Guest Article

This is an article written by Mark Buckley from Living Streams Church.  I think it is worth pondering on... August 2015 - Selah

I became friends with Larry Bresnan my senior year in high school. Larry went to a Fellowship for Christian Athletes camp after graduation and gave his life to Jesus. Larry found peace with God, started reading the Bible, and continually told me “Jesus is alive.” Even though Larry seemed to be on a radical Christian trip, his peace and persistence impressed me. If Jesus was alive, I wanted to get to know Him as well. In January of 1970, I followed Larry’s advice and asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Larry moved to Oregon, where he got married and had four children. Twelve years later, I heard Larry had colon cancer. My friends Billy Stockton and Mike Griffiths joined me in fasting for three days asking God to heal Larry. We drove to Oregon to pray for him. I was heartbroken when he died several months later. I have always been thankful for his influence in my life, which continues to this day. I had a dream about Larry last month. In my dream, I saw Larry with his curly brown hair, a bushy beard, and a big smile on his face. As I moved nearer to him, his face grew dark. I heard a voice say, “You cannot see his face.” “It doesn’t matter, I know what he looks like,” I replied. I kept moving closer to Larry because I was so glad to see my friend once again. Then a voice said, “I have a message for you.” At that moment, I realized it was the Lord speaking to me. He gave me a one-word message, “Selah.” I woke up after the dream just after midnight. I thought about the Lord’s message for a while, and then got up and opened my Bible to read Psalm 24. Selah is a Hebrew word used many times in the Psalms. It is used after particularly meaty phrases. Its primary meaning is pause. Pause, think about what this means, wait a moment, and let this truth sink in before going further. The editors of the new NIV Bible have removed Selah from their translation. That is unfortunate, because we need Selah now more than ever. It is a simple concept which can help us grasp truth. A nap is a Selah in your day. A Sabbath day is a Selah in your week. A vacation is a Selah in your year. A Sabbatical is a Selah in your career. Selah helps seeds of truth take root in our hearts when we read the scriptures. Selah can help restore our soul when we are on vacation. Selah can help us understand our spouse in a discussion. Selah can prevent us from saying something we regret in an argument. Selah can help restrain us when we are angry, and restore us when we are tired. Selah is what a golf pro told me to do at the top of my backswing. Selah is what Jesus said to me through Larry in my dream. I lay awake on my bed thinking about Larry alive with Jesus. I felt like I had seen him for the first time since he died. Then I thought about our son Matthew, and others I love who are alive with Jesus. I asked the Lord to forgive me for ever doubting the reality of heaven. My heart has been broken, and my heart has been healed, because Jesus is alive. Jesus said, “Because you have seen me you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (Jn. 20:29). Christ is going to raise us all from the dead, so there is no reason to worry, or hurry. We all have battles, and we all have pain in life; Selah can help us appreciate our blessings as well. Psalm 24:7 says, Lift up your heads you gates; be lifted up you ancient doors, that the King of Glory may come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Selah.

If you would like to read more of Mark's reflections here

Those Who Grieve Well, Grow Well

Leading Like Jesus on Kindle -  Click here

The goal of processing grief is not to understand the reasons for loss, but to receive God’s comfort in the midst of loss. Four responses to loss that will circumvent the comfort God wants to provide:

1. Blame it on the devil - over spiritualize the loss

2. Look for sin in the camp - try to find whose fault it is.

3. Rationalize it - a head-level response.

4. Ignore it and pretend it didn’t happen - a form of denial.

As leaders, we have the privilege of guiding people to grieve their losses well. A wise leader creates space for their followers to ‘pay attention’.

Four steps for healthy grieving:

1. Pay attention to your heart, acknowledging the pain, loss, anger, and sadness.

2. Don’t rush the time between sorrow and healing.

3. Use the Psalms to give a biblical language to your grieving.

4. Allow (when ready) the old to give birth to the new.

As I have grown older, I have learned to pay attention to my heart and to process my grief with God honestly. I have learned not to hide from my losses.

I have learned the hard way that past losses can negatively impact present relationships if not dealt with before God and with others.”

Find Leading Like Jesus in paperback here

Ten Responses To Conflict

Leading Like Jesus on Kindle -  click here to check it out!

In my book Leading Like Jesus, I go through a Biblical approach to dealing with conflict. Here is a short portion of that chapter…

“It is hard to accept a conflict as unresolvable, but once we prayerfully come to that realization, it allows us to work through our part of it without unnecessary guilt or pressure. Paul and Barnabas never fully resolved their conflict over John Mark. The Bible does not justify the conflict; neither does it condemn either Paul or Barnabas.

How should we respond to a seemingly unresolvable conflict?

1. Be secure in yourself. Jesus maintained a peaceful demeanor. When you are in turmoil, go back to God.

2. Don’t react emotionally. Stay prayerful and practice the fruit of the Spirit. If you go on the warpath to attack others or defend yourself, no good will come of it.

3. When you do respond, be concise and straightforward. Don’t offer explanations - you don’t owe them to people accusing you in the wrong spirit.

4. Don’t draw attention to yourself. You are not the issue, even though others may target you or attack you. It may be an issue of incompatible vision or incongruent values, but don’t make yourself the issue.

5. If given the opportunity, and you feel a release to do so, describe the issue clearly as you understand it. But only do this because you are led to speak about the topic calmly and in a respectful manner.

6. Ask for a decision or response. It is not wrong to set a time frame for dealing with the issue. To drag it out may lead to an ongoing, unhealthy debate. Ask God to bring it to a head so everyone can move on with their lives.

7. Ask people outside the situation to provide objective feedback. When faced with a conflict, I sought out unbiased, respected leaders to help me objectively assess myself and my responses. They offered affirmation, as well as feedback on my attitudes and actions. I also asked a trusted advisor to fly in and spend the day doing an “emotional and spiritual audit” on my heart. He asked very probing questions that I spent months reflecting on.

8. Trust God to defend you. God may test you and allow you to be falsely accused, but someday the truth will come out. Keep your eyes on the Lord and be more concerned with what God thinks of you than what people think or say.

9. Make up your mind to speak well of others. It is true - what we sow, we reap. This is not only true of sinful actions and words, but it is also true if we speak well of others we disagree with.

10. Take time for your heart to be healed before you move into the next season. If you don’t, you might carry with you unresolved pain and bitterness towards others. This doesn’t have to mean waiting years for God to heal your heart. It could be as simple as winning the battle of forgiveness and laying down your rights - no matter how painful it my be - then moving on.”

Also available in paperback at YWAM Publishing here

Leaders Speak With Authority

This is an excerpt from my book Leading Like Jesus: 40 Leadership Lessons From The Upside Down Kingdom 

Click here to check it out on Amazon

"The source of Jesus’ authority can be the source of your authority as well. He spoke with authority because:

• He knew the Scriptures

• He listened to the Father and obeyed Him

• He did not use power over people

• He embodied His message

• He took years to prepare for His mission

• He resisted the temptations of the enemy

• His ministry to people was a lifestyle – whether in his work as a carpenter or in the season of discipling leaders for a new spiritual movement.

Let’s look at three types of authority exemplified in Jesus’ life.

1. Derived Authority - Jesus’ authority came from His being. Spiritual authority was the sum total of Who Jesus was as a person: His character, wisdom, and the wise and timely exercise of His spiritual gifts.

2. Delegated authority - Jesus was sent on a mission by the Father. Hebrews 3:1 says He was the apostle and high priest of our faith. As an apostle, He was a messenger. He was under authority. No leader can exercise authority if he or she is not under authority.

3. Distributed Authority - Jesus did not keep His authority to Himself. He shared it with those He discipled. Jesus said, “As the Father sent me, so I send you,” (John 20:21), and He “gave to His disciples authority…” (Luke 9:1 and Matt.10:1). If we give away authority, we gain authority. If we try to keep it all to ourselves, we lose our authority.

Jesus said, “There are rulers who lord over people…they try to exercise authority over people…” (Matt.20:25 paraphrase) Those who think in terms of being “over” people, miss the truth of what Jesus taught in these verses. Leaders should not aim to be over those they lead, but for them. If you serve people, you influence them, and if you influence them, you have authority in their lives. Authority is not taken from people, it is offered to people.”

This book is also available in paperback  -  Click here to buy it from YWAM Publishing

Leadership Tests

This is another excerpt from my new book Leading Like Jesus.

To purchase this book on Kindle click here

To purchase a paperback copy of this book click here

“God does not initiate every human situation that tests us, but he uses them all.

A leadership test is a crisis, big or small, that God uses to teach us to depend more deeply on Him. Testing is one of the least understood aspects of God’s ways. We often ignore God’s testing in our lives, to our great detriment.

God-orchestrated tests in leaders’ lives usually produce one or two results: drawing them closer to God, or pushing them further from God. That is a choice we must make for ourselves - God will not force us to trust Him.

Below are the components of unique tests we go through as individuals and the common tests most leaders go through at some point.

Components of God-appointed Tests:

• Difficult Circumstances (or a crisis) - If it wasn’t difficult, it wouldn’t be a test.

• Desired Response - God wants us to seek Him

• Delight - God delights in our growth as we develop deeper dependence on Him. This is the reward He gives us for passing the test.

Common Tests for Leaders:

• Rejection - Dismissal by friends, family, or trusted co-workers

• Isolation - A wilderness time of loneliness or confusion

• God’s Silence - When God does not speak

• Integrity - To be true to our convictions no matter how hard

• Hearing God’s Voice - Knowing it is God speaking

• Obedience - Doing what God says, no matter the cost.

• Laying Down our Rights - Not insisting on having our way

• Word Test - Obeying God’s direction to us

• Faith Test - Believing God in spite of overwhelming odds

All leaders are tested and we will do well to recognize the test and its importance for our development as wise and faithful leaders.”

A Very Simple Thing...

This is a little story from my book Leading Like Jesus. “Living in a small Holland village, I remember walking down a long hallway in the training center I led. It was very early in the morning so I had the building all to myself for prayer and meditation. As I paced up and down the hallway, I noticed a candy wrapper thrown carelessly on the floor. I thought to myself, “I must say something to the students about being so thoughtless.” Back and forth I walked, repeatedly passing the wrapper. Praying. Seeking God. Annoyed with the students. Then I heard a still small voice: “You pick up the candy wrapper.” I protested, “But if I start using my quiet times in the mornings to pick up candy wrappers, where will it end?”

Through the hallway window, I could see a few other randomly scattered bits and pieces of paper around the campus. I pictured myself marching from one end of the campus to the other, using my precious time to pick up scraps of paper all day. But the voice persisted, “You pick it up and don’t lecture the students about it. Just do it and carry on.”

And so I learned ‘The Lesson Of The Candy Wrapper’. Just do it. Don’t call attention to yourself. Don’t consider any task too lowly for you to do. Don’t fancy yourself too busy to pick up candy wrappers."

To purchase a paperback copy of this book click here

To purchase a kindle version of this book click here

The 10 C's of Team Selection

This is a portion from Leading Like Jesus that I believe is helpful to those who lead and pioneer new movements … “Don’t let desperation for help drive your team building! Jesus chose team members prudently.

Effective leaders have a clearly defined set of qualifications for team members.

Team Selection Guidelines:

1. Courtesy - Do they know how to respect other team members? Are they collaborative in their approach to decision making?

2. Chemistry - Do they have good chemistry with you as the team leader and with others on the team? Are they likeable? Can they have a good time with those they work with?

3. Competence - Do they have the skills necessary to add strength to the team?

4. Character - Do they display servant leadership qualities? Do they show integrity? Are they reliable and do they keep promises?

5. Core Values - Are their core values aligned with those of the rest of the team?

6. Courage - are they willing to take risks? Do they exercise faith and take on new challenges when called upon?

7. Capacity - Do they have the emotional capacity for leadership responsibility? Can they handle stress and pressure?

8. Culture   - do they work well with people of other cultures? Are they sensitive and adaptive to different cultural contexts?

9. Calling/Commitment - What are their spiritual gifts? Do their gifts complement the team? Do they have a clear call from God to serve with you?

10. Clear Expectations - Have you discussed your expectations and theirs?

Team building presents many opportunities to learn humility and grow in wisdom.  The principle of multiplication goes hand in hand with the principle of selection.  Jesus came to launch a movement. To do that, He needed trustworthy men and women to lead and reproduce the movement.”

To purchase this book in paperback, click here

Prayer Essentials for Busy People

WHY PRAY? To strengthen my own resolve in prayer, I made the following list in my journal of biblical reasons for prayer:

FOR HEALING OF OUR LAND & REVIVAL OF GOD's PEOPLE  ~  2 Chronicles 7:14  "...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place."

FOR WISDOM & DIRECTION  ~  James 1:5-8  "If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get His help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open."

FOR OUR SOUL TO PROSPER IN GOOD HEALTH  ~  3 John 1:2  "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers."

FOR HEALING & FORGIVENESS  ~  James 5:13-17  "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."

FOR A CLEAR CONSCIENCE  ~  Hebrews 13: 18  "Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably."

FOR HOLINESS FREE FROM ANGER  ~  1 Timothy 2:8  "I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting".

FOR THE WORD OF THE GOSPEL TO GO OUT SWIFTLY  ~  2 Thessalonians 3:1-3  "Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one."

FOR KINGS & ALL IN AUTHORITY  ~  1 Timothy 2:1-2  "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence."

FOR REJOICING IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES  ~  1 Thessalonians 5:16-22  "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil."

FOR OUR PEOPLE TO BE FILLED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD  ~  Colossians 1:9-14 "For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."

FOR ABOUNDING LOVE  ~  Philippians 1:9-11  "And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."

FOR THE FEAR OF GOD  ~  Proverbs 1:28-30  “Then they will call on Me, but I will not answer;  They will seek Me diligently, but they will not find Me.  Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would have none of My counsel and despised My every rebuke."

FOR PARDON FROM INIQUITY  ~  Numbers 14:19-20  "Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.” Then the Lord said: “I have pardoned, according to your word;"

FOR STRENGTH FOR THE TASKS GOD GIVES US  ~  Judges 16:28-29  "Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!”

FOR DELIVERANCE FROM OUR ENEMIES  ~  1 Samuel 7:5-10  "Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the Lord. And they fasted that day, and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah. Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. So the children of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines”....Then Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel."

FOR LEADERS TO TEACH THE GOOD AND RIGHT WAY  ~  1 Samuel 12:23-25  "Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way. Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”

FOR GOD's PROMISES & CALLNG TO BE CLEAR & TO COME TO PASS  ~  1 Kings 8:26-30  "And now I pray, O God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David my father. “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built! Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O Lord my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You today: that Your eyes may be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place. And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive."

TO NOURISH THE LIFE OF CHRIST IN US PERSONALLY  ~  John 15:5  “ I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

FOR GOD TO BRING ABOUT JUSTICE FOR HIS PEOPLE  ~  Luke 18:7-8  "And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

TO SEE THE BEAUTY OF JESUS  ~  Psalms 27:4-6  "One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek:  That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.  For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.  And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord."

FOR FULLY DEVOTED DISCIPLES OF JESUS' CHURCH TO GO, TEACH, BAPTIZE AND MAKE DISCIPLES  ~  Matthew 28:18-20  "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Devastation in Nepal

The earthquake devastation in Nepal keeps getting worse - more than 8,000 dead and many more missing and injured. Are the earthquakes in Nepal judgment from God, like one Christian blogger suggests? No way.  Some believe the predominantly Hindu country is being judged by God. Obviously, God has a right to judge any nation any time He pleases, but I don't like such "hind-sight" prophetic utterances. They are without compassion.

I visited Nepal the first time in 1974. The Nepali church was small back then, about 1500 people. Today it is more than 600,000 people - and growing! A contagious, nation-transforming church!

I don't relate to the so-called prophets who jump on bad news after a calamity or disaster and state emphatically, after-the-fact, that these events are God's judgment.

Why would God judge a nation where the church is exploding in growth and having such a huge impact on people's lives? Nepali people are open to the gospel, not resisting it.

These so-called prophets of doom have a limited perspective, and often judgmental attitude.

When Sally and I lived in Afghanistan in the early 70's, we trained and sent a team to pioneer a ministry to back packers in Nepal. Many young people came to Christ through that ministry. Including many Nepalis.

We continue to be involved in Nepal through our All Nations workers, including sending more than $24,000 for food and shelter from South Africa and the United States in the last few days.

I have included an excerpt from a report by one of our All Nations workers below... it is incredibly moving.

NEPAL NEWS

PREPARING TO TAKE FOOD TO VILLAGE

This is the old man who has lost his house and 11 family members. He just easily said, "Madam, I don't need a house. Use that money to send food to my village." It’s been 12 days and his village has not received one grain of rice. We have arranged with a different organization to take them food Sunday but he really wants to take them some today. This picture is him preparing to take food and water to his village. Please keep giving if you can. The need is so great!

We have done some immediate relief work with food and stuff, but what we are mainly concerned about is how to get people back on their feet so they can work and feed themselves again.  Lots and lots of organizations have come in with food and tarps and things, and we’re really thankful for that!  But what about a few months from now?  That’s what we are worried about.

Our focus has been on helping our own people and our own neighborhood, because nobody is helping them.  So basically we are building or helping build homes for at least seven families.  I just had a meeting with one group of five families who are relatives that all lived in mud houses.  We discussed what we can do, what we can salvage from the wreckage (mud houses), and that soon we will be digging them a well (maybe even today) and then when we can start the demolishing process, it will be mostly in their hands.

The other person we're helping is Babita’s family, our first believer.  Their mud house looks okay from the outside but the inside and supports have completely crumbled.  For the time being, their family of five is living with us.  Another family of three, a mother and her two children, are permanently living with us because their mud house was also destroyed but it’s not their own land.

KIDS WE ARE HELPING FEED IN NEPAL

These are some of the kids that Heather and Maika, our All Nations workers, are helping.

What Can We Do When We Discern Weakness?

Below is an excerpt from my new book 'Leading Like Jesus'... To download from Amazon click here

"What can we do when we discern weakness or things that need attention in the lives of others, including our spouses, close friends, co-workers, or spiritual leaders?

1. See the good.  Look for their potential and their calling from God.  Ony when we appreciate their strengths can we properly evaluate their weaknesses.

2. Pray for them.  Pray for God's love to fill your heart for them.

3. Make sure there is no unhealthy dependence on that person in you.

4. Forgive them if they have offended you.

5. If you are unsure about something that seems wrong or troubles you, don't ignore it.  Ask kind, but probing questions.

6. Don't hesitate to ask help from godly counselors.  They are there to help guide your responses

7. If you feel uncomfortable or uneasy about someone, pay attention to those feelings until you understand why they are there.  This could be God's way of catching your attention.  By paying heed to inner promptings, we grow in discernment and confidence in hearing the voice of God.

8. There are many wonderful ministries and movements in the Body of Christ, but not all share the same vision and values.  Discernment allows you to distinguish the difference between those you are called to appreciate, and those you are called to closely associate with.

9. Don't gossip to others about your discernment of sin or character weakness in a person's life.  If it is causing disunity, division, deception, or damage to others around them, first pray for God's love for the person, pray for their heart to be prepared, then go directly to the person and speak lovingly, but truthfully, about what you discern.  Follow the steps of Matthew 18:15 - 20, "Go alone to the person, if they don't repent go with someone, and if there is no change, then go to their church leaders about the situation." "

Leading Like Jesus Available Today!!!

My new book 'Leading Like Jesus' is available for purchase in the Kindle store today...

Go to Amazon to buy your copy!

New Book to Be Released May 6th! Leading Like Jesus

“The best way to learn to be a great leader is to study and emulate the lives of great leaders. I have made that a practice for many years. This book is about Jesus – not the misrepresented Jesus, claimed exclusively by some Christians, as belonging only to them – but Jesus, the inclusive leader, a leader for everyone”

That is a quote from my new book ‘Leading Like Jesus’. My heart for this book has been to bring everything we do as leaders back to simply following Jesus’ lead. I believe if we do so, the body of Christ will be mobilized into action, to passionately serve the Kingdom, no matter what the cost, and the nations will be reached for His Glory.

My hope is that all who read this book would be encouraged to go deeper. That as they look at the life and teachings of Jesus they would move from being His acquaintance to experiencing a life-changing encounter with Him as ultimate leader and friend.

Jesus, The Servant Leader

New Book!

Carl Medearis is an international expert in the field of Arab-American and Muslim-Christian relations. He acts as a catalyst for a number of current movements in the Middle East to promote peace-making, as well as cultural, political and religious dialog leading toward reconciliation. Carl, his wife Chris, and three kids lived in Beirut, Lebanon for 12 years. Through their unique and strategic approach around the Arab world, they encourage university students, business professionals and political leaders to live their lives by the principles and teachings of Jesus in order to change their societies and nations. He is the author of the acclaimed book on these issues, 'Muslims, Christians and Jesus'.

Carl is a brilliant author and a good friend and I am excited about his new book titled 'Adventures In Saying Yes - A Journey From Fear To Faith'

To check it out, just click here

Love Never Ends: A Meditation...

The following is a piece written by BRIAN ZAHND.  If you would like to see the original post or read more from Brian please click on the link to view his blog site -  Brian's blog  

Why is there something instead of nothing? The only answer I can imagine is Genesis 1:1. In the beginning God… But why would God say, “Let there be light” and initiate Creation? The only answer I can imagine is God is love.

What is light? God’s love in the form of photons. What is water? A liquid expression of God’s love. What is a mountain? God’s love in granite, so much older than human sorrow. What is a tree? God’s love growing up from the ground. What is a bull moose? God’s love sporting spectacular antlers. What is a whale? Fifty tons of God’s love swimming in the ocean.

As we learn to see Creation as goodness flowing from God’s own love — We begin to see the sacredness of all things. As Dylan and Dostoevsky say, in every grain of sand. All of creation is a gift — a gift flowing from the self-giving love of God.

Why is there light and oceans and trees and moose and whales and every grain of sand? Because God is love — love seeking expression in self-giving creativity. Unless we understand this we’ll misunderstand everything and misspend our lives. In our misunderstanding and misspent lives we harm Creation — including our sisters and brothers, all of whom bear the image of God.

Love never ends. At the end of all things there is love. Love abides. Love endures. When the last star burns out, God’s love will be there for whatever comes after. In the end it all adds up to love. So when you are calculating the meaning of life — If it doesn’t add up to love, recalculate, because you’ve made a serious mistake!

Existence only makes sense when seen through the lens of love. At the beginning of time there is love. At the bottom of the universe there is love. It’s in God’s ocean of endless love that we live and move and have our being.

Admittedly freedom allows for other things too (from cancer cells to atomic bombs) — But at the bottom of the universe it’s love all the way down. Cancer cells and atomic bombs will not have the final say. Love alone has the last word.

“Unless you love, your life will flash by.” (Thank you, Terrence Malick.) Love alone gives meaning to our fleeting fourscore sojourn. Why? Because everything else returns to dust. It’s love alone that never ends. It’s love alone that is greater than the grave. Death severs all save love. We remain connected to our departed loved ones by the un-severable bond of love.

Love remembers. God’s love is great enough to remember all and to re-member all. If Creation is an explosion (or rapid expansion) of God’s love (and I believe it is) — New Creation (or resurrection) is the triumph of God’s endless love over death. This is the question: Which is endless, Love or Death? The answer is Love.

If God is love and if love never ends and if the meaning of being is love… And if Jesus is the supreme incarnation of God’s eternal love… Then that should tell us something about what it looks like to follow Jesus.

Following Jesus is a journey toward perfection in the love of God. It’s a journey that will take us a lifetime, and perhaps longer. But the trajectory is clear: We are always moving toward the way of love.

If what we’re doing, praying, preaching, saying, isn’t moving us toward love… Then it’s not the true way of following the love of God who is Jesus Christ. This needs to be said, because it is too easily forgotten. Loveless orthodoxy is death.

We’ve all seen those who in the name of Jesus have perfected meanness. The iconic and tragic-comic example would be the Westboro Baptist folk… But there are plenty of other less egregious, but still tragic, examples.

The journey of faith almost always begins as somewhat elitist (I’m saved!) — But it always moves toward becoming egalitarian. (Peter learning Gentiles are accepted by God.) Love triggers the divine and deep (but often repressed) instinct that all things belong. (All God has created is good. Sin is the corruption, the hole, in the fabric of God’s goodness.)

You too belong. You too are accepted. I will make room for you. Over time, as we are properly formed, love will elicit this kind of language. Love is open. Love is expansive. There is a largeness to love. Sin is mean, petty, and small. The whole world of Hell in C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce was no bigger than a grain of sand. Selah.

If Creation comes from the explosive expansion of God’s love — Then I find it significant that we live in an ever expanding universe. The universe is not shrinking, it’s not static, it’s expanding…at the speed of light!

God is love. God is light. God’s love is expanding at the speed of light. And what is the wrath of God? The love of God wrongly received. Either we go with the grain of love or we suffer the shards of self-inflicted harm. (And that you “did it to yourself” by resisting God’s love makes it no less of a judgment.)

What about the borders of your love? Are they shrinking? Static? Expanding? Who are you embracing in love. Fewer people? The same people? More people? I’m not worried about having borders of love that are too broad. Loving too many people will hardly be a crime at the judgment seat of Christ.

In my earliest days of following Jesus I had an air of triumphalism. (I’m on the winning team!) But as I mature I find triumphalism shrinking and love expanding. Today I find it much easier to love people who are very different from me.

I’ve learned to genuinely love people of other religions. (And still confess Jesus is Lord.) Jews…Muslims…Hindus…Buddhists…Atheists. I’m thinking of specific people…friends. But will they be saved?! That’s not my business. My business is to love and point to Jesus. (I do believe that no one who loves the way of grace ever comes to a bad end.)

Back to the question about our borders of love… Why would our borders of love shrink and not expand? Only one answer: Fear. As I observe the world — politically, socially, economically, religiously… I observe there really are only two forces that move people: Fear and Love.

So when you observe the events that make news (especially if there’s controversy) — Ask this simple question: What’s at work here? Fear or Love? Then ask yourself another question: What’s moving me? Fear or Love? Finally, make the decision to move with love and refuse to respond to fear. You can afford to make that risky move because… God is love and love never ends.

How I Pray Each Morning

I believe we can live victoriously every day. I believe we can enjoy the grace of God in difficult circumstances and when we are down emotionally. Personally, I need time with the Lord every day, or my emotional and spiritual well runs dry. When that happens, my faith level goes down and I start listening to the lies of the enemy. On a practical level, I love variety, so I change my 'quiet time' routine every few months. If I don’t, it gets boring and I lose interest. Sally is the exact opposite to me. She follows the same approach every morning, in the same chair, at the same time.

But I need variety. I think it’s a personality thing. I like variety in how I relate to Sally or any of my friends. I like to do different things with them. See a movie, go for a walk, play golf, take a hike in the mountains…the point is to hang out together but do things we enjoy at the same time.

But, with the variety and change, I also need consistency in my times with the Lord. There are certain aspects of my relationship with God that never change.

I thought I would share ‘a tool’ with you that has helped me spend meaningful time with the Lord. I use this tool in the mornings, and any time in the day for that matter. A friend passed it on to me many years ago, and I like it a lot. In fact, I have come to the conclusion that it contains elements of truth that should be part of how we relate to the Lord every day.

It’s really simple. This model of prayer, if you want to call it that, is so easy you can memorize and follow it any time of the day. You can do it while you are driving to work, going for a walk, etc. Yet it has lots of opportunity for substance and going deeper with the Lord as well. When I lack direction or my mind wanders, I know what to do to get going. If you like this tool and find it helpful, you may want to write down the seven headings on a 3x5 card and keep it with you as a reminder.

It’s based on the Tabernacle in the Old Testament. I encourage you to get a diagram of the Tabernacle from your Bible or borrow one from a friend who has a study Bible so you can visualize it.

It will be easier for you to remember it that way, too. The Lord gave the design for the tabernacle to Moses in Exodus 25-31. Different features of the tabernacle were representative of how the people of Israel were to relate to God. For example, as the priests entered the tabernacle, they went first to the altar of burnt offerings, or altar of sacrifice, as it is sometimes called. They did that as a sacrifice for their sins. The altar of sacrifice is symbolical of Christ’s death on the cross.

If each station of the tabernacle was important to the people of God in those days, they are just as important to us today. I am so convinced of this truth, that no matter how I rearrange my quite times, I include these seven elements in my times of connecting with God. They are as follows:

1. Altar of Sacrifice - It is vital that we ‘die daily’ to sin, i.e., confess our sins each day and receive God’s forgiveness. The Altar of Sacrifice was where burnt offerings and sacrifices were offered to God for the sins of the people. Jesus is our sacrifice. Paul says in Romans 6:11 that we should consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God because of Jesus’ death for us. It is powerful thing to daily confess our sins and sorrows, and then receive His forgiveness and grace. See Galatians 5:24, Philippians 1:21, Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:6, 2 Corinthians 1:9

2. Bronze Laver - We have an invitation from God: we can receive the washing of our minds and hearts each day if we simply ask and receive by faith. The bronze laver in the tabernacle was the place of cleansing. It was a bowl that contained water for cleansing. The bronze laver symbolized the need of the priests to be clean from sin as they came into the presence of God. John 13:6, Titus 3:5, Ephesians 5:26

3. Golden Lampstand - We need to consciously ask for and receive the fullness of the Spirit every day: God invites us to ask for the fruit and the power of the Holy Spirit each day, and to ask Him to give us wisdom for the decisions we must make. On the Golden Lampstand stood a candlestick, or menorah. The Lampstand provided light for the priests as they entered the ‘holy place’. It symbolizes the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide us as we live our lives each day in the ‘holy place’ of our work and family life. It also represents Jesus, the light of the world. This part of the tabernacle reminds us to be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18, Acts 4:8, 31, 9:17, Acts 5:32

4. Table of Showbread - We need the word of God, both written and spoken, to feed our hearts and keep us alive spiritually. Each week twelve fresh loaves of bread were placed on a table in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. The Showbread symbolized that God sustained the people of Israel. In the same way, we are sustained by the word of God. It is bread to our souls. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that precedes from the mouth of God.” Deuteronomy 8:3, Psalm 119:9-11, Romans 12:2. Acts 4:31, 13:5, Romans 10:17, 2 Corinthians 2:17, 4:2, Ephesians 6:17, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Hebrews 4:12

5. Altar of Incense - Jesus longs to receive our worship by the choices we make, the thoughts we think, and the words of praise we offer Him in adoration. The Altar of Incense was symbolical of worship. Our lives are to be incense to the Lord (2 Corinthians 2:14). He never grows tired of our worship. Worship allows intimacy to grow between the Lord and us. It is the love language of the heart. Genesis 22:5, Deuteronomy 11:16, Psalm 67:1-4, Psalm 86:9, John 4:21-24, Romans 12:1, Revelation 5:9-10,

6. Mercy Seat - Ark of the Covenant - The mercy seat symbolizes the mercy of God that covers our lives and it represents God’s invitation to us to offer prayers and intercessions for others. The mercy seat was the lid that went over the ark, where the stone tablets of the law were contained. The priests sprinkled the blood of sacrificed animals on the mercy seat. An intercessor stands before God and asks for His mercy to be given on behalf of other people. Such an invitation should not be ignored or turned down! Acts 6:4, 12:5, Romans 12:12, Ephesians 6:18, Philippians 4:6, Colossians 4:2, James 5:15, Mark 11:24, 13:33, 14:38, 1 Thessalonians 5:25,

7. Outer Court - When we marry our passions for life with our calling to tell others about Jesus, our worlds come together. We don’t have to live fragmented lives. After the priest ministered to the Lord on behalf of the people, he went to the outer court of the tabernacle and ministered to the people on behalf of the Lord. As followers of Jesus, we are commissioned to go into the world on His behalf. We each have a sphere of influence that God gives us to tell people about Jesus. When this happens, we find deep fulfillment and the satisfaction of living whole-heartedly for God. Genesis 1:28, 12:1-3, Psalm 67:1-4, Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:19-20

There you have it: seven aspects of our relationship with Jesus. My prayer for you is that you will grow in your desire to spend time with Jesus each day. He loves you and longs to be with you!

The Tabernacle Model of Prayer and the Lord’s prayer are linked in that they both describe essential ingredients of our walk with the Lord:

Adoration -  Our Father in heaven  -  Altar of Incense 

Consecration -  Holy be Your name  -  Altar of Sacrifice/Burnt Offerings 

Intercession  -  Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven  -  Mercy Seat/Ark of the Covenant 

Infilling and personal supplication  -  Give us this day our daily bread  -  Table of Showbread & Golden Lampstand 

Cleansing and forgiveness  -  Forgive us our sins, As we forgive those who have sinned against us  -  Bronze Laver 

Spiritual warfare  -  Lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one  -  Outer Court 

Worship and declaration  -  For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever!  -  Altar of Incense 

Whose Side Is God On? by Greg Albrecht

The following is an excerpt from Spiritual Soup for the Hungry Soul Vol. 2 © Copyright 2013 by Greg Albrecht, published by Plain Truth Ministries, Pasadena, CA, USA.   Used by permission. "Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand.  Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” - Joshua 5:13-14

Have you ever noticed how many individual Christians and incorporated religious institutions assume that God is exclusively on their side? Many seem to think that God is a member-in-good-standing of their denomination. Many seem to assume that God carries the same national passport they do and that He always supports their country in any military altercation. Some even act and talk as if God supports their favorite athletic team and their particular political party.

But if you think about the whole idea of God being polarized and politicized for about three seconds, it really doesn’t make any sense, does it? After all the Bible clearly teaches that God loves all mankind equally. The man in our keynote passage who appeared to Joshua could have been an angel of the Lord, or this incident could have been yet another example of a theophany, an appearance of God himself. Whether it was the Lord or an angel of the Lord is really not all that important - what is important is the message given to Joshua and the context of that message.

As the book of Joshua begins, the nation of Israel (after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness) is poised to inherit the land God promised to them. Joshua has taken over for Moses as the national leader. As he is preparing for war against Jericho, the first city-state that he and the nation of Israel will conquer, Joshua has a visitor. In the midst of Joshua’s military preparations the Lord (or His angel) appeared with a drawn sword. As the commander-in-chief of Israel’s army, Joshua’s first question is natural: “Are you for us or against us? Are you a friend or foe?”

The answer is profound. In effect God says to Joshua: “Whether I am on your side is not the real issue. The most important question is whether you are on my side. You follow my directions and decisions - not the other way around.” If you are an American, I presume you know that the words “God bless America” are not in the Bible.  If you are a citizen of another country you probably understand that “God bless Canada” or “God bless England or Nigeria or Germany or Afghanistan or India or China or Indonesia” does not appear in the Bible either.

I love my country. I tear up when I hear the stories of those who have sacrificed for the freedoms we Americans enjoy. I sing the Star Spangled Banner and recite the Pledge of Allegiance with respect. I am thankful I have been given the opportunity to live in the United States. For that matter, I recognize and give thanks for the blessings of friends and family, and spiritual brothers and sisters who experience life within any democracy, in a country where freedom of thought, assembly and worship is given. And there are many such places in our world today.

My wife and I lived in the United Kingdom for a number of years, and enjoyed the blessings of life in such an environment. As an American, I am deeply moved by the beneficial work of Americans as they help people both within our country and abroad. But I am not blind to the sins of our country. I am not blind to the fact that no country or any political system is without sin. I am not blind to the fact that many wars are contested by countries and nations that are both wrong in their motives for fighting and killing.

I do not worship my country any more than I worship a church or a religion. I worship Jesus alone. When all is said and done, when we read history carefully, we find out that warfare is a dirty and corrupt business, and that there have been few times when one side is absolutely clean and righteous in their motivation for fighting and in the way they have prosecuted and carried out warfare. It is important for Christians to maintain their focus on Jesus Christ, rather than falling into the ditch of nationalism.

John 3:16, the most often quoted and memorized verse in the entire Bible, tells us that God loves the entire world. Romans 2:11 tells us that God does not show favoritism. God loves us all, and that all-encompassing, all-embracing love is one of the things that makes Him God. He does not have favorites. He is not partisan or political. He is above the kind of petty squabbles and conflicts that we humans get into. God is not involved in the struggles that often define us and consume us. He is truly above it all - He doesn’t take sides!

And that’s exactly how God replied to Joshua’s inquiry as to whether He was on Joshua’s side or on the side of Joshua’s enemies. God (or the angel who conveyed God’s message) said neither. The ninth chapter of the Gospel of Mark records a fascinating story from Jesus’ ministry. Jesus’ disciples came to Him and told Him about a man who was driving demons out of people, in Jesus’ name. The disciples told Jesus that they had told him to stop healing people, because, as Mark records them saying to Jesus, he was not one of us  (Mark 9:38).

“He or she is not one of us!” How often has that been said, over the centuries, in those exact words or something similar, by those who thought they were faithfully following Jesus? Some within Christendom become so confident in their creeds, doctrines, dogmas, practices, ceremonies and beliefs that they actually believe their position is one and the same as God’s position. Pride and arrogance are not far behind.

And, of course, pride and arrogance produces intolerance and condemnation. Sometimes those who say they are following God become physically abusive to anyone who disagrees with them - for after all, “those” people are disagreeing with God, aren’t they?

When we get caught up in thinking that God is on our side and when we start making critical comments about those who do not seem to be one of us, we are not reconcilers - we are not peacemakers - but instead we become divisive - we become angry and hostile to others. When our focus leaves Jesus, the Prince of peace, we cease to be connected with others, whatever their beliefs may be. The love of our own interests, our own nation, culture, religion and values turns us away from the love that God has for all humanity.

We make judgments that “God is on our side” and “those other people are not one of us” because we are living out of fear. Fear, along with shame and guilt, is a product of Christ-less religion. In Mark 9, when the disciples complained about someone who seemed to be healing and helping people, in Jesus’ name, but someone who wasn’t in their club, someone they didn’t know, someone who didn’t appear to be “one of us” - what did Jesus say?

Jesus said, Do not stop him  (Mark 9:39). Please excuse my paraphrase, as I put words in Jesus’ mouth, but is seems to me that He was telling His disciples something like this:

“Listen up guys. The gospel is not about whether God is on your side - it’s about the decision you make to be on His side. The gospel is not about whether someone is one of you - it’s about the incredible news that God is for all of us - not just you guys - but everyone. Taking sides is not part of God’s grace. That’s not how His love and grace work.”

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the end of the eye-for-aneye response, a response which, of course, makes everyone blind (Matthew 5:38-42). Christ-less religion often squelches the gospel, with fever-pitched cries for vindication, politically or militarily. May God forgive us when pulpits of Christian churches are used to cry out for bloodshed. The kingdom of heaven is a multi-ethnic, international, irreligious kingdom - it most certainly is not a war-mongering, nationalistic kingdom.

One of the major lessons of the book of Revelation is that religion and the state often combine as enemies of the true gospel, so much so that Revelation 18:4 calls to the people of God, who follow Christ alone, to “Come out of her, my people.”

The book of Revelation provides a warning and a chronicle of what happens when those who profess Christ jump into bed with either Christ-less religion or the idolatry of Caesar worship - the worship of a nationalistic human empire - or a combination of both. Just as there have been religious institutions in the past that were merely pawns of a nationalistic state worship, so too religious institutions today fall into the same idolatrous worship. They fly the flag of Christ, but they are no more part of Him than those who do not even claim to be followers of Jesus. It’s so easy to respond to martial music and join the crusade of demanding an eye for an eye, but we are clearly told that our citizenship primarily lies in heaven:

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…  (Philippians 3:20). Our true, eternal citizenship is in heaven. As Christ followers may we realize that as we live here on this earth, wherever we may live, and under whatever form of government, that we, as Christians, refuse to bow down and worship our country just as Daniel refused to worship the golden idol that King Nebuchadnezzar had formed and fashioned.

As citizens of the kingdom of heaven, we worship no golden idols here on earth. We bow the knee to the Prince of peace, not to any god of war. Our citizenship in the kingdom of heaven is based on God’s incredible love, which flows into our hearts and our lives by His grace.

In Luke chapter 9 we read that when the Samaritans refused to welcome Jesus and His disciples, James and John wanted to call fire down from heaven to consume these enemies of the gospel. How dare they stand in the way of truth?

But Jesus rebuked James and John—and then, in the very next chapter, on the heels of His rejection by the Samaritans, Jesus chose a Samaritan as the good guy of His parable about the love of God—a parable we call the parable of the Good Samaritan!

The life of Christ involves turning the other cheek to the enemy who wrongs us, blessing the enemy who curses us and praying for those who abuse us. That is the radical grace and love of the kingdom of heaven.

Whose Side Is God On?  He’s on your side and on my side. God is on the side of our next-door neighbors whose dogs bark and bother us, the neighbors who never mow their lawn and who have loud parties. He’s on the side of people who don’t attend your church - or people who don’t attend any church - or people who are not even Christians. God’s love is big enough - there’s enough of it to go around, even for people who don’t even believe in Him - at least not yet.

Whose Side Is God On?  He’s on the side of people who live outside of our borders and boundaries, who speak languages we don’t understand and practice and love a culture we don’t know or appreciate. God does not take sides as humans do. He is not against anyone. He doesn’t have favorites. The real question for you and me is whether we are on God’s side.

How Jesus Related to People

Part Two

2. Community

From the crowds, came the seekers.  One senses in reading the Gospels that there were people in and out of Jesus' life who were actively seeking to know more.  Some of them are made known to us in the gospel accounts, like Nicodemus, Zacchaeus, or the Roman centurion.  There must have been many more who were actively interested in hearing His teachings.  They were people who had listened to Jesus speaking, seen Him perform miracles, or had heard about Him and wanted to know more.  Different people had different reasons for seeking Jesus: some were sincere, others wanted to find fault with Him, and still others were motivated by curiosity.  Some were desperate for help.  Jesus' response to seekers was very different from His response to large crowds.  He was more personal, but not always more friendly.  He was probing, questioning, and He almost always asked or demanded something costly from seekers.  Jesus tested them, but in a pro-active and loving kind of way.  He would give them something to do, a step to take, to show they were prepared to pay the price necessary to actually follow Him.  Jesus did not continually dispense truth to seekers if they did not show that they were willing to obey what He had already taught them.

Jesus modeled for us how to arouse the interest of people through telling stories and doing miracles.  But we also learn from Him how to ask seekers to go beyond spiritual curiosity or the miracle they have experienced, to hearing and obeying His teachings.  If they took one step, Jesus led them to the next.  Because we have the advantage of knowing the parable of the Sower, the seed and the soil, we know that Jesus understood that the hearts of people were all different.  Some were hard, some were responsive; and of those that were responsive, not all were genuine or lasting.

There are many examples in the Gospels of Jesus' interaction with this group of the not-yet-committed as He invites them to be obedient disciples:

• Matthew 8:18-22

• John 6:60-66

• Luke 5:4-5, 27-28

• Luke 8:19-21

• Luke 14:25-33

For Jesus, evangelism was disciple-making.

Personal Application

Our 'community' is people we have personal contact with.  They are people who show spiritual interest, or who will show interest, if we pray for them and take time for them.  Make a list of people who you know personally who don't know Jesus.  Those are the 'seekers' God has placed in your life that comprise your 'community'.

3.  Core group disciples 

The core group disciples were those who were attracted to Jesus, who subsequently crossed a threshold in their lives and decided to trust Jesus.  Understanding grew gradually in the hearts of the disciples of what it meant to obey Jesus.  Jesus deliberately selected some of His followers for more responsibility.  It says in Luke 6: 12 that from those who were with Him, He chose twelve for apostolic responsibility; that is, to be set aside, fully ready to obey Jesus.

At this point terminology can fail us.  There seem to have been many of Jesus' disciples who were not fully in or fully out.  Jesus left it purposefully that way.  He did not draw up a list of rules like the Pharisees of His day, and decide – based on strict adherence to His 'rules and regulations' of discipleship – who was 'in' or 'out'.  Jesus invited people to be His disciples by drawing them to Himself, rather than by establishing an 'in or out' closed society.  But there was no question about whether He wanted obedience from His core team – that had to be absolute, because He stood at the centre of the new community He was creating.  There were people who were called disciples, but who had not counted the cost of following Jesus all the way – "From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more" (John 6:66).  Jesus asked the twelve whom He had appointed to share leadership responsibility with Him if they, too, wanted to leave Him.  Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).

Personal application 

Understanding the paradoxes of discipleship is crucial to this process of moving from crowds, to a community of seekers, to a core group of disciples.  This is not a hard and fast method, but a process to follow in order to find people in whom we can invest our lives.

Sharing Jesus is partly about discerning the 'crowd' in our lives, building relationships with a 'community of seekers' and then selecting a core group of potential disciples to invest in.  Sharing Jesus – what we typically refer to as evangelism – cannot be separated from a process of finding those who are responsive to Jesus.

Jesus taught and modeled the way in which to discern how open people are to the good news (Luke 8:4 and following).  He respected people, but also challenged them to go further in their search for God.  In the parable of the Sower, Jesus compared the good news to seed sown into the soil of people's hearts.  The 'soil' represented four different types of people's readiness to hear His message.  Jesus told this story to His disciples to help them to discern the soil condition of people's hearts.  In Luke 8:11, Jesus explained to them that the 'seed' is the message from God to people.  Luke begins chapter 8 by saying that "Jesus. . . began a tour of the nearby cities and villages to announce the Good News concerning the Kingdom of God. . ."  In His parable, the 'sower' of the seed is the disciples themselves.

How Jesus Related To People

Part 1

This is an exerpt from my book 'Follow'... We can discover the answer to the question of what evangelism is, in looking at how Jesus related to people.  In my study of the gospels, I have found it very helpful to realize that there were patterns of how Jesus related to three different categories of people: the crowds, seekers who approached Him to learn more, and those He invited to be His disciples.  I summarize these three groups in this way:

1. Crowds  -  those that gathered spontaneously or at Jesus' instigation.

2. Community  -  seekers and followers who responded to Jesus - some out of curiosity and some who were sincere.

3. Core group  -  disciples who chose to follow Jesus - those Jesus invited to follow Him and learn from His way.

Let's go over these three groups in a little more detail, because each of us as a follower of Jesus has the same three groups of people in our lives. 

1. Crowds

We may not heal people like Jesus did, but we all have a good sized group of people we know and interact with, including neighbors, people at work, family, etc.  Those people are our 'crowd'.  Just as Jesus did good deeds and shared good news with all those He encountered, so can we.  On a 'crowd' level, Jesus did not try to accomplish what could be done only through personal relationship; He did reach out to people in order to influence them and was intentional about reaching people – but with distinctly different approaches.  My estimate is that He spent far more time interacting with small groups and individuals than He did with crowds, perhaps spending 75 percent of His time with His disciples.  I think Jesus saw interaction with the crowds as a way of 'planting a seed' in people's hearts (Luke 8:4-18); a way of arousing spiritual interest, and also a way of finding potential spiritual seekers and disciples to teach.

In every instance where Jesus interacts with large groups of people, He responds in one of seven ways:

1. He taught them and shared the good news with them – usually by speaking loudly so the entire group could hear Him.

2. He had compassion on them.

3. He healed scores of them.

4. He fed them – He didn't hand out the food Himself, but He found a way for them to receive food.

5. He brought certain ones to life who were dead among them.

6. He defended them from the religious leaders who mislead them.

7. He inspired people to imagine life the way God intended it to be.

If you made a list of everyone you have in your cell phone and email list, those are all people you have connected with.  From this group of people, God wants to give you a few that you relate to more personally.

The one thing Jesus consistently did not do in all His interactions with large groups of people was that He did not pressure them to become one of His disciples.  He did not invite people to join Him as one of His close-up followers – He did that one-on-one.  He did try to arouse the spiritual interest of people.  He did speak to stir up their dreams and expectations for what could come from their lives if they sought after God and we should do the same.

From a big-picture point of view, Jesus was aware and intentional about making sure that the people in certain regions knew about Him.  He sent His disciples ahead of Him to all the towns and cities He planned to visit (see Luke 10:1).  That is not an uncommon phrase or sentiment in the gospels.  These verses are examples of the deliberate attempt by Jesus to spread the good news of His Kingdom far and wide:

• Mark 1:38

• Matthew 9:35

• Mark 6:6

• Luke 13:22

One thrust of the great commission that Jesus gave to His disciples was to take the good news everywhere.  He told them to "go into all the world", and to "make disciples of all nations".

Personal application 

How do you apply the 'crowd' idea to your life situation?  Jesus wants every person in your sphere of influence, in your relational and family network and in your geographical setting, to hear the good news.  He especially wants you to be aware of those around you who suffer.  That does not mean you are personally responsible for each of them, but you will never fully know your part in taking Jesus to the people in your 'crowd' if you are not praying for them to hear about and experience the love and mercy of God, found in Jesus.  That includes those at your place of work, your university, your neighborhood, your village, and in nearby disadvantaged communities.  God has placed you where He has placed you for a reason.  You become that person by being a listening ear, someone to debrief with after a hard day, a safe person to talk to when burdened with life.  Visit neighbors, walk around during coffee breaks at work, or take time to hang out with fellow students in your school, college or university.  Jesus wants to reach each person in your 'crowd' – through you.

'Community' and 'Core Group' to follow in Part Two

Jesus Started a Church

Perhaps the most radical thing Jesus did while on earth, besides taking the punishment for our sins on the cross, was starting a church. There is generally agreement amongst Bible scholars and theologians that what Jesus did with His disciples was not a church. But I disagree. Jesus said He would build His church – not just after His ascension into heaven. He started His church while He lived on earth, planning for it to multiply to the ends of the earth.

He and His band of followers did all the things we agree are essential to function as a church. They functioned as a spiritual family doing life together, pursuing relationship with the Father, and serving the world around them. They fulfilled the qualifications for doing church the way we see it modeled in the book of Acts.

The disciples learned the new way of being a covenant community from their Master. After His ascension, they realized He had given them a model to follow – and they followed it. It was more than a model, in fact, it was a way to live intentionally together.

Jesus didn’t add a lot of frills to His church. In fact, He subtracted from the Old Testament way of doing things: He took away the uniforms, He got rid of the barriers between men and women and Jews and Gentiles, and He empowered everyone to be a priest. He didn’t ask for their money, organize a choir, or choose one particular day over another to gather for worship.

No holy day, no holy priests, and no holy meeting place. When you stop to think about it, it was a radical model of simplicity and mission: worship and prayer, community and care, and reaching out as a way of life.

He taught them how to be leaders by serving. He walked beside His followers, not above them. Yet, He was clearly the leader.

He bridged the dualism of the Old Testament, calling for a radical new kind of spirituality. He taught spirituality of the heart, not outward behavior. Every person who followed Him was treated with equal value and given equal responsibility. Yet, with this new emphasis on being a spiritual family, He recognized and modeled the need for servant leadership.

I love how Jesus did church. He only mentions church twice in His teachings, and it is interesting to note it was Matthew, the most Jewish of the gospel writers, who records Jesus’ teaching on the “new church” way of being God’s people.

In Matthew 16 and 18 Jesus teaches about church...but that is for another blog post and another day....