Tag Archives: Jesus

How Jesus responded to Fame!

Posted on by
1

Matthew 14:1 “At that time Herod the tetrarch about the fame of Jesus…” Matthew 12:15-16 “Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all and ordered them not to make him known.”

In my devotions this morning I came across these two passages of Scripture and was fascinated by the fact that while Jesus had obvious fame and notoriety in his generation (and still has today) because of his preaching and miracles, he went to great lengths to keep it all under wraps.

Throughout the gospels we read that Jesus was constantly asking his disciples or those to whom he was ministering to not to tell anyone about his ministry, and yet it seemed like Jesus ministry just kept getting bigger. He even had family members telling him to go to Jerusalem and do his works out in the open and not in obscure places, if he wanted to be known… How wrong they were about Jesus motives…

Even though Jesus had many people following his ministry and his name even being heard amongst the elite of the day (King Herod), I’m fascinated that he did all he could to keep a low profile, to enable him to go about the Father’s business in the times and seasons alloted to him.

Jesus lived his life on purpose and if twitter and Facebook had been around, I’m sure he would have avoided boasting of the last great miracle he performed (“Just opened another blind man’s eyes… I had to give him another round of prayer cause his eyesight was still blurry after the first one…” In 70 characters or less).

Jesus responded to the opportunities before him according to his mission from his Father. If being given a platform to more people would extend the mission of the Father, then Jesus would use it accordingly but I don’t read him seeking fame. In fact, he did the opposite, he avoided it.

How Jesus’ example challenges us today? I wish I could say, that all of my motives for social media and ministry have been pure but unfortunately, lurking deep within have been some very prideful and selfish agenda’s. I’ve since repented of them, however, Jesus’ example forces us to re-examine the goals we are aiming for in our lives and what we are seeking after as being worthy of our joy and contentment.

If God’s grace extends to you fame and notoriety, this much I know, it isn’t for you, cause you were never built to handle it. It could only be for the glory of Jesus and the extension of his mission on planet earth. If fame and notoriety doesn’t come your way, rejoice that your name is written down in the book of life and get on with the mission God’s put before you.

Grace!

Pressure Shift!

Posted on by
1

The word SHIFT means to change from one position to another or to move from where you are to where you need to be. Life and leadership requires shifts of all kinds at various moments in our journey if we are going to continue to grow and influence others toward a preferable future. One of the shifts I have personally had to embrace that I want to pass onto you is:

A PRESSURE shift from the comfortable to the chaotic

When I wasn’t leading people in the context of local church ministry, my life was less chaotic and more comfortable and yet when I answered the call of God to lead and preach, the pressure increased radically. It’s in response to the possibility of stress that people often back away from the call of God but keep in mind the only place where there is no stress in life is the cemetery. Life, let alone ministry is full of chaotic activity, especially, when you are seeking to live in the centre of God’s purpose for you.

The first thing that signals a transition into growing pains is an increase of pressure applied to your life. Life Pressure is the amount of force applied to such things as your schedule, relationships, work and finances. When going through a pressure shift, you will feel overwhelmed by what is being expected of you and as a result you will have a tendency to go to emotional extremes. When you feel like your spiritual insides are going to explode you will generally respond in 1 of 2 ways:

  1. Push harder, or
  2. Sideline yourself
Either option isn’t going to help you grow. I encourage you to go contrary to what you think should do and work a little less but spend more time with God to receive the spiritual energy you need to sustain the output required of you in your current capacity. Leadership, be it in the family or work context demands an increasing of capacity to keep growing.
Insight!

The Disciple Making Church

Posted on by
Reply

The BIG idea of why the church exists is found in Matthew 28:18-20. The church exists at the core to make disciples of Jesus. You must be convinced that disciple making is for everyone, and not just a few elite people who have the gifting and passion for it.

Why is making disciples so important? Jesus has commanded us to disciple and Jesus has modeled to us what disciple making looks like. The early church lived and breathed it and unless the church makes disciple making the main agenda, world evangelization won’t take place.

It’s not enough for the church to have an overseas mission program and neglect mission at home base. Weak mission at home weakens mission thrust in foreign lands. When the local church prioritizes disciple making, Christians become healthy and start to reproduce more disciples.

Technically, every Christian is a disciple of Jesus and called to make disciples. God expects every believer to be a mature, reproducing disciple. Disciple making isn’t an even, it’s a process and a lifestyle. Jesus Christ is our chief example of disciple making. Jesus wasn’t random in his ministry. He had a plan, priorities and goals. So important was the mission to Jesus that he made 5 Great Commission declarations throughout his ministry. If it’s worth saying once, it’s worth saying over and over again.

There were 4 key statements in the Gospels that help us focus in on the disciple making process in the life of the local church:

  1. Come and see = Invite people to activities that introduce them to Christ and the church.
  2. Come and follow me = Show people how to follow Christ and do it with them in a life group.
  3. Come and be with me = Train disciples to lead others and let them do it themselves
  4. Remain in me and Go and make disciples = Send disciples out to make more disciples
In order for this process to work every believer must shift their focus outward, rather than inward. The more we keep focused on our own little worlds, the more dysfunctional we become but the more outward focused we are, the more healthy we become.
Insight!

Spiritual Warfare!

Posted on by
1

Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:10-11)

There is a spiritual battle waging for your soul, whether you can see it or not. Being a Christian and having a Biblical worldview exposes me to the reality of the devil and his agenda on the earth. We must avoid 2 extremes when it comes to Spiritual Warfare. Too many of us either, attribute too much credit to the devil’s influence in our lives or we don’t acknowledge his presence at all and write him off as just being pure fantasy.

Someone once said, “One of the greatest lies Satan ever convinced us with, is that he doesn’t exist”.

The Scriptures exhort us to remember, our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, authorities and cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. The 1st lesson of spiritual warfare is to know thy enemy. Unlike the common caricature of horns, pitch-fork and pointy tail, the devil masquerades himself as an angel of light, he distorts the truth and the bible says that he is an accuser of God’s people and continually opposes Gods purposes on planet earth.

Keep in mind that Satan is not like God in any way. He is not omnipresent, omnipotent or omniscient. Only God is completely and utterly holy and sovereign. Our approach to spiritual warfare must be shaped by a biblical worldview. The reason Ephesians 6:10-20 exhorts us to stand and defend against Satan’s attacks is because the decisive battle over Satan has already been won by Jesus. 1 John 3:8 says, the reason Jesus Christ appeared was to destroy the works of Satan. Christ has disarmed the rulers and authorities, putting them to open shame.

God hasn’t called us to be cowboys when it comes to spiritual warfare because Jesus has already done the heavy lifting against Satan rendering him a defeated foe. Our job as believers is to enforce the victory Christ has already one and drive out the kingdom of darkness from the world through the weapons of Gods truth, prayer, faith, the gospel, salvation and our righteousness in Christ.

Satan doesn’t have any new tricks up his sleeve. He just tries the same old well-worn attacks he has used for centuries. He attacks the mind with strongholds. He attacks the body through physical sickness. He attacks relationships with strife and he attacks the church with doctrine, disunity, persecution and apathy.

Our response to these attacks is to root out anything in our lives the devil could use as a foothold to enter in and destroy us. We are to submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from us. When you stand strong in God, you won’t fall when Satan attacks you.

Insight!

Cross the Line!

Posted on by
Reply

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.”

There comes a point in every Christians journey when they need to decide what sort of Christian they want to be. What am I talking about? Jesus said, “Which of you desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man who began to build was not able to finish.”

There is a cost and a call involved in following Christ. You can decide to play it safe and be a nominal Christian who attends Church but doesn’t actively live out their faith and evangelize others in the gospel or you can choose to CROSS THE LINE and be the real deal and embrace the cost and reach out to people who don’t know Jesus.

The cost of following Christ can look like persecution and criticism from others, both close and far to you and the call looks like laying your life down to make disciples of others. I have experienced the reality of both of these in my walk with God.

As a full time pastor of a local church I could very easily hide behind the facade of the pulpit and not venture out past my own office to reach out to people far away from Jesus but the truth is, everyday I have a choice to make regarding the thousands of people that walk past Activate Church in our local shopping centre. Not only that but I could choose to not embrace all of Jesus teachings and develop a safe reputation within my local community or I could choose to cross the line and lay my life down for Jesus regardless of what people may say.

You can’t truly follow Jesus and do it half-heartedly. You are either all in or all out. One of the blessings of my life is being raised in a strong Christian home but at the same time one of the challenges of my life is being raised in a strong Christian home because I can easily forget the reality of being completely separated from God and what that feeling must be like.

I was sitting in a staff prayer meeting the other day and my eyes were opened again to the full realisation of the life Jesus has called me to. In my spirit, all I could hear was, “Cross the line… cross the line… cross the line…” I had a choice to make, Was I going to play it safe in my office or venture out and talk to someone about Jesus? Was I going to preach what God really wanted me to preach on Sunday or tone it down so that it was more tasteful from a religious perspective?

I can’t play it safe. I’m either all in or all out. I’ve crossed the line. How about you?

Insight!

When the Call Wearies You!

Posted on by
Reply

Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.”

I know what it’s like to grow weary in the fulfillment of the call of God. 2 years ago I took a month long sabbatical to just rest in God and allow him to fill my cup back up. The truth is you don’t have to sideline yourself to overcome seasons of weariness, you just need to do more of the most important things that contribute to your overall well being and less or even cut out what isn’t important.

When the call wearies you, make sure you identify what fills your tank back up and do them. These could include:

  • Exercise – Exercise helps your body to de-stress as well as increase your energy levels.
  • Sleep – Sleep it off. Restore your bodies natural sleep patterns and you will start to feel better.
  • Vacation – Sometime all you need is a good old fashioned holiday for at least 3 weeks to recover.
  • Prayer Retreat – Book 3 days away into your diary and spend the time praying and reading your bible.
  • Vision – Return to the original vision that inspired you to answer the call in the first place and rekindle it.
  • Read – Take a couple of hours off and read a good book that gets your mind thinking about other things.
  • Friends – Call up your friends and go have some fun.
  • Movie – Go catch a good movie and escape to another world for a couple of hours.
  • Devotions – Get up everyday and spend extra time worshipping, praying and reading your bible.
  • Holy Spirit – Ask for an infilling of the Holy Spirit and stop doing ministry on empty batteries.
Its normal to feel tired and weary from time to time but it’s important how you respond to it. Don’t wait until your weariness turns to bitterness and hard-heartedness towards God and others. Do something today and get back to where you need to be.
Insight!

Self-Discipline!

Posted on by
1

Proverbs 16:32 “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”

Self-discipline is a bridge that can take you from where you are to where you want to be. One of the things that characterizes our capacity as humans is our willingness to discipline ourselves for what is most important to us. What we really want to do, we do, even if it involves sacrifice and copious amounts of discipline.

No one got anywhere without disciplining themselves to focus their time and energy on the goal before them. Without a goal or a vision set before you, you’ll lack the motivation to discipline yourself but when you have a compelling reason to get up early, eat well, study and go the extra mile, discipline will come much easier.

Musicians discipline themselves to practice hours everyday. Athletes get up at 5am and prepare their bodies for the rigors of competition. Politicians log hundreds of hours in the office preparing for their election campaign. Pastors work tirelessly preparing sermons and discipling budding leaders to help grow the church. Mums invest hundreds of hours each week raising kids and building into their future. Why do we do the things that we do? Its because we see the goal before us and we think its worth disciplining ourselves for.

How much more should we be willing to lead ourselves when it comes to the call of God on our lives? God has given you a call because there’s a need in the earth, he has created you to meet. Your call has eternal ramifications. Whether or not you fulfill your call depends on your willingness to discipline yourself for it. What are the things you keep putting off that God has called you to do? What is the one thing right now in your life that if you disciplined yourself to do it, would add the most value to you? Keep the goal clear and discipline yourself to work towards it.

1 Corinthians 9:27 “I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

Insight!

Embrace the Present!

Posted on by
Reply

Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Too many of us either live in the past or live in the future but fail to live in the present moment. Its important to reflect on the past and plan for the future but embrace each moment we are in with passion and focus.

I have observed others and even myself from time to time suffer from destination disease. This disease manifests as a continual focus on that place called ‘There’. The problem is if you arrive ‘There’, you might actually find that the journey to ‘There’ was the most important thing all along.

Life is a journey, not an event. The same goes for your calling. Your calling isn’t about a one time event but a life-long process. While Jesus Christ’s calling was defined by his death on the cross and subsequent resurrection, his calling was outworked over the process of his entire life, especially the last three years.

Don’t wait till your kids get older before you start enjoying them but embrace them as they are right now. Don’t see your current ministry assignment as a stepping stone to greater things but embrace it as the most important thing God has ever asked you to do and give it your all. Don’t relate to people with yourself continually on your mind but totally embrace the opportunity to get to know someone else and be interested in their world.

Eternity is a long time and how we live now in the present really matters. Embracing the present isn’t about living for yourself, it’s about living for Christ and his purpose for your life.

Insight!

Position to Possess

Posted on by
1

Prophecy is not an automatic outcome, it represents Gods intention for you. It’s easy to deceive yourself into a false sense of security by thinking that the outcome is guaranteed simply because you have received a prophetic word.

Truth is, you need to position yourself to possess what God has spoken over your life. The apostle Paul was constrained by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem but he still had to buy a ticket to get on the boat that was going to take him to Jerusalem.

What has God declared over your life? What promises has he spoken into your heart? What are you doing to possess them? It maybe that you have to wait patiently for them to come to pass, while you are doing all you can behind the scenes to be prepared and ready for the promise to be fulfilled.

Faith positions you to posses Gods promises. God is attracted to faith and when faith kisses the word of the Lord, the possibility of the word coming to pass in the natural realm is unlocked. I encourage you to receive Gods word with joy but also test it and posture your heart by faith to posses the promise in your reality.

Insight!

Do what God asks you to do!

Posted on by
1

Luke 6:46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?”

I could talk about this subject all day, not just because there is so much teaching in the Scriptures on it but because I am a walking illustration of both the blessings of obedience and the consequences of disobedience. You need to understand something really critical to your walk with God. Obedience does bring a blessing and disobedience does bring a curse upon your life.

The Holy Spirit spoke into my Spirit one day, “I will not bless you at the expense of disobedience.” In other words God’s blessing isn’t cheap. God also said to me one day, “If I ask you to do something, it isn’t law, it’s my will for you that I want you to obey me in”.  

Don’t call Jesus your Lord, if you aren’t going to do what he tells you to do. I think we are kidding ourselves if we think we can follow Jesus but not do some of the things he asks us to do. The chief indicator of Christ’s Lordship in our lives is our obedience to his commandments. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey my commandments”. Even the Great Commission outlines the process of making disciples includes, ‘teaching them to obey everything I’ve commanded you’.

For several years God has asked me to get up at 5am every day and spend quality time with him. While I’m a morning person, I have never taken this seriously enough to warrant a change in my lifestyle to action what the Spirit of God is asking me to do. I saw this as ‘Law’ rather than obedience and so procrastinated on it and dismissed it . However, God has repeatedly asked me to obey him in this area and went so far as to inform me that my disobedience was bringing a curse upon me and my ministry. I can tell you that when I began to hear the word of the Lord, a healthy fear of God came upon me. I asked God, “Why are you so intense about me getting up at 5am?” He said to me, “I want you to know that apart from me, you can do nothing. I want you to know that the blessing and success I give to you hasn’t got anything to do with you but comes from me and my grace in your life. If you are going to bear much fruit, you are going to do it my way, not your way.” Needless to say, I’m now a regular riser at 5am because I know the issue isn’t about 5am, it’s about my obedience in the context of my relationship with Jesus.

Too many of us are concerned about the outcome of our lives (results, fruit, success) rather than our obedience to Jesus. God said to me, “Obey me and the results will take care of themselves.”

What has God asked you to do that you have been procrastinating on? Stop bringing a curse against yourself and just do it. The blessing of God follows obedience. This isn’t a teaching of ‘law’ but a fundamental part of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Either Jesus is Lord of your life or he isn’t.

Insight!