ConvergeUSA Blog

Lessons from the book of Jonah by Mark Doebler

Last Sunday, I spoke on the book of Jonah.  It’s a familiar story, but like some of our favorite movies, it’s worth going back to on a regular basis.  One of the primary elements of the story of Jonah is the unwillingness of Jonah to pursue the mission God had given him.  Those of us familiar with the story like to throw Jonah under the boat on this one, but most of us are doing the same thing.  God calls EVERYONE into mission.  But most of us run the other way.  There were two reasons that I mentioned that cause us to do so:

1. We don’t want what God wants… if anyone has a track record or being right…it’s God…just sayin.
2. We are afraid… the “what-ifs” start multiplying rapidly, the excuse of “I can’t” is heard by everyone we know, the fear of failure grips us.

It’s number two that I want to focus on with this article.  Most of us feel ill-equipped to do the things God has asked us to do.  Honestly, we’re not sure we have what it takes…God must have confused us with someone else.  Heck, we’re not even sure that it was God speaking…probably just that burrito from last night, right?  But over and over again, the Bible tells us stories of how God brings all the resources to bear to accomplish the task for someone willing to give themselves to the pursuit of his mission.

That’s where this business book review comes in.  Tony Morgan is a church leader and strategic thinker I’ve come to admire and respect from a distance.  He frequently reviews current business books and shares his review on his blog.  The most recent review is of a book titled Ten Steps Ahead.  Tony shared a list of his top ten ideas from the book.  Here are two that caught my eye:

1. “People frequently make better decisions with less information.”
2. “Visionaries almost always work at the edge of our understanding, where information is scarce or nonexistent and where intuitive decisions are often the only choice.”

I don’t know about you, but this sounds a lot like “walking by faith” to me.  And this is the part that really scares most of us and keeps us from following our divine GPS (God’s Positioning System).  We don’t know where we are, we’re not sure of where we’re going, and we don’t have enough information to get there.

So, here’s my question to all of you…. does the idea of being a “VISIONARY” help you sort out the challenges of walking by faith?  Does it inspire you to follow Jesus to places you don’t know by thinking of yourself this way?  In a way, visionaries are nothing more than people who walk by faith, and not by sight.  Does this inspire you to quit running and embrace the mystery of what you cannot see…of what God is calling you to pursue?  Does this help you stop running and start pursuing?

Jonah didn’t start as a visionary, but God turned him into one.  Whale gastric juices can do that to you.  What will it take for you?

Mark Doebler is the church planting pastor of Second Chance Church in Peoria, IL

When Shepherds become Wolves by Steve Mizel

I wrote here a while back on the importance of protecting the church from wolves.  My thinking was stirred on this subject again a couple weeks ago when I attended Scott Thomas' Gospel Coach training.

Scott compared the process of gospel coaching to the biblical mandate to shepherd the flock.  To coach, then, is to know, lead, feed, and protect individual sheep in the flock.  Since wolves are an ever-present danger to the sheep, we, as Christ's under-shepherds, must be always ready to use the staff to fight off these predators.

Scott led us to consider again Paul's warning to the Ephesian elders in his farewell address:

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. (Acts 20:28-30)

I have read this many times, but something grabbed my attention this time that I didn't see clearly before.  Paul's first admonition isn't to protect the flock, but to pay careful attention to myself and the other leaders around me.  Why?  Because, Paul says, wolves will rise up "from among your own selves ... speaking twisted things, to draw away disciples after them."

This was a new thought to me.  I have to pay careful attention to my own heart - not just because I am a candidate for burn out or because I might slip into performance-based ministry or into some familiar sin - but because I might become a wolf.  While I am diligently protecting the flock from all those idiots "out there" who want to come in and steal influence away to themselves, I have the potential to become the chief danger to those whom I lead.

Pastor, you have the potential to become your people's greatest danger.

Sometimes we, the leaders in Christ's church, forget we are under-shepherds and try to steal God's glory for ourselves.  We preach not to point people to Christ, but to gain an audience and hear applause.  We lead not to spread the influence of Christ's kingdom, but to build our kingdom and expand our influence and to make our names great.  Even as we open God's word we are thinking more about our words and how we can use the Bible to further our agenda.

Instead of being being faithful under-shepherds, leading the sheep to Jesus the Great Shepherd, we are in danger of using Jesus as a way to pridefully draw disciples away after ourselves.  If I allow this pride to creep in, how long will it take before I start twisting God's word to my own agenda without even realizing it?

This is why I need to coach others in the gospel and why I need to be coached.  This why I cannot afford to become isolated in leadership.  This is why I can't look at guys who have done stupid things and lost their credibility to lead in God's church and think, What were they thinking?  I know what they were thinking - and I am in danger of thinking the same thing.

I need to "pay careful attention" to my own heart.  I need others around me who will help me and challenge me to do that - and I need to do it for them.

Steve Mizel is the church planting pastor of Trailhead Church in Edwardsville, IL

Ten Marks of a Coachable Leader by Gary Rohrmayer

When Phil Jackson became coach of the Chicago Bulls his first meeting was with Michael Jordan.  Phil shared with Michael his dreams and plans for turning the Bulls into a Championship Team.  He said to Michael, "It will only work if you embrace them"... to which Michael Jordan said, “I am with you Phil, you know I have always been coachable.”   The rest is history!  Michael Jordan, because he was coachable, submitted himself to his coach, to his coach's process and plans. He was willing to be put under the scrutiny of others, so that they could see what he couldn’t.  He was willing to trust his coach enough to make the necessary adjustments that would make him (Jordan) one of the world’s greatest basketball players that led one of the greatest champion runs in NBA history.

Over the next few months we are going to examine ten marks of a coachable leader because coaching can only work when there is a coachable person.

1.  Coachable people understand the concept of ‘spiritual authority’.

Spiritual authority is the result of one submitting to the authority of Christ in ones life.  Every great leader is a strong follower.  Spiritual authority is the source of true credibility in leadership. While there are other legitimate means of authority such as, positional, expert, and relational, spiritual authority is foundational to accomplishing the mission of God. Spiritual authority is the direct result of God doing a greater work in the deeper areas of a leader’s life so that they act with courage, faith and conviction in the face of great challenges.

Joshua and Caleb under great opposition acted with courageous faith (Numbers 13-14).  They claimed the promises of God for their people (Numbers 13:1). They saw that the hand of God was with them (Numbers 13:30, 14:6-9). They were willing to act by faith and not by sight under the threat of their own lives (Numbers 14:10). And in the end, Joshua and Caleb were the only ones who experienced the blessings and promises of God.  They were the only ones to be spiritually empowered to lead God’s people into God’s great cause.

Many a leader has withered away in the wilderness of ineffective ministry because they shrunk back in those critical moments that call for courageous faith.

Many a new church has plateaued because the leaders could not see the hand of God with them and forgot the promises of God as they stumbled in taking the church to the next level of growth and impact.

Many older churches have declined because the leaders are unwilling to confront and deal with the strongholds the enemy is using to suck the spiritual life and power out of the church.

I have been coaching pastors and church planters for nearly 20 years now and I have come to this conclusion: No amount of question asking, motivational cheerleading, truth-telling, grace giving or personally challenges will help a leader experience spiritual authority.  As Robert Clinton wrote, “Spiritual authority is delegated by God.”

Coaching can set the atmosphere or awareness for the need of spiritual authority but spiritual authority will only occur when the leader practices obedient faith at critical moments in their ministry life.  Robert Clinton calls this a faith challenge. He writes, “God’s call to a leader to increase his or her faith in ministry is one of the strongest challenges a leader will face.  Faith challenges almost always stretch one beyond his present understanding.  The faith challenge refers to those instances in ministry when a leader is challenged by God to take steps of faith in ministry and see God reward those steps with divine affirmation and ministry achievement.  God’s faithfulness increases the leader’s capacity to trust Him in future ministry.”  (The Making of a Leader)

Leaders who possess spiritual authority are leaders who live by faith and not sight (II Corinthians 6:6-10). These types of leaders come to the coaching relationship with openness not suspicion, with hope and not hesitancy, with readiness to be empowered by God and not simply receive tactical advice.

Reflective Questions

• What were the key faith moments you experienced early in your relationship with Christ?
• What have been the key faith challenges you have addressed in your current ministry?
• What are the key faith challenges you are experiencing today in your ministry?
• What evidence is there in your life that you are experiencing spiritual authority?
• How does a leader or a church recover from a faith setback?
• Where does a leader or a church find help in dealing with a faith challenge?

Next Time: Coachable people are action oriented.