Leadership in Context

When we have promoted someone to a leadership position, we can think that we are all on the same page and we see that we have giftings that complement each other, but we often fail to talk about and define the values of the team. Identify those values, clearly define them, and communicate them to every member of the team. Show notes (posted every Tuesday) can be found HERE . 

A common mistake that is made when building a team is putting it on hold and waiting for better people to come along. Start with what you have. Be methodical. Be intentional. Draw out a strategy. Begin to bring people together. Create a pot for that flower to bloom. It has to be organic, but even things that are organic have a biological structure to it—make sure you supply that. Show notes (poste...

Generosity is a virtue that is greatly esteemed—even in our culture today, in its current moral tailspin. Our forefathers gave tremendous wealth to the revolutionary cause. That was generosity. Our spiritual forefathers gave everything they could to the establishing of churches, hospitals, and learning institutions. That was generosity. Generosity is esteemed in every culture. One of the ways we g...

God looks at us as a sower. We may look at our needs and feel we don’t have an abundance related to certain things, but when it comes to giving, we always have an abundance because giving is seed. One little seed. We may discount that amount, but God never wants us to discount our obedience. God exalts those acts of obedience, even if they are seemingly small. Show notes (posted every Tuesday) can...

If God has called you to leadership, He has called you to a higher standard. A critical standard of leadership is not just how someone handles responsibility, it’s how they handle privilege. James tells us that we should not want to be teachers (leaders), knowing that we will receive a greater condemnation, not a greater commendation. Show notes (posted every Tuesday) can be found HERE . 

It’s the equality of the commitment, not the abundance of gifts, that really makes a difference. Our level of commitment should be greater than our level of gifting. We don’t have to be as gifted as the next person; we just have to be completely committed to do what we can do. God is looking for spiritual distributors who will do something with what they have. Show notes (posted every Tuesday) can...

Scripture tells us that God will not judge us according to what we don’t have, but according to what we do have. It is easy for us to look at our life and see all that we do not have, but God looks at our lives and He sees an inventory list. He sees everything you do have. What has God given you? Show notes (posted every Tuesday) can be found HERE . 

God gives us seed for the sowing, not seed to consume. Giving is a spiritual standard. We can measure our heart by our giving. God so loved the world that He GAVE. Giving is not just an idea; it’s a commitment and it’s a response. Show notes (posted every Tuesday) can be found HERE . 

Giving is a grace. We should be excited about it. If you are not excited about giving or talking about giving, it’s because you are lacking grace. The church should be an example to the world of God’s economy. Show notes (posted every Tuesday) can be found HERE . 

Often in leadership, we are depending on sheer force to get something done rather than the edge of the blade being sharp. I remember one time, watching someone cut down a tree. I joked that he was trying to burn the tree down. His saw blade was so dull that you could literally smell the little tree burning. He spent a lot of time trying to cut down a small tree with a dull blade. There is a life l...

A common frustration I have found among younger people is the lack of response from those who are leading them. When leading people, it is imperative that we have good response practices. Get back to people. When you contact people, make sure it’s a good time for them to talk before you blast into conversation. Double-check your messages and emails, and make sure nothing has slipped through the cr...

Vision is critical. The more you understand it, the more you’ll want to learn about it. Four vision truths: Vision is not necessarily a sign that you have it all together. Having an orderly life is critical to retaining vision. Vision must be maintained with focus. Vision must be clarified. Show notes (posted every Tuesday) can be found HERE . 

There are things we cannot back down on because they carry the whole spirit and integrity of the Gospel. God is the exact and specific Creator. Man cannot save himself. God is the only just law giver. All authority is delegated authority. Show notes (posted every Tuesday) can be found HERE . 

We do not want to make decisions in a vacuum or decisions that appear to be made in a vacuum. Being a decisive leader is a defining mark of leadership. Knowing what you don’t know, seeking input and wisdom, being teachable, listening to the Holy Spirit, processing with someone outside yourself—that is the mark of a mature leader. Show notes (posted every Tuesday) can be found HERE . 

When you make a decision, you are stewarding the time, talent, and treasure that has been entrusted to you. If we are good stewards and walk humbly before the Lord, God will enable us to escape from our defeats and triumph in our victories in decision making. Show notes (posted every Tuesday) can be found HERE . 

God wants people with fruitful lives that know how to make decisions. When you make a decision, you are cutting off the escape hatches of the other places you could go. Our decisions won’t make or break us, but our decisions will mark us. Show notes (posted every Tuesday) can be found HERE . 

God has anointed all of us to lead in some respect, in some capacity, in some sphere. The most distinctive sign of a leader is decisiveness. Being a leader, however, does not mean that every decision made will be the right decision. To be effective at leading, we must be decisive and not fear the consequences of a bad decision. Don’t let the paralysis of analysis cause you to not move forward. Sho...

There is a difference between Truth and fact. Facts are accurate, but subject to change. Truth is eternal. God invests in us and gives us the stewardship of preaching, teaching, and living that which is eternal. That is a very important understanding to have when discussing the issue of civil disobedience. If we are going to violate the standards of civil government by trying to remain true to God...

We do not lose our civil rights when we stand behind the pulpit. We have the liberty, the authority, the responsibility to speak about anything to anyone, as long as we believe it is related to the gospel. Show notes (posted every Tuesday) can be found HERE . 

We pay so much attention to the environment of worship that we tend to forget the content of worship. Worship should have a good environment (crisp sound, excellent in every way), but you can do all of that and still not have the right content in worship. We need to sing about the exploits of God. Sing about the gospel. Sing about the message. Sing the Word of God. Show notes (posted every Tuesday...

Worship should be bragging on God. And yet, so many of the songs focus on me. How I feel. What I think. What I want God to do. Scripture tells us again and again to sing praises to God. Our songs are to be adoration towards Him, not focused on us. We should be spending our time together in worship boasting on our God. In turn, we will find ourselves edified and encouraged. Show notes (posted every...

God revealed His character to us through His writings, the history, the prophets, and the law of the Old Testament. If we are going to preach the benefits and the abundance of grace—which we absolutely must, we also must preach responsibility of the hearer in the call to obedience and the consequences of disobedience. Grace is not divine slack. Grace is God’s divine empowerment. God is consistent...

Today Keith continues the discussion of Hebrews. The writer of Hebrews had several opportunities to discount the law—to tell the readers that the law no longer applies to them, that it doesn’t count anymore. But instead, he affirms  the law, showing that Abraham, Moses, and Jesus all preached the same thing. The book of Hebrews affirms the Old Testament. Show notes (posted every Tuesday) can be fo...

Keith begins a series of conversations where he models a practical approach to applying the Word of God. He looks at the book of Hebrews in light of some of the arguments coming out of the hyper-grace movement. Jesus came to fulfill the law, not abolish the law. The book of Hebrews helps us understand what part of the sacrificial and ceremonial law was fulfilled by Christ and that the moral law, t...

29 times (8 of them in the Old Testament) the Bible tells us to love God and obey His commandments. In other words, we love God according to His commandments. Do you think God wanted to be loved differently in the Old Testament than He wants to be loved now? Of course not! God is the same. When we unhitch ourselves from the Old Testament, we begin to declare that God has changed. Once we believe t...