A Letter to a Young Leader

NOTE:  The post is significantly different from most of my articles.  This a personal letter of encouragement I wrote to a young pastor I was mentoring (He and his wife have now been pastoring that same church for much longer than I did).  I wrote the letter to him in December 2006, some 13 years ago.  I find it is still good information. It is worth the read for anyone in the ministry - or who wants to to be in the ministry.  Please feel free to insert your name into the letter - for I would say the same thing to your today. I trust it impacts your life and ministry in a powerful way.  Be Blessed,  Steve.

December 2006

Dear J----,

Greetings in the most holy and precious name of Jesus.  I used to think that phrases like that were silly sentiment, but the older I get the more I understand how truly precious, holy and powerful His name really is.  It is the name above every other name.  It is the name to which we have the privilege of worshiping, bowing to and calling on in a time of need.  Jesus has lent us His name to call for the resources of heaven, to run into in a time of trouble, to use as a definitive weapon against all the powers of hell. Above all things – honor the name, love the name, learn the name and use the name of Jesus.  God has placed more in that NAME than we really know.

I have genuinely enjoyed watching you grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ over the past 1 ½ years.  I know you have walked with the Lord for a long time, but God takes us to places for special seasons in our lives.  I believe [our town] is a divine appointment for you; a season of growth and fruitfulness; a place where God could take you to the next level in your life and ministry.  One thing for sure is that you will never forget your time at [our town]. It has been an awesome time of faith, obedience, grace, learning and usefulness.  I appreciate you more than you know.  Your faithfulness to me, the church and the call placed on your life by the Holy Spirit has been encouraging to me as well as inspirational.

I wanted to write to you to encourage you as you move into a new year.  God does not wear a wristwatch.  He is unmoved by the tiny elements of time which control our lives – seconds, minutes and hours. He never gets in a hurry.  Time is a man-made concept.  A day with the Lord is as 1000 years and 1000 years as a day.  Learn to wait.  They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.  God’s plans are so grand they can not be accomplished in a day, week, month or sometimes even a year.  God, as the master strategist, moves satan around like a pawn to accomplish His own agenda.  We too are pieces on God’s chess board … not pawns though, we’re kings and queens, knights and rooks and bishops.  We’re the power pieces that get the job done.  You might notice that a chess set has 8 pawns of limited power (like the devil), however the Rook, knight and bishop only have two each; and each one of those moves and acts and functions in a different way.

How much like the gifts and callings of God these are?  God using different people in different ways, moving us around the chess board of this world, forming a strategy of ultimate defeat for the devil.  God, knowing the power and ability of each piece, knows just where to place us in relationship to the other playing pieces to affect strategic victory.  The grand checkmate comes when the King Himself returns to finish the devil off once and for all.  We will be a part of that glorious victory, if we do not become weary in well doing.

The Bible tells us that Jesus will descend from heaven with a shout.  It doesn’t say for sure, but it just might be “CHECKMATE!”  I long to hear, “well done my good and faithful servants.”  I hope I am standing close to you when that happens.

Of all the pieces I think you are a Bishop.  The bishop in the Bible is an overseer, one who watches over God’s heritage.  Paul said that he has espoused the church to Jesus as a chaste virgin.  He saw his role as the “best man.”  One in whom the groom trusted to take care of the bride; to protect her and prepare her.  Paul claimed he never touched the bride of Christ for his own pleasure.  Always remember this one thing - as leaders, pastors, bishops and shepherds - the church belongs to Jesus Christ. He is a jealous God.  Too many people today claiming to be pastors, prophets, teachers, evangelists and apostles are using the Bride of Christ for their own gratification.  They lust after her affections and money.  They long for the power to control her, to use her and to make a profit from her.  They prepare the church for their own glory, not for Jesus’.  But I trust we are not like that – you and me.  I trust that I have demonstrated for you (although imperfectly many times) the role of a pastor: Faithfulness to the Bridegroom to prepare a Bride for His glory.

Like chess, no single piece can defeat the enemy alone.  It takes at least two pieces to win. The best one can do alone is a stalemate.  Too many of God’s people settle for a stalemate; rather than a win.  God created the Body of Christ to work together in unity, we need each other - always have and always will: God made it so. 

When Jesus returned to heaven, He gave gifts to men.  He literally broke his perfect divine ministry into parts we now call the 5-fold ministry.  Remember that it is not “your ministry,” but rather His ministry through you. 

Successful strategies on the chess board take each piece’s unique strength into consideration and use them in conjunction with each other to back the devil into a corner and defeat him.  So goes the kingdom of God.  As you progress in leadership remember to always allow God to build a team around you, no matter if you are a leader or a team member.  Refuse the urge to collect or group with people just like yourself.  Allow God to build diversity, for in the long run it will take a combination of each gift, personality and ministry to get the job done.

It is so much easier (we think) to get talented, like-minded people.   But if we look at the example of Jesus, he collected an eclectic, ragtag group that was diverse in personality, philosophy and education.  For the most part they were “ignorant and unlearned fishermen.”  But it was noted that they had “been with Jesus.” There is always the tendency to discount those that God puts in your care and ultimately on your team.  Try not to “judge in the flesh,” but “judge righteous judgment.”  God is a better judge of potential then we are (since he knows the beginning from the end.)

One of the greatest things you can do for a person is to believe in them, even when they can’t believe in themselves.  I had someone do that for me.  It makes all the difference.  In order to do that we must see the overwhelming ability of God to impact and change a person.  God can change anyone – look at you and me.  Pray for people until they can pray for themselves.

I hear one scripture ringing in my spirit for you as I write.

“For you have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”  Heb 10:36

There are several key thoughts here.  Of course, the main one is “patience”.  Not our most favorite word.  Patience is probably one of the most difficult virtues to develop (right after humility).  As you become more and more a leader, patience is an absolute necessity. As leaders our impatience can destroy people; impatience will slow personal growth in people; impatience that our grand plans and schemes aren’t moving faster.  Be an example to the flock in all things, especially patience. “Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you teach, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.”  I Tim. 4:12

Impatience causes us to take short cuts and make compromises.  It can also cause us to overlook people that might be a significant part of God’s plan.  It can create offenses in us and others. Always remember that in, general, God’s people are more important than our goals and plans. 

The second important concept in this verse is “after”.  We usually must do something first.  That is where faith comes in. You will often have to step out on faith.  You’ll find yourself convinced of things that you (and others) can’t see and it will require risk.  We often want to know new ventures, radical ideas and new directions will work out before we start.  Therefore it is so much easier to stay with tradition, because even if it is not really working as well as we like, it is at least familiar and predictable.  God is raising up people who can not take “church as is” anymore.  But keep in mind, if we rush ahead without bringing people along with us, we still won’t have much when we get there.

We’ll have to step out, take risks and be willing to be more spontaneous. Religion requires following a predictable order.  Discipleship requires following the Spirit.  Be willing to “do” before you get to the “receive” part.  But never forget about the receiving part.  Hebrews tells us that “He that comes to God must believe…that He is a REWARDER of those that diligently seek Him.”  I believe God is pleased when we believe for the reward as much as we believe anything else in His word.

You will find there will be sometimes you won’t know what to do.  That’s okay.  Don’t panic.  God will come through.  David Wilkerson preached a message I heard a long time ago titled, The Making of a Man of God.  It was about the things God takes us through in our journey to usefulness.  One part particularly stood out: God will take you through your Night of Confusion.  Sir John of the Cross called it “The Dark Night of the Soul.”

Thankfully they seem to be limited, but when you enter one it can be excruciating to your flesh.  There are two things to keep in mind here.  The first is that the purpose of these periods is to totally separate us to God.  All the things that define us seem to disappear and we are left with a raw dependency on God.  This is not a bad thing, regardless of what your flesh seems to think. 

When Mary left and I moved from Oberlin to LeCompton, everything that had defined my life for several years was gone.  My marriage, my ministry, my career was all non- existent. I didn’t even have a house to live in.  I was reduced to being “a child of God.” 

Too often we let external things define us.  God wants us to remember that our most important role among all the others we have (husband, minister, employee, manager, father, son, brother, etc) is that of a Son (or Daughter) of God.  That is the thing that must define everything else we do.  It is these “dark” times that bring us back to that.

The second thing to remember about the “Dark Night of the Soul” is that “joy comes in the morning.”  Night never lasts.  God is light.  He will not leave us in darkness.  He will bring us into the light again.  I pray you never have to go through “the night of confusion,” but, with David Wilkerson, I am more realistic than that.  It is just part of the package. Since I can’t stop it from happening, I wanted to give you some insight on how to handle it and come through it a better Son of God.

One last thing: I think we can determine how long our “night” might be by how we respond.  Faith, obedience and yielding shorten those times dramatically it seems.  Good luck!

Here are a few things to remember.  An eclectic collection of saying from me and others:

• Learn to please people without being a “people pleaser.”
• Have devotion, not just devotions.
• Don’t just serve, be a servant.
• God would rather have servants who lead than leaders who serve.
• Find a good sheep dog!  They are a big help.
• Everyone needs three basic relationships:  A couple of Pauls to mentor us, no matter how old and wise we get; A larger group of Barnabus’ to walk with us as a friends and peers, A few Timothys to pour ourselves into.
• Worship passionately, pray fervently, serve faithfully, and believe completely.
• Our job is to preach the Kingdom, Jesus said He’d build His Church
• If you are going to be used by God, you are going to be used by people.
• If your disciples never outgrow you, when you die the church goes backwards.
• “Onward and upward, further up and further in.”  C.S. Lewis
• “Spiritual warfare starts with the name of Jesus on your lips and ends with the nature of Jesus in your heart.”  Frances Frangipane
• If you can’t run, walk.  If you can’t walk, crawl.  If you can’t crawl, drag yourself along on your bleeding elbows.  Just don’t stop and you’ll get there.
• “Every earthly plan, that be known to man, He is unconcerned, because he has plans of His own, to set up His throne, when He returns.”  When He Returns, Bob Dillon  (Never forget, Jesus wins and so do we if we endure to the end.)

Well J----, I pray with all my heart that somewhere in this missive you will have found a few things that will make a difference, a few things that will change you and a few things that will radically transform your life and ministry.  Our ministries are pretty much worthless if we don’t aim at transforming others. 

I encourage you to pull this letter out from time to time and reread it.  You will find at different times in your life different things will stand out to you as your life progresses through various stages.  I trust the Lord to have provided encouragement and a few answers in advance, even if you are not sure of all the questions yet.

And now I finish with a prayer and a blessing.

Dear Jesus, I bring my brother J----- to you right now.  I ask that you protect him, body, soul and spirit.  I pray that you will perfect that which concerns him.  I pray that you will work everything in his life according to the counsel of your own will.  I place a blessing on him as one ordained by God to do so.  I pronounce peace!  I speak spiritual authority to him.  I pray the spirit of wisdom and revelation you’ve given me be imparted to him.  Open the Word of God to him as never before.  Grant him patience, love and faith.  Give Him favor with God and man.  I pray that, as John the Baptist, he “prepares the way of the Lord” in the lives of those he ministers to.  But most of all Father, I ask that you walk with him as a friend and that he comes to know you in a greater way than ever before.  That he learns to hear your heartbeat and know your thoughts.  AMEN!

My Bother J---- be blessed with all spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.

Another grape on the vine,

Bro. Steve

Blue Elephants and Christianity
Conformation vs. Transformation

Religious conformity has always been what the organized religious systems want – and what the members of those systems have come to expect – as normalized Christianity. 

The premise of this article is simply this: Information produces conformation and revelation produces transformation. Generally speaking, religious people expect religious conformation.  It sounds like this: we will give you the right information and you conform to it. In the Bible we find a different virtue: Transformation produced by revelation.

As humans we tend to associate with people who are much like ourselves.  We identify with a particular group by the way we dress, the things we like, and by our beliefs and interests. For instance, a person may wear country western style clothes, cowboy boots and listen to country music.  Others may wear ripped jeans, graphic tee shirts and listen to rock music.  Still others paint their faces, wear shells, crocodile teeth, vegetation and dance with drums.

Others may accept a political label, such a democrat, republican, socialist or communist as a means of identifying with a particular ideology. 

No matter what our beliefs and interests, we have a built-in need to be a part of something larger than ourselves.  Psychologically, we want and need community – to be accepted among those we consider our peers. Those that don’t have this drive are often labeled as “anti-social.”

I live in Papua New Guinea (PNG).  At the International airport there are many graphics representing the rich and diverse cultural of this Island nation. One has a person in tribal dress dancing.  The caption says, “We dance to disappear into something bigger.”

Tribal dances (called singsings) are group affairs.  They are dictated by culture. Everyone wears similar tribal dress and paints their faces with their tribal colors and motifs. There are around one thousand district ethnic tribes in PNG, all with unique tribal distinctives. The dances have been carefully choreographed for decades – if not centuries.  They are a part of the tribe. It is their identity. These things differentiate one tribe from another tribe. Even tribes that live close to one another, and have regional similarities, will have unique aspects of face painting and dancing. It is tribalism – an ‘us and them’ mentality.  If you are not with ‘us’ you are automatically part of ‘them.’

What a perfect – and primal – illustration of this principle of conformation.  Don’t be different.  Be like the rest of us. Only do what everyone else has done for years – or centuries in some cases.

While the social and cultural value of these singsings are significant (I love and appreciate the cultural diversity), there are a couple of inherent problems with any system that encourages conformity over diversity.

First, nothing is different. Most likely nothing will ever be different. The cultural expressions and traditions probably won’t change; they are rooted in ancient culture. They will probably just end up dying out and fading away as they become irrelevant to modern society and a younger generation who will leave the villages to seek education and work. The older folks will make an effort to maintain and teach the traditions, as well some of the younger ones who see value in preserving the culture. The sad fact is, that after a generation or two, the old traditions will be gone.

The second problem is that anyone who thinks differently will be treated, more or less, as an outsider by the others.

For many, their religious experience is no different. To be accepted, they conform.  We call this peer pressure. The influence exerted by a group value to be like the group.  In other words, CONFORMITY!

We should ask if this is God’s plan? According to the Bible, we discover a resounding NO!

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2

Paul was a very educated man.  He had both Jewish religious training and secular education in the philosophical systems of the day.  He often used opposing words to emphasize a truth.  In this verse he uses the words conformed and transformed, to make his point.

Strong’s Greek Lexicon (#G4862) provides some insight into the meaning of the word conformed. In part, it says, “To conform one's self (i.e. one's mind and character) to another's pattern, (fashion one's self according to).”

Did you catch that?  To conform to another’s way of doing things.

The world wants to conform us to its way of doing and thinking.  The religious systems of the world are no different.  As human-driven institutions, they want conformity.  They do not tolerate differences.  And, as a result, those who want to belong – regardless of their motivation – feel the pressure to conform to that group’s thoughts and deeds.

Let’s look at conformation from a different aspect.  When I was a young, I liked to play with modeling clay.  I once made a blue elephant I was quite proud of. You know, with clay  you have can smash it up and form something else out of it – UNLESS – you let it dry in the form you made. I kept that blue elephant for some time.

Here’s one takeaway. I could change the outward appearance of the clay as much as I wanted, but its substance remained the same – blue modeling clay. Here’s another takeaway. Our hearts can become the same: molded and hardened.  God often accused His people of being “hardhearted and stiff-necked.” Selah!

Conformity is pressure applied to change the external appearance of a person or thing. This is the nature of religion.  Have you ever felt the pressure at church to be, act, talk or think a certain way – even if it wasn’t really a true expression of your own self? We all have! The danger is the tendency to conform without being transformed. The great tragedy is that this is what most people think church is all about.

On the other hand, Paul contrasted conformity with transformation.  He said, “Don’t be conformed (even religiously) …but be transformed….” 

Transformation has to do with changing the nature of someone or something.  Consider the first miracle that Jesus did.  He turned ordinary water into the best wine at a wedding feast.   This is transformation.  Jesus did not add color and flavoring to the water.  He changed its very nature.

It is unfortunate but, for many, all religion has done is added flavor and color to their lives.  They have never actually been transformed. They have only taken on a religious look and flavor.  When this happens one of two extremes tends to occur.  Either they end up being very legalistic and critical of everyone and everything that doesn’t conform to their religious views or, they tend to become very liberal and don’t really take a stand for much of anything. They talk about God and the Bible, but humanism prevails in their thinking. God is there for the benefit of man, not the other way around. The saying, “Don’t drink the Kool-aide” might apply here. (For those that don’t understand this cultural reference look up the Reverend Jim Jones and the People’s Temple on Google.)

There is a third – and a more spiritual option – spiritual transformation.  Most certainly a transformed person will look, think and act differently, but it will be powered by the Spirit of God and love, not religious legalism or liberalism.

Transformation is initially internal and becomes external, the transformed person is changed from the inside out. Confirmation is always external and, while it promises inward change, it has no ability to produce it. 

Religion starts on the outside with rules and rituals and attempts to work its way in. Spirituality starts on the inside and works its way out.  This is why Jesus told so many parables about the kingdom of God being like a seed. It also explains Jesus’ sharp word picture to the religious leaders about being white-washed tombs – outwardly decorated, but inwardly full of death (and by extension unclean).

Now, back to the water-made-wine.  Several things about this story should make us stop to see what was really happening.  First, on the surface, the first miracle Jesus did was kind of inconsequential don’t you think?. Only a relatively few drunk people at a wedding party benefited. (I know I will get flack over that statement, but it is true none-the-less.  We have to get past the wine/grape juice theology to get to revelation truth here.) Second, it was done in relative secrecy. The only people who knew about it were very few servants who saw the water turned to wine and took it to the master of the feast.  Do these facts make you curious as to what God might be saying to us?  It does me.

If it had been me, and I was going to perform my first miracle as the Christ (anointed one), I would have gathered a crowd and done something big and undeniable – like calling fire down from heaven.  They all knew the story of Elijah and how he proved God was with him by calling fire down from heaven.  This most certainly would have been an attention-getting event to launch His public ministry with.  But no, Jesus didn’t take this route to fame.

The fact that this miracle was His first one tells us something.  That it happened at a wedding tells us something else.  The miracle indicates that the basic ministry of Jesus is transformation, not conformation.  It was miraculous.  It was not by human effort and it was not a mere human result.  It was spiritual from start to finish.  Water, the most common thing on the earth, was changed into the rarest wine.  God transforms us from mere men and women to “new creatures in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

From the moment Adam sinned, man lost the indwelling Spirit of God.  Remember, God breathed the breath of life (His own Holy Spirit) into the man and he “became a living soul.”  When Adam sinned, he “surely died,” according to God’s warning. Throughout the next four thousand years, no person had the Spirit of God in them.  The Spirit of God only came on them in an external anointing.

God’s plan was to put His Spirit back on the inside of mankind (Galatians chapter 3).  This required Him to deal with the issue of sin – which was the original cause of the disconnect. He accomplished this with the death and resurrection of Jesus.  It is significant then, that on the night of His resurrection Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Ghost.” Faith – belief in the resurrection – produced salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9) and the Holy Spirit could once again dwell in a person.

The second point – that the miracle was performed at a wedding – indicates that this transformation takes place as a result of marriage.  It wasn’t just a party.  Paul tells us in Romans that we are dead to the law that we might be married to Christ (Romans 7:4).  The result of this spiritual union would be “fruit to God.”

God does not want us to be conformed to external religious experiences.  He wants us to be transformed through intimate union with Christ and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.

In our keynote scripture (Romans 12), Paul tells us this transformation comes as a result of “renewing our minds.”  In other words, it is only as we learn to think differently that we really transform.  Otherwise, our religious efforts conform us at best.  This explains why some people try very hard to change – and seem to for a season – but often return to the old life struggles.  Being different requires thinking differently.

This is the foundational message of both John the Baptist and Jesus.  Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3).  The word translated “repent” literally means to think again, or to change your mind.  It doesn’t necessarily mean to stop sinning. What John and Jesus really said was, ‘You need to change the way you are thinking, because God’s Kingdom is here now.’ The old way of thinking was not going to get them into the spiritual Kingdom that was now on the scene.  Many of

Bible schools generally train preachers to provide information – usually doctrinal instruction or motivational encouragement.  They are not taught how to preach revelation truth. The goal of these institutions – and by extension – the preachers, is to produce religious conformity to the particular beliefs of the church.  As a result, people are not transformed, and church becomes an exercise in trying to get new people into the organization and keep the ones that are already members.  When membership becomes the driving force of the church, compromises are made to entertain the crowds to maintain the numbers.

On the other hand, revelation comes from the Holy Spirit.  Revelation knowledge and understanding is gained by spending time with God in the Word of God.  It is not man-taught.  It is God taught! Consider what Paul said about his preaching and teaching, In Ephesians chapter three he said that he received the understanding of the mysteries of God by revelation. Paul prayed for the Ephesian believers that God would “grant them a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ…”. (Ephesians 1:17)

Paul knew others would need this same spirit of Wisdom and revelation he had experienced.  You can not teach the Bible like math or science.

Information can only produce conformation.  However, revelation brings transformation. We can look at this issue from a different angle.  On the day of the resurrection, Jesus appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus and taught them everything in scriptures concerning Christ.  They made an interesting statement: 

And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:32

Notice He “opened the scriptures to them.” The result as that their very beings were being impacted.  This is revelation and it transforms those who hear it.

We do not need religious conformity in our churches.  We want transformed saints.  We do not need information and motivational messages; we need revelation from the Holy Spirit. 

Because revelation and transformation do not generally produce conformity, many preachers avoid it like the plague (pun intended). It requires more work, more faith, and more trust in the Holy Spirit to pastor a church full of transformed saints than a group of docile conformers who never question anything. However, we need to consider if the results we are experiencing with religious conformity are the ones we really want.  Personally, I don’t think so.  We will have to take some risks to allow the transformation of souls. 

You decide:

Information and Conformation.

Or

Revelation and Transformation!