Unfortunately, we have all too often heard of spiritual leaders (i.e. Pastors) who fall into sexual sin. As a spiritual leader who has worked with other spiritual leaders for many decades, I have observed the following demonic strategies employed by seducing spirits. Since I am a man I will speak in the context of a male leader being tempted.

The following are seven common strategies to seduce spiritual leaders:

1. Counseling alone with the opposite sex

It is a no-brainer that a spiritual leader should rarely, if ever, conduct a private counseling session with a person that has the potential for a mutual attraction. When alone in such a setting, emotional intimacy develops because of the nature of the conversations. This easily leads to a strong emotional connection that can result in sinful physical and emotional intimacy. To protect their spiritual leaders, church boards should have clear guidelines prohibiting this kind of counseling arrangement.

2. Praying alone with the opposite sex

Satan comes as an angel of light and not with a red suit and a pitch fork. I have seen people with a seductive spirit attempt to use “religious reasons” for proximity to a spiritual leader. Using religious terminology and/or action to seduce an unsuspecting believer is nothing new based on the admonition found in Proverbs 7:6-27. The rule of thumb is to never conduct private prayer sessions with a person of the opposite sex as it can lead to unbiblical emotional, spiritual, and physical intimacy.

3. Working alone with the opposite sex

It is a common thing to hear that a spiritual leader fell into sin with their secretary or co-worker. This is because of the commonality of dealing with the same issues together as a spiritual team can easily lead to emotional and physical attachments — way beyond what is normal in the work environment. The enemy can easily have a foothold when a spiritual leader spends an exorbitant amount of time alone with their (attractive) secretary or co-worker.

To limit exposure to seduction, spouses of spiritual leaders should be part of the vetting process of who works with their spouse, and the church board should insist on guidelines that limit their alone time and emphasize team meetings.

4. Private social media connections 

Spiritual leaders who utilize social media for their work and ministry have much exposure to those with seducing spirits (e.g. I am continually receiving personal contacts and/or seductive pictures from beautiful women via Twitter and Facebook and it is my M.O. to immediately delete names from my account that are suspect). One way to limit exposure of this kind is to allow your spouse the ability to view all your social media as well as text messages at any point they desire. Also, a spiritual leader should allow an assistant access to view all their accounts on a regular basis to make it difficult to hide unbiblical relational dynamics.

5. Altar ministry 

During the church service it is common after the message for people to respond to the teaching by coming to the front for prayer. I told my female leaders years ago to watch out for any potential female who continually responds to my messages and insists on being prayed for by nobody but me – I told these trusted female leaders to accost them away from me and pray for them so to protect me from their possible veiled advances.

6. Soul tie attractions 

When in church ministry, you are continually in proximity to all kinds of people — including those you can possibly be attracted to spiritually, emotionally, and physically. It is not hard to imagine the potential for dangerous soul ties to develop if the way is made for continual contact with a person with the potential for a soul tie (under the ruse of church activity or ministry). At the end of the day — spiritual leaders can use and abuse their position of authority and will be held more accountable in the eyes of God if they indulge their desires and pursue such soul ties.

Even without physical intimacy, spiritual leaders can be guilty of committing “emotional adultery” with a person who is not their spouse. Unfortunately, much of the time these relationships end in full blown sexual intimacy and adultery.

7. Marital conflicts 

All church ministry is fraught with tension that can spill over and negatively affect the marriages of spiritual leaders. This coupled with meeting and working with attractive church members (who treat spiritual leaders with respect and understanding) can lead to temptation, seduction, and adultery.

In closing, if a spiritual leader wants to fall into sexual sin, it will be hard to stop them since there are too many opportunities to fall. For those who have a heart for God and walk in the fear of the Lord it is incumbent upon them to cultivate accountable relationships, craft strict guidelines, and be self-aware and honest with themselves regarding their motives when relating to those of the opposite sex.

My prayer is that this article will help lift the standards of holiness in church ministry and that church leadership will take whatever steps necessary to protect their spiritual leaders from seducing spirits and adultery.

The post Seven Common Strategies Used to Seduce Leaders appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

We have an unhealthy church culture in which people in ministry and leadership often believe they are above what they sing and preach. For example, many worship team members and leaders habitually go hang out somewhere in the church building after they “perform” and do not sit under the word. Also, many elders and leaders in the typical local church lead small groups and/or preach, but themselves do not have a place in the church for personal ministry and accountability. Also, often lead pastors preach accountability and submission to authority, but themselves have no one outside their local church that speaks into their lives.

Following are four dangerous attitudes that lead to rebellion (Isaiah 14:12-15):

Rebellion is the “sin principle” in which all other sins, including pride, are manifest.

1. Isolation

Isolation is, in this context, when a person cuts themselves off in their heart and mind from allowing other people to speak into their life. For example, you can be physically present in a meeting but emotionally disconnected from the voices of those around you. Just because you attend church and/or leadership meetings does not mean you are not isolating yourself. The fact of the matter is, when you shut yourself down emotionally from others and refuse to walk in honesty and transparency then you are isolating yourself. Extreme cases of isolation manifest in a person cutting himself or herself off from a local church, but this first (more subtle) form of isolation is where it begins.

Isaiah 14:12-15 shows how Lucifer kept on saying “I” before he led the rebellion against God. Whenever you think of “I” and not “we” and “us” you are beginning to get into dangerous territory.

2. Autonomy

Autonomy is, in this context, when your isolation leads you to reject all authority over your life. Whenever anyone shuts themselves down emotionally from their overseer, they are beginning the process of rejecting their authority, thus setting themselves up as the lone authority. Isaiah 14:14 shows that Lucifer’s isolation eventually led to him making himself equal with the Most High God in his heart.

3. Division

Whenever a person, especially a secondary leader in a local church, makes himself equal in authority to the lead pastor, division is not far behind. Lucifer went from being one of God’s most trusted archangels to leading a rebellion against God. Isaiah 14:14 shows he tried to make himself equal with God, and Revelation 12:4, 7-9 shows how that led to rebellion against the authority of God.

If Satan was audacious enough to attempt to bring rebellion against God, how much more will he try to bring rebellion and insurrection against a local church? There is only one vision in every church. Any secondary leader who has their own vision that does not point to the vision of their church is drawing disciples away unto themselves (Acts 20:30), and is already causing division, which means two visions (even if there is not yet slander or gossip).

4. Uncovering the leader (Genesis 9:20-27)

All leaders are fallen sinners. Nobody is perfect. When you see a fault in a leader, it is an opportunity to pray for them and/or walk in Matthew 18:15-17. If it is a serious sin like heretical teaching, fraud, adultery or abuse, then you should tell one of the elders and ask for a hearing to confront the pastor or bishop. If none of the leaders agree with you, and you are convinced there is serious error, then leave the church as quietly as possible. Leave it to God to judge.

When all is said and done, we need to deal with the weaknesses and sins of our leaders with an attitude of covering their sins instead of humiliating and uncovering them. The son of Noah who uncovered him (Ham) was cursed for generations.  The other two sons, who walked backwards and covered their father’s nakedness, were blessed for generations. In the same way, David never killed King Saul when he had the chance, because he did not want to touch God’s anointed. He said, let God judge him. In our context, uncovering can be slander, gossip, backbiting, complaining, and body language — anything meant to undermine and belittle the authority of the leader over your life.

Rebellion

Rebellion is when we outright reject any spiritual authority over our life. This can come as a result of arrogance (thinking we know more than our leaders), and/or unforgiveness, bitterness or a hurt inflicted in your mind by the leader. Rebellion against God-given leadership is really rebellion against God (Matthew 10:40), and will lead to a severe divine correction.

Setting up leadership the way God instructed us

In Numbers 11:11-17 we find that God told Moses to choose the 70 elders who would lead the congregation of Israel. God then took of the spirit that was on Moses and put it upon those elders. This is profound because if God was the One who chose the elders, then the elders could bypass Moses and go directly to God, thus undermining Moses’ authority. Also, God did not just put His Spirit on the elders; he took of Moses’ spirit — which was a combination of Moses’ life experience, character, vision, anointing and spiritual DNA — with the Holy Spirit and put it upon those elders, so the vision and calling of the nation would continue. Hence, all leaders should carry the same corporate anointing God put upon their visionary leader in order to see the purpose of the congregation come to pass.

Furthermore, in Numbers 27:20 Moses had to lay hands upon Joshua and impart his authority to him in order for the congregation to obey him.

In the New Testament, Ephesians 4:7-12 teaches us that grace to be empowered for service doesn’t come directly from heaven, but through the grace already given to the five-fold minister you are sitting under. Thus, grace for salvation comes directly from heaven, but grace for ministry comes from God through the ministry gifts to the church.

Finally, Ephesians 4:15-16 shows that every member in the body of Christ should be in a place to receive ministry, including the lead pastor, bishop or apostle. The lead pastor should be able to have regular leadership meetings for mutual edification in his local church. He should also have an overseer outside the local church who speaks into his life, holds him accountable, and can be called upon by the church elders in case of an emergency, or when serious charges are brought against him.

May God give us a healthy church culture in which all leaders become followers of other leaders, who also have leaders speaking into their lives.

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The post Why All Leaders Need to Be Followers appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

Unfortunately, leadership succession is usually one of the sloppiest things that ever happens in a local church! Most of the time there is no real plan. If there is a plan, usually it is not well thought out and a person is prematurely installed as a senior leader and falls on their face.

The following are principles to follow regarding transitioning people properly into senior leadership positions:

First, we need to make sure a person has been functioning in a senior leadership capacity before hands are laid upon them and they ever receive the title. Pastors make a huge mistake when they commission someone untested and unproven to take their place as senior leader. Many churches actually choose a person to be the senior pastor based on hearing them preach on a Sunday! (I wish the only thing a senior pastor had to do was preach good sermons! Preaching is the easiest thing I do as a pastor!) Never give a person a title before a function; titles don’t make the minister, they merely affirm what the minister has already been walking in.

Second, any potential senior leader should be a spiritual son with the same DNA of the senior leader, so that the vision can be perpetuated. I have seen disastrous situations where churches of multiple thousands were reduced to only several hundred in just a few short years because they put in the wrong person (with a different vision) to replace the senior pastor! The most capable person to take the place of a senior pastor is a spiritual son who already has the vision and the DNA of the church imprinted in their soul, so they can organically lead the church according to the divine pattern God gave them.

Third, the candidate for senior leadership should have already gained the respect and affirmation of the congregation. It doesn’t really matter what the candidate thinks of themselves and ultimately it doesn’t even matter what the senior pastor thinks of them. The greatest test to determine the legitimacy of a successor is to see how the congregation receives them. If the congregation can’t receive or respect a candidate then they are probably not the person God has called to lead that particular flock.

Fourth, the candidate needs to have the capacity for problem solving executive-level issues. God surrounds power with problems so that only problem solvers will be trusted with power. Executive-level leadership also means executive-level challenges and problems! Good preaching isn’t enough to be an executive leader. The ability to walk in wisdom and solve problems is one of the top qualifiers for those being considered as successors for senior pastors.

Fifth, the candidate needs to have a strong marriage and spouse who understands the sacrificial nature of the call to lead. A church is not only retaining a senior pastor but also the spouse and children of the candidate. If the spouse is not supportive, or committed to God, then the candidate should be held back until the spouse is in full agreement or in a good place with God. Nothing will derail a senior pastor quicker than having a spouse who doesn’t want them to make sacrifices for the sake of the people and the ministry.

Sixth, the candidate needs to have a test run of being fully in charge for a season so that they can be truly assessed. After all is said and done, the only real way to know the capabilities of a candidate for senior pastor is to let them fully lead for 2-3 months to see how they do. Of course this should be one of the last things done before moving them into a senior-level role; much mentoring and preparation should have already taken place before putting them under that kind of pressure. If they can handle serving in a senior leadership role for three months, then allow them to do it for six months and again evaluate before handing the senior role of the church over to them.

Seventh, the candidate needs to have the gifting to take the congregation to the next level. A candidate should not just have administrative capacity but the leadership capacity to take the congregation to the next level. It is not enough that the church is maintained; it is always God’s will that the successor increases the productivity and fruit of the church so that the church does much greater in the second and third generation than in its first generation. This is in line with what Jesus taught us in John 14:12 and in other passages where the children enlarged the territory of the Kingdom after their fathers handed it over to them. (For example, David did better than Saul, Solomon had more success than David, etc.)

Eighth, the candidate needs to be rooted and grounded in the word and spiritual disciplines. The worst thing that can happen is to put a person in as the spiritual leader just because they are gifted. It is not enough to have great administrative capacity and preaching gifts. The number one requirement is to have a vast knowledge of the word and ways of God so they can hear the voice of God. Leaders who do not daily practice the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible meditation and worship are not worth a dime.

Ninth, the candidate can’t have major financial issues related to debt. Candidates who are in a lot of financial debt are dangerous because they will be tempted to compromise the word of God or do things that are unethical in order to bring in more money for income. If a person can’t manage their home properly then how can they manage the house of God (1 Timothy 3:5)?

Finally, the candidate needs to be able to manage the complexities of organizational challenges. In this day and age it is getting harder and harder to lead a growing church. Now a senior leader has to be well-versed in the basics of non-profit rules and regulations, real estate, and business management, as well as having a high emotional intelligence to be able to relate well to people, manage a staff, hold leaders accountable, continually develop and nurture new leaders, place people in ministry according to their natural and spiritual giftings, and be able to extract out of the church’s DNA a compelling purpose that they can communicate and motivate people to give their lives for the cause of Christ. Sounds daunting doesn’t it? Well yes it is! That is why we need to continually pray for our senior pastors and be very careful when selecting and processing potential senior pastors.

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The post Ten Principles for Senior Leadership Succession appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

Unfortunately, we have all too often heard of spiritual leaders (i.e. Pastors) who fall into sexual sin. As a spiritual leader who has worked with other spiritual leaders for many decades, I have observed the following demonic strategies employed by seducing spirits. Since I am a man I will speak in the context of a male leader being tempted.

The following are seven common strategies to seduce spiritual leaders:

1. Counseling alone with the opposite sex

It is a no-brainer that a spiritual leader should rarely, if ever, conduct a private counseling session with a person that has the potential for a mutual attraction. When alone in such a setting, emotional intimacy develops because of the nature of the conversations. This easily leads to a strong emotional connection that can result in sinful physical and emotional intimacy. To protect their spiritual leaders, church boards should have clear guidelines prohibiting this kind of counseling arrangement.

2. Praying alone with the opposite sex

Satan comes as an angel of light and not with a red suit and a pitch fork. I have seen people with a seductive spirit attempt to use “religious reasons” for proximity to a spiritual leader. Using religious terminology and/or action to seduce an unsuspecting believer is nothing new based on the admonition found in Proverbs 7:6-27. The rule of thumb is to never conduct private prayer sessions with a person of the opposite sex as it can lead to unbiblical emotional, spiritual, and physical intimacy.

3. Working alone with the opposite sex

It is a common thing to hear that a spiritual leader fell into sin with their secretary or co-worker. This is because of the commonality of dealing with the same issues together as a spiritual team can easily lead to emotional and physical attachments — way beyond what is normal in the work environment. The enemy can easily have a foothold when a spiritual leader spends an exorbitant amount of time alone with their (attractive) secretary or co-worker.

To limit exposure to seduction, spouses of spiritual leaders should be part of the vetting process of who works with their spouse, and the church board should insist on guidelines that limit their alone time and emphasize team meetings.

4. Private social media connections 

Spiritual leaders who utilize social media for their work and ministry have much exposure to those with seducing spirits (e.g. I am continually receiving personal contacts and/or seductive pictures from beautiful women via Twitter and Facebook and it is my M.O. to immediately delete names from my account that are suspect). One way to limit exposure of this kind is to allow your spouse the ability to view all your social media as well as text messages at any point they desire. Also, a spiritual leader should allow an assistant access to view all their accounts on a regular basis to make it difficult to hide unbiblical relational dynamics.

5. Altar ministry 

During the church service it is common after the message for people to respond to the teaching by coming to the front for prayer. I told my female leaders years ago to watch out for any potential female who continually responds to my messages and insists on being prayed for by nobody but me – I told these trusted female leaders to accost them away from me and pray for them so to protect me from their possible veiled advances.

6. Soul tie attractions 

When in church ministry, you are continually in proximity to all kinds of people — including those you can possibly be attracted to spiritually, emotionally, and physically. It is not hard to imagine the potential for dangerous soul ties to develop if the way is made for continual contact with a person with the potential for a soul tie (under the ruse of church activity or ministry). At the end of the day — spiritual leaders can use and abuse their position of authority and will be held more accountable in the eyes of God if they indulge their desires and pursue such soul ties.

Even without physical intimacy, spiritual leaders can be guilty of committing “emotional adultery” with a person who is not their spouse. Unfortunately, much of the time these relationships end in full blown sexual intimacy and adultery.

7. Marital conflicts 

All church ministry is fraught with tension that can spill over and negatively affect the marriages of spiritual leaders. This coupled with meeting and working with attractive church members (who treat spiritual leaders with respect and understanding) can lead to temptation, seduction, and adultery.

In closing, if a spiritual leader wants to fall into sexual sin, it will be hard to stop them since there are too many opportunities to fall. For those who have a heart for God and walk in the fear of the Lord it is incumbent upon them to cultivate accountable relationships, craft strict guidelines, and be self-aware and honest with themselves regarding their motives when relating to those of the opposite sex.

My prayer is that this article will help lift the standards of holiness in church ministry and that church leadership will take whatever steps necessary to protect their spiritual leaders from seducing spirits and adultery.

The post Seven Common Strategies Used to Seduce Leaders appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

The Lord Jesus Christ was the greatest motivator and example of living a purposeful life that the world has ever seen! He lived by the scriptures since He is the living Word of God (John 1:1), this is why all the greatest books on leadership and management operate with latent biblical principles whether intentional or not.

The following seven principles are primary ways Jesus empowered and released purpose

1. He asked questions

Instead of just giving the answers to life’s questions, Jesus demonstrated that the best way to teach people was to ask them questions. As a matter of fact, He asked over three hundred questions and only gave answers to three of them. When we allow people to answer questions, it reveals how much they really know, what’s really in their heart and involves them in the process of discovery that enables them to remember and learn better.

2. He had goals and objectives

If a person has no specific goals or outcomes, they will never know if they have succeeded or not.  If a person has no vision or mission, they are clueless and have no idea what their final destination will be! In contrast, when Jesus began His ministry in Nazareth the first thing He did was announce His vision statement which was found in the words of the prophet Isaiah (Read Luke 4:18 and Isaiah 61:1,2). Furthermore, Jesus operated with objectives and goals which enabled Him to fulfill His mission and vision with a daily understanding of what, when and how to function (read Luke 13:32).

3. He invested his time with those who bore fruit

The Pareto Principle teaches us that eighty percent of the work done is accomplished by only twenty percent of the people in any given church or organization. That being said, Jesus was wise and only invested most of His time with disciples who bore much fruit instead of with the crowds. (John 15:1-7 shows that He expected His followers to bear much fruit if they abided in Him) Even though the Pareto theory was not yet written, Jesus knew that He would get the most results from pouring into a few rather than focusing on the many. Although He ministered to the crowds, the gospels clearly show that He invested most of His time with His twelve apostles and then the seventy disciples (Luke 9:1,10:1).

4. He confronted superficial religion

Jesus did not like superficial religion and attacked religious leaders who mis-represented the heart of His Father! (Read Matthew 23) He insisted that religious leaders allow God to first cleanse the inner man before focusing on outward rituals and religion (Matthew 23:26; Mark 7:15) Jesus also taught that religious tradition often nullifies the word of God (Mark 7:13). Since He confronted superficial religion instead of placating it, He was able to rise up powerful men of God who demonstrated the truth with signs and wonders (Read Acts 3:6,7).

5. He confronted political power

When Jesus was with Pilate He confessed that the primary purpose He had was to be recognized as the King. (John 18:37) He was not afraid of offending those loyal to Cesar (which is the main reason why He was crucified). He understood that the things that ruled external culture had to be shifted to another king and different gatekeepers if true systemic change was going to take place. Furthermore, He told Pilate that the power of His Kingdom did not emanate from Rome but from His father (John 18:36). He did not say that His Kingdom is not in this world but that it was not of this world!

6. He was motivated by compassion

Jesus did not heal merely to demonstrate His lordship but because He was moved by compassion (Mark 1:41). He was great because He had empathy and connected to the pain of those around Him (Hebrews 4: 15). Any leader without strong feelings of love for his people will not be motivated to serve and release them to greatness.

7. He was willing to die for His purpose

Life is not worth living if there is no transcendent purpose worth dying for! Jesus not only believed in His mission but also was willing to die (on the cross) in order to fulfill it (Hebrews 12:2).  Consequently, He was able to instill and inspire such passion in His followers that most of the original twelve apostles died a martyr’s death while preaching the gospel. Truly, the seed of the early church was the blood of the first and second century church. Even today, two thousand years later, thousands of Christ followers continue to die for the cause of Christ, which is the main reason why Christianity became the largest and most formidable movement in the history of the world!

For more understanding of some of the principles found in this article,  click on the titles below to purchase Joseph Mattera’s books  “Ruling in the Gates “ and “Essays On Cutting Edge Leadership.”

The post 7 Principles Jesus Walked in to Fulfill His Purpose appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

The general axiom regarding leadership is: If your greatest goal is to please people, become an entertainer; if you want to be a great leader, expect to have continual opposition.

Nine Traits of Crowd Pleasing Leaders:

I. They care more about being sensitive than solidifying their team around vision

There are times when you have to take people off your team because their laxity regarding commitment waters down the standard necessary to obtain the goals. Other times leaders have to let certain people go because their qualifications do not match their desire and passion. Faithfulness is not enough sometimes, ability plus faithfulness is the match needed to accomplish purpose. When making these necessary changes feelings are sometimes hurt.

II. They become men-pleasers rather than God-pleasers

Remember King Saul’s response to the Prophet Samuel when rebuked for not obeying the Lord (1 Samuel 15:19-24). Saul was removed from being the King of Israel because he cared more for the opinions of men than the favor of God. Truly, “the fear of man is a snare” (Proverbs 29:25). Many elected officials tend to take public opinion polls  and consult focus groups before they do anything of consequence. This may be necessary to gauge the attitude of the culture, but  public opinion should never become the plumb line regarding ethical standards. We have too many politicians, not enough statesmen!

III. Their emotional state is dependent upon the affirmation they receive day-to-day

Strong leaders are driven by the vision the Lord has given them, not by the daily conversations and affirmation of their staff, team, and those around them. Those driven by a need for affirmation usually have emotional highs and lows akin to a yo-yo. They are always either very happy or very depressed, depending upon other people’s assessment of them.

IV. They don’t have clarity of mind and heart regarding the voice of the Lord

Because they are always subconsciously between two opinions (discerning the voice of God and the will of the people), their spirit is muddled and they become duplicitous. We can only serve one master. God cannot be served if there are other gods in your life.

V. They Don’t Communicate Based on the Full Spectrum of Truth

They only either preach wishy-washy messages, or communicate one-on-one in a way that is postured more to please the listener than to present the truth at hand.

VI. They tend to avoid confrontation and value peace more than victory and truth

They will be one way with one person, then another way with another person. Their desire to be liked is so strong that all their relationships are duplicitous and never reflect core values and principles. Consequently, every person they speak to thinks they agree with them, even those sitting on opposite poles conceptually.

VII. They Tend to Run a Very Informal and Lax Organization

They run a laissez-faire (anything goes) organization that often has very little administrative and organizational excellence. Often, they allow a culture of ease that lacks excellence with an unaccountable environment.

VIII. They tend to overpay their staff

They pay to please rather than remit pay commensurate to the quality and skill of the employee. They reward staff based on personal affection rather than job performance. This “good ole boys club” eventually goes out of business because of under achieving.

IX. They are intimidated by principle-centered leaders

People pleasers are generally intimidated by principle-centered leaders because they do not know how to manipulate them with flattery. People fear what they cannot control.

Traits of a Principle-Centered Leader:

I. They Lead Based on Principle, Not on People

The divine vision they have trumps the affirmation they receive from the people. Thus, they are not afraid to make decisions that displease their staff or some of the people they lead. They realize that people will respect them more if they hold to principle than to vacillate based on people.

II. Their hearts and minds are focused on pleasing God first

God-centered leaders are able to hear the voice of the Lord clearly. Their minds and hearts are not weighted down with the worry of pleasing every person around them.

III. They are secure in themselves because they receive their primary affirmation from the Lord

Secure leaders know who they are, what they are called to do, and focus on their primary assignments. Insecure leaders are scattered because they are always saying yes to everyone and never have enough time to get tasks done correctly.

IV. They hold up in unstable environments during opposition to the vision

In the emotional IQ test, the most common trait of a great leader is their ability to handle an enormous amount of stress and their ability to problem solve. Principle-centered leaders have the most upside in these two areas because people who are doing the right thing have more perseverance and clarity of thought.

V. They have organizations built on integrity and truth

Principle-centered leaders have the best chance of building multi-generational organizations because that which is built upon truth will last the longest.

VI. They are not afraid to confront in love

One of the most common reasons for stress in most people is because they bottle up their emotions because they are not willing to confront other people. Hence, they layer their anger, resentment, and pain with busyness and phony relationships that fail to get to the root of the issues. The Bible commands us to confront one another, have transparent relationships, and keep short accounts (Matthew 18:15-18; 1 John 1:7).

VII. They have a stable personality and are consistent

Because their affirmation is from the Lord, principle-centered leaders are upbeat and filled with vision, purpose, and joy because they are living to please the Lord, not the mercurial emotions and desires of people. Those around these leaders know that, no matter what season it is, their leader will always be consistent in their actions and goals.

VIII. They value truth and principle more than peace among their team

They would rather lose a team member than compromise the vision or obedience to the Lord. (Of course, we are speaking about major issues, not minor things we are called to overlook in love.)

IX. They understand that engendering respect is more important than engendering feelings of love

Leaders are not called to be everyone’s close associate or friend. A leader will go a lot further with the gas tank of great respect than that of feelings of love. Principled people will tend to follow a leader they have great admiration and respect for more than a person they merely love. Respect comes from years of having a good track record of accomplishments; love can come after just one deep conversation.

The post 9 Contrasts Between People Pleasing and Principle-Centered Leaders appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

I was recently with a friend of mine (whom I will leave nameless for obvious reasons) who said that the reason his city is in such a mess is because “the pulpits are polluted”! When he said this, I immediately began to think and pray about the implications and reasons for this strong statement. Upon reflection, I found his statement to be true, based on conversations I have had with numerous leaders across the globe.

The following are ten reasons there is pollution in some pulpits today:

1. The pastor has an unholy union with politicians

In scripture, we have numerous examples of how religious leaders compromised their faith and obedience to God for the sake of political favor and access. E.G. In Amos 7:12,13, Amaziah the priest commanded the prophet Amos to stop prophesying at Bethel because it was the king’s sanctuary and a temple of the kingdom; in 1 Kings 22, we see how all the prophets only prophesied what King Ahab wanted to hear with the exception of Micaiah the prophet. Also, all the chief priests conspired to put Jesus to death when they said that they have no king but Caesar, thus aligning themselves with the Roman emperor over the Lord of the Universe (John 19:15). I have observed many religious leaders compromise their faith by supporting political candidates and platforms so they can have access to power and money. This, almost more than any other point is the reason for schisms, posturing and a lack of true spiritual power in the pulpit today.

2. The pastor puts the branding of their name before the health of their local church

Some spiritual leaders merely use their church as a platform to enhance their own name. They put all of their effort into elevating their name without care or concern for the health of the congregation. When a spiritual leader is more concerned with their own brand than the spiritual condition of their church, it pollutes the pulpit.

3. The pastor is not relationally accountable to anyone

Whenever a spiritual leader has no real accountability, they are more vulnerable to temptation. When a leader has no oversight, he is a lone ranger and can easily go off track. This is another reason for pollution in the pulpit today.

4. The lead pastor is surrounded by yes men

All lead pastors need to have strong leaders around them with the capacity to help them think through complex issues. When they lack this, it creates a vacuum of creativity and problem solving and opens the door to huge mistakes. Furthermore, when a leader only has yes men around him, there is nobody to push back against unethical practices that open a door to various calamities. I have learned, the stronger and more secure a leader is the more he will surround himself with other strong leaders in their inner circle so that iron can sharpen iron. A lack of strong leaders around a lead pastor causes much pollution in the pulpit today.

5. The lead pastor isolates himself

One of the biggest reasons for pulpit pollution today is when a spiritual leader lacks intimate relationships with leadership peers. This isolation causes them to deal with external pressures by themselves which can result in depression, discouragement, and hopelessness.

6. There are no sexual boundaries

One of the most common reasons spiritual leaders fall into sexual sin is because they counsel members of the opposite sex. In my opinion, as a general rule, men should counsel men and ladies with ladies. When this is not possible, then a male leader should either have his spouse or another mature spiritual female leader with him when he meets with a woman. Lacking these boundaries can result in pollution in the pulpit today.

7. There are no financial boundaries

There are churches I know where not even the trustees know what is going on financially! Only the lead pastor has total access to the financial records.  In some instances, the pastor pays all the bills. I guess because he doesn’t trust anyone else to do the job. These are dangerous practices because it opens up a door for the lead pastor to be tempted to “cook the books” and steal tithes and offerings! It can also open up the door to scandalous accusations regarding financial misappropriation.

If at all possible, if the pastor insists on being a signer of checks, two signers should be required. (To my recollection, I have not signed a check in more than two decades and when I did, another signature was also required.) Also, the trustees should get regular weekly reports, and the CPA should also audit the books on a regular basis and give an annual report. Without the proper financial boundaries, the pulpit can easily be polluted today.

8. Ministry is driven by ego

When the primary motivation of the lead pastor is to produce results to satisfy their ego, trouble is not far away. When spiritual leaders are driven by ambition instead of being led by the Holy Spirit, they tend to embark on huge projects presumptuously. The result is that they eventually experience unnecessary financial hardship because God only gives provision for the vision He gives. Ministry ego is one of the most common reasons for pollution in the pulpit today.

9. The bible is not the primary source for preaching

When a spiritual leader rarely cracks open the bible and only fills themselves with newspapers and current events, their preaching will lack the power and purity of the Word. Some lead pastors act more like social activists than shepherds because their preaching is politically and economically informed more than being biblically informed. This is another reason for pollution in the pulpit today.

10. The lead pastor is not walking with God

Last but not least, perhaps the most important reason why there is pollution in the pulpit today is because the lead pastor lacks a robust devotional life. Unless a spiritual leader is regularly seeking God and devouring His Word, he will begin to act and think like the world instead of reflecting the lifestyle of the Word.

In conclusion, since all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, we are all susceptible to falling into sin and polluting our pulpits, families, and environment. May the Lord surround us with godly friends and overseers with integrity; and may He grant us an intense hunger to seek Him now more than ever before! Finally, may we have great power in the pulpits to release the glory of God over congregations, cities, and nations!

The post 10 Reasons for Pollution in the Pulpit Today appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

There have been great leadership books on living a significant life and finishing well (Halftime by Bob Buford comes to mind). In this article, I want to focus especially on how senior pastors and apostolic leaders can finish well.

One of the saddest conversations I ever had was with several older apostolic leaders who confided in me that most leaders they knew never finished well. After that experience, I started looking around and having as many conversations I could with older leaders regarding this subject.

By “finishing well” I am referring to fulfilling the work that God gave us (John 17:4) so that we pass into the next world satisfied (Psalm 91:16). Paul said regarding his final days in 2 Timothy 4:6-8: “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

May all those who read this be able to say these same things!

The following are some principles enabling a leader to finish well:

1. You are leaving a legacy of faith, courage, and integrity

In order to finish well we need to live lives of faith and courage with no major regrets that we missed the purpose of God in our lives because we were afraid to take risks and believe God. Furthermore, we need to have cultivated lives of integrity without engaging in scandalous behavior that will come back to bite us later in life, thus clouding our legacies (for example, Joe Paterno’s passivity regarding Jerry Sandusky).

2. Adequately equipping the next generation of leaders God sent to you

There is perhaps nothing more important for finishing well than to take aside key people with leadership potential and pouring into them so that you are always reproducing yourself in those with capacity to influence many others. The main agenda of Jesus was to pour into the Twelve Apostles; it wasn’t the large crowds that gathered to hear Him preach.

Senior leaders who focus on preaching to and gathering crowds instead of choosing a remnant of people to equip will not finish well because at the end of the day you want your disciples to be doing greater works than you before you pass on to the next life. A person will die unsatisfied if they don’t see their spiritual children excelling in life and ministry.

3. You successfully transitioned through the four leadership stages in life

There are at least four leadership stages in life. Most leaders never get past the second stage.

The first stage is to be a leader other people can follow. This involves using your gifts to draw a crowd and preach the gospel and create a community of people who follow Jesus.

The second stage is to develop leaders who can produce other leaders. Unfortunately, most leaders only barely scratch the surface regarding this stage because they want to be the ones doing all the preaching, praying, weddings, funerals, and hospital visitations; they need to feel needed. But, those who don’t enter this second stage have violated 2 Timothy 2:2 which teaches that we need to focus on developing those few people who are able to teach others.

The third stage is to allow those leaders you have developed to lead so they can develop their own leaders while you focus on coaching the leaders of leaders. This usually happens after a leader is in their forties or fifties after becoming a seasoned leader with more than two decades of leadership experience. (Each stage can take almost a decade to move into!)

The fourth and final stage, during the final two to three decades of life, is to only concentrate on being a mentor to leaders who oversee networks and movements, and leaders who oversee leaders of leaders. Very few reach this last stage; it may also be true that only a few leaders are even called to reach this fourth stage of leadership. Those called to transition into this stage will not be satisfied in their final days on the earth if they have not walked in this level. (What may be considered successful to some leaders may not be for others called to higher levels of leadership.)

4. You are surrounded by spiritual sons and daughters who carry your DNA

At the end of the day, the crowds come and go but those you have nurtured as spiritual sons and daughters will always be devoted to you. Perhaps the greatest regret of some senior leaders is that they did not adequately parent the children God gave them, resulting in them having no spiritual children in their later years.

Some older ministers have even said their greatest regret was not spending more time with younger ministers because, when they hit their eighties, most if not all of their peers were dead and they were left alone with no true friends. In order to finish well we need to develop and mentor younger leaders who will carry our DNA into the next generation as well as other leaders their age who have already accomplished great works.

5. You adequately journal or write the main life lessons you have learned, to pass them on to others

Perhaps one of the things leaders can do to maximize the impact they will have for the future is to journal their life experiences so that future leaders can glean from them. For example, the autobiography of Charles Finney, the journals of John Wesley and David Brainerd, the writings of Jonathan Edwards and others have greatly aided in my personal development! I don’t know where I would be today if I didn’t have their writings that document their lives. Perhaps they have had more influence through what they documented for future generations than when they were alive!

I believe in order to finish well we need to at least document the major lessons we have learned, and many may also be called to write at least one book that teaches their life message.

Taking 5-10 minutes a day to journal lessons learned or things God spoke to your soul before you go to sleep can be a powerful force for good for your biological and spiritual children who will be clamoring for your writings after you pass on to the next world!

6. You have loved your spouse and biological children

One of the greatest regrets of older leaders is having lost their families to the world because they neglected them due to the enormity of the work they had. It will be easier to finish well knowing that we loved our spouses and children to the end, lived sacrificially for them, and did our best to lead them into the way of the Kingdom of God.

What good is it if we win the whole world but lose our children to the world? I don’t want my children cursing me on my grave-site or refusing to come to my funeral because I left them a bitter taste for God, the church, and myself, and because I lived hypocritically by feigning love for God and people in public while neglecting them in private.

7. You don’t carry any grudges

In order to finish well we need to have a clean slate in our hearts towards those we have worked with. We need to have short accounts with others and walk in the principles of Matthew 18:15-17 so that if we have something against our brother or sister we will immediately speak to them and attempt to resolve it instead of talking about them and having unforgiveness in our hearts. Leaders who don’t walk in the light with other leaders or those they work with will carry unresolved issues that can result in bitterness. In order to finish well we can’t walk around in bitterness and resentment, blaming other people for our lack of success or fulfillment in life.

We also need to make sure we don’t allow other people to control our emotions by their actions but, in spite of what others may say and do to us, we need to forgive them and have clean and pure hearts before God so we can pass into glory in peace. Bitter leaders usually never finish well but finish angry and unsatisfied!

8. You have pointed everyone to Jesus and not to yourself

Finally, finishing well ultimately depends upon whether we lived lives to glorify and bring attention to ourselves or to Jesus. The greatest thing someone can say about us at our funeral will be that we loved God and caused others to love God. More important than us being known for our preaching, large organizations, books, or accomplishments is that we inspired our biological families, our church, and our generation to love and know God passionately!

In conclusion, there are many more things that can be written about finishing well. These are just a handful of ideas I have presented based on my limited experience and narrow perspective. May God help us all finish well!

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Failure is an important topic because so many of us are driven to succeed more from a fear of failure than by the call of God on our lives. This is partly because in this nation we have a “black and white” view of success and failure that makes failure unacceptable. The following are points each of us need to understand to enlighten us with the biblical view of failure.

I. Failure is something we are all born into

Psalm 51 teaches us that “in sin did my mother conceive me,” Romans 3:23 teaches that all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. In light of these passages, we understand every human being from Cain and Abel to us has started from a foundation of falling short of God’s perfection, standards, and expectations. Some people try to get around this by rationalizing it away, justifying sin, or becoming despondent and living a life of guilt and depression without hope.

God has given us another way out. He uses our failures to make us aware of the sin in our system so we would seek out a savior. The law becomes our schoolmaster to lead us to Christ because of how utterly sinful we are; read Galatians 3:24 and Romans 7:13.

II. Failure is meant to teach us the truth

If scientists viewed failure the way most do in sports, business, relationships, or personal achievement, then we would still be living in the Dark Ages! Instead of becoming discouraged and quitting when their hypotheses fail, they look at failure as part of the continuum of finding the truth since each failure in experimentation narrows down the field of possibilities that lead to the truth. When we fail, in most cases we can look at it the same way: as a learning experience that enables us to get closer to knowing what to do in the future when faced with similar situations. The trick is, we need to learn how to “fail forward”!

This idea is strongly opposed by the way our present culture is set up. Men love sports so much because there are always clear winners and losers. I will never forget the sports headline on one of the major New York newspapers years ago after the Mets blew a seven game lead late in the season a few summers ago; after that they also had a year when they fell out of contention on the final day of the season. The headline read “Choked” or something with that word in it. Unfortunately, this all-or-nothing approach often wreaks havoc with our psyches from undue stress that is based on the expectation to always be a clear winner in everything we do.

I believe having high standards is necessary to gauge excellence in sports, grading students, and so on. But I also believe that in the complexities of life, we are meant to fail at times so we can have epiphanies and learn the greater lessons we would have never learned had we been “successful” in our initial course of action.

III. God has to orchestrate success or failure

The Scriptures teach that God works all things for good if we love Him (Romans 8:28). This means God maneuvers things because we do not always get it right the first time. I am convinced that sometimes, in order for us to really learn certain things, we need to initially fail as part of the process of God ingraining truth into our souls. Also, if we were successful with everything we did then we would get the glory instead of God. The fact that God has to step in and work all things out for good in response to our sincere love for Him demonstrates that, ultimately, all success is really attributed to God based on His divine intervention, whether overt or subtle.

Scripture is replete with examples of leaders who, at first, lived lives as failures so that God could have a chance to turn them around:

• Adam had to be covered after he fell (Genesis 3).
• Jacob was a deceiver whom God had to wrestle with and change before he would become a man of God (Genesis 27-32).
• Moses had to flee Egypt as a murderer and live in the desert for 40 years before God was able to teach him enough to use him (Exodus 1-3).
• Samson failed as a son, husband, and believer before he was able to defeat the Philistines with his last act (Judges 15-16).
• David lost everything including his wife, best friend, and possessions before he was anointed as king (First and Second Samuel).
• Peter denied Jesus three times right before he became the leader of the early church and won three thousand people to Christ on the Day of Pentecost (Matthew 26-27; Acts 1-2).
• Saul was a murderer and persecutor of Christians before he became the great apostle Paul (Acts 8-28).

As you can see, failure is part of the redemptive method of teaching God uses to mature us into His people with purposeful assignments to enlarge Kingdom influence. As much as we hate it, and in spite of the fact God has called us to avoid failing intentionally (if we fail intentionally in life we will not learn, because we are not properly stewarding the gifts and grace God has given us to serve Him and humanity), we will all experience failure — some on greater levels than others.

In closing, Hebrews 12:5-11 teaches us that “whom the Lord loves He rebukes and chastens.” I am thankful that, in spite of my weaknesses and failures, I have a mighty God and a community of covenant people God uses in my life who can teach me when I am wrong, pick me up when I fall, and push me forward when I fail.

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The post The Biblical View of Failure appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

After being in the pastorate for more than three decades, I am convinced that in every church there are prototype leaders that best express the heart, intentions, and characteristics of the overseeing visionary of a church and/or organization. This prototype is able to think like the visionary leader and be trusted when it comes to representing them in most situations. These are also the most loyal, faithful and trustworthy of all leaders. In some churches, there is more than one prototype; however, in most cases there is one person above all who embodies and carries the DNA of the main leader. (It is also possible that a married couple may embody a prototype – and/or that one spouse does and not the other.)

There also may be many leaders in the church that are “types” who represent the visionary leader as well, but none do so as good as those in the category as the prototype. In an effort not to get bogged down in minutia, I am going to focus on knowing the difference between prototypes and counterfeits in this article; (and not deal with “types”). This is essential to understand because it is your prototype that you should trust the most and invest the most time in, as a possible successor and/or replacement for you. If not as a replacement, they will serve as the most qualified “second person” in your organization or church.

It is also possible in my opinion that a person can serve as a prototype but be surpassed by another person who progresses further and has more passion than a previous prototype. Furthermore, understanding the difference between prototypes and counterfeits is essential if a visionary is going to build a strong foundation of leadership.

To further unpack my view of Prototypes, in Genesis 1:26-27 God called humankind to be His image bearers; hence, we were called to represent him to the world. God also commanded us in verse 28 to reproduce ourselves by partnering with him in procreation by having children through the biblical union of marriage. Thus, human beings categorically are to serve as the main prototypes of God to steward the created order (Psalm 8:4). (According to verse 1:27 both a male and female are needed to reflect God’s image which is why it is important to have one man and one woman committed together in marriage to perpetuate God’s image to the next generation.)

Individually, we also know that the Lord Jesus is the exact representation of the father and is His image and likeness to us (Hebrews 1:1,2, John 1:1; 14:6-10.) Also, in the epistles we read in Ephesians 4:11-12 that the five cluster gifts are called to equip the saints until they attain unto the fullness and stature of Christ (Ephesians 4:13-16.) Hence, we see the biblical principle that leaders are called to reproduce themselves in others and establish them in the faith to be like Jesus (Romans 8:29-30).

In my experience, I have found there are some I have discipled and established that became the main carriers of my DNA and ministry grace (both my biological and spiritual children) that eventually became prototypes that were able to think, act, and minister in many ways like me.

As we read in Scripture, Moses had Joshua as his prototype; Elijah had Elisha; Jesus had the 12 — especially Peter, James and John; Paul had Timothy; and Peter had John Mark.

(In the context of this article, I am not suggesting that counterfeits are not true believers, just that they are not a person to invest a lot of time building into your ministry. There are also those many may think are loyal sons to visionary leaders but turn out to be counterfeits.)

In scripture, we read that Moses had Korah (Numbers 16); David had Absalom (2 Samuel 15-17); Elisha had Gehazi (2 Kings 5); Jesus had Judas; and Paul had Demas (2 Timothy 4:10.)

The following thirteen traits reveal the difference between Prototypes and Counterfeits:

1. Prototypes know your heart / Counterfeits merely mimic your actions

2. Prototypes have your DNA / Counterfeits crave your ministry

3. Prototypes love you as a person / Counterfeits love and desire your influence

4. Prototypes receive you as their spiritual parent / Counterfeits use you as a temporary stepping stone

5. Prototypes rejoice in your success / Counterfeits rejoice in your failure

6. Prototypes celebrate your gifts / Counterfeits are jealous of your gifts

7. Prototypes cover and protect you/ Counterfeits want to uncover and expose your weaknesses

8. Prototypes are committed to your success / Counterfeits are in (silent) competition with you

9. Prototypes will never (spiritually and emotionally) leave you for greener pastures / Counterfeits will leave as soon as they get what they want

10. Prototypes will be loyal even when you cannot help them anymore / Counterfeits will forsake you when you cannot bless them anymore

11. Prototypes are committed to your vision / Counterfeits have their own agenda

12. Prototypes Speak faith to you / Counterfeits speak flattery to you

13. Prototypes carry your vision / Counterfeits carry their own vision

In conclusion, it is my opinion that you discern the prototypes among you and invest the most time into them. They and the other “types” will faithfully build the Kingdom with you. We are to love the counterfeits in our midst, but not trust them with anything of importance.

Of course it is possible for prototypes to regress and merely become types and/or counterfeits, and it is possible for counterfeits to repent and become types and prototypes, especially once they read an article like this! However, until a person (especially a counterfeit) proves himself or herself over a long period of time they are probably still counterfeits.

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The post Distinguishing Between Prototypes and Counterfeits in the Church appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

The word of God teaches us that the Lord uses the “foolishness” of preaching to save those who believe (1 Corinthians 1:21) and that God reveals His will regarding eternal life through preaching (Titus 1:4). Hence, we can never overstate the importance of preaching to fulfill the purposes of God on the earth. That being said, in my experience of more than 30 years of preaching the gospel, I have found there are times we preachers do more harm than good with our messages.

The following are some of the ways preaching hurts more than helps believers.

1. When we perpetuate the “false self” instead of confronting it

Much of the preaching today is very similar to the motivational speeches and teachings by folks like Tony Robbins, Napoleon Hill and others: very encouraging messages that have profound truths regarding human capability, goal setting, and maximizing our potential as human beings.

While there is much truth in these messages, there is one fatal flaw: they assume a human can achieve their full potential and purpose apart from relying upon Jesus Christ! In John 15 Jesus says “apart from me you can do nothing.” These motivational speakers perpetuate a Semipelagian message that almost assumes the goodness of men without taking into consideration original sin!

Unfortunately, the same kind of motivational speeches are now filling up churches across the world by Christian preachers who attempt to Christianize their teaching by invoking the name of Christ once in a while! The end result is this kind of preaching perpetuates the “false self” that only looks for self-fulfillment, self-preservation, happiness, and the fulfillment of our dreams—all without going to the cross and dying to self!

A preacher who only encourages human potential and the fulfillment of self-centered “dreams” based on our “passions” and not based on dying to self and seeking first the Kingdom of God is doing much harm to their followers! Eventually, all these believers will fall flat on their faces because God will not allow them to fulfill their divine purpose based solely upon human achievement and effort.

2. When we only preach half-truths

Paul the Apostle said that he was free from the blood of all men because he didn’t hesitate to preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27).

Preachers do more harm than good when they ignore this admonition from Paul and merely preach topical messages based upon their passions and expertise. Consequently, preachers will just feed their congregations messages on faith, grace, holiness, evangelism, inner healing, deliverance, and prosperity. This will cause damage to congregants because every truth has conditions and qualifications; hence, if not balanced by other biblical concepts it results in the negation of certain other truths.

For example, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:18); not just grace, and not just truth. If we preach truth without grace it is legalism; if we preach grace without truth it is antinomianism (the gospel without biblical law and standards) resulting in hyper-grace. Jesus said that some were in error because they knew not the Scriptures nor the power of God (Matthew 22:29). He is speaking about balance. It is not enough to know the Scriptures; we need to have a great understanding of biblical doctrine but we also need to experience the presence and power of God!

For example, I was in a Bible institute for one year in 1979. It was an anti-charismatic fundamentalist school with some faculty who studied the Scriptures for three to six hours per day, but they admitted struggling to pray five minutes per day. Thus, they taught out of a paradigm tilted greatly towards a soulish Christian experience bereft of the abiding reality of the Holy Spirit.

God is calling us to preach a balance of faith and works (read the book of James), grace and truth, and to pursue a life of loving God with our minds as well as our hearts. One of the only ways to ensure a preacher or congregation is feeding the church the whole counsel of God is when they preach book-by-book out of both the Old and New Testaments so that every major biblical subject is dealt with. When we only preach topically, we run the risk of only preaching what appeals to us!

3. When we take Scripture out of context

I have studied biblical interpretation for years and have integrated my study with philosophical giants such as Hans-Georg Gadamer and theological giants such as Walter Kaiser, Jr. and others. Suffice it to say, I am going to focus only on a few basic rules for proper biblical interpretation.

Scripture must interpret Scripture. This is perhaps the most important rule regarding biblical interpretation! Consequently, in order to properly interpret a passage of Scripture we need to read the context of the passage. For example, if a passage is teaching a particular doctrine such as the first coming of Christ then we need to have an understanding of all the possible Christological passages of Scripture beginning with the book of Genesis in order to have a balanced and mature understanding of the purpose and coming of Christ as written in the New Testament—not just the particular passage we are interpreting.

Preachers can misrepresent the word of God to their flocks when they isolate a passage and impose their own subjective meaning upon the text and preach it to their congregations. Unfortunately, most in the church do not study the Bible seriously on their own and believe everything someone teaches them. It is my opinion that before we preach upon a passage or a biblical truth, we need to read the whole book of the Bible to get a sense of the overall theme, and then read what was said about that topic or truth in all the other places of Scripture, so we can preach out of the meta-narrative of Scripture instead of preaching our subjective opinions.

Although no one can guarantee they understand the exact meaning of a text, we can get very close to the meaning if we do the following:

-Read the context

-Compare scriptural references to this truth with the other references in the Bible

-Attempt to convey the original intent of the biblical author before we try to apply it in principle in our contemporary context

4. When we use preaching to promote our own agenda rather than God’s will

No doubt there are occasions when all preachers have been tempted to preach based on their ambitions and ego rather than being prompted by the Holy Spirit to preach arhema word from the Lord. When preachers use the Bible or the pulpit to push forth their own agendas (whether to raise money for a building, to convince the people to go in a certain direction, etc., although God can and does lead us to preach at times on these topics) the bottom line is, we better have a pure witness in our spirit that it is the leading of the Lord and we are not using the pulpit to manipulate the saints!

We who preach will receive the greater judgment from the Lord (James 3:1-2). Thus it behooves us to speak the oracles of God (1 Peter 4:11) and not our own agendas. I have been in several services where professional preachers got their congregations all worked up to give finances based on their gift of rhetoric. People gave financially because of emotional hype and not due to faith in God.

Preaching is not a platform for show, hype, or to fulfill our own agendas; it is a sacred stewardship God entrusts to fivefold ministers (Ephesians 4:11) to mature every person in Christ (Colossians 1:28).

5. When we preach out of frustration, anger and burnout rather than a divine overflow

Overseeing a church can be one of the hardest things in the world! To be effective, most pastors in North America need knowledge in leadership development and real estate, be a people person and a good speaker, work 60 to 80 hours a week caring for the flock and managing the vision, as well as deal with financial challenges, betrayal, family issues and personal crises of faith and doubt.

Consequently, at times burned out pastors have gotten up to preach with unresolved issues of anger, hatred, insecurity, resentment, and pain, resulting in a mixed message conveying both truth and anger coming out of a damaged human soul. I have even witnessed preachers using the pulpit to call out the names their (perceived) enemies, which amounted to employing a bully pulpit rather than a prophetic pulpit. When preachers do this they damage their congregations and can even impart to them the same issues of anger, resentment and wrath, which will pollute their hearers, rather than purify them.

When preachers are filled with anger and/or are experiencing burnout they need to go away for healing and allow others to minister until they are restored to emotional and spiritual health.

6. When we continually preach out of our limited paradigm and never grow

There are some preachers who stopped studying the word, only stay within their limited circle or denomination, and have been preaching the same pet doctrines the last 20 to 30 years! Of course, the basic gospel message found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (the kerygma) needs to remain the same, but how we apply the gospel to contemporary culture and to our congregations must continually change based on the needs and evolving worldview of the people. Some are preaching today like it is still the 1970s!

As preachers we are called to continually hear from the Lord and, like the sons of Issachar, we should have an understanding and strategy for the times in which we live (1 Chronicles 12:32). Those who don’t grow, and preach like they did 20 years ago, are answering questions no one is asking and keeping their diminishing congregations isolated and irrelevant.

7. When we preach the ideal without contextualizing it with the real

To expound a bit more on the previous point: I know folks who are teaching their congregations concepts on marriage and family the same way they did 40 years ago! Although the biblical truth remains the same regarding the function and role of family members (read Ephesians 5:22-6:4) the times have changed drastically! For example, we cannot preach on Sunday regarding the ideal of marriage and family without being sensitive to the fact that, in many contexts, 75% of the people in the audience have come from broken homes and have never experienced the blessings of a nuclear family!

If we just preach the ideal without qualifying our statements it could put deep guilt trips on divorced people and abused spouses and children, who have been through hell on earth and have to be healed up before understanding how to respect their spouses, honor their parents, as well as learn how to trust other people all over again! Preachers have to understand how to preach both the real and the ideal in order to be effective communicators to their congregations.

8. When we put heavy burdens upon people that don’t emanate from God

Jesus criticized the Pharisees and religious leaders of His day for putting burdens upon the people while not being willing to help lift them off (Matthew 23).

It is much easier to preach strong messages on the need for prayer, holiness, biblical stewardship and evangelism than it is to be practical and help process believers into wholeness through biblical discipleship.

Whenever preachers proclaim a truth without explaining the truth and enabling the congregation to have options that can empower them to be disciples, then we could put more guilt than freedom upon the saints! It is far more effective to have things in place for effective discipleship like small groups, Bible studies, mentorship, prayer meetings, and retreats. This way, when people are motivated to obey our teachings, there are people in place that will help them walk out these areas of their lives.

9. When we flippantly say “God said”

Preachers that flippantly use the phrase “Thus says the Lord” to get the church and/or leaders of the church to obey them can do great harm! The challenge comes when the thing we say God told us about does not come to pass, we leave the church and/or God up for ridicule and we confuse new believers. I have known preachers that have used “God spoke to me” to manipulate their congregations to get them motivated for a project or to believe for a building—and it never happens the way the preacher said. Either the preacher lied, was deceived by his own desires, or God is confused and can’t make up His mind (I opt for the first two!). This causes great chaos in the minds of those who trusted those leaders!

I have learned to rarely say “God told me.” I always preface it by saying “I believe the Lord is impressing upon my heart.” I have learned to test the impressions of my heart by praying with my wife, as well as getting a consensus from all my key leaders, before we come out in public and say the Lord is leading us to do a big project or change direction or follow a particular vision.

The Book of Jeremiah is filled with examples of God saying He is going to judge the so-called prophets who prophesied from their own minds things that did not come from the mouth of the Lord!

10. When we focus on one people group to the exclusion of other groups

I have been with preachers who have preached to the ethnic majority of their churches and made every other ethnic person feel uncomfortable! I have even been in services where they spoke against my ethnicity and said something like “with all due respect to you and your kind” from the pulpit! There have been folks who have left certain churches because it catered only to the young, the old, the rich, the singles, the poor, etc.

Although God has given each congregation and preacher a different field and people to focus on, we need to minister in a way that represents God’s heart to all people! God is not Anglo-centric, Afro-centric, Sino-centric, Indo-centric or Hispano-centric! God is not only the God of the poor but also of the wealthy! God is concerned with both the old and the young and so loved the world (John 3:16)!

Preachers have also wrapped the gospel around their particular political party or nation and preach as if only the United States (or their nation) is destined by God to bless the world. The blessing will come from the seed of Abraham—not any one particular nation (Genesis 3:15; 12:1-3; 17:5-7; Galatians 3:29)!

Those who intentionally preach an ethno-centric gospel to the exclusion of other human beings impart to their congregations their own biases rather than the heart of God for all people!

11. When We Are Merely Echoes and Not a Voice

Many preachers are so busy with activity they have to get their sermons online from other preachers! In violation of Acts 6:2-40 I have known several pastors who merely copy and paste the words and commentaries of other preachers and never receive a word from the Lord regarding what He is saying to the church! Furthermore, this technological (information) age is tempting those of us who preach to depend upon Bible software breakthroughs (like Logos and others) rather than the Holy Spirit! The result is that we have great rhetoric without anointing; we have great words without great unction, concepts without conviction, and crowds without disciples!

I have known several great communicators who spend little time seeking the face of God. Even though they preach great messages there is something missing. They are merely echoes of other preachers instead of speaking as a prophetic voice from the throne of God! In these troubling days our congregation is going to need more than great oratory, historical information, witty quotes and video presentations. They need to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church in order to thrive in this culture saturated by secularism!

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The post Eleven Ways Preaching Can Hurt More Than Help appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

With the changing of times many people are evaluating their lives, including many ministers and leaders who are making vows and resolutions to the Lord. In light of all the scandals in the church and the intense scrutiny all leaders in society are presently under, my proposal is that one of the primary vows leaders make should be to walk in integrity.

What is integrity? Integrity is basically wholeness or perfect condition; one root word of “integrity” means “soundness, wholeness.” Also, the root word “integer” means “whole,” that is to say, it has to do with a person living a simple life in which their public and private lives are the same, because their public persona lines up with their interior life and motivation.

Too often people live divided lives in which they do not practice what they preach because, as Jesus said, they are whitewashed on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean (read Matthew 23:27-28). This is a season when God is dealing severely with leaders and ministers of all walks of life which should lead all of us to contemplate who and what we really are.

The following are symptomatic of ministers who walk in integrity:

I. You pursue personal, informal, mentoring relationships with people

1. One of the qualifications for serving as an elder in the New Testament church was to be hospitable (1 Timothy 3). Leaders who avoid allowing people entry into their private homes may have something to hide regarding the way they live and act, and in regards to the condition of their family life.

One of the greatest blessings leaders can have is to allow people to spend time with them in their homes to pour Christ’s life and wisdom into them. Letting folks live with you under certain circumstances (under the leading of the Lord) is perhaps the greatest way to impact younger people who need the security and model of a leadership home to frame their view of life and family.

2. Having young leaders travel with me has been one of the great thrills in my life! I love spending time pouring into emerging leaders by taking them with me to preach or on longer trips so that we can get to know each other. A leader impacts people more with their life than with their words. Truly, our life is the real message people follow and emulate!  

II. You value your name more than making money or ministry success

1. Proverbs 22:1 teaches us that our motivation for living should be based on having and emanating a godly influence more than having a desire for possessions and monetary wealth. Unfortunately, with some people, their payoff in ministry is more in dollars and cents than in spreading the gospel and changing people’s lives. There are many ministers who won’t even consider preaching in a church unless they receive a huge honorarium along with numerous bells and whistles. The first question we need to ask before we take an invitation to minister somewhere should be “Is the Lord sending me?” If the Lord is sending you, then He will cause the proper provision to come your way. (This is opposed to the posture of making sure the financial obligations are met first and then asking God to bless your ministry!)

III. Your standard for devotion and commitment to God in your private life is no different from what you portray in your public ministry

1. Our lives should be very simple. Complicated interior lives with various allegiances and distractions replete with ungodly habit/patterns will eventually cause ministry burnout, severe family issues, or a moral collapse. Our motto as ministers should always be to people “what you see is what you get”! We can be real with our congregations without acting ungodly and without coming off as super religious or perfect. People can usually tell when someone is being authentic; authenticity is a carrier of the true anointing and authority of God!

IV. Your spouse and children will say you are a person of integrity who keeps their word and loves God at home

1. I always say, if you want to find out if a person has integrity you need to ask their spouse and children. The pressures of life and family are too great for anyone to hide from those closest to them. If family members call a person godly then it is safe to say they are living a life of integrity.

V. You prioritize character development more than the development of your gifts and talents

1. The books of Proverbs, Kings and Chronicles show that leaders who want to have an enduring, lasting effect in regards to their lives and legacy need to be people who build the foundation of their lives on strong godly character. These scriptures teach that those with enduring success were those who walked in integrity and feared the Lord. Those who build their lives only on the charismatic gifts of the Spirit, talents, and abilities will eventually fail in every aspect of their lives. Many are the young ministers whose anointing has taken them to places and given them platforms their character was unable to sustain. Remember: the height of a tree is always determined by the depth of its roots.

VI. You value and respect each individual as a child of God irrespective of whether or not they can benefit you or your ministry

1. In thirty years of ministry I have seen other leaders gravitate toward me if they thought I could do something for them or their ministry. But these are the same people who will avoid or sidestep me if they think someone else is available that can bring them further. Jesus valued the lepers, the lame, the sinners, and harlots. He took time for the down and out, not just those called to be apostles. Those who have an understanding of the significance of the act of God when He made people in His own image have no problem addressing even the vagabonds in the street as “sir.” People of integrity understand that the ground is level at the cross and that we are not to love a person for their title but because of who they are as an image-bearer of God.

VII. You are more passionate about knowing and seeking God than making Him known

1. Because of the sinfulness of humanity we need to constantly seek God and expose our true sinful hearts to the blazing fires of holiness. When we live a life in which we value activity for God more than being with and receiving from God, then we are already on the wrong track. The first call of the apostles, before they were to preach or heal the sick, was to be with Jesus (read Mark 3:14). The greatest and highest calling any of us have in our lives is to be lovers of God. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it or is a derivative of it. When we have these two commandments reversed, and love our neighbor more than we love God, we fall into humanism, lose our effectiveness, and our interior lives begins to fall into shambles (read Matthew 22:36-40). We need to seek God to know Him and know Him so we can seek Him, and continue this exciting cycle on and on for eternity!

VIII. You surround yourself with other leaders who hold you accountable

1. You can tell how far a person will go in life by the closest friends they have. If you surround yourself with shady people who are only out for themselves, then that is a picture of who you really are.

2. Those with integrity surround themselves with people who are not afraid to speak the truth to them.

3. Those with integrity want open, transparent relationships with key people as a protection because they know and understand their own sinful hearts and the potential they have to fall into sin.

4. Pastors needs a pastor or pastors over them to hold them accountable in regards to their ministries and personal lives. Also, they need trustees and/or elders serving alongside them to help them hear from God and handle the finances of the ministry.

5. The more influence a person gets, the stronger their base of accountability needs to be in legalities, in finances, in their personal life, in ministry, etc. Those who have ministry without accountability beyond their family members or small circle of blood-sucking leeches will have a difficult time experiencing personal and ministerial longevity with integrity and are in danger of destroying their legacy.

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Through the years I have observed various kinds of leadership styles and methods. Some are effective in certain contexts but greatly limit their reach because of their limited perspective. The purpose of this article is to explore the differences between what I call “Lateral” and “Vertical” leadership.

By lateral leadership I am referring to a person who is horizontal in scope and perspective and functions more as a facilitator of vision, ideas, and abilities. By vertical leadership I am referring to a person who is vertical in scope and perspective and has more of a narrow view regarding how to accomplish vision and with whom they will work with. Although serving as a lateral leader is more difficult and time consuming — I am convinced that it is the more effective way forward to implement mission for the 21^st century church and marketplace.

Vertical leaders can also be very effective – especially in emergencies and in the short term. They can be very convincing, dogmatic, entrenched in their own paradigm of doing things, and can attract loyal followers to their mission. The question is not whether they are good leaders or not – the point of this article is the fact that vertical leaders are limiting the scope of their mission because they limit their team to the handful of those who rarely push back at them in the decision making process. Of course, even lateral leaders have to make the final decision in the event they experience an impasse with their team and cannot reach consensus.

The following are traits of lateral leadership:

1. Lateral leaders are open to diverse perspectives in the decision-making process

Although lateral leaders can have strong opinions, their leadership proclivities allow for interaction with others who may have alternative opinions and solutions. This protects the lateral leaders from their blind spots and makes them less likely to make a huge mistake.

2. Lateral leaders release many people to accomplish their mission

One of the greatest attributes of the lateral leader is their ability to motivate and release numerous people to implement corporate mission based on their unique abilities. One of the earmarks of an organization led by a lateral leader is the fact that delegated authority to function has been given to many people – resulting in many moving parts all under the vortex of one compelling vision.

3. Lateral leaders are innovative

Due to the nature of lateral leader they are always on the cutting edge regarding the best methodologies to accomplish their mission. Also, they are able to hear more clearly the voice of God through the various perspectives and gifts represented on their diverse team.

Lateral leaders are not threatened by other gifted leaders, but are energized by them, their passion, and their ideas.

4. Lateral leaders have a horizontal view of reality, perception, and the implementation of vision

Lateral leaders enjoy perusing ideas and information from a variety of political, economic, and cultural sources. This gives them a well-rounded view, protects them from groupthink, and fortifies what is really true in their own heart and mind.

Of course, all effective leaders need to also be grounded in their core values in order to lead without compromise. They also have to have a clear sense of direction from above (VERTICAL) for all major decisions so that they can guide their team to arrive at the right consensus (hence they are vertical in their core values but horizontal in their methodology).

5. Lateral leaders are flexible and open to change

One of the greatest traits lateral leaders have is the fact that they are very flexible, which means they are willing to change course and adapt to more effective measures as soon as their paradigm becomes limiting. They are also usually more open to personal correction and are more readily accessible when it comes to communication.

6. Lateral leaders are easy to approach

The nature of the lateral leader is that they are usually more empathetic and willing to learn from others – which also means they are usually easier to access and communicate with than vertical type leaders.

7. Lateral leadership is based on a biblical methodology

God utilizes many kinds of people and churches to accomplish His vision and mission. This can be seen by the vast diversity of ethnicities, denominations, and various expressions of His Family advancing His Kingdom globally. We can also see how God administrates His will through a diversity of operations and gifts (read 1 Corinthians 12:3-8; Romans 12:4-8).

Traits of vertical leadership

1. Vertical leaders process decision making with echoes of them

The nature of vertical leaders is to be more focused and narrow in their approach to implementing their mission – hence, they do not have much time for diverse opinions. This attribute lends itself to flowing with a team of people who merely echo their leader. (There are few voices – only echoes on their team.)

2. Vertical leaders are entrenched in old methodologies

Sometimes our greatest strength becomes our greatest weakness! What used to work in the past during a particular season in life may no longer be effective in the present day. Vertical leaders can be very effective in an emergency since there is not much time to deliberate a broad decision making process. It can also work in the short term. However, in the long term, gifted leaders will be bored and eventually leave the organization if they sense their input is either not valued or taken seriously.

Although many vertical leaders are effective in the long term, they may have a difficult time prolonging their vision and mission past the duration of their leadership tenure if they do not allow for other leaders to develop and carry the baton. At the very least, even successful vertical leaders can greatly increase their influence if they merely learn to broaden their reach and their perspective.

3. Vertical leaders release only the few in their inner circle

Vertical leaders only tend to trust and release a few people at a high level to engage their vision and mission. This is because they are so obsessed with quality control – they do not allow for any deviation from not only the mission but also the method of how to accomplish the mission.

This M.O. greatly limits the creativity and capacity of gifted leaders who will eventually be bored and leave the organization if things do not change and they are not engaged at a meaningful level.

4. Vertical leaders function within the context of their comfort zone

Vertical leaders do not like to be challenged; they attempt to navigate the organization through clones that totally fit their genre and culture. They are not generally successful interfacing with those not operating within the same wineskin or methodology. Since they do not value other opinions, they consider it a waste of time to dialogue and process decision making with those who push back.

To conclude, in this article we are dealing with broad strokes. In some cases, effective leaders may have to transition from vertical to horizontal and vice versa depending upon the situation.

Also, even effective lateral leaders will not waste their time with those who are always pushing back at them for the sake of pushing back.

In every organization, all the key leaders and members have to buy into the overall values, vision, and mission of the entity – those who do not, do not belong in any decision making role (Amos 3:2).

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One of the biggest challenges for contemporary leaders arises from the large amount of available information. We not only have the challenge of information overload, but too many options and opportunities to make our organizations, ministries, and lives more effective. Leaders must learn to streamline their focus in order to maximize their lives.

Here are twelve principles regarding streamlining focus:

1. Tackle only one or two (at most) major areas in your life or organization at a time
Depending on the season you are in, there are only one or two major things most human beings are capable of focusing on at once.

2. Understand the calling and mission of your organization
Only invest your time with people, conferences, and resources that aid you in your distinct mission.

3. Understand your time limitations
For example, you may have a great real estate opportunity to increase your assets, but first you must determine whether you are called to manage more than you presently have on your plate.

4. Understand your gift limitations
God calls us to do specific things based on our giftings. That is to say, we are not called to be involved in every opportunity that comes our way.

5. Know the geographic area of your influence
God has called us to be married to the land. We have to determine what geographic area we are to focus on.

6. Know the demographic area you are called to
Some are called to focus on children, some teens, some married couples, some seniors, etc. The sooner you understand your demographic call the easier it will be to prioritize opportunities and open doors.

7. Listen for the voice of God in your soul when you are unsure what to work on first

8. Always prioritize getting the foundational things in order regarding leadership and legal issues

9. Look for what is best, not merely for what is good for the leader/organization

10. Receive counsel from key leadership and staff before making major alterations to your focus

11. Remember that “a sale is not a sale” if you do not need the product
Only invest your time and money in conferences, people, or information resources that you need either at the moment or to get you to the next level of your assignment.

12. Invest the bulk of your time only with whom you are assigned to build the Kingdom

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Knowing how to nurture people so that they reach their maximum leadership potential is as much psychological as it is an art. There are ways leaders limit the creativity of others and there are ways to get folks to reach new heights they haven’t even dreamed about. The following are ways leaders can empower others to fulfill their potential in life.

I. Empowering leaders allow others to make mistakes

Some leaders are more concerned with getting a job done correctly than about empowering people to learn how to do the job. When all a leader cares about is getting a job done right they don’t really delegate authority to others to perform a task. Instead, they view their workers merely as an extension of their arms and legs but not their brain because they don’t let them think for themselves. Often, those they give to perform a task are corrected constantly as the job is being performed. On the other hand, empowering leaders often allow those they assign tasks to make mistake and then gracefully critique them after each finished task is done.

II. Empowering leaders don’t micromanage

Micromanaging should only be done if a leader is working with a person totally untrained or unskilled at a particular task. This kind of working arrangement should only be temporary because a person should not stay in a task they don’t have the potential skill to perform and, once the transition job proficiency is complete, the leader should allow the worker to perform said task with only macro oversight. Micromanaging breeds an atmosphere of distrust and tell the person given the task that the leader doesn’t really believe in them. Habitual micromanagers usually don’t have a clue when it comes to being an empowering leader.

III. Empowering leaders focus on the positive traits of others

We all stumble in many ways. All of us usually drop the ball on assignments at least 10 percent of the time – depending on how much overwork we have. In addition to this, there is always going to be mistakes in a certain percentage of the tasks we perform and, somebody else will always do a job differently than the next person. Consequently, a leader will always have the opportunity to point out things that a person didn’t do absolutely correct or up to par or in the same way the leader would have accomplished it. Thus, said leader should attempt to focus the most on what the person given the task did right and the results of the work performed. Of course the exception to this is if the person totally messed the task up or didn’t follow the guidelines given to them. When we focus on the positive contributions of others we impart confidence to them and motivate them to continue to perform at a high level.

IV. Empowering leaders give constructive, not destructive, criticism

There should be regularly scheduled times after each major task is completed to review the work and assess whether the objectives were met. This should be based on the criteria given before the task was attempted so that there is an objective way to gauge whether or not the task was performed with excellence. Regular debriefing times like this allow the employee or person given a task to understand whether or not they are growing in the job or where they stand in regards to their employment. It is not fair to tell a person to be told one year after they start a job that they are not performing well. By this time their job is already in jeopardy and they haven’t even been given a chance to improve because they had no feedback. Those who desire to work with a spirit of excellence usually welcome consistent, constructive criticism. Of course, when a leader puts a person down, calls them names, belittles them or speaks condescending to them, they are dispensing criticism that can destroy and not build up those working under them

V. Empowering leaders give guidelines , goals and outcomes expected

Empowering leaders usually always give those working for them general guidelines for a job, the objectives of said task, along with the end result they are looking for. This enables the person given the task to run downfield with the ball creatively without constantly looking over their shoulder wondering if they are still playing on the playing field. Disempowering leaders merely give a person a task but have amorphous guidelines, goals and objectives so that nobody but the leader really knows if the job is being done right or wrong. When leaders do this it is a sign that either they themselves don’t even have real objectives for a task, or they are just trying to keep exercising psychological control over their workers

VI. Empowering leaders connect people to their passion, gifts and calling

Empowering leaders always attempt to match people with jobs according to their gifts, passion, and abilities. Disempowering leaders don’t take these things into consideration and often are guilty of attempting to force a square peg into a round hole. Empowering leaders take pride in being able to help people soar like Eagles into the highest heights imaginable while disempowering leaders care more about getting the tasks accomplished than releasing human potential. Empowering leaders also are sensitive and lead each person differently according to their experience, personality and temperament.

VII. Empowering leaders focus on inspiring people as opposed to forcing people to perform

Empowering leaders cast vision so as to inspire their followers to perform great things while disempowering leaders often get things done merely by giving orders and making demands on people. When you inspire people they perform at a much greater level because they are allowed to make their own decision to serve and have a greater amount of “buy in” while those merely following orders will just do enough to please the leader and usually don’t tap much into their creative juices.

VIII. Empowering leaders engage in dialogue/ Disempowering leaders dictate their desires and ideas

Empowering leaders attempt to allow a flow of dialogue between them and their followers in work-related projects. These leaders understand the importance of receiving regular feedback from their subordinates so that they will have a better understanding of how to go about accomplishing tasks. Conversely, leaders that disempower others don’t usually engage in dialogue but merely dictate what and how they want a project done. Folks under these kinds of leaders eventually lose their motivation to think and just robotically follow orders because they know their opinions don’t really matter. Dictating leaders usually don’t multiply other leaders – they are merely retaining followers who have allowed their creativity to be capped.

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I was saddened to learn today that the great evangelist Billy Graham passed away at the age of 99! Truly God blessed this man with a long and fruitful life! Having read his autobiography several times as well as other books about him, in addition to the fact that I served as a vice chair for Billy Graham’s last NYC crusade in the 2000’s, I have had the opportunity to observe how he operated up close (having met with his team once per month for more than a year to prepare for said NYC crusade).

In many ways, Billy was the Protestant equivalent to a Pope—a person with huge influence amongst a cross section of evangelical leaders as well as diverse denominations. His ministry had a broad reach and appealed to conservative, moderate, and even some liberal Christian audiences.

He probably preached to more people than any other human being in history, won untold millions to CHRIST and was responsible for founding or serving as a catalyst to launch numerous evangelical ministries and organizations (E.G. Christianity Today magazine and Fuller Theological seminary to name a few).

The following are my observations regarding ten things that made him great:

1. He was a man of integrity

Throughout the scandal plagued era of the 1980s (with evangelists Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker, and others) Billy was a breath of fresh air as he kept a scandal free public persona that never embarrassed the Evangelical church.

His ministry spanned nearly eight decades with no scandal! That’s an amazing accomplishment. Part of the reason for his integrity were the safe guards he placed in his life—like never being alone with a woman who was not his wife or family—and having a strong board he was accountable to in regard to finances and ministry.

When I was with a small group during the NY crusade, he spoke candidly about some of his disappointments in ministry as well as some regrets (one regret was that he did not spend more time cultivating friendships among younger leaders). He was self-aware, humble, and transparent, which was the foundation of his integrity.

Truly he built his life foundation on character development and spiritual formation more than on his gifts, abilities, and influence.

2. He was a man of simplicity

Billy lived a life of simplicity—and eschewed the lavish lifestyle some of his peers lived—in spite of the fact his ministry brought in hundreds of millions of dollars. He had a modest home, a modest salary, and lived a modest life in spite of his significance and celebrity status.

3. He was a man who spoke truth to power

Billy not only preached to the “down and out” but also to the “up and in” and was a pastor/friend to virtually every president of the United States for the last four decades. He’s also met with many international heads of state, including various leaders representing numerous religions.

4. He was a man of innovation

Billy used the latest modes of communication available to him to get the gospel out, whether it was the radio, newspapers, or television, of the 1940s and 1950s to being a catalyst to help found major ministries such as Christianity Today and Fuller Theological Seminary, he was always on the cutting edge of innovation regarding the release of his  prophetic voice to culture as well as discerning the needs of the evangelical church.

5. He was a man who communicated plainly to the people

Billy had mass appeal with his evangelistic crusades, primarily because he had an unusual gift of communicating the gospel in the vernacular of the people. I have heard more eloquent, gifted preachers—but there was no one who could garner a crowd with effective results like Billy.

6. He was a man who worked closely with his team

Billy had the same team for decades, in spite of the fact that men like song leader Cliff Barrows could have went off on his own but did not. There was intense loyalty among his team because of the way he honored their input, treated them with dignity, and valued them as friends. He knew he could never fulfill his ministry without a great, loyal team around him.

7. He was a man who understood the times in which he lived

Billy crafted his evangelistic messages each year based on his knowledge of current events. He had the newspaper in one hand and the Bible in the other

8. He was a man who left a legacy with his biological family 

It’s a great joy for me to see his biological children carry on the mantle of his ministry. It was also a great joy to see how Billy and his wife Ruth Graham remained true to each other in all the years of their marriage in spite of the many challenges of an intense evangelistic ministry.

I once heard that Ruth said about her marriage to Billy in spite of his many travels “I would rather be married to Billy even though I have him only fifty percent of the time than being married to someone else and being with them one hundred percent of the time!”

9. He was a man who was a statesman/ambassador for Christ

Billy was not only an evangelist but also a statesman that represented the evangelical church to Popes, Presidents, Kings, Queens, Imams, and every conceivable global leader in politics and religion. In regard to religion, he was ecumenical without compromising the truth so he could reach as many as possible with the gospel!

10. He was a man who trusted the Bible as the word of God 

In all his years he never lost his trust in the fidelity of Scripture in spite of the push back from liberal theological trends and currents. Although he kept up with contemporary culture and read broadly—he was always primarily a man of one book: the Bible. Perhaps this was the most important reason why God was able to raise him up and trust him with a historic, global platform.

I look forward to meeting Billy again in glory!

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I am very pleased with the way the passing of Billy Graham has captured the heart of the U.S. and the world! Every major secular and religious news venue on every platform — whether printed or online through every mode of social media—is highlighting his life, legacy, and playing snippets of his messages. Truly, it may be that Billy is reaching more people in his death than he ever did in his earthly life.

The following are seven reasons why his influence is greater today than ever before:

1. Leaders are often more honored after they pass away

Unfortunately, as we can observe in both biblical history and contemporary culture, prophets are honored after they die more than while they are alive. (E.G. the prophets Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the like were persecuted during their lifetime or put to death, but were universally honored after they passed from the scene.)

Even in church history I am sure that leaders like St. Augustine, Martin Luther, Calvin George Whitfield, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Finney, William Carey, DL Moody, Karl Barth, William Seymour, Martin Luther King, Smith Wigglesworth, and the like have been almost elevated to mythical greatness post death; but they did not obtain the same honor while they were alive.

Too often we take greatness for granted until it is no longer around. When we are in proximity to something or somebody we often under-value the uniqueness of their contributions. I believe now that Billy is gone his amazing life and accomplishments will be appreciated even more.

2. The Gospel he preached is being highlighted everywhere through secular media 

I am amazed that every secular newspaper and television news outlet on every medium of social media are airing snippets of his preaching or quoting his words, interviews, and sayings. With all the advances in social media since he was active it is possible that he is preaching now to more people in his death than in his life!

3. He is being introduced to a younger generation 

With the public honor, publicity, and celebration of Billy Graham’s life from presidents to plumbers—from both believer and unbeliever— he is being reintroduced to millennials and introduced to Generation Z. This can’t help but have a positive imprint and perhaps motivate thousands of young people to pick up the mantle of evangelistic ministry.

4. His example of integrity is impacting church leadership 

As this public figure is being celebrated he is also being examined and scrutinized by saint and sinner. Although Billy was a sinner who needed to be saved by grace just like the rest of us, he carried his public mantle by living a life of simplicity—without scandal—which will motivate millions of believers and leaders in the church and marketplace to do the same. (Truly, people follow what they celebrate.)

5. He is being honored by congress and every living president 

Billy is only one of the few private citizens to be honored by congress post death by having his body lie in repose at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. He is the first private citizen to be afforded this honor since civil rights hero Rosa Parks was given the same honor in 2005. His funeral will also most likely be attended by every living U.S. president (unless President George H W Bush is too sick to attend).

6. His organizations helped train generations of evangelists 

The Billy Graham organization and its offshoots have been responsible to equip and train thousands of past, present, and future evangelists and church leaders. Billy fulfilled the role of a New Testament Ministry Gift evangelist whose primary role was to equip the saints for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:12).

I’m sure the BGA will receive more substantial endowments now in his memory to further the work of this vital ministry; hence, Billy’s influence and impact of equipping ministers will continue to increase as time goes on.

7. He is a model of reconciliation

Back in the day before many civil rights victories had been won, Billy refused to segregate blacks and whites at his crusades. He said that the gospel is not a white man’s gospel or a black man’s gospel. Although he regretted not marching with Dr. King in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, his voice was one of love and unity under the banner of Jesus Christ.

Oh, how we need voices like his today in this racially polarized world! His example in this area will live on and continue to positively affect the church and world!

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The post 7 Reasons Why Billy Graham’s Influence is Greater Now Than Ever  appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

TRAITS OF AN ENABLER

1-You accommodate your message and approach to ministry based on the commitment level of your group rather than keeping biblical standards. Furthermore, your goal is to keep them happy and not make them uncomfortable.

2-You do not challenge those you lead when they are not attending church, sharing their faith, tithing, giving offerings, living holy lives, and seeking first the Kingdom of God.

3-You do not integrate the ministry and vision of your local congregation but empower (unaccountable) individualism

Many folks are islands unto themselves, even in the context of serving in a church ministry. They draw disciples after themselves instead of integrating their ministry with the vision of the local church. When there is more than one vision in a local church there is division.

4-You continually make excuses for those you are ministering to when they are operating outside of God’s will (I.E. they are too busy to attend church on Sundays, tithing isn’t important because God just wants their heart first, etc…)

5-They feel comfortable around you in regards to number 4 because you are (perhaps unintentionally?) reinforcing their disobedient lifestyle because of either your own lack of conviction and/or passion in these dark areas, or because your desire and need for them to like you outweighs your motivation to disagree, confront and help conform them to the image of Christ. (Of course, confrontation should always be done in love, grace, and mercy – but yet – it has to be done, or these folks will feel empowered in their disobedience rather than convicted.)

6-You sympathize (rather than empathize) with them when they complain about spiritual authority and leadership and/or how hard it is to fully surrender to God and give up the works of the flesh.

TRAITS OF A DISCIPLER

1-Your number one goal is to point people to Jesus -not to you –

(Thus your primary concern is getting people to a right place in God’s purposes rather than having them love you and agree with you on everything.)

2-You are not hurting them by holding back the whole counsel of God and you teach on things uncomfortable like living a sexually pure lifestyle, keeping the Lord’s day first instead of family events (related to participation with the congregation of the Lord every Sunday), and the giving of tithes and offerings to support the work of God’s Kingdom.

3-You continually pray for the church, the leadership, and vision of your local church in your ministry meetings so that all who serve are inextricably connected to the life and vision of the church.

4-You encourage them to volunteer to serve in the ministry of the church so that they are learning how to use their gifts and talents for the Lord.

5-You challenge them and coach them regarding having a private devotional life with the Lord and a devotional life with their family.

6-You teach them, model for them, and exhort them to walk in forgiveness, and build lasting covenant relationships with their immediate family and church family (not based on a self centered “I,” “Me,” “My” existence, but on putting others before themselves as it says in Philippians 2: 1-8).

7-You are empowering them to reproduce themselves by winning souls and making disciples instead of just barely hanging on with the Lord in survival mode with a goal of just having peace in their life, having their needs met, and making it to heaven.

8-Your goal is to feed them meat not milk -We are called to give babes in the Lord milk but are also called to eventually transition it to meat as is commanded by Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 and Hebrews 5:12 (some of us are still treating those who have been saved for years as if they are new Christians!)

Finally, when it comes to building covenant and making disciples, we are stewards of Christ and of His gospel – the most privileged and most awful responsibility in the world!

The call of the church is not to have a non-confrontational social club (like the local pub) but a “counter cultural” social army of disciples!

We are called to be on the front lines of prayer, fasting, evangelism, discipleship and societal transformation; but instead much of the Body of Christ has been on the front lines of accommodating to the needs and desires this consumption-obsessed culture imposes on the population.

Our call is not to make everybody “happy” but to exhort all to be “purposeful”!

Although we are called to minister to the emotional needs of people it has to be on God’s terms of discipleship and commitment, not on humanistic/self-centered terms that have no ultimate goal but self-preservation and pleasure.

It is important for those we minister to, to love us but not always will they like us in the process – thus- it is more important to please God than men as Paul said in his epistles.

God is with us, as His Spirit will empower us IF WE ARE HIS WITNESSES (Acts 1:8) and not witnesses to ourselves and our own desires. “IF YOU WANT TO PLEASE ALL PEOPLE, BECOME AN ENTERTAINER, NOT A LEADER.”

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The post Are You an Enabler or a Discipler? appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

Often, many of us in leadership are so used to being engrossed in activities and giving advice and direction to people that we do not have enough time for self-reflection.

The following are 10 questions every leader should continually ask themselves:

1. Am I involved in an activity without purpose?

Often we make the mistake of thinking that much activity is equal to productivity. Sometimes the busiest people can be the most unproductive people because they major on the trivial things in life, instead of the most important things. We all have to discern between good things and God things to do.

2. Do I value programs more than the people around me?

Often, leaders are so institutionally minded that they focus most of their energy on developing programs rather than investing in developing the people around them. Biblically speaking, Jesus did not build a huge organization, but he built a great leadership team that would eventually create the greatest movement the world has ever seen.

3. Am I seeking God commensurate to the call and assignment of God in my life?

The more influential you become the more opportunities will come your way that can crowd God out from your world. We should never be too busy to pray! God can only trust us with true influence based on our understanding of his ways and intimate knowledge of His person.

4. Am I solely focused on the outer world of goals, objectives and accomplishments or am I also paying attention to my inner-man regarding my call to grow in love, humility and living for the glory of God?

Since most leaders are used to being in control it is easy for them to live a life obsessed with objectives and accomplishments as a gauge to value their worth. The Bible teaches us clearly in 1 Corinthians 13 that the greatest pursuit to have is the pursuit of love, which assumes spiritual and emotional maturity. This comes only through paying more attention to our motives and emotional health (out of which arises spiritual vibrancy) than to mere accomplishments and objectives.

5. Am I investing enough of my time into the key relationships God has given me?

Jesus said in John 17 that all the people the Father gave him he lost none. Jesus always focused most of His attention towards the 12 apostles the Father gave him to disciple.

To maximize our purpose, we need to invest the proper amount of time with our spouse, biological children, spiritual children, and key people God has called us to build His kingdom with.

6. Do I recognize the season of life I am presently in?

Everybody is in a different season of life approximately every 20 years. Often leaders in their 70’s and 80’s are still trying to accomplish things those in their 20’s and 30’s should be doing. Those in their 20’s to 50’s are focusing on success, but those in their later years should be focused on significance, which primarily comes from mentoring younger leaders.

7. Am I continually cultivating the habit patterns necessary to achieve the maximum amount of efficiency?

Our destiny is determined by the habit patterns we have cultivated throughout our lives. We have to continually ask ourselves if we are focusing on developing the habits connected to our ultimate purpose in life. Often, people spend more time with hobbies they are passionate about, then developing habits necessary to fulfilling their destiny.

8. Do I care for the health of my spirit, soul, and body?

Often leaders neglect one major area of their lives because they are focused solely on another area. I have seen many leaders neglect their health with poor eating habits and/or a lack of sleep, or lack of exercise. Their ensuing health problems limit their leadership capacity or results in their premature death. God wants us to give equal attention to the development of good habits related to our spiritual life, emotional health, and physical health. Neglecting just one of these areas will greatly limit your ability to fulfill God’s purpose in your life (read 1 Thessalonians 5:23).

9. Am I a good steward of my time, money, and the gifts and talents given to me?

God has given each of us a certain measure of gifts, talents, and abilities. We will all be judged as stewards of these gifts God entrusted to us. To whom much is given much more will be required on the Day of Judgment. Too many leaders allow major gifts and talents they have to remain dormant! Whatever God is giving you, you are responsible to develop and maximize for his glory.

10. Am I surrounding myself with the people who can bring me to the next level of His purpose?

I can usually predict a person’s trajectory by checking out the people closest to them. Those who hang out with bitter people will become bitter. Those who hang out with lazy people will become lazy and those who hang out with high achievers will themselves have a better chance of maximizing their abilities. Most importantly, surround yourself with the proper mentors and friends who will inspire you to go to the next level in life. Your closest confidants should be those who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart and seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness.

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When you look back at your life and reflect on the successes and failures of your past I find it helpful to use both as a trajectory toward a more productive experience for the future.

By “success” I am referring to fruit borne to the glory of God that expanded Kingdom influence. By “failure” I mean anything we initiated or participated in that did not bear any immediate, noticeable fruit. Failure can also be defined as when a paradigm, strategy of life, or ministry is no longer producing the results we set out to obtain.

On January 10, 2016 I celebrated 38 years as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. I have served in official full-time church ministry since November 1980, which is a span of over 36 years. During these years I have been through many stages and cycles of ministry and have experienced both success and failure. I have learned the hard way to embrace failure as part of the normal process of learning; the older I get, the more experience I have, and hopefully the less intense lessons of failure I need to experience in my life journey.

Since Christ is the redeemer of all failure and sin, Christianity is replete with success stories and ideology that involve utilizing failure and even evil for good. Joseph told his brothers in Genesis 50 that what they meant for evil God meant for good. James 1 tells us that we should count it pure joy when we fall into diverse tests because the outworking of these tests develops our character. Jesus’ suffering resulted in His glorious resurrection.

Thus, the Bible has a theology of success that can come out of any failure we experience, if we respond to God in faith and humility. Romans 8:28 teaches us that all things work together for good for those who love God. One of the greatest discoveries I have made is that I can’t lose as a Christ-follower. Even when I fail, I can seize failure as an opportunity for further growth so I can go to another level of success! Every situation and circumstance, no matter how difficult, can be redeemed for good!

The following are some reasons why failure can empower success:

Failure causes us to rethink our current paradigm of ministry

If scientists and innovators in technology treated failure the way leaders in ministry do, then scientific and technological progress would be stifled! Those in fields of research understand that for every failed experiment they are closer to proving or disproving their hypotheses. Failure in ministry or business has the power to get us to recalibrate how we operate and make us more efficient. Even the corrections in the market economy during the past several years are part of a normal cycle of allowing what really works to come to the fore and correct some of the systemic ills regarding our cultural business habits.

Failure can bring greater humility

God has used ministry and relational failure to bring me closer to Him and to rely on Him more for my well-being, identity and success. As a younger leader I could only reach a certain point of humility on my own based on Bible reading and private devotion. God had to use the fiery trials of life experience, that come through time, to work a deeper level of humility in my soul.

Failure can bring more compassion towards others

Struggles with my own children have given me more compassion with Christian parents who have their own family challenges. I have found that I have far more authority to speak and minister to people in the areas I have been the most challenged with, especially because my heart resonates with people who are going through the same battles I have experienced.

Failure can cause us to seek God more earnestly

The longer I am in church ministry, the more I realize that I will never get the results in our local church, network or public life without seeking God earnestly! I have found that when I initiate ministry—based on my own natural gifts and abilities to lead and strategize—then it is up to me to keep it going on my own strength! God is not obligated to empower that which He never willed to exist! The older I get the more I try never to get involved in anything unless it not only fits my purpose and mission but also comes out of a strong witness of God’s leading in the Holy Spirit during prayer and contemplation.

Failure can make us more interdependent with other key leaders

As a young leader I hoped God was going to use me to bring great revival to New York City. But several years into our young ministry I went to hell and back (figuratively) and experienced much suffering due to failures in my own key relationships and ministry. After several years of intense trauma I came out of these trials with an understanding of how much I need other leaders. This resulted in an intense desire to network key leaders and churches from around the city which gave birth to “All City Prayer” initiatives starting in 1991 in which more than 1,000 people and more than 50 churches and leaders would come together for a day of fasting and prayer for our city. That was followed by many other citywide initiatives too numerous to mention (read my book “Kingdom Awakening” for more on these initiatives). All of this was precipitated by my experiencing failure in multiple areas related to family and ministry.

Failure can make us more self-aware

One of the greatest lessons from failure is that it made me more aware of who I am and what makes me tick, when I am being driven by fleshly personal ambition and when I am being led by the Lord. Every time I experience failure I use it as an opportunity to self-reflect and learn how and why I did what I did.

Failure can become an empowering message of wisdom for other younger leaders

I spend a lot of time mentoring younger leaders. One of the most fruitful times I have in those sessions is when I am sharing with them areas of my failures and the reasons that led to them. Without these compelling stories I would not be equipped with the wisdom I need to encourage and exhort these younger, less experienced leaders.

Failure can force us to kick in our faith for God’s miraculous power

Zechariah 4:7 is more real to me today than ever before. Truly I have found that, when all is said and done, it is not by my power or might but it takes God’s Spirit to accomplish His will and purpose in the earth. Failure has taught me the vast limitations of depending on my natural gifts and abilities to minister in His Kingdom. When I hit a leadership wall and have no solutions, God reminds me that it is going to take faith in His ability to intervene and perform a miracle to accomplish His will!

Failure can force us to change our priorities in life

One of the greatest lessons I have learned in leadership is realizing that knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what to do. I get numerous opportunities and invitations to minister locally, nationally, and internationally. If I took every good opportunity that comes my way (that fits my mission and purpose in life) I would lose my center of gravity and become less effective in my key relationships in family and ministry. I have learned that it is a huge mistake to equate mere activity with significance. Failure has helped shape my core priorities in life that are centered in seeking God, personal study, family relationships, and mentoring key and emerging leaders. Everything else has to take a back seat!

Failure can ground us more in reality and pragmatism

Often when we go from one successful endeavor to another we lose our sense of reality and begin to take things for granted (like doing due diligence before making important decisions and commitments to others). Failure shakes us up and brings us more to the ground level of how the world really operates. It can also be the impetus of acquiring more discernment.

Failure can cause us to construct better models for others to follow

Ultimately, every failure should become a building block for us to construct a better model of how we live and lead. It can force us to pause in this hectic world and grapple for balance and proper rhythm. It enables us to see what really works as opposed to what is an unworkable concept.

When new ministries or churches start and experience immediate success and church growth, it pains me to see the senior pastor becoming a mentor or coach before they know if their ministry model is sustainable over the long haul! For example, there are some pastors who have enormous church growth and are writing books and giving advice to a new generation of leaders, yet they lead local churches that are less than 10 years old. This is too early to tell if their model can withstand the test of time in regards to ministry burnout, leadership turnover, and multi-generational success in developing healthy families who will keep their children and perpetuate the faith. I don’t believe we can trust models and philosophies of ministry until they have experienced the fiery trials of failure and come out on the other side!

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