Steve Murrell's Blog, page 64
September 17, 2013
September 2, 2013
How to be an Expert
Note: I wrote this blog in the Tokyo airport on my Manila to Nashville flight a couple of days ago, but was not able to post until now.
My alarm rang at 3:30 this morning. I’m not a morning person. Deborah is. Most mornings I stagger around like a cranky zombie. She bounces out of bed ready to attack a new day. Opposites attract.
We are on the 6:25AM Manila to Tokyo to Detroit to Nashville. I’m thinking about starting a global campaign to ban all pre-noon international flights. Believe it or not, we encountered bumper to bumper traffic at 4:30AM on the way to the airport. Only in Manila. I am also campaigning for an early morning traffic ban.
Since I can’t sleep on planes, no matter how sleep-deprived I may be, I turned on my iPad Bible and started reading.
1 Corinthians 3:10-12 NIV
[10] By the GRACE God has given me, I laid a FOUNDATION as an expert builder, and SOMEONE ELSE is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. [11] For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. [12] If ANY MAN builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw…
The Apostle Paul referred to himself as an “expert builder.” Apostles are supposed to build. It is common today for preachers to print business cards with the A word whether or not they have actually built anything. These modern apostles preach sermons and write books and do conferences, but do they build anything that lasts? One cannot become an expert builder by reading and listening to podcasts. Reading is good, but expertise is developed only when we actually attempt to build something.
If you want to be an expert builder in the church world, notice three key concepts in verse 10 above.
1. GRACE NOT GIFTS. Expert builders work hard, but know that God’s grace is the key to real success. Paul said he built according to “the grace God has given me.” Expert builders recognize the specific grace God has given them. Insecure builders try to copy the grace God has given to others.
2. FOUNDATIONS NOT FLASH. Rather than trying to do everything by themselves, expert builders focus on establishing strong foundations. Verse 11 tells us that the foundation is Jesus Christ. Paul was not threatened when others built on the foundation he established. Expert builders build foundations that others could build on it. Insecure builders don’t allow anyone else to build on their foundation.
3. OTHERS NOT SELF. Paul was pleased that “someone else” was building on his foundation. Verse 12 tells us that “any man” might build on the foundation. As soon as the foundation is strong, ”Someone else” and “any man” can start building, as long as they use quality material – gold, silver, costly stones. Expert builders equip and empower “someone else” and “any man” to build on the foundation. Insecure builders feel threatened when “someone else” or “any man” builds on their foundation.
You want to be an expert builder? Three words: GRACE, FOUNDATIONS, OTHERS.
August 29, 2013
The Importance of Non-experts
[image error]MANILA. Last night Deborah and I had dinner at the new home of some old friends. Before dinner we got the grand tour. Wow! What a tour. We wanted to move into their guest room.
Their beautiful new home was built by a team that included general contractors, cabinet makers, stone cutters, interior designers, architechs, landscapers, roofers, painters, electricians, plumbers, and others.
I’m not a builder, but I’m pretty sure that the person who dug the foundation is not the same person who installed the roof. One crew laid the foundation, another painted the walls, another installed the sound system, another built the cabinets.
The Apostle Paul often used building imagery to communicate spiritual truth. Consider 1 Corinthians 3:10.
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it.
Paul described himself as an “expert builder” but that did not mean he did everything. He laid the foundation, got out of the way, and allowed others (even non-experts) to build the rest.
If you are a pastor, church planter, apostle, or any kind of church leader, your job is NOT to do everything that needs to be done in the name of ministry. Your job is to lay a foundation, then empower others, even non-experts, to build on that foundation.
Too many church leaders (especially small leaders with big titles) lay the foundation, then build the walls, then paint the walls, then hang the art on the walls, then arrange the furniture. Some pastors think that because they are “expert builders” they are supposed to do it all. No wonder so many quit the ministry every year.
Imagine what might happen if pastors would make it their top priority to dig deep and lay strong foundations, then equip and empower others, even non-experts, to build. That’s what Paul did.
August 26, 2013
August 5, 2013
GO! Top 10 EN2013 World Conference Summary
EN2013. What a conference! What a week! Thousands of pastors, church leaders, missionaries, church planters, and campus ministers from fifty-two nations gathered in Orlando to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Every Nation Churches & Ministries.
Our conference had a simple two letter theme: G and O.
Here’s my quick summary of the conference message.
2. Go deeper (with the power of the Holy Spirit).
3. Go to the needy.
4. Go to your neighbors.
5. Go to the next generation.
6. Go with the Gospel.
7. Go and make disciples.
8. Go on a Ten Days mission trip.
9. Go now.
10. Go to EN2016 in Cape Town, South Africa.
EN2013 main session summaries here.
July 8, 2013
“Practice Makes Perfect” is a Lie
That is one of the greatest sports interviews ever!
Former NBA great Allen Iverson is famous for “talking about practice,” but he was not the first person to talk about it. Here’s what Jesus said about practice.
47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into PRACTICE, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into PRACTICE is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete. (Luke 6:47-49)
You have probably heard that “practice makes perfect” but according to Jesus, practice makes FOUNDATIONS. Most churches have some kind of foundations class. Teaching is good, but foundations are established only when we practice the Word, not when we hear it.
Practice also makes PERMANENT. Look no further than my ugly golf swing for proof. Because I practiced wrong for many years, my swing is far from perfect. The more I practiced, the more ingrained my bad habits became. Practicing the wrong technique did not perfect my golf game, it only made my bad swing permanent. The same is true if you are a piano player, a basketball player, a construction worker, a public speaker, or a parent. Practice makes good and bad habits permanent.
Jesus talked about people who hear His words and “put them into PRACTICE” and those who hear His words and “DO NOT put them into PRACTICE.” The former are building strong foundations that will withstand the storms of life. The latter are building on sand and will be swept away by storms and floods.
We might not be very good at forgiveness, prayer, generosity, or saying no to sin. But if we practice what His word says about forgiveness, prayer, generosity, and saying no to sin, eventually those practices will become permanent, because practice makes permanent. Tragically many practice holding offenses rather than forgiveness, worry rather than prayer, and materialism rather than generosity. This results in bitterness, worry, fear, and greed taking permanent residence in our minds.
As we practice His word we establish strong foundations that storm-proof our lives. Are you practicing His word?
June 20, 2013
4 Mad Skills Every Pastor Needs
It’s
summer, and once again I have completely failed to live up to my New Year’s resolution. I had good intentions, but we all know where that paved road leads. Since my three-blogs-a-week resolution didn’t really work out, I’m downgrading it to three blogs per quarter.
Here’s the blog for this quarter.
A couple of months ago I posted a blog titled “3 Essential Skills for Leaders.” While flipping through an old Moleskine this morning I found some of my scribbled notes that described not three, but four skills all pastors must discover and constantly develop for the rest of their lives. Here’s a remix of the original three, plus a fourth.
1. All pastors must develop THEOLOGICAL SKILLS. The bare-bone foundational theological skills include the big three: systematic theology, New and Old Testament survey, and hermeneutics. I picked up some of these skills in seminary, some by reading books, and some by listening to podcasts. Recommended books include “Christian Theology” by Erickson, “Systematic Theology” by Grudem, and “How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth” by Fee.
2. All pastors must develop RELATIONAL SKILLS. Starting point relational skills are forgiving people, asking for forgiveness, and encouraging the discouraged. Whoever develops these skills will be an amazing pastor, leader, husband, wife, parent, and friend. Recommended book: “The Bible” by God.
3. All pastors must develop LEADERSHIP SKILLS. Three foundational leadership skills include strategic planning, communication, and branding or marketing. This short list might not sound super spiritual, but good church leadership is more methodical than mystical. Here are some great leadership books that all pastors and ministry leaders should read “The Advantage” by Patrick Lencioni, “How the Mighty Fall” by Jim Collins, “Heroic Leadership” by Lowney, and “Focus” by Al Reis.
4. All pastors must develop MINISTRY SKILLS. Three ministry skills serve as the foundation for all other skills a pastor must develop: preaching the Gospel (one to one and from the pulpit), ministering the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, and making disciples in small groups. If a pastor can do these three, it does not matter if there is no budget or building, the church will be strong and healthy. Recommended books: “Making Disciples” by Ralph Moore and “Simple Church” by Rainer and Geiger.
Looks like this blog accidentally turned into a reading list.
June 1, 2013
6 Simple Secrets to Success in Ministry (and in Everything Else)
MANILA, PHILIPPINES. What a week! Deborah and I attended Ignite 2013 along with over 9000 Filipino students plus hundreds of students and Every Nation campus missionaries from Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Guam, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mongolia, Taiwan, Timor-Leste, Vietnam and others. Rather than writing a long wordy blog about the conference, here are some photos that are worth a thousand words each. Click and enjoy.
Every time we have international guests visit us in Manila, someone will eventually ask me about the “secret” or the “keys” or the “secret keys” to our success and growth. Here’s my current answer.
1. CALLING. Figure out what God wants you to do with your life. Not what your friends, parents, and culture want you to do. God has a unique calling for you. Some people figure that out. Some don’t. Success starts when we find out what God wants us to do.
2. COMMITMENT. Work hard. Go all in. No holds barred. Be obsessed. Burn the candle at both ends, and the middle. My Dad taught me hard work, and the Bible confirmed it. Some people can’t spell work ethic. They are lazy and they will never succeed until they embrace hard work. And for those who are working hard with little to show for it: after you have worked hard for several years, keep working and continue believing. Refuse to quit. Don’t quit when it gets tough. Don’t quit when it gets costly. Don’t quit when everyone tells you it is not worth it. Those who quit do not succeed. Those who refuse to quit eventually succeed. In summary: work hard and keep working hard for a long time.
3. COMMUNITY. Your calling is bigger than you. What God wants you to do cannot be done alone. You will need a team to be successful. (I am forever grateful that God lets me work with the best team on the planet!)
4. CONCENTRATION. Stay focused on what God called and gifted you to do. Do not diversify. Do not multitask. Do not attempt to do everything that can be done in the name of God. You cannot meet every need. Find the needs God wants you to meet, and concentrate on doing that the best you possibly can. We have been successful because we stuck with the “same ole boring strokes” for three decades. We have never jumped on the “get-big-quick” flavor of the month. We know what we are called to do (see #5 and #6 below), and we simply concentrate on that and nothing else.
5. HONOR GOD. This is the ultimate motive for all we do, and the ultimate measure of real success.
6. MAKE DISCIPLES. Period.
Summary: Find out what God wants you to do, and keep doing that and nothing else, for a long long long time.
May 20, 2013
May 2, 2013
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