Principles of Everyday Leaders ~ Courage

Would you consider yourself courageous?  When many of us think of courage we think of war heroes who are willing to risk their lives for the sake of others.  As we celebrate the freedom we have as a nation this coming week, we need give thanks for the courage of so many men and women who have been willing to step out and think of others before themselves.  Our freedom to be here today is because others were willing to be courageous and put others first.  If you want to read some inspiring stories of courage, check out www.chohs.org (Congressional Medal of Honor Society).  The Congressional Medal of Honor is the highest award given for courage and bravery and the stories are truly amazing.  The last person to receive this medal was Corporal William Carpenter.  

Lance Corporal Carpenter and a fellow Marine were manning a rooftop security position on the perimeter of Patrol Base Dakota when the enemy initiated a daylight attack with hand grenades, one of which landed inside their sandbagged position. Without hesitation, and with complete disregard for his own safety, Lance Corporal Carpenter moved toward the grenade in an attempt to shield his fellow Marine from the deadly blast. When the grenade detonated, his body absorbed the brunt of the blast, severely wounding him, but saving the life of his fellow Marine. By his undaunted courage, bold fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of almost certain death, Lance Corporal Carpenter reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

Clearly this is courage and if I were to compare myself to that, I would have to say – I am not a man of courage.  In fact, when I think back on being a kid, I had no courage at all.  I was afraid to jump off the Washburn’s dock into the ocean, it took me years to learn how to ride a bike because I was too afraid of falling off and I let my fear of failure keep me from stepping out to do things I wanted to do in high school, like audition for the spring musical.  I allowed my fear to keep me from moving forward.  Courage is not acting without fear – it is acting in spite of our fear.  But don’t think that courage is just reserved for great war heroes like Lance Corporal Carpenter, very ordinary people are courageous and their courage, our courage, can change the course of our lives and sometimes change the course of human history.  That is what we see in Mary, the mother of Jesus, her courage changed the course of history.

We might not think of Mary as an everyday leader because she has been honor and lifted up for 2,000 years and today there are shrines and churches built in her name.  In fact, in Nazareth where Mary was living when God called her, there is the Basilica of the Annunciation dedicated to Mary with dozens of mosaics depicting Mary in many different cultures.  

Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth

Mosaic of Mary from Japan

Mosaic of Mary from the USA

Mosaic of Mary from Spain

It’s hard to image that a woman who gets this kind of attention was ever ordinary – but she was.  Mary was an ordinary person coming from the very ordinary town of Nazareth, a small, blue collar town.  

Mary was most likely a servant for one of the wealthy families in the larger city of Sepphoris, or she worked to care for her family while her parents worked in the city.  Either way, Mary was just an ordinary girl doing her chores and working in the home when the angel Gabriel came to her with the news that God had chosen her to be the vessel through which the Messiah would enter the world.  In the Orthodox Church, it is believed that the angel gave Mary this news while she was drawing water at the well.  

Mary's Well in the Church of St. Gabriel, Nazareth 

This is the well in Nazareth that has been running since the days of Jesus and so it’s not only a place Jesus would have visited with his mother, but it is the place some believe Mary first stepped out with courage.  Luke 1:26-38

As Scottie shared on Mother’s Day, it was dangerous for Mary to yes to God’s plan.  By saying yes, she opened herself to being publically shamed or divorced or even killed by her fiancé Joseph.  But she did say yes and so we begin to see what courage looks like in an everyday leader.   Mary doesn’t take this step without fear, she says yes in spite of her fear and as we examine her life we learn how courage can shape our own lives and leadership.

The first thing we see in Mary is that courage begins with an inward battle.  While courage is seen in amazing acts of heroism and bravery, the real battle to be courageous begins by making some simple decisions.  Will we do the right thing?  Will we do what God is calling us to do?  Will we move forward even though we are afraid?  That’s the real question for us – will we move forward even though we are afraid.  Courage isn’t the absence of fear – it’s moving forward even though we are afraid.  If there is no fear – there really is no courage.  It doesn’t take courage to do things that don’t have any risk or danger involved, courage is moving forward knowing there are risks and danger.  

It takes courage to learn to ride a bike knowing you are going to fall down a few times and get hurt.  It takes courage to audition for the HS musical knowing you might not get selected or feeling embarrassed as everyone listens to you sing.  It takes courage to share our faith knowing people might think we are foolish or crazy.  It takes courage to throw yourself on a grenade knowing it will bring unimaginable pain or death.  There are always risks and dangers involved with courage and the first courageous step we all take is when we make the decision to move forward.    

What’s interesting about Mary is that she not only made the tough personal choices at the beginning of Jesus’ life, but at the end of his life as well.  It took courage for Mary to be at the cross as Jesus died.  Peter wasn’t there, most of Jesus’ disciples and followers weren’t there because they were afraid, but Mary was there which means that at some point she made the decision to go.  At some point Mary said, I’m not going to let my son die alone – I will be there.  She made a decision and all courage begins with that kind decision.  

The decisions we make determine the kind of leaders we will be.  If we choose to follow the status quo and let things slide – we will be ineffective leaders, but if we choose to make bold decisions with passion and faith that we are making the right decisions – we will be leaders who can change hearts and lives, correct injustice and move ourselves, families, church and community forward.  

The second thing Mary teaches us is that courage works to make things right.  Again, it doesn’t take courage to stand with the status quo and it doesn’t take courage to stand silently along the sidelines as we see injustice or oppression continue, but it does take courage to stand up and work for change, truth and righteousness.  Are we willing to work to make things right?  Martin Luther King Jr. said, the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.  

What Mary was being asked to do was help God set things right by being part of God’s plan to bring the Messiah into this world.  It was the Messiah who would bring God’s people righteousness, set them free from oppression and begin to bring the values and reign of God’s kingdom into this world.  Mary understood that she would be part of making things right when she said, God has brought down the rulers from their thrones, but lifted up the humble.  He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.  Luke 1:53-4.   

Mary had no position or power as a leader when God chose her, she just had a passion for God and for what God wanted to do in her an in the world.  We begin to see why passion is so important to leadership.  It is our passion that helps us make these tough decisions and stand up for what is right and for God’s will and purpose in our lives.  In many ways, passion leads to courage but courage also increases our passion.  They go hand in hand.   

The third thing Mary teaches us about courage is that, like passion, courage is contagious.  When we make courageous decisions it inspires commitment and courage in those around us.  Mary’s courage to say yes to God inspired Joseph to also say yes to God.  While at first Joseph wanted to dismiss Mary quietly, after his own meeting with Gabriel, and then seeing Mary’s strength and courage, he also faced the possible shame of a community and made the commitment to stand with Mary and with God.  

Mary also inspired commitment in others when she stood at the cross.  Mary wasn’t alone there, by her side were two other women named Mary: Mary Magdalene and Mary the wife of Clopas.  Along with them was the only disciple courageous enough to get close to Jesus on the cross, John.  So Mary’s courage drew out a commitment from others.  Just as passion ignites passion, so courage ignite courage.  When we are willing to stand up for what is right we often find others willing to make that stand with us.  This is very good news for us because when we make courageous choices we will never be alone, there will be others there to help us. 

I have seen this principle at work in both of my previous churches.  There came a time in both churches when controversy came up about the direction the church should go and when a few people made the decision to stand up for change and growth, others stood with them.  Jackie Ross is an everyday leader in Altoona.  She is a quiet woman of great faith and her courage to stand up as we reached out to children in the neighborhood and young families in the community inspired others to stand up with her.  She led people in the fight to once again be a vital church in our neighborhood.  Ed and Nancy Asher were courageous leaders.  While very quiet, faithful members of St. Paul’s in Lewisburg, when they stood up and said, we think it’s great to have a ministry to college students through contemporary worship, others stood with them.  Billy Graham said, courage is contagious.  When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened.  

The final thing we need to learn from Mary is that courage expands our life and our influence.  Fear keeps us from trying new things, moving in new directions and leading causes that can improve our families, nation and world.  Fear limits us, but courage expands us.  When Mary said yes to God – her world expanded.  Literally, she travelled beyond Nazareth to Bethlehem, to Egypt and to Jerusalem.  Mary experienced things she never would have experienced if she had played it safe.  Mary’s life and influence not only expanded during her lifetime, influencing all those around her, but think of the impact she has had in our world.  I’m not sure there is another woman who has had a greater impact on our world than Mary and somehow Mary knew this would happen.  In Luke 1:48 Mary said, from now on all generations will call me blessed.  She knew her courage to say yes to God would influence others and expand from generation to generation.  Even today she remains a model of faithfulness and obedience and right now she is being lifted up as a courageous leader we can learn from.  

So how can we become more courageous?  Let me share 3 thoughts from John Maxwell’s The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader.  

#1. Face our fears.  What is it that is holding us back in certain situations where we might feel the need to move forward?  Is our fear of failure keeping us from new relationship, new jobs or new opportunities to serve?  Is our fear of feeling out of place keeping us from joining a bible study or small group?  Is our fear of looking foolish keeping us from serving in mission?  We are going to need some help building a ramp for someone in the church and I’m going to tell you right now, I will look foolish swinging a hammer, but if I can help – I’m going to go.  A friend of mine is an outstanding doctor but it took courage for him to join a team who worked on mission team installing dry wall.  In fact, we had to tell Tom that 12 nails in a six inch section of dry wall was probably more than enough.  But he was doing it and that took courage. 

What fear can we face this week?  Can we do one thing this week that takes courage?  It doesn’t matter what it is, the more decisions we make that take courage the more courage we find to do more.  

#2. Face that person.  You know that person, the person you are wrestling with right now, the person you need to forgive, the person you need to iron out a difference with.  We all have these people in our lives.  It might be a spouse, or friend or coworker that we know we need to confront or confess to and while it’s scary, awkward and uncomfortable – can we face our fear and face that person this week.   Can we speak the truth to them in love this week?  

#3. Taking the BIG step.  Maybe the big step in a relationship, in our job, or in the church, but after some honest evaluation, seeking input and advice from others and through lots of prayer can we take the BIG step and say yes to our future.  I remember a meeting we had at our church in Altoona and what’s interesting is that I don’t remember what the decision was, all I remember is Don Steele saying, it’s time to take the BIG step and do this.  We will be going out on a limb and the limb might come crashing down – but at least we will go out with a bang.  I don’t remember the decision, I just remember Don’s courage leading us to make the decision.  We did make the decision and the limb didn’t come crashing down.  

Taking the BIG step is often just taking the NEXT step.  While some decisions seem more serious and risky than others and so require more courage – the reality is that it is just the next step God has for us.  So what next step or big step do you need to take?  

When I preach I always tell myself I can’t say anything that I’m not willing to do myself, so I had to ask myself, what is the next step or BIG step God is calling me to take.  So here it is, and once I say it and it’s out there, there is no turning back.  We have been talking a lot about our mission and partnership in Sierra Leone and I’ll be honest, the thought of travelling there scares me and I don’t want to go – but like Mary I am hearing God asking me, will you go?  Will you let me use you?  So I’ve made the inner decision and today I’m making this commitment that when a trip to Sierra Leone is planned – I will go.  While it is a BIG step for me, I know it is just the next step in God’s plan for me and for us as a church.  

Now let me ask you – what courageous step do you need to take?  Can you hear God saying what he said to Mary, the Lord is with you – have courage – Go!

Next Steps

Leadership Principles ~ COURAGE

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands 

in moments of comfort and convenience, 

but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.  

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Courage is contagious.  When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened.

Rev. Billy Graham

1. Identify people of courage in your life.  

What do they teach you and show you about courage?  

How has their courage influenced you?

2. Face your fears.*

What fear is holding you back in your relationships, your job, or your service to God?  Name the fear and explore how and why it limits you.  What are you missing because of it?

What one fear (large or small) can you face this week?  

3. Face that person.*

Who do you need to talk to this week?  What relational issue do you need to resolve to find greater peace or purpose?  

4. Take the BIG step.*

Are you ready to take the big step and make a change in your life?  Listen to God through prayer.  Seek wise counsel from faithful friends.  Evaluate all your options.  Name your fears and then take that BIG step.  

*Adapted from John Maxwell’s, The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader.  ©1999.

Principles for Everyday Leaders - Passion

 

Today we begin a series looking at leadership principles from everyday leaders in the Bible.  Now I’ll be honest, I love being a leader and according to my parents I have always been one.  When I was about 2 years old my parents would put in my playpen where I would immediately toss out all my toys and then sit down and cry.  My two older sisters would come into the room and, feeling sorry for me, pick up all my toys and put them back into the playpen.  After they would leave, I would toss them out again and sit down to cry until they returned.  Apparently I could this over and over again and I got very good at it.  While my Mom defined this as teasing, I have decided to define this as leadership because at its core leadership is influencing people to think, believe or act in certain ways and from what they told me, I was pretty good at influencing my sisters to feel sorry for me and then do what I wanted them to do.  (Unfortunately the leadership principle of crying to get attention didn’t continue to work with them or with anyone else as I got older.)

The author John Maxwell, who has written extensively on leadership, has said that leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts.  It is about one life influencing another.  If leadership is simply one life influencing another then we need to ask ourselves where and how we might be leaders because we all have influence on others.  Wherever we go, there are people watching us and in a variety of ways they are being influenced by our attitudes, words and actions.  We have influence in our homes as our children and teens look to us as they try to make good decision and reach their full potential.  Many jobs directly try to influence people to behave in certain ways or buy certain goods or services, but in every job there are people watching us and making decision because of what they see and hear and experience in us.

Certainly in the life of the church and as followers of Jesus we have a responsibility for how we influence others.  Jesus made this clear when he said, you are the salt of the earth and you are the light of the world.  Salt was used to preserve meat or provide taste and flavor – it influenced what it came into contact with and light always has an influence on darkness – it overcomes it and pushes it out.  So Jesus calls us to have a certain kind of positive, life-giving influence in the world which means that in some way we are all called to be and already are living lives as leaders so what I want to do this summer is explore how we can increase our effectiveness as leaders as well as our desire to lead.

The Bible is full of some pretty ordinary people who understood their responsibility to influence their generation.  Many Biblical leaders are very well known.  We know the stories of Noah, Abraham, David and Elijah and how they led and influenced others, but what I want to do is focus on some of the everyday leaders we may not have heard about and see what we can learn from them.  These are not people with titles or positions and sometimes they had no defined power in this world at all, but they were leaders because they influenced others by their strong character and so we are going to explore some of the principles we see lived out in their every-day lives and examine how these principles can help us.

Today we are going to begin with the principle of passion.  Business author Richard Chang has said that the greatest advantage a leader can possess is passion, but what is passion?  Louie Giglio, one of the speakers at this year’s Global Leadership Summit that I hope you will consider attending this August, has said, passion is the degree of difficulty we are willing to endure to accomplish the goal.  That’s a great definition because the word passion comes from the Latin word pati which means pain. (passion – pati – pain) In the Bible we call the story of Jesus’ final days before the crucifixion the passion narrative because Jesus endured a great deal of difficulty and pain to accomplish his goal.

Passion implies intensity.  It is feeling so strongly about something that we simply can’t help but do something.  Some have described passion as the underlying force that fuels all of our emotions and gives us energy, excitement and enthusiasm.  While we may not always be able to define a leader’s passion, my guess is we have all been able to see it in others.  Can you identify a passionate leader in your life?  Maybe it was the coach who cheered you on in little league or dance class or the teacher who inspired you to further your education or read that one book that changed your life.  Maybe it was the Sunday School teacher, youth leader, choir director or good friend who loved you and believed in you so much that it built up your self esteem and helped you see that you could do more and be more than you ever thought possible.  A passionate leader for me was Mrs. Barrett my 5th grade Sunday School Teacher. She let me stay in class another year even though Sunday School at our churched officially ended after 5th grade.  Then there was Mrs. Mack my youth choir director who showed me I could do some pretty creative things in the life of the church and then Ed and Joanne Foster my youth leaders gave me the ability and encouragement to step out and actually lead others in our group.

I am also where I am and who I am today because of Dave DeGraaf who was a passionate follower of Jesus I met at MSU.  He lived with intense joy, great enthusiasm and took his faith so seriously that he smuggle Bibles into China during a summer he studied abroad.  Getting to be a part of that through prayer was exciting for me and influenced my faith.  The passion seen in all these people was different, but it all had a profound influence on my life and faith.   They were leaders who inspired me to lead.  While I hope you can name one or two passionate leaders who have helped shape and change your life what I really want for us is to explore is how we can identify and nurture our passion so we can shape and influence others in ways that will help them experience the fullness and life of God.  

To help us explore deeper this leadership principle of passion I want to look at a man in the New Testament that often goes unnoticed.  His name is Cornelius and we find his story in Acts 10:1-3.  Now it just happens that you sent me to Caesarea so I have some pictures to show you of this region.

Caesarea looking out to the Sea

Along the Mediterranean Sea

This is an incredibly beautiful place along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and what I found truly special was being able to see the remains of an aqueduct built by Herod the Great who used Caesarea as the capital of the Roman Provence of Judea.

One of my favorite pictures from the trip!

What we know of Cornelius is that he was a centurion, which means he was a non-commissioned officer who worked his way up in the Roman Legion.  He wasn’t born into privilege and position; in fact there are some who speculate that he was the descendant of slaves.  Cornelius was an ordinary man, but clearly someone whose passion influenced others and made a dramatic difference in the world  

As we heard in Acts 10, Cornelius’ passion was for God, Acts 10:2.  While Cornelius was a gentile and served in the Roman Legion, he didn’t allow those things to keep him from God.   While friends and fellow soldiers (both above and below him in rank) may have questioned why he worshiped the God of Israel when he was a Roman, Cornelius didn’t let those difficulties or obstacles hold him back.  He not only believed in God, but he put that belief into action and prayed regularly and gave generously.  Cornelius’ passion for God moved him to do all he could to remain strong in his relationship with God.  What Cornelius shows us is that passion isn’t something we can just talk about – it is expressed in how we live.  We can’t fake passion, we can’t just talk passion – passion is lived and Cornelius lived with passion.

Cornelius’ passion was seen in his commitment to prayer and it was during prayer that God gave him a vision.  It says that it was 3 in the afternoon, which was the time for prayer that Cornelius was told to send for a man named Simon (Peter) who was staying in Joppa.  This was a strange request because Peter was a Jew and Cornelius was a Gentile so Peter would not have been able to enter Cornelius house, but because Cornelius was so passionate about his relationship with God he didn’t let anything stand in his way, he sent for Peter.

Now as all of this was going on with Cornelius, Peter was having his own vision and God was telling him that it was ok for him to eat animals that were considered by the Jewish people to be unclean.  Remember, Jesus was Jewish and so the Christian movement really began as a sub-group within the Jewish community.  This meant that the people in the early church followed the dietary laws of the Jewish people.  So Peter and others didn’t eat certain kinds of meat – like pork – and they never would.  But in his vision, Peter is being told to eat all this unclean meat and that he is not to call anything impure that God has made clean, Acts 10:15,
Now let’s keep reading, 10:17-22.

So Cornelius passion for God moved him to send for Peter and Peter, who just had a vision about God making all things clean, is being told to go and visit Cornelius who was a gentile – someone Peter would have considered unclean.  Can you begin to sense what God is about to do here?  God is about to open up the Christian faith to all people, Jew and Gentile.  All who are willing to believe and trust in Jesus can now be considered clean.

Peter goes to visit Cornelius and this is what he says, Acts 10:28-29a .  It was Cornelius passion for God that moved him to invite Peter to his home and it was that invitation that influenced Peter to take to heart the message God gave him that all people should be considered clean.  After Peter shares the message of Jesus, and Cornelius and his family accept it, the Holy Spirit is poured out on them and Peter says there is no reason why they should not be baptized and considered a full part of the church.  The church of Jesus was now moving in a new area, among the gentiles, and they were being offered full inclusion in the church.  This change would not have been possible without the passion of Cornelius.  It was his passion for God that led him to prayer which opened the door for God to use him to invite Peter for this visit which set into motion the events that opened the church to the gentiles.

So let’s identify and learn from Cornelius about the role of passion in a leader.  In his book the 21 indispensable qualities of a leader, John Maxwell identifies 4 truths of passion that we see in this story:

1.  Passion is the first step toward achievement.  Passion is what gets us moving.  Our desire helps determines our destiny so it is important to listen to what we are passionate about.
Cornelius was passionate about God which led him to prayer which opened the door for God to speak to him and led Cornelius to call for Peter.  It was Cornelius passion that determined his destiny and as a leader his passion helped influence and change the face of Christianity.

2 Passion increases willpower.  Our passion produces an energy that helps us push through any obstacles to accomplish our goal.  Cornelius knew that Peter, being a Gentile, should not have entered his home, but his passion for God caused him to move forward.  Cornelius was willing to stand against the social norms of his day and do what God asked him to do.  

3. Passion change us.  While our passion can help us influence and change others, the biggest thing that passion can do is change us.  When we become passionate about something it changes how we think about ourselves and it can help us see that not only do we have a responsibility to influence others but that we can influence others and maybe even bring about real change in our world.  So while passion can change our world, we first need to let it change us and help us see that we are leaders called by God.

4. Passion makes the impossible – possible.  Whatever fires up our hearts, will tear down the walls which makes all things possible.  The wall between Jew and Gentile was torn down as Cornelius (and Peter) listened to the voice of God.  Their passion helped change everything and made what seemed impossible – possible.  Passion is what helps us begin to see the possibility that God sees in us and where leadership within us can be developed.  Jesus says we can do even greater things than he did, but that doesn’t come without passion.  Once the fire of passion has started – it can consume all in its path and direct us to the time and place where God can release the potential he has given us.

So passion makes us better leaders which means we need to ask ourselves, what am I passionate about?   Take a passion inventory:
• What interests you?
• What concerns you?
• What build up your righteous indignation?
• What moves you to tears?
• Where are you passions at home or at work?
• Where does your passion lie as you look at the community, world or your own person bucket list?
Many times it is in identifying the things that fire us up that will help lead us to the places where God can most use us.  If we can’t identify our passion then we need to ask others what passion they see in is.  Sometimes it’s hard to see what’s in our own lives.  

If we still aren’t finding ourselves passionate about anything then we should think about returning to our first love.  What used to get us fired up?  What are the things we used to love about our job, or our marriage, or our faith, or just life in general? Where there hobbies we could spend hours on or activities we loved to take part in? While we all grow and our interests change, sometimes returning to those things we loved at first can reignite passion.

God himself suggests this to a church that was in danger of losing its passion.  Revelation 2:4-5: You have forsaken your first love.  Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.  In other words, remember your first love and reignite your passion and faith by doing what you did at first.  For all of us, this can be a good way to reignite our faith.  If we feel dry and distant in our connection with God, then we need to go back to when our hearts were on fire for Jesus and do those things we did at first.  Can we recommit ourselves to prayer, worship, service, fellowship and all those things we know are important to our faith?

The third way to reignite passion is to associate with people of passion.  Passion is contagious.  Just as a fire spreads and consumes all in its path – so does passion.  If we need to reignite our passion then maybe we need to spend time with passionate people and let their energy and enthusiasm spill into our lives.  This is what happened with Cornelius and Peter.  On their own they could only go so far, but once they got together – the passion each of them had ignited something in the other and the end result was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit which astonished the people and led to a growing, stronger worldwide church.

Let me share a personal story about passion igniting passion.  Several years ago I preached a sermon and while I don’t remember what it was about I do remember showing this picture -

THE SHOT

I had to make sure everyone understood what this picture was all about so I talked about how in the East regional finals of the 1992 NCAA Basketball Tournament, Duke played Kentucky and with 2.1 seconds remaining in overtime, Duke trailed 103–102.  Grant Hill threw a pass the length of the court to Christian Laettner who dribbled once, turned and hit a jumper as time expired.  What I love about this picture is that it shows you everything.  The ball is in the air, you see the time still on the clock so you know the shot will count if it goes in – which it does and so this picture just says it all.  SI said this was the greatest college basketball game of all time and USA Today listed it as the greatest NCAA tournament game of all time.  It’s just an awesome picture of an awesome moment that just gets me fired up about college basketball.

After worship that Sunday, Rhonda Leiter said to me, I don’t even like college basketball but you made me want to go home and watch a game.  Passion ignites passion.  If you want to reignite your passion then hang around people who are passionate and watch the fire start to burn.  Our passion can influence other and our lives can be influenced by the passion of others.

Cornelius was an everyday leader whose passion influenced others. He shows us that we can positively influence others in life and in faith and if we will identify our passion and allow God to use this principle to develop our leadership.  If we do this, we can begin to set this world on fire.  



Next Steps
Leadership Principles ~ PASSION

Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts.
It is about one life influencing another.  ~ John Maxwell

Passion is the degree of difficulty we are willing to endure to accomplish the goal   ~ Louie Giglio

1. Explore your passions:
• What interests you?  Concerns you?
• What gets you angry?  Moves you to tears?
• What are you passionate about at home or work?
• Where does your passion life in the church, community or world?
• What is on your own person bucket list?
• Ask others to identify the passions they see in you.

2. Examine your influence:  Identifying our passions can help us see where leadership can be developed.
• Is there an area you identified in #1 where you can increase your involvement and influence?
• What is the first step you can take to move forward in this area?

3. Expand your relationships:  Passion ignites passion
• Identify a passionate leader who can motivate you.
• Identify one person you can influence in a positive way with your passion and help ignite their lives and faith.

Consider attending the Global Leadership Summit Aug. 14 - 15.  More information on GLS speakers, books on leadership and registration forms can be found at the display in the lobby.
Early Bird Registration Price ends July 15.

Many more current books on leadership can be found in the Church Library.

Experiencing the Trinity

 

While Jesus walked with the disciples, they struggled to understand what he was talking about, they stumbled in their attempts to follow him and at the end of his life they surrendered to their fear and deserted Jesus at the cross.  2 months later that same group of people began to stand up and boldly proclaim the truth of God.  They courageously told everyone that Jesus had been crucified but then was raised from the dead and then that same group of people slowly began to change the world.  It was a dramatic transformation that could only be explained by one thing – the power of God.  The Holy Spirit that came upon them was in fact the power of God.  In the Holy Spirit God was present in the followers of Jesus and working through them God was going to change the world and continue the work began in Jesus.  There is nothing else that explains what happened among the followers of Jesus and that first church – the power of God – God himself – had come to fill them.  

God was now being seen, heard and felt through the Holy Spirit which is the third significant way God has revealed himself in the world.  In the beginning God appeared as creator of not only the heavens and the earth but of Adam and Eve. God was the Father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Father of Israel.  In Jesus God came to earth as the Son, the Son of God.  Jesus was God in human form to show us what life and love and truth looked like and God was  here to lead all the world in living out the principles and values of God’s kingdom.  Jesus was God, God in the flesh and then after Jesus ascended into heaven God came back into this world as the Holy Spirit.  God was the spirit that filled the disciples with power and courage and began a movement that has changed the world.  So God has been seen, heard and experienced in three unique and significant ways – Father, Son and Holy Spirit and we call this the Trinity.  

The word Trinity does not mean three Gods, but one God in three person or three unique and specific forms of being in the world.  The word Trinity is never found in the Bible but the idea is clearly biblical because God has been described and talked about as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  What we believe about the Trinity is not always easy to grasp because we believe that God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all fully God.  God the Father is fully God.  God the son, or Jesus, was fully God in a human form, and God the Holy Spirit is the full power of God in the form of a spirit or power at work in this world.  It’s one God but three persons.  

Three persons but One God.  Any attempt to explain the Trinity comes up short.  For centuries people have tried to compare the trinity to all kinds of things.  

There has been the three leaf clover – one clover but three leaves each unique but all part of the whole.  

Some people have used the example of water because water can be a solid, liquid or steam – but it’s all still water.  These are ok, but they don’t really explain the Trinity.  While every example might reflect a part of what the trinity is about – they all come up short.  The truth is that there is no way to explain the trinity, so let’s not try to explain in, instead let’s begin to experience it.  

There is a moment in scripture that first reveals to us the reality of the trinity and it is the baptism of Jesus.  This picture was taken along banks of the Jordan River and I invite you to just reflect on it as you hear the first story that reveals to us the Trinity – Matthew 3:13, 16-17.

The trinity is experienced here because we have God the Father speaking from heaven, God the Son, Jesus, coming up out of the water and God the Holy Spirit coming down in the shape and form of a dove.  God is seen, heard and somehow experienced in three unique ways, but it is all still God.  It was this story that got me thinking we need to stop trying to explain the trinity and open ourselves to experiencing it.   

During our afternoon along the Jordan River I went off by myself to walk.  What I loved about this place was that it was quiet and still.  I could hear the water flowing, smell the dirt and trees and see the sun streaming through clouds and branches.  It was one of the places where I could stop by myself and experience the presence of God.  

I thought about Jesus baptism and how he might have seen God his father in the creation around him before he ever heard his voice and then how Jesus may have felt the power of God the Spirit even before the dove landed on his shoulder.  It was in this moment of Jesus baptism that the fullness of the Trinity was first experienced.  We can’t explain it, but are we willing to receive it and experience it.  Walking along the river I was able to experience it.  God the father - seen in the beauty of this creation.  God the Son who may have walked in these very woods seeing, smelling and hearing what I did.  God the spirit literally seen streaming though the sky and landing on my shoulder.  I was experiencing the Trinity, but we don’t have to go to Israel to experience the Trinity, God makes himself known to us in these ways daily if we will open our eyes and hearts.  

To experience God the Father all we need to do is look at the beauty, wonder and power of creation.  It is God who gave birth to our world.  It is God who breathed life into us and from the very beginning and claimed us as his own.  Look at Genesis 1:26-27.  

It is good on this Father’s Day to remember that we all have a father in heaven who created us in his image.  No matter who our father is in this world, we have a perfect heavenly father who created us in his image and loves us unconditionally.  As we look at ourselves and our lives today we may question all this because what we see and experience is brokenness, weakness and pain but God doesn’t see that when he looks at us.  God sees who we truly are and who he created us to be.  I have a high school friend who plays violin and at one point was in the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, which I always thought that if you wanted to be in an orchestra – that would be the one to be in.  Anyway, when Nancy was a freshman in High School she played her violin in worship one Sunday and let’s just say – it didn’t go well and she was crushed.  We were all trying to encourage her when a senior from our youth group came over and said, Nancy – God hear that perfectly because that’s just how God hears us and sees us – perfectly.  

What a profound statement - God sees us perfectly which is true because he is looking at us through Christ who has taken away our sin.  When God looks at us what he sees are sons and daughter created in his image because he is our divine and loving father in heaven.  Can we open ourselves up to experiencing God as our father?  Not just as the awesome force that created this world but as the loving parent who welcomes us into his presence every time we turn to him.  

In Isaiah 43:1 God says, I have called you by name and you are mine.  We can experienced this sense of belonging and love when we open ourselves up to God the Father and maybe today is the day for us to do that  - Father’s Day.  No matter what kind of father we may have experienced in this world, we all have a loving father who created us in love and welcomes us into his presence with grace, power and dignity.   God our father is THE Father, the perfect Father who loves us unconditionally and eternally.  We can experience the love of this father today if we will open our hearts and lives to him.  

We can also experience God the Son if we will build a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Our relationship with Jesus can grow as we learn about him through the Scriptures, but we also have the opportunity to connect with Jesus as we open ourselves up to him.  For me, it is the connection with God as the Son – a relationship with Jesus – that is the easiest to experience because I can picture myself walking and talking with Jesus.  When I hear the words of Jesus it’s as if he is talking to me.  When Jesus says, Come, follow him – it is an invitation to me.  When Jesus says, - Neither do I condemn you.  Go and sin no more.  These are words of forgiveness and new life to me.  When Jesus says, I will never leave you nor forsake you, it is a promise he made with me.  

Maybe it is because Jesus was a human being that people could see and touch and hear and love that it seems easier for me to have a relationship with God through the Son Jesus Christ, I don’t know, what I do know it that we can experience God through a relationship with Jesus in very dynamic and personal ways that can change us if we will open our hearts to him.  If Jesus is to be our Savior and Lord then we need be able to hear his voice, experience his grace and love and feel his hand guiding us in life.  

And then there is the God the Holy Spirit.  There is no way to talk about how we can experience the Holy Spirit because this is perhaps the most personal and intimate experience we have of God because this is truly God in us.  This is God changing us from the inside out.  It is the Holy Spirit that gives wisdom and courage; it is the Holy Spirit that fill us with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control when we thought none of those things were possible.  Whatever gift we need today – God can give it through his Holy Spirit.  We can experience any of these things in our lives because God comes to dwell within us and fills us with this fruit.  

The spirit of God also brings gifts which shape our lives.  It is by God’s power that we are able to teach, lead, pray, offer hope and healing to others or develop faith in them and ourselves.  It is only God’s spirit and power that enables us to offer wisdom and give of ourselves in ways that make a difference.  We don’t serve God or other people out of our own strength; whenever we serve we are just drawing upon the gifts God gives us through the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit, God, is the One who shapes us – at times without our even knowing it.  Today the spirit of God is at work in us and if we will work with God’s spirit, if we will acknowledge His presence and yield our lives to Him, the life transformation and healing and hope God offers will happen more quickly.      

So today I invite you to experiencing the Trinity?  God the Father is calling us by name and telling us that we have value and worth as his sons and daughters.  God the Son, Jesus our Lord and Savior, forgives our sin and walks with us into a new life and God the Holy Spirit is here to give us power and courage to embrace the new life and learn how to live it to the fullest.  I can not explain to you the Trinity but I invite you to experience it and through this experience find all that you need for life and faith and your future.

Next Steps

Experiencing the Trinity

1. Experience God the Father

• Read the story of Creation in Genesis 1 and 2

• Take time to experience the beauty and power of God’s creation in a sunrise and sunset.  

• Consider the stars and planets at night.

• Listen for the power of God in a thunderstorm.

• Look for the intricate beauty of God in a flower, child or even the detail of your own hands.

• Consider how Jesus talked about God as Father

                       Matthew 6:5-14, 25-34; 7:9-12; 18:10-14

                       Mark 11:22-26

                       Luke 15:11-32

                       John 1:18; 14:1-7

2. Experience God the Son – Jesus 

• Imagine Jesus walking with you during the day.  

• Open yourself up to His presence, power and voice.

• As Savior, ask Jesus to forgive your sin and set you free.

• As Lord, ask Jesus to give direction and power to your life.

3. Experience God the Spirit

• Read about the fruit of the Holy Spirit and how it is produced in us: Galatians 5:22; John 15:1-8.

• Read about the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to the church: Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.

• Ask the Holy Spirit to enter your heart and life.

• Listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit in daily decisions.

Day by Day

Next week is Father’s Day and while I am not a parent, I’ve watched enough mothers and fathers through the years to know that there is nothing that actually prepares you for being a parent.  The feelings, emotions, sense of responsibility, concerns, worries, love and hard work that you experience once a child enters your life is different from everything else we experience in life.  You can read 100 books on parenting, take classes and watch all the programs on TLC you can find, but the only way to really learn how to be a good parent and grow in your effectiveness as a parent is to simply be one day after day.

The same is true for being a follower of Jesus.  We could read 100 books on what it means to be a faithful Christian but what we see in the book of Acts is a group of people who learn how to follow Jesus by walking together in life and faith day by day.  Peter preached a sermon that touched the hearts of about 3,000 people and the Holy Spirit moved in them to give their lives to God but they weren’t instantly educated on all that following Jesus meant and they weren’t instantly made perfect in love and faith – they just began a journey.  They were going to learn about Jesus and what it meant to follow him day by day and we learn how to be a disciple or follower of Jesus day by day

We also become an effective and vital church day by day.  While we can read books on how to develop leaders and structure ourselves for mission and ministry, and while we can attend conferences to become better equipped and empowered to be the church of Jesus Christ, we actually learn how to be the church and we grow as a church day by day.  It is daily living together and walking together that strengthens and builds the church, but this daily growth doesn’t just happen, it happens as we intentionally live out our faith.  In Acts 2 we are given a pretty complete list of things that will help us grow day by day so let’s look at some of these simple daily routines that can strengthen us in our faith and help us become the community of faith that God desires us to be.

As we look at Acts 2, we see that the very first thing we need if we want to grow is to learn more – they devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching.  Deeper knowledge, truth and understanding is important.  What the apostles were teaching was everything they had seen and heard and learned from Jesus.  They talked about the miracles Jesus did and how he was crucified and then raised from the dead and how they then saw him rise into heaven.  In time the apostles shared with others the teachings of Jesus which is why we have the Sermon on the Mount, the parables Jesus told and his teachings on prayer and forgiveness.  These all came from the apostles who shared them and the first leaders who wrote them down.  That the people devoted themselves to this teaching tells us that knowledge and truth is an important part of daily growth and effectiveness.  If you think about it, this is true in most things.

I don’t know about you, but I want a doctor who is devoted to new teachings and is willing to learn new procedures and techniques.  I want an accountant who has read the most recent tax laws and a teacher who is as informed as they can be.  It doesn’t matter what field we are in, we need to be willing to keep learning and devote ourselves to continued education and being the best we can be, and the same is true for our faith.  If we want to grow in our understanding of Jesus we need to devote ourselves to the teachings of Jesus and to the apostle’s teaching and to the teaching of faithful men and women throughout history.  Our church library is filled with books that can help us grow in our faith and we need to devote ourselves to ongoing education.  Sunday School classes, Bible studies and small groups are also places where we can learn and grow together and you don’t have to be an expert to be part of these groups, in fact you don’t need to know anything to join a group – these aren’t places to test your knowledge – these are places to listen and learn and grow.

But growth in knowledge is not all there is, twice here it says they also devoted themselves to the breaking of bread- Acts 2:43, 46.
We aren’t clear exactly what this means because breaking of bread has two different meanings.  It could mean that they were simply eating together and sharing their meals together or it could mean that they were breaking bread in memory of Jesus breaking bread with them at the Passover, what we now call Communion.  The truth is they did both of these things and both activities offered opportunities for growth because both activities could be seen as worship.

Eating meals together in peoples’ homes was an act of worship for the Jewish community.  The Passover celebration was a meal shared in the home and many other Jewish feasts and celebrations would take place in the home with family and friends.  These were moments of worship because the goodness and power of God were often lifted up and remembered.  We should work to make eating together as a family and with friends an important part of our life and faith.  There is so much formation that takes place when we eat together.  Studies show that children learn manners, priorities and even a greater vocabulary when a family sits down and eats together on a regular basis.  Community is formed when people share their food and homes with one another and certainly when we gather for communion in worship there is a bond and spiritual presence that unites us and shapes who we are.  These times of eating together and breaking bread together were important for God’s people and they provided opportunities for daily growth because we have to eat daily.

Growth also takes place when we are willing to focus on the spiritual disciples of prayer, service and tithing.  Again, we see that the people in the early church devoted themselves to prayer and prayer remains one of the most important ways we grow in our faith.  Personal prayer and corporate prayer are important and while we often pray for God to move in others and in our world, why prayer is most important is because it gives God an opportunity to move in us.  As we pray for someone who needs healing, God might move us to support them.  When we pray for those who face persecution around the world, it might remind us that the struggles we face or small in comparison to what they face or it might move us to stand up and support those in need.  When we pray for those we love to find hope and a deeper faith, God might strengthen us to be a witness to them of his love and grace.  Prayer is also important because when we pray we are open to the spirit of God to move in us and if we do this day by day – God will strengthen us and shape us and grow us - day by day.

Service is also important for us to be involved in on a daily basis and the best place to start is at home.  How can we serve our families every day?  How can we serve our parents or children?  How can we serve our brothers and sisters or grandparents?  If we can’t serve in our homes among the people we love, I don’t know how we will be able to serve people beyond our home.  Once we are serving our family how can we move out and serve those we work with or our neighbors?  How can we serve those in need in our community on a regular basis or serve those in need around the world?  Service is important not just because it helps meet the needs of others but because as we serve – we grow.  (Sharing by Paul Neff and Linda Hoffman about our most recent Mission Trip to Oklahoma)

Another area where we all need to grow day by day is in giving to God.  We often talk about tithing as a means by which we can make an offering to God through the church.  The word tithe simple means one tenth and it is a biblical principle which says we should give 10% of our income to God.  God has said that when we give Him the full tithe – He will open the floodgates of heaven and pour out his blessing upon us.  So if we are willing to make this principle a cornerstone of our lives – God’s blessing will be poured out and help us grow day by day.  Many of you are able to give a testimony about how you have grown in your faith when you made this principle a part of your life and at times we have tried to find creative ways to make this a principle for Faith Church to help us grow.

Our desire to connect with Sierra Leone began with a tithe we committed from our roof project a few years ago.  If we were going to spend $250,000 on a new roof and AC system then we decided to take $25,000 (1/10) and give it to missions.  That $25,000 is being sent to Sierra Leone to now help build a parsonage and support the work in PaLoko to establish a school.  Tithing is not just a system for giving, it is a system for growing and it works for us individually and as a church.

The last two things I want to lift up from this passage that are important to our growth is meeting together for worship and having the right attitude.  The picture we get in Acts 2 is of people who were committed to worship.  They praised God together, prayed together, read God’s word together, fellowshipped together – they worshipped together and regular worship is important to our growth.  Being around other people of faith inspires us, motivates us, challenges us, encourages us, teaches us and moves us forward.  Regular corporate worship needs to be something we dedicate and commit ourselves to.

I can’t help but think that there are followers of Jesus who are in prison today for their faith and they would give anything to be able to worship with others.  There are people living in fear of being known as followers of Jesus who would love to gather publically with others in worship and today there will be people across the world who will walk through difficult and dangerous conditions for miles because they understand how important it is to worship with other believers.  Can their witness inspire us to commit to this time of being together?  We can’t give up meeting together if we want to grow in our faith.  We can’t take the summer off if we want to grow in our faith day by day.  We need this time together.

And the last thing that helped these believer’s grow was their inner attitude – maybe my favorite line of all is where it says they had glad and sincere hearts.  These were joyous people.  They loved God and they loved others and that love was not just seen in their actions but it could be seen in their eyes and hearts and attitudes.  Have you ever met a Christian who always seemed to be miserable and could never find anything positive to say about anything?  I know you probably have and most of the time we don’t want to be around people like that, but we all want to be around someone who is sincere and glad.  We all want to be around people filled with life and joy and enthusiasm and so we need to reflect on what is in our hearts and what we are sharing with and showing to others.  Our faith reflected in our attitude is perhaps the single greatest reason why a church grows.  People want to be part of a joyful, faithful group of people.

Now this doesn’t mean we won’t have our days of frustration, negativity and darkness – they come, but if we are meeting together than God’s plan is that the light and joy of others will cast that darkness away and lift us up.  I have to say that my experience here at Faith Church is that there are a lot of people with glad and sincere and generous and joyful hearts and it is one of the reasons God is adding to our number.  As a friend of mine said about Faith Church – you all like each other and it shows.  I agree and I hope that we can continue extend that sense of joy and hospitality to everyone who enters into our midst.

Growing in our faith and becoming the church God wants us to be doesn’t happen instantly or without some effort, it is a day by day journey.  On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit did come upon the people in a mighty way and increase the size of the church dramatically, but after that moment, growth in people and growth in the church took place day by day – and it still does.  Day by day we grow into the likeness of Jesus as we commit ourselves to God.
 

Next Steps
A day by day guide to growing in faith this week!

1.  Monday: Devoted to the Apostles’ Teaching.
Take 15 minutes each day this week to read through the book of Philippians.  Each day find one principle you can apply to your life or one thought to guide your day.

2. Tuesday: Breaking of Bread
Eat breakfast, lunch or dinner together as a family or with a group of friends.  Decide on a day of the week to set aside for family dinner (or a day each month for friends).  Begin each meal with a prayer of thanksgiving.

3. Wednesday: Prayer
Set aside 15 minutes in the morning and evening to pray.  Pray for the graduating class of Bellefonte High School and their families.  Give thanks for those who teach, lead and mentor children and youth in our church and community.  Prayer is just our simple heart-felt words to God.

4. Thursday: Service
Decide today how you (and your family) can serve in the church and community this weekend and/or this summer.  Contact Cassie Marsh-Caldwell to discuss opportunities for service in the church.

5. Friday: Tithing
Figure out your weekly income and commit to giving 10% to God through Faith Church this week as a first step toward a lifestyle of giving.  This does not have to be an ongoing commitment, but make this first step and prove God trust-worthy this week!

6. Saturday: Worship
Commit to being in worship tomorrow at Faith Church or somewhere else if you are out of town.

7. Sunday: Attitude
Check your attitude on the way to worship.  Is your heart glad and sincere?  Are you excited about meeting God in worship?  Are you ready to share your joy and smile with others?