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This November, Should We Choose a Liberal or a Mormon?

Wed, 23 May 2012 20:37:00 GMT

I wrote the following article for those who may be struggling over the apparent choices coming before us in the upcoming presidential election.

My goal is not to tell you who to vote for or against, or even whether you should vote or stay home; this subject involves more than just this upcoming presidential election. I am concerned with principles of how Christians should generally view the democratic process.

Even though the Bible was written in a time of kings and despots (and not bipartisan elections) we can look to Christian principles to create a framework on how we evaluate conflicting candidates in a democratic election. It may be that we will never have a near-perfect candidate (and we might not even agree on what such a candidate would look like), but there should be ways to evaluate the conflicts we face as we make our decisions.

Accordingly, I have tried to create a framework for how we can go about analyzing these decisions.

As stated above, this coming November conservative Evangelical voters may have a hard time choosing who to vote for. For some it is not a win-lose but a lose-lose situation because of the issues involved with both major candidates for president.

Biblically speaking, the election of a president (or king) is hugely important as we can see by just a cursory reading of First and Second Kings; the nations of Israel and Judah either prospered and served God because their king was godly, or the ungodliness of the king caused the nation to turn away from God to false gods and idolatry.

It has been my opinion since the 2008 election that God gave our nation the president we deserve based on our backslidden condition. There is biblical precedent for this. For example: when God gave the children of Israel Saul as their king in spite of the prophet Samuel’s warnings in 1 Samuel 8 and 9; and also Romans 1:24 which teaches us that sometimes God gives people up to the lusts of their hearts to eat the fruit of their cravings until judgment comes to them.

Regarding President Obama: Hypothetically, how does a conservative Evangelical vote when one candidate has a pro-choice stance on abortion, advocates for same-sex marriage and holds other values conservatives deem detrimental, as well as the fact he will probably be in a position to pick another liberal Supreme Court justice, which will then bring the balance of power back to the liberal justices who currently are outnumbered five to four? (The Supreme Court justices serve for life and may be in a position in the near future to decide the fate of DOMA, abortion, and other issues important to social conservatives.)

Voting for the next president would be easy if there was a clear alternative that held to orthodox Christian values. But what if the candidate on the other side was an atheist, Jehovah’s Witness, Muslim, Mormon, or a person who held many conservative social values but totally disagreed with them regarding major theological issues like the lordship and divinity of Jesus, the existence of God, Sharia law, and the inspiration of the Bible?

For example, the current frontrunner in the Republican Party is akin to a bishop in the Mormon Church, which espouses religious beliefs that trouble Evangelical Christians. These Mormon beliefs include: Jesus being merely a created god in process to becoming God just like other human beings who believe; baptisms for those already dead to secure eternal life for them; polygamy; and the Book of Mormon being viewed as Scripture equal with or superior to the Bible. Also, until the 1970's Mormons didn't allow people with dark skin in their temples.

This is not the first time Evangelical voters have been troubled by a candidate for religious reasons. Previous examples include when John F. Kennedy ran for president against Richard Nixon in 1960. Many Protestants were concerned Kennedy would be beholden to the pope because JFK was the first-ever Roman Catholic presidential candidate.

Hence, Evangelical believers are concerned that if the current Republican frontrunner becomes president that it will give Mormonism (which is widely recognized as a cult by Christians and not part of true Christianity) cultural credibility and will no longer be viewed as some strange cult but become part of the mainstream, which will aid their missionary endeavors and hurt the advance of the Gospel of Christ long term! Not only that, but (they fear) he will also help to position other Mormons in high places of influence, whether as powerful lobbyists or as policy makers and elected officials.

Consequently, even though the Republican frontrunner may hold values more in line with conservative principles, the choice (they think) ultimately comes down to whether we are putting the gospel first or putting our nation first—a position conservative Christians must dread because they integrate their faith so much with American nationalism.

Another option for conservative Christian voters is to be faithful with whatever God has put in front of them in the short term. That is to say, go with the conservative over the liberal irrespective of religious affinity because we are not electing a theologian but a president. Thus, Mormon or other theologies will be limited through the grid of our present political structure and will only express itself in values common to all conservatives—values such as free speech and religious liberty, the traditional view of marriage between one man and one woman, and the sanctity of life from conception. Thus, some conservative Christians may still opt to vote for the non-Christian conservative as a matter of stewardship regarding what’s best for the country without speculating on the long-term harmful trajectory of a cult or false religion going mainstream.

We also don't know what God is up to behind the scenes in Mormonism and in other cults. For example, some years ago I heard from a Mormon that a great revival broke out in their camp, resulting in tens of thousands coming to true faith in Christ as Lord. This revival came about because of an emphasis on reading the Bible instead of the Book of Mormon.

A pessimistic but possibly more realistic view is that God is using many of our governmental leaders to further judge America for turning our backs from Him as a nation. Church history has shown us nations that are prosperous with a stable government rarely if ever turn to God for help. Perhaps God is going to allow more political, economic and natural disasters to come our way so that, in our disorientation, we will experience a stronger church that will arise to rebuild among the rubble, just as the fourth century church did after Rome fell.

I hope and pray it doesn't come to this. But in many ways it looks as though the USA is really now a divided nation, with half the nation hardening its hearts towards God and favoring humanism, another 25% with strong Christian values, and another 25% that vote merely as fiscal conservatives but are agnostic when it comes to abortion and same-sex marriage (the libertarian position).

Christians with a strong nationalistic tendency believe God is not through with America and will continue to use the USA to fund missions and plant churches with its vast resources that will expand His kingdom; they can’t picture a world or a Christian faith in which America is not the world's global superpower.

Others, like myself (although I am strongly patriotic and love this nation), are beginning to wonder if America can be redeemed in its present form.

Liberals and political pundits are sitting back with great interest as they see how Evangelicals will navigate through the upcoming election. One thing is for sure: the church in America is radically shifting to adapt to this changing cultural environment. Thirty years ago Christianity was the dominant force in this nation. Now we live in a post-Christian materialistic culture. In 10 years our nation will look radically different than it is today, for better or for worse. Nations and kingdoms will come and go, but the kingdom of God will continue to advance with or without America as a superpower!

Finally, no candidate has fully earned my vote or endorsement as I have grave concerns about the two main candidates. But I will eventually vote for the person closest to my positions regardless of their orthodoxy or lack thereof because we are not electing a theologian or bishop but the next president. I hope that as the presidential debates take place they will make it easier for all people to vote for the most qualified candidate as their positions become more acute.

The Office of Prophet and Contemporary Times

Wed, 16 May 2012 20:34:00 GMT

There has been much written about the office and function of prophet in the past three decades. In this article I will be writing regarding my own experience in understanding what the Bible says about the prophetic ministry, and I will attempt to connect this to today’s world.

First of all, by prophet I am not referring to a person who exercises the gift of prophecy as taught in 1 Corinthians 14:2-4 (consisting of general exhortations, comfort and rebuke, which everyone in the church is encouraged to do; read 1 Corinthians 14:39). I am also not referring to a person preaching a sermon to a congregation. I am speaking about a person who, through much prayer, travail, and meditation in the scriptures, regularly stands in the council and heavenly assembly of God (with the angels and other messengers of God’s court) to hear what the Spirit is saying, so that the mind and heart of God can be communicated to the church and nation. Examples of a prophet standing in the council and/or court of the living God to hear His word are found in Isaiah 6:1-9; Ezekiel 1-3,10; Jeremiah 15:19; extraordinary examples of this can be found in the New Testament with the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:1-12 and the Apostle John in Revelation 1:9-20 and 4:1-2.

Jeremiah 23:16-22 shows that the main distinction between false and true prophets is that false prophets speak without being in the council of the Lord and, hence, utter words without ever being sent by God.

David Chilton says the following about prophets in his book The Days of Vengeance:

“The prophets not only observed the deliberations of the heavenly Council (cf. 1 Kings 22:19-22); they actually participated in them. Indeed, the Lord did nothing without consulting His prophets (Amos 3:7). This is why the characteristic activity of the Biblical prophet is intercession and mediation (cf. Gen. 18:16-33; 20:7, the first occurrence of the word prophet in Scripture). As members of the Council the prophets have freedom of speech with God, and are able to argue with Him, often persuading Him to change His mind (cf. Ex. 32:7-14; Amos 7:1-6). They are His friends, and so He speaks openly with them (Gen. 18:17; Ex. 33:11; 2 Chron. 20:7; Isa. 41:8; John 15:15). As images of fully redeemed Man, the prophets shared in God's glory, exercising dominion over the nations (cf. Jer. 1:10; 28:8), having been transfigured ethically (cf. Isa. 6:5-8) and physically (cf. Ex. 34:29). They thus resembled the angels of heaven, and so it is not surprising that the term angel (Heb. mal'ak, Greek angelos) is used to describe the Biblical prophet (cf. 2 Chron. 36:15-16; Hag. 1:13; Mai. 3:1; Matt. 11:10; 24:31; Luke 7:24; 9:52)” (page 82).

So how do those standing in the office of prophet function in today’s world?

First of all, prophets are people who regularly engage in deep intercession and travail for the purposes of God to be fulfilled on the earth. Whenever a person is in true Spirit-led travail of soul, they are literally standing in the council of God—participating and pleading with God to have His way on the earth. A person who has no such deep experience with God will probably only be able to move in the simple gift of prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:2-4) and not function in the office of prophet for the nation or church.

Second of all, true prophets take what they hear from God in the heavenly courts and pray or pronounce the will of God by faith, so that His will is done and His kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven (Luke 11:2). When it is spoken in prayer, they are pronouncing divinely inspired orders from God that are then transmitted from the throne room to the angelic beings (both good and bad) who serve as the spiritual archetypes that influence the earth realm (read Matthew 18:18-19; Ephesians 3:10).

Third, prophets can also be preachers who don’t only come with prepared sermons based on human wisdom of words but speak a specific word to the church and/or people that they heard from God in the heavenly courts. This kind of preaching transforms individuals and congregations because the force and authority of the Holy Spirit is behind it, and is manifest as a rhema word (Hebrews 4:11-13).

Fourth, prophets have a deep thirst to be in the presence of God and meditate on the word of God so they can actually engage God in the scriptures while God burns His searing hot truth and light into their being! This in turn enables the prophet to understand how to apply the word of God to the people or situation he or she is confronting, counseling or speaking into.

Fifth, prophets have an understanding of the times in which they live (1 Chron. 12:32). Through both natural knowledge (from reading newspapers, books, and interaction with high-level societal leaders) and spiritual knowledge (when in prayer or fellowship with God) they are able to take the natural knowledge they have assimilated and present it with clarity, divine accuracy and power! Thus prophets not only read the Bible but also keep up with current events so they can apply the word to contemporary situations.

Sixth, prophets always have a window open to God in their souls, resulting in them regularly moving in words of knowledge, words of wisdom, discerning of spirits and prophecy, even when they are not engaged or totally focused in an act of prayer or in a church service or setting. Thus they are always in fellowship with the person and presence of God and are able to hear what He is saying at a moment’s notice, even in the midst of their mundane, daily activities.

A close friend of mine serves as an extraordinary example of this. Once while he was walking in an airport terminal, he felt an impression to give a word of guidance to a total stranger, who was at that moment praying in his heart for divine guidance. The result of this prophetic word was confirmation for Pastor Jonathan Cahn to write the New York Times bestselling book The Harbinger. (You can read Steven Strang’s account of this by clicking here.)

I have often operated in this gift, but many times the person I am speaking to doesn’t know it because my words come in the context of a regular conversation, yet with significant results. (I can give many examples of this but do not have space in this article.)

An examination in the gospels shows that Jesus regularly moved in words of knowledge as part of His evangelistic and prophetic ministry, to confirm His word to those He was speaking to (read John 4; Mark 2:8-10; 3:1-7).

Seventh, prophets do not have to be pastors or preachers, but can be marketplace leaders who function with a high degree of intimacy with God and use it in a profound way to engage culture and affect change in the lives of those they are working with. For example, read the prophet Daniel chapters 2, 4, 5 and the account of Joseph in Genesis chapters 40 and 41. These are two men who had secular jobs but utilized their prophetic callings to transform nations and empires!

Also, my prophetic friend mentioned in the previous point is not a full-time preacher but an accountant!

Eighth, prophets walk in the royal favor of God. Somehow they are usually at the right place and the right time! Thus, God is always providentially opening up doors for them or guiding them, even when they are not aware of it!

Ninth, prophets are able to divinely interpret the redemptive reasons for the suffering, pain, and seasons of life that people experience. They are able to give profound words of advice that can transform a life, answer a prayer, bring clarity to an enigma, or help a person discover their purpose, just with a short conversation, prayer or prophetic word. Whole books of the Bible like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Amos illustrate the power of prophets who are able to interpret the times and the seasons for the people and nation they live among.

Tenth, prophets are called to represent God to a people or nation and bring a covenant lawsuit to them (Micah 3:8). The word witness was originally a legal term regarding a person that was an aide to a person bringing a lawsuit, even to the point of being part of the legal process that involved execution! Thus, prophets who stand in the heavenly council as witnesses of the Lord not only hear God’s will regarding a people or nation but can actually be part of the process that brings judgment to that person or people group.

Biblical examples of this include Elijah in 1 Kings 17:1, when the prophet declared to King Ahab that Israel would have a drought until his word released rain; Peter in Acts 5, when he pronounced judgment upon Ananias and Sapphira for lying; Paul in Acts 13, when he blinded Elymas the sorcerer for obstructing the gospel; and John in Revelation 1:3, when he bore witness to the words of Christ that resulted in bringing judgment on false Israel and the pagan systems of the world that Israel was in cahoots with.

Finally, most importantly, prophets have learned that those who are friends with politicians and wealthy people are a dime a dozen. But those who are intimate with God are very few on the earth! The most important function for a true prophet is to be a friend of God who knows God and speaks to Him face-to-face as a man speaks to his friend (Deuteronomy 34:10; John 15:15).

Thirteen Modern Challenges to Awakening and Revival

Thu, 10 May 2012 15:33:00 GMT

This past week I had a private dinner with a prominent African bishop who was involved in a mighty national awakening in Uganda. This dinner, and the fact that last week was the National Day of Prayer in my nation, the United States, made me think of the subject of revival, awakening and how it could happen again in my nation.

Along these lines I have spoken to many who believe that global economic and political conditions will continue to deteriorate; because of this, many are receiving a great burden to pray for a global awakening.

As I have spent much time reading the accounts of the First, Second and Third Great Awakenings in the United States, the 20th century Azusa Street Revival, and renewal outbreaks such as the Latter Rain Movement of the late 1940’s, Charismatic Movement of the 1960’s and 70’s, and some smaller renewal movements emanating out of local congregations (Toronto Airport, Pensacola), I have come to conclusions regarding some of the greatest cultural, societal hindrances to seeing a major outbreak of awakening (as opposed to a localized congregational awakening) akin to what the United States experienced through Whitefield, Wesley, Edwards, Finney and the like.

Furthermore, there have been mighty revivals and awakenings in various parts of the Global South (Africa, China, Indonesia, and Latin America) that have trumped any of the aforementioned movements. Because of this, I have asked myself many times: Why hasn’t anything like this happened recently in North America or Western Europe? Truly, culture trumps the anointing and can even nullify the word of God (read Mark 7:13). That is to say, there are presently major cultural hindrances and challenges to seeing the same kind of awakening the United States experienced in the 18th and 19th centuries. We either have to find solutions to overcome these cultural challenges or we have to ask God for another way to penetrate the culture in a more subtle fashion. Either way, we cannot just continue on the same path, expecting a national awakening without addressing some of these pressing issues.

The following are some of my thoughts regarding challenges to national awakening:

1. The fragmentation of face-to-face contact due to social media

People are simply not engaging in much face-to-face contact anymore. They are connecting via text, Facebook, Twitter and other forms of online social networking. This is hindering the ability of the gospel to effectively gain the attention and focus of young people (and older people as well) because our thought processes are inundated with trivial and often destructive social interaction, as well as internet pornography, video gaming and other things that sap spiritual life and energy from a generation of people!

Consequently, kids are not as socially skilled as previous generations and are not as inclined to spend time studying, reading books, hearing sermons, and thinking of things deep and enduring. (Of course, there are many exceptions to this among our young people.)

2. The independent rather than communal mindset of American culture

As I hear stories about the revivals in South Korea, China, Africa, Columbia, and the like, I can’t help but think these nations have less cultural challenges than we do here in the USA. These cultures have a more communal mindset, in which they would tend to conform to the norms placed before them by a strong leader and/or a group of people, as opposed to the mindset of rugged individualism in America, which has been accentuated and made worse by the advance of technology.

Thus, it is harder to get the typical American to hold to the structure of attending a small group, getting up to pray at 5am every day, attending church services five nights a week, following a set of goals for evangelism, etc. This is why church growth and evangelism strategies, like G12, have not worked in America. (Not even the founder of G12 has experienced massive church growth and success launching a local church in Miami as he did in Bogotá, Columbia!)

We in America have to find strategies that work in the context of our own culture, not just imitate strategies that are effective in communal cultures and contexts.

3. The lack of geographic cohesion in modern cities

The days of Finney, Wesley, Edwards, and Whitefield preceded the Industrial Revolution, when men and women left their rural farm communities to secure jobs in cities. Thus, in those days, the average person never travelled far from home, had the same 15 friends from the cradle to the grave, lived with or in proximity to their family, and had nothing to do at night but get together with the rest of their community for socials like dancing, card playing, etc.

Thus, when an evangelist like Finney held a revival meeting the whole community came out every night for weeks. Both the Holy Spirit and the evangelist had the undivided attention of a whole community, resulting in mass revival which eventually spread to the whole region.

Nowadays people do not associate their lives with their communities or even their block. Thus we are not connected to the lives of our neighbors but have divergent interests. This means that we could live on the same block as another person for decades in a city like New York yet never know their name!

In this kind of social disconnect a church could have a meeting across the street from their neighbors yet have a very difficult time getting everyone on their block to attend the meeting. The effect of the gospel is diluted.

Also, churches are not often community-centric but often have attendees who travel from different communities in their region. This fragmentation results in a lack of cohesion and is a huge challenge to community-wide revivals and awakenings.

For several years during the beginning of my evangelistic ministry in 1980 we were able to break down these barriers in my community because we would close off whole blocks and show gospel movies like “The Cross and the Switchblade.” The result was a Finney-like revival; we would see many people living on the same city block come to Christ! It was like something out of a history book: we would show the movie, I would preach an evangelistic message for 15 minutes, have an altar call for salvation, and 50-70 people who lived on the same block would make a decision for Christ! We saw great revival and recommended people to many different churches because our mother church was far away. Of course, this was before the advent of home videos, computers, the internet, etc. Thus, it would be much more difficult in today’s world to get everyone on a city block to be interested in seeing a movie—especially low-budget Christian films with B actors!!

4. The amount of distractions and numerous options

During the revivals of the 18th and 19th centuries people had few options in regards to transportation, technology, education, and financially. Thus, when a church opened in a community it became not only the spiritual center but also the social and cultural center of all the people, even the unbelievers. (For example, Charles Finney was a member of the church choir in his community even while he was a staunch unbeliever!) Thus, when God moved upon a church it automatically affected the atmosphere of its community and region!

Nowadays, people have televisions, radios, computers, bowling, movies, sports, the gym, martial arts, etc. Too many options results in less social and community cohesion and less attention to give God and church.

5. The affluence of American/Western churches and believers

In my studies of revival and national revivals, it seems they were always preceded by social and cultural disorientation. Very rarely, if ever, was a people group open to the gospel when they were financially affluent with a stable government.

The present economic, cultural and political warfare and disorientation we are experiencing in the USA may be the greatest gift to those who are looking for a way for God to break through and awaken this nation! It may not only be a sign of God’s judgment but of God’s love that things seem to be getting worse for the average American and global citizen. God is longing for people to call upon His name for deliverance, but many won’t if they remain comfortable with their lives.

6. The lack of expectant faith for miracles and the reduction of Christianity to pragmatism

Many if not most Evangelical and Pentecostal churches have only a lukewarm commitment to seeing the power of God operate in their midst. Even in Pentecostal churches rare is the evidence of the gifts of the Spirit and healing power of God in both the church services and in people’s lives! American and Western Christianity is acquiescing more and more to the naturalistic/pragmatic mindset of its culture, devolving into churches that offer nice programs and therapeutic messages run by corporate style church governments and systems. In most cases the simplicity and power of the gospel has been replaced by this pragmatism and naturalism.

Thus, the average pastor and church attendee is expected to stay home when they are sick instead of going to church to get healed (read James 5:13-15), and is just as likely to depend on natural remedies to cure their physiological, emotional and physical maladies as their unbelieving neighbors. The expectation for God to break forth and heal, deliver and perform miracles is largely absent from Western churches. We need to recapture the awe, majesty and mystery of God again in our churches!

7. The lack of preaching on the law of God and the Ten Commandments

Many pastors and churches have neglected the Old Testament, the Ten Commandments and the moral law of God in their preaching and teaching. The result is little if any conviction of sin, resulting in many emotional decisions for Christ but few real conversions. Pastors need to preach the moral law of God again because through the law is the knowledge of sin (Romans 7:7) as it serves as a schoolmaster that leads us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). When both society and the church have abandoned the Ten Commandments less people will be convicted of sin or even know they need a savior, resulting in a huge hindrance for biblical awakening and revival.

8. The lack of preaching on heaven, hell and eternity

When was the last time your pastor preached a message on hell? Enough said. (Read Matthew 3:7; Luke 16:19-31.)

9. The lack of the fear of the Lord in our churches

Nowadays it is very common for Evangelical church attendees to live together in sin, engage in pre-marital sex, engage in drunkenness, dance at night clubs, post lewd pictures on Facebook, use foul language, and listen to ungodly music—all in the name of grace and as a response against excessive legalism.

Even worse, there is no accountability in the church. Those who live like this are allowed to serve as ministers and leaders! The Bible teaches us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). Proverbs describes the fear of the Lord as the hatred of sin (Proverbs 8:13). With so many Christians and leaders living continually on the edge or diving into a life of sin in the name of exploring their grace in humanity, it is a huge hindrance for a real move of God because such behavior grieves rather than attracts the Holy Spirit (read Ephesians 4:29-5:10).

10. The lack of personal, family and congregational prayer and seeking of God

While most Christians are decrying atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair for successfully taking prayer out of public schools in the early 1960’s, we must admit that prayer was taken out of Christian homes way before that happened. Few are the believers I know, even conservative activist believers, who have erected a family altar in their homes and are seeking God regularly with their spouses and their children.

Furthermore, I have heard for the past 20 years that surveys have shown the average pastor only prays about 22 minutes per day! How can we expect an earth-shattering revival if the leaders of our congregations are not even seeking God! (For more on this read Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill.)

11. The lack of concerted, continual, united prayer among pastors and churches

One of the things I remember reading regarding the revivals of the First and Second Great Awakenings in America was the importance of united prayer amongst the churches in each community. Jonathan Edwards started the Concert in Prayer movement that spread to America and greatly impacted England. Finney would get pastors and congregations in each community to pray before and while he commenced with revival services in their areas.

Sustained, continual united prayer in one congregation can result in a great revival in that church, impacting their immediate parish. But for a city or region to be affected there needs to be a commitment by pastors to engage in united prayer with their pastoral colleagues serving as co-laborers.

12. The fragmentation of knowledge that subverts the biblical worldview

With all the information available today on the internet—from alternate religions, philosophy, atheism, postmodernism, modernism, New Age movement, etc.—it is harder and harder to have an awakening amongst a people in a community or city because, in the days of the First and Second Great Awakenings, even unbelievers had a biblical worldview! For example, read the writings of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, both deists in their faith, and you will see men with a strong Judeo/Christian mindset even though they were unbelievers!

Up until the time of the so-called Enlightenment, Christian theologians like Aquinas thought it very possible to unite all knowledge in the world under one unified biblical worldview. But the more they studied philosophy and the different world religions the more they realized what a hard task that was going to be! How much harder (but not impossible) is it today to see whole communities (especially in educated, urban regions) experience an awakening because the average person with an internet connection has access to millions of books, articles and information on any subject. Thus, everyone thinks they are experts; the days when the clergy were not only the most spiritual, but the most educated and knowledgeable people in a community are long gone!

I still believe the biblical worldview is the most cohesive view, and the only view that makes rational sense of the world. But to get that across even in my own neighborhood amongst all the residents is a huge challenge today because of this fragmentation of knowledge!

13. The gospel is not permeating the elite systems and people of culture

Present-day global revivals are primarily (but not exclusively) taking place amongst the poorest and uneducated nations of the world. For example, the greatest awakenings during the past 50 years have taken place in developing areas like Africa, China and Latin America in the midst of great economic and political turmoil which made the average person very open to God’s saving power! (Although during the past 10 years many young college intellectuals in China are getting saved!)

In the USA, the greatest revivals resulting in societal change and reformation took place when folks like Oxford educated Wesley and Whitefield, Yale graduate Jonathan Edwards, and Finney, a trained lawyer, preached and reached not only masses of uneducated poor people but also the elite in their cities. In the Rochester revival of the 1830’s (which was the closest thing to America ever having a whole major city come to God) Finney started revival meetings by first reaching lawyers, doctors, judges and those with the most cultural esteem and influence. This made it easier to reach masses of people!

For us to experience a national revival we either need to have mass disorientation or we need to reach the cultural elites in the arts, music, science, education, law, and politics—not only masses of poor people who have no influence to bring systemic change to culture. Usually only a Marxist-type movement (for example, Occupy Wall Street) with a groundswell of masses of people who use violence to bring chaos and overthrow governments are successful in bringing real change, even though their change is demonic! Thus, if we want to see not only awakening and revival but a lasting reformation that will change our ungodly laws and culture then we also need to reach the elites, not only masses of people through typical evangelistic campaigns. (For more on this read my article “Why the Church Needs Cultural and Political Access to Bring Transformation.”)

In closing, I did not write this article to discourage anyone from praying for revival but to get all of us to seriously think through the issues and not just simplify everything by using the same methods employed in other nations and/or in other eras of this nation’s history and expect the same results. I still pray much for revival and reformation, but I also know that culture, societal structures and norms have to be understood before we can have the strategies necessary to bring long-term systemic change and experience earth-shattering revivals and awakenings in our nations.

Of course, God was able to use a foreigner like Philip to shake up a whole city (read Acts 8). In the 1950’s God used American evangelist Tommy Hicks to shake up the nation of Argentina by moving in extraordinary signs and wonders, which is still having an impact today. (Read Cry for Me Argentina by R. Edward Miller for an astonishing account of this awakening.) But this Argentinean revival was preceded by at least 3-5 years of intense, focused, deep, united intercessory prayer led by Dr. Miller and others in his circle. (See point 11 above.)

Even so, let’s be humble before God and understand the times in which we live (1 Chronicles 12:32) so that when we seek Him, He will give us the wisdom to know how we can have the greatest impact upon our communities, cities, nation and the nations of the world!

As I end this article I think perhaps we should ask ourselves the following questions regarding awakening for the sake of clarity and practicality:

-Do I strongly desire revival, awakening and reformation or am I content with things in this world as they are?

-Am I personally hindering revival in my church and city?

-Am I seeking the Lord or merely praying perfunctory prayers for awakening?

-Am I open to God for His divine strategies when I pray for revival or do I have preconceived ideas regarding how I think God should bring it about?

-Am I trying to copy old methods for awakening that are no longer relevant?

-Are there new strategies that have never been used before that the church should employ for revival?

- Does our nation have to experience a societal breakdown before people will be open to God?

-Instead of a massive, spontaneous revival like in the past, is it rather God’s will in developed countries for churches to employ strategies of gradual, multi-generational, societal penetration in every level of society for reformation and transformation?

-Am I preaching the whole counsel of God that can awaken sinners and convict compromised saints?

The Ten Commandments of Effective Spiritual Leadership

Wed, 02 May 2012 18:40:00 GMT

As someone who has been involved in some form of leadership and studied this subject for over thirty years, I have observed certain non-negotiables in regards to what makes a person an effective leader. When it comes down to it, the most important elements of leadership are very simple. I have summarized these in ten fundamental commandments:

1. Thou shalt model what you preach

The most powerful leaders are those who walk in private what they preach in public. Those leaders who personally live out the principles they expect from others maximize their influence and effectiveness as leaders.

2. Thou shalt develop leaders of leaders who can succeed you

As soon as a person becomes a senior leader, they need to start working themselves out of a job by empowering others to do what they are already doing. Those they pick should fulfill the qualifications Paul laid out in 2 Timothy 2:2. Consequently, when a person is able to do a job about 80% as good as the senior leader, the senior leader should delegate the job responsibility over to them.

Those who don’t have this attitude are never entrusted with more by God because they limit their capacity due to having too much responsibility and thus no leverage to go to the next level of assignment. Those who refuse to delegate will only produce followers who don’t mind being limited in regards to leadership capacity because they don’t like to think for themselves.

Conversely, the highest and hardest calling for senior leaders is to develop leaders who develop other leaders of leaders. Most leaders never develop anything more than followers. Leaders who develop leaders of other leaders are able to produce themselves in those who leave a legacy of developing leaders for many generations.

3. Thou shalt prioritize investing in people more than programs and marketing

It is very tempting for a senior leader to put all their focus on implementing programs and marketing that will draw more people into the church or organization. Yet our first priority should always be pouring into people.

Those who spend most of their time administrating programs will never develop strong and deep disciples because the biblical discipleship process takes years and can only be done through personal interaction (both intense and informal).

4. Thou shalt communicate a divine, compelling vision worth following

It doesn’t matter how gifted a leader, a speaker, or a strategist you are. If you do not have a compelling vision from God then other key leaders with potential will not follow you. Those with high leadership caps not only look at the leader they want to follow but they need to feel an emotional and divine tug regarding vision that speaks to their need for having a purpose (Acts 11:23).

5. Thou shalt learn to release others to help fulfill the vision

Effective leaders are not lone rangers and do not try to accomplish a vision without a team. After investing in the lives of other potential leaders, the next priority is to discern where to place those you are mentoring. Like a sports coach, the key to high performance in an organization is to release each person to serve in a team in the areas best suited for their personality, gifts and calling. The leader’s vision must become a shared vision if it is to come to pass!

Some are more suited for administration and minutia and others are more suited for the big picture and people. Trying to put a big picture person you are mentoring in an administrative role would not only hurt the organization’s performance but could crush that person’s confidence and frustrate them.

6. Thou shalt hold yourself and your followers accountable

All effective leaders allow for much freedom when it comes to ministry but have high standards of personal accountability when it comes to their marriages, families, and walk with God. Those who don’t hold their leaders accountable in their ministries and home life could eventually lose the respect and focus of key people in their organization. In the worst case scenario, people might begin doing their own thing and developing their own vision, which will result in division.

7. Thou shalt practice Matthew 18:15-17

Along with holding other leaders accountable, senior leaders need to insist that everyone who serves in the ministry with them must walk in the principles outlined by Jesus in Matthew 18. This has to do with walking in the light and in transparency with one another, without which people who work closely together will eventually develop bitterness and resentment, and give themselves over to gossip which could destroy the culture of an organization.

Senior leaders who are too afraid or passive to confront other people in their organization will eventually self-destruct due to holding back bad feelings. This could lead to physical and emotional stress, marital failure, and deeply rooted resentments and bitterness.

8. Thou shalt affirm those who bear fruit and redeem those who fail

Effective leaders learn to praise those who minister effectively and try to redeem those who are failing. If you quickly throw those who fail under the bus without trying to redeem them, then you will not develop the loyalty needed to have a strong core. This could result in a lot of turnover on your staff. Those people senior leaders successfully process out of failure into success will more likely be loyal to the senior leader for believing in them instead of dropping them. This kind of gratitude and loyalty will then spread and become part of the culture of the organization.

9. Thou shalt hold to high standards of excellence and integrity in service

Along the lines of accountability, every leader needs to hold high standards both for their own life, ministry and performance as well as those who are serving along with them. Everyone and everything in the organization must have a spirit of excellence: the administration, communication, accountability systems, teaching, and physical appearance. If any of these areas become sloppy it could bring down the quality and culture of the entire organization.

10. Thou shalt walk in wisdom and humility regarding the future

All effective leaders must be able to see where their organization needs to go in the future based on demographic and cultural shifts. Leaders who do not change their approach with changing times will eventually be bypassed by the next generation who will gravitate towards those who speak their language and meet their needs.

In order to do this effectively, leaders must always be humble enough to question themselves regarding their personal walk, their goals, their methods and the way they are attempting to meet the needs of their community. Those that are presumptuous and too arrogant to ask themselves these questions will eventually marginalize their influence.

How the Church Radically Changed When It Shifted from a Hebraic to a Greco-Roman Culture

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:58:00 GMT

I have written numerous articles alluding to the fact that culture has changed and continues to change theology, biblical interpretation and the way we do church. I wish I could say that historically church leaders have allowed only the Bible to transform their thinking. But the truth is that we are all products of our cultures! Even when we try to be objective, our objectivity is in the context of our cultural surroundings, thoughts, vocabulary and education.

There is perhaps no greater example of cultural influence in history than when the church began to relate the gospel through the lens of Greek culture so the kingdom would continue to expand. Thus, not all changes of this nature are bad or unnecessary; some, like the creeds and the systemization of doctrine have been very helpful.

Most Christians know that Jesus, the original Twelve Apostles and the early church were made up of Jewish believers. But most don’t understand the radical changes that took place after AD 70 when, in the aftermath of the Roman invasion of Jerusalem, the church was scattered and shifted from being a predominately Jewish sect to a Gentile religion.

The greatest transformation took place when the church began to relate more to the Greco-Roman culture than the Hebrew culture, which was done for the sake of mission and evangelism. This resulted in the early Christians, beginning in the 2nd century, expressing the gospel in Greek thought. But these early Christians also discovered, through Greek philosophical concepts in a deeper and more systematic way, what the gospel and the Bible actually taught. Moreover, it was Greek philosophical concepts rather than Greek religions that had the most impact because the Greek gods were looked at as immoral and the Greek world received its ethics primarily from their philosophers, not their religious priests and religions. Thus, prominent church bishops and apologists copied Greek philosophers rather than their religions in method and argument to make the gospel more appealing to the masses of Greek speaking peoples.

As a result, concepts related to the cult of the emperor, the military, Greek mystery religions, and Platonic philosophy gradually became common in Christian worship and doctrine. Christianity went from the Hebraic mindset of being a way and a life (John 14:6; Acts 9:2) to being defined by a set of doctrines, systematic theology, and metaphysics.

The following are some of the radical changes that took place when the church went from a Hebraic to a Greek cultural mindset:

First, starting in the 2nd century the church became a bearer of culture, reaching the intellectual elite because of the sophistication of apologists like Clement of Alexandria, Origen and others who mimicked Greek philosophers in their presentation of the gospel, which was more than a match for any anti-Christian pagan philosophical presentation and/or concept. Furthermore, after the conversion of Emperor Constantine, only Christians began to be upwardly mobile and cultured; non-Christians were looked down upon as unenlightened and uncultured.

Also, as the Roman Empire continued to disintegrate, more and more of its citizens looked to the Christian religion to fill in the gaps. This resulted in increased conversions with a subsequent Hellenization (influence of Greek culture) in the church.

Second, even as Christian apologists scorned pagan religions, they looked with favor upon Greek philosophical systems and concepts. This resulted in a growing tendency to define the faith more precisely and systematize its doctrines like Greek philosophers systematized concepts (e.g. resulting in the creeds of the church).

Thus, salvation went from the Hebraic understanding of emphasizing a historical event or narrative (e.g. the Exodus of the children of Israel; the death, burial and resurrection of Christ) to salvation through knowledge. The church went from the Hebraic emphasis on experience to the Hellenistic emphasis on enlightenment through the rational understanding of true knowledge. God’s revelation was no longer understood in the context of events, but as the communication of truth regarding the being and nature of God.

This is best exemplified by comparing Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) with the Nicene Creed. This sermon by Jesus is all about ethics and totally devoid of metaphysical speculation; the Nicene Creed is all about doctrine and says nothing about ethics. Furthermore, later in church history Hellenistic influence resulted in more of an emphasis on truth being communicated through images (plastic arts, visual arts and paintings, and even the icons of the present Eastern Orthodox Church) rather than the Hebrew emphasis on communicating truth through the spoken word (Romans 10:17).

In summary of this point, the Hebraic original gospel presents the reign or Kingdom of God as an event by which people should believe and repent; the Greek mindset presents the reign of God as rational truth to be believed. In the Hebraic mindset the Kingdom of God is in stark contrast to the present contradictions of the present pagan world and serves as a deposit of what is yet to come in its fullness. The Greek mindset presents the reign of God as a truth to be comprehended as something already fulfilled or complete.

Thus, in Paul’s understanding Christ ratified rather than fulfilled the Old Testament because the end is still to come (Romans 15:8). But in the Greek mindset all is already fulfilled in the cosmic Christ. Faith in God’s promises yet to be fulfilled was replaced by the already consummated Kingdom of Christ; Christ’s resurrection was a completed event and not viewed as the first fruits of the resurrection of all believers (1 Corinthians 15:20).

Third, as a result of the first two points, the historical continuity and hermeneutic between the Old and New Testaments was ignored. With the Greek mindset, the historical element of the Old gave way to an allegorical (spiritual, subjective or mystical) interpretation of the Old Testament as a prelude to the New Testament event of Christ.

Fourth, historical thinking gave way to metaphysical categories. Believers began to espouse a vertical relationship between time and eternity resulting in focusing more on heaven rather than on this age and God’s involvement in history—looking towards eternity more than on a future restored earth.

Christologically, this resulted in an emphasis on the pre-existent Jesus as the Logos (John 1:1) which spiritualized the Christ event, rather than emphasizing the historical Jesus; the emphasis became Jesus’ origin and identity rather than why He came. Speculation on the nature of the incarnation of Jesus shifted from Him identifying with the plight of humanity to metaphysical discussions on the incarnation regarding whether He had one or two natures.

Fifth, the Hellenistic (Greek) approach resulted in shifting the gospel’s impact. Instead of eventually transforming the earth realm into a future “new heaven and new earth” (Revelation 21), the Greek approach emphasized the relationship of the individual soul to God in a spiritual context. Thus, the Hebrew concept of salvation (yasha) for this world shifted to the Greek concept of being rescued from material burdens and one’s bodily existence, or salvation from this world. Thus, in the Greek mindset the Christian religion saves people from this earth instead of transforming the earth!

Hence, involvement in this world increasingly took upon itself the form of charity. Even Holy Communion was looked upon as medicine for immortality in the midst of a corrupt world. Communion became the primary way of connecting believers historically to the event of Christ.

The emphasis went from God’s involvement in history through the church to merely using earth as a place for individuals to secure rewards for the next life in heaven. The more good deeds an individual performed, the more prayers prayed, the more the individual soul would move towards spiritual perfection and be secured a place in heaven. Many believers even suffered martyrdom so they could escape hell and be rewarded with heaven!

Sixth, Gnosticism (a Greek philosophical understanding of salvation from the material world through knowledge) made inroads into the church even though, by-and-large, the church withstood the heretical elements of Gnosticism (e.g. the heretical beliefs that Jesus never had a physical body, or that the Old Testament god is an evil materialistic god and the New Testament god is a god of love and spirit). Gnosticism’s over-emphasis on ontological dualism is still alive in the church today: the difference between the temporal and the eternal, the physical and the spiritual, the earthly and the heavenly, the flesh and the spirit, etc.

Seventh, the church went from a missions movement empowered by the Holy Spirit and led by apostles, prophets and evangelists in the first century to a church in which the Holy Spirit was merely the Spirit of truth, of light, love and life meant to build up and sanctify the church so that ecclesiology (doctrine of the church) became its sole purpose rather than expanding the kingdom and transforming the world. The church became the mystical universal body of Christ that already actualized the kingdom as the spiritual elite of the universe.

The church became an institution for salvation and Greco-Roman culture. Even when it expanded it did so through church propaganda. For example, those outside the church were uncivilized pagans; evangelization became associated with the spread of civilization and culture. The monks, who practiced ascetic separation from the world, succeeded the martyrs as the heroes of the faith, and were the ones most instrumental in civilizing the barbarians who took over the Roman Empire.

Eighth, after the Edict of Milan (AD 313) granted religious equality to Christianity, the church’s focus on the heavenly Jerusalem made it possible for the Roman Emperor to have free reign when it came to temporal things. By the time the First Council of Nicaea took place in AD 325 Christ was viewed as a majestic king who granted an audience with His subjects during the liturgy of the church service, done increasingly in majestic cathedrals with Roman architectural designs. This resulted in a compromise of the church in which Christ was to rule in eternity and the emperor was to rule in time.

Whereas Jewish monotheism (belief in one God) conquered pagan polytheism (belief in a multiplicity of gods), the Roman monarchy (one king to rule the empire) conquered polyarchy (numerous leaders ruling diverse territories). The unity of the faith would depend upon the unity of the Roman Empire. Thus the objectives of the church became the objectives of the empire and vice versa.

In summary, the church had to go from a Hebraic to a Greco-Roman cultural approach so that it could evangelize the known world and not remain limited within the narrow confines of Jewishness. The Hellenistic approach was especially helpful in allowing the church to reach cultural elites and intellects. This approach also led to utilizing art to preach instead of only the spoken word, and to the ordering of biblical beliefs into systematic theology: doctrines and creeds to protect from heresy without and to bring clarity within.

As already stated, this also resulted in a Gnostic view of dualism in which spiritual and physical things were separated. Faith became focused more on metaphysical understanding of truth rather than on the historical actions of God, which resulted in abandoning the preaching and hope of an eschatological renewal of this world (Revelation 21:1) for an emphasis on the individual soul escaping the earth and going to heaven, as well as allowing earthly rulers to reign in time while Christ reigned in eternity, causing the church to be passive in regards to reforming culture, challenging political rulers and settling merely for performing acts of charity as its primary act of participation in this world.

For more on this, please read Transforming Mission by David Bosch, chapter 6.

21 Seismic Shifts of the Evangelical Church

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:33:00 GMT

The Evangelical church has been in flux the past several decades—going from one extreme to the next—and in many respects losing its center. Thus it is really hard to define what an Evangelical is today except for the very ambiguous definition of a person who believes the Bible is the word of God (there are even varying degrees of this within Evangelicalism) and in salvation through the vicarious death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Truly, the Evangelical church is at a crossroads. We must choose if we will follow a more culturally amenable position or a more orthodox, biblically sound approach to faith and culture.

The following are some trends and developments that will enable us to see where the church is heading in the near future. Truly, the Evangelical church is in the midst of a seismic shift!

(Note: The following is based on my personal opinion, reading, hours of conversations with multi-denominational leaders and theologians, doctoral studies, and personal observations. Since this is not meant to be a scholarly presentation I have not included footnotes or documented every source.)

1. The continued development and ascendancy of complex apostolic networks in regards to mission, evangelism, and church partnerships

Complex apostolic church networks, as reminiscent of the first-century church movement, will continue to develop and explode especially in the Global South, Latin America and Asia. These networks are also growing (but more slowly) in North America and Canada. These are non-denominational networks or alliances of churches that often include denominations and/or denominational churches that partner for evangelism, community development, prayer, and rallies. Most of the great movements in the Global South, Asia, India and Latin America are headed up by strong apostolic leaders with regional influence who are able to garner support even among mainline Protestant communions and leaders for specific Christian causes.

2. The continued development, acceptance and growth of postmodern churches and theology

A growing movement today amongst young Evangelical leaders is the emerging church movement. This is a loosely connected movement among independent pastors and leaders who espouse a postmodern methodology (and in some cases theology) in order to reach our present postmodern generation.

Postmodernism is a revolt against dead, empirical modernism that first affected secular universities and in the past decade has infiltrated Evangelical universities and students. As a result, there are now many leaders and movements focusing their church mission with a postmodern mindset (for example, the emergent church movement).

Christian postmodern proponents do not teach there are no universal truths but that there is no way to empirically prove a universal truth. They are against the modern empirical realist approach to verifying truth and believe the Evangelical church has been held captive the past 200 years to a propositional view of truth which espouses the correspondence view of truth (or realism), in which the defense of Scripture is based on it being the most objectively rational view of life in the same way the scientists approach the verification of truth. Postmoderns say this is foreign to the way the early church functioned and is more akin to the Gnostics who believed that only the mentally “enlightened” that had the true biblical worldview and knowledge of Jesus were chosen or saved.

These postmodernists especially take umbrage with what they call the “Enlightenment trap” that Evangelicals have fallen into regarding defending the Bible’s “inerrancy.” They say the early church knew no such thing as inerrancy in the sense they never tried to scientifically, forensically and empirically defend the faith or the inspiration and authority of Scripture (whether linguistically or scientifically). Even prominent past leaders like Anglican Bishop Lesslie Newbigin taught that biblical inerrancy is not the way we should approach Scripture; God chose the faith and Scripture to come through human beings who were part of the faith community and He continues to spread His truth through error-prone human beings who are also limited in their speech and understanding based on their cultures, education and upbringing.

Postmoderns also claim many Evangelicals are trying to act more like secular philosophers than preachers. This practice was condemned by Tertullian when he sneered “What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem?” (The Next Reformation by Carl Raschke, page 19). The conversions of the masses are subjective—never objective—and the faith is spread by the moving of the Holy Spirit on the hearts of people, not by apologetically proving Jesus was the Messiah with the use of linguistics, archeology, or science. They say the elements of the Christian faith include things that are not rational but based on subjective belief such as the raising of the dead, the witness of the Holy Spirit in our hearts that we are saved, the gifts and anointing of the Holy Spirit, and even conversion experiences like that of Paul the Apostle on the road to Damascus (which was not a rational but a supernatural conversion experience).

Whether you agree with the postmoderns or not, they are becoming more of a force to be reckoned with. Many of them even believe the church will eventually do away with theology as we now know it!

(For more on this subject read The Next Reformation by Carl Raschke, which is partially a rebuttal of a book against postmodernism by Douglas Groothuis entitled Truth Decay: Defending Christianity Against the Challenges of Postmodernism. Also read The Gospel in a Pluralist Society by Lesslie Newbigin, page 92 for his view on the inspiration of the Bible.)

3. Charismatics will become more Evangelical and Evangelicals more charismatic

There is now more acceptance across the Body of Christ regarding the Pentecostal gifts of the Spirit such as speaking in tongues. This is mostly because those who embrace Pentecostalism—something theologians and missiologists cannot deny—are involved in the overwhelming majority of the explosive global growth of Christianity!

Another reason is because of culture wars, persecution and the general hardship of being a believer in the world. The church is uniting primarily over the Great Commission and Cultural Commission and not making a major issue of non-essentials regarding redemption such as speaking in tongues and whether the baptism of the Spirit is distinct from the initial salvation experience. Hence (John MacArthur and Harold Camping excepted), fewer Evangelical leaders are speaking out against Pentecostalism. On the other hand, many people saved in charismatic, Pentecostal-type churches (especially among middle-class Caucasians) eventually seek the safety and stability of a biblically-sound church. These people are even willing to jettison the public charismatic manifestations of the Spirit in congregational assemblies for a more non-charismatic Evangelical church if they feel the Evangelical church has more to offer their growing family needs. Many get sick and tired of the overemphasis of the gifts in some charismatic churches without a corresponding emphasis on sound doctrine, leadership accountability, financial transparency, and proper biblical protocols.

4. The continued growth, development and acceptance of local church-based theological education

In June 2010 the Antioch School in Ames, Iowa (www.antiochschool.edu) became the first decentralized, local church-based theological program to gain accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. This breakthrough signaled a growing trend in which more pastors worldwide will attempt to educate their emerging leaders theologically within the context of their local churches instead of shipping their best and brightest leaders out to seminary or Bible school, an atmosphere bereft of local church covering or accountability and in which they are graded merely on academic intellectual prowess instead of other areas including character development and emotional intelligence, which manifests itself best in a community of faith with spiritual authority and biblical values.

5. There will be a continued and expanding controversy regarding the doctrine of universalism

The latest book by Pastor Rob Bell entitled Love Wins encapsulates the feeling among many Evangelicals who are grappling with the idea that God will send all unbelievers to hell for eternity. Many believe this is only a fundamentalist belief that is not taught by the early church fathers. (For example, the great church father Origen supposedly embraced “ultimate reconciliation” in which even the devil will ultimately be saved. This is something other scholars refute because Origen’s writings were discursive, ambiguous and confusing in many instances.)

This move towards universalism is being driven by:

1. Evangelicals who desire to take away the offense of the cross and avoid ridicule when they mingle with cultural leaders and attempt to go mainstream in their community and society.
2. The leakage of liberal theology into Christian colleges.
3. The lack of biblical knowledge and literacy among many pastors.
4. The lack of biblical worldview training and discipleship among church attendees.

6. Evangelicals hungry for cultural acceptance will embrace gay theology

As more Evangelicals come out of dysfunctional homes affected by divorce, abandonment and neglect, homosexuality will be harder to fight off among our young people.

In addition, homosexuality is now becoming more acceptable and imbedded in both American and international law and culture, seeping into our public schools, media, music and Hollywood and cultural icons. This is making our generations more and more desensitized toward homosexuality being looked at as taboo.

Making it worse, by and large Evangelical churches do not know how to minister to those struggling with this issue and often look the other way or even silently accept it—especially if it is practiced among those talented in their church choirs, music, and theatre.

Also, as more Evangelicals lose their center and become liberal, the Word of God will be reinterpreted as something that came through the lens of culture. Thus, some of the passages against homosexuality are being viewed as the result of the “homophobic patriarchal non-progressive” culture of biblical times that is not culturally or biblically relevant today.

Of course, homosexuality is one of the sins of the Bible that is always universally applicable because it goes against the Cultural Commission of Genesis 1:28. (One of our primary purposes as humans is to have children and multiply.)

7. More Evangelicals will coin the phrase “biblical worldview”

Although I am excited to hear more pastors using the phrase "biblical worldview" my excitement is beginning to wane because contemporary Evangelical pastors do not mean the same thing about this subject as someone like Abraham Kuyper, Francis Schaeffer, Charles Colson, Cornelius Van Til or others. (Read “The Stone Lectures” that Abraham Kuyper gave at Princeton University in 1898, Francis Schaeffer’s A Christian Manifesto, Charles Colson’s How Now Shall We Live?, and Nancy Pearcey’s Total Truth for a few examples of what having a biblical worldview used to mean.)

When I hear pastors and leaders describe what they mean by “biblical worldview” I find many are describing a general belief in the inspiration of Scripture and systematic doctrines of the faith. This is different because, although the former is true, “biblical worldview” has more to do with Christianity being a world and life view encompassing a lens in which to view every realm of life including economics, politics, law, justice, education, philosophy, history and so forth—not only spiritual things related to salvation and the church. The problem is, the more a term is used the more people fake that they understand it and the more the term is watered down.

8. The house church movement will continue to multiply in response to the superficial corporate life of larger, more institutional church models

From the writings of church history and the New Testament we believe the church of the first century mainly met in homes. (Because of persecution they could not meet in synagogues or build cathedrals until after the Edict of Milan was issued in AD 313.) The average size of these house congregations was no more than 50-70 people. Coincidently, this is the average size congregation of churches in North America today, even though our churches mostly meet in storefronts of old church buildings and not homes.

Many have found that megachurches do not meet their needs for community and connection and they long for something more authentic than something driven by large programs. Although I understand and appreciate this movement I also think it is not the size of a church that matters but the structure of a church. For example, you can have a megachurch of over 700,000 (like the church in Seoul, Korea led by David Yonggi Cho) which has a strong sense of community because it depends on small groups to drive it, not Sunday services.

In addition, house church leaders will have a hard time ever exerting any substantial community or cultural influence because today’s societal leaders (including both political and ecclesial) mainly give more respect to leaders of congregations larger than the typical house or storefront congregation. They also view house churches with suspicion as something self-ordained, not accountable and illegitimate.

9. Ecumenicism will become the norm as the culture wars heat up

When I first came to Christ it was taboo to speak about Evangelicals working closely with Roman Catholics and Anglicans. Now there is a growing movement of this type of collaborative work especially in the cultural wars regarding same-sex marriage, abortion and the general persecution of the church by media elites and some public officials. This only furthers the need for more cross-denominational partnerships.

Although I do not see a total unifying of the church anytime soon, I would not be surprised if in the next 100-200 years denominational distinctions are largely gone because of greater communication and partnerships that have been evolving over time.

(“Evangelicals and Catholics Together” initiated by Charles Colson and Richard John Neuhaus in 1994 and the ecumenical magazine “First Things” also initiated by Neuhaus are some profound examples of how the church is unifying. Also, as a result of Vatican II and the charismatic renewal movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s Rome has come closer to the Protestant Reformation ideals such as justification by faith, making the Bible available to the people, and presenting the mass in the vernacular of the people. The Catholics are also working more with conservative Protestants and Evangelicals fighting the culture wars, aiding the poor, and for social justice. Protestants are starting to prove their faith by their works (like the Catholics in some sense) and have begun to appreciate some of the contributions of the Catholics as well, although we are still very far apart in essentials such as celibacy among the priesthood, Mariology , prayers for the dead, purgatory, papal infallibility, and other important areas of disagreement.)

10. There will be stronger, more conservative Evangelical movements based on integrity, accountability and biblical discipleship to counter superficial, nominal American Evangelical and mainline Christianity

Finally, I see a growing hunger among young Evangelicals (and also a remnant of top leaders) for authentic, accountable relationships and community as we follow the way of Jesus and the apostles. This is a result of a greater passion to serve God and a reaction against the superficial, therapeutic “self-help” gospel taught among many popular pastors and leaders. It is also a reaction against the lack of integrity among many high profile Evangelical leaders who have been publicly humiliated in numerous scandals.

Many churches are also incorporating a greater level of serious discipleship in their Sunday preaching and programs (for example, Bill Hybels). Others are moving away from a seeker-sensitive, watered-down gospel approach in regards to their Sunday sermons. Many others are also embracing the spiritual disciplines of the early to medieval church as a means to give God space to transform us to Christ-likeness so we can walk in emotional health and maturity. (For more information on this subject read The Emotionally Healthy Church by Peter Scazzero; Invitation to Solitude and Silence and Sacred Rhythms, both by Ruth Haley Barton; Invitation to a Journey by M. Robert Mulholland; and all of the writings of Thomas Merton.)

11. More independent Evangelical/charismatic church members will embrace liturgical/historical church models and even mainline denominations

I have seen a growing trend among congregants and even pastors who are embracing a more historical, liturgical approach to ordination and how we do church as an attempt to connect and relate to the historic Christian faith. Some (like Francis Beckwith and Frank Schaeffer to name a few) have even gone back to either Catholicism or the Orthodox Church. Many independent Evangelicals are embracing the spiritual disciplines of the monastic movement from the early and Middle Age church. Some have even become charismatic Episcopalians or have joined the newly formed North American Anglican Communion.

This is a smaller trend than the growing development of complex apostolic networks. But it is still a movement since there will always be an extreme reaction among some who are leery of the independent, disconnected Evangelical church models that are islands unto themselves.

Furthermore, the more one studies history the more many of the differences that made us denominate become relativized when we see the common thread of Christian orthodoxy throughout the various denominational streams which have stuck to the essentials of the faith and not gone the way of compromise like the liberal Protestant denominations.

(For more on this trend read Return to Rome by Francis Beckwith; The Rebirth of Orthodoxy by Thomas Oden; Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail by Robert Webber; The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, general editor Thomas Oden; Worship Old & New by Robert E. Webber; Listening to the Past: The Place of Tradition in Theology by Stephen R. Holmes; Evangelical Is Not Enough: Worship of God in Liturgy and Sacrament by Thomas Howard; and Retrieving the Tradition & Renewing Evangelicalism: A Primer for Suspicious Protestants by D.H. Williams.)

12. It will become more normal for pastors, leaders and churches to embrace a holistic gospel approach as taught in the Cultural Commission of Genesis 1:28

More Evangelical pastors are embracing the holistic call to be salt and light to their communities (Matthew 5:13-16). They are aware that the gospel must be relevant by meeting the practical needs of our communities so that by word and deed we are proclaiming the gospel and being faithful witnesses of Jesus Christ to the world. Those churches that center themselves on good Sunday preaching and good choirs will become the new dinosaurs of the twenty-first century.

These holistic churches embrace the full import of Isaiah 61:1-4 which involves not only saving individual souls but restoring whole cities with the power of the gospel of the Kingdom of God. (For more on this subject, read my four books: Ruling in the Gates, Kingdom Revolution, Kingdom Awakening, and Walk in Generational Blessings.)

13. Hyper-dispensational theology is being jettisoned

When I first came to Christ in the 1970’s everyone was purchasing Hal Lindsey’s dispensational, best-selling books like The Late, Great Planet Earth. Most pastors were fixated on the last days, the rapture, the identity of the antichrist, and the battle of Armageddon. The only difference in theology/eschatology for most believers was whether a person was pre-, mid- or post-tribulation, not whether or not they espoused a dispensational view (which was assumed).

In the past three decades there has been a huge shift (especially in theological seminaries and colleges) among future Evangelical thinkers, theologians and pastors away from focusing on last days teachings regarding the rapture, the identity of the anti-Christ and the imminent return of Christ, and toward the primary call of the church to bring God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Most of the dispensational preaching today is coming from older, popular pastors. But the new crop of influential pastors under 40 reflect this emphasis toward a more classical pre-millennial view or a post-millennial or amillennial view of Scripture (prior to the mid-19th century the Evangelical church knew nothing about a pre-, mid- or post-tribulation). What all these views have in common is the call of the church to manifest the Kingdom of God on the earth in practical ways that impact communities instead of passively waiting for the rapture and splitting hairs over when God’s Kingdom will come. Most, like Charles Colson and others, do not publicly mention their views on eschatology as much as emphasizing our Cultural Commission towards societal transformation in every realm of life so the church can function as salt and light to the world.

Others, involved in what they call “reconstruction” emphasize the post-millennial theology of the Puritans who founded this nation. Still others do not know exactly what they believe; they just know it is important to attempt to transform their communities with the holistic approach of the gospel.

14. Higher criticism of the Bible and systematic theology will lose more prominence among scholars; views on biblical inerrancy will continue to regress

There is a growing trend among top biblical scholars in liberal circles to focus their research on determining the original intent and meaning of the authors of Scripture. They have basically agreed the Scriptures are the books that the people of God have received by faith and that no amount of argumentation as to their historicity or canonicity would be fruitful at this point, since it is impossible to either prove or disprove the Scriptures with the data we presently possess.

More conservative scholars (whom I agree with) believe there is enough extra-biblical source material to back up the historicity of the Scriptures (for example, writings in non-biblical books, archeological findings, the oral and written histories of the early church fathers, etc.).

Liberal scholars take a more reductionist approach from a starting point of skepticism in which they attempt to reconstruct the biblical story based on scientific empirical data that cannot be proven because of its basis in subjective conjecture (for example, the Jesus Seminar). Thus, more writings from liberal scholars dealing with the culture and history of biblical times are being used in conservative schools because this kind of research is extremely helpful!

Regarding how we approach theology: Systematic theology is losing steam because it usually only includes about 20-30 topics of the Bible, based on what each writer deems important.

Biblical theology is gaining more popularity because this discipline takes the approach of studying the Bible as it was written (instead of topically and thematically) which enables each subject or topic to unfold as we inductively study each book in both the New and Old Testaments, as God’s word originally intended. (This is in contrast to artificially lifting passages out of various books of the Bible and systematizing Scripture thematically.)

Regarding biblical inerrancy, we mean the conservative view that the scriptures in the original autographs were divinely inspired by God and without error. This view is constantly under attack and being constantly revisited and modified, especially in regards to those who have revolted against the rigid fundamentalist approach that they say has replaced the pope with the Bible, resulting in a sort of Biblicist idolatry.

Younger Evangelicals who want to be more culturally acceptable and open to the latest findings in science, and have been influenced by postmodernism, will have more of an open view of the scriptures. Although they believe the scriptures are inspired by God, they leave room for human error (not only in translation and transmission but in the original writings), do not take the Bible seriously in areas relating to anything outside of salvation and redemption (thus, they say it has scientific errors), and take more of a conceptual view of Scripture in which the basic narrative is true and inspired but we cannot believe that every word of the Bible is divinely inspired.

Thus, in summary, in their view the Bible not only has some elements of human error and mythology but it has to be taken in its historical-grammatical context which, in their minds, means that some views related to moral issues today are anachronistic (e.g. homosexuality and same-sex marriage) because the scriptural passages dealing with these so-called sins are merely reflections of the cultural times they were written, not universal applicable principles related to all believers in every age.

In this area, I would counter that the Ten Commandments and the moral law of God are rooted in the nature and character of God. Thus fornication and all sexual sin outside of traditional marriage are always wrong in the eyes of God because God’s nature never changes (Hebrews 13:8).

For two books by respectable evangelical leaders that give divergent views regarding Scripture, read Defending Inerrancy by Norman Geisler and William Roach, and The Gospel in a Pluralist Society by Lesslie Newbigin (especially chapter 8).

15. The Celtic model of evangelism will become more prominent

The prevalent model for spreading the gospel will be reversed. The traditional model is 1) presentation of the gospel, 2) people accepting Jesus as Lord, and 3) those people being embraced by the church community. This will be reversed toward the Celtic model, which is 1) embrace the community, 2) presenting the gospel within the community embrace, and 3) people receiving Christ as Lord and joining the church.

The church is going from church-centric to community-centric (kingdom-centric). This transition is resulting in the following:

1. It releases the saints to serve God by serving their communities
2. It is giving churches favor with God and man
3. The church’s main cause becomes the community
4. Churches are equipping people for life, not just church life
5. Churches will enhance their kingdom influence by working with community spheres of influence
6. Today’s influencers in the church will become tomorrow’s influencers in the community
7. Common grace issues become common ground for the church to connect with key community leaders and initiatives
8. Senior pastors become chaplains/statesmen to whole communities instead of only their own flocks
9. Churches become “cities on a hill” and the “light of the world”
10. Soul-winning that reflects the Daniel/Joseph model
11. Churches penetrating and transforming culture before emphasizing politics
12. Churches viewing their communities (or cities) as gifts to them, not only vice versa

16. More Evangelical scholars are embracing theistic evolution and denying the existence of Adam and Eve as the first parents of the human race

(Refer to the front page of the June 2011 edition of Christianity Today magazine, online at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/june/historicaladam.html)

• This is because Evangelical intellectuals want cultural affirmation, which comes by embracing mainstream science and the status quo.
• This leads to the question: Who should guide theology, Christians who are scientists or theologians? Ultimately these should not contradict but complement each other, but science does not always catch up to divine revelation. Today’s theory may be jettisoned in 10 years. Hence the church must be careful when allowing science to take the lead in biblical interpretation.
• The leading Evangelical group espousing this view is BioLogos, whose founder Francis Collins is a prominent scientist with much cultural clout with leading Evangelical scholars such as Tim Keller, N.T. Wright, Os Guinness, Peter Enns and Alister McGrath among others, who have been to BioLogos’ private gatherings and have all seemed to have come out in favor of some form of theistic evolution. (Tim Keller, who believes that the Genesis creation account is poetic and not to be taken literally, is trying to hold onto some form of belief in a historic Adam. Francis Collins and some others in the group do not hold to Adam and Eve as historical.)
• This will open a door to process theology which leads to culture dictating scriptural interpretation. This is because, according to process theology, even God is growing in the evolutionary process. This would lead to embracing gay theology, universalism and same-sex marriage.
• If there is no historical Adam then Jesus is not the Second Adam and there was no Fall since Adam was never the federal head of the human race. Hence, the gospel is not true and the book of Romans is not true.
• This leads to doubting the veracity of the scriptures.
• My friend historian Glenn Sunshine made the following comments to me the other day regarding this issue:
o “Darwinism—the idea that species arise as a result of natural selection operating in a framework of random mutations with no outside direction—is untenable for a theist. Either God is sovereign or He isn’t.
o Theistic evolution or evolutionary front loading might be possibilities, I suppose, but both presuppose God as an intelligent actor involved in the process. In other words, minimally we should support the idea of intelligent design.
o Given that evolutionists can’t even describe evolutionary development without resorting to the language of design, we need to push the point that it cannot be proven that the myriad of examples of apparent design do not represent actual design—that’s a philosophical precommitment on the part of the evolutionist, not a scientific argument. In fact, I would suggest that the overwhelming evidence of apparent design makes actual design overwhelmingly probable.
o Given that Darwinism can’t explain punctuated equilibrium, which is at the very least what the fossil record suggests and which is the most popular theory (I believe), I think we can make a good scientific argument for special creation of species.
o The theological sticking points are the Adam-Christ typology and the related problem of original sin. While there have been some interesting approaches to these, I don’t find any of them particularly convincing. Everyone agrees that Paul believed Adam was a historical figure and that informed his exegesis; if he was wrong, what does that mean for the typology? And what does that suggest about inspiration, that God inspired arguments that the human author thought were true but which were actually false? The exegetical problems look insurmountable to me.
o The same applies to Jesus’ references to Adam and Noah: was He ignorant or lying?”

17. Antinomianism (free grace) churches and preaching will continue to proliferate

There are more and more preachers putting down the institutional church and preaching against tithing, standards of holiness (which they call legalism), traditions of the church, the historic creeds, and even the Old Testament moral law as being a standard for today.

There is even now a TV channel devoted to grace that some say is unbalanced.

This is nothing new as the church throughout its history has dealt with various forms of antinomianism (which means that which is against law) and Gnosticism (in which the flesh or the material world isn’t important; that God only cares about spiritual things).

Many preachers have resorted to this because it is easier to add people to your congregation when there are little to no standards and all that is preached is the love and grace of God (versus Paul the apostle who preached the whole counsel of God; read Acts 20:27). Thus we have seen the church go from the positive thinking gospel in the 1970’s to the prosperity gospel in the 1980’s to the therapeutic gospel in the 1990’s and 2000’s; free grace preaching is a synthesis of all of the above . What is obviously missing in all of this is an emphasis on pure biblical preaching! Anyone can examine the New Testament to see that Jesus and the apostles not only preached the love of God but also the wrath of God against all ungodliness and deception (Matthew 5:27-30; Romans 1:18-32; Ephesians 5:1-7).

The Word of God warns us against this sort of thing in Jude 4, in which the grace of God is used as a license for sexual immorality and licentiousness. But Scripture teaches us that the grace of God has appeared to lead us into renouncing fleshly desires and to live godly lives (Titus 2:11-12).

18. There will be greater understanding of the role of the ekklesia

More and more pastors are preaching about the fact that the word Jesus used to describe His followers (Matthew 16:18) was the Greek word ekklesia. This was a political word, not a religious word. It was used to describe Greek citizens who came together to enact public policy; it also referred to the Roman Senate who were called the ekklesia when they assembled. (Read Acts 19:32,39 where the word assembly is the Greek word ekklesia, thus denoting a secular gathering as the church.) Thus, Jesus was calling His disciples to come together as rulers, to represent His kingdom and to announce His reign over every realm of the earth!

This will empower the church to become servant leaders in every realm of life and not just look for the next life or just lead in full-time church ministry. This will also release every serious Christian to being a minister of God in the marketplace, revolutionizing the way we view and do church! If the church gets this right and if the Body of Christ in general embraces this view in the same way both non-denominational and denominational churches have embraced the Charismatic Movement, then in one generation the nations of the world will be greatly impacted politically and economically with Christ-followers who use the Bible as their blueprint to disciple nations (Matthew 28:19).

This is not to say that the word ekklesia was only used in Scripture to signify a political mandate or gathering (that would be a stretch), but that it implied far more than just coming together on a Sunday to sing songs and hear preaching.

In summary, the church was to set up an ekklesia in each city which consisted of the fivefold ministry and elders. I believe an extension of the local church can include setting up ekklesias in each realm of society made up of committed and submitted disciples who are positioned to take the lead in the marketplace for the Kingdom of God.

19. There will be more pastors and scholars connecting the gospels to the epistles

In our present dialectical local church milieu that features more and more postmodern fragmentation, free grace preaching, and a revolt against all traditions and the local church, we will also find concurrent with these divergent movements a move back (especially in developing countries) towards a missiology with a strong ecclesiology (i.e. doing mission in and through the local church context). This is very important because in the past few centuries many parachurch organizations have espoused a mode of discipleship based on individual mentoring because of the method of Jesus with His disciples. However, they failed to realize that the methodology of Jesus and the gospels was not an end in of themselves; they were always looking ahead to the formation of the church. Thus, we should not separate the Jesus method of discipleship from involvement in a local congregation, as if Jesus operated in a vacuum or the epistles and the gospels were disconnected from one another in purpose and essence.

As a matter of fact, most of the gospels (possibly with the exception of Mark) were written after the epistles. Thus, the gospels were furnished primarily to give the local church historical context and development of the core gospel message, which they called the kerygma.

An understanding of this concept can revolutionize the way we evangelize and do missions, and will force many parachurch organizations to work with local church as part of its core missiological approach. Also, many marketplace and translocal leaders may jettison their views on the so-called “mobile church” concept (in which any group of 2-3 people meeting is viewed as a church), thus putting pressure on all of them as individuals to be submitted to spiritual authority that’s anchored in their home church.

(I don’t have a lot of hope of this happening as much in American parachurch ministries but more in the developing world where the gospel is exploding through the work of local church apostolic networks and movements.)

20. There will be a revival of united prayer amongst pastors in global urban cities

As the economies, policies and governments of the developed world continue to unravel because of secularism and unsustainable entitlement programs, resulting in more and more unemployment and despair in urban centers, I believe the Spirit of God will deal with the church to become the shining light in the midst of all this chaos.

This will result in a greater dependency on united, concerted prayer amongst pastors in every challenged city. If this prayer is combined with fasting, unity among leaders and churches, and sustained over the long haul, these prayer initiatives could result in some of the greatest moves of awakening and revival we have ever seen!

From my study of church history it seems the hearts of people are open the most when they are either under judgment or in the midst of societal and moral chaos—when people stop depending on their civil government for salvation and have become the most desperate for God to move! Thus, very rarely if ever do we see mass revival when nations and people groups are prosperous, living in ease and trusting their civil leaders more than they trust God.

Consequently (although I want to see a heaven-sent awakening that will turn the USA back to God), it may well be that God will allow further decay, unemployment, and chaos in our nation (even using the coming presidential elections to give us a “judgment president”) with the hope that the church will get desperate (because even the saints suffer when their cities suffer; read Jeremiah 29:7) and seek His face like never before!

21. We are entering more into the “Age of the Spirit”

This is a phrase reiterated by liberal theologian Harvey Cox (in his book The Future of Faith) in which he cites an obvious trend in the global church. He sees people of faith moving away from a dependence on defining Christianity merely with ritual, creeds and liturgy into more of a way of life based on a moving of the Holy Spirit that is uniting and inspiring the lives of believers everywhere. (In the Book of Acts believers were first defined as followers of the “life” or the “way” which denotes an organic way of life rather than adherence to form and ritual; read Acts 5:20, 9:2.)

Even in denominational churches the Charismatic Movement has brought millions into this move. This has caused the church hierarchy to cast a suspicious eye since it moves congregations away from depending on professional clerics to reach God and hear His voice; they can experience God for themselves through His Spirit.

Furthermore, everyone who knows what is happening in regards to the present explosive expansion of Christianity knows that global evangelism and church growth is being accomplished primarily by those who espouse a Pentecostal experience. Hence, many are predicting that the church is moving from the age of belief (defined by creeds, ritual and confessions) to an age of the Spirit (from an emphasis on creeds to deeds, from mere belief to faith, power and a life in the Spirit).

This trend also fits the first point of this paper because it corresponds to the rise of complex apostolic networks, which is being fueled by the global Pentecostal movement that is going back to the simpler first century church methodology based on the way of Jesus and the apostles.

In conclusion: These are just some of the trends in the Evangelical church that I have observed over the past several decades or foresee will happen in the near future. It is truly a seismic shift that we are all witnessing! The future direction of the church and the world will be decided by all of the above!

How to Frame a Nation with the Law of God

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:00:00 GMT

Following are the expanded notes from a speech Bishop Mattera made on August 7, 2011 to 150 political, business, and military leaders in the African nation of Rwanda, including the Speaker of Parliament.

First of all, I want to say that I am pleased to address you, the political and community leaders of Rwanda for the magnificent job you have been doing in rebuilding this great nation! Most in the United States have no idea how much progress you have made, the great attitude of your people and the motivation to move forward in spite of all the global challenges! I will be sure to pass the word around when I go back home to New York City!

Today I would like to speak to you about: “How to Frame a Nation with the Law of God.”

Regarding the separation of our faith from public policy, or the privatization of faith: This concept was foreign to the Founding Fathers of the United States where I come from and also to Scripture.

The original covenant of God to humankind was the Cultural Commission found in Genesis 1:28 in which God’s people were called to be servant leaders that would influence every square inch of the created order, including policy, economics and politics.

Jesus reaffirmed this cultural covenant in Matthew 28:18-20 when He told the church to disciple and baptize whole nations, teaching them to observe everything He taught them in private. This means Jesus viewed the Bible as a blueprint for nation building, not just a book to get individuals to heaven!

Furthermore, Jesus came to the earth to be King of kings. This is seen in His conversation with Pilate in John 18:37 and in His biblical titles and functions as found in Psalm 2:8-11, Rev. 1:5, 19:16. This has vast political implications because it means Jesus is not only the spiritual savior of the world but the political leader of the world as the President of presidents, Governor of governors and King of kings!

Furthermore, His followers have a duty of representing their King and kingdom on the earth to the political and economic powers that be!

He also called His followers a political term, “the ekklesia,” which was used during the 200 years before Christ coined it in Matthew 16:18. The term was used when Greek citizens came together to enact public policy.

We believe in the separation of church and state but not the separation of God and state!

When liberals in the West say morally cannot be legislated, I laugh. Whenever a law is passed the lawmakers are imposing someone’s morality on the people! It’s just a question of whose morality, God’s or mere humans’?

When laws derive from human conventions and opinions instead of from God’s law, then a nation is vulnerable to arbitrary fiat law based on the vicissitudes of men. This can lead to slavery or another legalized holocaust as we saw in World War II!

It is interesting that Adolf Hitler was an avid reader of famous eugenicist Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, who started the first abortion clinics in Harlem, New York City—the place where the most African-Americans were concentrated in the United States. Read some of the reasons why she wanted abortion clinics in black communities:

“The most merciful thing that a family does to one of its infant members is to kill it.”
-Margaret Sanger (editor). The Woman Rebel, Volume I, Number 1. Reprinted in Woman and the New Race. New York: Brentanos Publishers, 1922.

“Birth control must lead ultimately to a cleaner race.”
-Margaret Sanger. Woman, Morality, and Birth Control. New York: New York Publishing Company, 1922. Page 12.

“We should hire three or four colored ministers, preferably with social-service backgrounds, and with engaging personalities. The most successful educational approach to the Negro is through a religious appeal. We don't want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population. And the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members.”
-Margaret Sanger's December 19, 1939 letter to Dr. Clarence Gamble, 255 Adams Street, Milton, Massachusetts. Original source: Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, North Hampton, Massachusetts.

Unfortunately, she and her organization, Planned Parenthood, have been largely successful in the United States. The latest statistics show us that for every 1,000 African-American children born, 1,500 are aborted! Thus, the death rate is higher than the birth rate for blacks in the USA. Many in our nation are calling this legalized genocide!

Regarding the fact that true laws come from God: The Book of James 4:12 unequivocally states that there is only one law-giver and judge: God! Since the Protestant Reformation, especially since John Calvin, the wealthiest nations in the world have come out of a Protestant ethos based on biblical law, which essentially teaches that every political leader is only legitimate if he or she correctly represents God to the people. It was for this reason that Samuel Rutherford of England was executed in the 17th century when he wrote the book Lex Rex which debunked the notion of the divine right of kings.

So what part of the Bible do we use to disciple a nation?

The Place of Civil Law in Regards to Discipling the Nations

1. Civil law is an extrapolation of the Ten Commandments, and the Ten Commandments are an extrapolation of the Great Commandments found in Matthew 22:37-39.

2. An example of this extrapolation of the Ten Commandments is Exodus 20-23, in which the Ten Commandments are shown in chapter 20, with chapters 21-23 unpacking them principally in civil law.

Studying the civil law is important to formulate an economic and political blueprint for those called of God to enter the marketplace as leaders.

The historic reformed view is to apply the civil law of the Pentateuch (especially Exodus and Deuteronomy) principally.

(The civil law is composed of thee 613 laws in the Old Testament that explain the application of each of the Ten Commandments. This shows us that each of the Ten Commandments is really a category with vast implications for any nation. These civil laws can be applied in principle but not exactly because some of these laws were particular to the nation of Israel and the culture of their day. But the moral laws, as I already stated, are always relevant and applicable because they are grounded in the created order and are universal. Thus every political leader or jurist should study both the moral and civil law in order to know in concept how to structure a nation.

3. The general rule regarding the law is that it is broken into three parts:

a. Ceremonial law (especially found in Leviticus). This was totally done away with in Christ because He as the Lamb of God fulfilled all the shadow and types of ceremonial law (John 1:29; Hebrews chapters 9-10; Galatians chapters 3-5).

b. Moral law: Is still in effect in the New Covenant. For example, the Fifth Commandment is quoted exactly in Ephesians 6:1-4.

c. The civil law: Is to be applied in principle as a blueprint to guide the construct of a civil government. The New Testament modified the civil law, especially in regards to capital punishment for most sins except murder. For example, Paul never espouses the death penalty for adulterers, homosexuals, etc. although he tells us in Ephesians 5:3-6 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the offenders. Also, 1 Corinthians 6:11 shows that former adulterers and homosexuals were saved and forgiven without Paul speaking of the capital consequences of the death penalty.

4. Those that believe we ought to follow the civil law exactly in the New Testament are called theonomists. Although I highly regard most scholars with this view, my reasons for disagreeing with them are too numerous for this brief speech.

Thus, the Ten Commandments are still in effect and relevant to all cultures and all societies at all times as we shall see in a moment.

So, to summarize the Bible, we have the Cultural Commission found in Genesis 1:28 and Matthew 28:18-20 that give all Christ-followers the mandate to steward every aspect of the earth. Then you have the Ten Commandments with its subsequent civil laws that are meant to be the guiding light for nation building. Then you have Jesus’ two sentence summary of the law in Matthew 22:37-40. Then you have all of this summed up in one person, Jesus, who said of Himself: “I am the way, the truth and the life, nobody can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

The following is an explanation of the Ten Commandments and how following them will bring prosperity and well-being to a nation!

The Blueprint for Biblical Economics and the Transfer of Wealth: The Ten Commandments and Biblical Prosperity

I. The Prologue: Exodus 20:1-2

1. Before the commandments were given, God reminds His people that He had to take them out of the bondage of slavery before He could give them the commandments.

2. We then conclude that this demonstrates that God connects the ability to own private property, economics, and individual freedom with true worship. (Furthermore, the Hebrew word for work and worship are one and the same. Also, holiness doesn't just describe the inward condition of a person but any thing or activity set apart for the work and honor of Jehovah.)

3. This prologue also shows us that slavery and economic bondage limit the worship of God because the biblical definition of worship is ultimately connected to God's seed serving and positively influencing every realm of the earth.

a. The so-called Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6 and Luke 11 clearly connects worship ("hallowed be Your name”) with God's kingdom coming on earth as it is in heaven.

b. If the dispensational pietists are correct and God is only interested with inward holiness, then why didn't God just tell the Israelite slaves to sing songs and practice the joy of the Lord while making bricks for Pharaoh?

c. Also, the Ten Commandments weren’t just given as a moral code for individuals but as a corporate blueprint for national shalom, prosperity, and for transferring the resources of the earth to those that will biblically manage the planet.

II. The Ten Commandments

1. “You shall have no other gods before me.”

a. This teaches that the nation and its citizens must base their religious, social, and economic systems only on the precepts and worship of the One True God. Essentially, we can’t force every person in a nation to worship God but a nation should favor the Judeo/Christian worldview in it laws if it is to prosper (as the USA did its first 150 years of existence), while at the same time granting religious freedom to individuals in regards to their style of worship as long as it doesn’t conflict with the biblical values the nation espouses.

b. Thus the first four commandments have to do with our vertical responsibility to God. The best we can do is favor the Christian religion in our culture and laws without forcing it on people, because our nations are not theocracies like Israel was.

c. I will quickly summarize the next three commandments and then we want to jump to the last six commandments which are categories of how the people of a nation should relate to one another horizontally.

d. These first four commandments also refer to the fact that a nation must always be grounded to the cause, root, and foundation of the universe; focus and loyalty must always be to Him!

e. Matthew 6:33 brings more light to this. We should never put our business or the love of money before our pursuit and loyalty to God. Thus, while we believe in the meritocracy of the free market, believers must see themselves as stewards of the earth under God to spread His covenant (Deuteronomy 8:18). This is fleshed out in part by loving our neighbors as we love ourselves, which means we are motivated to create wealth to minister to the poor and empower people to replicate our gifts as wealth creators. (Putting God first thus means we are not putting money or capitalism first.)

2. “You shall not have a graven image of anything in heaven and on earth.”

a. This not only refers to worshipping man-made idols but is a command to always accurately reflect the nature, holiness, and purpose of God as His image-bearers (Genesis 1:26-27).

b. It is very troubling to me when I see how quickly believers who believe for prosperity go to court and sue other believers, not reflecting the clear will of God found in 1 Corinthians 6:1. While in church on Sunday they tithe and claim a blessing, and on Monday they are in court suing another believer or operating their business with the worldly competitive cutthroat mentality so they can have more money to continue living a self-centered life that doesn't represent God's ways.

3. “You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain.”

a. This means that as believers we are to honor who and what His name represents and also to use His name in faith, believing His promises as His hierarchy to exercise dominion on the earth.

4. “Honor the Sabbath day to keep it holy.”

a. Believing business owners should not require their workers to work seven days a week.

b. The Sabbath does not only mean one day in seven but the law extrapolates the Fourth Commandment to mean taking time off with families to worship God during religious feasts (Deuteronomy 16:1-17) and taking a sabbatical once every seven years, etc. (Leviticus 25:20-22; Exodus 23:12). Christian business owners are guilty of breaking the Fourth Commandment if they don't give their employees adequate time off for vacation and worship.

c. The Sabbath is a sign between Him and us that ultimately He does the work. Taking time off to rest shows you have faith in him to prosper you.

5. “Honor your father and mother so that it will be well with you on the earth.”

This teaches us that state governments should respect families as one of the jurisdictions on the earth. Thus they should not impinge upon families by weakening the family unit with legalizing same-sex marriage, over-taxation, death taxes, and the like. Families are responsible for their children more than the state unless their children are unruly and are arrested. The more responsible and powerful the family unit, the less people in a nation are incarcerated and the less taxes are needed to support individuals from fragmented homes who don’t know how to take care of themselves. (For example, 85% of the five million men incarcerated in the USA have an absent father or come from a broken home! The curse of the land is fatherlessness!)

a. This has to do with respecting and building upon the foundation of your forefathers and parents.

b. In regards to economics and wealth, if children obey the Lord and honor their parents, then their parents will trust their wealth to their offspring.

c. This commandment is the basis of Proverbs 13:22 and flies in the face of the death/inheritance tax that liberals have instituted, because they want to transfer wealth (dominion) from the jurisdiction of the family to the state. After all, whoever has the wealth has dominion. (In biblical times wealth was based more on family property and job skills than the currency exchange based on money). God always equates dominion with owning land (e.g. Joshua 1:3; the point of the Israelite Exodus out of Egypt was to give Israel their own property and thus freedom to worship the Lord).

d. Children who didn’t honor their parents were disinherited and in cases of severe rebellion were put to death. (In biblical times, capital punishment was given for this because a child’s rebellion isolates and separates them from the generational blessing preceding them. Thus they start with nothing and are on their own; independence is the same as a death sentence in the eyes of a covenantal God. Read Deuteronomy 21:18-21.)

e. The story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 clearly shows that what motivated the backslidden son to repent and go home to his family was economics. His economic ability was connected to his father’s wealth. If this happened today, the prodigal son would have bypassed his family and went to the local welfare office for state aid.

f. In biblical times, wealth was not only in land but in the amount of children you had (read Psalm 127:3-5). There was no welfare system like we have today; families were responsible for taking care of their own family members in need. In the case of old age, a person’s children would carry on the family business and maintain the property, and the aged would live off this arrangement.

g. In modern times, because of the fracturing of the nuclear family, the state has now come to the rescue (after helping to destroy marriage with welfare entitlements) and the sense of wealth being equated with having children has been reversed. Now people say they can’t have children because they can’t afford it!

h. The present fractured family structure along with the secular messianic state caring for the poor and the aged (with social security) has contributed to the demise of the traditional family. Now many parents are in conspiracy to kill off their offspring (abortion) for convenience, thus cutting off potential financial supporters in the future. Because of the lack of generational planning and respect for traditional families, many don’t even care for their parents properly and have pawned off the care of the aged to state-funded nursing homes and entitlements.

i. Secular humanists like Margaret Sanger and Thomas Dewey have successfully changed the paradigm of the American people to a one-generational self-centered society dependent on a messianic state that is in competition with the God of the Bible.

6. “You shall not murder.”

a. The command not to kill really means not to murder (killing in a just war and in capital punishment was sanctioned by both the Old and New Testaments). Romans 13:4 shows capital punishment was carried over into the New Testament and was entrusted to civil magistrates.

b. Legalized abortion breaks this commandment and is the new genocide of African-Americans. This is so serious some say American blacks are threatened with extinction within 50-100 years in the United States.

c. Africa should learn from the United States and Western Europe and not cave in to pressure from the IMF, the World Bank, the United States, or the United Nations to have legalized abortion!

7. “You shall not commit adultery.”

Adultery is a category that includes all sexual relations outside traditional marriage between one man and one woman. Read Leviticus 18 for the extrapolation of this law. Rwanda should not cave in to the West in regards to legalizing same-sex marriage.

Same-sex marriage has resulted in Catholic Charities closing down in Massachusetts. Many individuals working for the civil government in New York State have been fired for not wanting to participate in same-sex marriage. Many individuals in the six states of the USA where same-sex marriage is legal are being sued if they refuse to do business with a same-sex marriage couple (like a photographer or someone who makes wedding dresses). Thus individual Christians and non-church institutions are not exempt even if the churches are!

Also, in the Nordic nations same-sex marriage has watered down marriage so much that most people choose not to marry anymore!

Same-sex marriage normalizes an abnormal arrangement in which two people come together in a union and raise children in a home without either a mother or a father!

a. A husband or wife who commits adultery divides a family, causes a divorce, and causes shipwreck with the inheritance and generational wealth potential they could pass down.

b. Adultery is not wrong because God doesn’t want us to enjoy pleasure; it is sin because it divides the loyalties between spouses and destroys the spiritual, emotional, and financial well-being of families for generations to come.

c. Much of the cycle of poverty can be traced to adultery, divorce, cohabitation without marriage, etc. Numerous studies have shown that children of one man and one woman committed to each other in marriage have the best chance for economic, emotional, and spiritual stability in their lives. (Read “Do Mothers and Fathers Matter?” at the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy’s website: http://www.marriagedebate.com/pdf/MothersFathersMatter.pdf)

8. “You shall not steal.”

This commandment is a slap in the face to Marxists who don’t believe in private property!

a. The present progressive tax structure is legalized theft. First Samuel 8:10-18 teaches that any civil government, religious or secular, that extracts 10% or more in taxes or tithes is in competition with God as to who will be the provider and king.

b. In regards to those who own private businesses: When owners pay people less than what has been agreed upon (cheating them) or less than their skill demands and what they are worth, and they (the business owner or company) has the money to do so, then they are breaking this commandment.

c. When we don’t celebrate with and affirm what people are worth in regards to our words and actions, we are also undervaluing them and stealing from them their dignity and diminishing their calling.

9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

a. Some say this means not to lie, but this really has to do with bringing false accusations against another in a court of law. Of course, those engaged in this kind of activity attempt to manipulate power and the system to receive benefits they don’t deserve, whether it is suing for money, land or property. Following this commandment is essential for the prosperity and harmony of a nation or people group. We can see today how many doctors are going out of business because of all the malpractice lawsuits; also, car and homeowners insurance is going through the roof in large part because of false claims. This litigious American culture is a sure sign that we as a nation have forsaken the Ten Commandments.

b. Essentially, nations should make a person who sues pay all the legal expenses of both parties if they lose their case. This would greatly limit the number of people who break this commandment!

10. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.”

a. A prosperous nation or people must base their values on justice and equity.

b. This present liberal economic system is based on egalitarianism, not justice.

c. Egalitarianism is a system in which the state attempts to even the playing field by granting to people things they haven’t worked for with the following socialistic policies:

i. Affirmative action, in which a person is given entry into school or given a job because of the color of their skin, ethnicity, or gender instead of being qualified for it. Affirmative action is reverse racism because it has the potential to stop a person from being accepted into a university because someone else less qualified has a different skin color.

ii. The progressive tax structure that forcibly takes from those who make the most money in order to fund entitlement programs for the poor. In essence, a rich person is penalized for making more money than a poor person because they have to give more money percentage-wise to the state.

iii. The biblical model is a flat tax in which rich and poor both pay the same amount (either the 3% poll tax in the Old Testament or the 10% tithe).

iv. Although believers are commanded to voluntarily care for the poor, the Bible expressly commands us not to favor either the poor or the rich in regards to civil matters (Exodus 23:3, 6; Leviticus 19:15).

v. The underpinning for these egalitarian policies is covetous people who penalize success and reward failure. Even Jesus taught in Matthew 25:29 that God gives to those who have and takes away from those who have not. Instead of taking away from the rich, God often gives to those who are rich because they are usually the only ones who understand how to steward wealth. For example, a poor person that wins one million dollars in the lottery has a good chance of still being poor once the money runs out.

d. When covetousness is integrated into a society it creates class warfare, division, and poverty. When success is celebrated it creates more wealth and more jobs for those less skilled. The story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 shows that it takes a wealthy person to adequately serve the poor. (A poor person couldn’t have possibly afforded to lend a stranger an extra donkey, pay for a person to stay in an inn for a week, and pay for their medical needs.)

Eight Reasons Why Pastors Fall

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 23:48:00 GMT

(Some of the ideas in this article I received from my friend Linda Lindquist-Bishop during an email exchange.)

#1: Churches are becoming complex enterprises which pastors are not equipped to lead.
The typical seminary training one receives to be a pastor usually only slightly touches on the practical things needed to oversee a church in the twenty-first century. Learning theology and how to exegete Scripture is not enough. Pastors have perhaps the toughest job in the nation.

The following are some of the issues contemporary pastors grapple with:
1. Real Estate: Pastors must deal with zoning laws, political leaders, community boards, banks, business and community leaders.

Many churches of 1,000 or more are larger than the average church often because of location, so much of the megachurch phenomenon is based on sociological/geographical reasons, not just anointing, gifting and how much prayer takes place.

Like the McDonalds franchise, one of the most important keys to success is not the quality of a ministry but its location. As in other words, are there ample options for parking and/or is the facility near public transportation; is the facility visible to the masses of people, etc.?

Thus pastors need to have skill in picking out the right location.

2. New Facility Needs: Pastors must hire the right architect, lawyer, etc. and undergo a grueling capital stewardship campaign. These campaigns are enough to destroy many churches because the pressure of fundraising can easily become the focus, instead of ministering to the needs of the people.

3. Cash Flow Questions: Pastors must know when to expand their programs and facilities by debt financing (bank loans, etc.) or building by cash and/or consolidate assets and focus internally for growth.

4. Networking: Today’s urban pastor must have access to political leaders and key community leaders in order to successfully tap into all the resources available to fund the programs needed to meet the vast needs people have, especially in an urban context.

5. Business/Administration: Most pastors are good preachers but I have noticed that many of the most successful churches are those run by leaders with a business background. This is why I tell all those training for the ministry to get at least an associates degree in business finance.

Just having anointed services on Sunday cannot build a successful church. You must have continual vision casting, strategic planning with 3-5 year goals, implementation and administration of the vision, leadership development, discipleship training, team building, selecting and funding the proper gift mix for your staff, and much more.

6. Learning How to Relate the Gospel to Your Audience
Many preachers are answering questions their audience is not asking.

Pastors need to have the skill and the information to know the demographic make-up of their community, and know how to connect to their communities. Connection is based on the age, ethnicity, economic, and religious context of a community.

Pastors need to constantly monitor the sociological trends in their communities so they can raise up the leadership necessary to relate to the people that will be the dominant groups in their communities.

For example, because of gentrification a community like Harlem may be mostly Caucasian by the year 2015. African-American pastors in this community need to know how to adjust their outreach to their community or even consider opening up satellite churches or ministries to reach those presently in their church who may move to the suburbs. Thus pastors need to skillfully exegete their communities, not just the Scriptures.

7. Leadership Development
How does the church effectively process new believers from babes to responsible mature members?

How does the church effectively mentor potential leaders who have 10 hour workdays with 2-3 hour daily commutes to and from work? Usually those with the potential to lead already have responsible positions at their jobs. Thus they are already spent and weary before they come to church and minister.

8. Pastors must answer the question: Are we going to be a program-based church or are we going to depend on empowering lay leadership for shepherding (the cell church model).

9. Board Development Issues
Pastors have to answer the question: What is the biblical model of local church government? Or, what model of church government will we follow?

“Who should I select to be on the church’s Board of Trustees?” This changes based on the maturity of your leadership, type of church government, the age of your church, the history of your church, and if the pastor is the founder or entering into an already developed board.

#2: The Lack of a Safe Place to Run Toward

1. Most Pastors Lack True Accountability
Organizational accountability in most denominations does not ensure true accountability based on vulnerable, transparent relationships. Many will not go to those over them or peers within their own denominations for fear they will be stigmatized and will not be able to move up in the organization.

2. All pastors need other pastors over them as mentors and peer relationships with others they can trust in transparent relationships for self-renewal. John Wesley said “The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion. Christianity is a religion of fellowship.”

3. Most pastors feel isolated and alone even in the midst of their congregation.

4. Many pastors are comfortable in the pulpit because they hide behind their anointing and their ministry giftings but are socially dysfunctional, never allowing anyone to really know them or relate to them for a real emotional connection. Even when they are with other pastors, the bulk of their conversations are regarding ministry and not about personal issues like marriage, the state of their inner lives, etc.

#3: Tension between Spiritual Leader Role and Organizational Leader Role

Many pastors do not know how to distinguish their roles as pastor/shepherd and the leader of the organization in which they have to hire and fire based on maintaining a spirit of excellence in business. There is great stress in knowing when and how to fire staff that may be faithful members in the church they are shepherding.

They need skill (training) as to both the business and spiritual aspects of the church.

Another problem is that many pastors do not know how to balance their time between administration and spiritual preparation, and are spending 40 hours per week in administration. Acts 6:4 teaches us administration is primarily the work of the deaconate while a large percentage of pastors are neglecting time studying and praying in the presence of God. This results in pastors burning out because the needs of the people are pulling on their grace gifting to come forth but they are not able to give it because their spiritual tank is empty.

#4: Compassion Fatigue

Many pastors are so used to just giving and giving that they do not know how and when to receive. Sometimes I have come to places where I was working so hard for so long that I actually felt guilty when I had some time off for rest; I literally did not know how to rest. On many vacations I needed at least three days before my mind and emotions caught up to my body in that I was able to mentally adjust to taking time off!

God has placed sacred rhythms in our lives so that there would be regular times of refreshing and renewal.

God calls the Sabbath “a sign between us and Him.” What is the sign? That He is God and that our church or work will not fall apart when we take time off because He is the one building the church (Matthew 16:18-19)!

Life is not a marathon but a series of 100 meter dashes. We need to continually take time to rest and regroup before we go out to run the race again. Because I am filled with so much vision I often hate the fact that my body gets tired and needs 6-8 hours of sleep per night. But then I realize that God did this on purpose, not to rest my body but primarily to rest my mind and emotions so that I can start each morning with a fresh perspective.

Most pastors can trace burn out to not regularly replenishing their souls with rest, prayer, reading, fellowship, exercise, and caring for their emotional lives. We can renew ourselves by doing things that we enjoy; it does not always have to be prayer, study, or a spiritual or religious discipline. It could be viewing art, playing a sport, being with one’s spouse, having a social life, or simply having a hobby that you enjoy.

#5: Many Pastors Do Not Know How to Build a Dream Team, and have people operating outside of their gift mix

Accurately placing people based on their giftings is one of the most important things in terms of releasing a pastor from some of their responsibilities in the ministry. God has called our churches to function as apostolic centers wherein all the ministry gifts of Ephesians 4:11 can function so the work of the ministry or the oversight of the church is not dependant on any one person.

Every pastor should have the Antioch church as their model, in which the church was shepherded by a diverse multiplicity of ministries (read Acts 13:1). This can prevent the church overseer from reaching ministerial burnout because he/she will have the ability to balance their time between work, family, private renewal, and relaxation.

Every dream team is made up of at least four kinds of leaders:
1. Visionary or directional leader: The one who motivates the church and casts macro vision.
2. Strategic leader: The person who lays out the strategic plan on how to implement the vision.
3. The team builder: The people person who spends time among the sheep and builds the morale of the office staff or ministry team.
4. The operational leader: The one who loves to create systems and leave paper trails for proper protocol to operate in the church.

Notes regarding each kind of leader:
Macro leaders, like directional leaders, become impatient when bogged down dealing with high maintenance problem people. This is a job for the pastors and/or team builders. Macro leaders are wired to spend their time with those who contribute to the big picture and bring them the biggest return from their very busy schedule.

Strategic leaders are perfectionists who have a hard time making deadlines and pulling the trigger on important decisions.

The team builders that are given heavy administration will be frustrated. Unlike the operational leaders they hate paper work!

Asking operational leaders, strategic leaders, and team builders to cast vision will only hinder the church and frustrate these three leaders. This is a job only the directional leader can do correctly.

One time a senior pastor that I was overseeing asked me to mediate a problem between him and one of his staff pastors. I had to tell him after we spoke for half an hour that this staff person was misplaced. The senior pastor was trying to get this (team building) leader to be an administrator, and the result was both pastors were frustrated and almost parted ways.

For more on this concept read A Fish Out of Water: 9 Strategies Effective Leaders Use to Help You Get Back into the Flow by George Barna.

#6: Competition Among Churches (or among pastors)

Unfortunately many leaders are driven and not led by the Spirit. They are driven by their need to feel significant based on the growth and success of other churches in their community or region. This is a serious issue among some pastors and causes much self-induced stress and feelings of inadequacy, depression, and insecurity.

When a leader endeavors to grow a church numerically without commensurate church health it is a sure sign that the leader is driven more by ego and/or insecurity than the pure desire of obeying their God-given assignment. Because of this competitive spirit some pastors secretly celebrate when a fellow pastor is struggling, and secretly become discouraged when a church in their community prospers and grows more than theirs. This is a sure sign of unhealthy competition.

One reason for this is because pastors become confused when a church in their community is blessed and their church does not grow as fast. This causes them to wonder what they are doing wrong and what the other pastor is doing right. This is driven by insecurity. Paul teaches leaders not to compare themselves with others. See 2 Corinthians 10:12.

When pastors understand that the kingdom of God is greater than their local church, then competitive feelings will begin to dissipate.

#7: Lack of Personal Vision/Life Plan

Many leaders are personally lost even though they have a great vision for their church. They are not sure who they are, what their assignment is, and even how to lead based on their strengths. Thus it is possible to attempt to lead a congregation and even cast vision without even being sure of your specific assignment from the Lord! There are even people who pastor a church only because they do not know any other way to make a living; they are really evangelists, teachers, prophets or marketplace leaders trying to function in the mold of a pastor even though they do not have a nurturing bone in their body!

#8: Many Leaders Don’t Know How to Lead

Some depend on positional leadership based on their titles rather than functional leadership. I was shocked years ago when I realized that not all pastors are leaders. Someone with little or no mantle of leadership trying to lead a congregation will eventuate in people going in their own direction looking for the real leader in their midst.

I agree with George Barna (as stated in his book A Fish Out of Water) when he says that there are habitual leaders (born leaders) who are so gifted that leadership comes naturally to them; they simply intuit leadership.

I also agree with John Maxwell who says that we can grow as leaders by asking people to mentor us and by taking the time to study on leadership.

God has called each leader to know and articulate their own mission statement.

Solutions

1. Pastors need to find peer communities with compatible vision where they will find a safe haven to receive from and aid them in fulfilling their vision. Denominational presbytery meetings do not necessarily meet this need.

2. Pastors need one or more other pastors who will coach them, hold them accountable, and speak to the needs of their emotional and inner lives.

3. Pastors need to erect boundaries and firewalls around them and their families so that their personal lives and families will have time to replenish and be renewed.

4. Pastors need to take care of their physical bodies with regular exercise, solicitude and silence, rest, and proper diet.

5. Pastors need to take regular times of rest and/or sabbaticals.
-1 year for every 7 years in ministry
-1 day for ever 7 days
-3 days away for prayer and reflection every 3 months

6. Pastors need to pay attention to their emotional needs, not just their spiritual lives.

7. Pastors need to take care of their intellectual lives.
Some pastors should go back to school. The majority of pastors in many regions have less than a bachelor’s degree, thus most lack serious well-ordered learning. Pastors should prioritize regular times for study to develop their intellect and regular times for devotional reading. Just reading to preach is work and will wear you out and not necessarily draw you closer to God.

8. Pastors need to bring their spouses along in all facets of self-renewal and ministry so that there is unity and compatibility of vision in their marriages.

Recommended Resources:
Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation by Ruth Haley Barton
Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God's Transforming Presence by Ruth Haley Barton
The Emotionally Healthy Church by Peter Scazzero
A Fish Out of Water: 9 Strategies Effective Leaders Use to Help You Get Back into the Flow by George Barna