The Abortion of Elisha

Years ago I was accustomed to hearing people refer to us younger folk as the church of tomorrow. However looking at current global and church events, one does not have to be an eschatologist to know that the end is nigh (Pardon the cliche). For this reason -and many more- the young generation can no longer be viewed as the church of tomorrow, they are unequivocally the church of today!

2 Kings 2v9: When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away.” And Elisha replied, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor.” ‘NLT’

Just a few weeks ago my mentor was telling me that without the old, the church has no history; and without the young, the church has no future. It was actually fitting that at the time he was sharing this with me, one of my cousins just came from a conference where the theme of the conference was: ‘It’s Elisha’s Time’. Now the question that arises is, if it’s Elisha’s time, is Elijah the one hindering this natural transition? If so, why?

Could it be that Elijah does not understand Elisha?
- Just because Elisha is not understood, does not mean he should be undermined. But then again in life we were not meant to understand people, we were merely meant to understand their role in our lives.

Could it be that Elijah fears that new methods will alter the message?
-Why would Elisha want to change the very message that saved him? Elisha knows that the same message that saved him, is the same message that will keep him. He just wants to change the methods that don’t work, in order to reach more Elishas!

Could it be that Elijah feels secure and comfortable in unbiblical traditions?
-If this is the case, then Elijah needs to know one thing Elisha’s generation appreciates more in a leader: An Elijah, who is not afraid to admit when he is wrong. I do my best to answer every question my four year old asks me; however,  if I don’t know the answer, then daddy just does not know. Leaders don’t have to know everything; in fact youth respect a leader more for being real, than for futile attempts at fitting into a superhero cloak of infallibilty.

Could it be that Elijah feels Elisha may become a rebel. And that he needs eons of time to mature and follow the same rites of passage Elijah did?
-Being older does not necessarily constitute wisdom. There are many young leaders in scripture that received wisdom and talents from God, to completely turn their world upside down! Even at a point that at today’s criteria, many would have thought they were not ready. Today’s young revolutionaries are not on a mission to disparage their heritage and elders; they completely believe that true revival can only come, when the experience of the old is fused with the vibrancy of the young.

I guess I was always afraid to say these things, God forbid, even think it! Blame it on being a father or reaching 30, but I now boldly utter what many fear saying (Pardon the cliche again). Now I can guarantee that many young people can concur with the next statement, but would never publicly click the like button if it was a facebook status: “Youth not inviting their friends to church, doesn’t always mean they’re ashamed of Christ. They may just be ashamed of their church!” A church that is not culturally relevant in it’s methods, loses it’s effectiveness to communicate it’s message.

One does not need a pie chart or statistical analysis of a church to forecast it’s future. Just listen to what the young people in that church are saying. They are a Facebook and YouTube generation, a generation that is able to effectively reach it’s own; if they are given the liberty and support to do so.

A baby being born too early is as dangerous as a baby being born too late. And not getting the timing right is a form of abortion. My prayer today is simple: I pray that the Elijah who is respected and cherished so much, does not abort the birth of Elisha’s destiny.

The Sexiness of Modesty

Yesterday I was walking around the city center with a good friend, looking for a place to eat. I am convinced we missed some pretty good restaurants, while turning our heads in all directions, trying to avoid looking at the plethora of scantily dressed women.

We are both happily married to wonderful women, and are quite aware that we live in an increasing sexualised culture. A culture that believes wearing less, is trendy and normal. A culture that receives it’s moral guidance from Hollywood and the fashion industry.

If it’s true that fashion periodically repeats itself, then there are many young christian men who can’t wait for the return of the Victorian era.

Critics to this post would say that blaming women for man’s lack of self control, is unfair. I actually would agree with that statement, as men have to accept responsibility for what goes on in their own heads. However this post is in no way written to disparage women, but actually to highlight the complete opposite.

When the serpent approached Eve in the garden, I do not believe his intention was to approach the woman first. I believe satan’s original target was the man. Someone once told me that the head of the house is the man, but the woman is the neck that controls the head. As humorous as that sounds, it holds great validity. I believe satan went to Eve first, not because he thought she was gullible, but because he knew she was powerful. A power that is able to sway her man in the direction she desires. (At this point all married women, may say Amen)

As a woman you are so powerful that men literally need your HELP in becoming what God intended them to be; remember Eve was Adam’s HELPmeet. When you dress provocatively you have to be aware that walking down the street, you would have been undressed numerous times by men passing by. And many of those men are married men, committing adultery with you in their minds. Ladies please understand, men are visual beings. The statistics for pornography prove it, most of those websites make their money off men!

I heard the statement many years ago: ‘If you are willing to show it, you must be willing to share it’. There is partial truth to that. Notice that the weekend club scene usually begins with many half dressed women, and usually ends with many one night stands. I used to be a chauffeur in central London, so yes I know. Unfortunately the weekend dress code has now dominated midweek dress too. And sadly has also crept into our churches, where believers have substituted the choir robe for a coco chanel miniskirt. If the very first place you look at when fitting on a new item of clothing is your buttocks, then take a guess where the eyes of your fellow brothers will be falling.

So does dressing sexually constitute rape? No ladies, all men that do that, are not men, but merely sick perverts that need Jesus.

Oh what great femininity emanates from a woman who is able –through her dress– to keep her private parts exactly what it is….private. What great temperance looms over the personality of a lady, who refuses to allow the fashion industry to portray her like nothing more than a sex object. What great intelligence shines through a female who understands, that if she lures a man through her body, in most cases he would marry her for precisely just that.

My appeal to all Christian men is:
Don’t let the criteria for a wife be the one with the best cleavage or the greatest self exposure. But let it be the one with the best character and the greatest self respect.

And my appeal to all Christian women is:
If you find it difficult in that skirt to sit down for church, imagine the brother who finds it difficult in his mind to stand up for purity.

So if according to MTV the definition of sexiness is beauty; then as a husband, father and man of God, I am on a mission to promote the sexiness of modesty.

Just Do It

After what seemed like an eternity trying to decide what to wear this morning, the utter vanity of fashion dawned on me even more.

It’s amazing how fashion has this global ability to dictate how people live their lives. One designer releases a style on a catwalk in Paris, and few months later that design is found in the streets of New York, London or even Johannesburg. Interesting how an action by one person has the ability to literally alter our lives.

Living a life where your every move is ordered by the actions of another, is an attack at the very core of why God created you. When God’s will is paramount in your life, you are easily able to adhere to what David meant when he said: ‘The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord’. God’s Word and His Will should be the first priority in your list of trends to follow.

Living to impress or satisfy man, brings unnecessary turmoil in life; however, being satisfied with God’s blueprint for your life, brings a peace that no critic can remove. For if you are content with Heaven’s plan, why would the actions of those on Earth affect you.

In Daniel 3v27 we read of how the three hebrew boys walked in complete dominion of their surroundings.

“And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellers, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.”

Notice how the fire or the smell of fire had no effect on them. The very thing that was meant to destroy, became ineffective in the midst of minds that were focused on destiny.

So what others have to say about you has no effect on you, unless you allow it. Nobody can make you upset, unless you allow it. Nobody can make you sad, unless you allow it. Nobody can alter your God-given destiny, unless you allow it.

Recently I have been finding myself having to defend every whimsical comment or action against me. I instinctively felt compelled to correct misunderstandings at every corner. I was literally running after every inkling of negativity, as if that negativity could have an effect on God’s positive plan for me. You have to remember that those that gossip and criticize about where you are GOING in Christ, are usually insecure about where they ARE in Him. So using Facebook or Twitter to retaliate at your oppressors, makes Mark Zuckerberg your high priest………………just take it to the Lord in prayer!

Your purpose is greater than your persecutors. Your destiny is what should drive you to ALWAYS respond in love, and in most cases not even respond at all. Walking in victory is all about not allowing yourself to become a victim. Live your life in view of what the life-giver wants you to say or do.

So no matter what your critics do, just say it; no matter what they say, JUST DO IT.

(P.s. Now go read Matthew 5:11 and then go live a great life!)

Take Me to Your Leader

As a young preacher, I oft times found myself dangling on the edge of hypocrisy. I would preach about living victoriously, yet when problems arrive I’d hide in a corner of self-pity and fear. As leaders we can become like doctors who confidently dispense medicine that we are not confident enough to take ourselves. So yes, spending time preparing for preaching builds confidence, but spending time practicing what you preach, builds character.

Before a leader can adequately lead others, he should not just believe in God, but he should unequivocally believe what God says. For believing in God(Theism) is not the same as believing God(Trust). Leading people in a direction that you don’t have the intestinal fortitude to take, does not constitute a resolute trust in God. Trusting God’s word -and more specifically His word about you- allows others to feel secure in your leadership.

Now Moses had no major problems believing in God, the burning bush experience was some pretty awesome stuff. His initial weakness was the lack of belief in himself or his calling. When God told Gideon he was a mighty man of valor, this was not to assert his belief in God, but it was to strengthen Gideon’s belief in himself. Other people will always find it difficult to see you the way God sees you, especially if you don’t see yourself that way! God knows the end from the beginning, so when He speaks of you He speaks of what He has already seen; your future. Whereas man judges you predicated on what he has already seen; your past. When you start believing what God says about you, thats when you stop living your life trying to prove yourself to everyone. God placed His seal of approval on your leadership. You’re a Pre-Approved Product…..now go lead like one!

God. Family. Church.

Quality or Quantity?

The way you do church has a direct result in the quality and quantity of the church you’re pastoring/planting. Saying it’s all about quality and not about quantity, is normally the excuse given by non-growing churches. Both areas matter! If you have 10 quality saints in your church, you have 10 quality reasons to reach the rest of your city.

Jesus cursed a fruitless fig tree that had all the right to be fruitless, seeing that it was not it’s season of fruitfulness. Don’t get me wrong, I have a great deal of respect for churches that have been faithful through all these years. However faithfulness/quality is not enough, it must be balanced with fruitfulness/quantity. That fig tree stood faithfully for years, doing what seemed right; succumbing to the norm. It’s faithfulness in standing may even have been regarded as admirable by passers by. Yet when Jesus showed up, He cursed it. God does not just expect us to be faithful, He also requires us to be fruitful.

If there are 50 000 people in my city, I have an obligation to reach as many of that 50 000 as I can. If my methods are preventing me from doing that, then I have to discard those methods and adopt culturally relevant ones. Someone once said ‘if you keep doing what you’ve always been doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always been getting’. Well if what you are doing is producing qualitative and quantitative results, then keep doing it. But if it’s not, then you may have to disappoint that church board by trying new methods.

Today there is much criticism targeted at so-called mega churches. And ironically most of the negativity comes from relatively small non-growing churches. When the church was birthed in Acts, they had over 3000 converts on the first day; that sounds like a mega church to me. Now yes there are many big churches that produce their growth through transfer of saints, but there are many more that don’t. So instead of spending time bashing bigger churches, find the genuinely successful ones and see what it is they are doing right. Then without compromising your message, adopt and adapt any efficacious methods. Finally, as you grow in quality and quantity, expect to receive your fair share of criticism too.

3 things I was told that revolutionized my life!

1. “Children never throw stones at trees with no fruits”

Who said it: Pastor John Madu, a man from Nigeria that I met in london many years back.

I grew up in africa and I could relate to what he was saying. As a child in Zimbabwe every house had a mango, lemon or fig tree. And as children we had perfected the davidic art of stone throwing. We were not slaying giants, but the victory david felt as Goliath hit the ground, can be equated with what we felt as that mango did the same.

Besides the beatings we received afterwards, one thing I recall is that we never attempted the mission if the tree was fruitless.

The enemy in our christian life works on the same principle. Satan will never throw stones at a christian that really is not bearing any fruit…what’s the point? Many times when stones are being thrown at you, it’s an indication that you must be doing something right. Cause back in Africa, children never throw stones at trees with no fruits.

2. “Your destiny will protect you”

Who said it: A delivery guy who just happened to be a christian.

Many years ago while working in the bank, our branch had a delivery man that came in twice a day. In the brief moments that he was there, we would often chat about the things of God. One day while explaining to him how I had nearly died the previous weekend, he said something that stuck with me: ‘Lawrence, your destiny will protect you’.

As he walked away, it took me a while to register fully what he was saying. But when it registered(I’m kinda slow that way), I felt like I could preach a 6 year sermon series on that one subject alone!

If God gave you a vision, hold on to the vision! Despite the storms, know that the storms will never be big enough to prevent that vision from being fulfilled. That vision or prophecy is an embodiment of your destiny. And if adverse conditions ultimately prevent you from reaching that destiny, then that unfulfilled prophecy makes Jesus a false prophet.

He does not even need to preserve you, cause His word about your life already has preserving qualities. What He said about you is your protection. What He said about you, will come to pass. Paul could not die until he reached Rome. Every danger he faced in his present, was not dangerous enough to endanger his future. His destiny was protecting him!

3. ‘Do your part, and God will do His part’

Who said it: My early Pastor and Mentor (I say early and not late, because he made it before we did…R.I.P. Uncle Pat)

Being my uncle and Pastor, I had twice as much reason to listen to what he said. And of the hundreds of sermons I heard him preach, there was one phrase he repeated quite often: ‘do your part, and God will do His part’.

In fact my uncle did not really have to say these words, as his life was already an example of what he was saying. In situations where he did the right thing-even when nobody was watching-God would bless him and ensure everybody was watching him being blessed.

I have realized that the areas in which I blame God, are normally the areas in which I was just expecting a hand out. In the book of Acts the angel opened the prison gates, loosened the chains, but yet Peter was told to put on his own shoes. There are certain things we will have to do for ourselves, for God does not bless lazy Christians!

The bottom line is that God is into relationship, and we need to understand that he expects us to do our part in that relationship.