Rx: Discipleship

Traditional pastoral ministry is often like being an ambulance driver. Medics know little about the private lives of those who call 911 until there is an accident or crisis. After a call, they often arrive to find the aftermath of an unhealthy lifestyle or driving laws not being heeded. The same can be said for the police who respond to domestic violence calls.

Even though most calls might be legitimate emergencies, there are some people who just want the immediate problem fixed, and afterwards they will resume the same unhealthy or abusive practices that lead to the problem in the first place.

In contrast, in the church the true role of a pastor is not that of an overworked ambulance driver but of an overseer, equipper and helper. His initial response to a problem might be to save someone if there is a crisis no matter what the cause may be. However, he must then help that person develop the right spiritual foundations which will remedy a cycle of dysfunction and even help mature them to the point where they impart the same foundations to others.

A traditional pastor is often overworked just putting out fires and can unknowingly develop a codependency with dysfunctional Christians. Sooner or later, such a pastor will have to make his own 911 call due to burnout.

There will always be those who are so damaged by sin that they will need special care. But the majority needs discipleship, and leaders have to be brave enough to make it the main remedy for the main problem.

What is the main problem? A lack of the lordship of Christ.

What if people will not submit to Christ’s lordship? Just do what Jesus did. Continue to love them and minister truth.

Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Mark 10:21,22

The First Steps of Leadership

I was talking with a pastor friend the other day in Kiev about the lack of a leader for his youth ministry as well as a problem that I solved in our new church meetings. My problem is that since we are small and getting started I was leading every aspect of the meetings. I opened the meeting, I lead worship, I made announcements, I preached & then closed the meetings. At the same time I noticed that the whole meeting had an awkward feeling that one of our team said was like being in school.

My friend was doing the same thing with his youth because he did not have anyone experienced enough to lead. After an hour of discussion, the root as well as the solution was uncovered. It is true we did not have anyone as experienced as ourselves to lead the team or the whole meeting for that matter, but we did have people who could lead individual parts of the meetings.

I had already decided to divide up various roles at this point so that I would not be seen as a schoolmaster or even worse, the church master. Our team had a great creative staff meeting where they even decided the topic that I would preach. Another guy helped me choose the songs, and since he plays guitar, he will also play a few.

In the end it was decided that my only role in the meeting would be to preach for 15 minutes, and our team was encouraged and empowered to have been a part of the whole process.

So who was the leader in all this? I lead our team, but I lead them to lead. The first step in my leadership is to help and encourage my team to take the first steps in their leadership. We have experienced full-time leaders on our team, but we also have volunteers who are just getting started. It is unrealistic to think that we will simply find someone among the untrained volunteers or new believers who is born with the full package for leading a meeting.

I am not the only one who is leading leaders either. We pass this principle of first steps on to everyone with whom we are working. The result is that we will have a happier team and less boring meetings, and as they grow in confidence and ability God’s kingdom will not simply grow but will multiply.

The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Tim 2:2

Relationships: Becoming Sticky Again

In my last post I talked about how relationships before marriage can damage us and make our marriages less cohesive (sticky). Of course, it is great to enter into marriage as pure as snow, but the reality is that many – including Christians – come into marriage with a lot of unwanted baggage, including some photo albums in our heads that we can’t seem to get rid of. How can we remedy this?

As with tape or glue, we need to remove the residue of old relationships, and this starts with restoration of our souls in Christ Jesus. The very first thing needed is repentance, the removal of guilt and a subsequent clean conscience.

Another important step is to repent of the idolatry of relationships. Memories of old relationships are often so sticky because we have placed that person or that experience at the center of our lives. When a marriage goes through a difficult period, an unrenewed mind can become untethered and drift to so-called “better things”, and if that better thing is an old memory we are on a dangerous road. However, when Christ is the center He is the “better thing” and the anchor of our souls during stormy seasons of life.

The last point is that there is no better surface for tape to stick to than another piece of tape. This is why a man and a woman – unfortunately it is necessary these days to specify genders – with Christ as the center of renewed hearts and minds have the best chance of sticking together in a world where many forces seek to tear us apart. Therefore, don’t marry an unbeliever, and make sure you are spiritually prepared for marriage. (clean sticky surface again)

This may all sound oversimplified, but when anyone has overcome a difficult past to build a strong marriage they will look back and see that they have more or less done these very things.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Cor 5:17

Discipleship or Eugenics?

Most people know the first word but not the second, and few would ever guess the connection between the two in the context of raising up leaders. Eugenics is a dark science that sprang from Darwinism. It basically tried to improve humanity by sterilizing those races or economic groups deemed to be substandard so that only the so-called best of humanity could multiply. In other words it allowed only a special class to bear fruit. The worst modern example of eugenics in action was the Holocaust.

When I was a young believer a school of thought had crept into the church which said the people most capable of changing society with the gospel were the ones that were already the cream of the crop. Some Christians were even told to target these people with evangelism and to bypass “ordinary” people. Even recently in the former Soviet Union this teaching has gained new ground where one Christian leader actually said that revival or lasting change could never come from “ordinary” people. It would only come when great world leaders repented. See Gattaca for some shock value.

All of this runs counter to everything in God’s word, and the ultimate root of this perspective I believe is a desire for success in the eyes of men. I thought that I was immune to it myself until I found an inner voice saying, “Don’t waste too much time with these people. They are not movers and shakers. They will take too much work to clean up.” Ah! Even though I did not agree with this I had still heard this teaching enough to have been stained. I am now glad to be free of it!

The subtle cancer of eugenics pops up all over the place in Christianity, and I have wanted to say the following for over 20 years. Why do Christian ministries hire models for church or ministry promotional photos rather than using their own people? Wow, it felt good to say that! Even though most of us do not hire models to represent our faith we do hire professionals to do the ministry that we ourselves should be doing.

I am thankful to have heroes of faith, but an over-reliance on the “super pastor” can essentially render the rest of us fruitless. The biblical purpose of leadership is to lead and equip others to minister, not to atrophy the potential of others by doing it all ourselves because we think we are the best at doing it.

I am not naïve in my position here because I do know that functional people can bring stability to a ministry when they come to Jesus, and dysfunctional people can be high maintenance for many years. However, we should try to reach and train them all and not be a respecter of persons.

I have seen functional people get saved and grow quickly as leaders as God used their natural abilities to advance His kingdom. There are also functional people who are self-reliant and stubborn about yielding to God. I have seen people from the so-called bottom of society rise incredibly by the grace of God out of profound dysfunction and bondage to a position of leadership and fruitfulness that simply confounded my reasoning.

What is the lesson in all this? Judging people by their appearance, abilities and position in life is ultimately judging God as an inept creator and an impotent redeemer. It is also a subtle seed of humanism which is a nice way of saying a spirit of antichrist.

Below our skin we are all the same. The same DNA. The same nature. The same price that was paid. The same glory given to God when one is saved. Shepherds, fishermen and one Carpenter can still turn the world upside down.

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. 1 Cor 1:26-29

Looking Over the Generational Horizon

A young leader recently asked me how to mentor up-and-coming leaders and especially how do we utilize what Paul told Timothy? “Entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Most leaders with whom I work understand the urgency of raising up the next generation - the Timothys - but Paul is teaching us something that is a little more unique.

We are not simply called to raise up the next generation, but we are called to peer in faith over the generational horizon and plan for those who are yet to be saved. Moreover, we should even plan leadership for those who are yet to be born. That’s right, we have to plan now for a time when we will not be here and for a people we might not ever meet.

In the military there is a specialty called artillery observer. These people are located next to or even behind enemy lines, and their job is to direct the artillery fire which may be located miles away. The artillery men are not just miles away, but they often cannot even see the target because they are beyond the horizon. They have to trust the instructions of the observers so they can deliver accurate fire. We also need visionary leadership in the church – and I will add here in our nation also - that will help us direct our efforts towards a future that we cannot and might not ever see.

As I travel I meet leaders in different churches and denominations, and there are many diverse styles of leadership. Some churches are in dire need of CPR, but even for those that are healthy I often feel concern because they are a one-lifetime church. This usually means several things all of which add up to a short-sighted view of the kingdom of God.

First is that the main leader has built everything to be dependent upon himself. Even if he is a great leader the church will wane when he passes. Even good leaders unknowingly do this, but this causes the next generation to be stunted, and within several generations this church might close or need a serious reboot from God.

Second is a leader who does not recognize the obvious Timothys in his midst. I wrote about this in a previous post, but suffice it to say that young leaders are usually more ready to take the baton of responsibility than we would think. They don’t have to be as polished as we; they only need to be faithful and proficient.

Third is the mass of faithful men and women in every church who are waiting to be equipped for ministry. I distinguish here between going to Sunday school and equipping for ministry. Equipping encompasses learning, but the accumulation of knowledge does not always translate into doing. There is a task to be done, and people need to be equipped to do it. Equipping is basically purpose-oriented, directional learning.

Fourth is the mystery group. They are the others be they saved, not born again or maybe not even born. This is Paul’s goal as he writes to Timothy. As a seasoned man of God he is aiming at a target that is over the generational horizon, and he realizes that a church that has this generational approach to ministry is a church that will encompass and span many generations of leaders in its mission to make disciples of all the nations.

Aim far, shoot far.

The Opposite of Community: Being Alone

There I stood before the church trying to figure out the best way to describe the need for small group ministry. What complicated this was that I wanted to use the word “community”, but this church did not understand that English word because they were Ukrainian. I also had to use a translator that day, Pastor Igor, because I cannot preach in Ukrainian.

As I discussed my message with Igor before the meeting the only word that we could come up with to describe community in a Ukrainian context was family. Still, this word did not convey exactly what I wanted because families here are often fragmented. As I began my message I could not resist playing with Igor a little. As I preached I used the word “community” anyway. Igor paused while not expecting my change, and two leaders on the front row immediately offered what they thought to be the best word to use.

I stood for a minute to let the lesson of this distracting example sink in. “You see”, I continued, “we cannot even agree on what word to use for this foreign concept.” In fact, it really is a foreign concept because every culture on this planet has a slightly different understanding of community. However, I still believed the concept was both biblical and universal. There must be a simple key to unlock this truth, and there was.

In the very beginning: The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone…” Gen 2:18

And there we have it. The best way to understand community in any cultural or spiritual context is to understand its purpose and even it’s opposite. It is not good for us to be alone.

About once a year I read the tragic story of some poor soul who was found dead in their home or apartment after a period of many years. This usually happens in Europe or the US, and one person was found to have died 10 years before. No one noticed the mail piling up because there was no mail. Shocked neighbors would later say, “They kept to themselves”, or “I thought that they had moved.”

While some would blame the relatives and neighbors for not being “neighbors” – and this is oftentimes the case - we cannot overlook the fact that some people have simply decided to drop off the map. This can include Christians who see no need for the local church, but when things go wrong in their lives they often become critical of the church for not responding.

Even people who go to church are sometimes just visiting a crowd that has no expression of community throughout the week. Hundreds of people can be standing around you, and you are still alone. I must add here that when I used this example in church that day there were two reactions on the faces of those listening. Younger people had a look of disbelief, but older people had a look of terror. They felt more vulnerable and had the greatest fear of loneliness and abandonment.

• Community, family or whatever you want to call it in your language provides for things that are essential for the human soul: Love, nurturing, protection, encouragement, values, joy, fun and vision.
• Spiritual community provides for the exact same things with the added elements of eternal purpose and equipping for life and service. To live without these is to at best simply exist.
• Spiritual community is also important to the secular community. People would wander in darkness if it were not for the family of God, and they will remain without hope and vision without you.
• Secular community is also important to spiritual community. You will not grow either individually or as a spiritual community if you do not reach and serve those who do not have the hope of eternal life.

Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Prov 27:17

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. Eccl 4:9-12

Spirit Filled or Spirit Full?

Gas prices are so bad these days that AAA has reported a record number of calls to tow the cars of their members that have run out of gas. People are trying to travel on the bare minimum, but a sputtering car in the middle of nowhere is not a good experience.

Christians also try to go far on an empty or near empty tank these days. I am speaking of being full of the Holy Spirit or lack thereof. There is nothing new in this, but over the years a certain lingo has developed among Christians to describe just how full they think they really are. The phrase most often used is “being Spirit-filled.”

I for one embrace the Spirit-filled life, but I must say that there is an often misleading usage of that phrase. The Bible only uses “Spirit-filled” in the very recent past tense. This means the person or group in question had just experienced a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit. They subsequently moved in great power because of this recent encounter with God. However, calling oneself Spirit-filled does not always indicate the last time you were actually filled with the Spirit. If I plan to take a long trip in my car my wife does not ask me, “Was the tank filled when you bought that car?”, as if once filled always filled. She will ask, “Is the tank full?”

So why am I splitting hairs here? So often I hear someone say, “He is a Spirit-filled brother, so how could he have done such a stupid thing?” What they are really saying is, “This man was once filled with the Holy Spirit with some evidence following, and he has now done something that indicates that he is not Spirit-filled.”

Unfortunately, "Spirit-filled" has become a phrase that is a bit worn out with misuse. Instead of asking if someone is Spirit-filled we should ask a more probing question. “Are you, and I mean right now, FULL of the Holy Spirit?” This is a question that lays us bare. It is not a historical question, and it does not concern our various spiritual gifts. “Am I full of the Holy Spirit?” What is even more telling than asking ourselves is whether or not others think we are full of the Holy Spirit just based on everyday observations and fellowship? Here are a few examples from Scripture that use God’s vocabulary instead of ours:

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness Luke 4:1

Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. Acts 6:3

But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Acts 7:55

When we examine ourselves concerning being full of the Holy Spirit we should quickly know the result if we are indeed Christians. It is a question that we should ask ourselves every day, and we should endeavor to do whatever is necessary to be full of the Holy Spirit. What can we do?

• Don’t lean on the nostalgia of past experiences. Seek God for more of His presense and power in your life. Acts 4:31
• Repent of any known sins. Acts 2:37-39; Acts 3:19
• Spend time with God every day talking with Him – aka prayer – and meditating on His words. Jn 15:1-11
• Put yourself in a position where you need His presence and His power by serving and reaching others. Acts 1:8
• All this makes us fillable. Now just ask! Jn 7:37-39

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Gal 5:22,23

I Must Decrease

One of my favorite areas of ministry is mentoring young believers and young leaders. I enjoy seeing new believers discover more and more about Jesus, His grace and His call to reach others. I enjoy seeing young leaders take more responsibility and come up with ideas better than my own. I am also a little selfish here because if the young leaders will do more then I will have to do less.

LESS. Now that is not a popular word. As in fashion where “Green is the new Red” we now find that “Less is the new More.” I am hopelessly colorblind, green really is red for me, so I probably ruined that last example. The problem with this new – actually ancient – spiritual fashion is that some leaders just can’t get enough of “more”.

I often hear of leaders still trying to hold the reigns on peoples’ lives, on the creativity of their leaders and lastly on the pulpit. In its extreme it is both sad and tragic as a whole generation is stunted in their growth because of one person.

John the Baptist set the bar when he said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Jn 3:30 I think that this frightens many leaders because they simply cannot see the Holy Spirit moving in anyone except themselves. Other leaders think that the most talented has to be the one up front, and some are more simple-minded in their approach. They think that they are Moses incarnate.

“Less” and “Decrease” do not mean a decrease in the kingdom of God. This actually means increase in the right context. A kingdom that depends on one man being the conduit of the power of God will surely blow a fuse. The fuse is often the pastor. However, the increase comes from the enormous magnitude of effectiveness when God’s power, creativity and purpose are manifested in all His people. We want the lordship of Jesus to increase in the lives of all people, not our lordship.

There are several areas where this principle causes more growth:

• The more I come to Jesus on a daily basis and rely less on my natural strength, the more His kingdom will be manifested in my life. Still working on this!
• My daughters are at the age where I am mentoring them to make their own decisions. I often ask them what they think God would lead them to do in a specific situation. This sharpens their discernment, and this is necessary now because in a few years they might have their own families. They will still probably call me though to babysit.
• Young believers have to be carried at times, but we need to help them stand on God’s word, and we have to instill a personal faith in them that does not rely on the people or things around them. They need to be weaned from us so they can feed themselves.
• Young leaders need to be able to express their own creativity, and we need to give them reasonable latitude to make important decisions even if we might disagree. Letting people skin their knees a little with some not-so-so-well-thought-out-plans can be a valuable lesson. We can’t insulate them from pain and failure, but we can help them grow in wisdom to make mature decisions.
• We can also simplify the vision so that our personal gifting is not projected over them. Let them be creative. They hear from God as much as we do. Let them take the wheel sometimes.
• Let them take the wheel more.
• Then give them the wheel.

When we hold on to the wheel we will eventually lose it, and God’s kingdom invariably suffers a setback. When we decrease and let Jesus increase in the lives of others we actually lose nothing. People grow, God’s kingdom grows and the leaders whom we helped only invite us back in as wise counsel and eventually peers.

Even Jesus wanted His disciples to do more miracles than He.

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Jn 14:12

Preaching: The Greatest Show on Earth?

When I was young Ringling Brothers Circus would come through town and advertise “The Greatest Show on Earth”. But I liked the State fair better than the circus because I liked to see the stuntman and daredevil shows. The announcer would always remind us adventurous boys, “These men are trained professionals, so don’t try this at home.” The shows were truly great, and as “boys will be boys” we would always attempt in the backyard a version of what we had seen the professionals do. I still have a limp.

There is a current three-ring debate in the church concerning using preachers via video from other churches, so I thought I would add a few comments of my own. The issue is really not about technology because using technology is unavoidable. The real question concerns using “trained professionals” too much. The result of this is that no one tries the same stunts in their home church, speaking of preaching that is.

I am in Kiev, and we have visited Hillsong Church several times. Some may criticize them for being upbeat, but I will not do that. I saw something there that I really liked. I was there twice when the main pastor was not speaking. Instead, one of the home group leaders preached, and another time a youth leader preached. Those guys were pretty good, but better than that I saw that the congregation was satisfied with not having super preacher up there every time. (the pastor is also a great guy)

Some congregations are wowed into virtual spectatorship by the super preacher. They become connoisseurs of preachers and messages like a parody of Ratatouille. The chef and the food must be just right, or they will make their own review of the quality. They constantly speak of how well they were fed..or not fed. My suggestion is that if they want to get fed then they need to work more in the kitchen. This means learning how to feed themselves and then feeding others. This will keep you quite full.

When a young man or woman without much experience ministers publicly it communicates several things:

• It is not about having the super messenger. It is about reproducing as many messengers as possible.
• It shows the congregation that they are expected to and can grow into all roles.
• It drives the critical spectators to action, to grow or go. No food critics allowed!
• Like the movie I have mentioned: Everyone might not be able to preach, but a preacher can come from anywhere.

Finally, the main issue that concerns me about video preachers does not concern the lack of preachers in the church. The main lack is actually in the area of reaching the lost. It is not about preaching. It is about reaching.

The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Tim 2:2

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? Rom 10:14

The Minimum for Salvation

It was one of the most eclectic groups of pastors I have ever been in, and we were all navigating our way through a class on Systematic Theology 101. The teacher had a Reformed background, but the pastors ranged from Arminian to Calvinist in their experience. They all agreed that they were at least saved, but they could not agree if they were saved before or after they repented. You might not be familiar with the debate on this, but it is humorous at times. Another thing they could not agree on was “how they stay saved”.

How to stay saved. It is also not a new debate, but I will state my belief here and now. Trying to stay saved is like concentrating on keeping my heart beating. The thing will beat whether I think about it or not, and thinking about it too much will probably shorten my life due to stress. Striving to “stay saved” will also wreck our walk with God. He keeps my heart beating in the same way He keeps me in His hand. Jn 10:28-29

Anyway, the teacher was talking about grace that day, and those of a legalistic persuasion were getting nervous because all their “works” and energy to stay saved were being rendered null and void with each consecutive verse from the teacher. Then one pastor knew he had the question that would stump the teacher.

“So then, what is the minimum someone has to do to be saved?”

The teacher paused just long enough to inhale enough air to answer. He neither planned to hear such a question that day nor did he plan the answer that he gave. It just popped out to the astonishment of all the listeners.

“The minimum to be saved is the same as the maximum to be saved.” No one expected such an answer, and most of the class had that expression on their faces that puppies have when people try to talk to them, just a slight tilt of the head to one side and a tightening of the brow. It was a wonderful moment that I have never forgotten.

The teacher went on to explain several simple truths, and a few of these are from me:

• It is not what we do to be saved, but it is what Jesus did to save us. He did the work. Rom 11:6
• The Holy Spirit reveals to us that we are lost, no hope, no exit, just very lost. Jn 16:5-15
• The Holy Spirit brings to life whatever we have read, seen or even thought about concerning the gospel and our lives.
• The Holy Spirit reveals to us the person and ministry of Jesus through whatever we have read, seen or even thought about.
• Something happens in us, a breaking, a softening. We can sit quietly, we can wail in terror or we can laugh. It makes no difference how we respond with our emotions.
• In the end we yield; we give way to Another. He takes control ever so gently and turns everything to a new direction. This is repentance.

So then, where is the work? Sorry I left out our contribution, but it comes in various forms:

• We work hard to resist the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives before we are saved…and sometimes even afterwards.
• We work hard to convince people they are lost. Sorry, it is not our job. The Holy Spirit does the convicting.We are to be living witnesses who share our hope.
• We work hard to punish ourselves even after God has forgiven us.
• We try to clean our spiritual house with bulldozer techniques instead of letting God gently remove the baggage.
• We run so far ahead of God in His plan to the point of exhaustion. He then walks by as we are straining at the oars – He is usually walking on water – and He instantly brings us to our destination. Mark 6:45-52; Jn 6:16-21

Yes, we do a lot of unnecessary work trying to help Jesus finish what He has already done and accomplish in our strength what He plans to do through us by His strength.

Because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Heb 10:14

Pastor – Candidate Endorsements

My name is Mike Watkins, and I endorse everything that I say…most of the time. However, there may come a later time when I run for public office, and I will have to disassociate myself from me so that I will not be impugned by my past words. “I had no idea that I held those views!”

Such is the drama and dark comedy of this election season. Candidates have always gotten election-year religion, and this year is no different. However, the spectacle of this year’s US presidential election is unique because the candidates in question are not particularly careful with whom they rub shoulders in the religious community. They are also not that spiritual themselves, and the two-way relationship of endorsements is shaky at best.

Much can be said about the candidates, but less has been said about the pastors who court them. Yes, I said “court”. I do believe that a Christian has the right to voice his or her support for a particular candidate, but when a pastor or major Christian leader makes official endorsements they are stepping outside of their biblical authority. There are many pitfalls:

• By courting favor we lose the ability to speak objective truth as the prophets of old.
• A pastoral endorsement actually says, “As a Christian leader I am saying that this is the man/woman who is best suited for the job based on biblical standards.” This is slippery even when the pastor and the leader are friends.
• One would be a fool to think that there is no temptation for a Christian leader to want to be in the inner circle of the president.
• Pastors are usually not experts as to who would be best at foreign, domestic and economic policy.

Even though there are dangers, this does not mean that Christians and Christian leaders do not have a voice in the democratic process:

• A Christian leader can vouch for the integrity of someone – a personal friend - running for office as well as their stand on specific issues that are important to Christians. Again, the leader needs to know what he is talking about and whom he is talking about.
• A Christian leader can use his God-given authority to speak objective biblical truth into every issue.
• A Christian leader can advise a candidate on matters where the leader is an expert: moral truths, family issues, societal problems, human rights, etc.
• A Christian leader can be called upon by a sitting president for advice. A leader’s stature in the Christian community will make way for him before rulers. This is post-election, and the leader still needs to make it clear Whom he is really representing.
• A Christian leader can call on a public official to simply repent.

Ultimately the best thing that leaders can do is what they were actually called to do, to make disciples who will go into all the world and make more disciples. This is the best way to change society and assure a future for the next generation. We will then have a better crop of candidates and citizens who have good foundations for making daily decisions.

When you sit down to dine with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are a man of great appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for it is deceptive food. Pr 23:1-2

Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin. 1 Tim 5:22

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. Eph 4:11-13

Meeting Me & Becoming Them

Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 1 Cor 4:15

There are some questions that God will not answer directly. It’s as if He waits until our maturity level or experience gives us a basis for understanding the answer. For me one of the questions in life has been understanding my leaders and being frustrated because they just could not understand me. As I grew, learned to forgive and began to lead others there was still a subtle nagging sting of past misunderstandings and hurts that remained without closure. Then the answer came from two directions at once.

I met me. I never planned to meet him, and I was not prepared to meet him. Actually, I began to lead people – some of them young leaders – who reminded me a lot of myself when I was a younger leader or when I started following Christ. As I began to help these people through familiar struggles I became surprisingly embarrassed. It was as if I was in one of those dreams where I am naked in a room and no one notices except me. (don’t laugh, you know you have had this dream too) The nakedness I now felt was in realizing how I must have looked to more mature believers and leaders when I thought I knew it all. How patient had they been? How much had they overlooked? This was the first half of God’s answer to me. I had met myself.

The next part was the hardest part. As I helped these growing leaders I found myself offending them in the same way that my leaders had hurt me. I meant well, but their expectations were too high. I never meant to offend. I explained and apologized. Some forgave and grew. Some did not. In this moment God answered. I had not only met myself but had become those whom I could not forgive. Understanding came, the offense in my heart lessened or vanished altogether and I realized the truth of the matter.

• Spiritual fathers are great, but they are few and far between.
• Even if we have spiritual fathers we need to have realistic expectations. Herein lies most offenses. They are perceived offenses.
• Leaders are not God, they are not our real fathers and as we grow their influence has to decrease as we become fathers ourselves and get to know The Father.
• God cannot answer some questions without growth on our part. If He simply told us the truth we might not believe it.
• Mirrors come in many forms.
• Even at our best we are just like those whom we can’t seem to forgive.

When G.K Chesterton was asked to contribute an article to the Times on “What is Wrong with the World?” he responded with the letter:

Dear Sirs,
I am.
Sincerely yours,
G. K. Chesterton

Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.
Heb 12:9-10

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A New Leaf or a New Day

The New Year is a time when many people make resolutions, goals or radical commitments for change. There is very little spiritual significance in the change of the number 2007 to the number 2008, but there is a lot of momentum when whole societies try some kind of change all at the same time.

A number of years ago I started to go to the gym – oh, I need to resolve to go back – but I started my routine a few months before the holidays. After January 1st my trainer, Anatoliy, said, “Watch, the gym will fill up the next few weeks, people will exercise themselves sick and then give up.” True to his prediction, we watched in awe and humor as new faces came and went. The main problem was that people had unreasonable goals and they were trying to undo in 5 visits the damage and excess of living that they accumulated over their entire lives.

Christians often greet the New Year by thinking that God wipes away the past year and that all they have sown in the past will somehow cease to exist at midnight on December 31st like Cinderella’s ball costume, only in reverse fashion. The sad news is that this simply is not so.

However, the good news is that with God we do not need a New Year to make things right. God’s mercies are new every morning and His faithfulness never fails. Goals for the New Year are good, but the best way to realize them is not a sudden unrealistic surge of activity. Setting the daily goal to meet with our God insures a stable life where mercy is ever-present and foundations are laid at a rate where they can solidify to make us strong throughout the year.

The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,

For His compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;Great is Your faithfulness.

"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,

"Therefore I have hope in Him."

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,

To the person who seeks Him.

It is good that he waits silently

For the salvation of the Lord. Lam 3:22-26

Shaken, Not Stirred

I remember my first earthquake like it was yesterday. We were in our Manila apartment, the 11th floor of a 19 floor building. I was at my computer when my head rocked back and forth. Was I dizzy? I then looked up to see the blinds swinging back and forth, then the ceiling light, and then I noticed that the whole building moved back and forth about 3 feet (1 meter) in a gentle sway.

Several things instantly went through my mind like the worlds fastest modem. All the engineering, Physics and math that I could never remember suddenly and uninvitingly came to mind and reminded me that concrete is not supposed to bend. In other words, this building was going to fall like many pancakes, and we were going to die. The next revelation was that we were on the 11th floor; again, we were going to die. Then I recalled volumes of Bible study that said that I was right with God. My last thought as we sprinted down the stairs was that I hoped that the architects who built this building made good grades. Actually, since that time I have used this example to prove to my daughters why good grades are important. “Would you want to live in a high rise or fly in a plane built by someone with average grades?”

When our quake experience was said and done, it was on a minor shake of 5.9 on the Richter Scale, nothing too scary. There was another quake – a real quake – that was in the news in 1999. It was in İzmit, Turkey, and many thousands were killed from collapsing buildings. In the aftermath of that quake, engineers and investigators noticed something quite peculiar. Some buildings that stood side-by-side had different fates. One building was unfazed while another was reduced to rubble. What was even stranger was that these building were identical in design and suffered identical tremors during the main quake. A mystery was at hand.

When investigators dug deeper they could find no obvious difference in the way the buildings had been built, so they decided to test the materials by cutting two identical pieces of concrete from each building to compare. Again, they looked the same, so they decided to conduct a stress test by applying hundreds of tons of pressure to each piece in a hydraulic press to see if they could both withstand their design specifications. This is where the mystery ended.

The piece from the building that survived withstood the required pressure, but the piece from the collapsed building quickly disintegrated into dust. The dust was examined with the result that it was now clear that the builder had added much more sand than concrete mix in order to save time and money. He took a fatal shortcut that only became evident when stress was applied, and he did so knowing that he was in an earthquake zone.

As believers and leaders who raise up other leaders, it is a certainty that times of testing will come because this world is a spiritual earthquake zone. If we take shortcuts by focusing on exterior facades rather than internal character, we are dooming our building plan to a future cataclysmic failure. However, if we focus on the simplicity of laying firm foundations in our own lives and the lives of those whom we mentor we assure that when shaking comes we will not only stand firm but produce a testimony of God’s grace and truth.

Here are a few areas that will help secure us in our daily walk and assure long-term stability:

• The Lordship of Jesus: abide in Him daily by studying His word and seeking His face in prayer. You can do nothing without this. Jn 15


• Your family: In airplanes they tell us to put on our oxygen masks first so we can then put them on our children if the need arises. The simple reason for this is that you can save your kids but they cannot save you. Strong marriages make strong children.


• Reaching & serving others: Pattern your life and lifestyle around the purposes of God. This brings prosperity to you, salvation and help to others and drives you back to the first priority.
  

These are only a few. Don’t be afraid that you might mistakes while growing in these areas. The serious error is to not do them at all, to take shortcuts.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall." Matt 7:24-27

Better Late than “The Late”

Our family just arrived in Kiev two weeks ago to embark on a new church plant. We have found a nice temporary home to stay in just outside the city, but this created one hurdle: how to get our daughters to school every day before we purchase a car. The first solution was the bus which took over an hour and we had to stand the whole way, sort of like communal surfing on rough water. The next solution was the train-subway-bus. This required a 20 minute walk to the train, but the ride was much better. We finally just hired a driver and split the cost with another missionary family who are in the same boat. This is working just fine.

However, one day the driver was running late, and I was convinced that he could not make it to school in time. There was a traffic jam going into the city but – welcome to Ukraine – there was no traffic going out of the city. Well, logic dictates on the mission field to adapt so the driver switched to the left shoulder of the road while carefully swerving to miss oncoming traffic. He then drove around a concrete barrier which was meant to stop us from driving where we were, passed through oncoming traffic back to the right side and proceeded to pass as many cars as was mortally possible. He then asked if we were still late to which I answered, “yes”, but I was thinking that I had rather be late than to be “the late Mike Watkins”. Our driver goes slower now but takes the same shortcuts.

In ministry, especially in church planting, there is always an urgency to start something quickly and build something quickly. One positive motivation for this is to win as many souls as possible. A negative motivation is to catch up with all the other ministries that seem to be passing us. This is dangerous and often fatal both in driving and in ministry. I have passed several accidents this week caused by either speeding or driving on the side of the road. I have also passed a few church-planting accidents in our years on the field and am thankful we have survived our own fender-benders.

• My first priority these days is to stay strong in faith and character by staying close to God. This cannot be done in fifth gear. We need to park and listen.


• My next priority has been getting our daughters happily settled in school and creating a happy home life even while in transition. We will next shop for a nice car and then go apartment hunting for something more permanent.


• The next step is to start laying the practical foundations for outreach and the new church plant. We have exciting things planned, and we are already working on the details; however, taking shortcuts with the first priorities might cause disasters. Actually, shortcuts will definitely cause disasters. I will write more about dangerous shortcuts in my next post.

You know, God knows how to build His church, and He is not in a hurry. We can abide in His grace while working hard. The vision can still be big, but there needs to be a healthy plan that considers all of God’s priorities.

Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it;Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep. Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,The fruit of the womb is a reward. Psalm 127:1-3

Oh, one more thing. Anyone from the British Commonwealth is welcome here because you can choose which side of the road best suits you.

How Many Mikes?

As a young boy it was always fun to watch The Ed Sullivan Show on TV especially when the Chinese Acrobats were displaying their plate spinning agility. The more noble-minded viewer may have been amazed at how one guy could keep 20 different plates spinning on thin poles, but not me. I was just waiting for the whole thing to come crashing down. It was inevitable he would make a mistake. (actually, these guys were quite good)

There were two things that reminded me of the famous plate spinners from China recently. The first was Steve Murrell’s recent blog “Leadership is…Getting Out of the Way” The other was a web site I stumbled upon that would tell how many people in the US had the same name as you or I.

So, how many of “me” are there in the US? According to the site there are 2,192 people in the US with the name “Michael Watkins”. I also checked the names of a few of my friends, and the site said that there were none of them in the US. Therefore, you might not really exist.

Back to leadership: Not only was I not surprised when the acrobats broke a few plates, but advanced alien civilizations viewing in on satellite were probably wondering, “You know, if the earthlings were as advanced as they thought, they might get some help spinning those plates. Less would be dropped!” I also think that they had an affinity for spinning plates, probably something to do with their public transportation.

Anyway, and let me try to get back on track, the point of developing leaders is not to develop the one-man-show because sooner or later he or she will drop the plate, the ball or worse. It is only a matter of time. The more people we train to lead in the ordinary areas of life the more we will get accomplished for God’s kingdom and the less high-profile plate droppings we will have.

Here are a few insights that I gained from the silly website:

• Some leaders act as if there is only one of them. Sorry, but there are more, so we are not as important as we think.
• I need to develop other “me’s”. This is better understood as “developing others” as opposed to only developing myself.
• Who thinks up these sites?

The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Tim 2:2

Net Fishing vs. Line Fishing, Part 6

I have never fished with a net, but the Bible uses this as the primary analogy in evangelism. Some say line fishing – a pole & line attached to a hook – is like reaching just one person at a time while net fishing is like a large event that gathers many people at once. Well, I beg to differ on that meaning of net fishing.

I have organized several large-scale outreaches in Ukraine, and in one we saw 3000 decisions in two weeks. We knew none of these people before the outreach, and even with organized follow-up we only saw about 10 people added to the churches involved. Even large ministries will tell you that follow-up is the most problematic aspect of large crusades. Our intentions were always good, but the nets simply broke. Most of our growth has always been through one-to-one encounters.

I started this series talking about an “itch” that I had when I first heard about the way the church was growing in Manila, and now the itch has been scratched and satisfied. The net is not the super evangelist or the crusade. The net is community: individuals, families and social groups that already exist in the world’s community that are saved, trained and ministering in community where the lost live. When we tap into the potential of our members then true net fishing occurs, and fruitfulness is multiplied.

In many western countries individualism has eroded the fabric of community to such an extent that people no longer know their own neighbors. This erosion weakens the very net that facilitates reaching society from within. It makes us strangers to the world even before we become Christians, and when we do finally come to the Lord the church can unwittingly estrange us even more from the lost around us. The most expedient solution to this erosion has been to rely on professional ministers to do 80% of the work that all the members should be doing, but this produces a further atrophy in our God-given ability and desire to share our faith. We simply lose by default.

When Steve first invited me to Manila I asked him what I would be doing to which he replied, “The same thing everyone else does.” This was a bit of a jolt to a full-time missionary like myself, but it was the medicine that I had to take before the itch would leave. Desiring titles or the position as “the man of God” will never advance God’s kingdom, and it may even hinder it as we make ourselves the roadblock that younger growing leaders can never get past. Over the years God has removed much of this mindset from me, and every honest pastor must admit that it is an issue in a world where performance and success are exalted.

As a full-time missionary I am at best a leader (to Jesus, not myself), an equipper, which I love to do, and the rest a follower of Jesus and fisher of men. Matt 4:19 The kingdom is best advanced by ordinary, equipped Christians following Christ in community. This is the essence of what we call “discipleship”.

The highlight of this week for me was taking my friend, Marcus, through our One-2-One booklet over sushi at Teriyaki Boy. He is already a Christian, but I was mentoring him to better reach those whom he meets every day. I am convinced that he will bear much fruit, more than me because he lives and works in community. The examples here of ordinary people bearing extraordinary fruit are too numerable to mention! You need to see it just once…in your own church...in your own life.

Babe Ruth and Basic Fishing Tips, Part 1

I was sitting with a friend a few years ago watching the American baseball playoffs as the Boston Red Sox were trying to break the “curse” that had haunted them since they had sold their good luck charm, the Babe. (Not the talking pig but the famous baseball player, Babe Ruth). During a commercial we grabbed some more pizza, and the conversation turned to the art of coaching.

My friend related to me that many star athletes eventually tried their hand at coaching or even training. The problem often occurred that the natural talent or ability that many possessed was non-transferable. These were great athletes, but they could not train average athletes to be like themselves. It often reverted to, “can’t you see it?” or “jump like him!”

It turned out that average players who had to learn their ability from scratch made the best trainers because they knew what it was like not to know how to do it, and they could explain how they learned how to do it.

This conversation took me back to some leadership training meetings that I attended a few years ago, and on this particular day the subject was “evangelism”, a task where I am not very confident and often fumble the ball. The first speaker was a Babe Ruth kind-of guy who told many testimonies of his spiritual home-runs. I was amazed, inspired and … discouraged. “This guy is awesome, but I could never be like him.”

The next speaker was not an evangelist, but he told many stories about ordinary people like myself who were trained to reach those around them. They were equipped by ordinary teachers to learn to share their faith in ordinary ways in ordinary places. He even exclaimed that he was not very good at it himself, but had even produced some success. Actually, this was an understatement. It was the success of those whom he had trained which caught my eye.

In my heart and mind the lights suddenly went on. This was transferable, and anyone no matter their ability or handicap could do it. In fact, I might even be able to do it. An itch – if I may call I that – began that day, an itch that would not be satisfied until I landed in Manila, Philippines. To be continued…