The Weight of Leadership

Cyrus, King of Persia 500 years before Christ was born, believed that “men did not know what cares he sustained under the imperial crown, for it they did, they would not stoop to take it up.”

The burden of leadership is in deed heavy.

The Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon, experienced intense physical suffering from gout, rheumatism and Bright’s disease (inflammation of the kidneys). In addition, emotionally Spurgeon endured intense slander and recurring depression over his years of service, resulting in his stating,

“You will find the bravest of God’s servants have their times when it is hard to hold their own; when they would be glad to creep into a mouse-hole, if they could there find themselves a shelter.”

Psalm 34:17 should be of comfort to all believers; however, particularly heartening to those who serve in leadership, stating,

“When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.”

I’ve personally found the following words of nineteenth century theologian C.H. MacKintosh particularly reassuring and instructive,

“It is most needful for all servants of Christ to remember that whenever the Lord places a man in a position of responsibility, He will both fit him for it and maintain him in it. It is, of course, another thing altogether if a man will rush unsent into any field of work, or any post of difficulty or danger. In such a case we may assuredly look for a thorough breakdown, sooner or later. But when God calls a man to a certain position, He will endow him with the needed grace to occupy it. This holds good in every case. We can never fail if we only cling to the living God. We can never run dry if we are drawing from the fountain of Christ.”

Read Yourself Full

W.H. Griffith Thomas gave the following advice to young preachers in the 19th century,

“Think yourself empty, read yourself full, write yourself clear, pray yourself keen— then enter the pulpit and let yourself go!”

Thomas followed that counsel himself, and in so doing, he became one of the spiritual giants of his day, being described as “one of the founding minds and hearts of Dallas Theological Seminary.”

I particularly enjoy heeding Thomas’ call to read, as long ago a boss ingrained in me that “Readers are leaders and leaders are readers.” One book that I recently completed, entitled More than Coping: God’s Servants Can Triumph Over Emotional Pain, provided insights from the lives of spiritual giants such as C.S. Lewis, Charles Spurgeon, Amy Carmichael and J. Hudson Taylor.

The following quotes are examples of the wisdom gleaned from such investment in “reading oneself full.”

“I thank thee, Lord Jesus, for the promise whereon thou has given me to rest. Give me all the needed strength of body, wisdom of mind, grace of soul to do this thy so great work.”
– Hudson Taylor

“Compromise has come to be a dirty word in the Christian world, although it was indeed never meant to be that…Hudson Taylor would not have compromised principle in order to save his life, nor should we. But he knew the true meaning of compromise. In order to cope in China, he compromised things that had no moral overtones in order to win the very souls of people. He chanced offending his own colleagues rather than offend those among whom he lived and worked.”
– Elizabeth Skoglund

Comfort Amongst Chaos

These are certainly chaotic times in the world.   And yet amidst the daily reports of crisis around the globe we can take comfort in God’s sovereignty, recognizing:

1. the origin of sin, as seen in the 4 Broken Relationships of Genesis 3: God, self, others, creation;
2. the hope of Scripture’ story which assures us that Christ is the creator and heir of all things, and he will eventually reconcile all things to himself. (Col. 1:19-20; Heb. 1:1-2)

Two great quotes that should be of comfort to all followers of Christ:

The first from Vaughn Robert’s God’s Bible Picture: Tracing the Story line of the Bible

“The Kingdom of God is what we see at the creation in the Garden of Eden until the fall. But then human beings disobey God and forgo his blessing. The consequences are devastating not just for humanity but for the whole creation; everything is spoiled. But in his great love God promises to put things right again and re-establish his kingdom on earth. The rest of the Bible tells the story of the fulfillment of that promise: partially in Israel’s history in the Old Testament period, and then perfectly through Jesus Christ. So the Bible is about God’s plan of salvation: his promise to restore his kingdom, and then the fulfillment of that promise through his Son Jesus.”

The second from F.B. Meyer’s Paul: A Servant of Jesus

“Each great crisis in the past has helped to advance the glorious reign of Christ. Was the fall of Babylon a crisis? It gave mankind a universal speech–the language spoken by Alexander and his soldiers–the delicate, subtle Greek in which the New Testament was written. Was the fall of Rome a crisis? It opened the way to the rise of the northern nations, which have ever been the home of Liberty and the Gospel. Was the fall of Feudalism, in the French Revolution, a crisis? It made the splendid achievements of the nineteenth century possible. And we may look without dismay on events that cast a shadow on our hearts. They also shall serve the cause of the Gospel. In ways we cannot tell, they shall prepare for the triumph of our King. Through the throes of the present travail the new heavens and earth shall be born. The agony is not as the expiring groan of the dying gladiator, but as the sigh of the mother bringing forth her first-born. These things, said our Lord, must needs be; and they are the beginning of travail (Matthew 24: 8, R.V.). And amid all Jesus rides in triumph to his destined glory and the crown of all the earth.”

Presidential Theology

My friends know that I am a huge admirer of pastor and author Robert Morgan, even since stumbling upon his work 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart. He recently released a new book on meditating on Scripture entitled Reclaiming the Lost Art of Biblical Meditation: Finding Peace in Jesus.

Psalm 119:148 states “My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.”

Morgan adds,

“Meditation is not new, and it is not new age. God, not the gurus, devised it, and it’s based on the Bible, not on Buddha. Biblical meditation is an antidote to the unprecedented stress of our age. In a world where everyone is overwhelmed and undervalued, our survival, sanity, and saintliness depend on reclaiming the lost art of biblical meditation…Meditation is staying our minds on the Lord, loving Him with every thought, fearing Him, and delighting in His commands.”

He then adds a wonderful anecdote to accentuate his point.

When Harry Truman became president, he worried about losing touch with common, everyday Americans, so he would often go out and be among them. Those were in simpler days, when the president could take a walk like everyone else. One evening, Truman decided to take a walk down to the Memorial Bridge on the Potomac River. When he grew curious about the mechanism that raised and lowered the bridge, he made his way across the catwalks and came upon the bridge tender, who was eating his evening supper out of a tin bucket. The man showed absolutely no surprise when he looked up and saw the best-known and most powerful man in the world. He just swallowed his food, wiped his mouth, smiled, and said, “You know, Mr. President, I was just thinking of you.” According to Truman’s biographer, David McCullough, it was a greeting that Truman adored and never forgot.

 The Lord adores it when He finds us just thinking about Him. As we read God’s Word each day and deliberately think about it—focusing our minds on His person and claiming His promises—we’re built up, and we come to understand our world and ourselves more clearly.

This should be our personal aspiration: to be daily in the Word, meditating on it, claiming its promises, gleaning its wisdom, being sanctified and accordingly comprehending more clearly the world and ourselves.

Grateful

The Apostle Paul, wrote to the church in Rome,

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” (Romans 1:10-11)

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak for the first time to the board of directors of a ministry with which we have a close partnership.  Similar to the verse above, I wanted it to be a time of mutual encouragement, as I heartened them with my perception of the development and impact that I had seen God graciously provide their organization, as well as updated them on our ministries continued maturity.

Four and a half years into Empowering Action, I communicated three things that I was grateful for the Lord’s provision: Clarity, Competency and Capacity.

CLARITY – God has brought into focus our mission, vision, targeted clients and strategy

Mission: To combat physical and spiritual poverty by mobilizing expertise and resources in partnership with the local church

Vision: Church-facilitated sustainable transformation of impoverished communities

Clients: We serve the Church…who serves individuals.

EA serves the shepherds…who serve their sheep.

“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28)

Strategy: Church Network Development

There are 3 Drawers in our “Toolbox:”  Character, Theological Competency, Ministry Capability

Our methodology is dictated by our theology

We believe in the unique calling and qualifications of the Church

“There is one institution on earth with the capacity, the presence, the credibility, the endurance, and the passion to perform the ultimate act of caring for the poor. It is the Church, the body of Christ.”- Scott Todd

Poverty is the effect of the 4 Broken Relationships in Genesis 3: God, Self, Others, Creation

“It is simply impossible to alleviate poverty – in its fullest sense – apart from the local church.” – Church in Hard Places by 9 Marks

COMPETENCY – We are pleased with the Lord’s provision of a team that, like David (Psalm 78:70-72), will shepherd with integrity of heart (character) and skillful hands (competency), particularly these most recent additions:

– Raydel Riquelme – to oversee Church Network Development
– Madeline Riquelme – to facilitate a new Church Children’s Ministry Initiative (amoprogram.com)
– Ken and Mary Anne O’Malley – to coordinate our Construction and Special Needs Ministry efforts

CAPACITY – As the chart below indicates in 2017 we are projecting that we will serve 3,025 church leaders representing 33,375 community members. This year we anticipate ministry not only within the Dominican Republic and Cuba, but also Haiti, Kenya and Costa Rica.

 ESTIMATED INDIVIDUALS SERVED

INITIATIVE INDIVIDUALS SERVED ANNUALLY NOTES
Church Network Development 2,500 leaders representing 22,500 church members

 

 Through various yearly initiatives EA is training 2,500 pastors and church leaders, representative of 150 churches, averaging 150 members in attendance. (Total: 150 x 150 = 22,500 people)
AMO Program (year one) 75 leaders representing 1,875 children

 

 In year one of the AMO program we look to train 25 churches with 3 trainers per church for a total of 75. We anticipate that they will launch Amo programs with an average attendance of 25 children. (Total: 75 x 25 = 1,875)
Abundant Life Program 450 leaders representing 9,000 community members EA will train 6 leaders at 50 churches in 2017. Additionally, through follow-up with leaders of previous Abundant Life programs, we estimate we will train an additional 150 people (30 churches of 5 people). Each of the 50 programs impacts 36 individuals representing an average 5-member family. (Total: 50 x 36 x 5 = 9,000)
TOTAL 3,025 leaders representing 33,375 community members served annually  

 

 

The Universality of Scripture

Traveling abroad always involves determining if there’s a need for an adapter for the power outlets. However, the truths of Scripture differ in that their application is universal.

I recently began reading Thomas Watson’s wonderful book entitled The Beatitudes notes, where he provides a valuable commentary on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7.

The influence of the passage throughout history is well documented. Augustine described the Sermon on the Mount as a perfect standard of the Christian life. Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s classic work The Cost of Discipleship was inspired by an exposition of the Sermon on the Mount. Even unbelievers, such as Gandhi, were deeply impressed and influenced by the Sermon on the Mount.

One might wonder why Christ began with Poverty of Spirit in His list of eight beatitudes. Watson provides insightful thoughts:

“Poor in spirit signifies those who are brought to the sense of their sins, and seeing no goodness in themselves, despair in themselves and sue wholly to the mercy of God in Christ…Why does Christ here begin with poverty of spirit? Why is this put in the forefront? I answer, Christ does it to show that poverty of spirit is the very basis and foundation of all the other graces which follow. You may as well expect fruit to grow without a root, as the other graces without poverty of spirit. Until a man is poor in spirit, he cannot mourn. Poverty of spirit is like the fire under the still, which makes the water drop from the eyes. When a man sees his own defects and deformities, and looks upon himself as undone—then he mourns after Christ. Until a man is poor in spirit, he cannot ‘hunger and thirst after righteousness’. He must first be sensible of need, before he can hunger. Therefore Christ begins with poverty of spirit—because this ushers in all the rest.”

So while the need for power adapters differs from nation to nation, poverty of spirit is the required, universal prerequisite for ushering in other qualities that bring God’s blessing.

Muller in the Morning

In his book The Secret of Guidance F.B. Meyer writes,

“Happy is the man within reach of a library, the shelves of which are well lined with books of holy biography! He will never, never be in want of additional stimulus as he reads the story of McCheyne and W. C. Burns, of Brainerd and Martyn, of Jonathan Edwards and others. He will not envy or repine; but he will constantly lift eye and heart to Heaven, asking that as much may be done through himself.”

I believe, overall, there is not enough encouragement from the pulpit nowadays to parishioners to glean from the godly men and women of yesteryear.

Years ago I began reading a portion of George Muller’s journal each morning. Hidden amongst inventories of donated items are spiritual gems, providing insights into the heart of a man who exemplified a phenomenal trust in God and His ability to provide. During Muller’s lifetime he started orphanages and cared for over 10,000 orphans, while also establishing 117 Christian schools to provide a Christian education for over 120,000 children.

Below is one such spiritual jewel from George Muller:

“I cannot help remarking here, that the Lord has used some of the most unlikely persons during the past twenty-two years, in providing me with means for His service. So it was particularly in the case of this brother in the Lord, from whom I received the last-mentioned donation. I had not the least natural expectation of receiving this sum, when this brother, sitting before me at the New Orphan-House, took out of his pocket a packet of Bank Notes, and gave to me this amount…I delight in dwelling upon such an instance, because:

1.   It shows that there is grace, much grace, to be found among the saints even now;
2.   It shows the variety of instrumentality which the Lord is pleased to employ, in supplying me with means for His service;
3.  It so manifestly proves that we do not wait upon Him in vain, when we make known our requests to Him for means.”

Hospitality

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church of Rome,

“I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong – that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” (Romans 1:11-12)

One of the benefits afforded to short-term mission participants, who come to serve alongside our in-country partner churches, is the opportunity to both encourage and be encouraged by Dominican church members. One area that always seems to impact visitors is the hospitality of the Dominican people with their desire to welcome visitors into their home and quickly find a place for them to sit.

When visiting the home of a believer and experiencing such warmth, I try to make a point of affirming this practice, which was a hallmark of the early church.

-In fact, pursuing hospitality was so important to the early church that Paul made it a requirement for leadership:
Hebrews 13:2 – “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

-1 Timothy 3: 2 – “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach.”

The often blunt and insightful Apostle Peter was being realistic when he wrote, “Offer hospitality to one another without complaint” (1 Pet 4:9).

It’s interesting to note that the degree to which the hospitality of the early church was transformational to society:

-Christian hospitality extended Jewish hospitality beyond those who shared one’s culture and social standing.
-Christian guests and hosts could be of different nationalities, languages, and social classes.
-Christian hospitality transformed Greco-Roman hospitality in its service to the needy rather than the rich.
-It was primarily the poor, widows, and traveling missionaries who received hospitality.

Distinctively Christian hospitality focused on those who would be unable to reciprocate – strangers who were in need.

The above descriptive terms of the early church should also be characteristic of churches today, throughout the world:

-“different”
-“beyond”
-“service”
-“focused”

The result will be the Gospel-centered and Gospel-serving churches being transformational agents within society.

Consolation in the Creator

Much of EA’s efforts are in the midst of brokenness, which can be traced back to the fall of man in Genesis chapter 3. When seeking to find personal as well as ministerial encouragement, the answer is always to look to the Word of God.
Recently, I ran across the following verse:

“When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” (Psalm 94:19)

19th century theologian Albert Barnes made the following comments regarding the passage:

“However much the psalmist might be disturbed by other thoughts, yet here he found rest and peace. In God – in his character, in his law, in his government – he had an unfailing source of consolation; and whatever trouble he might have from the cares of life, and from the evil imaginings in his own mind, yet here his soul found repose.”

It is also interesting to note that the term “consolations” is also used in Isaiah 66:11-13 to describe the comfort a nursing infant finds in its mother’s arms. What a powerful image of the comfort we should find in our Creator!

Robert Louis Stevenson tells the story of a storm that caught a vessel off a rocky coast and threatened to drive it and its passengers to destruction. In the midst of the terror, one daring man, contrary to orders, went to the deck, made a dangerous passage to the pilot house and saw the steerman, lashed fast at his post of holding the wheel unwaveringly, and inch by inch, turning the ship out, once more, to sea. The pilot saw the watcher and smiled. Then, the daring passenger went below and gave out a note of cheer: “I have seen the face of the pilot, and he smiled. All is well.”

We can find consolation that “All is well” when we remember our pilot, our heavenly Father, holds firmly the steering wheel of our life’s ship in His grasp. As a result, we can echo the lyrics of the hymn “It is well with my soul:”

“When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.”

“They who have passed through honest doubt without making shipwreck of their faith attain to a confidence and assurance regarding the truth of Christianity which nothing can shake or weaken. Their faith before was a sapling which had never felt a breeze, whereas now it is an oak which has been nursed into strength amid furious storms. They will feel that it was worth all the disquiet they suffered to attain to the firm peace which they now enjoy.” – The Bible Illustrator

The Gift of Unanswered Prayer

5.

That’s the number of times I’ve almost fallen (plus 1 actual spill) recently at the end of runs, as a result of shuffling my feet. As I was nearing the finish line, instead of lengthening my strides and finishing strong, I found myself almost tumbling to the ground from my foot catching a curb, root, rock or sidewalk edge.

I’d become complacent and careless and have scar on my hand, even now, to remind me of the need to be vigilant to avoid obstacles on my path.

The Apostle Paul notes how the Lord kept him from stumbling on complacency, carelessness and conceitedness in 2 Corinthians 12 when he describes a “thorn in the flesh” that God used to keep him humble:

“Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:7-10)

No one knows for certain whether Paul was referring to a physical, spiritual, emotional or relational affliction; however, we do know the thorn’s purpose: “To keep him from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations.” God’s goal in allowing the thorn in the flesh was to keep Paul humble.

The above example of the Apostle Paul as well as this quote below should remind us of “God’s Gift of Unanswered Prayer.”

“If God answered all the prayers we put up to heaven, we should need no other scourge. Blessed it is that we have One who is too loving to grant what we too often so rashly ask.”—F. Whitfield.