Leadership can be an incubator for corruption.  Positions of power test the most trusted, proven leader.

But we know that corruption is never a big deal, at least not at first.  Instead, it begins in the small, unseen places.  More specifically, it begins with a distorted view of ourselves.  Often a leader looks for his identity in the dangerous places of approval, power, and even entitlement.

In Paul’s opening sentence to the Romans, he identified himself in three ways that every leader or influencer should embrace with all our might.  These three attitudes reveal that after many years of successful ministry Paul still had a realistic, yet confident, view of himself that positioned him for lasting Kingdom impact.

The goals of others are more important than our own.

Paul called himself a “bond slave.”  That is a person who gives himself to the needs and interests of others with a practical disregard for his own personal priorities.  As much as we in ministry use this word, we practice it far too seldom.  Many of our followers are unconvinced we believe in them more than we believe in ourselves.  As much as they may love us and appreciate our efforts, they have stopped expecting this approach from us.

The servant-leader is becoming an endangered species and is being gradually replaced with the savior-leader.  This is the leader who believes he alone possesses the abilities, answers, and authority to captain the ship.  This leader-centered approach feeds our egos, discounts the insights of others, and releases team members from the responsibility to partner in the process.   And it is one small beginning to big time corruption.

The calling of God is a privilege to fulfill not a right to impose.

Paul said he was “called as an apostle.”  He still knew that God had invited him into this amazing Gospel enterprise.  Godly leaders never lose their sense of awe as an invited guest into the holy place of church leadership.  Never is it a simple vocation.  Never is it a mere profession.  Vocations and professions are driven by rights, policies, and org charts.  Structure is important, but if we are not careful spiritual leadership quickly turns into a position rather than a privilege.

The call of God is not merely a sanctified term we use to validate our job.  It is a reality for every credible leader.  We are not in service because God needs us to help Him out of a tight, or because our skill set meets the needs on the job description.  We are objects of God’s gracious initiative, which He took to demonstrate His glory.  Corruption will surely grow from a heart that believes anything else.

The appointment of God precisely positions us for greatest Gospel influence.

The term “set apart” refers to a specific assignment for a specific purpose.  God does not issue a generic call to ministry.  He has set each one apart for a very specific purpose to serve in a specific place at a specific time.  God was providential to raise up Esther for “such a time as this” (Esther 4:14).  He was providential to orchestrate Zaccheus’ encounter with the Lord Jesus.  And He is still providential in our appointment to service.

God’s providential activity does not call us to passivity, but it does call us to humble dependence on Him.  Paul’s downwardly mobile ministry assignments landed him in a dungeon prison.  And while he was captive, the Gospel was unleashed through him beyond all boundaries.

Grabbing for new rungs on the leadership ladder has caused many leaders to lose their grip and fall in a corrupt pursuit of more.  Man plans his way, but God directs His steps (Proverbs 16:9).

Corruption is never a big deal at first.  But whenever we normalize a distorted view of ourselves, high cost corruption is sure to follow.

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When it comes to sermons, how long is too long?  Some would say that depends on the skill of the preacher, or the appetite of the congregation.  Others would say it depends on the strength of the content.  Still others would say that no sermon in our day should last over ______ minutes.  You fill in the blank.  Personally, I just listened to an incredible 58-minute sermon from a prominent pastor.

But recently I read through what has been called the Minor Prophets and rediscovered there is nothing minor about these sermons from men of God who courageously preached the Word of God.  Historically, they are called “minor” because of their length.  Compared to Isaiah or Jeremiah, they are relatively short.

They may be short, but these transcribed sermons are not cute sound bites.  Instead they are pointed and powerful words that are just as relevant today as they were the day they were first delivered.  Here are four big lessons from my recent journey:

God is clear.

We can hear Micah’s volume rise, “Hear, O peoples, all of you; listen, O earth and all it contains…”—Micah 1:2a.  The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is not hiding from us and does not speak in code.  He has given us His Word and it is sufficient.  He is so clear that He said, “…And what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God”—Micah 6:8.  God knows we need clarity.  So He gives it exactly where we need it.

God is unique.

“But the Lord is in His holy temple.  Let all the earth be silent before Him”—Habakkuk 2:20.  The holiness of God inspires awe among the peoples.  There is no one like Him.  He is not an idol to be handled by men.  Instead, He evokes speechlessness among those who revere Him.  This is one attribute of God marginalized by many modern evangelicals, but one that God will not allow us to forget for very long.

God is gracious.

When I think of the Old Testament prophets, I don’t naturally think of grace.  But that’s my fault.  These men cried out to an obstinate people to repent and partake in the grace of God.  God’s heart for Nineveh is clear in the book of Jonah.  He pleaded with His own people, “Return to Me, declares the Lord of hosts, that I may return to you, says the Lord of hosts”—Zechariah 1:3.  God is a God of second-chances, and He waits for us and then provides for our repentance.

God is just.

I’ve heard Tom Nelson, pastor of Denton Bible Church, say, “God is good, but He is not senile.”  In other words, God does not let evil go unchecked.  “And I will punish men who are stagnant in spirit, who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good or evil!’”—Zephaniah 1:12b.  If you’ve ever wondered if unjust men ever get their due, take heart.  God is not finished.  “Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts; and I will lift up your skirts over your face, and show to the nations your nakedness and to the kingdoms your disgrace”—Nahum 2:5.  Wow!  High-fives everywhere.  God crushes evil.

If you need a short sermon, the Minor Prophets may be just for you.  But beware.  Our sovereign God speaks in all His glory with might and mercy for a people who would not only hear Him and appreciate Him, but who would surrender to Him.

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Narcissism.  Vanity.  Conceit.  Arrogance.  Pride.  Those are familiar attitudes for most of us.  But before God does anything significant through us, He leads us through a process to kill the notion that our glory is any priority to Him at all.

No Average Joe Series

It had been over 20 years since Joseph had seen his brothers.  Despite the dream of his family bowing down to him, Joseph had no reason to expect to ever see his father or brothers again.  But widespread famine changed all of that.

Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?  And he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us from that place, so that we may live and not die—Genesis 42:1-2.

So as the story goes, ten of Joseph’s eleven brothers traveled to Egypt to buy food, and soon bowed down to their brother who was in charge of selling all the available grain.  And although Joseph recognized them, they had no clue who he was.

One might think Joseph would have celebrated this unexpected turn of events.  Seriously, after all of these years, his dream came true.  His brothers were on their faces in front of him.   This was the gotcha moment he had waited for.

Sure, if this had happened 20 years ago, Joseph would have done a victory dance on the heads of his brothers.  But God spent many years and orchestrated an entire cast of characters in a complex drama to do something very important in Joseph.

So if your dream is delayed, here are some things God may want you to know:

The dream was never about you.

God promised Jacob several years earlier that nations would come from him (Genesis 35:11).  But at this point, they faced famine and extinction.  God’s plan was to preserve a people who would usher in the Messiah.  But for now they needed food to survive, and Joseph was in a place to provide for their future.  Whatever dream God has given you, it’s always about something bigger than you.

The dream must die first.

Jacob’s dream for his son Joseph died many years before.  Joseph’s dream was a distant memory.  It seems that before God promotes us to the front of His purposes, He must kill the pride of our hearts.  And He often does that by delaying or even killing the dream.  Joseph let it go.  So must we.

The dream will surprise you.

In killing our dream, God preserves us for a special work.  Although there is pride in our hearts that must be removed, God never breaks us beyond His grace.  While the dream seemed lost, God was with Joseph, empowered him, and elevated him to a position of usefulness.  So when Joseph saw his brothers bowing to him, he knew God was up to something bigger and better than he ever imagined before.

The dream challenges you first.

Joseph disguised himself.  After all these years, Joseph still needed more time.  I don’t know why, but I suspect he had some self-examination to do.  Perhaps he was overwhelmed with gratitude for the grace and mercy of God.  Whatever was going on, God challenged him.  When God resurrects the dream, He will test our character.

Joseph’s dream was not about Joseph at all.  It was ultimately about giving good news to the captives. It was about the glory of God displayed in foreign places.  It was about preserving a people for God’s own possession.  And God will do whatever necessary to refine and redefine our God-given dreams for that same end.

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As I write this, I’m sitting on an empty exit row on one of Deltas 319s at 30,000 feet above the planet flying home from an overseas mission project.  I’ve made journeys like this one at least annually since 1997; and everytime I go, God does a new work in me that far exceeds any work He does through me.

So why are these projects so important to me, and why should they be important to every Jesus-follower?  Very simply, short-term projects are more than trips.  We take trips to the beach.  We make a trip to the store.  The nations wait, but trips will never change the world.  Here’s why:

The nations are Jesus’ focus.

Jesus knew we were bent to be homebodies.  He knew we would not naturally think of people we did not know or understand.  He knew we would instinctively gravitate toward the familiar.  So voila, the Great Commission where Jesus clearly called our disciple-making to be global in its focus, reaching beyond national borders, ethnic boundaries, or language barriers.

The nations wait from home.

As we plan a mission project, we recruit believers who want to make a difference.  And so we get our shots, buy our hand-sanitizer, and secure our passport.  After months of preparation, we board an airplane and arrive on the foreign mission field.

But as foreign as it may be to us, that city, that neighborhood, that village is someone else’s home.  Most of the people I meet around the world are working hard to simply feed their families, maybe educate their kids, and make it through one more day.  Not only do they live in profound poverty and in many cases, isolation, but their hearts are spiritually darkened to the gospel and the effects of lostness are real. This is no trip for them.

And when we walk away, buy our souvenirs, and check our luggage for the homebound flight, the sun will set on them again.  But perhaps this sunset will be different than any other because the light of the gospel has come and penetrated darkness and Jesus has transformed hearts forever.  That’s not a trip.  That’s a gospel movement.

The nations awaken our consciences.

Everytime I take people with me to far away places, we are all overwhelmed by the spiritual and physical despair of the nations.  God has favored America, and that favor helps us carry the gospel around the world.

But the comforts and ideology of the West often sear our consciences and dampen our compassion for people who are beyond us.  So when we break out of our familiar environments, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the vast need of others.  We see the faces, we smell the poverty, we hear the stories, we touch the pain, and then God produces in us a love for others we have never known before.  Trips don’t do that.

The nations simplify our lives.

The call of God, the mission of the church, the mandate for the every-day Jesus-follower has grown a bit complicated over the last 2000 years.  We attend conferences, we read blogs, and we develop ways to brand slogans and statements that will motivate people to follow Jesus.  And hopefully God uses some of these efforts.

But it just seems that simply obeying Jesus makes everything better.  In only a few words, Jesus defined the scope of our life’s work in Matthew 28 giving us a clear mission to make disciples of every people group on the planet.  As much as we attempt to baptize our activities and justify our behavior, much of our lives are consumed with priorities that are way outside of that mission.

So a disciple-making project to distant places reminds us of the everyday mission to develop growing, multiplying followers of Jesus in our own homes, neighborhoods, and cities.  And if it doesn’t cause us to reevaluate our priorities and recalibrate our lives to join God’s global work, it was just another trip.

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As Mitt Romney pursues the Republican nomination for President, Americans are challenged to think more deeply about the realities of the Mormon faith.  And the public conversation is heating up as evangelical leaders like Robert Jeffress and Albert Mohler weigh in.

How are we to think about Mormonism?  And how should a candidate’s worldview inform our vote?  Here are five considerations that may help:

Avoid any attempt to distort a person’s faith.

Mormonism, like other religions, has extreme sects that do not represent the mainstream.  Simply explore and evaluate the fundamental tenants of Mormonism without camping on various exaggerations of that faith tradition.

Recognize that Mormonism is not historical, biblical Christianity.

Mormonism holds to a distinct worldview, embraces a different source of authority, and views the nature and need of man, and the person and work of Jesus Christ very differently than biblical Christianity.  Any attempt to call Mormonism a Christian faith is intellectually dishonest.  Mormonism, like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam, is a false religion.

Identify the clear distinctives of various faith traditions.

As our culture marches toward secularism, there is a magnetic pull toward pluralism—the view that all religions are equally valid.  Not only is that view unfortunate and inaccurate, but it discounts the thoughtful (even if misguided) devotion of followers.  A Mormon, for example, is committed to his faith for important reasons.  And out of respect for his devotion, we should discover how the tenants of his personal faith shape his worldview.

Frame the discussion of Mormonism for the public square.

In his daily briefing, Al Mohler reminds us that committed evangelicals may use and understand terms such as “cult” very differently than secularists or people outside of our faith.  We understand the terms, but when we enter the public square we should frame the discussion and explain the terms in a way that will effectively communicate and engage a wider audience.

Allow the best candidate to earn your vote.

For 200 years, Americans have had the privilege of voting for our President.  Many of those candidates affirmed in some degree a Judeo-Christian faith.  Yet not all of them have promoted a culture of life or protected the sacred institution of marriage.  At the end of the day, Christians are called to engage in the political process and select the candidate for public office who will advance an agenda most consistent with our biblical values.  As long as humans are the only ones on the ballot, that selection will never be ideal.  But as long as we have freedom, it’s vital that Christians make that choice.

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Whoever you are, you are not enough.  Whatever skills you have, they are not enough.  Whatever your personality, education, or natural abilities may be, they are not enough.  We never accomplish the purposes of God alone.

With a little help from Jethro, Moses figured that out (See Exodus 18).  Nehemiah knew it.  Even Jesus invited other people to share His ministry.

But for us to share ministry, we must shift our thinking in at least 5 ways.  Here they are:

We shift from authority to empowerment.

Who’s in charge is important, but it’s not the best question.  Instead the leader asks, “How can I empower people to accomplish the mission?”  Egos are put to death and team members are given permission to do what they were made to do.

We shift from delegation to responsibility.

We are comfortable giving people a little rope to accomplish tasks we don’t want to do.  But sharing ministry means we allow other people to share the responsibility—to own their job by doing it their way.  J. Oswald Sanders suggests that conceit is the biggest barrier to this shift in thinking.  Our way is not the only way to accomplish the mission.

We shift from centralization to liberation.

Sharing ministry means that we liberate our people.  We refuse to be the gateway for every decision.  We train, we communicate, we invest, we disciple and then we release our people to lead.

We shift from informing to involving.

Leaders are great at making announcements, and we mistakenly think communicating data or even ideas creates buy in from our people.  But shared ministry engages others in a collaborative process that creates better decisions than we could produce alone.  And those better decisions produce genuine enthusiasm for the mission.

We shift from suspicion to trust.

Isolated and insecure leaders communicate distrust in others.  This lone ranger approach keeps people at a distance and rarely permits constructive input.  Sharing ministry, however, invites team members to speak into our lives and creates an environment of mutual trust and respect.

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We have all asked that question.  Maybe you don’t have a lot of education.  Perhaps you live in the middle of nowhere.  Perhaps you have a big-time failure in your history.  Or maybe no one ever believed in you.

No Average Joe Series

Joseph must have asked that question dozens of times as he was sold as slave, falsely accused of a crime, and eventually forgotten in a dungeon prison.  For many years, Joseph had every reason to wonder, “Can God use me?”

But then we read,

So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried out to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, you shall do”—Genesis 41:55.

After all the dreams, disappointments, and detours, Joseph’s moment had come.  When the people cried out, Pharaoh trusted him to meet the need.

If you wonder if God can ever use you:

Watch the time.

When the seven years of plenty…came to an end (Genesis 41:53).  This is 20 years after his brothers sold Joseph to slave traders!  But at this moment, Egypt was hungry and Joseph had food.  We may think God is delayed, but His timing gives us opportunities we can never manufacture.

Think ahead.

Egypt experienced the famine Joseph had predicted.  When everyone else was living large during seven years of plenty, Joseph worked a plan to store up grain for the future.  It was no one else job to think like that.  It was his, and for seven years he prepared himself.  God just seems to use people who are prepared more than He uses anyone else.

Die first.

Joseph became the provider for a nation.  He was literally the go-to guy.  But for 13 years before that he was dead.  He was dead to his father, to his brothers, to Potipher, and to the butler and baker.  Jesus said, “…unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit”—John 12:24.  Being used by God will cost you, so just die now…die to your selfish ambition, die to your personal opinions, die to your need to be right.  Fruitfulness is always fatal.

Expect more.

Joseph stored grain for Egypt, but ultimately people from all over the world came for help.  His influence and impact was greater than he ever imagined.  Can God use you?  That’s a very small question for the God of the universe.  Our personal experiences, failures, and situation never limit God.  We can always expect Him to do more.

Joseph points us to Jesus who was rejected, died, was buried and yet rose from the grave to rescue us from certain death.  Jesus is our Provison.  And when we are “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20), and when we abide in Him (John 15), He bears fruit in us and uses us beyond our biggest dreams.

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Some are family.  Some are friends.  Some are people in whom we have invested our lives.  And although they were attracted to the Gospel, they quit on Jesus.  Although they sincerely appreciated His claims, they walk away from the faith.

How does that happen?  Why would someone who “tasted of the heavenly gift” (Hebrews 6:4) abandon the perfections of Christ?

When Jesus was on earth, many of the people who followed Him for a time ultimately abandoned Him (John 6:66).  Perhaps His claims were too radical.  Perhaps the road was too difficult.  Perhaps the repentance He required was too severe.  Perhaps the cost was simply too high.

Paul gives us some insight and warning when he wrote to Timothy,

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars, seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron—1 Timothy 4:1-2.

Here’s what we know about people who quit on Jesus:

Quitters are everywhere.

When Paul used the term “in later times” he was using a literary device implying the future is now.  It was then and there is now the threat of apostasy that modern believers should never discount.

Quitters are non-specific.

Paul used the phrase “the faith” to describe what the people were leaving.  Jesus was very clear about who He is and how He provided forgiveness, justification, redemption, and final glorification for those who trust in Him.  He called it a “narrow way.” Any attempt to widen it surely fails (Matthew 7:13-14).

Quitters are open-minded.

The enemy and his demons actively deceive unbelievers, but that does not remove a person’s culpability for “paying attention” to these efforts.  In order to stay open-minded, many people fatally feed their minds and nurture their hearts with misleading influences.

Quitters are deceived.

While people are responsible, the enemy is powerful and persistent.  These deceitful spirits are agents of Satan himself.  They are people whose conscience has been branded with the lies of the enemy, and they are effective in promoting their doctrines.

Paul understood the real threat of his day.  From prison and in his final attempts to disciple his friend, he reminded Timothy the danger of apostasy was imminent and encouraged him to give himself to “sound doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:6).  And his warning is just as relevant today.

What can we do about quitters?

• We personally embrace and saturate ourselves with God’s Word.
• We advance the trustworthiness of the Bible.
• We nourish others with Bible doctrine.
• We depend on the light of God’s Word to push back darkness.

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So far in this Hoping Married series I’ve encouraged you to…

Approach marriage with wisdom,
Approach marriage purposefully rather than recreationally,
Approach marriage steadily rather than speedily,
Approach marriage in community rather than in isolation.

Now let’s close this series with this:
Approach marriage sacrificially rather than selfishly.

Whatever Jacob was, he was a servant.

The apostle Paul told the Philippians, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others”–Philippians 2:3.

Certainly, attraction is an important factor in a healthy relationship.  But people are often motivated by selfish interests when they think about beginning a dating relationship.  They want companionship.  They need security.  They want.   They need.  They want.  They need.

While all of us have legitimate needs and desires, biblical relationships don’t begin with a “what’s in it for me” mentality.  And they don’t begin with a laundry list of unrealistic “non-negotiables” including financial status, body type, and so on.

The person you are thinking about dating is a person, created by God, and is already precious in God’s sight.  She is your sister in Christ.  He is your brother in Christ.  That person is valuable because God has said so, not because she has the ability to fulfill your every fantasy.

How do you want to be treated?  That’s the way you treat someone else.  It’s interesting that we rarely think about applying the Golden Rule to dating relationships.  We think of it in many other relationships, but it seems more difficult to apply to dating.

So here are a few Golden Rule questions for you to consider as you approach a dating relationship:

• How do I currently serve others even in menial ways?
• Do I view the needs of others as a liability or as an opportunity to serve?
• Am I looking for Mr. Right or Mr. Perfect?
• Are you asking, “How can I serve?” or “How can she serve me?”

I talked with a lady just yesterday who has battled cancer for quite some time.  When I mentioned her husband, the tone of her voice completely changed.  Through the telephone line I could see her face brighten with absolute adoration and gratitude.  You see, her husband loves her and for the last 52 years he has proven his love through faithful service.  And now during desperate times, just the sound of his name brings her great delight.

Selfishness is sin, and it is the root of every divorce and dysfunctional marriage.  On the other hand, the patterns of sacrificial service you build now will help you go the distance with joy.

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So far in this Hoping Married series, I have encourage you to:

Approach marriage with wisdom.
Approach marriage purposefully rather than recreationally.
Approach marriage steadily rather than speedily.

In this fourth of five posts, let me say: approach marriage in community rather than in isolation.

As attracted Jacob was to Rachel, his feelings for her first came up in a conversation with her father Laban, not in a conversation with Rachel.  Again, Jacob’s experience is not a legalist prescription for us, but “a wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel”—Proverbs 1:5.

Notice Proverbs 15:22, “Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.”

Before you begin a dating relationship, before the first date or mention of a date, it would be wise to seek godly counsel from several trusted people about the person you think God is leading you to date.  And then ask them to speak into your own preparedness for marriage.  Ask questions and be prepared for the answers.  Allow others into your life and into your dating decisions.  And if a high-definition relationship begins and leads toward marriage, then you and your significant other should be faithful in a community of friends, ministry partners, and family.

On the other hand, if your method of finding a person to date does not involve your family, church family, and godly friends, you are setting yourself up for dangerous isolation.  If you and your new friend are often alone together, you’re setting yourself up for dangerous isolation.  If you have your friends and she has her friends, you’re setting yourself up for dangerous isolation

By the way, online dating services often promote this kind of isolation.  Although I’m not opposed to credible dating resources, this is one of the obstacles that must be addressed when you find someone to possibly date at the privacy of your computer.

But in any relationship, wisdom says you intentionally invite other people into your relationship before it ever begins and then you stay connected to friends and family throughout the entire relationship.

“Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed”—Proverbs 15:22.  If you’re going to invite people to the wedding, try inviting a few of them into your dating relationship first.

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