The Presbyter's Page
Electronic Edition – July 2001
Original articles published December 1996
Section 12 - LA
District UPCI
Donald Bryan - Presbyter
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Moving
Through Ministry Danger Zones
Sermon Thought:
“Go
Forward”
Exodus 14:15
“And
the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the
children of Israel, that they go forward:”
Are you in a place that you thought you’d never be? A place where you are pressing, being resisted and that there are obstacles! And worse, you’re boxed in and can’t go back. What do you do?
In the text, God has Israel in deliverance. They are headed to the promised land after leaving Egypt. Suddenly, they come to the Red Sea. The enemy is behind. They can’t go left or right. They can’t go forward and they can’t to back.
Moses is crying to the Lord. God says “What are you crying to me for? Tell Israel to go forward.” But there is no apparent way to go forward. No boats or bridges. They can’t swim. But God says “Go Forward.” And when they did, God did something He had never done before, and Israel escaped on dry land. We said that God doesn’t change, but He moves, and if we are going to follow Him, we have to keep moving.
There is only one way to move in the Kingdom: GO FORWARD!
What you’re facing is not insurmountable. The Lord still opens doors. In Joshua 3, Israel comes to another obstacle. What does God tell them to do? Go forward! God again splits the waters. The Lord continuously allowed obstacle after obstacle to come before Israel and yet demanded they go forward. He is trying to prove that it is “not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit.”
There are some things you will never accomplish naturally. It will take God to bring the victory. But God demands obedience from us. Expect obstacles. Expect to be resisted. You can’t turn back. So God’s word is “go forward.” The victory may come in one day, one phone call, one letter, one month. But if you give up, you won’t get it. God delays His answers to test us.
The time between when the promise is given and when the promise is fulfilled is a place called the wilderness. How do you survive the wilderness? Go forward. Keep walking in the last word God gave you until you receive another word.
In Judges 7, Gideon defeats an army with clay pots and trumpets! How? Going forward. In I Samuel 17, David destroys a giant after he ran toward the problem. In II Kings 7, four lepers defeat an army after marching toward it. None of these people had it together. They all saw themselves as inferior. All considered themselves weak and helpless. But God said, “Go forward.”
God’s got one thing in mind for you today: victory and being like Jesus. Don’t give up. Don’t despair. You too, in time, will give glory to God. Go forward!
Moving Through Ministry Danger Zones
Do you often miss road signs while driving? In ministry, missed “road signs” san result in bigger problems than inconvenience or a longer drive. You could end up in a ditch – with no way to call a tow truck. I call these Ministry “Danger Zones.”
The Derailed Zone – If you’re feeling “off track,” check to see if you’ve tumbled into this zone. In it, you may be moving, but you aren’t getting anywhere. You enter this zone when you focused on evangelism, leadership development, ministry equipping, and new visitor assimilation. It’s possible to get derailed by important things, like building programs, personal problems, staff issues, or financial crunches. But you must return to your priorities. Take time to rethink and write down your top five; then commit to focusing on them.
The Political Zone – Not sure who’s in charge anymore? Maybe you’ve sold out to politics. Political pressure within the church can be overwhelming, but getting caught in this zone always costs more than it’s worth. You enter the Political Zone when you miss the “Courage Needed” sign on the ministry highway: Courage to say no, to choose being respected over being liked, to not give in to a “big money” person in the church. In order to keep your eyes on the road, seek God’s agenda – not man’s. In the end, you’ll have the right people following you when you stand for the right issues.
The Dry Zone – Feeling parched? Then you could be lost in a spiritually dry season. If your first love has cooled off, or your personal time with God has dwindled or become sporadic, you’ve undoubtedly missed the road sign called “Personal Devotion.” Often in our effort to build the kingdom, we can lose touch with the King. The dry zone can turn to streams of living water today, if you pull out of the fast lane long enough to spend time with Him. You’ll be amazed at the great directions He will give you.
The Comfort Zone – Taken any risks lately? If not, you might have settled into a nice comfort zone. When you have enough attendees to pay the bills, some good ministry times, and even a few converts to celebrate, it’s easy to take this “exit.” No risks are taken, no faith is exercised and nothing new or creative is attempted. This is the easiest sign to miss: “Growth Needed.” Have you heard about the frog in the kettle? Drop a frog in boiling water and he immediately jumps out. But put him in cold water and turn up the heat ever so slowly, and he’ll boil to death – comfortably. Remember that personal and professional growth are non-negotiable. Read regularly, listen to tapes, and attend conferences.
The Battle Zone – Your congregation at war? Then you’ve accidentally entered the battle zone – where conflict, division, tension and strife have a foothold. If hostility is the norm, instead of unity in the body of Christ, you’ve missed the “Proactive Confrontation” sign. Leaders must take action quickly and decisively when facing conflict between followers.
Don’t wait it out – conflict doesn’t go away, and it won’t get better by itself. Confront it now. Speak the truth in love to bring unity back into your church. As on any detour, once we’re in these zones, it’s not easy to get out. But they’re dangerous to you and your people. Your only option is to do whatever it takes to get back on the right road, then keep your eyes open to avoid these “exits.” Learning to navigate on the high road is the best thing you can do for your church.
10 Traits to identify a promising person
1.
Leadership in the past. The best predictor of the future is the past.
2.
The capacity to create or catch vision. When I talk to people about the future, I
want their eyes to light up. I want
them to ask the right questions.
3.
A constructive spirit of discontent. Some people would call this criticism,
but there’s a big difference in being constructively discontent and being
critical. The unscratchable itch is
always in the leader.
4.
Practical Ideas.
Not everybody with practical ideas is a leader, of course, but
leaders seem to be able to identify which are and which aren’t.
5.
A willingness to take responsibility. Leaders will bear work, for the feeling
of contributing to other people is what leadership is all about.
6.
A completion factor.
In the military, it is called “completed staff work.” The half-cooked meal isn’t what you want.
7.
Mental toughness.
No one can lead without being criticized or without facing
discouragement. I don’t want a mean
leader; I don’t want a tough leader.
8.
Peer respect. Peer
respect doesn’t reveal ability, but can show character and personality.
9.
Family respect. The family’s feelings toward
someone reveal much about his or her potential to lead.
10.
A quality that makes people listen to them. Potential leaders have a “holding court”
quality about them. When they speak,
people listen.
Even the strongest leaders can’t do everything.
People limitations:
·
I
cannot lead people longer than they’re willing to follow.
·
I
cannot lead people farther than they’re willing to go.
·
I
cannot lead people faster than they’re willing to change.
·
I
cannot lead people higher than they’re able to climb.
Personal limitations:
·
I
cannot lead people beyond my leadership skills.
·
I
cannot lead above my level of trust.
·
I
cannot lead people past my level of commitment.
·
I
cannot lead people around my undisciplined lifestyle.
·
I
cannot lead people without my willingness to serve.
-- John Maxwell
What are some of the principles that greatly impact our lives and help us become mature, growing, productive people? Listed are principles to guide your life:
1.
Your
attitude determines your altitude.
2.
It’s
not what happens to a person, but what happens in a person that
makes the difference.
3.
Every
problem has a hidden possibility and a seed of victory in it.
4.
Failure
is not final. Learn from it and go on.
5.
Limitations
are guidelines, not stop signs.
6.
Expect
the best and express the best.
7.
There
is not much difference between success and failure. The successful usually gave just a little bit more.
8.
Each
person can increase a little. You can
improve your attitude, relationships, priorities, determination and credibility
a little each day.
9.
Helping
others succeed helps you to succeed.
10. Be yourself – that’s who God
made.
11. People don’t care how much
you know until they know how much you care.
12. Live what you teach.
13. Pay now and play later.
14. Giving is the highest level
of living.
15. Success is having the
respect and love of those closest to you.
16. We make a living by what we
get, but we make a life by what we give.
17. There is no success without
sacrifice.
18. No matter where you’re
starting from on your journey of life, you have some things going for you.
19. Successful people develop
positive daily habits that help them to grow and learn.
20. It’s lonely at the top… so
you’d better know why you’re there.
21. If you need the people, you
can’t lead the people. A co-dependent
relationship seldom grows or moves forward.
22. Are you gonna get any
better, or is this it?
23. Opportunities are seldom
labeled.
24. Circumstances do not make
you what you are… they reveal what you are!
25. Look carefully at the closest
associates in your life, for that is the direction you are heading.
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