Leadership Thought: Why Can't You Christians Get Along?

Dear Friends, 

Christians don't always agree with one another, but they still must learn to love one another.

Paul and Peter had their practical and theological differences. 

Paul writes. "When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. but when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy so that by their hypocrisy, even Barnabas was led astray.” (Galatians 1:11-13).

Paul has an issue with the actions of Peter, but they still remained brothers in the faith.

Peter writes about the importance of not letting differences divide us.

"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” (1 Peter 1:22-23).

It really bothers me when I hear pastors criticize one another over minor theological points, or the way they lead their churches.

It is sad when people leave the church because they can't get along with one another, and they remain unwilling to work through their relational or theological differences.

In today's politically charged environment, personal friendships have been severed over differing political views. 

We live in a contentious time, and as believers we need to do everything we can to preserve the spirit of unity within the body. We must never allow our personal differences to fracture our friendships and our fellowship.

The greatest witness to the unbelieving world in that first century church was their unity of those believers, in spite of their many differences, they maintained an amazing spirit of unity, so amazing that those on the outside remarked, "See how they love one another."

Remember that old Christian song we used to sing, “They will know we are Christians by our Love, by our love; Yes, they will know we are Christians by our love." 

We need that kind of love today if we have any chance of convincing the unbelieving world that Christianity makes a difference in how we live and love.

There's an old Jewish legend that tells the story of the place where the temple in Jerusalem was built. 

There were two brothers who loved each other and who had adjoining farms. The farms yielded great crops of wheat. The difference between the two brothers was that one was a bachelor, without a wife and children. The other was married and had many children. 

At the harvest time, when the crops were in, the bachelor brother looked out over his lands, and he said to himself, "the harvest has been plentiful." Then he thought of his brother. "My brother has many mouths to feed.  My brother has more needs than I do." So, he bundled up his wheat and began to carry it to his brother's farm. 

Meanwhile, the other brother looked down across his lands and to himself, "My harvest has been plentiful."  And then his mind turned to his brother. He said, "My brother is a bachelor. My brother yearns for children, and he'll never see those children. My brother has nobody to comfort him in his sorrows and to help him in his hurts.

And so, his brother, too, bound up his wheat and made for his brother's farm. And at the place where these two brothers crossed paths, the Temple of God was built, for heaven was closest to earth at that spot.

Robert Southwell said, "Not where I breathe, but where I love, I live."

Good words for Christians to learn and live by in a contentious and unbelieving world who longs to  know, "Does the Christian faith really make a difference in the way one lives?"

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: Take My Hand (A Devotional by Pastor Greg Laurie)

Dear Friends

In the 1800s in London, a little boy wanted to hear the great American evangelist D. L. Moody, who had come to town to preach. This little street urchin made his way across the entire city of London, risking his very life, with no food or proper shoes. After a long journey, he finally came to the great church where Moody was scheduled to speak.

 As he made his way up to the door, an old usher scowled at him and asked, “What are you doing, young man?”

The boy said, “I am going to go hear the great evangelist D. L. Moody.”

“Not looking like that! You are filthy. Go away!”

The little boy was crushed. He was sitting on the steps, crying, when a black carriage pulled up in front of the church. Out of it stepped a large man. He saw the sad little boy on the steps and asked, “Young man, what is wrong?”

The boy answered, “I came here to hear the great preacher D. L. Moody, but they won’t let me in the church.”

“Is that so?” the big man said. “You just put your hand in my hand, and I will see what I can do to help you.”

The little boy put his dirty little hand into the man’s big, clean hand. The man led him right down the middle aisle, past the usher who wouldn’t let him in, to the front row. The big guy sat him in a front-row seat. Then the man stepped up to the pulpit. That man was, of course, D. L. Moody. That young boy couldn’t get in on his own, but when he held Moody’s hand, he walked through the front door.

So, it is with us, because of Jesus. We are filthy in sin. In Psalm 51:5, David wrote, “For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me” (NLT).

Isaiah 53:6 says, “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all” (NLT). The apostle Paul wrote, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23 NLT). Because of our sinfulness, we have no hope of entering Heaven on our own.

Our only hope is Jesus, who takes our dirty hand in His clean one and leads us to a front-row seat in God’s presence. As Paul puts it in the next two verses of Romans 3: “Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood” (verses 24–25 NLT).

The frustrating reality for many people trying to establish themselves today is also the glorious reality of salvation: It all depends on who you know.

Leadership Thought: Leaders Need Encouragement for It Can Be Lonely at the Top

Dear Friends.

A while ago, I spoke with a couple of friends who asked what they could do to encourage their pastor.

We often assume that those at the top don't need encouragement, but pastors and others in leadership positions need and appreciate it every bit as much as anyone else.  Unfortunately, they don’t always receive it.

Leaders can often be caught in the crosshairs of criticism, becoming easy targets for angry people.

Several years ago, I was watching a PBS television presentation in which the curator of the Library of Congress revealed the contents found in the wallet of Abraham Lincoln on the night he was assassinated. 

Included among the items found in President Lincoln's wallet were a handkerchief, embroidered with the words A. Lincoln, a pen knife, a spectacle's case, a five dollar Confederate bill, and a torn newspaper clipping of an article of a speech given by John Bright, a historian, in which he had referred to Abraham Lincoln, as "one of the greatest men of all times."

Lincoln must have cherished those affirming words as he dealt with the hatred and criticism of those who opposed him and his leadership during the Civil War.

If anyone knew loneliness and needed encouragement, it was President Lincoln. If anyone needed someone to come alongside him with a handshake, a hug, or an encouraging word, it was the President. If anyone needed to know that there were people who loved him, cared about him, and deeply appreciated the sacrifice he was making as president amidst such tumultuous times, it was President Lincoln.

Yes, it can be lonely at the top, and Lincoln knew it, and so does every other person who holds a position of leadership. Leaders often pay a price for being at the top, and it's called loneliness. 

The Apostle Paul knew loneliness. He writes to Timothy, "Everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me" (Timothy, 1:15).

And who can forget the anguished cry of separation screamed out on the cross by our Savior: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

 A. W. Tozer has written, "Most of the world's great souls have been lonely," and as a Jewish proverb declares, "Loneliness, eats into the soul." Quotations for the Christian World, Edith Draper, p. 390. 

That said, what can we do about it? We can encourage those who are our leaders. We can write letters of encouragement in which we tell them that we are praying for them, as we are reminded to do in 1Timothy 2:2.

There are many ways to express our encouragement to those in leadership positions, and if we are intentional about encouraging them, the Spirit of God will show us how to do it. 

As my meeting with those friends drew to a close, I remembered a message told at a pastor's funeral. 

 After many glowing tributes were given by those in the congregation, one pastor stood up and said, "If only your pastor could have heard those encouraging words today, for if he had, he might still be alive, for your pastor died of a broken heart."

 And then the pastor concluded by saying, "More pastors die from broken hearts than swelled heads."

Is there a leader, you know, whose heart might be encouraged by your kind expression of appreciation?

It is said that encouragement is” oxygen to the soul,” and we can’t live very long without it.

I would encourage you to take some time today to dispense some oxygen to a leader you know who might desperately need it.

Yours in faith,

Tom

Leadership Thought: What Is the Right Way to Worship God?

Dear Friends

Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals. Psalm 150:1-6

Your worship looks a little different from the Psalmist's description of his worship.

I remember the time when a couple of members of a Vineyard Fellowship joined us for worship. The Vineyard churches place a strong emphasis on freedom during their services. If you attended a Vineyard church, you might see several different forms and expressions of worship, and one of the forms you might see is people dancing during the service.

Now you might be comfortable with people raising their hands in worship, but dancing- that’s where I would draw the line.

One Sunday, I watched a couple dancing during our praise and worship time, dancing in front of their chairs. With their hands lifted high, they expressed the joy in their hearts. It was a different way of worshipping than I was accustomed to, but for them, their form of worship was a real and natural way of expressing their love for Jesus.

As I watched them, my mind drifted back to my first worship experience while on a mission trip to Haiti, where I witnessed the freedom and exuberance of the Haitian people as they worshipped God.

There is no formula for true worship, any more than there is one way to pray. Praying and worshipping are matters of the heart, and as such, they will be expressed in different ways by different people.

Let us never be like the man who sat next to a friend of mine in worship. During one of the praise songs, my friend asked the man if he minded him raising his hands during his singing.

“Yes, I do,” the man replied.  Now that might have been the last time my friend ever worshipped in that church, but he was gracious and respectful, and he honored the man’s wishes.

The word worship comes from a Greek word meaning to turn and kiss. When you turn to kiss your wife, you don’t follow a ten-step formula for kissing her; you just kiss her as your heart moves you to do. There is no set way or right procedure; you just let your feelings dictate your expression, and you don’t worry about how or where you do it.

There is no set way for worshipping God. Some might raise their hands, and some might keep them in their pockets. Some sit quietly, and some get up, waving worship flags as they dance throughout the sanctuary. Now, I don’t know if your church is quite ready for dancing and flag-waving, but for some churches, this is how people express their worship.

When David brought the ark of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom into the city of David, he did so with great joy, and we read, “David danced before the Lord with all his might, and he was girded with a linen ephod” (short for boxer trunks). David danced as trumpets played and people shouted forth their praise. And we are told that when Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked out and saw David dancing in his boxers as he leaped and danced before the Lord, “she despised him in her heart.” (2 Samuel 6:16)

Now, somewhere during that service, we too might have drawn the line, but David didn’t care. He was so excited, so filled with a heart of worship, that he didn’t worry about what people might say or think.

However, we worship, may it be an enthusiastic and uninhibited expression of our love for Jesus, always remembering with A.W. Tozer, who said, “worship means to feel in the heart.”

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: The Divine Domino Effect

Dear Friends,

Tom Harper oversees Biblical Leadership, a teaching ministry for those engaged in church work.  This is a wonderful teaching tool for those seeking to increase and develop their leadership abilities.

Tom’s message yesterday was very convicting, and I hope it will be for you as well.

Tom writes, In the summer of 2001, I embarked on my first-ever short-term mission trip. We went to Cuba, where my faith was stretched. God's character and his ways overwhelmed me.

A few months later, I decided to try to read the Bible all the way through. During this spiritual journey, our second child was born. Soon after, I tried my hand at teaching in church.

These events were like dominoes falling. Each clinked against the next like a schoolchild nudging his neighbor with a whisper "It's your turn."

I recently found a journal entry from 2004, right after I'd finished my three-year initial traipse through the Old Testament. It hits me squarely these decades later:

"As I'm beginning the New Testament, something just occurred to me. If I think there is so much wisdom, truth, knowledge and power in this Bible, if I believe it speaks to every area of life, if I believe it can cut to the heart of a man and save him, and if this book is the only one written by God himself—then why am I not studying it more deeply and seeking to become more intimately familiar with it, with all my heart and mind?"

I'm still hungry to learn and grow. Are you? No matter how many dominos have toppled in our wake, we have more to learn, new places to go.

Let's embrace the Word with full faith that it can change us. That it can strengthen us for whatever God has planned next.

In growth mode,

(See below to sign up for his free bi- weekly ministry resources).

Tom Harper
Founder, BiblicalLeadership.com

Leadership Thought: Wake up!!!! And Get Out of Bed!!!

Dear Friends.

One of my good friends, Dan Herrman, is a hospice chaplain, and periodically he is responsible for providing a reflection for those on his hospice team. Last week, he shared the message below that I am passing along to you as I thought it was an excellent Leadership Thought to share with each of you today. 

Have a wonderful weekend,

Tom

Reflection:   Wake Up!!!  And Get Out of Bed!!!  

Good morning!!!  I pray your day is off to a good start.

Last reflection I shared with you “Don’t Turn off the Movie!!!”

Today I share with you WAKE UP!!!  GET OUT OF BED!!!

And I mean that literally, and figuratively and metaphorically.

Yes.  WAKE UP AND GET OUT OF BED!!!!

I know what we do is not easy.  It’s not fun.  And sometimes we feel lousy, sometimes we are exhausted, sometimes we are sad and maybe even depressed.  If I didn’t have something worthwhile to do, something important to do, I think I might never get out of bed.  The good news is, we all have something very important to do.  As Chaplain Mario says, “It’s not what we got to do, but what we get to do”.

So how do we get going when we don’t feel like getting going.  We are all looking for the magic pill.  And here it is.

THANK YOU, GOD!  THANK YOU, LORD!  THANK YOU, LORD!

Try it.  It always works.  Repeat it several times.  What may come up first is the thought that you had the sense to say thank you.

Or try this.  Lord, I am not ok today.  Lord, I have no energy.  I can’t do it. PLEASE HELP ME!  Whoever told you that you are supposed to do life on your own, in your own power, was lying to you.  God’s great promise to each and every one of us is “I will never leave you or forsake you.”  He is always ready to help us.  And you know what, it gives Him great joy when we ask Him for help.  It’s not an imposition.  So wake up and get out of bed.  Be thankful for what you have, and for what you don’t have.  And never, ever forget to ask for help.

I pray today that you have joy as you navigate through today’s tasks and challenges.  I pray that you have the wisdom to realize that you can’t do life in your own power.  I pray that you remember that your God is always with you, always ready to help you.

AMEN AND AMEN!!!

Leadership Thought: It’s Time for Our Political Leaders to Start Leading

Dear Friends,

Yesterday I was amazed to watch a congressional hearing where politicians on both sides of the aisle spent most all their time tearing down one another. There was little effort to listen or try to understand one another's position.  It was the “I gotcha" game at its best.

The goal of each speaker was to attack his/her opponent, often by demeaning and embarrassing them. No one wanted to solve a problem or try to understand one another. No one wanted to listen to what their opponent had to say. The obvious goal of the discussion was for each person to win his argument by tearing down the other person.

Sadly, nothing is ever accomplished and there are never any winners in a game like that. Shame on our politicians for being what John Maxwell calls "low road' leaders.

In his new book High Road Leadership, John describes the need today for a different kind of leader, a "high road” leader 

"We desperately need high road leaders today who are more concerned about solving problems than winning  arguments.”......"No matter what the circumstances, if we want to be good leaders, we must come to the table, sit in the middle without choosing a side, listen to others, and work to bring people together..... If we can't work with people who disagree with you, you will never become the leader you could be."

How does one become a” high road” leader? John says, “By treating others better than they treat you, and with consistency and without judgmentalism… High road leaders don’t focus on the chasm between people, they focus on connection.”

Sounds a lot like the teaching of Jesus who taught his followers to heed His example by loving one another as He loved us- sacrificially, unconditionally, and through actions rather than just feelings.

And yes, Jesus instructed his followers “to love their enemies,  and to do good to those who hate them, and pray for those who mistreat them” (Luke 6:27-28).

Maybe our leaders need to open their bibles and take note of the words of the greatest ‘High Road’ leader who ever lived.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

P.S. "Hate has caused a lot of problems in the world but has not solved one yet." Maya Angelou.