The Perspective of FAITH!

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

We live in a world of nearly 7 billion different people who all have a different perspective on life. It’s our perspectives that determine how we live our lives and what’s important to us. Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Problems arise if our perspective is distorted by the wrong information (untruths) but if our perspective is renewed by the truth of God’s Word then the outcome of our lives will be far more positive.

Faith looks at life from a different perspective. Much of the world looks at life from a temporal perspective and as a result many people seek to live for themselves and accumulate as much of this world as they possibly can. Faith looks at life from an eternal perspective and seeks to live beyond ourselves to benefit others for eternity.

Faith looks at sin from a different perspective. Hebrews 12:1 says, “Let us lay aside the weights and the sin which clings so closely…” Faith looks at sin as a dead weight that limits you and holds you back but the world looks at sin as pleasurable and fun, not realising the massive consequences that exist in a life of sin. Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death.” Like excess baggage on a plane trip that costs us something, sin is excess baggage in our lives that costs us everything.

Faith looks at problems from a different perspective. When fear encounters too many problems it gives up and quits but when faith encounters problems, it endures through it because it has a hope and a joy on the other side of the problem. The Hebrew writer says, “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Faith continues when fear wants to give up.

Faith looks at Jesus from a different perspective. The world looks at Jesus as an historical figure and outdated but faith looks at Jesus as the Son of God and as Hebrews 12:2 says, “The founder and perfecter of faith.” Our faith is connected to whatever we focus upon. What are you focusing upon? Are you looking at life, sin, problems and Jesus through the lens of faith or through the lens of the world? Live life from the perspective of faith!

Lead the Change!

Leading with a LIMP!

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Paul’s comments are an upside down paradigm for the world we live in. We live in a world where people try to cover up their weaknesses and avoid failure like the plague. We live in a world of smoke and mirrors where keeping up appearances is the main priority. 

The kingdom of God operates on a different principle. The Apostle Paul received a revelation of the power of weakness and as a result, he boasted all the more of his weaknesses and this bleeds through in every letter he writes in the New Testament. 

I like Paul have caught a revelation that my failure is actually my success. My weakness is actually God’s strength. My brokenness is actually God’s fulness. Why? Because it’s in our weakness that Christ’s strength is fully realized. We will never know the fulness of God’s power through us until we have experienced the fulness of God’s brokenness in us. 

Like Jacob and Paul we must come to a place of leading with a limp. It’s this limp that reminds us of our wrestle with God and our journey of brokenness. When you lead with a limp, you are more humble, more gracious and more powerful because you live in the knowledge and power of absolute dependance upon God. I can do nothing apart from him.

What about you? Are you allowing the master potter to mold the clay of your life or are you fighting it? The more you fight, the more frustrated you become and the further away from God’s best you travel. Run to God and let him speak to you and take your weakness and transform it into Christ’s strength. For when you are weak, then you are strong.

Lead the Change!

Rekindle the fire!

Acts 4:31 “And when they had prayed the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”

The events surrounding this verse is in the context of Peter and John being released from the authorities after they had performed a miracle by the power of the Holy Spirit with the lame beggar at the Gate Beautiful. Peter and John as well as the other disciples had already been filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost but they still needed the fire of the Spirit kindled in their hearts to continue the ministry that Christ had called them to. The text says after they prayed the place they were meeting in was shaken and they were all filled with the Spirit and continued…

What about you? Have you lost the fire and passion of the Holy Spirit in your own life? Have your prayer times becomes a distant memory or at best an exercise in mindless repetition? Have you given up the fight for souls and settled for personal comfort? If this in any way describes the condition of your soul, you need to position yourself for the Holy Spirit to rekindle the fire in your heart.

I ask you to attempt a 10 day challenge whereby you spend 30 minutes each day with Jesus. Your 30mins looks like reading a chapter of the bible (start with Acts) and write down one paragraph about what stands out to you as you read. Then I want you to spend the rest of the time praying through what God has spoken to you about and commit your day to him. In the last minute or so, spend time in silence listening to anything the Spirit would want to talk to you about. If you don’t hear or feel anything in this time, don’t worry. Each day you spend consecutively with Jesus, the more familiar you’ll become with his voice.

It’s time to rekindle the fire of the Spirit in your heart. Attempt the 10 day challenge and then come along to one of the prayer meetings at the church. In a matter of weeks you will be on your way to becoming full of the Holy Spirit and like the early apostles you will have the boldness to continue…

Lead the Change!

Never Doubt Your Vision!

Proverbs 29:18 “Without vision, people perish.”

The first book I wrote was titled, “Vision – the key to your future.” I am planning to release an updated 2nd edition in 2010 because of what I have learnt about ‘vision’ since writing the book. Your vision is closely linked to your call and one of the agendas of Satan is to distract you from your call by distorting your vision.

One of the attacks upon God’s call upon my life has been confusion. This came about because of a contradiction between the revelation that God had given to me years ago and the reality I was living in. I couldn’t marry the two dichotomies in my head and so confusion began to creep in and with it came a vicious dose of DOUBT!

When doubt gets a hold of you, you become a double-minded man unstable in all your ways and you begin to clutch onto any trend or technique hoping in vain that it will bring clarity and momentum to the stagnation and lack of clarity you feel. This is exactly what happened to me and during this season of contradiction. I began to listen too much to others and I was frantically searching for the ultimate key that would solve my vision problems.

I have come through this experience a better and more mature follower of Christ as I have rediscovered the unique vision God has called me to pursue. I have learnt, ‘Never doubt your vision’. Don’t let anyone talk you out of it and don’t let anyone add to it. Unless God wants to reshape it, stay true to it because this represents the very essence of what God has called you to. 

God has clarified and renewed my passion for the vision he has called me to pursue and I am excited about working with the many talented and anointed men and women of God at Activate to see the vision outworked in the coming year. I will be casting vision for 2010 at Activate Church on Sunday 6th December 2009.

Lead the Change!

Sabbatical Completed!

Well, here we are at the end of 4 weeks Sabbatical and the whole experience has been totally life transforming. I rate the decision to embark on this journey as one of the most defining of my life and ministry. So much so, I think I will look back upon my life as BCM and ACM (Before Corey’s meltdown and After Corey’s Meltdown)…

Over the last 4 weeks I have debriefed with trusted mentors, my parents and close friends, I have exercised nearly everyday, I have spent a lot of time with my wife and family, I have read a little and watched some movies but more importantly I have sat at the feet of Jesus everyday for many hours and prayed, reflected upon God’s Word and listened to the whispers of the Holy Spirit.

There is nothing in life that comes remotely close to being in love with Jesus and close to the heart of God. The Father has helped me clarify my priorities, he has challenged me to repent of sin where I’ve needed to, he has healed my heart and restored my passion for him, for people and for ministry and he has pierced me with a depth of brokenness I’ve never had. 

I want to say THANK YOU to everyone from Activate Church and beyond who has shown me and my family incredible love, care and support during this time. It’s so wonderful to be apart of a Church community that truly loves you and is looking out for you.

I have learnt many things through this experience. Here are some of them:

• Never doubt your vision.
• Only 5% of what I do is what I’ve been called to do.
• There is no room for negative thoughts or negative people in my world.
• Be very careful who you listen to.
• You have only so many bursts of energy each day to give to a limited number of tasks.
• There is no other key to success than hear God clearly and obey Him boldly whatever the cost.
• Trust God, he always knows best.
• Lead from overflow not emptiness.
• Don’t lead with a chip on your shoulder.
• Walk in your own anointing, not someone else’s.
• Everyday build a stronghold of faith in your heart and mind.
• Spiritual warfare is a daily reality for the spiritual leader.

It’s Monday tomorrow and I return to full time ministry but not back to things as usual. There have been several specific changes to my approach to life that will affect the way I lead and minister from this point on. I will never be the same, the church will never be the same and life as I’ve known it will never be the same. 

Psalm 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain.”

Lead the Change!

One More Soul!

A wealthy businessman was once asked, “How much money is enough?” The businessman responded, “One more dollar”. A person may ask, “How many souls are enough?” The answer is, “One more soul”.

It is so important that we never lose sight of why we do all that we do as Christians, ministers and members of the Church. We must never forget the value of a person’s life. It’s too easy in life to get sidetracked by lesser priorities and become cynical about people and circumstances. But the value of a person’s life can never be taken for granted.

How are you doing in this area? Have you become weary in the battle for souls? Have you been down so long in the trenches that you’ve mistaken the edge of your rut for the horizon? Don’t forget why God called you in the first place. It wasn’t about you, it was about others. Why? Because Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost and that’s what’s most important.

We become weary in well doing when we forget why we’re doing good in the first place (Gal 6:9). Lift your vision off yourself and your circumstances and remember why you are doing what you are doing. More favorable opportunities will come and go but the lives God has called you to impact, you will be held accountable for. I read a scary verse in Romans 14:12 this morning, which said, “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.”

You and I are going to have to give an account of ourselves to God. God will hold us accountable for what we did out of what he asked us to do. Don’t take this lightly. There are people God has appointed unto salvation which he has called you to minister to and I would encourage you to refocus yourself, renew your sense of calling and go after that one more soul cause that one more soul matters to God.

Lead the Change!

No Drive Thru Breakthroughs!

1 Chronicles 14:10-11 “And David inquired of God, ‘Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?’ And the Lord said to him, ‘Go up, and I will give them into your hand.’ And he went up to Baal-perazim, and David struck them down there. And David said, ‘God has broken through my enemies like a bursting-flood.’ Therefore the name of that place is called Baal-perazim.”

Many of you right now are seeking God for a breakthrough in some area of your life and ministry. It could be in your marriage, your ministry, your finances or in your relationships. You are believing God for something special to happen and you are desperate for a breakthrough.

King david faced opposition to his recent appointment as King of Israel and he needed a breakthrough. In response to David’s faith, God worked so amazingly that David named the place of his victory, “Baal-perazim”. The name means ‘Lord of the Breakthrough’. 

Our God is God of the breakthrough. Throughout history God has broken through severe opposition and insurmountable odds to answer prayers and change lives. Too often we give up too soon and miss the breakthrough God was bringing our way. Unfortunately we too often fail to play our part in the breakthrough we are believing for. In our instant society we expect instant results even when it comes to the breakthrough we are believing for but I need to tell you there are no drive thru breakthroughs.

You can’t order a breakthrough like you would order a Big MAC at McDonalds drive thru. Breakthrough doesn’t work like that. Like David we should inquire of God whether the breakthrough we’re believing for is actually what he wants. You might be surprised at his answer. Secondly, we need to obey whatever God asks us to do. No breakthrough is possible apart from strict obedience to God’s Word. Thirdly, we must be prepared to fight for the breakthrough. Breakthrough doesn’t come without a fight and lastly we must always give glory to God for the breakthrough and not forget that He is the Lord of the Breakthrough.

Lead the Change!

It’s the LITTLE things that make a BIG difference!

The Song of Solomon 2:15 “Catch the little foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for 0ur vineyards are in blossom.”

We often mistake the BIG things in life for making the BIGGEST difference in life but the reality is LIFE is the accumulation of little things – little decisions, little thoughts, little compromises, little steps of faith…. LITTLE!

What we think about is a little thing that makes a big difference. Little thoughts lead to little words which lead to little actions which lead to little habits which end up having MASSIVE consequences.

How we greet people is a little thing that makes a big difference. Greeting people with grace and confidence starts a relationship with someone in the right way. Our interactions with people speak volumes about who we are and what we value.

The little compromises we make today end up having big consequences long term. The glance at a woman that turns into a stare. The negative thought that turns into a cynical attitude. Disobeying God in one area of our lives leads to disobedience in several areas of our lives.

What ‘little foxes’ are you allowing to spoil your vineyard? Identify them and in the grace that God provides, shoot them by His Word because it’s the little things that make a BIG difference.

Lead the Change!

Crossing Over!

Over the last week the Lord has led me to study the first 6 chapters of the Book of Joshua. I am very familiar with this book as it is one of my favourite books of the Bible and yet God has revealed some new things to me through it. Out of the first 6 chapters of Joshua God has shown me 10 Keys to ‘Crossing Over’. I believe these 10 keys are important for any leader or church wanting to cross over into the fulness of God’s promises. (Several years ago I read Paul Scanlon’s book ‘Crossing Over’ but the following insights aren’t a reflection of Scanlon’s work in any way). 

Read Joshua 1-6 for a thorough explanation of the following keys:

1. Crossing over begins with you (1:1-9) – If you don’t cross over personally, no one you lead will.
2. Crossing over requires practical preparation (1:10-11) - Practical considerations have to be made regarding resources, systems, structures, etc…
3. Crossing over requires clear vision (2:1) - Without clear vision you won’t know what you are crossing over into.
4. Crossing over requires spiritual consecration (3:5) – If you don’t set yourself apart spiritually through prayer and fasting, you will not be strong enough to cross over.
5. Crossing over requires following the leading of the Holy Spirit (3:3-4) - Like Israel, we must follow the Ark of the Covenant (God’s presence) because we haven’t been this way before.
6. Crossing over will always involve a step of faith into the miracle zone (3:15-16) – You cannot cross over without taking a step of faith. God will always reward faith with miraculous intervention.
7. Crossing over requires you to not forget what God has done for you (4:5-7) – You must remember to celebrate and pass onto the coming generations what God has done for you.
8. Crossing over requires your flesh to be cut off (5:2;9) – Like Israel, our flesh must be cut off and our hearts circumcised.
9. Crossing over will always involve a battle (5:13-14) – When God shows up with a sword in his hand , just know you are about to face a battle.
10. Crossing over will require you to do things that don’t make sense (6:3-5) – God’s ways are higher than our ways and God will use unconventional means to secure victory for us. My recommendation is just obey.

Lead the Change!

Proud to be a Pentecostal!

We are living in a culture of tribes and within Christendom there are many different tribes – Salvation Army, Baptist, Uniting, Anglican, Presbyterian, Church of Christ, Pentecostal, etc…

I personally have served in full time ministry in a few different Church tribes and have been enriched through the experiences and theology passed onto me. I am grateful to God and my parents for my roots in the Salvation Army but when my wife and I planted Activate Church within the Pentecostal tribe of the AOG we felt like we had come home.

The unique expression and distinctive theology of the Pentecostals has been the perfect environment for us to learn, grow and discover the unique calling and expression of our ministry. The Pentecostals have copped a battering over the years from the wider church and the media but the reality is the Pentecostal Church is statistically the fastest growing church in Christendom around the world. Why? There are many reasons but I believe that it’s because of the moving of the Holy Spirit in and through the believers who belong to these churches.

I have been apart of various ecumenical gatherings and loved it but there is something special about being apart of the unique expression of the Pentecostal Church where anything can happen and it probably will. Although the person and power of the Holy Spirit is pivotal to Pentecostal theology and expression, my experience is the glory of Jesus Christ and the salvation of lost people is by and large the central focus of Pentecostals worship and ministry.

Above all else I am a Pentecostal believer to the core and the church I lead and the ministry call and expression I carry is best suited to the Pentecostal expression of the Church. Simone and I will continue to lead Activate Church under the authority of God’s Word, the anointing of the Spirit and the ministry calling and gifts given to us by God, within the Pentecostal stream of Christianity. I love and acknowledge the incredible men and women of God who serve in God’s kingdom with different theological convictions to mine but I am also very proud to be a white-hot, passionate and visionary leader alongside my brothers and sisters in the Pentecostal Church.

Lead the Change!