Happy Sunday!
We took a team of 20 leaders to Mechanicsville Christian Center for a leaders conference yesterday. Tommy Barnett gave an amazing talk about being a servant for life! His four points:
- Make your position great, because it will not make you great!
- Do not seek a title! Do your job and make the title great!
- Let your title be the RESULT of your WORK!
- Servants are remembered… not titles!
Here’s what Mr. Barnett was getting at…
So many people think that IF they could just get INVITED into a successful position that they will be successful. He used Pastors as an example of this… and he said that so many Pastors think that IF they can just get invited to Pastor a LARGE and fruitful church, that they can BE SUCCESSFUL Pastors. This is why he said: Make your position GREAT, because IT will NOT MAKE YOU GREAT. Another way of saying this: People MAKE positions… positions DO NOT MAKE PEOPLE!
Tommy talked about his early days of ministry… when he was DOING EVERYTHING. He said that it took him about 30 minutes to lock up the building after services… and one day a young man in his church said, “Pastor Barnett… I don’t want you to have to do that anymore. Please give me the keys and I will handle it FOR YOU… in fact, give me the keys to your car and I will pull it around front and turn on the heat and have it ready for you to go… and I will close the church for you EVERY SERVICE.” Pastor Barnett agreed and the man did this for a few years just as he promised. And one day he wasn’t able to do it… and Tommy Barnett REALIZED: This young man had FOUND A NEED he didn’t even know he had… until that night the young man was not there.
The moral to this story is this: Don’t seek for a title! FIND A NEED, DO THE JOB, and let the TITLE follow your SERVICE!
Let your title be the RESULT of your work! He was explaining that others should DEFINE us based upon how we are living and what we are doing instead of by SOME TITLE we’ve given ourselves or others have given to us. Sadly, too many people get all tripped up on GRAND TITLES instead of GRAND SERVICE. You and I should seek to be known for HOW WE SERVE instead of what we are TITLED.
SERVANTS are remembered, NOT TITLES! So in a world overrun with insecure people, all striving for titles and positions… let us do life differently! Let us be like the young man in Tommy Barnett’s story who FOUND A NEED nobody knew existed… let us SERVE in such a way that we are remembered for HOW WE LIVED AND WHAT WE DID! Let us not seek for great positions… but let us MAKE OUR POSITIONS GREAT!
I hope these brief notes give you an adequate taste of that delicious message!
Today @ Destiny Family Center: Ryan Huffer is giving message 5 of the sermon series: You’re Better Than This! (Keep Your Chin Up!) It’s going to be SUPER… so come in person or catch the LIVE webcast right here at 10am!
Please say a prayer today for my father in law, Merle Wall. He was given a very bad report from doctors yesterday and needs a miracle to keep living. His faith is strong… such an INSPIRATION to his family! I ask for you to join us in believing that this will not be his end… that he will defy these odds and live on with the testimony of his healing. Thanks you guys… Emily, Coree, Heaven, and I sincerely appreciate your kind prayers! Have an amazing Sunday!!
Pastor and Em, We pray in agreement with you and your family for the miracle of life over Merle and his testimony of healing now and for the years to follow!
The conference yesterday was amazing! I loved sitting under Pastor Tommy Barnett's preaching and teaching! He did say he is Joyce Meyers Pastor didn't he? I know I didn't dream that right? I would love to hear him again.
I left the day with a lot of notes and much to think on. Bo and I felt blessed to be apart such a great fellowship of mentors and we learned quite a bit.
One other story I loved from Pastor Barnett was the one he told about still along the same line as not seeking a title but finding a need and filling a position was the lady handing out roses to the prostitutes. She would go out and give roses to the young girls on the streets and tell them how much Jesus loves them and give them a rose. She would tell them she would rescue them by coming back with a van and they could jump in and be taken to a safe place away from the pimps to the Dream Center. The van came back, the girls jumped in and the pimps chased the van!
Then he had us all in chin drop mode by telling us that back at the Dream Center the Pimps had a surprise waiting for them because they have a discipleship program of about 200 men barely out of prison and barely saved, arms crossed guarding the girls!! He said they have ex-drug dealers, ex-murders, ex-gang members and they were now living for Jesus!
We attended a Youth worship and a Young Adult workshop and both were similar in the area of what elements are needed to reach this age group.
The key point that struck me with the youth service was to ask yourself, What is the desired or intended result of your group?
The other main point was to begin with the end in mind. What do you want this to look like when finished? Think it all through.
The Young Adults workshop was slightly different in that it had very sad statics….
We NEED TO PLUG THIS AGE GROUP INTO THE CHURCH!!!!
Things we can do?
1. Give them a Ministry
2. Give them Leadership Roles
3. Give them a Challenge, a Cause, SOMETHING to FIGHT FOR!
3. Give them Authenticity, BE REAL !
4. Reach them where they are
If we don't get them connected into the church with their talents and giftings they will connect in the world with their talent and giftings and the church will lose them. Who benefits then? Not them either. Think about that.
Pastor Bo and I looked today at all the 18-25 year olds today when you had them come forward, WOW ! The front of the church was filled up!
Randy and I praying that God’s will be done for your father in law.
I pray today that we fill the needs that are needed out there in this world.
Thanks Vickie for sharing what you learned. I am praying for the youth to get turned on for serving Jesus and for older men and women to mentor them.