Tag Archives: make disciples

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To Teach Or Not To Teach?

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When I was being trained for the use of personality profiles in our business (and to teach others), I learned about certain personality types that run into frequent conflict in their personality. At times, they battle in their minds between (1) doing things exactly right and (2) making progress. It is called “Progress vs. Perfection Conflict” and it causes them to be ineffective in both cases.

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Conflict

A similar kind of conflict appears in many Christian business owners and leaders. This conflict comes from two opposite views in their mind. Let’s take a closer look at each of these perspectives.

To Teach Requires Full Knowledge?

The first idea is that we really should not teach on a topic if we are not fully educated in that specific area. There is nothing more frustrating that to be forced to sit through a seminar or class on a topic that you know more about than the instructor!

Because we know this, we decide that we will never step out and teach unless we are experts on the topic. While this mentality comes from good intentions, it can be carried to an extreme.

Full Knowledge Not Possible

If knowledge about almost all subjects is constantly expanding, then it is less and less likely that you will ever feel like an expert on any subject. As a result, it is just as unlikely that you will ever decide it is time for you to step out and teach on any given subject.

Is that actually a good thing?

Before I go further down this path, let’s take a look at the other end of the conflict.

We Are To Teach

As Christians, we have learned that we are to make disciples wherever we go. We are to baptize those disciples and TEACH them all that Jesus told us to do. This is central to our faith and any true disciple of Jesus will recognize this as part of his or her responsibility.

In our eagerness to fulfill this calling, we may volunteer to lead a small group study at work or we may decide to take on a children’s Sunday School class. Maybe we are really bold and we take on an adult class or go the other direction and simply take on one individual and serve as their mentor.

Teach Without Confidence?

Regardless of the extent of our teaching, we do not feel we are being the disciple we are supposed to be if we are not at least attempting to make disciples. We are not sure our teaching is completely accurate or fully backed up by our own walk, but at least we feel we are meeting our obligations.

Is this any better than the other extreme?

No Clear-Cut Answer

Like I said earlier, this is a common conflict and there is not necessarily a clear-cut answer. It is true – we should not teach on a subject with which we are not familiar. Neither should we teach something we are not attempting to live out ourselves.

Paul could confidently tell us to follow his example as he followed the example of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). We need to be able to do the same.

Grow To Teach

If we are going to teach something, we need to be working especially hard to better understand it ourselves. We need to be growing in that area if we want to be able to lead others.

On the other hand, we do not need to wait until we are experts on a topic before we try to teach others. We are commanded to make disciples and we must obey this command. We simply need to be wise about the topic.

Pick something God is teaching you about. Start with something that you are familiar with and trying to live out yourself.

Teaching Example

For example, my wife has recently been leading a class on parenting teen-agers. Has anyone in the history of mankind ever mastered that topic? No way! At the same time, the group has drawn from each other’s experience and all have benefitted in one way or another – my wife included!

She knew going in that she was not an expert. Sure, she was nervous about that, but at the same time she knew there is a point when you have to step out in faith. That is what she did and she was rewarded for it.

Step Out!

Whatever your situation, I encourage you to step out. Step out and begin allowing God to work in your life and teach you. Begin spending time in His Word and becoming a better disciple yourself.

Then, as you get a little confidence, begin looking for opportunities (equal to your maturity) to teach others what you have learned. Don’t wait until you are an expert…that will never happen.

You need to be a work in progress, but you also need to be comfortable with being a work in progress!

Have you dealt with this conflict?

What do you need to do to move past this conflict?

Who else do you need to encourage to step out?

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Are You Guilty Of Fast Food Leadership?

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In my last post, I told you why vegetables are good for you. Of course, I used vegetables as a metaphor for trials and struggles in our lives. In staying with the food theme, today I want to discuss fast food and how it applies to Christian business owners and leadership!

leadership

Terrible Diet!

As I have told you before, I am in the car business. While the car business is known for many vices that I will not mention here, there is one that I believe is certainly appropriate to learning how to better represent our Christian faith in our businesses and jobs. This vice is a terrible diet.

Because we are in the retail business, we always need to be available for the customer. Traditional lunch hours are typically nonexistent for us. We grab a meal whenever we get a chance. This is just the nature of the business and we accept it as so.

The result of this issue is that most of us live off of fast food. It is quick and cheap and we can eat it in the car on the way back from the drive-thru! We may think to ourselves, “Today will be different – I will eat healthy today!” but we wait until the last minute and only have time for the fast food!

Don’t Have Time

We would love to go to the more upscale restaurants and get a salad bar or some fish, but we simply don’t have the time. Not only is the healthier food more time-consuming, but it is also more expensive. Even if we had the time, we would go broke eating there often.

Sure, if we were on top of things, we could make our own lunch and bring it to work with us. Not only could we better manage our diet, but we could also eat for a lot less money! Unfortunately, it is rare to find someone that plans like this.

Leadership Is Similar!

So, what is the point of this discussion? My point is that this habit is very similar in nature to the way many of us do leadership with our teams (or families).

Think about that for a moment.

Intentional Leadership

We all know and have been taught at some point that we need to be intentional about developing our teams. In a perfect world, we should plan out our week to include frequent one-on-one time with each of our team members.

We should plan ahead to have a meaningful discussion about their strengths and their weaknesses. Certainly, we should spend time with them building a plan for them to follow to success. All of this sounds familiar, right?

Why Fast Food Leadership?

Then why is it that the majority of us resort to fast-food leadership? Why, instead, do we grab a quick ten seconds between customers to tell them where they need to improve? Why do we wait until the last minute to give them a tip or two on how they should prepare for success? Do you think this is how Jesus operated with his disciples?

We know that if we would do a better job of planning ahead and prioritizing our time by block-scheduling when we can, we would be much more effective in creating teams worthy of success. Yet so few do this.

Take Control Of Your Schedule!

Folks, it is the same story for all of us – regardless of our industry. We simply must take control of our schedule and make it work for us. It is not acceptable for us to know what we should be doing and not do it. As James 4:17 says, when we know the good we are supposed to do and do not do it, it is a sin.

Harsh words, but true.

I encourage you to commit to changing your leadership diet. Quit resorting to the fast-food leadership and start working toward leadership that comes from planning ahead. I think you will see the benefits!

For a good blog on time management, take a look at Life Of A Steward written by a friend, Loren Pinilis. He has great material from a the perspective of a Christian leader.

Additional Resources

Even though this post is not really about our eating habits, I could not resist including the following resources! Take a look and let me know what you think. The first is a blog by Stephen Skinner, a new friend of mine from LinkedIn. He owns and operates a health food store for the purpose of Christian ministry. He is the real deal and I recommend you check out his site –The Natural Pharmacist.

The other resource is a guest post by the wife of a friend I have never met, Tom Tarver. Tom and I are fellow bloggers on Christian faith topics (his blog is A Curious Band Of Others) and converse a lot online. Anyway, his wife Ellen wrote a guest post that must be read! Check out this link to read her post and enjoy – Ellen Tarver guest post.

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How Does Busy Impact Your Impact?

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Are you so busy at work that you do not feel you are accomplishing anything for God? Is your work situation causing you to question how you will ever impact another person for eternity? Do you wonder if this period of time will ever end? Are you even questioning the job itself – whether God may want you somewhere else? If you have ever asked similar questions, keep reading!

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Too Busy For My Job?

In my last post, I described how I had recently experienced a period of time when I felt I was too busy to do my job. A key executive leader had left our company and I was forced to take on many of his responsibilities. I knew it was only for a season, but I knew that season would make it difficult for me to fulfill my true God-given job description – to impact others for eternity by pointing them to God.

Eternal Job Trumps All

Based on Scripture (Matthew 22:37-40, 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:20), this true job description should trump all other job descriptions. This fact is accepted by most Christians as being the truth. In fact, we usually describe it by saying our priorities are God, Family, Job – in that order.

Unfortunately, there are times when our busy-ness on the job seems to crowd out any opportunity for us to carry out this eternal job description and impact others as we should. This is especially tough when the busy-ness is not within our control – when others have the most influence on how we spend our time.

Many Treat It As Separate!

The problem is that though most agree our God-given job description is top priority, too many people also think it is also completely separate from the job description their employer gave them. Most people fail to realize that God’s job description for us is to be fulfilled IN CONJUNCTION WITH the other job descriptions we have!

You see, God has placed you in the job you have for a reason and a season. He knows all there is to know about your job and the circumstances surrounding that job. He is not surprised by the sudden busy-ness you are experiencing. Nothing about your job is surprising to Him.

Both At The Same Time!

Instead, God is watching to see how you are living out the eternal job description He has given you while you are carrying out the temporal job description given to you by your employer. It is NOT one or the other, but BOTH at the same time.

Folks, this is really great news! This means you do not have to “steal” time from your employer to carry out your eternal purpose! It also means you will never be asked by God to ignore business needs so you can work on His requests. The cool thing is that you can do everything God wants you to do WHILE carrying out your job for your employer or running your business.

My Recent Example

For a concrete example, let me describe my approach to this recent season of busy-ness I had. Before I do this, please know that I did not execute this perfectly! I am no better at this than you can be…I screwed it up plenty of times. As you read about my intentions, just be aware that my actions did not always match up.

If you will do your best to follow these same steps, God will honor your efforts as He did mine!

Step #1 – Gain & Maintain Perspective

    Fortunately for me, I was headed out on a family vacation when my busy season started. I say fortunately because it allowed me to step away from my job for a week and use the time to regain the right perspective. The “right perspective” is an eternal perspective. I had to remind myself that God knew what I was about to endure and all He wanted was my best, with a focus on the eternal impact of my actions.

    To maintain this perspective, I renewed my commitment to a productive quiet time (it had gotten stale). I began a new study of Joshua (see resulting posts here) because I saw him as a leader that followed God’s commands even under extremely tough circumstances. I knew I would learn perspective from Joshua.

Step #2 – Pray (like never before)

    Along with a renewed commitment to an effective quiet time, I dedicated myself to sincere, blank-canvas prayer. I gave God the brush and paint while I stood back and waited for Him to create the picture for me. Though it had the potential to get repetitive, I continued praying day after day for Him to paint the picture…I did not want to lose this perspective!

    Folks, I am not a good pray-er. This is especially true when I get busy. I lose focus and my mind wanders. I get off track and start listing my trivial requests before I realize what I am doing. During this time period, I fought through this weakness. I stayed on my knees for an extra 15-20 minutes when necessary, but I was not going to give up on this prayer.

Step #3 – Triage (and eliminate) Where Possible

    While being inundated with “stuff” from everyone that normally got their answers from the leader that left, I realized I was not physically capable of doing it all. Something had to fall through the cracks or I was going to crack!

    I made the decision to triage my tasks like the Emergency Room does when overloaded with injuries. Those non-critical issues were put to the side. Even “good” things I was doing in the past were put aside in favor of the “best” things. I prayed for wisdom as I did this and promised those affected by these decisions that I would return to these tasks when (and if) time permitted. In most cases, they understood.

Step #4 – Pursue Excellence in Everything

    As I described in Step #3, I allowed the non-essential “good” stuff to be delayed or eliminated altogether. I did this because I believe we are called to Excellence in whatever we do as Christians. Busy is no excuse for falling short. Rather than be mediocre at the whole range of tasks coming at me, I chose the most critical and tried to complete them in an “excellent” way.

    This was not always the way they ended up. I missed some things. I messed up on others. But I maintained this strategy and (for the most part) it worked. I will probably look back and beat myself up for some of the things I put off, but today I feel I did all I could.

Step #5 – Pray (some more)

    Finally, I continued praying. I prayed that God would make up for my shortcomings. I prayed those around me would be given more patience for my weaknesses than they normally had. I prayed for endurance to keep up the increased pace and duration of my working hours. I prayed my family would give me grace through it all.

When all is said and done, this busy season appears to be coming to a close for me. I am sure there is another just around the corner, but I am thankful for the learning from this one. I hope you can get something out of my experience as well.

Do you think these steps will help you when you get busy?

Which one(s) will be the hardest for you?

What steps would you add to this list?

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Are You Too Busy To Fulfill Your Job Description?

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As I posted last week, I recently hired a COO for our organization after a lengthy hiring process. It was a huge win for our company, but also for me personally and spiritually. The reason I say this is that this hire effectively ends a long period of time where I was entirely too “busy” to do fulfill my God-given job description. I did not feel I was able to impact others for eternity like I wanted to.

job description

Before I explain what I mean by being too “busy” to do my job, let me first tell you about my job as I see it. As President and co-owner of my family business, I have certain duties and responsibilities that are required of me. These are certainly PART of my job. But when I really look at the job that I have been given, there is so much more to it than that!

God-given Job Description

You see, I believe my job has been given to me by God for a season. As a temporary steward of God’s business, I believe that I am in this role for a specific purpose – to impact other people for eternity by pointing them to God. If I had to boil my job description down to one line, that would be it. In fact, I believe that is your job description as well.

Whether you are a President, a Manager, or in an entry-level position, I believe you have this same job description. It comes from Scripture (Matthew 22:37-40, 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:20). If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then you have this purpose in life and in work – there is no difference, except location.

Busy vs. Job Description

Having said that, there are times that our job “activities” begin to take our focus off of our eternal purpose, our real job description. In some cases, these times are only temporary and have a clear beginning and end (like my recent experience). Other times, it can be the nature of the job itself. There are even times when we take on too much and create our own prison of busyness.

Regardless of the duration or cause, these times of being too busy can dramatically impact our ability to fulfill our God-given job description. If you have been a disciple of Jesus for any period of time, you have likely experienced this problem. If not, congratulations on keeping your focus on your true purpose in life!

What Do You Do?

For the rest of us that either bump into this problem occasionally or actually feel like we have set up camp here, lets’s discuss what we should do when this happens. For this discussion, there are two possible paths.

Self-Created Busyness

The first path is for those times when we have created the busyness for ourselves. The busyness could be the result of an over-zealous appetite for responsibilities or maybe a lack of intentional scheduling. Either way, we have brought this on ourselves and we need to correct the problem. In the cases I am referring to here, shedding these additional responsibilities would not have an effect on your employment.

To do this, I am not necessarily recommending breaking any commitments, but I am saying that you need to recognize that you are putting the temporary ahead of the eternal. As a result, you need to correct the imbalance as quickly as you can. This will likely take time and energy, but it is worth it.

As you are doing this, you need to begin putting intentional habits in place to prevent returning to this position. I suggest starting with a LIFE plan. By creating a LIFE plan, you will establish the priorities by which you will make future decisions on responsibilities you will and will not choose.

Externally Imposed Busyness

The second path is a little more difficult to correct. This is mainly because the cause of this path is usually beyond our control. It could be the loss of a key employee (as it was with me) or it could be change in management above you. It could even be related to the overall economy as it has been since 2008 for many businesses.

Whatever the cause, the solution is not as simple as it is for the first path. In these cases, there may not even be an immediate solution at all. If that is true, then what are we to do? How are we to continue fulfilling our God-given job description when we are overwhelmed with busy?

For that answer, tune in to my next post!

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The Bible: Does The Enemy Know It Better Than You?

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How well do you really know the Bible? If tested on your Bible knowledge, do you think you would score in the top percentile, in the middle of the pack, or would you likely be embarrassed at your score? If someone came to you today and asked where he should look in the Bible for instruction on a certain topic, do you think you could point him to the right spot?

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Bible Illiteracy

Unfortunately, too many Christians are not very familiar with the Bible, even though it is THE book upon which we should base our lives, both here and in eternity. While most recognize that this is a real problem, too few are actually willing to do anything about it. This is truly unfortunate – mainly because our enemy does not have the same problem.

This is my fourth post in a series of lessons from one story in the book of Joshua that we can take and apply in Christian business. The story is about the experience Joshua and the Israelites had with the Gibeonites (Joshua 9:1-10:15).

Lessons From Joshua

We have already learned the following lessons from this story:

1. Don’t relax after a victory; be prepared to face the enemy. (Read here)

2. The enemy sometimes comes as roaring lion, sometimes as slithering serpent. (Read here)

Now I want to give you the third lesson we can learn from this story:

The enemy knows the Bible (better than you) and will use it to his advantage.

God’s Commands

Let’s look at how this lesson is illustrated in the story of the Gibeonites and their deception of Joshua and the Israelites. If you read Deuteronomy 7:1-6, you will see that God intended ALL of the nations of the Promised Land to be destroyed. Not a one of them was to be left alive. This is very clear.

However, if you read further in Deuteronomy 20:10-20 (especially v.15), you will notice that God allows for peace with other nations – those OUTSIDE the land that He is giving them as an inheritance.

Joshua knows this Scripture and is fully aware that he and the Israelite army must destroy all of the cities in the Promised Land. He is also aware that he must first offer peace with those outside of this area.

Gibeonites’ Knowledge

What Joshua did not know is that somehow, the Gibeonites also knew of this law. As a result, they used it to their advantage to achieve protection. Had they simply come in peace without a disguise, they knew they would be destroyed. Had they attempted to fight the Israelites, they figured they would end up destroyed like the other cities Joshua’s army had faced. Their only hope was to convince the Israelites that they were from outside of the land of inheritance, and were therefore eligible for peace.

Our Application

How does this apply to us today, as Christians in business?

If you are in business as a Christian, you already know that there are obvious ways to ignore the Bible and make more money. You probably know many ways you could bend a rule here or there and see quick results on the financial statement. You don’t do these things because you know they are wrong and the decisions are clear.

Unfortunately, there are times when the decisions are not so clear, when the enemy sneaks up on us and we are presented with decisions we are not prepared to make. Decisions made when unprepared are rarely the right ones. Too much is left to chance.

Jesus’ Example

When Jesus faced direct temptation in the wilderness, He answered with Scripture (Matthew 4:1-11). He was obviously prepared. If He is our model (1 John 2:6), then shouldn’t we be prepared in the same way?

In Deuteronomy 6:1-9, we are told to remember God’s commands, teach them to our children, and repeat them wherever we go. These commands are not to leave our hearts or minds. If that is the case, shouldn’t we take more time to learn them?

Our Responsibility

Having a ready word from the Bible can give clarity to an otherwise murky situation. On the other hand, if we are not familiar with Scripture, the enemy can use it against us. He tried this with Jesus, but was unsuccessful because Jesus was prepared. If the enemy were to come at you today in your business with a twist on God’s Word, how would you fare? Would you feel confident in your response?

Determine today that you are going to take action steps to improve in this area. If this is a strength of yours, turn to someone else and encourage them to join you!

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Building Blocks of Christian Leadership

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Are you the Christian leader you were created to be? Do you really even have a good feel for what that looks like? What are you doing on a daily basis to improve as a Christian leader?

Christian leader

Christian Leadership Defined

As I described in my last post, I am not defining Christian leadership by the size of your social media platform. I am not defining it based on the number of people you lead or by the number of books you have read or written. It has nothing to do with the spotlight.

Instead, I am calling a Christian leader someone who follows the example of Christ and does so in a way that influences others to do the same. You could also call someone like this a disciple-maker or a Great Commission Christian or any other label you want to use.

The only difference here is that I am describing this person in the context of the business world.

Called To Influence Through Business

My point is that, as Christian business owners and leaders, I believe we are all called to influence others toward an eternal relationship with Jesus Christ. We are called to do this through the operation of our businesses and the execution of our jobs.

Assuming you are in agreement with me at this point, let’s dig into the building blocks of effective and credible Christian leadership. I am taking much of this information from the July segment of the C12 Group material.

How Effective Leadership Works

Recently, educators James Kouzes and Barry Posner wrote a book, Credibility, in which they explored how effective leadership works. In preparation for this book, they did extensive research with thousands of interviews to come up with the basic building blocks.

Out of a list of 20 components, they selected four as the most critical components of effective leadership. While this was not a Christian endeavor, I believe you will quickly see that these same four components of effective leadership can be supported with Scripture. In fact, during His brief time on earth, Jesus modeled each of these for us.

First Building Block: Honesty

The first of these building blocks of effective Christian leadership is honesty. Almost 90% of those surveyed cited honesty as the single most important component of effective leadership. Does that surprise you?

There are very few things that people hate more than being lied to. I could give several recent examples of being lied to in my business. When that happens, I usually decide very quickly that I cannot “follow” those individuals in any endeavor. Their influence with me is destroyed. I am sure you likely have had similar experiences and may feel the same.

The problem here is that our human nature makes it so easy for us to lie. Whether it is a little white lie or one that is more significant in our minds, we all face opportunities every day to tell something other than the truth. If we choose to something other than the truth, regardless of whether we see the significance at the time, we are destroying our influence.

Other Ways To Breach Trust

Before you start to relax and think that you don’t struggle that much with lying, let’s look at some other ways that Christian leaders can breach trust with those they are attempting to influence.

    1. We believe, but our business practices do not show it.

    2. We don’t mention Christ as the basis for how we conduct business.

    3. We talk about the Lord only when things are really difficult.

    4. We act as if problems never happen in the Christian life.

At first glance, these are likely not the first examples you thought of when I mentioned honesty. But, if you will think about each of them, you can quickly come to the conclusion that they fit. And they are common.

What Do We Need To Do?

So, if we are striving to improve the effectiveness of our Christian leadership, how do we strengthen this first building block – honesty?

I think there are several recommendations I can make. None of these are likely new to you, but that does not change their necessity.

Recommendations

First, I would strongly urge you to pray that God would search your heart and make known to you the areas where you are less than honest. He is faithful to do this.

Second, I would begin to spend more time in Scripture. Based on what God shows you in step one, I would look for Scripture that addresses your problem areas.

It could be pride that causes you to exaggerate. Maybe it is insecurity that makes you feel the need to protect yourself with denials. It may even be greed that drives your habit of manipulating others.

Whatever the issue, Scripture can address it. Once you find the particular verses that address your particular struggles, commit them to memory. If Scripture was Jesus’ response to temptation, don’t you think it will work for us?

Finally, I strongly urge you to find an accountability partner that can hold you to your commitments. Share your struggles with them. If you can be honest with them, that is a great first step toward doing so with everyone else.

Increased Influence

Don’t forget, if you can establish this first building block, your influence will soar over time. This influence, in the hands of a committed Christian leader, will have significant impact on eternity.

Stay tuned for the other three building blocks in my next posts.

Do you struggle with a lack of complete honesty?

Have you considered how being less than honest affects your influence?

What are you doing to correct this issue?

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What Is A Ministry Superstar?

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Recently, I wrote a post called, “How Do You Become A Ministry Superstar?” that generated a variety of responses. Some of the comments and responses questioned the idea of a “superstar” and the negative characteristics that are commonly associated with that term. In an effort to clarify my picture of a ministry superstar, I thought a follow-up post was in order. I hope the following will shed more light on how I see a ministry superstar.

ministry superstar

C12 Group Material

In my earlier post, I borrowed the following three characteristics of a ministry superstar from a talk given by Buck Jacobs, founder of the C12 Group. In this talk, Jacobs was trying to communicate the need for Christian business owners and leaders to step up and use their businesses as platforms for ministry. Here is how he described those who have done this in a huge way:

    1. Ministry Superstars have a God-focused company mission statement. These mission statements point to God as they clarify the reason for the existence of the company and serve as tools to aid in the decision-making process.

    2. Ministry Superstars lead! These stand-outs are not the type to stand back and wait for direction from someone else. They are intentional and choose to take action on their faith. You will not find mere pew-warmers in this group!

    3. Ministry Superstars have an intimate, daily quiet time with God. Someone that fits in this category does not allow dust to accumulate on their Bible. They are so in tune with God because they are intentional about reading and studying the Bible and spending time in prayer every day.

What Other Qualities?

Assuming this is a valid list of characteristics, what type of person do you think you will find in this group? If these qualities are present to a fairly high degree in the members of this group, what other qualities do you think you will find?

Well, this is not an exact science, but I have an idea of what other qualities I think we would find. We are looking at a group of individuals who spend daily time reading and studying the Bible, truly seeking to do God’s will in their lives. As a result, the odds are high that these people recognize the need to follow the example of Jesus (1 John 2:6).

Other Ministry Superstar Traits

Following that logic, let’s take a look at the rest of the traits we could use to describe these ministry superstars.

1. They have an eternal perspective (John 6:27).

2. They submit to the Holy Spirit to seek and save that which is lost (Luke 19:10).

3. They are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).

4. They are obedient – fulfilling the Great Commission and the Greatest Commandments.

5. They come to serve, not to be served (Matthew 20:28).

Though this is not an exhaustive list, I think you can get a good picture of what a ministry superstar looks like. We are not (necessarily) talking about someone in the limelight with media attention focused on their ministry.

No, these people that we are describing could be business owners with just a handful of employees or they could have thousands. The size or fame of their ministry activity is totally irrelevant! It is more about their effort and activity in relation to their God-given potential.

Willing To Trade

A true ministry superstar understands that this life is a small segment of their eternal existence. They are willing to trade immediate reward for eternal treasure. They accept that, while still on earth, the following may or may not result from their Christian ministry:

    1. Recognition, here and now.

    2. Prosperity, here and now.

    3. Friends / Reputation, here and now.

    4. Rest / Comfort, here and now.

While any (or all) of these results may occur for the ministry superstars during their life here on earth, these are not their focuses or goals.

Ministry Superstar’s Ultimate Goal

The ultimate goal of a Ministry Superstar is really only one thing. It is one simple phrase spoken by Jesus when telling one of his many parables.

“Well done, good and faithful servant.” – Matthew 25:21

Do you consider yourself to be on the path to becoming a Ministry Superstar?

If not, what parts are you missing?

Do you know a ministry superstar from whom you can learn?

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Are You Making Yourself Useful?

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useful

Have you ever heard a quote that you just could not get out of your head? It is kind of like that annoying 80’s song that gets stuck in your brain and continues to play over and over, without letting up. I know you know what I am talking about! Well, I heard a quote the other day that continues to echo in my mind. The good thing is that this quote about being useful fits with what I believe is my life purpose!

 

The Quote

I was listening to Jim Collins speak at the Catalyst conference in Atlanta. He was talking about an interview he had with Peter Drucker. Towards the end of the interview, Peter asked Jim for permission to offer him some advice. Jim, of course, was quick to agree! Who would refuse to take advice from Peter Drucker?!?

Drucker went on to say something to this effect (imagine his Austrian accent here)…

“Jim, you keep talking and thinking about survival…(pause)…You will probably survive. You also keep dwelling on success…(pause)…you will probably be successful. (longer pause)…Why don’t you go make yourself useful?“

Collins said he had no response. He said that quote has stuck with him since then.

My Response

Well, I just have to tell you that it has stuck with me as well. As I continue to hear it rattle around in my head, I wonder if I am truly being “useful.” Then I start to question what “useful” really means, in light of my faith, my (stewardship of His) business and an eternal perspective.

So I did what anyone would do this day and age…I googled it! Here is the Dictionary.com definition of useful:

usefulLooking at the first definition, I keyed in on the words serving some purpose. Am I serving some purpose? What purpose should I be serving?

Serving Some Purpose

It is clear to me that Jesus has already told us what our purpose should be. When asked about the greatest commandment, He answered with two…”Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength” and “love your neighbor as yourself.” His final instructions to us before He ascended was to “go and make disciples of all nations….” Now it is simply up to us to determine how He has gifted each of us to carry out, to serve, this purpose.

Of Practical Use

As for the second definition listed above, “of practical use,” it is similar, but I also see a little different perspective. I see myself as the tool in God’s hands – carrying out whatever practical work or task He has in mind for me. This requires my vision to be submitted to His. It requires me to be flexible, ready to change direction according to His will. In this definition, I see fewer grandiose projects and more washing of feet. I see God getting glory from the most menial of my tasks.

Useful?

So, once I break it down…what is my answer? Am I making myself useful?

For me, I believe God has placed me in a position at the head of a family business for the purpose of loving and serving Him and others. I am to do this as a business leader, but I am also to serve this purpose as a godly husband, father, church member, neighbor and friend. Each of these roles requires a different approach and I may need to employ various methods or skills, depending on the role. Regardless, each of these roles should fulfill the core purpose Jesus laid out for me.

So, for now I will say I am definitely a work in process. I am learning and growing. I am striving to be and do those things that will result in hearing, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” I am certainly not there yet. I don’t suppose I will ever actually be there. At the same time, that is what the “making” is all about!

What about you? Are you too concerned with survival or success?

Are you making yourself useful?

What do you need to change to improve?

Originally posted 11/7/11

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What is Marketplace Ministry?

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marketplace ministry

This post about defining marketplace ministry and why it is critical is part of a series of posts that come from the material I recently used to teach a small group of Christian business owners and leaders in Chandigarh, India.

The focus of this material is also the focus of this blog – God’s call for us to run our businesses as a platform for Christian ministry. Hopefully, after reading this series, you will agree that it is God’s will that we run His businesses as stewards with an eternal perspective. You should also have a better understanding of what this looks like in today’s marketplace.

My Story

As I began teaching the group in India about exactly what marketplace ministry looks like, I thought it would be helpful to start with my own story as an example. Hopefully, through reading about my experience, you will get a better picture of what I mean when I talk about marketplace ministry or Christian business.

As the oldest of three sons, I grew up working in the family’s automobile business. I always expected to eventually take over my father’s business, along with my brothers. About 12 years ago, I was in that very role – running the family business. I was enjoying what I was doing and could easily see it being my lifelong career.

My Awakening

That is precisely when I had a spiritual awakening. Through Bible study and prayer, I began to realize that I was only giving God 1.5 days a week. I was spending the rest of my time thinking about business, profit, and family.

Convicted, I went to my father and explained that I wanted to leave the family business to pursue work that would allow me to give God more of my time in actively living out my faith.

My Desires

I sincerely wanted to bring others to know Jesus, help others in need, teach what I was learning in my Bible studies, and to generally be a great disciple of Jesus. I just felt like I could not accomplish that while giving so much time to the business. So I began praying about how God would establish me in a career that would give me the flexibility to accomplish all He had put in my heart.

His Answer!

The crazy thing? It took nearly two years, but He showed me exactly where I was to accomplish all of this…in the very family business I was trying to give up!

In a brief period of time, God showed me how all of my desires for ministry could be achieved through the business I was already running. I just had to approach this business through His eyes, not the ones I had been using.

My Decision To Stay

I went back to my father and explained my revelation. He fully supported my request to stay in the business and apply this new vision. From that point until now, I have been giving my all to running a Christian business from an eternal perspective. My goal is to accomplish all God laid on my heart, but to do it through our family business.

What IS Marketplace Ministry?

One website defined marketplace ministry as, “The directing of evangelism and other Christian activities toward the secular marketplace.” I think the simplest definition is to be a disciple and witness for Christ in and through your work or business. A similar approach is having the attitude of being a full time minister in the workplace.

In a recent post, one of my readers sent me a comment that said my description of a Christian business sounded just like a description of the daily life of a normal Christian. I told him he was right…taking your faith to work should look exactly like what you do with your faith when you are in church or trying to reach others for Jesus outside of work.

Location is the only difference.

Why Is It Critical?

Folks, there are many reasons why marketplace ministry is critical. First of all, in the secular marketplace, the majority of the people you work with are lost and need Jesus. You will interact with many who will never darken the door of a church. Because they are on their own turf in the marketplace, they are relaxed and not spiritually on guard like they would be if you forced them into a church setting.

Not only are they more comfortable, but due to your relationship with them, you can have more influence on them than your pastor can. They trust you. They feel it is his “job” to push them toward God. With you, it is different in their eyes.

So What?

My prayer is that you recognize where God has placed you in business and what He expects as a result of your efforts there. He is not going to grade you on your business success as the world does. Instead, God is looking for the eternal impact you will have as a Christian business owner or leader.

Commit right now to run your business with an eternal perspective. Commit to making an eternal impact on everyone you meet through your business dealings. Commit that you will no longer attempt to separate your business life from your spiritual life – instead acknowledging they are one and the same!

What is your view of marketplace ministry and Christian business?

Do you see the opportunity for your eternal impact in the marketplace?

Where are you on the path toward marketplace ministry?

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Warning: Your Foundation May Be Defective!

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Imagine you are the owner of a future hotel and condo highrise building in downtown Las Vegas – The Harmon Tower (shown below – tall blue tower on right). You have committed to investing almost $300 million in its construction and eagerly await its opening. Construction is virtually completed on the foundation and exterior of the beautiful building. The interior is moving along quickly.

foundation

Defects in Foundation

Now imagine that inspectors have told you that due to defects in the foundation, the original plan for close to 50 floors will need to be revised to include less than 30. After further investigation, it is determined that the building is not safe at all – even with the reduction in size. In fact, though nearly complete, it will most likely have to be destroyed – never to be occupied!

What Are The Consequences?

This is a true story and the legal battle is still going on in court. It is not yet clear exactly who is at fault. All that is clear is that hundreds of millions of dollars have been wasted, several companies may be bankrupted, and the Harmon Tower will likely never open.

Could this have been avoided? Was it poor foundation design or sloppy construction? Who should pay the price for the failure? Will anyone come out unscathed?

Turn The Tables?

Folks, these questions are important to ask in this particular case, but they are also appropriate to consider in our own situations. Let’s turn the tables and see how these circumstances may apply to the foundation of our Christian businesses.

First of all, I think it is clear to all of us that a strong foundation is required when building anything – especially something that we expect to stand the test of time. Why would it be any different with our efforts to integrate our Christian faith into our businesses?

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a series of posts from material I had used in teaching a small group in India. This series addressed four truths on which we all must agree if we are to have a strong foundation for our Christian business. Let’s review these truths (for more detail on each truth, read the associated post via the links):

Foundation Truths

1. We must have an eternal perspective! (read post)

2. God owns everything – including us! (read post)

3. God commands us to love Him with our all! (read post)

4. God commands us to go and make disciples! (read post)

Defective Foundation?

Sticking with the building analogy, each of these four truths must be a solid part of your Christian faith foundation as you work to integrate that faith into your business.

If you leave any of these truths out of the mix – either through doubt, fear of loss, greed, complacency, or any other reason – your foundation will be defective. As a result, your eternal impact will most likely not reach the heights you may initially have in mind. It will most certainly not reach the heights God has planned for it!

Omit “Eternal Perspective”

Take any one of these truths and omit it from your Christian business foundation and see what happens. For example, leave out an eternal perspective. That can’t be too dangerous, can it?

Well, test it out. Without an eternal perspective, on what time frames will you base your every decision? Will it be 30 days? A quarter? Even a year? Why not 1,000 years? How big can your impact really be when you are only considering the immediate short-term?

In this case, short-term thinking may not cause death and harm to thousands like the collapse of a building. Or could it? If you are only thinking short term, how many potential souls could miss out on the gospel message that might otherwise hear it if you were thinking from an eternal perspective? What fulfillment will you miss due to this short-term thinking?

Omit “God Owns Everything”

What about Truth #2 – God owns everything? If you left out this truth when building your foundation, what would be the big deal?

For starters, if you do not truly believe that God owns everything, then you will fall for the lie that you DO own something. You will then likely fall for the similar lie that says you deserve comfort and luxury and should spend your hard-earned profits on yourself.

How many people in need would then miss out on the blessings God had in mind for them through your generous giving from HIS profits? What blessings will you miss by not experiencing the generous giving yourself?

You can take the other two foundation truths and apply the same questions. I think you get the idea.

Original Questions

Now go back to the original questions we asked regarding the Harmon Tower disaster. Can you see how these might apply to you and your business if your faith foundation is found defective?

Could this have been avoided? Was it poor foundation design or sloppy construction? Who should pay the price for the failure? Will anyone come out unscathed?

Think through these questions slowly and ask God to give you the answers that are specific to your situation. Go back and read each of the posts on the truths listed above. Especially read over the Scripture given in each of the posts and pray expectantly for His guidance in building the right foundation for your business.

Are all four foundation truths present in your business?

Are all of these truths rock solid and without weak areas?

If not, what is your plan for correcting the problem?