In fact, it was one of the things that finally turned my heart to God. When all the local kids would gather around a fire to party late into the night, everyone more intent on getting a girl into a backseat then on astronomy – I would sit back from the glare of the fire and gaze into the heavens. I was captivated by the immensity of it all. I could not stop wondering how it all got there. And why. So vast… so infinite. “There has to be a god”, I would argue with anyone who would listen. But they all seemed more interested in the earthly bodies than the heavenly.

Thirty years on (OK, closer to forty!) things haven’t changed that much. Not in the sky at any rate. The same stars continue to wheel inexorably by in their silent, eternal paths. But people haven’t changed much either – still wrapped up in earthly things. Obsessed with the insignificant. Frantically chasing after earth-bound distractions, careers, obligations, and fantasies. No one ever seems to just stop and look up.

Maybe that’s what was going on with Abraham in Genesis 15. Instead of fussing about the weather, the camel market, or the latest soiree in Sodom, Abraham stopped, gazed up into the heavens and pondered life’s big questions. That’s where God met him, and that’s where God spoke to him. I always say that our biggest enemy (next to our bad memorys!) isn’t the world, the flesh, or the Devil. It’s our own busyness. Run, run, run! Go, go, go! Hustle, hustle, hustle! More, more, more!

STOP!

I thank God that I was able to grow up under those wide prairie skies. It taught me about the silliness of running around ‘like a chicken with my head cut off’ – and to stop and think about life, purpose, destiny, and eternity.  I became convinced that there had to be more to life than just another party, another job, another marriage, another funeral. I had questions that none of those things could answer. And most of my friends didn’t even want to hear the questions let alone join me to search for the answers. But I had to know.

My search eventually led me away from the firelight, away from the drunken crowd, and away from the broad road. It led me past the fields of science, through the gloomy forests of philosophy, and down the tangled pathways of spiritualism. It led me finally to the Bible. The Psalmist said, “When I consider the heavens…” Paul wrote in Romans that all we need to know of God can be deduced by observing “the things that are made”.

It’s all right there in front of us! If only we would just… stop. Look. Think.

In later years, of course, I found that life presents us with endless frontiers to explore. Our spiritual frontiers, in particular, are only limited by our willingness to cross them into new territory. In fact, crossing the frontier from the known into the unknown is the very definition of adventure! Far from being a limited experience where you can say, “Been there, done that” , our walk with God constantly challenges us with fresh horizons. It’s his way of pushing us to grow up.

Four areas that spiritual leaders need to constantly push back their frontiers in are:

1. Their revelation of the Word. Without this you become a library, not a leader.
2. Their passion for God. Without this you will only follow others, not lead them.
3. Their character. Without character you become a spiritual huckster, not a spiritual leader.
4. Their goals. Without doing this you are just standing still.

Frontiers define the extent of our growth. They are the demarcation line between where we are and where we need to go next. I guess we could say that frontiers represent our limitations. And in that sense, they are the enemy. The enemy which though we may never defeat, we must never stop fighting.

The truth is – leaders are people who are going somewhere. They harbor a restless discontent with the status quo that makes standing still a temporary pastime at best. Their inner quest drives them to the frontiers of their experience where they can stand and gaze into the mists of possibility beyond… their fear of the unkown, overwhelmed by their fear of the all too familiar. They thrive on the adrenalin rush of the adventure, surfing the crest of the learning curve, thumbing their nose at the smallness that is yesterday.

So what, then? How do you awaken the intrepid adventurer inside yourself? Well, there may be other steps, but it’s all driven by one thing: the unshakable conviction that what lies within your frontiers are small things compared to what lies beyond them. The tenacious idea that what you have is nothing compared with what you could have. The unwavering belief that the greatest days of your life still await you – Far Past The Frontier.

Study: 1 Cor 2:9, Phil 3:12-14, Heb 11:13-16

Jesus said, “I will build my church.” If we think of Jesus as the architect – then the Five Fold are like the contractors who pound the nails and get the thing put together. Like the general contractor on a construction project, these ministries were intended to pull together all the different ”sub-trades” and build [edify] the church. What is needed today is Five Fold revolution in our thinking. Here is a five-fold plan:

1. First we need to embrace a Five Fold theology. The church at large needs to discard the mistaken idea that these gifts all passed away in the first century. Paul clearly says that they were given to the church until we all come into the unity of the faith and total maturity. That certainly hasn’t happened yet!

2. We need to learn to recognize these gifts in people. Unfortunately there have been too many examples of individuals claiming prophet or apostle status and then exploiting people for their own ends. But the New Testament warns us about false apostles and gives us some clues as to how to spot them when they arise. Learning to recognize them biblically, allows us to spot the charlatans and promote the real McCoys.

3. Thirdly, we need to re-evaluate our local church leadership. When we know the gifting of the senior leader, then his strengths and weaknesses will also be known and can be compensated for by positioning the other gifts in working relationship around him. Every church needs the influence and the input of the whole Five Fold in order to live at its full potential.

4. But the ministry of apostles and prophets in particular, are trans-local. The scope of their ministry takes them routinely outside the local church. This is why we need an apostolic network of churches working together. No one local church will ever truly be able to release the whole Five Fold to function as God intended. This means making sure any extra-local network is staffed with seasoned apostles and prophets.

5. The fifth ‘fold’ of this plan is reproduction. Old Testament prophets had a ‘school of the prophets’. New Testament apostles had a Timothy program going on. We need to re-think our local church programming so that Five Fold learners are being mentored by Five Fold leaders.

All of this spells release for these kingdom contractors. Each of them are anointed to equip, develop, and mobilize a certain segment of the church. When we finally figure out how to release the whole Five Fold I believe we will see a phenomenal release of the whole church!

If there was a way to compile the statistics I would be willing to bet that most of the stuff that actually gets accomplished in this world probably happens on Plan B – not Plan A. We set our goals and make our plans, but it is a wise leader who always has a back-up plan in his back pocket. You know Murphy’s Law: ‘If anything can go wrong – it will.” If the god of this world is Satan, I think his middle name is Murphy!  Or in Robbie Burns speak: “The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley”. That’s why we always need a Plan B. And more than likely Plan C, D, and E as well!

I shared this at a leadership conference once and was challenged  that a “real man of faith” just hears from God and obeys. The implication being that if you need a back-up plan you’ve probably missed God.  I guess it’s a good thing Moses had some back-up plans when he went to Pharaoh with, “Let my people go.” Or when Jesus instructed the disciples to get in a boat and go to the other side. But then a big storm blew up and it took a little water-walking before they made it to the other side. Perhaps from God’s perspective it was all in the plan – but from our point of view it just looks like another dead-end that we have to navigate around. Plan B.

The point is that things don’t always work out as planned, but a resourceful leader just doesn’t allow himself to be deterred. Develop the mental habit of always having a back-up plan or two ready and you will rarely even miss a step when things take an unexpected turn. Ecclesiates 11 says, “ In the morning sow your seed,  And in the evening do not withhold your hand; For you do not know which will prosper.”

Church planting is a bit of a ‘risk venture’. If you wait until everything is just right and results are guaranteed you will probably never even start. Verse 4 of the same passage says, “He who observes the wind will not sow,  And he who regards the clouds will not reap.” So just lay out the best plan you can, make sure you have a few contingency plans to carry in your back pocket, and get started. There is no shame in changing plans along the way. In the end the best plan is the one that gets the job done.

After a dozen church plants, here are some of the secret ingredients we’ve found that can help push a good plan over the edge into a runaway success:

1. Timing. You can do everything else right, but if it’s the wrong timing – you’re sunk. This could mean its not the best time for the target community you are considering. Factors on the ground – such as a recent church-related scandal – could poison the attitude of the community towards any new church initiative. It has to be good timing for the supporting organization too. Going ahead when there is not enough financial or moral support in place could be a fatal mistake. But most of all, the timing has to be right for the lead planter. The pressures of church planting will soon unravel any loose ends in your personal, financial, or family life. Do all you can to make sure it’s God’s timing.

2. Credibility. Deciding to join a church is a serious decision for most people – making sure that the church is credible will factor strongly in their decision. With no fancy building, no well developed programs, and no track record to draw on – the credibility of a new church rests squarely on the shoulders of its leader: his spiritual maturity, preaching style, and leadership style will be closely watched. He must walk a fine line between what’s new and progressive, and what’s safe and conventional. Much of this credibility comes from a leader who can chart a good course and just stay on that vector consistently.

3. Anointing. The ultimate test of a church’s validity is the evidence of God’s hand upon it. People will forgive a woefully inadequate worship team if they sense the tanglible presence of the Holy Spirit during worship times. Weekly testimonies of new conversions, restored families, and healing of all kinds are the best sermons that can be preached. People will put up with a lot of the common deficiencies of a new church as long as they can see that God is at work changing lives. This means lots of prayer.

4. Energy. There is a natural tendency amongst Christians to want to “tone things down” a bit when newcomers are present. The assumption is that people are looking for stability and predictability in their church experience. But in the vast majority of cases that assumption is wrong. To most people church and boring are already synonymous. If people are looking for “boring” they know they can find it by walking through the doors of almost any church they pass by. What people find pleasantly surprising is to discover that “church” and “excitement” can exist in the same sentence! When we tone it down all they see is religion. But when services are energetic and enthusiastic they conclude that God is in the house! Plan it into your services or it probably won’t be there.

5. Momentum. When the previous ingredients are all mixed together they tend to produce this thing we call momentum. In physics it’s called “intertia” – the tendency of a body in motion to remain in motion. Wise church leaders monitor momentum all the time because they know the opposite is also true: the tendency of a body at rest is to remain at rest. Momentum tends to attract people. And the more people it attracts the more momentum it gains. Like the boy with a stick prodding an old tire – he knows that left to itself it will slow down and eventually stop. So he prods it again and again until finally it crests the hill and runs away so fast he has to run just to keep up!

Chemistry. When it all comes together in the right proportions – just like that old high school lab experiment – things can really heat up! When two church plants both follow the same game plan, yet one works and the other doesn’t – the difference is in the chemistry. But unlike that lab experiment, it doesn’t have to be total guesswork. Keep these secret ingredients mixed in and things just might explode!

And when it comes to leadership – thousands of books have been written on the topic with hundreds more published every year. Leadership theories from one end of the spectrum to the other crowd the bookshelves and tend to leave us wondering if we’ll ever figure it all out. And I’m sure they all have some merit, but this avalanche of good advice just tends to leave me feeling that, with so much to learn, I don’t have enough years left to ever become much of a leader!

That’s where Dr. Hill’s statement cuts right to the heart of it. Sure you need a vision of a better reality. And you will definately need some kind of leadership ability and approach. But when it comes right down to it, it’s the credibility factor that compells people to follow you. It’s not the size of your dream, or the finesse of your management style that ultimately draws a crowd. It’s whether or not you are believable enough to follow. If people can’t trust you or depend on you, then they aren’t joining you, no matter how glittery your vision or how slick your style!

Now before you rush out and buy the latest book on “How To Have Instantaneous Credibility” ….  There are some pretty obvious things that make leaders more credible, and most of them don’t come instantly or from just reading a book. The first is blindingly obvious – authenticity. The best way to come across as if you have no hidden agendas, false pretences, or devious motives is (wait for it…) – just don’t have any! People would rather follow an honest fool than a clever scoundrel anyday. It’s not the leader with the best alibi, but the one who quickly takes responsibility for his mistakes, who lives to lead another day. Authenticity.

People would rather follow an honest fool than
a clever scoundrel anyday

The second component is track record.  Although we all appreciate a leader who can be creative and original when required, the truth is that most of us prefer a one who is predictable. Of course there are a lot of things that factor into this: character, maturity, consistency, good judgement, and so on. But unless they translate into a consistently good track record, none of those things count for much by themselves. The guy who just got out of prison and says, “That’s all behind me now”, might be 100% right. But I’m still not going to follow him anywhere until I can see enough good track record to convince me!

The third obvious element of credibility, for me at least, has to be competence. When it’s all said and done there just aren’t many substitutes for simply knowing what you’re doing. And although this could easily be part of building a good track record, the leader who can demonstrate unusual competence can sometimes fast-forward up the credibility scale. It doesn’t replace qualities like authenticity or good track record, but if there’s no reason to doubt these, a highly competent leader will gain leadership traction more rapidly than others. Think of young king Solomon – still wet behind the ears when he took over the throne of Israel’s greatest king ever - only to be put to the test with a difficult child custody dispute. His extraordinary skill in handling that one single case catapulted his credibility factor into the stratosphere!

All of this is keenly relevant in church planting where the single most important factor in people’s decision about whether or not to join this new work is the credibility of the leader. In the early days of a new church there is no comprehensive program, trained staff, paved parking, or sanitary nursery to draw people in.

Just a credible leader with a vision.

- Brad

The Bible isn’t too kind to half-hearted people. Hot is great. Cold is bad. But lukewarm? They can only look forward to being spit out faster than an apple with a worm in it! I suppose it would also include synonyms such as apathetic, mediocre, lazy, wishy-washy, ambivilent, easy-going, and so on. We are advised to do whatever we do with all our heart, whole-heartedly. Love the Lord our God with all of our hearts. Believe with all of our hearts. Forgive from the heart. Do everything passionately, as unto the Lord.

Passion is what separates the tryers from the doers in life. Anyone can try something, find it more difficult then expected and give up. Anyone can encounter obstacles and change course to find the path of least resistance. Passion is what keeps people at it long after all the others have given up. Passion is what keeps you on your feet when you’re too beat up and tired to stand. Passion is what gets the job done.

Anyone who sets out to follow a dream is certainly going to have to face some enemies, both inward and outward ones. But it is passion alone that will overrule your doubts and drive you forward. Passion will fortify you in places of danger where a wrong move might mean losing everything. When disaster strikes, which it does with randomn indiscretion, passion will help you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again. Many are the opportunities to compromise along the road to great achievements. Passion is your best immunity against the dilution of your vision. Then there is the enemy of delay. Sometimes it’s the toughest opponent of all – waiting. And waiting. But the determined can wait as long as it takes. Their passion keeps them focussed and vigilent. It drives us forward even through the pain of desertion, when people forsake you and even turn against you, passion will keep you moving steadily towards your goal.

Passion is what separates the tryers from the doers in life.

Passion is the real secret of spiritual success. God isn’t looking for your theological degree, priestly pedigree, or citizen-of-the-year awards. He is drawn to those are simply, fervantly, and passionately in love with him! He knows that if we are passionate about him, then we will also be passionate about everything he stands for. Do this, Jesus said, and we have fulfilled all the law and the prophets.

Passion is what it takes to make dreams come true – to accomplish what we’ve set out to do and finish the course God has laid out for us to run. Think of Moses when the children of Israel not only failed to serve God for the umpteenth time, but made for themselves a golden calf and held an orgy, throwing into question the whole prospect of ever bringing them into the promised land and fulfilling God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses, in his zeal to fulfill that promise jumped between them and the wrath of God and declared, “You’ll have to kill me first!” Passion!

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” Col 3:23-24

-Brad

Over the years I’ve learned a thing a two about fasting and prayer. For instance, I’ve learned not to obsess about the fast itself. The whole point of such a time is to set aside ordinary concerns and focus ourselves on seeking God. But if we’re not careful, it becomes all about the fast – what we are eating/not eating, how we are feeling, etc. We can get so focussed on the physical aspects that we fail to tune in on the spiritual much at all. It’s easy to think about all the food you’re NOT eating! And of the food you are eating – what kinds? How much? How often? How much is too much? Sheeesh!

So my point here is that fasting is not about food. Not about food at all. It’s about self-disciplne.

You see, perhaps the most un-utilized and under-developed muscle in your body isn’t your biceps, triceps, or abs – it’s your will-power. Few people really grasp just how significant their will is. When God created us in his image we can assume (or at least hope!) that doesn’t mean PHYSICAL image! What sets us apart from the rest of creation is our moral sovereignty – free will. God is sovereign – we are sovereign. Everything else is more or less programmed and subject to the laws of nature. (Just read Job 38-41 again.) That is why God won’t just “make” us do things. To do so would violate the very basis upon which he created us. For without free will (really free, not just Calvinistically free) true love is not possible. Neither is faith. Or hope for that matter. When we begin to understand this we begin to grasp just what an awesome thing God did in creating us. We start to understand just how powerful we truly are! God created this world according to his will and gave us the power to create our own world according to our will.

If you can`t really master your own will, then you can`t really fully submit it to God either

The problem is, until we grasp this AND learn to utilize this God-given super-power in a godly way – we tend to misuse it, abuse it, or at best under-use it. Most people only work on the negative side of it: “won’t-power”. But get this: the true secret of spiritual power is not measured in the hours we pray or the scriptures we memorize – it is in how well we harness those things to train and develop our will power. Without a strong, well-developed, and disciplined will we cannot exercise much faith, cannot live with hope, or truly ever love like God does. Think of it this way: if you can`t really master your own will, then you can`t really fully submit it to God either.

So back to fasting. This year as you set aside time to fast and pray, instead of pining away the hours thinking of all the food you’re missing, spend your time relishing the thought that you are building spiritual muscle. Revel in the knowledge that every meal skipped is a 60 minute will-power workout! Every foregone snack-attack is a gut-crunching ab session in the spirit! And wresting your thoughts away from the Food Channel to meditate on the presence of God is the supreme spiritual aerobic. Make no mistake – this is truly some of the hardest work you will ever do! Your head will hurt. Your eyes will strain. Your whole body will ache. And your level of exhaustion from exerting this new muscle will reflect how spiritually “flabby” you actually are. Just keep at it. Nothing worth having comes overnight and if this was easy everybody would be doing it. Trust me, they’re not. But just like physical exercise, the results are well worth it. Will it till you sweat, baby! This year you will end your fast with a whole new awareness of new-found faith, spiritual discernment, and power in your life.

Remember, I`m pulling for you. We`re all in this together!

- Brad

Our mistake is in hoping against all reason that things are somehow just going to be better when the immutable law of life (#236) is that doing the same thing tends to produce the same results. Now I can hear you saying that you just made a New Year’s resolution and vowed that this year things are going to be different. Nothing wrong with that. Resolutions are fine as far as they go. But if, two weeks from now, things are pretty much back to where they were – then nothing has really changed, has it? And make no mistake, it’s you that needs to change, not your circumstances. We populate our world with the children of our character. When we change who we are, little by little our world changes to reflect who we are.

So how do you make lasting changes in yourself? Well here’s your second bite of wisdom for the day: if it was easy everybody would be doing it, wouldn’t they? It’s not easy to change yourself, but neither is it impossible, especially when you have God’s help. What you may need is a G.A.M.E. Plan.

G: Goals. First you need a goal. Not thirteen goals, but “a” goal. “This ONE thing I do…” The tricky part about setting goals is choosing the right goal. I suggest taking a little more time to set it in the first place. Pray it over a lot, think it through. Try to get past the obvious needs and your “feel good” wish list. Superficial goals, even if achieved, will only make superficial changes. Keep digging through all that until you arrive at a core character issue in yourself. Remember, the goal is to change YOU – not your circumstances.

A: Accountability. Tell someone your plan. A plan without accountability will always be a half-hearted effort. If no-one knows you tried – no one will know you failed, right? Wrong. The fruit we produce hangs on the tree of our life for all to see eventually. If you are serious about changing, find someone who will love you enough to hold you accountable. Better yet, find someone who doesn’t even like you, they will delight in holding you accountable!

We populate our world with the
children of our character.

M: Map. Someone once said that a goal without a plan is just a wish. If your goal is worth achieving, it is worth taking the time to map out a step-by-step plan to get there. Huge leaps across deep chasms are difficult for all of us. But anyone can take a small step. Then another. And another.

E: Equip. In order to tackle the job of life differently, you are going to need some new tools in your toolbox. Just like you need to renew your mind in order to walk the Christian walk successfully, you will probably need to acquire some new knowledge or skills, in order to accomplish new goals. Knowledge really is power, and what you know is something you can do something about!

The real secret to lasting success? Do the right thing and just keep on doing it for a long time! Remember, I’m pulling for you. We’re all in this together!

- Brad