Explosion of Phrases by a Unique Configuration of People

HIS GRACE IS ENOUGH SO THAT I DON'T HAVE TO BE

I spent last week with a unique group of passionate emerging leaders for the Kingdom. I compiled many phrases spoken throughout the week that captured and challenged us though our fellowship, prayers and teachings. I pray that they may enlighten, empower and bless you. Enjoy!

Pain and Leadership

• Every important stage of deep growth have emerged from a time of great pain. Christ is not concerned with our weaknesses (mind), He is focused on our wounds (heart)
• We learn obedience from what we suffer.
• Jesus was molded by and through suffering.
• We are in service of creating images that were tainted with the fall. We were made in the image of God, so as we transform with the Spirit, we are reawakening the image of Christ within and through us. Satan is at war with this.
•  “Fear not” is the most restated command in the Bible. The other is “I am with you”
• Once being broken, we have perspective in the next brokenness.
• Leave your justice to God. In suffering, He is stripping away all things that keep us from being all that He wants us to be.
• We play a humble part of God’s eternal purposes.  We have lost perspective on the parts that we play from the parts that God plays.
• Good leaders are introspective people.
• Know who God made you to be, certain themes in your life. Make your “life themes” that explain at the core who you are. Then in whatever ministry and life service, these themes will come up time after time after time.
• Individual producer vs organizational leader.
• We must focus on what God made us to be, otherwise we wither away because we are living in the expectation of others. Ultimately, we have the audience of One.
• We must strive to come to a place of CONVERGENCE. Passions, skills and wiring'all come together. This usually comes later in life.
• Come into your ministry in your weakness.  Embrace your weakness because people don’t need perfection- they need transformation. Acknowledge your weakness to your team- they already know it and they are already talking about it!
• I have LEARNED to be weak. God can do far greater things in my ministry with my weakness than my strengths.
• Leak into your ministry your personal transformation and embrace your weakness as a sign of authenticity.
• If you only show your strengths and awesomeness (In one’s own power), then you are only showing yourself and not revealing the glory of your savior. Corrie Ten Boom quote: Corrie ten Boom was once asked if it was difficult for her to remain humble. Her reply was simple, “When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on the back of a donkey, and everyone was waving palm branches and throwing garments on the road, and singing praises, do you think that for one moment it ever entered the head of the donkey that any of that was for him? ...If I can be the donkey on which Jesus Christ rides . . . I give Him all the praise and all the honor.” 

  Reflections.........

• I love being with lost people
• I found my spiritual rest- my Spiritual Oasis
• Transformation happens when you experience and know the person of Christ. He is the foundation! It is a simple concept that we lose sight of.
• Can you crystalize a deliberate impact for the Kingdom?
• Reflect on Ephesians 2:10 “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
• Reflect on 2 Timothy 2:2 “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men[a] who will be able to teach others also.”
• What you do with pain will determine what you will ultimately do with your life.
• God is raising a few passionate and authentic believers who will finish the task of the Great Commission
• Don’t say “I have learned…” Say, “I have begun to learn….”
• You live for the quality of eternal life NOW through the quality of the way you love others.
• Let me show you the “Rhythms of Grace!”

• Ask yourself: What is it that you really want? What is it that you really need? What life?

• Awareness: Most of our lives are lived unaware. Awareness in a leader is so important, if not, that leader is not a safe leader. An unaware leader will pass on the things they are unaware of – things that can hurt them or hinder them.
• We have no idea how to be children to our Father, but that has no bearing on how He will be our Father. YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO LIVE IN THE FATHER’S HOUSE, but that does not have any bearing on how He is the father. IT DOES NOT AFFECT YOUR PLACE IN THE TABLE. Just be at the table. Some are more engaged at the table and some are more quiet- but the Father is glad you are there.
• No amount of stories – no amount of theological content compares to the good news!

Phrases God has spoken to me through others:

•  I hope to connect- not teach.
• I want to love strong and true.
• I am not a superhero
• As we all meet, use our spiritual gifts and take our place at the table, we enforce the power of community. The community “becomes” the tool to disciple us. Even though we are discipling, we as a community become a tool that collectively disciples us.
• I pray for the consistent smile of the Father.
• My heart and spirit have been set to rest, yet stirred up at the same time.
• We need to learn to crawl back into your Father’s lap.
• The will of my Father is where I will find my satisfaction. This is where the worship of God is revealed.
• Discipleship should not be in the classroom alone- it must be exercised in the ministry field. Take it out there! Let your disciples walk with you. Jesus took His disciples on a mission trip at stage one. He took them to Samaritan’s- People they supposedly were taught to hate. Cross cultural trip.
• The more I read the Bible- the less I understand.
•  It is not about power because we possess the same power through the Holy Spirit that Jesus had. It is about “Choice”- Choice to believe that Jesus has won in order to bring us back to Him.
• Jesus did not live in fear in what He might not become- rather, He lived in confidence and humility in WHO THE FATHER IS.
• Don’t seek to understand, but seek to be understanding.
• Thy Kingdom come – not an analogy, but a reality
• Don’t let Christ say, “You were missing me while you were rendering ministry for me”
• He does not love me for the fruit of my ministry, He loves me for me.
• God’s grace is enough so that I don’t have to be.
• Don’t seek Leadership! It is fine to lead, but not because you went after it.
• Mission’s does not equal life – you don’t need to be in ministry, you can be.
• Love God more than missions.
• People are addicted to ministry (they run out of fuel and become empty cups) VS People addicted to Jesus.
• Let go of service. Let go of performance. Just be available to Jesus!
• What does “success” look like in my ministry life?
• There is no “called” and “uncalled” in ministry
• Life is a short walk by on stage. It is not our show – slapping and screaming, “mommy, mommy, look at me!”
• Remorse hates the self and loves the sin. Repentance hates the sin and loves the Lord
• Ephesians 4:11-13 – The body heals itself. So must the Body of Christ. If we focus and concentrate so much on unity – we won’t get it. If you focus on Christ and service- unity happens.

• The power of God’s love is in you and I, but what brings glory and demonstrates His love to others is the love unified. His love is presented in US. When we love each other, there is a flash of love- the love between us is what we show to the world. God is love, so God is present in that space. That is the moment when the veil is torn and the light soaks through. We must love each other right- it is missiologically crucial. We can create a community, but if love is not there and nourished and intentional, the presence of God is not there. The community Church must be shaped to contain love. Cup analogy. Stop breaking my cup. If the cup is broken, it can not contain the water.There can be fellowship, but that is not Church. Church is when we are all sitting at the table. It is where we all “contain” ourselves and contain the love of God. The world see’s this unity that contains love. God is love- so the world see’s God through our love. Galatians 3:28 (Unity) Acts 13(Unity of Church)

Suffering Notes:

• Survey in Egypt of MBB’s showed that more than half that suffered stayed with God. Their faith was not their suffering, but how they responded to it.
• We are free to grieve. It does not show doubt. John 11- Jesus cries and grieves with Mary. He could have said don’t cry- where is your faith? I will heal him. Instead, He lets the pain and the grief spill.
• Pound on God’s chest, He is big and strong – He can take it.
• Give people the dignity to have pain and to express it. Don’t slap a Bible verse at them.
• Let your heart be broken. Only through a broken heart can we spill the clutter in our hearts.
• Mourning with people is a gift.
•  Leading people to the love of Christ will be done through the path of suffering because Christ revealed God to us through His path of suffering.
• Even the enemies evils, the Lord uses for my good.
• Jesus exemplified through the entirety of His life what it looks like for a person to go into a hostile place. His life was of suffering and rejection- even by His own people. So, think about your pain, rejection and know that He has lived it and conquered it for you.
• Sometimes God wants us to stay right where we are. He wants us to endure. Often our prayers automatically ask God for escape, relief, and to heal us from what we are enduring. We must change our prayer to, “Lord, teach me, show me, and build me up in my pain.”
• John 17:15 (Keeping us in the world) Why keep us in the pain? – Pain is a teaching tool for us to use to minister to others. Why protect us from the evil one? – In our vulnerability during the pain, the evil one speaks through to tell us that “how can you minister to other’s? You are weak” So, although our pain strengthens us and is used to minister to others- we can not entertain the thoughts of the enemy. That is why we need protection from the evil one.  Stay in the difficult context and stay focused in the person of Christ.

• Danger is very real – but fear is a choice. The enemy is very real, but how we respond is a choice!
• Embrace suffering as part of the discipleship journey and process. We want to construct the race course instead of running the race. Apostle Paul: Run the race you have been called to.
• When you’re in the furnace, use it to glorify God. Be a steward of it! God can use the pain to cast a huge light on HIM! This is part of the discipleship process.
• Model Perseverance!! Inspire bystanders with your focus on the King. Let the audience applaud not you but your King!!! Even when everyone is applauding you as you run your race, your eyes must keep focused on the finish line, regardless of all the noise of applauds and cheers from the audience. Hebrews 12:2