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THE HYPOCRITE

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THE HYPOCRITE

hypocrit

I gladly identify with those who believe biblical principles for this dispensation of grace. However, those who select random Bible verses, which are for Israel only and then attempt to imposed them on God’s people today, twist the Holy Scriptures to accommodate their own purpose.

That abuse is clearly seen in their misuse of the following text. “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.. 8 When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence. 9 Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled. 10 Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together. 11 Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together. 12 Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself.” Deuteronomy 22:5-12.

Most Baptist can quote verse 5 by heart. However, they appear oblivious to the following verses. Women have been scolded, embarrassed and humiliated by ignorant pastors who use the text to control them. The text has nothing to do with any woman for the past two thousand years. The pastor who uses verse 5 must obey verse 11 to control himself. Will he? He will not! These verses were written for the nation of Israel (men and women) to constantly remind them of their separation from the rest of the nations.

In this dispensation of grace, there are no special days for worship, no diets to follow and no dress codes to observe. If you think most dresses are modest, you haven’t been out lately. Modestly for men and women is the key, nothing more. The pastor has every right to set standards for his household and his church, but he manifests that he is a coward and a hypocrite when he pretends the Bible supports his agenda on these matters.

CONTROLLING

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# 4

 

controlThe fourth pillar in the management process is that of control. Unless the organization has proper controls in place, all plans are destined to fail.  Seagoing vessels have built in controls to keep them on course. Without them, the ship will veer off course and end up on the rocks, so it is with the church.

The tools that need to be built in to control an organization are: Weekly staff meetings, the Team Report, the budget, the calendar and the planning arrow. These will keep the leadership abreast of where each ministry is in relation to the scheduled plans. If the organization is off course and in the fog, these tools will identify the problem and help the pastor regain control and get the ship back on track.

Note: When we teach the leadership conference, these tools and their use become part of the packet.

WHAT IS LEADERSHIP

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WHAT IS LEADERSHIP

# 3

leadership

By Ken Blue

John Maxwell says, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” If that statement is true, the pastor’s call to the ministry is really a call to leadership. Perhaps the following definitions Webster will help. “To show the way to by going in advance. To guide or direct in a course. To guide the behavior or opinion of; induce. To direct the performance or activities of.  To inspire the conduct of. To go or be at the head of. To be ahead of. To go first as a guide. To act as commander, director, or guide.  An example; a precedent.”

One is not a leader simply because he has the title or a position. Look behind you, if no one is following, you’re not leading; you’re only taking a walk.

There are many factors that may affect a leadership situation. The following example will suffice. Several New York business men invited a tribal chief of the rain forest to their city to work out an agreement on cutting timber in his area. He was picked up at the airport and shuttled about the city for the next few days. He was overwhelmed by the number of people, the skyscrapers and the traffic. The suits were in complete control as they led him about from one meeting to another.

After a deal was agreed upon, the business men returned to South America with the chief to map out the specific area to cut. The jet landed in a major city, and from there they were to be shuttled in a small bush plane to the village. However, the small plane experienced engine trouble and made a forced landing in the jungle. No one was hurt, but the business men were completely helpless, disoriented, fearful and lost. The chief reassured them by taking the lead. He knew the direction to the village and which plants and animals to avoid. In a couple of days, they reached their intended destination.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The pastor’s call to the ministry is really a call to leadership.[/pullquote]

The above story illustrates the many factors that impact leadership. You must know what you want; where you want to go, how to get there and convince others in your ability to get them there safely. In the city, the suits were leading. In the jungle, the chief was the leader.

Although leadership can be learned, there are certain qualities that cannot be ignored if one is to succeed.  Those who follow you must have rapport with your personality; they must have confidence in our competence and they must have respect for your character. Weakness in any of these will impact your leadership. You can lead, but you must be clear on where you want to go. This is discovered through the planning process. Then, you must be able to share the vision with others until they too embrace it.

The above puzzle is a more important illustration than you might think, weakness in any of these hampers your leadership. Meditate on each piece and discover the areas you need to improve. Failure in any one of these hampers your ministry. If you think soul winning and preaching is all you need, that’s all you will attempt. Everything depends of prayer and leadership.

ADJUST YOUR THEOLOGY OR YOUR SKIRT

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dress“… I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid…” Ruth 3:9.

“…and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness…” Ezekiel 16:8.

“…ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew…” Zechariah 8:23.

I do not believe in immodesty of any kind nor do I believe the dress standards you set for your church workers are wrong. However, there are a few pastors and evangelist who act as if there is a universal biblical dress code that applies to all believers and every local church. Their task is to enforce this standard on everyone or discredit their ministry.

If there is a universal biblical standard, you had better get out your “skirt” and press it for next Sunday’s service. As the above text shows, men wore skirts! If a universal standard does not exist, then why create division between churches and fellow believers over such issues? Are these pastors and evangelists so lonely that they must have everyone else give up the things they give up?

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]How people dress is a cultural matter.[/pullquote]

How people dress is a cultural matter. Ignorance of Bible customs and times, forces one to think the Bible was written about them and their part of the world. The following should open the eyes of those who constantly harp about how people dress.  “…ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew…” Zechariah 8:23. A wise thing to do is stick with the Bible. You can find enough sermons for the time and place, if you can rightly divide it.

IT’S ALL ABOUT SERVICE #3

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flat tireSome years ago a staff member was driving our church van and noticed that the right front tire needed air. He went to different stations and found that each required 50 cents for air. Finally, he pulled into a tire shop and told them that he didn’t have any money, could they please put some air in his tire. The manager motioned him into the stall, where they fixed the tire and filled it with air. After handing him the keys, the manager said, “No charge.”

I was in the market for new tires, and as you can guess, I purchased them at that store. As I paid, I asked the manager if he had any idea why I purchased tires from him. He said he would like to know why. I told him the above story. He said something I will never forget. “Pastor Blue, I know you can purchase tires anywhere in town, all I can give you is service.”

Some pastors flatter themselves that they have the only truth in the city, and then complain, “The lost will not come because they just can’t stand the truth.” I don’t think that is the problem. If we give people the best service in town, they are more likely to open up to the gospel and the Church. Remember, people can find another church in your town, all you can give them is service.