Synergy: Pt VI

Material taken from a podcast by John Lee and Steven Schenk for UNITE WNY

Synergy is defined as "the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of the separate effects." Another way of thinking about synergy is when one person does a single task that serves the goals and mission of two separate organizations. All that is necessary for synergy to happen in ministry is for us to be willing to let go of our need for control over, and credit for, the use of our own skills and resources, and a willingness to see ourselves as belonging to the same team.

Our Ask

Use your time, talent, and treasure to accomplish God’s will for our world. First, develop a collaborative relationship with a ministry leader.  Second, help your church efficiently pursue Kingdom goals.  Third, use your network, skills, resources to advance God’s plan in our region and our world.  God wants you to bring your ingenuity and focus to the work, it is vital to the task at hand.

Leaders Get What They Want?

We often think that a leader is someone who gets to make decisions; a leader is someone who gets whatever they want.  This couldn't be more wrong-headed; a godly leader is a person who no longer thinks about what would fulfill his own desires, and instead works hard to make the community healthy and fruitful.  A leader shouldn't give people the things that he desires for himself, but instead, a leader should give people the things that they need to flourish.

Leaders don't do what makes themselves happy, they do what makes other people healthy.

Look in the Mirror

I am not nearly as impressed with the man
who can see the fault in his enemy
as I am with the man
who can see the fault in himself.

Preaching to 'Us' and the Three Magic Words

I was once asked by a younger leader, "how can I teach or lead someone in something that I haven't figured out?  I would be a hypocrite!"

Now, the truth of this statement should not be ignored!  It is quite true that we cannot lead someone where we have not been ourselves.  It is quite true that we cannot teach what we do not know.  It is quite true that we cannot give away what we do not have.  However...

...my response to my friend was this, "when we preach Jesus, we will always be preaching something that is beyond ourselves.  This is not hypocrisy, but faithfulness to the Scriptures.  If we were only preaching what we had ourselves mastered, then we would not be faithful to the whole counsel of the Kingdom."

So how do we reconcile these two opposing truths?

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I was taught by my pastor to preach to 'us,' and to rarely if ever preach to 'you.'  I have learned that there are rarely appropriate times to speak in the language of 'you people' but they are most certainly not when speaking difficult truths.  Even though I am a preacher, I am myself included in the congregation who is being preached to.  I must hear the words pronounced; I must receive the revelation, correction, admonition, challenge, encouragement, teaching, blessing, and wisdom.  Are you a teacher or a leader?  Number yourself among those who are taught and led!

Hearing my pastor preach this way modeled for me a humility before Christ, and before the church that I hope to emulate.  It also, however, provided an open door to hear the difficult call to carry the Cross of Christ.  The posture of humility from the preacher, including himself in the challenge, allowed me to be challenged as well.

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Then we come to the three magic words...

...I will never forget them.  I heard them often on the lips of my pastor, but the first time I heard him say them, he was standing in the pulpit.  I had never heard a pastor utter these words before.  I don't think I had ever heard a Christian speak them, certainly not about spiritual or theological matters.  They were a shock to my system, but a good shock.  Like cool water on a hot day, or the unexpected arrival of beautiful music that perfectly matches the mood of the moment, or a word of encouragement when rebuke was expected, came these words:

"I don't know."

Again, the posture of humility allows for our walls to come down, and for Christ to be revealed before us in all of His glory, all of His mercy, and all of His judgment.  We can hear the difficult words of challenge, when they come with a recognition of our common need for His grace, His wisdom, and His Kingdom.

True Wisdom

"EVERY man naturally desires knowledge; but what good is knowledge without fear of God? Indeed a humble rustic who serves God is better than a proud intellectual who neglects his soul to study the course of the stars. He who knows himself well becomes mean in his own eyes and is not happy when praised by men.
If I knew all things in the world and had not charity, what would it profit me before God Who will judge me by my deeds?
Shun too great a desire for knowledge, for in it there is much fretting and delusion. Intellectuals like to appear learned and to be called wise. Yet there are many things the knowledge of which does little or no good to the soul, and he who concerns himself about other things than those which lead to salvation is very unwise.
Many words do not satisfy the soul; but a good life eases the mind and a clean conscience inspires great trust in God.
The more you know and the better you understand, the more severely will you be judged, unless your life is also the more holy. Do not be proud, therefore, because of your learning or skill. Rather, fear because of the talent given you. If you think you know many things and understand them well enough, realize at the same time that there is much you do not know. Hence, do not affect wisdom, but admit your ignorance. Why prefer yourself to anyone else when many are more learned, more cultured than you?
If you wish to learn and appreciate something worth while, then love to be unknown and considered as nothing. Truly to know and despise self is the best and most perfect counsel. To think of oneself as nothing, and always to think well and highly of others is the best and most perfect wisdom. Wherefore, if you see another sin openly or commit a serious crime, do not consider yourself better, for you do not know how long you can remain in good estate. All men are frail, but you must admit that none is more frail than yourself."

Thomas a Kempis

Twelve Ways to Humble Yourself

Twelve Ways to Humble Yourself

1. Routinely confess your sin to God. (Luke 18:9-14) All of us sin and fall short of the glory of God. However, too few of us have a routine practice of rigorous self-honesty examination. Weekly, even daily, review of our heart and behavior, coupled with confession to God, is an essential practice of humility.

2. Acknowledge your sin to others. (James 3:2, James 5:16) Humility before God is not complete unless there is also humility before man. A true test of our willingness to humble ourselves is being willing to share with others the weaknesses we confess to God. Wisdom, however, dictates that we do so with others that we trust.

3. Take wrong patiently. (1 Peter 3:8-17) This has been a difficult one for me. When something is unjust I want to react and rectify it. However, patiently responding to the unjust accusations and actions of others demonstrates our strength of godly character and provides an opportunity to put on humility.

4. Actively submit to authority…the good and the bad! (1 Peter 2:18) Our culture does not value submission; rather it promotes individualism. How purposely and actively do you work on submission to those whom God has placed as authorities in your life? Doing so is a good way to humble yourself.

5. Receive correction and feedback from others graciously. (Proverbs 10:17, 12:1) In the Phoenix area, a local East valley pastor was noted for graciously receiving any negative feedback or correction offered. He would simply say "thank you for caring enough to share that with me, I will pray about it and get back to you." Look for the kernel of truth in what people offer you, even if it comes from a dubious source. Always pray, "Lord, what are you trying to show me through this?"

6. Accept a lowly place. (Proverbs 25:6,7) If you find yourself wanting to sit at the head table, wanting others to recognize your contribution or become offended when others are honored or chosen, then pride is present. Purpose to support others being recognized, rather than you. Accept and look for the lowly place; it is the place of humility.

7. Purposely associate with people of lower state than you. (Luke 7:36-39) Jesus was derided by the Pharisees for socializing with the poor and those of lowly state. Our culture is very status conscious and people naturally want to socialize upward. Resist the temptation of being partial to those with status or wealth.

8. Choose to serve others. (Philippians 1:1, 2 Corinthians 4:5, Matthew 23:11) When we serve others, we are serving God’s purposes in their lives. Doing so reduces our focus on ourselves and builds the Kingdom of God instead of the Kingdom of self. When serving another costs us nothing, we should question whether or not it is really servanthood.

9. Be quick to forgive. (Matthew 18: 21-35) Forgiveness is possibly one of the greatest acts of humility we can do. To forgive is to acknowledge a wrong that has been done us and also to further release our right of repayment for the wrong. Forgiveness is denial of self. Forgiveness is not insisting on our way and our justice.

10. Cultivate a grateful heart. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) The more we develop an attitude of gratitude for the gift of salvation and life He has given us, the more true our perspective of self. A grateful heart is a humble heart.

11. Purpose to speak well of others. (Ephesians 4:31-32) Saying negative things about others puts them "one down" and us "one up"…a form of pride. Speaking well of others edifies them and builds them up instead of us. Make sure, however, that what you say is not intended as flattery.

12. Treat pride as a condition that always necessitates embracing the cross. (Luke 9:23) It is our nature to be proud and it is God’s nature in us that brings humility. Committing to a lifestyle of daily dying to self and living through Him is the foundation for true humility.

Thank you (or maybe no thank you!) to the folks at Trinity Communion (I don't know them, just followed a link) for this handy, fun-filled guide to life! Check the title link...

Judgment

So here are some thoughts...

Do I judge people who I perceive as 'not wanting God?'

Do I take people who don't conform to my plans for their life (and no matter how spiritual sounding I make it, it doesn't amount to anything more than that!) and place them in a box? Anyone who refuses to jump on board with what God has called me to is relegated to non-existence? Is there no room for other people pursuing God's plan for their life, must they also pursue God's plan for me?

It is very easy to do!

It is very easy to just expect people to 'get with the program!' "Why won't you just do what everyone else is doing!?!" If you won't, the obvious answer is, you are lazy, evil, unrepentant, unsubmissive, difficult, or all of the above. These people are then simply ignored. I know I do it. If you are unwilling to make the effort, if you won't pursue my time, if you won't show up to my group, if you won't approach me, then you will not 'qualify' for my time.

It is very easy to do, it is what our culture trains us to do, it is the easy thing to do, the unreflective and comfortable thing to do, and it is just what Satan is whispering in our ear!

I turn the Kingdom of the Blessed poor, into the Kingdom of the beautiful people. Jesus said blessed are the down and out, and I very often choose instead to bless those who already have it made. Jesus said blessed are the meek and weak, and yet I choose to bless the powerful and successful. Jesus hung out with despised people, I choose to hang out with those who can accomplish much; and perhaps that keeps me from seeing what Jesus can accomplish...

How can I say I am 'seeking the lost' when the people I am 'finding' are so capable and self-assured?

I know that people will say that we shouldn't 'cast pearls before swine,' but swine don't have a use for pearls; and I don't think Jesus intended that saying to be used to instigate segregation, to promote cliques. Jesus, it is noted, spent time with the twelve, and with the three, at the expense of his time with others, but is this our real motivation for our proximity to the best and brightest, the up-and-comers?

I know that spending time with burned out people is depressing, but doesn't the Spirit of our Crucified Master compell us to blow on the spark till it flames, even though it means ashes in our faces?

Wouldn't Jesus rather have us get behind them and encourage them, instead of ignoring them, or privately mocking them?

Shouldn't we take the time to get to know the people who 'don't want more,' the people who are left out of the 'inner circle?' Shouldn't we do the real relational work of finding out just what is really going on, before we throw them to the trash heap of Church rejects?

Wouldn't we rather be a Barnabas and look for a discounted Saul to stand up for, invite along, and then step out of the way?

I am telling people to 'come follow me' instead of being 'with' them. Jesus loved people, He was with them and that is what allowed him to challenge people to 'follow him;' do we love the people we are 'challenging' the way that Jesus loved them?

The real question, of course, is not "do we?" but rather "do I?"

What did you say?

The one who knows much says little

A man of knowledge uses words with restraint

He that hath knowledge spareth his words

A truly wise person uses few words

Whoever restrains his words has knowledge

- Proverbs 17:27a

Adorned Clay Pots

The apostle Paul, patron saint of type-A personalities, stumped me this morning.

Perplexed!

The man who lived a life that brought the gospel to western asia, eastern europe, and beyond; prolific church planter; author of scripture; overseer of the Church; apostle; perplexed! (v 8 NIV)

The Message translates that single word into, "we're not sure what to do." (Check the title link)

How can this be?

This is the man we look to as the model for how to lead the church. As someone who will soon be on the mission field, I am constantly exhorted to look at the life of Paul as an example; Paul had it all figured out, Paul lived an intensely purposeful life, Paul knew what he was doing. Follow Paul!

Perhaps this is the problem?

Paul himself only asked people to follow him in so far that he "followed Christ." (1 Corinthian 11:1)

I must confess. I would not describe myself as perplexed. I have come to believe (in large part) that I have figured it out. I am quite confident in my own understanding of the implications of the gospel. I am quite confident in my perspective on the church. I belive that I know what the Church in America should be doing and isn't, shouldn't be doing and is, as well as what I will be doing when we hit the ground in September.

I am not so arrogant as to think of myself other than a "clay pot," yet perhaps I fancy myself a clay pot with "adornments?" This is a far cry from the place that I once was in my walk.

I wonder what to make of this...

There was a time when I walked with much humility, however, I also carried with me a strong sense of guilt. Would that make my humility a false humilty? I don't know. I do know that when God removed that sense of guilt, speaking words of love and grace to me, my humilty seemed to go with it. Perhaps I do not fully understand myself or God? (That is surely the truth!) I would think that an experience of God's grace would lead to greater humility...


How are we to juxtapose the truths that we have learned, with the truth that we are simply whisps of fog (James 4:14), certainly precious in God's eyes, and yet lacking in even the beginning's of wisdom and knowledge.

I must truly state that I have gained some knowledge and wisdom. Yet I must also recognize that I am childish at best, and evil at worst. Wisdom and knowledge in my head is like a tool in the hand of a child, or diamonds adorning a clay pot...