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LEADERS ARE DECISION MAKERS

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Leaders
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By Ken Blue

Leaders of  great organizations were ask, “how did you become a great leader?’ They responded, “By making right decisions.” To which the novice responded, “How did you learn to make right decisions?” “By making wrong ones;” they all agreed.

Leadership is all about making decisions, and if you are to last in that position, you had better learn to make the right ones. People will not respect or follower a leader for long that cannot make right decisions.

Right decisions require, first of all, some skull work. You must think it through before you put your mouth in gear. A major problem of the amateur leader is that he speaks before he thinks. This character flaw must be corrected. You cannot make comments, and then tell people they did not understand you. You are blaming them for your double-mindedness. Think it through first.

One of the best examples of leadership is seen in the book of Nehemiah. He knew the problem, and the need. Necessity is the mother of invention. He prayed, and was ready if called upon. He surveyed the situation, but told no one what God had put in his heart until he had all the facts. Read his strategy, and learn from him.

Remember, you are not a leader because you make decision. You become a better leader because you make right decisions, and have followers. If you have the aptitude, you can learn to become a better leader. There’s many helps available; take advantage of them.

WRONG DIVISIONS OF SCRIPTURE CAN BE HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH

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The following article is from the Washington Post. © It will validate that every Baptist reading it is a dispensationalist. Also, it reveals the danger of not being able to rightly divide the Word of God. Because of the articles length, I have edited some parts.

 

 

“Serpent-handling pastor profiled earlier in Washington Post dies from rattlesnake bite

By Julia Duin, Published: May 29

Mack Wolford, a flamboyant Pentecostal pastor from West Virginia whose serpent-handling talents were profiled last November in The Washington Post Magazine , hoped the outdoor service he had planned for Sunday at an isolated state park would be a “homecoming like the old days,” full of folks speaking in tongues, handling snakes and having a “great time.” But it was not the sort of homecoming he foresaw. Instead, Wolford, who turned 44 the previous day, was bitten by a rattlesnake he owned for years. He died late Sunday. He believed that the Bible mandates that Christians handle serpents to test their faith in God — and that, if they are bitten, they trust in God alone to heal them.

 He and other adherents cited Mark 16:17-18 as the reason for their practice: “And these signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

 The son of a serpent handler who himself died in 1983 after being bitten. “I am looking for a great time this Sunday,” he wrote May 22. “It is going to be a homecoming like the old days. Good ’ole raised in the holler or mountain ridge running, Holy Ghost-filled speaking-in-tongues sign believers.”

 “He laid it on the ground,” she said, “and he sat down next to the snake, and it bit him on the thigh.” Wolford got progressively worse. Paramedics transported him to Bluefield Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. It could not be determined when the paramedics were called. Wolford was 15 when he saw his father die at age 39 of a rattlesnake bite in almost exactly the same circumstances.

 “He lived 101 / 2 hours,” Wolford told The Washington Post last fall. “When he got bit, he said he wanted to die in the church. Three hours after he was bitten, his kidneys shut down. After a while, your heart stops. I hated to see him go, but he died for what he believed in.”

 In an interview with The Post for last year’s story, Jim Murphy, curator of the Reptile Discovery Center at the National Zoo, described what happens when a rattlesnake bites.

 The pain is “excruciating,” he said. “The venom attacks the nervous system. It’s vicious and gruesome when it hits.”

 But Wolford refused to fear the creatures. He slung poisonous snakes around his neck, danced with them, even laid down on or near them. “I promised the Lord I’d do everything in my power to keep the faith going,” he said in October. “I spend a lot of time going a lot of places that handle serpents to keep them motivated. I’m trying to get anybody I can get involved.”

 His funeral will be held Saturday at his church, House of the Lord Jesus, in Matoaka, just north of Bluefield. Julia Duin, a contributing writer for The Washington Post Magazine, wrote the original article about Mack Wolford.”

 

GLORY TO GOD!!!

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 By Ken Blue

 

 

When I received the note and picture from Pastor Murphy, I bowed my head and wept for joy. I hope you can rejoice with the great people at Open Door. Here is the message Pastor Murphy sent me.

 

Pastor Blue,

This is a picture from last Sunday night “special recognition service” We had 31 people join the church and 22 people baptized last Sunday night. We had a total of 68 go through the discipleship classes. (Sunday evening).

 

Praise the Lord for what he is doing at Open Door it truly is a miracle on 44th ave in Lynnwood Wa. Warren Wiersbe said, “If you can explain it, than God is not in it”. I am thankful that I cannot explain it. Thanks again for laying such a great foundation at Open Door; it truly has made my job much easier. Feel free to post this picture on your blog and write anything you want to go with it.

Thanks

Pastor Jason Murphy

Open Door Baptist Church

Lynnwood, WA

425.743.4922

 

Pastors, one of the purposes of my ministry is to encourage you, and get you to believe God wants your church to grow. Great sermons, Bible Conferences, A soul winning night, or the kind of music you may have will not do it. It takes more.  I believe God can do the same for you and your church. Contact Pastor Murphy, and discover what they are doing that God is blessing. You will be glad you did.

NO GREATER LOVE

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By Ken Blue

Romans 5:8. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

For me, this is one of the greatest verses in the Bible on the subject of salvation. The context shows how unlikely it is for one to lay down his life for a righteous man. But, Paul shows that Jesus willing laid down His life for us while we were at enmity with Him.

You will notice that it was God’s love that moved Him toward us. In fact, God commended His love toward us while we were yet sinners. God’s love is not passive. No one could show greater love to the sinner than God has. In order to find a person who would die for a righteous man, was practically impossible, but God demonstrated His love, kindness, grace and compassion toward us while we were sinners and defiant. Greater love hath no man than He who laid down His life for us.

The second miracle here is that God commended His love while we were yet sinners. God does not wait for men to become better, or deserve His favor. If He did, He would wait forever. All are sinner, and none deserves His love. This is one of the greatest mysteries in the Bible!

If I robbed a bank, my mother would still love me. If I disgraced our family, my mother would still love me. If I murdered someone, my mother would still love me. She is MY mother. But, that a holy God love me in spite of ALL my sins is more than I can take in. Oh, the wonderful love of God!        

His love is demonstrated in the most arresting manner; Christ died for us. That Christ would die for me is love beyond comprehension. We love Him because He first loved us. That is all the motivation any believer should need. I believe, if pastors would paint a picture each week before Christians of God’s love, it would be much easier to enroll them in the service of the King.   Do you know Him? If you do, meditate to day on the above verse, and you will love Him more.

NOTHING HAPPENS WITHOUT LEADERSHIP

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This sermon describes the importance of leadership in the church, and in the home. Leaders must have vision, goals, plans and a zeal to get the task done.