The Upside-Down Kingdom

Jesus turns everything on its head.

We expected the Messiah to be born in a palace - not in a barn.
We expected His parents to be royalty - not poor.
We expected Him to associate with the religious-elite and the wealthy - not the riff raff, the sick, the sinners, or the outcast.
We expected Him to enter Jerusalem on a white stallion -  not on a donkey.
We expected the King to lead an army - not carry a cross.
We expected He would stay dead -  not be raised to life forevermore.

Kingdom of World Kingdom of God
(Power Over) Sword (Power Under) Cross
Allegiance to Caesar Allegiance to Jesus Christ
Flesh / Bondage Spirit / Freedom
Law                                                                      Love
Behavior Modification Inner Transformation
Tribal / National Universal
Conflict  / Chaos Peace / Reconciliation
Childish                                                                  Child-like

God exalts the humbled & humbles the exalted.
The foolishness of the cross shames the wisdom of the world.
The weak are made strong. The strong are made weak.
The last shall be first. The first shall be last.
Sinners are made righteous. The self-righteous are declared sinners.

Almost as crazy as asking us to become as a little child. You've got to be "kidding" in order to enter the Kingdom.

Five Innovative Leadership Lessons

This post comes from Thom S. Rainer, President of LifeWay. 

Millions of people watched the 60 Minutes television report on Amazon and the interview with its leader, Jeff Bezos. Most of the attention turned to the unveiling of small drones that could be used in the future to deliver packages. In fact, Bezos hopes packages will be delivered by drones within 30 minutes from order. That possibility generated its own level of conversation and debate. You can see the entire interview here. It is only about 14 minutes in length.

Unfortunately, the fixation on the drones overshadowed some profound leadership lessons Bezos can teach us. We can learn from him and Amazon whether we like him and the company or not. 

1. Throw away the box. Most of the time we use the well-worn phrase “Think outside the box.” The problem with that type of thinking is that the box is still our point of reference. We need to be asking how we can do things well beyond our existing and traditional systems. It’s a difficult but necessary exercise. Amazon is Amazon because they refused to use current paradigms as their starting point.
2. Hard work is strategy. I’ve never known a successful leader who did not expend years working hard. Sometimes we tend to think that there is a lot of luck in success. While there may be fortuitous circumstances, great leaders work hard to take advantage of them. Just eighteen years ago, Bezos was taking Amazon packages to the post office himself.
3. “Complaining is not a strategy”. A lot of energy has been expended complaining about Amazon. Many have said they have unfair competitive practices. Others object to the way they acquire companies. Great leaders don’t waste time complaining about others. They use the precious resource of time to look to the future. The reason the sentence above is in quotation marks is because it came directly from Bezos in the interview. 
4. Constantly take incremental steps to do everything better. Even if Amazon is not making dramatic changes or causing disruptive innovation, the company is constantly seeking to improve its existing systems. If you decide to watch the segment, see how they are improving their fulfillment centers incrementally but constantly. Continuous small improvements lead to major improvements.
5. Create your own disruptive innovation. It is better for an organization to innovate, even if hurts your existing services, products, or even ministries. If you don’t innovate, some other organization will, and the lifespan of your organization will be reduced.

Amazon may not be the paragon of virtues; but they are an incredible company. And Jeff Bezos is an amazing entrepreneurial leader. We would do well to learn from both of them.

Faith of an Entrepreneur

We've been talking alot about faith lately. Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

I was reading the latest issue of  The Marketplace (a publication from MEDA - Mennonite Economic Development Associates)   In an article entitled The Artist as Entrepreneur it said this:

"The entrepreneur, driven by inner vision, sees reality in unique and unpredictable outcomes. G.B. Shaw’s character states it well: “Some people see things as they are and tell me why; I see things as they might be, and say why not!” The entrepreneur artist, often with opportunity as the only resource, is driven by a passion to fulfill innate gifts, to live life creatively, and to transform material into a meaningful product." (emphasis mine)

Entrepreneurs must have "faith"  - the ability to see something as it could be - if they are going to be successful in their venture(s). God created the heavens and the earth "ex nihilo" - out of nothing. Many times entrepreneurs do the same thing. Combining unwavering faith with a steadfast vision brings new life to any organization. Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish". To perish is to die; no longer exist.

As followers of Jesus, hopefully we are beginning to see our work, our jobs, our occupations as making an impact for the Kingdom of God. Colossians 4:5 (MSG) tells us to "Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don't miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity."

Making the most of an opportunity requires faith, requires vision - Go ahead: step out, see it, believe it, create it.

Got Faith? Prove It

Humans are people of faith. We all put our faith in something. As Christians, the object of our faith is Jesus Christ – We believe in who he is and what he has done. But it’s not enough to just believe. James 2:19 says, "You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe--and shudder." So there's much more to it than just believing. Our actions must confirm what we believe. Real faith affects what we do.

From Hebrews 11, here are 4 ways to prove you have faith: (from Ed Skidmore - pastor)

1. Hebrews 11:4 "It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did." The first way to prove our faith is through Worship. Abel worshipped in obedience and with a sincere heart. He brought his sacrifice out of gratitude. To worship is an act of faith. Is our worship acceptable to God? How’s your heart when you come to worship? Genuine Faith leads us to worship. Romans 12:1 says to offer our whole being to God as a living sacrifice.

2. Hebrews 11:5 "It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—"suddenly he disappeared because God took him." In Genesis 5:24. It say that Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him. So we prove our faith by our Walk with God. What does it look like to walk with God? See Matthew 25:34-40 This is what it looks like to prove your faith by walking with God.

3. Hebrews 11:7 “It was by faith that Noah built an ark to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about something that had never happened before”. We prove our faith through our Work. Maybe you never thought about it, but building an Ark is no small task. Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. We are all called to be followers of Christ. That is our vocation, but how we choose to live that out is our occupation. Do your business practices honor God? Do they represent your faith, what you say you believe about who Jesus is? Does your work make an impact for the Kingdom?

4. Hebrews 11:11 "By faith Abraham, even though he was past age--and Sarah herself was barren--was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise". Perhaps the biggest challenge Abraham faced was that his faith required him to Wait. Faith sometimes requires us to wait: for an answer to prayer; for a job offer; for the results of a medical test; -- sometimes the greatest proof of your faith is that you simply wait, because you know God will come through in the end.

Seven Essentials of Faith

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen".

Why is faith so essential to a follower of Jesus? 

1. Faith is essential to overcome worry. 

 Matthew 6:30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

2. Faith is essential for healing. 

Matthew 9:22 Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.

3. Faith is essential to overcome fear.

Matthew 8:26 He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

4. Faith is essential for forgiveness of sin.

Matthew 9:2 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."

5. Faith is essential for miracles.

Matthew 13:58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

6. Faith is essential in the spiritual battle.

Matthew 17:19-20 Father brings his demon-possesed son to Jesus - Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" 20 He replied, "Because you have so little faith. 

7. Faith is essential for salvation.

Luke 7:50  Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

NOTE:  You can listen and/or view the entire message by clicking on the appropriate words.

No More Masks

"God hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another." - William Shakespeare

Today is Halloween. This evening many young people will dress up as their favorite super-hero, pop star, princess, TV character, or scary zombie. For one evening they will get to put on a mask and be someone else.

For many of us, Halloween is a daily occurrence. We often wear a mask. It might be the: "I'm happy" mask, "I'm fine" mask, I'm a victim" mask, "I don't care" mask, "I'm the expert" mask, or any other mask to cover up who we really are. Sometimes we wear masks to please others. Is there anyone from whom you hide your "painful junk" so their image of you won't be shattered?

Masks are used to cover up and hide something. Maybe it is shame or guilt. That's what happened to Adam and Eve. Prior to their disobedience, they felt no shame and no need for masks. Genesis 2:25,  "Now, although Adam and his wife were both naked, neither of them felt any shame". Chapter 3 goes on to say that after they sinned, they felt shame, realized they were naked and hid from God.

Sin has a way of doing that to us. It makes us feel guilty, ashamed, and like running away from God. Two Sundays ago, I preached on Psalm 139:23. Here the psalmist asks God to search him, to know him, to test him to see if their is any "sin" in his life. Unresolved sin will cause us to wear a mask.

But thanks be to God, we have a savior who takes our sin and shame and clothes us with his true self. Part of our 12 Scriptures is Colossians 3:12-14, "As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience...Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony". With God's help we can take off our mask and put on Christ for He is the reality of who we are.

Get Away

Jesus often made a practice of getting away from the crowds in order to be with the Father. This was a way for him to be renewed and reminded of his purpose and mission. Crowds expected many things from Jesus. They wanted another miracle, another healing, more bread, more wine - you name it. Jesus had the perfect balance of being with the community and being alone with the Father. We should strive to imitate his example.

Jesus recognized that being in the presence of God is the only way we can find our worth and purpose in life.   Ruth Haley Barton in "Leading in Rhythm: Solitude and Community" says, Because we will attempt to get from other human beings what only God can provide; we will demand that the community meet our needs for love, approval, a sense of self and whatever else we may be missing. Then when the community disappoints us, is unable to meet our needs or refuses our demands, we become frustrated and might take out our frustration on those around us through gossip, manipulation, attempts at controlling others.  We may even start projecting our inner lacks onto others in the community—blaming them for not meeting needs that are not theirs to meet anyway.

Human community can never fully meet the needs that can only be met by a rich and satisfying relationship with God; it is a weight too heavy for any community to bear.

Oftentimes I place too much expectation on others to give me worth and approval. It's especially hard being in the role of a pastor, but we all get caught up in valuing ourselves based on what others think and say about us. Only the One who has given us life can meet our EVERY need. No human being can. That's too much to ask - too much to expect, and we will always be disappointed. Our needs can only be met in relationship with God. Set aside time and get away with God. Read Psalm 139 and allow Him to remind you of your worth and value to Him.