminology without actually doing it in our own lives or even understanding what it means.

Based on what I read in the gospels, I come to only one conclusion. To produce fruit in your life means that you are making new disciples and training them to make even newer disciples. Every command Jesus gives comes back to the two greatest commandments - glorifying God and loving people. Loving people means leading them to the ONLY gift that really matters, the saving grace of Jesus. 1 Corinthians 13 ends by telling us that we can do all the good stuff we want, but if it doesn't have love it is worthless.

You really must examine the gospels for yourself to find this truth. My examination has led me to this conclusion:

A true disciple of Jesus is producing fruit. Producing fruit means you are making new disciples and training them to make even newer disciples. If you are not producing fruit, you are not a disciple of Jesus. If you are not a disciple of Jesus you will not be saved from punishment and death.

My question for you is a matter of life and death: ARE YOU PRODUCING FRUIT IN YOUR LIFE? Are you leading people to Jesus? Are you making new disciples? Are you preparing them to make even newer disciples?

My fear is that many people packing in to churches each Sunday feel pretty safe and confident, yet there is ZERO evidence of any fruit they are actually producing in their lives. The message of the gospels is clear, only those producing fruit will be saved. Jesus also warns that only a few will find this truth and live it out. Why? Because it is hard.

Please examine your life. If you are not producing fruit it is time for you to start focusing on what is really important. Making disciples is central to what Jesus has commanded of us.

Making New Disciples who Make New Disciples

I'm a numbers guy. Not in the sense that I use them as the only means to measure success or failure, but I just love to play with numbers to make a point. Let me try it on you right now.

If the church were doing its job in making new disciples and training those disciples to make even more new disciples (and so on...), the impact would be astonishing. Consider a group of 20 people in your church who FINALLY got it and realized their main job as a true disciple of Jesus is to make new disciples, then to train those new disciples to make even newer disciples. What do you think would happen?

If that group of 20 made it a mission to successfully disciple 6 new disciples each year AND trained those new disciples to start making 6 new disciples each year after that, how many disciples would be made after 6 years?

I have done the math for you. Over a 10 year period the results would look like this:

Start with 20 Disciples

End of Year 1 = 140 total disciples

End of Year 2 = 980 total disciples

End of Year 3 = 6,860 total disciples

End of Year 4 = 48,020 total disciples

End of Year 5 = 336,140 total disciples

End of Year 6 = 2,352,980 total disciples

End of Year 7 = 16,470,860 total disciples

End of Year 8 = 115,296,020 total disciples

End of Year 9 = 807,072,140 total disciples

End of Year 10 = 5,649,504,980 total disciples

Yes, the math is absolutely correct! Sometime during year 9 the entire population of the United States could be reached. By the end of year 10, most of the entire world's population could be reached.

You might laugh and say, "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" But this is exactly the model Jesus had in mind. He picked 12 guys out and entrusted them with spreading His message to the entire world.

The model has not changed, but the focus and vision of the church certainly has. It isn't all about being a big, attractive church offering to make everybody happy. The job of the church is to TRAIN DISCIPLES TO MAKE NEW DISCIPLES WHO THEN MAKE NEW DISCIPLES. This is done through personal relationships, not big church events. This is done by connecting with people at work and in your neighborhood, not through creative and showy church programs.

When is the church going to realize that it must start functioning like the church in Acts did. We MUST start training people to be disciples making new disciples. The age of being a church service spectator is OVER. The results of this spectator age have been disastrous. Wake up, Church! Our job is to reach the lost, not make each other comfortable and happy!!!

Flippin' Tables

I see a scene in my head where a man has just been seated in a fairly nice restaurant. He is dressed "business casual" and begins looking through the menu as he awaits the arrival of his server. The restaurant looks nice with pleasant music playing in the back ground and people milling about with their various parties, oblivious to the man's presence.

After a few minutes the server approaches the table with a smile and a brief introduction. The server then proceeds to describe the daily specials as the man listens intently:

"Sir, today we are offering a special on appetizers. We will have small group registrations at the welcome center if you would like to join and we have a Sunday school class that would fit your demographic perfectly. Would you care for an appetizer today?"

"No thank you," the man replies. "I really am more interested in your entrees today. A friend of mine said your worship music is fantastic. I think I will give that a try. I just want to make sure it is not too bland or too spicy."

"Of course, sir," says the server. "We are sure you will be pleased with the way our worship is designed to make everybody happy. Maybe you might be able to try some of our preaching as well."

"OK, as long as it doesn't upset my stomach too much. I don't have much tolerance for preaching that will hang around for a while after the meal, if you know what I mean. What about your youth ministry? I have heard some good things and I'm considering coming back later and bringing the rest of my family."

"Sir, you will not be disappointed with our youth ministry, I promise! The kids menu is fabulous as well. Our menu is designed to make the entire family happy."

"Alright, but I do have one more important question. How much is all of this service going to cost me?"

"Well, it is interesting that you ask. We used to expect people to just give everything they have for such great service, but we realize that is a bit unreasonable. All we ask is that you give 10% so we can keep the menu going. We really don't want to ask more than most people are willing to give."

"Wow! 10% seems pretty steep. I'll have to think about that before we come back again. The Baptist restaurant up the street is the same price, but they have much more extravagant services to offer."

The server tells the man, "We are here to serve you. Just let us know how we can make you happy and we will do our best. We will not ask any more of you than you are willing to contribute."

"That's good to hear! As long as you make me feel like the most important customer here, I will keep coming back."

"Thank goodness, sir! We couldn't continue without customers like you!"

The server then moves away to the next table while the man feels a sense of pride. He has done his service to the community today. This restaurant is stronger and better today because he is here and is a great customer.

The VAST majority of church-goers think of church like this. They truly believe the church is there to serve them. They think the staff is there to meet their every need. We have created a consumer mentality in our churches. Is it any wonder that we have to beg people to commit to service? Is it any wonder that we struggle to get families to make church and service a priority in their lives?

Its not about you. It is about God. It is about serving others. Quit being a consumer and start making disciples!