HOW MUCH FREEDOM DO I GET

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Freedom to get the job done.

By Ken Blue

Several years ago I was considering a young man for employment at our church. I called another pastor in Washington State whom I had much respect for. After a short conversation, he asked me a question I will never forget. He said, “Do you trust him?” The ball was now in my court and I needed to make the decision.

Did I trust this young man, or was I fearful of him? Happily, I concluded that he was trustworthy and I discovered that I was right. Since then I learned that there are certain management skills and tools that can relieve much of your anxiety about how much freedom to give those who work with you.

Employees must learn that there are only three acceptable areas of operation. As their skills increase, they will gain more freedom, and your anxiety level will go down. Your goal is to raise each employee to a level one.

If you are somewhat unsure about his judgment in an area, use level two. By using level three, you are still safe. The employee does all the skull work, and comes to you with his recommendations. Insist that he brings recommended actions to take. By following these three, you will always be safe.

Levels 4 and 5 are the basement of management. Do not allow any employee to live there. Those who operate there never use their brains, and they leave all the responsibility for decision making to you. Therefore, if it fails, it was your idea. Get the picture?

You may be wondering how employees can operate in levels 1-3. The answer is, a Job Description, staff meetings and training. It is work, but it is worth the effort. Your goal is to get each employee to level one. He will then be free to get the job done.

STILL THINK THE BIBLE IS “OLD SCHOOL?”

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chips

“Chips” in the Bible

By Ken Blue

“ And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:16-17.

(The following article was taken from Fox News, May 14, 2010) By Gene J. Koprowski FOXNews.com

“Tech enthusiasts and futurists think implantable radio chips, such as those embedded in Amal Graafstra’s hands, could mean safety, security, and convenience… Scientists tag animals to monitor their behavior and keep track of endangered species. Now some futurists are asking whether all of mankind should be tagged too. Looking for a loved one? Just Google his microchip.
The chips, called radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, emit a simple radio signal akin to a bar code, anywhere, anytime. Futurists say they can be easily implanted under the skin on a person’s arm.

Already, the government of Mexico has surgically implanted the chips, the size of a grain of rice, in the upper arms of staff at the attorney general’s office in Mexico City. The chips contain codes that, when read by scanners, allow access to a secure building, and prevent trespassing by drug lords.

In research published in the International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, Taiwanese researchers postulate that the tags could help save lives in the aftermath of a major earthquake. “Office workers would have their identity badges embedded in their RFID tags, while visitors would be given temporary RFID tags when they enter the lobby,” they suggest. Similarly, identity tags for hospital staff and patients could embed RFID technology.

“Our world is becoming instrumented,” IBM’s chairman and CEO, Samuel J. Palmisano said at an industry conference last week. “Today, there are nearly a billion transistors per human, each one costing one ten-millionth of a cent. There are 30 billion radio RFID tags produced globally.”

Having one in every person could relieve anxiety for parents and help save lives, or work on a more mundane level by unlocking doors with the wave of a hand or starting a parked car — that’s how tech enthusiast uses his.

“Because of their increasing sophistication and low cost, these sensors and devices give us, for the first time ever, real-time instrumentation of a wide range of the world’s systems — natural and man-made,” said IBM’s Palmisano.”

Obviously we could not print the entire article. Many are deeply concerned and oppose the idea. Our purpose is to show the skeptic that the Bible prophesied over 2000 years ago that a tracking system would be placed in man’s right hand or his forehead, and he will not be able to buy or sell without it. The only way to escape this identification mark is to make sure you are saved before it becomes law, or accept execution.

ISRAEL’S FIVE SUCCESSIONS OF PUNISHMENT

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By Ken Blue

The book of Leviticus deals with how Israel was to worship God, the order of the priesthood, the required sacrifices, various sins and their consequences. Chapter 26 gives Gods assured blessings if Israel will obey, and His assured curses if they rebel. Those curses are found in verses 14-39.

Dake is very observant in his reference Bible concerning Israel’s rebellion and God’s judgments as stated in the text. The reader should pay close attention to the judgments and their fulfillment. These five are a prophecy of Israel’s future successive judgments up to the Day of the Lord, or the Tribulation.

In this article, we give the references to the five judgments. 1. Lev. 26:14-17. 2. Lev. 26:18-20. 3. Lev. 26:21-22. 4. Lev. 26:23-26. 5. Lev. 26:27-39. One would think that Israel would look back to their prophetic history and learn. Perhaps they will in the fifth and final one. To the believer, the fulfillment of these five prophecies, not only adds credibility to the Scriptures, but they increase the faith he already has in God’s Word!

We will deal with each curse and its place in time in following articles. Each will be numbered so the reader will not miss any of them. However, we will take the liberty to add unrelated articles about other issues along the way.

PASTOR, TRAIN YOUR PEOPLE

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TRAIN OTHERS

train
By Ken Blue

There are several reasons pastors will not use their people in church ministry.

One, they don’t know how. They might like to use them, but they aren’t sure themselves what really needs to be done. Another problem is a lack of skill in recruiting men and women for service. There is a right and a wrong way to go about this. I have also seen pastors who don’t believe anyone is willing to do the needed tasks. Unbelievably, there are pastors who think none of his members are spiritual enough, or no one is qualified. Some pastors are insecure. They fear others may do a better job than themselves. Any one of the above problems creates mental road blocks to your progress. You must conquer all fears that hinder the training of others.

Pastors must understand that teaching and preaching is not training.

These are a major part of the ministry, but they are only a part of it. Most fundamental churches spend 95% of their time preaching and teaching and the other 5% on soul winning and tithing. We must know the difference between training and instruction. When you train someone, you tell them what and how, and then you show them how to do the task. You then let them do it, and correct or encourage as needed.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]When you train someone, you tell them what and how, and then you show them how to do it.[/perfectpullquote]

There are several areas where people need ministry training.

They need to know how to win souls to Christ and how to witness about Him. Men and women must be trained how to prepare and teach a SS lesson, how to usher, how to preach, how to lead songs, how to visit the sick, how to build a bus route, how to pray, how to study the Bible, how to clean the church. Whatever the need in your church, you can train someone how to do it.

How to train others:

The first thing is, you must be clear on what you want done, and how it should be done. To do this, bring specialist to your church that can provide the necessary training. You can also send your people to special conferences where they can SEE and learn these things. Lead people in all areas where you want them to serve and give all the support they need.

Make a list of everything you are now doing that you should give away.

Pastor, it’s not a matter of how large your church is or how many people you have.  Don’t be afraid. Go through your list carefully and circle every task you are doing that someone else could do. Then make a list of all the men and women who could do the task 70% as well as you. Make a plan and then recruit them. If I only had five men in my church, I would find a job for each one of them. If five needs did not exist, I would create a job for the fifth man.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Know, go, show, and grow![/perfectpullquote]

Remember: information, education, and instruction are all necessary, but alone, they train no one.

I have already stated what training is and how it is done. The following Old Testament story illustrates many of the “how” factors of training others. “And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done. 49 And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.” Judges 9:48-49.

 

RAHAB THE HARLOT

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By Ken Blue

“By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace. Hebrews 11:31. “Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: Romans 5:20.

Moses was dead, and now Joshua was commander and chief over Israel. He was commanded to go into the Promised Land and take possession of it. The inhabitances were to be destroyed, and the first city to be conquered was Jericho. Joshua sent two spies to assess the situation and bring back their report. In order to remain inconspicuous, the spies went into Rahab’s house. No doubt, many travelers had “rested” there. How they explained to Rahab their business, we are not told, however she is made aware of their purpose, and she was not part of it.

Rahab was a three-time looser. She was a daughter of Adam, and that sealed her fate unless God intervened. Such is the condition of all in Adam. Also, her manner of life merited God’s judgment. She was one of the towns prostitutes. She was immoral and sold her body to anyone who would pay her price. Galatians 5:19 describes exactly the kind of woman Rahab was. Finally, she was a Canaanite, and the Canaanites were on the list of nations to be completely destroyed by Israel.

The news of Israel’s intent and success had preceded them. She had heard of the One true God and His power. He was unlike any of the gods of the Canaanites. He was a living, powerful, personal, and merciful God.

Rahab confessed to the spies that she believed in the God of creation and that she knew He would help Israel destroy the wicked nations. She asks for the spies to show mercy on her and her family. She demonstrated her faith by: receiving the spies, by hiding them, by risking her life in protecting them, by making a covenant with them, by gathering her family to the place of safety and by putting the scarlet rope out her window. Hers was a faith that confirmed itself by her works. It is interesting that the first person to demonstrate faith and be saved was a gentile woman who was a prostitute. Could this be a veiled rebuke to Israel’s coming apostasy?

She was concerned about her family’s salvation. This is one of the marks of salvation. When one has experienced the forgiveness of their sins and become a partaker of God’s free grace, he wants his family and friends to share in it. God’s desire and plan is the salvation of the complete household.

When Israel came to destroy Jericho, the one symbol that would protect her was the sight of a scarlet rope hanging from her window. That, which had identified her house before and the nature of her business, was now a public confession and a mark of surrender to the one true God! Transparency is the necessity for salvation. One must acknowledge what he is and rely on God’s grace!

Not only did Rahab become a convert to Israel’s religion, her name shows up in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, what wonderful grace, that those who have been named among the worst of sinners can have their name in God’s book of life!
You too, my friend can be forgiven of all your sins and become a member of the family of God, if you will acknowledge your need of mercy and accept God’s forgiveness. The scarlet ribbon has been hung out for you. It was on the cross and was the Lord Jesus. Take hold of it by faith and you will be saved.