52 WEEKS OF DISCIPLESHIP- Week 3: Holiness

52 Weeks of Discipleship is based on works by Tom Cocklereece, Simple Discipleship (2009) and The Laws of Discipleship (yet to be published).

The making of a disciple may be compared to a jeweler shaping a raw diamond. After a raw diamond is cut in two halves, the jeweler determines the shape and cut based on the shape and size of the raw gem. Nothing is wasted in the cutting and grinding process as even the diamond dust is saved for use in the making of drill bits and saw blades.

Likewise, God is the master jeweler and disciple-maker who determine the size and shape of each finished disciple. Disciples are cut and ground through the difficulties of life. Nothing is wasted in the production of a disciple.

• Your financial struggles and giving of tithes and offerings shape your faith and determine your loyalties. Matthew 6:24
• Your loyalty to Jesus in difficult times proclaims to people whom you really serve. John 18:15-26
• How and to whom you pray is an indicator of your allegiance to Jesus. Luke 18:9-14
• Your willingness to submit to God as he allows difficulty and suffering is directly proportional to the amount of Jesus-light you will eventually reflect. John 9:1-3; Romans 12:1-2

An ideal brilliant round cut diamond reflects the most light of any other comparable gem and has 58 facets. Almost half or 43% of the facets are on the underside part of a diamond called the pavilion.

The same is true of a disciple of Jesus. Each facet is cut so that the completed disciple reflects the most light of Jesus and many of the facets are never seen by other people. These unseen facets represent the qualities of character-shaping and the degree to which the disciple reflects the character of Christ.

Best illustrated with a diamond, the largest single surface or facet of a diamond is the table. The table is on top of the gem and is the shape of an octagon having 8 angles. The table collects the most light of any facet on the diamond which is refracted and reflected back out of all of the facets. If the table facet is covered or marred, the diamond will reflect little light. Nobody would buy a diamond like that. Likewise, a disciple of Jesus collects the most light through holiness and living the eight character traits represented by each angle of the octagonal facet of diamond discipleship.

There are 8 elements of holiness that make up one’s character:

1. Obedience– behaving and living according to God’s Word
2. Loyalty– a commitment to devotion and duty to the Lord
3. Truth– Committed to God’s Word and seeking truth
4. Honesty– Committed to the consistency of truth-telling without retelling, nuance, and reframing the truth
5. Justness– fairness and impartial treatment of all people
6. Love/Respect/Fear of the Lord– 1) FoL- respecting and reverencing the Lord; 2) loving & respecting others even if different race, belief, or religion, i.e. enemies
7. Compassion/Courage– Compassion and Courage work in tandem to lead one to act in one of two ways:
   1. Reactive Courage is when one acts impulsively to assist another person from danger
   2. Moral Courage is when one acts intentionally on the basis of intrinsic moral values to assist another person under threat or danger
8. Integrity– Honesty with self about one’s sin & weakness

What points of character do you need to work on so your life reflects the most light of Jesus?

——————–

Dr. Tom Cocklereece is CEO of RENOVA Coaching and Consulting, LLC. He has 20 years of experience as a pastor, and is an author, certified professional coach and coach trainer, leadership specialist, and an independent Coach/Teacher/Speaker for the John Maxwell Team

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52 WEEKS OF DISCIPLESHIP- Week 2: Salvation

52 Weeks of Discipleship is based on works by Tom Cocklereece, Simple Discipleship (2009) and The Laws of Discipleship (yet to be published). A corresponding free sermon outline to this devotional is available at the following link:

A couple years ago my wife and I went to the local driver’s license office to renew our licenses. You have heard so many stories about all of the documents you must have with you to prove that you are who you say you are. I handed the lady across the counter my expiring license that had a picture of someone who happened to look like me. She would not accept the visual photo as proof so I had to present a certified birth certificate, a W-2 form with SSN#, and two recent bills with my name and address. Finally she said I appeared to be who I said I was, so she charged me the required amount for my inconvenience and printed me a new driver’s license. They were turning away people who failed to produce the proper documentation. They sadly or angrily walked out the door.

I thought of the common fictitious visual people have of the Pearly Gates as we approach the afterlife.

We may imagine a person has died and is standing at the Pearly Gates of Eternity awaiting the receptionist, perhaps the Apostle Peter, to open the door but he says, “Wait just a minute. You must prove who you are and that you deserve to come in.” The puzzled person is now caught between life and whatever comes next. A few other people appear at the gate and Peter says the same thing to them, and of course they looked just as distressed and puzzled—like a cow looking at a new gate. As the weary soul stood there he asked, “What documentation do I need to get in?” Peter simply said, “If you don’t know, then I can’t help you. You will likely have to proceed to the other destination.

As I watched, one of the other souls said something to Peter that I could not quite make out, after which he opened the gate. Like I had done at a friend’s high rise apartment during my life on earth, I tried to go in behind him before the door closed but a loud alarm sounded and Peter said, “Ah-Ah-Ahhh, you didn’t say the magic words” and the gate promptly shut with a loud clang.

I began to think, “If I could just get back to my life, maybe I could figure out the proper documents or the magic words so I could get into heaven. I could see just past the entrance and could see that it was certainly a wondrous place. I walked up to the gate and said to Peter, “Could you please just let me in? I’m feeling a bit uncomfortable about now. I’ve had a rough day. You see I woke up this morning, ate breakfast and had some chest pain and a few minutes later I suddenly found myself here talking to you.” Peter said, “Sorry, I can’t let you in. Why don’t you regain your composure…

Yes, a fictitious story, but it does make us think about that moment you will begin your journey on the other side of earthly life. By the way, there are no magic words because words can be deceptive. God does have a heart monitor and can determine exactly what’s in your heart-thoughts and heart-beliefs. Are you sure you are going to heaven?

——————–

Dr. Tom Cocklereece is CEO of RENOVA Coaching and Consulting, LLC. He has 22 years experience as a  pastor, and is an author, certified professional coach and coach trainer, leadership specialist, and a member Coach/Teacher/Speaker for the John Maxwell Team.

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8 INSIGHTS WHEN YOU’RE IN A PIT WITH A LION…

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John served as pastor of a small struggling church that had recently experienced new growth through his leadership. That was five years ago and since then there were some of the elder Christians that did not like the ‘direction of the church.’ It really came down to the fact that they did not like the new contemporary worship service or that many new people they did not know were now attending the church. The elder Christians felt that their church had been invaded and taken over and it was the pastor’s fault. Fast forward two more years and Pastor John resigned because the elders had taken it upon themselves to eliminate the contemporary service and threatened to fire him too. Pastor John experienced two years of underemployment and financial difficulty. He found himself in a pit of life and felt under attack of one lion while supported by another lion. He went into this pit knowing that the Lord would help him and grow him for future opportunities to serve but the answers were a long time in coming. Pastor John wants to get out of the pit and recover his ministry and work but his time in the pit seems endless. He finally realized that Jesus may be preparing him for a new kind of ministry. How can you relate to his pit experience? Have you ever been in a pit of life? Did you discover any lions in the pit with you?

IN A PIT WITH A LION ON A SNOWY DAY

Mark Batterson based In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, a whole book on an obscure passage of the Bible in 2 Samuel 23:20-21 which is repeated in 1 Chronicles 11:22-23:

22 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, mighty in deeds, struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion inside a pit on a snowy day. 23 He killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature five cubits tall. Now in the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. NASU

Batterson’s premise is that Christians should be lion chasers because it is in the “pits” of life where God reveals new opportunities to us. The lion-pit experience of Benaiah became a signature event for him that led to a later opportunity to serve as the top general in King Solomon’s army. Obviously Batterson uses the literal even of Benaiah as a metaphor for Christians today to be bold as we seek great opportunities provided by God that are only found in the lion pits of life.

THE TWO LIONS OF THE BIBLE

Everybody falls into a pit of life at some time whether it’s due to finances, illness, moral failure, persecution, job loss, or some other life event. So, the pits of life may be significant in developing our character and deepening our faith. When you fall into a pit of life, you might wonder who or what you might meet in the pit. It is likely that you will not meet a literal lion. Continuing with Batterson’s metaphor we must understand that there are two different significant lions revealed in the Bible.

Revelation 5:5 identifies Jesus as the Lion of Judah:

But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” NKJV

Of course there is the other lion…described in 1 Peter 5:8.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. NKJV

When you fall into a pit it is important to quickly identify which lion you will face—the Lion of Judah- Jesus or the adversary lion- Satan. It is likely that both of the lions are in the pit with you as Satan may be attacking or tempting you and Jesus may be encouraging and growing you to a new level.

OBSERVATIONS ABOUT BEING IN A PIT WITH A LION

1. Before facing the adversary lion, spend time in the pit with the Lion of Judah.
2. Learn all you can while in the pit of life.
3. If you find yourself in the same pit again, perhaps you failed to learn what God is trying to teach you.
4. Don’t try to shorten your time in the pit because you might shorten your own growth.
5. Be aware of discouragement and depression while in the pit.
6. Be on guard against sin, temptation, and prayerlessness while in the pit.
7. God sometimes uses a pit experience to re-task a servant (i.e. Moses’s burning bush experience and the Apostle Paul going to Jerusalem instead of church planting).
8. Intentionally seek time in the pit with the Lion of Judah.
9. Add more insights as a comment…

 

——————–

Dr. Tom Cocklereece is CEO of RENOVA Coaching and Consulting, LLC. He has over 20 years experience as a  pastor, and is an author, certified professional coach and coach trainer, leadership specialist, and a member Coach/Teacher/Speaker for the John Maxwell Team.

Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Web | Blog | Book | Coaching | Leadership

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“THAT CHURCH NEEDS TO DIE!”

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I have served turnaround churches for some time and have experienced both failure and success. In conversations with other pastors and church leaders I sometimes hear someone say, “That church needs to die.” Here are some other articles from leaders who espouse such ideas:

• Does Your Church Need to Die? 
• Some Churches Need to Die

There are some good thoughts in these articles but the statement, “That church needs to die” infuriates me. I understand the lifecycle of churches and the desire for turnaround pastors to help a declining church “jump the S-curve” to be reborn but what pastor, church planter, or any other person has the right to say a particular church should die?

GOD PLANTS AND PLUCKS UP A CHURCH

I understand that the church is not a building or geographic place but it is made of committed followers of Jesus Christ. However, the writers of the New Testament, such as the church planter Apostle Paul, clearly suggest that groups of Christians were identified as a local geographical church. Carry that idea to the letters of Christ to the churches of Asia in Revelation where he said to the church at Ephesus, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place — unless you repent.” Revelation 2:5 NKJV.

The Scripture clearly suggests that no person has the right to declare when a church should die. That right is reserved only for God.

CHURCHES SHOULD HELP CHURCHES

In the movie The Help the good white people of Jackson, Mississippi took up collections of money, food, and clothing to send to the poor people of Africa while descendants of slaves from Africa struggle and suffer among them. The modern-day irony is that many healthy churches work hard to send their people on mission trips to Africa, Asia, and Central and South America to help struggling churches over there while doing nothing to help a struggling church in their own association or town. What irony, what hypocrisy! We would never suggest that a church in Nigeria with only 30 people should just die so why would someone say that about a church in the United States?

The modern-day irony is that many healthy churches work hard to send their people on mission trips to Africa, Asia, and Central and South America to help struggling churches over there while doing nothing to help a struggling church in their own association or town.

What irony, what hypocrisy!

Why not coordinate some mission trips across town? Instead of continuing to grow larger, why not teach local missions by helping a struggling church somewhere in the county? Perhaps a healthy church could provide workers and materials for a Vacation Bible School for a church that has no children. That same church would likely be excited to do so for a church in another country but why not here? Many churches could be “born again” if an influx of 25 to 30 people committed to help for a year. I know, some readers are saying, “Well those churches are dying because of this or that and helping them just prolongs the problem.” Isn’t that same argument also true for the churches we help in other countries? Why go? Why prolong their existence? If you argument holds for churches here then what makes it valid for the churches over there?

I am not suggesting that we should not send people on mission trips to help the churches in other countries. However, we need to wake up and see that there continues to be a network of churches here. We should not be so quick to say, “That church needs to die.”

WHY CHURCHES DON’T HELP OTHER CHURCHES

1. Pride
2. We don’t want to help our competition.
3. We don’t want to give up the offerings of those people who would go help that other church.
4. We don’t want to give up 10 to 20 people to help temporarily because they might not come back to our church.
5. There is no framework for one church to help another.
6. The declining church is autonomous and does not want to give up control.

——————–

Dr. Tom Cocklereece is CEO of The Leadership Chair and LifeatCollegeCoaching.com. He has over 20 years experience as a  pastor, and is an author, certified professional coach and coach trainer, leadership specialist.

Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Web | Blog | Book | Coaching | Leadership

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10 GUIDELINES FOR A PASTOR SEARCH COMMITTEE

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Most pastors and church staff I know say that one of their least favorite things to do is to go through the process of seeking a new place of ministry. Each staff or pastor search committee is different as they reflect the personalities of the committee and the culture of the church. The committee places candidates “on trial” in a time consuming rigorous process in order to call the right person to serve their church. Here are six insights into how your search committee can improve the process:

1.       Should the interim pastor be a candidate for the position?

Question 1 presents a dilemma and there are strong differences of opinion. Some denominational leaders favor excluding the interim pastor from consideration from the start and have sometimes set themselves up as the de facto human resources department for churches in their association. This writer believes that the interim pastor can be considered as a candidate BEFORE the committee gets started with advertising the position and looking through résumés. After that point, the interim pastor should not be considered for the position. In the secular business world, temporary employees are often recruited for permanent positions based on their good performance. Some companies hire most of their people this way as it weeds out most of the unsatisfactory workers. Using this process with an interim pastor allows the committee, church, and interim pastor to see if there is a good fit into the church culture and ministry requirements. This can be a win-win opportunity for all parties involved. Once, the interim pastor has been excluded as a potential candidate the committee should move on with the process of advertising and receiving résumés. Perhaps this method works best for churches under 200 in attendance.

 2.       Send a positive note to all candidates who are not selected.

Staff/pastor search committees are among the least courteous and most unprofessional on this point; large and mega-churches included. Committees are busy working through the process but should send a kind notification to all candidates not selected for the position.

3.       The committee must be aware that their search for a pastor is a two way street kind of process.

Prospective staff/pastors or “candidates” seek the Lord’s will as they try to discern whether to proceed to each step of the calling process and finally whether to accept a call to a specific church. The candidates measure the tone and mood of each step of the process and at any point either party may decide not to go further. The result is that the pastor loses a potential opportunity and the committee loses a candidate and all of the time and/or expense they have invested to that point. Some pastor search committees dissolve after a couple of candidates suddenly drop out of advanced stages of the process. Committees see themselves as evaluators of the candidate but often forget that the candidate (and his wife) is evaluating them and their church.

4.       The committee should be as diligent to answer the questions of the prospective pastor as they expect him to be in answering their questions.

Pastor search committees often spend great time and effort crafting a questionnaire to send to their top candidates. Some committees prepare short questionnaires while others craft long questionnaires with multiple layers of queries. Prospective candidates look over the questionnaire to see what it reveals about the church. Some questions may reveal recent conflicts in the church. Other questions may reflect certain theological positions. It is best to ask questions that maintain a neutral bias so as to find out what the candidate actually believes about any particular point of view. Some committees use questions to purposely “weed out” some candidates. An example of this is “What was the Sunday school attendance of your most recent church.” While this can be a good question, it may eliminate some good candidates. Extremely long questionnaires may suggest that the lay leadership desires to micro-manage their staff/pastor. When a committee fails to answer the questions submitted by a candidate, they are projecting a supervisory role and suggesting that the candidate’s concerns are unimportant.

5.       The committee should be careful about some types of questions asked in an interview.

Once the questionnaire responses have been received, the committee may choose to proceed with an interview, either in person or online using Skype. The point of the interview is to begin to actually get to know the candidate and for the candidate to begin getting to know the people on the committee. Both are evaluating one another. Another purpose of the interview is to get behind the resume and questionnaire. Résumés usually tell all positive things about the individual and the questionnaire will likely show that the candidate holds traditional beliefs. The committee should devise skilled questions ahead of time. The chairman of the committee should instruct the members ahead of time to maintain a positive tone in all questions. A critical mood or tone may end the process for the candidate. The committee should refrain from questions about health, age, and politics. One candidate stated that the first question in an interview was, “How’s your health?” In this case there was no reason for a committee member who was 70+ years old to ask such a question as it came off as somewhat intrusive and critical.

6.       The committee should communicate with the prospective pastor about his availability before scheduling any dates for interview, visit, or preaching.

Committees often portray themselves as being the potential “boss” of the staff or pastor candidate. This posturing should be discouraged. Committees sent one candidate a message saying they had reserved a date less than two weeks away for an interview or other event, without conferring with the candidate first about his availability. It is a professional courtesy to communicate with the candidate in order to find mutually agreeable times for interviews, visits, or other events.

7.       The committee should maintain a positive tone in each step of communication.

Many candidates have encountered “porcupine” committee members asking negative or critical questions. The chairman and committee must mitigate this so that it does not communicate that it reflects the overall church culture. The tone and mood of each communication, interview, and meeting are essential and must project a positive tone and mood.

8.          The committee should be sensitive to the needs and feelings of the pastor’s wife.

Indeed, the committee and church are calling a staff or pastor and not the spouse but they should be sensitive to the needs and feelings of the spouse. Doing so is not only professional but it is the Christian thing to do. To exclude the spouse, especially the wife of the pastor candidate, is a major faux pas. To do so suggests an expectation for her to quit her job, leave current family and friends, move out of her home and to go to a place where she may feel unwelcome. If the committee wants to involve the candidate in a meeting without his wife, create an event just for her. For example, the pastor’s wife is often perceived as a leader among the women of the church so create an event where she can meet the wives of the deacons. One committee did not want to pay for travel expenses of the wife of a pastor candidate for a preaching event. Of course this served to hurt the feelings of the pastor’s wife and alienate her from the start. It may be difficult for a church to overcome such an offense if that particular pastor family is called and accepts.

9.           The committee should not dissolve upon calling the new pastor or staff member but should meet with him in six to twelve months.

A best practice is for the committee to meet with the new staff member or pastor six months to a year later. The purpose of such a meeting is to insure that the family has settled in properly, to inquire of any needs they may have, to be sure all employment promises have been fulfilled, and to inquire of their impressions of the process, committee, and the church.

10. (Write additional guidelines in the comment section below)

The job of a staff or pastor search committee is already difficult so don’t make it more stressful for all. The committee chairman must set the tone and provide good leadership throughout the process. It is important that the committee reflect a positive image and avoid losing candidates while never learning why.

——————–

Dr. Tom Cocklereece is CEO of RENOVA Coaching and Consulting, LLC. He has 20 years experience as a  pastor, and is an author, certified professional coach and coach trainer, leadership specialist, and a member Coach/Teacher/Speaker for the John Maxwell Team

Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Web | Blog | Book | Coaching | Leadership

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ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: HOW CHURCHES SHOULD RESPOND

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The southern border states are being overrun by illegal immigrants from central America. It’s in the news every day and it has become a national and political crisis. From last October to the end of May, 162,000 people from countries “other than Mexico” have entered the United States across the southern border. Reports suggest that a large percentage of the immigrants are minor children. This blog does not get into the legal issues or the politics of the matter at hand but it is imperative to consider how churches should respond to the mass of humanity that has and is moving into communities across the nation.

WHAT ARE THEIR NEEDS?

This is an opportunity to shine the light of Jesus and provide needed ministry.

The people coming into the nation will have many needs that will be provided by the local, state, and federal governments. Indeed it is debatable regarding who will pay and from where the money will come. Those are again political issues but for the churches, this is an opportunity to shine the light of Jesus and provide needed ministry. Here are some things churches can do:

• ESL MINISTRIES- A majority of the illegal immigrants currently flooding into the Unites States are Hispanics, many of whom do not speak English. This is an obvious need that many churches with existing ministries may provide. Many churches already have ministries that teach English as a Second Language (ESL). Many other churches may start ESL ministries.
• ADOPTION & FOSTER CARE- Many of the immigrants coming into the U.S. are minors and some are young children without parents or guardians. There will be a need for families to step up to serve and churches may find ways to assist.
• PLANT NEW HISPANIC CONGREGATIONS & BIBLE STUDIES- Many Hispanic congregations are willing to share space with an existing congregation. Of course we must consider that not all “Hispanics” speak the same language. Some speak Spanish while the native language of others is Portuguese. There will be a need for existing churches to be proactive and develop plans to start these ministries. Church leaders will need to amend By-Laws and Policy Manuals to get ready. They will need to seek one or more leaders of like faith and order to put in charge of developing the ministry and attracting the people.
• EVANGELISM- It is likely that the step mentioned above will best precede evangelistic efforts but the church should make this step a priority. We must not allow this wave of new people in the U.S. to miss opportunities to know Jesus Christ as Lord.
• CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES- VBS, SPORTS, DAYCARE, etc. – These types of ministries may be the most effective at evangelism and discipleship of newly baptized young people.
• SOCIAL SERVICES NETWORKING- This is an area that will need work. Some churches and denominations have effective systems of helping the homeless and immigrants while others provide virtually no assistance. It is frustrating for a small church pastor to be overwhelmed with assisting a family of immigrants with food, clothing, transportation, job seeking, school registration, work permits, and visas. It is also sad to turn people away because the church is not equipped to meet the needs.
• LANGUAGE CLASSES- This one is for the English only speaking pastors and church leaders who are deeply led to start these ministries and want to do missions right in their own communities. Local community colleges often offer Spanish and Portuguese classes at a nominal cost. Of course there are the self-taught systems that are available. Perhaps an English-speaking congregation may partner with an Hispanic congregation to teach languages to one another.

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?

Theologically speaking, perhaps God is allowing people of other nations to come here to stir the church out of our comfort and engage with sharing Jesus with the masses again.

We can debate this question till the cows come home or until all the immigrants go back to their country of origin. Don’t hold your breath for that! Theologically speaking, perhaps God is allowing people of other nations to come here to stir the church out of our comfort and engage with sharing Jesus with the masses again. Some of those coming here will receive Jesus and will go on to be the next generation to share Jesus. The Christians and churches in the United States may respond to the coming wave of humanity in fear or by faith. Which will it be?

——————–

Dr. Tom Cocklereece is CEO of RENOVA Coaching and Consulting, LLC. He has 20 years experience as a  pastor, and is an author, certified professional coach and coach trainer, leadership specialist, and a Coach/Teacher/Speaker for the John Maxwell Team and LifeatCollegeCoaching.com

Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Web | Blog | Book | Coaching | Leadership

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WHAT IS YOUR CHURCH’S LOVE LANGUAGE?

Gary Chapman’s book The Five Love Languages made a big impact on me and how I see and relate to people. In his great work he identifies five primary love languages that fill a receptive need in other individuals. For instance a person who has the love language of Words of Affirmation may not be inspired when given a gift and they might just get bored with Quality Time. On the other hand, if the same person is given Words of Affirmation, they may feel inspired and motivated to do great things. Here are the five love languages as taught by Gary Chapman:

1. Words of Affirmation
2. Acts of Service
3. Receiving Gifts
4. Quality Time
5. Physical Touch

I know someone in my family whose love language is Acts of Service. For years family members would give gifts at birthdays and Christmas but the person did not seem to appreciate them. Yet, the person who cut the grass every week during the summer was highly favored.

IDENTIFY YOUR CHURCH’S LOVE LANGUAGE

As a discipleship consultant, I have studied many churches over the years and have observed that churches exhibit personality qualities. Some churches love while others seem angry at the world. Some churches are inactive while others are activist in character. Continuing this thought, I wondered whether churches have love languages and decided that many churches do. So, if we applied Chapman’s five love languages to churches, what would it look like?

• THE “WORDS OF AFFIRMATION” CHURCH

A pastor friend served at a church that seemed to be apathetic and unmotivated. The pastor constantly preached messages that were intended to challenge the congregation to action and some messages sounded down right critical of the people. The more the pastor challenged and criticized, the less motivated the church seemed to be. In contrast, when a visiting preacher presented an encouraging message, the usually stoic congregation erupted in spontaneous applause. That church loved being encouraged.

• THE “ACTS OF SERVICE” CHURCH

Several years ago I was active with an organization called Builders for Christ that was made up of church members from a denominational geographic region who volunteered a week of their time every year to go and build a church or addition on a church somewhere in North America. The church that sponsored the Builders for Christ was actually built by them several years before and many of the organization were members of that church. The congregation was pleased to be a primary sponsor of the Builders for Christ ministry and just as pleased to have enjoyed the services of the ministry for their first building. That congregation is energized by Acts of Service.

• THE “RECEIVING GIFTS” CHURCH

Some churches have a pastor who has a ministry that extends far beyond his local church and the “Receiving Gifts” love language church is energized directly because of the pastor’s notoriety. As a result, such a church congregation is often very pleased to receive the gifts of individuals, whether from members, guest, or others in order to sponsor the international ministry of their pastor. In contrast, other churches have a pastor who is an author but the congregation seemingly could care less and does nothing to receive or raise funds for the pastor to extend his ministry beyond the walls. Such a church certainly does not have the love language of “Receiving Gifts.” Part of the congregation’s joy in a church with this love language comes from their active participation in the pastor’s extended ministry.

• THE “QUALITY TIME” CHURCH

Have you ever heard of a church that just loves fellowship? In a “fellowship” church the people just like to be together at church or in some other setting. I was a part of a church that had a high value of fellowship and some of the best harmony and “Quality Time” was enjoyed at the funeral home when there was a death of a church member. This is not meant to sound macabre but we could have had high attendance at the funeral home because so many church members came to support the affected family and other church members. Members of the “Quality Time” church love being together. Take the “Quality Time” element away and such a church will dwindle.

• THE “PHYSICAL TOUCH” CHURCH

This example is more difficult to describe and may be rare in some denominations. People in a church with the love language of “Physical Touch” enjoy hugs, hand-shakes, holding hands during prayer, and laying on of hands as a part of healing and spiritual gifts. These activities are more common in charismatic churches but may be found in some other churches. A guest attending such a church will receive a hug, maybe a kiss on the cheek (innocent), and perhaps holding of hands during prayer. Individuals in such a church who are normally reticent to touching or being touched seem to suspend the rules when at that church.

WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES A CHURCH’S LOVE LANGUAGE MAKE?

Identifying a church’s love language is most important for a pastor, especially a prospective pastor or new pastor. If a pastor leads a church in a way that conflicts with the church’s love language, the congregation will likely not follow. This is about leadership! If a pastor leads in ways that “speak” the love language of his church, the congregation will go beyond the call of duty to follow their leaders. Love languages speak to the issue of how to motivate the church. A church’s love language may reflect the “DNA” of a congregation and if a pastor attempts to change it, the church will likely experience conflict and decline. Pastors, let’s learn the love language of our church congregation.

——————–

Dr. Tom Cocklereece is CEO of RENOVA Coaching and Consulting, LLC. He has 20 years experience as a  pastor, and is an author, certified professional coach and coach trainer, leadership specialist, and a member Coach/Teacher/Speaker for the John Maxwell Team

Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Web | Blog | Book | Coaching | Leadership

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MAINTAINING A DISCIPLE-MAKING CULTURE

Since my book, Simple Discipleship, published in 2009 I have talked with many pastors who read the book and wanted to rush back to their church and start their new disciple-making process the next week. However, remaking and shaping a disciple-making culture takes prayer, preparation, and…time. It has taken years for many churches to devolve from effectively making disciples so changing the current inertia will require hard work and time implementing simple discipleship principles. The process as outlined in the book includes proven methods of initiating change in a church. The rest of this article outlines a four-year plan for establishing and solidifying a disciple-making process.

A few churches using the Simple Discipleship process were successful at implementing but within a couple of years they were struggling to maintain momentum. In some cases the resistance to the new process came from some who refused to allow the church to change. Many church leaders have the ability to implement a process but few of them have the patience and determination to solidify the process to maintain a disciple-making culture. In the book I said, “Many leaders are surprised at the speed at which changes are reversed when the champions of tradition regain a footing (Simple Discipleship, 173).” When the leadership relaxes or there is a change in pastoral leadership, it takes little time for the church culture to slip back into its previous condition of not making disciples of Jesus.

Would you be interested in an online Simple Discipleship course intended to help church leaders design, implement, and improve their disciple-making process? Email response to drthomreece@gmail.com 

What is needed is an extended plan that helps church leaders maintain the momentum of Simple Discipleship. Some of the materials are already available on the Simple Discipleship website (http://www.simplediscipleship.com). The available materials include three sermon series sets with Bible studies for start-up plus two additional years. The sets provide seven or more messages to me used annually to keep the discipleship process going and maintain momentum.

 The initial start-up of the Simple Discipleship process requires at least three months of preparation followed by four to six weeks of implementation. However, the bigger picture plan modeled in the graphic above encompasses the following four- one year emphases. The first one-year emphasis is “Strong Faith” with the focus on building a strong faith and spiritual vitality in the people and the overall church. This first year is foundational as it is the supporting platform for all that follows. Church leaders too often try to grow a church on a weak faith platform. Pastors often voice concern that their people are extremely apathetic and will not invite others to church. The second year emphasis is “Strong Family,” obviously built on “Strong Faith.” Healthy churches consist of strong faithful families that love worshipping together. Therefore, the third year emphasis is “Strong Church” which is built on strong families which possess “Strong Faith.” The fourth year emphasis is “Strong Witness” during which there should be an all-out effort at sharing Christ by as many people in the church as possible. The effort includes a multi-pronged evangelistic campaign throughout the year. This does not mean that no witnessing is done in the previous three years but the people now have the confidence of having a strong church built on strong families and built on strong faith. The four-year plan outlined here is to be added to the efforts delineated in the Simple Discipleship book.

——————–

Dr. Tom Cocklereece is CEO of RENOVA Coaching and Consulting, LLC. He has 20 years experience as a  pastor, and is an author, certified professional coach and coach trainer, leadership specialist, and a member Coach/Teacher/Speaker for the John Maxwell Team

Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Web | Blog | Book | Coaching | Leadership

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ADD/ADHD CHRISTIAN LIFE-COACHING

ATTENTION CHURCH LEADERS:  There is an increasing incidence of ADD/ADHD in children, youth, and adults including those in church. The prevalence is so great that it has been added to RENEW Wellness as a category for ongoing ministry. Life-Coaching is now an effective additional option for sufferers of ADD/ADHD. The coaching may be provided in person or online on a regular schedule. Feel free to share this article with others who may benefit.

I was once an unbeliever… that ADD is a real physical disorder. In 1993 I began hearing about a problem that some children and teenagers were having with their ability to concentrate and pay attention. I recognized the symptoms because I was close to young people who exhibited them. Back then there were few tools available to a sufferer, the family, or physician to help or heal the affliction that became known as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and is now known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). They are both the same dysfunction but people with the former lack the hyperactivity problems. For several years I denied the existence of ADD as a real dysfunction suffered by a growing population of people and I accepted some of the following myths about ADD:

MYTH 1: ADD is just a lack of willpower. Persons with ADD focus well on things that interest them; they could focus on any other tasks if they really wanted to.

 

FACT: ADD looks very much like a willpower problem, but it isn’t. It’s essentially a chemical problem in the management systems of the brain.

MYTH 2: ADD is a simple problem of being hyperactive or not listening when someone is talking to you.

FACT: ADD is a complex disorder that involves impairments in focus, organization, motivation, emotional modulation, memory, and other functions of the brain’s management system.

MYTH 3: Brains of persons with ADD are overactive and need medication to calm down.

FACT: Underactivity of the brain’s management networks is typical of persons with ADD. Effective medications increase alertness and improve communication in the brain’s management system.

MYTH 4: ADD is simply a label for behavior problems; children with ADD jut refuse to sit still and are unwilling to listen to teachers or parents.

FACT: Many with ADD have few behavior problems, chronic inattention symptoms cause more severe and longer-lasting problems for learning and relationships for those with ADD.

MYTH 5: Those who have ADD as children usually outgrow it as they enter their teens.

 

FACT: Often ADD impairments are not very noticeable until the teen years, when more self-management is required in school and elsewhere. And ADD may be subtle, but more disabling during adolescence than in childhood.

MYTH 6: Unless you have been diagnosed with ADD as a child, you can’t have it as an adult.

FACT: Many adults have struggled all their lives with unrecognized ADD impairments. They haven’t received help because they assumed that their chronic difficulties, like depression or anxiety, were caused by other impairments that did not respond to the usual treatments.

MYTH 7: ADD doesn’t really cause much damage to a person’s life.

FACT: Untreated or inadequately treated ADD syndrome often severely impairs leaning, family life, education, work life, social interactions, and driving safely. Most of those with ADD who receive adequate treatment, however, function quite well.

 Source:

¹Attention Deficit Disorder: The Unfocused Mind in Children and Adults by Thomas E. Brown, Ph.D. (Yale University Press, 2005)

There are many more myths about ADD but suffice it to say that those listed above provide the justification of much ridicule of a person struggling with the problem. The result is a person with a demolished self-esteem, and yes, Christian families struggle through ADD too.

I am now a believer…but more than that I am a professional ADD/ADHD Life-Coach providing needed ongoing support for people struggling to function, to have a family, to hold a job, and to be loved. Is this not what everybody wants?

A GROWING DISORDER

In February 2014 the Center for Disease Control (CDC) released a disturbing report regarding the continuing increase of AD/HD. (Link to CDC Report). Here are a few facts from the report:

• More than 1 in 10 (11%) US school-aged children had received an ADHD diagnosis by a health care provider by 2011, as reported by parents; 1 in 5 high school males and 1 in 11 high school girls.
• The percentage of US children 4-17 years of age with an ADHD diagnosis by a health care provider, as reported by parents, continues to increase; A history of ADHD diagnosis by a health care provider increased by 42% between 2003 and 2011 and the average annual increase was approximately 5% per year.
• The average age of ADHD diagnosis was 7 years of age, but children reported by their parents as having more severe ADHD were diagnosed earlier.
• As many as 11% of US school-aged children have been diagnosed with ADHD. Many adults including pastors and business executives struggle with the disorder beyond their teen years. Some estimate that from 17 million to 23 million people in the US have some degrees of ADHD.

SYMPTOMS OF ADD/ADHD

ADD/ADHD has been studied long enough for researchers and caregivers to develop a set of symptoms. However, one is not diagnosed with the disorder based on the following behavioral factors alone but it also requires brain scans (EEG), brain SPECT imaging (single photon emission, computed tomography), and corroborating testimony of parents, teachers, and caregivers. Here is an example of symptom clusters of people with ADD/ADHD:

• “zoning out” without realizing it, even in the middle of a conversation
• extreme distractibility
• difficulty paying attention or focusing
• struggling to complete tasks
• tendency to overlook details, leading to errors or incomplete work
• poor listening skills; hard time remembering conversations and following directions
• poor organizational skills (home, office, desk, or car is extremely messy and cluttered)
• procrastination
• trouble starting and finishing projects
• chronic lateness
• frequently forgetting appointments, commitments, and deadlines
• constantly losing or misplacing things (keys, wallet, phone, documents, bills)
• underestimating the time it will take you to complete tasks
• frequently interrupting others
• have poor self-control
• poor personal hygiene
• blurt out thoughts that are rude or inappropriate without thinking
• act recklessly or spontaneously without regard for consequences
• have trouble behaving in socially appropriate ways
• trouble staying motivated
• hypersensitivity to criticism
• short, often explosive, temper
• low self-esteem and sense of insecurity

These issues make it difficult for ADD/ADHD sufferers to enjoy life, develop a career, keep a job, and even maintain loving relationships with friends, family, and a marriage.

LIFE-COACHING: A PROMISING NEW TOOL

A promising new intervention tool is now available to parents as well as adults struggling with ADD/ADHD called life-coaching. Certified life-coaches are now specializing in working with people and families suffering from ADD/ADHD. Life-coaches are not healthcare workers and their training and certification is not regulated as yet. Thus, it is important that potential clients do some checking to find out about the background, training, and experience of a coach before hiring him/her. That being said, there is a growing number of qualified ADD/ADHD Life-Coaches that can significantly improve the function and quality of life for people with the disorder. Also, be sure to hire a coach who matches your faith values, meaning—if you are a Christian, hire a Christian life-coach specializing in working with people with ADD/ADHD.

There are three needs that people with ADD/ADHD should recognize:

1. Acceptance: own the fact that you have the condition but don’t use it as an excuse for poor behavior or performance. Instead rise above the dysfunction. There are now a number of medications and nutritional regimens that can help diminish the problems.
2. Develop a healthy safety net of family and friends. This is one of the most challenging issues for those with ADD/ADHD because during intense and repeated outbreaks of symptoms, relationships are often broken and relational bridges are often burned. However, families can often adhere to the principle of love and “leave the light on” for family with ADD/ADHD. Of course this is easier said than done.
3. Get a Life-Coach! This person will be the one who can challenge the person with ADD/ADHD. He or she can also absorb some of the negative issues in order to protect the person’s family. This may help maintain the safety net described in #2.

Some may balk at the prospect of paying for ongoing Life-Coaching but that is a small amount when stacked against a series of job losses and broken family relationships. This problem will continue to grow as the incidence increases but new treatments and approaches to managing life and work can go a long way to these people and families living a quality life.

——————–

Dr. Tom Cocklereece is CEO of the Leadership Chair. He has 20 years of experience as a pastor, and is an author, certified professional coach and coach trainer, leadership specialist, and a member Coach/Teacher/Speaker for the John Maxwell Team. He provides Life-Coaching, ADD/ADHD Life-Coaching, Leadership Coaching, and Sales Coaching.

Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Web | Blog | Book | Coaching | Leadership

NOAH: A SERMON OUTLINE YOU CAN USE

Image credit: photostockam / 123RF Stock Photo

 

With all the fuss and discussion about the movie Noah, it is timely to preach a message from the Bible about the real story of Noah and the great flood. It is important that pastors provide the biblical view of Noah and the events of the flood rather than for people to develop their view from the movie. As the author of this sermon outline, I have not seen the movie and this is not a critique about it. Those who read or preach this message are free to edit and add their own comments and illustrations. Use this as a sermon starter. I have also included a pdf Bible study that covers additional issues around the Bible passages. 

NOAH– A PDF Bible study (Different from the following sermon outline)

Idea: Consider using a bullhorn for this first section to illustrate how Noah’s audience may have heard him preaching when he was not building the ark. This illustrates how many people inside and outside the church hear preachers today as they warn of the approaching end times and the need for salvation IN CHRIST alone!

• Repent…for the kingdom of God is at hand!
• Repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. Ac 26:20
• Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
• “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Ac 2:38
• Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, Ac 3:19-20
• Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” Ac 8:22-23
• Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place — unless you repent. Rev 2:5
• Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. Rev 3:3

For two to three generations some of you have heard the preaching of evangelists, pastors, revivalists, and preachers to repent and to get your life right with God and to share Christ with others but many come to church each week and their lives are unchanged. The lives of some people in the church are no different from those outside the church.

The pastor says, “Share Jesus with people.” And you roll your eyes and say, “There he goes again!”

The pastor says, “Give offerings to the church.” And you roll your eyes and say, “There he goes again.”

The pastor says, “Repent, Jesus is coming soon!” We do nothing.

How do you think the people in Noah’s day reacted to his message? We think of Noah as the one who built an ark for all of the animals to survive the great flood, and he did. When Noah was not engineering that great ship, he was preaching to people who needed God. They also grew weary of his message to repent. When Noah said, “The rain is coming,” they also likely rolled their eyes and said, “The old windbag, there he goes again.”

2 Peter 2:4-5 ⁴ For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; ⁵ and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; NKJV

Here is a hard lesson to Christians today in the 21^st century:

Big Idea: Today many of the people in the church act more like the people outside of Noah’s ark who were destroyed.

What do I mean? Many in the church “repented” but never changed. Many in the church tell others to repent of sin while we have not repented of our own sin. Many in the church don’t love sinners; we often don’t even love other people in the church much less people outside the church.

READ: Genesis 5:32–6:14

We see five things in the introduction:

1. If Noah was 500 years old (Gen 5:32) when God told him to build the Ark and 600 when the Flood came (Gen 7:11), it is reasonable to assume that the construction of the Ark took place during this 100 year period.
2. Satan as usual attempts to hijack God’s plan to save humanity (6:1-2; 4). Many Bible scholars believe that fallen angels procreated with women and the offspring were giants and mighty men. Sort of superhuman.
3. God further limits mankind’s lifespan to 120 years. (Gen 6:3)
4. There was only one reason for the great flood and it was not to reset the balance of the environment because of global warming or man’s abuse of the environment. The one reason was…SIN! (Gen 6:5-7)
5. Noah and his family (wife, 3 sons & their wives) were saved by GRACE! (Gen 6:8)

NOAH WAS SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

1)      Noah walked with God. (Gen 6:9)

2)      If you want to hear God’s will for your life and family, walk with God.

3)      If you want to hear God’s will for your life and family, maintain your personal integrity (personal integrity).

NOAH WAS SAVED BY GRACE AND HE APPLIED HIS FAITH BY OBEYING GOD.

1)      The ark is a symbol of Noah’s faith and obedience.

Ge 7:5 And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him.

Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. NKJV

Noah built the ark! He obeyed God. I like what Pastor Charles Stanley teaches on this point: “Obey God and leave the results to him.” Are you obeying God today in your life? Remember, partial obedience is disobedience. What if Noah had built half of the ark?

2)      The ark is a symbol of salvation.

Mt 24:37-44 ³⁷ But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ³⁸ For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴² Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴ Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. NKJV

3)      The ark is a symbol of faith and baptism.

1 Pe 3:18-22 ¹⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, ¹⁹ by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. ²¹ There is also an antitype which now saves us — baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him. NKJV

NOAH WAS SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH SACRIFICES THAT POINTED TO JESUS’SACRIFICE.

As children many of you learned that Noah brought two of each of the animals into the ark. But the Bible teaches us that of some of the animals Noah took seven into the ark. These were for food and for sacrifices in their regular worship to God.

Ge 7:2-3 ² You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; ³ also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth. NKJV

NOAH WAS SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH WORSHIP.

1)      Noah and his family regularly worshipped God during their time in the ark. They had to be grateful for their salvation from the flood.

2)      The first thing Noah did after exiting the ark was to build an altar to praise and worship God.

Ge 8:20-22 ²⁰ Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. ²¹ And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. ²² “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.” NKJV

Repent, receive Jesus and be IN CHRIST like Noah and his family were IN the ark!

Where is Noah’s Ark?– A video about the archeological study of the site in Turkey where ancient remains of the ark may be.

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