#787 - DON'T GO TO CHURCH TOMORROW...

Hoping they sing the songs you like. Go to church, instead, committed to worship in spirit and in truth.

Hoping the preacher preaches a message you like. Go to church, instead, committed to hear the word and obey it.

Hoping you get something out of church. Go to church, instead, committed to contribute something to the church.

Hoping you get noticed. Go to church, instead, committed to notice someone who is going unnoticed.

Don’t go to church tomorrow to fulfill an obligation or check a box.

Go to church tomorrow to worship our God who is worthy to be praised, and to sacrifice for the Bride of Christ (the Church) who is worthy to be served!

#786 - A RECOMMITMENT WORTH MAKING

No matter how long you’ve been doing what you do. No matter how experienced you are. No matter how many people look to you for advice. No matter how easy what you do comes to you. Here’s a recommitment all of us should make:

We must get better.

Better leaders. Better parents. Better pastors. Better spouses. Better disciples. Better contributors to our communities.

More skilled. More humble. More compassionate. More sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit. More effective. More passionate.

Less impatient. Less prideful. Less negative. Less self-reliant. Less inefficient. Less lazy.

Let’s be grateful for what we’ve accomplished up unto this point, but not complacent. Let’s be content with all that we have done, but still ambitious for all that God wants to do through us. Let’s be aware of how far we’ve come, but also hungry for how far we still have to go.

Repent of the smugness that prevents you from being a lifelong learner.

Recommit, with me, today, to get better.

Because when we get better, everyone else around us benefits!

#785 - THREE STRONG QUESTIONS A GREAT DEVELOPMENT PLAN REQUIRES

As I endeavor to, in my new role at Hope Church, double-down on my investment into the development of the next generation of church leaders, both in informal settings and formal settings, I want to do my best to keep these three things in mind:

HEART - Who do they need to become?

• What is the intentional plan for their character, motivation, and attitude development?

HEAD - What do they need to know?

• What is the intentional plan for growing their educational, theological, and methodological understaning?

HANDS - What do they need to do?

• What is the intentional plan for improving the skill sets, abilities, and practices they need to have to be successful?

An overemphasis/underemphasis on any one of these three areas will lead to an unbalanced leader who will eventually lead an unbalanced ministry.

Not convinced of this approach to leadership development? Maybe Jesus’ greatest commandment can help us here…

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

With this approach to leadership development in the local church, not only are we laying out a well-rounded plan for growth, but, more importantly, we are also laying out a comprehensive pathway for worship!

#784 - QUICK THOUGHTS ON CONFRONTATIONAL CONVERSATIONS

• There’s no such thing as a healthy, growing relationship, family, or team without them.

• Inability to engage in them is a result of…

  • Fear of how you will be perceived/received

  • Unfamiliarity with how to do it well

  • Lack of margin which results in a lack of emotional capacity for it

  • Busyness and avoidance

  • Apathy and passivity

  • Laziness and neglect

• Avoiding them exponentially increases the problem.

• You can either experience the pain of having them or the pain of not having them. The pain of not having them is always worse.

• People who have them aren’t necessarily bullies.

• People who don’t have them aren’t necessarily gracious.

• You can have them without being confrontational.

• When and how you say what needs to be said far outweighs what you are actually saying.

• You will get better at them the more you have.

• You will be blessed for having them in a way that honors God!

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9

#783 - A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ON YOUR PROBLEMS

Parenting problems point to the blessing of a child. Marriage problems point to the blessing of a spouse. Work problems point to the blessing of a job. Leadership problems point to the blessing of followers.

On most occasions, your problems are the evidence of your blessings.

Remember. There are many people who wished they had your problems because that would mean they would also have your blessings. Be grateful.

I’m not contending that you minimize the size of your problems, but I am encouraging you to meditate more on the beauty of your blessings. Why? Perspective matters.

#782 - WHEN THE BURDEN IS TOO HEAVY

• Lay it down - enjoy rest.

• Distribute the weight - get help.

• Reduce the weight - do less.

• Carry weight differently - adjust approach.

• Strengthen your back - learn skills.

• Shorten the destination - redefine success.

• Try different weight - engage Jesus.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

#781 - IF YOU NEED AN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT

Feeling discouraged? Frustrated? Confused? Angry? Discontent? Ungrateful?

If so, here’s one possible solution that serves me well very often…

30 UNINTERRUPTED MINUTES OF THANKSGIVING AND GRATITUDE.

For your blessings…be thankful.

For your health. For your job. For your family. For your friendships. For the experiences you get to have. For the comforts you get to enjoy. For the food you get to eat. For the bed you get to sleep in. For the internet you get to browse!

Even in the midst of your difficulty…be thankful.

For the lessons that you are learning. For the resolve that you are developing. For the faith that you are strengthening. For the empathy that you are experiencing. For the hope that you are finding.

And especially to the followers of Jesus Christ…be thankful.

For the Father you have in God. For the Savior you have in Jesus. For the Counselor you have in the Holy Spirit. One God. Three Persons. Relating to you! What. A. Blessing!

If you are in desperate need of an attitude adjustment…

1. Set the timer on your phone for 30 minutes

2. Think deeply upon or write out those things that you are and should be grateful for.

3. Transition your thanksgiving to worship unto God for He is the Giver of every good gift you just dwelt upon!

30 minutes of gratitude to adjust that negative, woe is me, self-absorbed attitude. I dare you.

#780 - IS HUMILITY ATTAINABLE?

Because the moment you say you have it, isn’t that a display of pride?

Being the prideful person that I am, I don’t personally think humility will ever be attainable for me, but here are several specific areas I KNOW I’m susceptible to pride and the rhetorical questions I ask myself to keep greater degrees of pride and arrogance at bay.

1. In regards to my gifts, talents, and abilities - They are gifts. In the same way that they were given to me without my permission, they can just as easily be taken away. In the snap of a finger, what, right now, comes so easily to me can, instantly, become impossible. How prideful can I really be in gifts that were never really mine?

2. In regards to my influence - It is temporary. Temporary until people’s attention is drawn to something or someone else. Temporary until I fail or fall, therefore undermining my ability to be influential. Temporary until someone takes away my platform to be influential. How prideful can I really be in any level of influence I’ve attained when influence is so fickle?

3. In regards to my wisdom - It is God-given. God gives me the ability to apply the right knowledge to a given situation. God gives me the insight to understand what He is doing at any given moment. God helps me to perceive with spiritual eyes what cannot be seen with physical eyes. How prideful can I really be in a wisdom that I do not manufacture here below, but that is graciously bestowed upon me from above?

4. In regards to my holiness - It is Spirit-empowered. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit of God that I ever choose right over wrong. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit of God that I ever choose the narrow path that leads to life over the wide path that leads to destruction. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit of God that I ever choose to flee immorality. How prideful can I really be in a holiness that is not of me but is only a result of the power of the Holy Spirit of God in me?

5. In regards to my success - It is unearned. The “harvest” of success God has given me far exceeds the “seeds” I’ve sown. Have I sown seeds? Absolutely. Did I bring the rain that caused my seeds to grow? Absolutely not. Have I sown seeds worthy of the amount of fruit I am experiencing? Absolutely not. Can I take credit for sowing seeds that produce a good tasting fruit? Absolutely not. How prideful can I really be in a success that is exponentially more miracle than it is man?

Heavenly Father, give me the supernatural ability to always look at my life with sober judgement. Help me to see that because it’s all grace there is absolutely no room for any pride. And when I forget this, please give me the additional supernatural ability to quickly confess and repent of my pride before you and others. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

#779 - ABOUT HOPE CHURCH

After nearly 75 days on my new job as the Lead Pastor of Prayer and Teaching Ministries at Hope Church in Las Vegas, here are 12 significant observations of the church/church culture that I am so grateful for!

1. Staff is HUMBLE not pretentious.

2. Attitude is HUNGRY not complacent.

3. Mission is LOCAL and GLOBAL not confined.

4. Congregation is ETHNICALLY DIVERSE not homogenous.

5. Preaching is AUTHORITATIVE not apologetic.

6. Singing is GODWARD not man-centered.

7. Feel is INVITING not impersonal.

8. Decision-making is SPIRIT-LED not hurried.

9. Posture before God is DEPENDENT not demanding.

10. Resources are STEWARDED not mishandled.

11. Values are LIVED OUT not aspirational.

12. Vibe is ALIVE not dead!

I am so thankful for Senior Pastor Vance Pitman, his family, and the leadership teams/staffs that have labored alongside of him for the last 20 years to build such a life-giving community of faith. What God has done in and through Hope Church over the course of this church’s history is a modern-day miracle that I can’t believe I get to join in on!

The church, by no means, is perfect, but it is a perfectly imperfect church that I am grateful to now call my faith family!

Heavenly Father, for myself and anyone else who calls Hope Church home, may we forever be OVERWHELMED WITH GRATITUDE for what we get to be a part of. May we never grow overly familiar with your presence and activity amongst us to the point where we take for granted what we get to experience together as a community of faith. Help us to remember, always, that our time/involvement at Hope Church is a gift to be stewarded not an entitlement to be consumed. I pray these things in Jesus name, Amen.

#778 - WITH OR WITHOUT YOU

If you never make the decision to become a developer of people in addition to being a doer of tasks, your leadership impact and legacy will forever be limited to where you are physically present.

Void of a commitment to development, the organization, department, team, or child will always need you to be successful. Your presence. Your management. Your input. Your guidance.

With a commitment to consistently and systematically investing your time in the intentional development of people, over time, here is what is possible:

1. Their progress without your presence.

2. Their success without your strategy.

3. Their growth without your guidance.

4. Their wise choices without your wise counsel.

When it comes to your approach to work and leadership you have a choice:

Will you work in such a way that for the organization, department, team, or child you are leading to be successful they need to be with you or will you work in such a way that whatever you are leading can one day be successful without you?

It’s counterintuitive, but it’s true:

The person who is best at working themselves out of job is the most valuable person on the job.

And this isn’t just a message/leadership principle for middle managers, directors, and folks not as high on the organization chart.

I think those that need to hear and heed this message most are senior leaders. Senior leader, if you’ve been in your role for 5 years or more, and if you need to be present for “it” to be productive, you may be unintentionally pursuing a leadership legacy you will one day not be so proud of — being needed.

#777 - THE LEADERSHIP LEGACY DECISION I'VE MADE

My primary ambitions through the first, nearly, four decades of my life have been…

• By my late teens - make a name for myself by making much of myself. (I was a doer of tasks for the glory of me.)

• By my late twenties - make a name for myself by making much of Jesus. (I was a doer of tasks using Jesus for the glory of me.)

• By my late thirties - make much of Jesus by making a name for others. (I became a developer of people for the glory of God.)

But as fulfilling as my late thirties have been, as I conclude by thirties and enter into my forties (I still have until August 2022!), here is the leadership legacy decision I’ve made…

• For the rest of my life - I will make much of Jesus by investing my life, primarily, into men and women who want to make much of Jesus by making a name for others. (I desire to be a developer of leaders who are committed to developing leaders for the glory of God.)

Questions to Consider

1. What is your current leadership ambition?

2. What do you want your leadership ambition to be?

3. What decision/change do you need to make so that your actions can begin to be more aligned with your ultimate ambition?

#776 - THE UNPLANNED MOMENT

Never on your calendar.
Often an ill-timed interruption.
Rarely are you ready for it.
Usually feels inconvenient.

But…

Likely to be where you can learn the most. Likely to be where you can give the most. Likely to be where you can humble yourself the most. Likely to be where you can sacrifice the most. Likely to be where you have to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit the most. Likely to be where Jesus wants to use you the most. Likely to be where God wants you to submit to Him the most.

The unplanned moment of your day is pregnant with possibility.

See it. Seize it. Savor it.

All of your planned interactions may have nothing on what comes unexpectedly.

#775: 5 MAJOR OBSTACLES TO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOUR SUNDAY SERMON

1. HEARTS AREN’T READY.

Distracted. Frustrated. Condemned. Rushed. Confused.

These are just a few of the emotions that many of the people attending church on Sundays are feeling the moment they sit down for a service. Very few have prayed, to prepare their hearts, leading up to the service. Very few have truly worshipped during the time of singing. Very few have had God on their hearts for the majority of the week. Most, are just patting themselves on the back because they are in the building!

When it comes to your sermon preparation, what are you currently doing to address the obstacle of unprepared hearts?

My Suggestion. Pray more. Before your message. During your message. (Yes, actually take moments within your message to pray with your listeners.) And…after your message. Pray. Prayer prepares hearts. 

2. MINDS AREN’T INTERESTED.

Their problems. Their kids, Their unmet needs. Their unanswered prayers. Their questions. Their sports team. Their lunch plans! This is what is on their minds. At best…your message is secondary.

Don’t be naive and assume just because people are present they’re interested!

When it comes to your sermon preparation, what are you currently doing to address the obstacle of uninterested minds?

My Suggestion. Build tension. Build tension stating a question that creates intrigue. Build tension by telling your listeners what’s at stake if they don’t lean in to what you’re going to teach. Finally, build tension by leveraging a message outline that clearly and compellingly shows where your message is headed. Tension earns attention.

3. LITERACY IS LIMITED.

Most people who attend Sunday services are Biblically illiterate. Very few read their Bible regularly. Very few do word studies. Very few understand the meta-narrative of Scripture. Most Christians live on a diet of Instagram post devotional Bible reading and YouTube clip eisegetical Bible teaching!

One implication, for preachers, to this heartbreaking reality is this: if your exegesis is accurate, but it is not understood, it is useless.

When it comes to your sermon preparation, what are you currently doing to address the obstacle of limited Biblical literacy?

My Suggestion. Speak plainly. Use simple words to summarize a long quote or commentary excerpt. Use clear phrases to make your main points. State big ideas, in a tweet-able form, visually, on a screen to reinforce the clarity of your speech. Reject the notion that simple is shallow.  Plain speech makes for a less painful sermon.

4. LEGALISM IS PREFERRED.

The natural inclination for most people following the listening of a sermon is to place more emphasis/concern on what they need to do rather than on what Jesus already did. Their obedience to the law weighs more heavily on their hearts than Christ’s fulfillment of the law.

Both believers and unbelievers are addicted to “works righteousness.”

When it comes to your sermon preparation, what are you currently doing to address the obstacle of listeners preferring legalism to grace?

My Suggestion. Show Jesus Christ as Savior and Substitute. Articulate explicitly that, in Christ, we receive both forgiveness and righteousness! Make a bigger deal of what Jesus already accomplished not on what the listener has yet to accomplish. Use your “gospel close” both as an invitation to unbelievers, and a reminder to believers. You’re not finished preaching until your listeners are convinced…“It is finished.”

5. UNCTION IS ABSENT.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones described unction in this way…

…you have the feeling that you are not actually doing the preaching, you are looking on. You are looking at yourself in amazement as this is happening. It is not your effort; you are just the instrument, the channel, the vehicle and the Spirit is using you, and you are looking on in great enjoyment and astonishment.

Preacher, do you preach with unction?

When it comes to your sermon preparation, what are you currently doing to address the obstacle of powerless preaching?

My Suggestion. Beg for unction. Beg for the Holy Spirit of God to come up over the top of your natural abilities to say something supernatural through you. Beg God to make you keenly aware of when you are preaching in your own strength. Do not tolerate preaching without power. Preaching can’t function without unction!