MikeZook.com

Clear Message

I love this sign permanently positioned on the front lawn of this church. It is not very "attractional" but at least it's truthful and doesn't discriminate or narrow their "target" audience! What do you think? Would you check out this church?

JESUS – THE PATHOLOGICAL WANDERER

In Luke 4:18-21 Jesus proclaims the beginning of his ministry to bring good news to the poor and liberate the oppressed. "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." However, almost two thousand years after Jesus' crucifixion; hunger, poverty and social oppression still exist in every corner of our world. America (supposedly the wealthiest country on earth) has a staggering poverty rate that is driven by political, social and economic oppression that seem to run rampant in every region of our country. If this was Jesus' inauguration statement for his life's work on earth and if we as Christians are suppose to follow in his footsteps; then what should we really be doing? what should our churches and ministries really look like?

I'm not a Disciple of Jesus, I'm only a Follower

I have proclaimed to be a Christ follower for 19 years now. It was the summer between my junior and senior year in high school that I chose to live my life for Jesus. As I have labored to give up my old self in the hope of gaining my new life, I have come to realize that I have actually given up very little ME. I have not fully accepted the impact of this new life that God offers me through the sacrifice of his Son. I have tried to put into practice this new life that I have chosen, a life dedicated to living for Jesus.  I attended Bible College, went into full-time ministry, attended the conferences, the classes, the spiritual assessment, left full-time ministry, helped plant a new church, joined other ministries, et cetera, et cetera. However, through all of this activity I have spent the better part of my "christian life" with my back turned to Jesus, wallowing in the love of my self – my sin. Calling on the "slot machine jesus" to bless my life and what I'm doing.

Maybe it's the WAY success is being defined.

In my recent post, “Are protestant evangelical churches confusing Success with Faithfulness?” I drew an association regarding the way churches are connecting success with their faithfulness to the calling they feel God has put on them as leaders.  After some comments and additional conversations with others, here is what I have learned about these church leaders:

• They believe that they are being faithful to what God wants them to do individually as a leader.
• They’re counting people because they do matter to God.
• They believe that God has called them to grow the local church and make disciples.
• They regularly use scripture to back up their “number evangelism” strategy.
• They count people because it is a practical and easy way to measure success.
• They still are developing processes  to measure success by changed lives and people development.
• They count people because they have a budget that they need supply income for, and counting people allows them to set a budget, trim a program, hire a staff member, etc.

Are protestant evangelical churches confusing Success with Faithfulness?

As I have spent the last eight years working in sales for some of America’s largest fortune 500 companies, I have learned a great deal that I would not have, if I had stayed in full-time ministry. Most lessons have been good.  Not all, but most.

Of all the things that I have learned, the most primary point that has been spoken, habitually out of sheer conviction or mere survival, from all the leaders that I have worked for and all the teams that I have worked with, is, in order to be considered successful you need to “grow your business profitably!” In sales, there is no other principle objective. Here’s how it goes….in order to grow your business profitably you have to perform, and in order to know if you are performing you have to be measured on your performance, and you are measured on your performance through your profitable growth. And what is this measurement that is used?