stevemarkle.com

Another one of my core values is leadership. Strong, godly leadership is essential in our homes and in our churches. When I think of examples of leaders from the Bible, I immediately think of Joshua. About 4 years ago I did a message series on Joshua and his fearless leadership qualities. Here’s a few of the leadership lessons from one of my messages in that series.

Lesson #1: A leader must learn to take orders from those over them.

Sometimes we might not like our assignment or our position or our lack of authority, but our job is to follow orders! Joshua went through a leadership boot camp under the supervision of Moses. He had to experience the life of a subordinate first in order to become a great leader.

Lesson #2: A leader must learn to be completely dependent upon God for wisdom.

Joshua got the privilege of spending a lot of time with Moses in the presence of God…imagine being able to witness Moses and God talk as friends! God wanted Joshua to learn the source of Moses’ strength…that it came from a personal relationship with Him. Why else would God let Joshua have a peek inside and witness this personal relationship.

Lesson #3: A leader must be willing to stand alone or in the minority when he is standing for what is right.

Remember the spy mission? There was a dispute in the report of the 12 spies. Only Joshua and Caleb believed their God was powerful enough to conquer the land of Canaan. God wanted Joshua to learn early on in his life that being a leader will often mean standing alone.

Lesson #4: It takes time to prepare to be a fearless and faithful leader of others.

Joshua’s prominence in Israel came only after many years of dedicated service to God. Joshua faithfully served Moses. Joshua proved himself worthy of being trusted as a leader. It actually took 40 years, but Joshua’s faithfulness paid off. Many people today want to be leaders, but they want to bypass the process of demonstrating faithfulness over a period of time. The steroid crisis in sports is a prime example of people taking short cuts to success. To become a great leader, we must be willing to put in the time…being faithful over what God has given us to do.

Lesson #5: A leader must realize the unique balance between dependence on God and confidence in the strengths and abilities that He has created in him.

Without question, God used the MAN Joshua to achieve His goals. But Joshua knew it was GOD Himself who would truly guide and direct Israel. It’s God’s power who rolled back the water of the Jordan so they could cross. It’s God’s strength which caused wall of Jericho to collapse. It’s God wisdom allowing Joshua to strategize against enemies. This is a divine mystery…God does use our faithfulness, our commitment, and our human capacities and capabilities. But in reality, without Him, we’ll accomplish little…and what we do achieve may turn out to be wood, hay or straw without lasting results.

Lesson #6: A leader must begin to serve God now in order to prepare for future responsibility.

It takes time & preparation to equip us to handle important spiritual responsibilities. We must spend time faithfully serving God in less demanding roles while learning from more mature and experienced people…we all need MENTORS! Joshua’s strength was deeply rooted in the lessons he learned from Moses – his example, role model and mentor.

What’s koinonia? It’s defined as Christian fellowship or communion with God or with fellow Christians; said in particular of the early Christian community.

A sense of community. Do we really understand and experience that in our lives today?

I remember growing up in a neighborhood where we actually knew our neighbors. We actually hung out in the summer evenings and had neighborhood whiffle ball games on a nightly basis until it got too dark to see and someone’s mom brought out popsicles.

Of course there’s a key element missing in the community I just described. That is the Christian element. While we should be experiencing community in our neighborhoods and we should have friends who are not Christians, the koinonia that we can experience as Christians is much deeper. When you have a relationship with Christ in common with someone, it can automatically take your relationship to a deeper level of fellowship.

I also remember as a child that after my family had come to know Christ, we developed a new set of friends through the church. We didn’t forsake the old friends, but there was this set of Christians that we loved to hang out with on a regular basis. These friendships grew deeper and became very meaningful to our family.

Of course, life seemed to move at a slower pace in those days. I’m afraid we’ve lost a sense of that Christian fellowship that we grew up with. This is why it’s crucial for everyone in the church to be a part of a small group. If we don’t schedule time together these days…it just doesn’t happen like it used to.

Koinonia is something we obviously are thirsting for. I see it reflected every Sunday morning in our lobby. Our service begins with a mostly empty auditorium because of the buzz of Christian fellowship in the lobby. People are talking, making connections, drinking coffee and they don’t want to stop. It’s great to see koinonia happening…we just need a little more!

Acts 2:42 - (The Believers Form a Community) All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper ), and to prayer.

Jesus.   You may hear his name used more often today in a derogatory manner than in a way of honor.  Jesus is the greatest name ever spoken. He is not someone we preach about from time to time…He is our message.  Without Jesus, we have nothing to say.  He gives us our reason for living and hope for our eternity.

There are many topics on which to preach and teach in Bible.  As we strive to learn and apply the entire Word of God, we must continue to see that the common thread is Jesus.  It begins in Genesis.  He was part of Creation.  It continues throughout the Old and New Testaments…all the way to the prophecies in Revelation.  As a pastor, every message that I give must ultimately point people to Jesus.

• Jesus saves.
• Jesus died for us on the cross.
• Jesus was the sacrifice for our sins.
• Jesus sacrifice his body and blood for me.
• Jesus loves me unconditionally.
• Jesus is the Son of God.
• Jesus is God.
• Jesus conquered death and the grave.
• Jesus is alive.
• Jesus is the greatest teacher of all time. 
• What Jesus said can be completely trusted.

Don’t ever be ashamed to talk about Jesus.  Don’t be afraid to speak his powerful name.  Don’t be afraid of being labeled a Jesus Freak…in fact, consider that an honor.

 2 Corinthians 4:5 “You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.”

Influence.  It is the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others.

The ability to influence others is a key trait of any great leader.  I believe that influence is something that each of us desire to have.  It’s someting that frustrates us when we don’t have as much of it as we would like.  We want to influence the people in our lives…our family, our co-workers, our friends. 

We have a natural desire to influence people to agree with our opinions and desires.  Sometimes our desire to influence flows out of selfish amibitions such as where we are going to eat dinner or what we are going to watch on TV.  That kind of influence can turn into manipulation. 

The influence that I desire to exert in my life is that of influencing people towards a higher level of living. 

I want to influence my kids and my church family to:

• love God - by being in a personal relationship with Him
• love people - by serving and sharing God’s message with them
• live holy lives - by making right choices
• love the church - by giving, serving, and believing in the vision
• make the most of their lives - by taking advantage of every opportunity 

Here’s how I try to influence others…

• Demonstrating a love for God & others in my personal life and talking about it
• Teaching practical living principles from the Bible and showing how they work in real life…being a living example of my teaching (note: this means admitting failures along with the successes)
• Inviting others to give it a try and see it work for themselves.
• Avoiding manipulation and other high pressure tactics.
• Living with passion every day

I know that I am continually influenced by those who are living a life that I find very attractive.  When I see pastors who are loving God and leading their churches and families well…I want to hear what they have to say.  I want to have a positive impact and influence on the lives of others.  I want to influence people for the Kingdom who will then in turn influence others in their circles….and on and on….

2 Timothy 2:2 “You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.”

What about you?  Who is your life influencing?  How are you influencing others?

Health. “soundness of body or mind; freedom from disease or ailment”

It’s something we all want to have and hold on to. As we age, we find it increasingly difficult to maintain our health. I find myself thinking more about it on a regular basis. Being physically healthy is a worthy pursuit for every single one of us. It really is a matter of choices that we make each day. Am I going to eat smart? Am I going to over indulge? Am I going to exercise? Am I going to skip my workout? I am not one of the overly obsessive people who exercise incessantly and eat no junk food. But I am determined to be careful to take care of this body that God has given me.

It’s not only physical health that matters, it’s also mental health. Are you mentally healthy? Mental health is a huge issue these days. There are so many people on medications for depression and other psychological struggles. These issues are very real and I must consider myself susceptible to them. How do I stay healthy in this area? There are some practical things that I must do in order to stay above the fray. To name a few:

• Regular vacations and days off…it’s not optional
• Daily downtime…doing something fun that takes your mind off life’s stresses
• Talk…to someone who can relate to what you are dealing with and help you realize you aren’t the only one…that you’re not crazy!

But it’s not just about mental and physical health, it’s about spiritual health. Is your walk with God healthy? Are you spending time with Him daily? Are you living obedient to his Word? Of course, you would expect that I would tell you this is more important than the mental and physical…but I believe they all go together. To not take care of our bodies is a spiritual issue. Neglecting our spiritual health will be a key factor in poor mental health. They all work together.

As a pastor, I must strive to be healthy in all areas of my life. I am appalled by the number of overweight, out-of-shape pastors that I see. If we truly believe that God has called us to do something of such great eternal signficance, should we not strive to stay as healthy as possible so that we can have greatest, long-term impact for His kingdom?

As a believer, do you realize that God desires to use you to impact others with your life? That’s His plan...to use you. We often short-circuit God’s plan for us by living unhealthy lives. So give your health an evaluation.

• Are you doing all you can to be physically healthy?
• Are you careful to monitor your mental health?
• Are you participating in regular spiritual exercise?

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”

Generosity.  Giving.  Being generous to others.  Giving to God.  It’s not always an easy task in our selfish, get-all-we-can-for-ourselves society.  Even though we know it’s the right thing to do and that we feel pretty good when we give,  we still hesitate to do it sometimes.  A variety of reasons keep us from being as generous as God would have us to be.  Sometimes it’s because we just have very little to give, sometimes it’s a lack of faith, sometimes it’s just plain selfishness.  Whatever the reason, we must strive to overcome it and become generous, giving people.

Generous to God by Giving to the Church.  As a pastor, I preach it and I live it.  It’s actually a great relief to tithe the first 10% of our income to God through the church.  Tithing (giving 10%) is a biblical principle.  I believe holding back on this is a spiritual issue that so many believers struggle with.  I do not want to be guilty of robbing God as it says in Malachi 3.  I literally believe that if I make $1,000/week, I should give God $100.  Why I am doing the math here?  I hear people talk about giving to the church…and when you give $200/year but earn $100,000…is that really generous giving?  It’s not about the church needing money (although it does), but it’s about God having control of this area of our lives.

Jesus said…“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)

Generous to Others.  I have been on the giving and the receiving end of acts of generosity.  It’s an amazing feeling on both ends.  It’s humbling to see God using other people to bless you.  It’s exhilerating to experience God using you to bless others.  I remember a period when my wife was on bedrest with our 3rd child.  She had to quit her job.  Then my car got vandalized.  It seemed like things were just tanking financially.  But God provided through people.  The church families began providing meals for us.  I received an anonymous envelope will several hundreds of dollars for my car repair.  God provided through the generosity of others.  And we have been able to be on the other side of that as well…being able to give to those in need in ways we never thought possible.

Let’s be honest…we all need to grow in this area.  We all struggle with materialism on some level.  Our culture is hounding us to get more and hoard more for ourselves.  It goes against the grain to give.  Being generous to God by tithing seems ridiculous to some and giving beyond the tithe can seem like you’ve lost your mind.  But I must ask myself these questions:

• Am I going to invest in things that are temporary or in things that are eternal? 
• Where is my treasure going to be?

Family.  I love my family.  I know that is not profound…who doesn’t love their family?  But let me just try to define what that means in terms of life and ministry. 

How many stories have you heard of pastor’s families being a complete disaster?  Too many is the answer.  I determined early on that we would not become one of those sad, embarassing stories. 

I want to avoid the cliches about priorities, such as…it’s God first, then family, then ministry…  Ok…we’ve all heard that, but really what does that mean?   Maybe it’s time we stop breaking it all down into categories.  Maybe it wasn’t meant to work that way.

God should permeate every area of my life…not just be my #1 priority.

Family should be more important than ministry…but the reality is that they are part of my ministry, they are involved in my ministry…it is their ministry, too…it’s something we do as a family. 

Here’s some cool things about our church plant and my family:

• My wife saw church planting in us before I did.  She saw us taking this step of faith before I could see it.  God birthed this vision in her first.  This enables her to be so incredibly supportive of me.
• My son loves our church.  He was 9 when we started 5 years ago.  Even in the first year, he was almost as obsessed as me about the numbers.  How many did we have today? would be his first question on the way home afterwards.  He believes in the vision and wants to see it grow.
• My oldest daughter is committed to serving in the church.  As a 10 year old, she gets up on her own volition at 6:30 on Sunday mornings so she can be a part of the set-up team with me and her brother.
• My youngest daughter who was 1 year old when we started is committed to the prayer card.  She is praying for the church almost daily.  She memorized the 5 big prayer requests for 2007 and she is excited to see what God is doing.

I give those examples not to boast or give the impression that our family functions perfectly and always loves the church.  There are times we all collectively and individually grow weary of the demands of the ministry.  But I can tell you that, as a family, we are in it together.  My family loves the church.  Why?

• They see that I love LCC, but that I love them more.
• They see a lot of me.  I work from home.  I am home most nights.  I’m not out running around like many pastors during the weeknights.
• They see that I have a passion for the church, but not an obsession for it.
• They understand the purposes of the church and when I do have to miss time with them for a ministry function, I take time to explain it…and it’s amazing how much they can understand it. 
• I am involved in coaching their teams, attending their games, events and field trips, helping with their homework, watching movies together, etc…

As pastors, we simply need to be smarter about our approach concerning ministry and our families.  We should not see them as competitors.  We must stop compartmentalizing our lives so much.  I want my family to love this ministry and have ownership of it.  Whenever I sense burnout in them, I must give them permission to take a break…whatever that might mean.  We are in this together for the long haul!  My desire is to see all 3 of my kids serve God their entire lives.  There is no need for them to drift or go prodigal on us.

All believers need to examine how much compartmentalizing they are doing in their lives…especially concerning their families.  Allow God and his church to permeate every area and every part of your family life.  Don’t let ministry be a thing that mom or dad does.  Don’t allow God to be a Sunday morning thing.  Model for your family what it mean to be a believer…24/7.

Joshua 24:15b “As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

Evangelism.  A misunderstood word.  The dictionary defines it as preaching and spreading of the Gospel.  It’s the responsibility of every church and every believer to evangelize…but how do we do that?  That’s where the confusion comes in for many.

Let’s define the Gospel first.  The word basically means the good news of Jesus’ teachings, life and redemptive work on the cross.  We are commissioned by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20 to spread this Gospel. 

Let’s expose some myths about evangelism:

• Evangelism is not knocking on the doors of strangers and asking them to turn or burn.
• Evangelism is not a 13-step or 4-point plan.
• Evangelism is not a program of the church.
• Evangelism is not talking someone into praying a certain prayer.
• Evangelism is not leaving tracts in public restrooms.
• Evangelism is not getting someone to walk down an aisle or sign a decision card.

Evangelism is simply spreading the Gospel.  It is sharing your faith.  It takes many shapes, styles and forms.  One of the best studies on this subject was done by Bill Hybels in Becoming A Contagious Christian.  In this study, he identifies 6 styles of evangelism and backs them all up with Scripture.  If you are a believer, you will definitely identify with 1 of these 6 styles.  The good news is that you are not meant to feel guilty if you are not the same style of evangelist as Hybels, Graham or anyone else.

Evangelism is a process.  Very few people accept the Gospel the first time they hear it.  There is a time to push people for a decision to accept Christ…and there is a time when pushing too hard can push them further away.  Whenever we are sharing our faith, we must be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is telling us.  We must remember that it’s not the power of our words that will bring someone to Christ…it’s the Holy Spirit convicting them in their heart of their need for a Savior.  Don’t try to do the Spirit’s work.

As a pastor, I must lead the way in evangelism with my words and deeds.  I must be developing relationships and sharing my faith with those who are not believers.  I must be handing out church invitations to everyone I come in contact with.  I cannot live my life in a “Christian bubble” and expect the church to do what I am not doing.  

As believers, we must drop any excuses we have for not evangelizing.  Anybody can tell their story of what God is doing in their life.  Anyone can invite a friend or co-worker to church.  Anybody can serve someone else in the name of Christ.  It’s not the pastor’s job to evangelize…it is every believer’s responsibility. 

One of the greatest joys in life is being God’s instrument to help bring someone into His kingdom.  Are you experiencing that joy?  Are you sharing your faith?

Matthew 28:19-20 “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.”

Doctrine. To most of us that word translates: boring. Ugh! Doctrine…isn’t that something for Theology class in seminary? I’m almost surprised that it made it into my A-Z collection. But our doctrine is foundational to everything we do as a church.

A basic definition of doctrine is a system of teachings or beliefs.

Our doctrine is what we believe. Of course, we believe the Bible…we’ve covered that. Yet, we know that others believe that Bible, yet have different beliefs because of the way they interpret the Scriptures. So…what makes our doctrine right and someone else’s doctrine wrong?

Our beliefs are based on a panoramic view of the Bible as whole. Here is where many belief systems go wrong:

• taking one Scripture passage out of context
• adding their own ideas to it
• ignoring passages they are uncomfortable with
• favoring tradition over God’s Word

As a church we are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention because our doctrinal beliefs are in alignment. Click here for the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 if you would like to read our complete doctrinal statement.

What you will not find is statements against other believers who have different views on issues such as sign gifts. I choose to focus on the major doctrines which are completely clear in Scripture. Some baptists may be in for some surprises when they reach heaven.

Church growth studies have concluded that people are drawn to churches that have strong doctrine. Most people are not looking for a watered-down religion.

This idea that every religion is equally valid is ridiculous. It may be politically correct, but it is wrong. I respect everyone’s right to worship as they please. I agree with that. I do not make it a practice to bash any other religion…but if all religions are equally valid, I see little point in continuing to do what I do. A huge part of my faith comes from the solid belief that our doctrine about God, the Bible, and Salvation is 100% accurate. If we don’t believe that, we have little purpose as a church.

As a pastor, I must not cower from being strong on my doctrine…especially on the major issues of faith. I cannot fear that it will turn some people off. If I am attracting people to a watered-down faith, then I am doing them and God a disservice.

As believers, we must determine to know what we believe and why. We should strive to not be argumentative with those who disagree, but to pray for them. People usually aren’t argued in the kingdom. We should strive to be intelligent about our belief system. We should be familiar with our doctrinal statement. Are you relying on your parent’s faith? Do you really know what the church you attend believes?

Ephesians 4:14-16 (ESV) “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,  from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Creativity.  “In the beginning God created…” 

And can I just say WOW…what an amazing, creative God.  I’m not a big hang out in nature kind of guy…but I can’t help but look at the oceans, the mountains, the planets, the stars and be amazed at His creativity.  Then I look at the variety of animals that God created and the mere number of species is mind-boggling.  And then of course, there’s the human race…every single person on this planet with a unique DNA - different looks, personalities, and abilities.  Wow…what an incredibly creative God!

I believe that God created us to be creative.  I truly believe that when we just to do the same things the same way over and over, we are truly missing out on the joy of experiencing the creativity that God put in each of us.

I find it sad that many churches are dying or declining…largely due to the fact that they are doing the same things the same way they have always done them.  As if always doing it the same way were a godly trait?  When I look at God, I see the opposite.  I see a God who loves variety. 

• When did it become ok for pastors to make the most exciting story boring? 
• Why do so many Sunday morning services put people to sleep? 
• Why are churches one of these least creative environments on our planet?
• Where is the creativity that God created us to have?

I actually believe it is a SIN to be boring when presenting God’s Word.  As a pastor, I have placed creativity in the DNA of our church.  We are always asking these types of questions:

• Is there a more imaginitive way to teach this point?
• How could we serve Communion in a more creative manner?
• Why don’t we find an alternative way to order the service?
• What new innovation in technology that we should incorporate?
• How can I not just copy someone else’s idea, but take it and make it better?
• What’s the latest buzz, trends, news, etc…and how can we incorporate that into what we say and do?
• What are the most innovative churches in America doing?

Remember the WHY behind creativity in our churches…

1 Cor 9:22b-23 “I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.  I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.”

As a believer, creativity is a key to keeping our spiritual lives fresh and vibrant.  Jesus warned us against vain repetition.  If your spiritual life feels stagnant, then think about being a little more creative.  Here’s a few ideas:

• Pick a new Bible translation to read from for your devotional time.
• Volunteer to serve in a different ministry in the church.
• Join a small group Bible study with different people.
• Change the way you pray.
• Download some fresh new uplifting tunes on your iPod.

What creative change should you make in your life today? 

Remember that Jesus came to bring us a “rich and satisfying life.”  (John 10:10)