Stop Prostituting Your Gifts & Talents

pros•ti•tute: put (oneself or one's talents) to an unworthy or corrupt use or purpose for the sake of personal or financial gain.

1. Never prostitute your call (trying to sell your gift to the highest bidder).

2. Never go to a person or a place that is willing to give you big money/offerings, because of your gifts/abilities. ONLY go because it is an assignment by God.

3. Never refuse to go to a place that God is telling you to go, simply because they cannot afford to pay your price, for a gift & calling that you cannot operate without God.

4. Stop feeding your pride by playing on your gifts.

5. The spirit of humility will be one of your greatest assets.

6. As long as you are humble, God will continue to use & elevate you if you are FAITHFUL!

7. You're not entitled or owed anything. You're blessed to even be breathing.

8. Yield, obey, remain humble, accountable & stay under authority.

9. Don't seek recognition by puffing your abilities & testimonies from others, in order to get an engagement or some type of recognition.

10. When you have a Godly fear (reverential fear of the Lord), you'll want to please Him more than yourself.

If you can't do the EASY thing where you are...you'll never be able to handle the HARD thing somewhere else. You must MASTER your flesh, emotions, issues & baggage. God wants to USE you for HIS glory...not yours.

"As I have walked the world—a tramp for the Lord—I have learned a few lessons in God’s great classroom.” - Corrie Ten Boom

A Reformer or Rogue? (Part 3)

RELATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY continues to be a buzz phrase within denominations and those seeking authentic relational connection with like minded leaders.

Perhaps our best ORGANIZATIONAL efforts have grown beyond our capacity to relationally connect leaders with grass-roots ministers.

With the increase of DISCONNECTION it is not a shock that there is a CRY for RELATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY.  Words like mentors, coaching, brotherhood, father/son...keep surfacing which suggests to me that there is a deep desire for TRUSTED RELATIONSHIPS.

Jesus operated in the principle of 1, 3, 12, 70 and Multitude.  He had three inner-circle friends that He took with Him nearly everywhere He went.  If we are to operate in the same, then those who are closest to us, more than likely, will KNOW us, our FEELINGS, our STRUGGLES and even our FAILINGS.

This is where we see a rise of smaller NETWORKS that are not bound by the constraints of denominational affiliation (i.e., doctrinal statements or a structure of leadership and control.) but rather bound by FUNCTION. (i.e., healthy congregational ministry and church planting.)

Every leader understands the need to have people over them.  That is a given.  But there is also the need for HORIZONTAL ACCOUNTABILITY which provides an opportunity to voluntarily submit yourself to your peers.

Accountability is not guaranteed by any certain relationship since the relationship itself does not have the ability to hold us accountable.  We must MAKE ourselves accountable.  Unless one willingly submits to another, the VULNERABILITY of a renegade life remains.  

Transparency, openness, honesty and the like can never be imposed; rather, they come from a sense of the fear of the Lord.

Perhaps some of our leading denominational pastors can best serve their fellowships by combining the RESOURCES provided by the denomination with the FLEXIBILITY and SPECIALIZATION they can tailor to the needs of a certain group.

If we are to become RELATIONALLY CONNECTED then how awesome would it be if that connection took place with people who carry a similarity of values and passion?

Some networks may best serve leaders who have a passion for racial reconciliation or a passion for generational bridging, etc. 

The bottom line is that when we are committed to advancing HIS KINGDOM...then we may even step into the arena of a CROSS-DENOMINATIONAL effort...where we are training leaders of ANY STRIPE!

I don't believe I am alone in my thinking.  There is a growing openness for ENTREPRENEURIAL CHURCH PLANTING, APOSTOLIC LEADERSHIP and the cultivation of RELATIONSHIPS beyond boundary lines.

Let's keep it simple.  The Gospel message isn't about building buildings, deeds and titles, positions and salaries, careers and control or even top heavy infrastructures.  The Gospel message is SIMPLE and our purpose and actions must reflect the same.

Even if we find a network of HORIZONTAL camaraderie we must still retain VERTICAL accountability to a spiritual father or mother.

There are too many people out there doing their own thing.  Everyone needs APOSTOLIC OVERSIGHT.  But remember...accountability is voluntary, and you can avoid it whether you're in a denomination or an apostolic network.

More to come...

Is Accountability a Thing of the Past?

What does accountability mean?  A willingness to accept responsibility for your actions.

It seems we're living in a day where the thought of being accountable is a thing of the past.  More and more, the attitude of the world and it's unwillingness to accept responsibility is creeping it's way into the culture of the church. 

There used to be a day when a person made a mistake...they owned up to their mistakes and accepted full responsibility for their actions ALONG WITH the consequences for their actions.  But this is no longer the case...even amongst Christians.

Today, the pattern of blaming others and covering our tracks is the "norm."  It is normal in today's culture:

• To pass the buck and shift the blame.
• To respond defiantely when correction is given.
• To "buck up" against all forms of authority.
• To run away from our responsibility rather than face it.
• To justify our sin rather than turn from it.
• To refuse correction if it's not delivered to our liking.

Question:  When do we take responsibility for our actions? 
Question:  What are we teaching our children when we do not make them take responsibility?

Are we that "far gone" from biblical principles
that the spirit of this world now dictates
to the church what we will or will not do? 

Do we sit idly by and allow the spirt of compromise to claim our children - or even our adults who "should know better?"

The bottom line is this:  If we make a mistake (no matter how big or small) we must ADMIT it...REPENT of it...and ACCEPT full responsibility for it.  Then...and only then...can we move forward and receive the process of healing and restoration. 

When I was a child, if you acted up in church or did something that was clearly unacceptable, the church mothers would CORRECT you right on the spot!  Never once did I see my parents get upset with those folks.  In fact, if the church mothers had to correct me...you better believe that I got double discipline when I got home.

My parents had the philosophy that they weren't going to let me "SHAME" them with my bad behavior.  They knew that I needed to accept responsibility for my actions and they would discipline me because they were keeping watch over my soul and PREPARING me for my future!

NOT TODAY...NOT TODAY!

Today...parents rush to defend their children's behavior and DARE anyone to say anything in the form of correction to them.  That's why we have the mess in this world that we have.  Parents who run to the school and say "don't talk to my baby like that."  Perhaps we need to reinstitute CORPORAL PUNISHMENT and start with the parents. 

We must remember that the church is to RAISE THE STANDARD...not lower it to accomodate our indiscretions.  If we don't STAND UP and hold one another ACCOUNTABLE...then we will sink further and further into the mire of compromise and ABSOLUTE TRUTH will absolutely be a thing of the past.

I raise my hand to testify today that I deserved every spanking I received from my parents and those church mothers.  If I'm really honest...I deserved more spankings for the stuff I got away with that nobody knew about.

We have a choice...to accept responsiblity or to run from it.