Kingdom Leadership and Maturity

Beyond the Threshold

July 16, 2012

The time following Elijah’s extraordinary standoff with the prophets of Baal and Asherah provides great insight into the realities tied to the demands on those called as agents of transformation. Despite his role in one of the most incredible confrontations between good and evil written about in the Bible, Elijah was left emptied. At that juncture, he had nothing left. The mere thought of just one more encounter was enough to push him over the edge. As we enter a time characterized by evil abounding, the realities operating at this threshold bear closer scrutiny. Serving as a vessel for the Holy Spirit on this plane will leave you spent and vulnerable. It is a reality that results from authority confrontations with the forces of darkness, impartations that release life into Kingdom initiatives and the birthing of venues that change the course of communities and nations. For those uniquely called to take dominion on this level, those called to stretch their spiritual authority to the extreme, as they bestow Life in domains of death, this issue is critical. It involves recognizing and entering that place in God when our best is not enough and it seems there is nothing left.

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Community Building

July 16, 2012

Biblical community is the pinnacle of God’s people operating together with a common purpose. Abraham portrayed the model with the interrelated dimensions of being God-centered, entrepreneurial and community-driven. The Jewish Torah gives keen focus to the operating principles for biblical community. Jesus indicated when the community of God’s people function together as God intends that it demonstrates God’s reality and draws the world to Himself. “Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) While the world has come up with many approaches to community; none begin to compare. Biblical community is an expression of both the discipline and maturity of its members. It thrives on a high-level of trust and service, fueled by the community dynamic of tz’dakah, which is charitable righteousness. It grows through a unique use of spiritual power driven by servant leadership. It is a safe place of spiritual nurturing, while simultaneously being an incubator for the encouragement and growth of the giftings of its members. With that will be a common higher purpose that endures beyond its generations.

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Stewardship in God’s Economy

June 29, 2012

We are not called be or to operate like “everyone else.” As God’s people, we are called to be distinctive, to operate at a higher standard. Scripture tells us that the wisdom of Daniel was ten times better than the best the worldly advisors in the king’s court could offer. Since God has had a people, those known by His Name have been a light to the surrounding societies because of God being with them. Within a fallen world, described by scripture as ruled by the bondage of corruption, the story of God’s people has again and again been one of breaking the constraints of the curse that grips the world; and directs the way it thinks and employs power. Those called by God’s name have a mandate to exercise righteous power, to overcome evil with good, and as the head and not the tail, to rule over the works of His hands. In short, we’re called to steward not only our individual gifts, but as a people to make a difference in the world around us through our active participation in the model that drives God’s economy and the mantle of being blessed to be a blessing.

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Practical Kingdom Plans

June 6, 2012

All plans are driven by a specific purpose. Business plans within the world are more typically based on a profit-driven model. There is no question that a business cannot endure long without a profit. However, the mind-set for a Kingdom business is driven by stewardship and holds to a higher standard of purpose. When that standard is maintained, profit will follow; and holds the potential of surpassing the profit yielded by the profit-based model. In the Kingdom, money is neither chased nor the real goal, but instead is the servant. Kingdom planning can only be facilitated through the ongoing guidance of the Holy Spirit. With God as the Senior Partner, planning maximizes wisdom to outline goals and strategies that will serve not only the members of the enterprise, but the community served by the enterprise. It is the means by which dreams are turned into reality. In 1 Chronicles 28, we gain insight into the dynamic operating within David that was foundational to his role as a leader and king.

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Holy Spirit Planning

May 29, 2012

Planning is the systematic employment of wisdom to map out the best steps, or strategies, to maximize the benefit of the process for the one(s) involved and the end-result for the broader community. A planning mind-set sets leaders apart from followers. Good planning maps out the pathway. It is a mark of good stewardship. Planning engenders the discipline and maturity needed within community. Anointed planning means the Holy Spirit is uniquely involved. In this context, the Lord serves a central, interactive role in the planning process. Anointed planning pivots on faith-responses to God’s guidance. As outlined in Proverbs 3:5,6 this pivots on trusting the Lord for His input. God has always had a plan and a purpose for His own; individually and as a people.

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Misguided Tongues

May 27, 2012

October 24, 1996 is a date our family will never forget. It is the day our 30 year old daughter Trisha Stemple was brutally murdered. Trish, a beautiful young mother of two, was the administrator for an overseas disaster response ministry. She loved the Lord with all her heart. Aa a prophetic intercessor, the morning before Trish’s funeral I asked the Lord for the context of what had been taking place in the spiritual realm. The answers I received have become even more applicable today than at the time we originally faced this tragedy. They reflect a truth foundational not only for those called as intercessors, but for those called to pave new ground for the Kingdom. As I prayed, I began understanding how loose tongues from among those anointed for service create open doors of vulnerability within the Body to attacks from the enemy; attacks enabling him to harness the anointing for his evil purposes. Indeed, they create a catalyst that sets in motion what can become raging firestorms.

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Spiritual Entanglements

May 6, 2012

One of the enemy’s most crafty and deadly strategies is that of entanglements. Entanglements are subtle, deceptive; swift in their efforts to infiltrate and calculated to release destruction. Entanglements are designed to confuse, distract and divert the Body. They keep the Body spinning its wheels on minor issues; diverted from the strategic and the essentials; and preoccupied with crises programmed in the pit of hell. Entanglements are part of the enemy’s game plan to keep the Body on the defensive, while progressively probing and penetrating vulnerabilities to undermine the work of the Kingdom. In his quest for power, the enemy gives focus to embedding his minions in seats of power in government, business and religious institutions. Yet, hell recoils when Spirit-led believers who operate in God’s authority penetrate “seats of power.”

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