Men are either passive or overly active as a skew of what real masculinity is.

Chauvinists:

1. No sissy stuff Sam–Whatever a man is, he will be the opposite. (Mom hugs, so he doesn’t hug) They spit, fart, and punch hard to prove their manhood.

2. Success and status stuart–Defines success by what he has and treats wife as a trophy.

3. Give em hell hank–Scary, mean, brash man.

4. I’m the boss Bob–Thinks he’s in charge wherever he goes. Has a hard time holding a job. Overbearing.

Passive:

1. Little boy Larry–Total sweetheart, can’t keep a job, doesn’t set an alarm, works part-time. Mom still takes care of him and is looking for a wife to do the same. This man tends to be a majority in the church.

2. Study oak Owen–Works hard, comes home and checks out.

3. Hyper Spiritual Henry–Trendy, overly spiritual. Everything is about God, but he never really makes sense.

4. Good time Gary–Everyone loves him and noone respects him. He doesn’t just tell jokes, he is one. Can’t keep a job, can’t follow through. He’ll draw a crowd but won’t follow him.

Jesus is the example. He took responsibility for Himself, and He took responsibility for our sins even though it wasn’t his responsibility, it was ours. You have to do the same and take responsibility for yourself, your family, and your city.

Paul’s Prayer was for our eyes to be open to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, so that we would know of the hope to which he has called us, and how great our inheritance is in Christ (including his power toward us). We must just believe, and believe that God Himself desires the same for us.

God has given Jesus all rule over all the earth, and given him all rule, power, and authority. We are to exercise the authority of Christ as well. We are to exercise this authority as He apportions it out, since Christ the the head of the Church. We are to exercise His rule on the earth.

God has given us a great and holy calling, and we should walk in a manner that is worthy of this calling.

• Humility
• Gentleness
• Patience, bearing with one another in love

How do we do this?

By putting off our old nature and renewing our minds, putting on the new self. What does this mean? That by the grace of God we are to put to death the old selves (stop acting in a sinful way), by changing the way we think. After we change the way we think we must also take action in accordance with this thinking. Without action, faith is dead, and in order to put on the new self we must act in faith to obey the teaching of Christ. We must put on Christ daily.

I must wake up in the morning, ask God for the grace to change, to not act in accordance with my old self, but seek grace to put the sinful ways to death. I must also ask for grace to follow Christ throughout the day, and to grow in tune with the Holy Spirit.

• We are called to always speak the truth with our neighbors, because we are members one with another.
• We are to be angry, but to resolve our anger before we sleep.
• We are to work to give us the ability to share.
• We are to speak in order to give grace to those around us.
• We are to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving.
• We are to be full of thanksgiving, thanking God for everything.
• We are to expose the deeds of darkness, and expose them to the light.
• We are to make the best use of our time, guided by the knowledge of the will of the Lord in our lives.
• We are to be filled with the Spirit, and speak encouraging psalms and Hymns to each other
• We are to make melody in our hearts to the Lord

We are to remove:

• Bitterness
• Wrath
• Anger
• Clamor
• Slander
• Malice

We are to avoid the appearance of:

• Sexual Immorality
• All Impurity (what is “impurity’?)
• Covetousness

(This is taken from “Organic Leadership” by Niel Cole…I had to share)

Jesus is not about safe. He is the one who said things like “I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves MT 10:16.” I did not come to bring peace but a sword Mt 10:34.”

We often approach ministiry with a theology of SAFE:

Self-preservation=our mission

Avoidance fo the world and risk=wisdom

Financial Security=responsible faith

Education=maturity

Self-preservation is actively choosing an alternative to the life of God…It a direct move away from faith…Use your desire to live as a motivation to die, for this is the only path leading to true life in God’s upside down kingdom. When presented with a choice between self-preservation and the cross, there should be no choice. “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. (lk 9:23)”

This is what a theology of DEATH looks like:

Dying daily to who we are

Empowering others (not self) as our life

Accepting risk as normative

Theology as not just knowledge but practice

Holding tight to Christ and having an open hand with all else that we “possess”

The role of leaders it to equip others so they are no longer necessary. The more disposable we are as leaders the more valuable we are, but the less attetion will be paid to us. The true success of a leader isn’t what they have done, but what others have done around them. Every leader should have an exit strategy. Jesus had the ultimate exit strategy. Jesus knew He was going to the cross and had to build his disciples accordingly. We should also go to the cross and live a life that empowers others.

Thoughts

(notes on John Maxwell Teaching from Catalyst Conference 2008)

“Intentionallly add value to people around you every day”

The greatest way to add value to is to find your strength zone and operate in that. The greatest sin of a leader is to put yourself first. Just because you see what others don’t see doesn’t mean that you use it for yourself…you are to use it to serve other. Don’t worry about the reaping, just sow. Today you are either adding value or taking value from people. Do you add value or do you subtract? The people that add value, do so intentionally.

4 Ways to add value to people:

1. To add value to people, you have to value people. The only reason to lead people is to add value to therm. If you don’t value people, you will devalue people.
2. Make yourself more valuable–get better, keep growing and learning so you can add value to others and teach them.
3. Know and relate to what other people value.
4. If really want to add value to others, then you have to do the things that God values. They are the things that have eternal value. We need to touch people the way Jesus would touch them and teach people the way Jesus would teach people.