The Bible - it is the inspired word of God 2 Timothy 3: 16 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."

The Bible has a level of authority no other recorded utterance possess. That's the meaning of divine inspiration. There is no "extra-biblical" revelation that reaches this kind of inspiration. The scriptures are the authority and every other "word from God" is to be judged by it! We know we need to read it and study it - but how much time do we dedicate to the task and how passionately do we pursue biblical truth?

The "God-told-me" deception is a powerful bit of folk Christian practice today. If you preface your comments with "The Lord told me..." you set yourself up so no one can counter your comments. This practice is dangerous and can lead to deep deception. Be careful how you use the phrase "I have had a word from the Lord."

1 Corinthian 14: 29 says, "Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said." Paul is speaking to the church at Corinth so as to bring correction and clarity to that church.

Paul's comment here holds a powerful principle - when someone speaks and declares they have a word from God - then that word should be able to stand up to the scrutiny of other mature people within the church.

Can you imagine a church or a body of believers where any one can stand up and say, "I have a word from God." But there is no one to bring any kind of accountability and if necessary correction? That would be a recipe for disaster and total confusion.

There are some who feel that their word from God gives them immunity from accountability - in my years of ministry I watched literally hundreds of people walk into deception, lose the plot and their destiny and wonder why it all went so wrong. If they had been open to correction, if they had been open to the wisdom of other godly leaders they would not have had such heart ache!

It was tweeted yesterday, "Submission to Godly leadership will always release the FAVOUR of God into your life."

Proverbs 11:14 says, "Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety."

Can your "word from the Lord" stand up to the scrutiny of other mature leaders; does it flow with the conventional wisdom of scripture?

Spiritual deception comes in when people are unaccountable or irresponsible. Through their own adherence to this folk Christian practice and their own immaturity people wonder why they lost their way, lost their passion and lost their friends!

They wavered from truth and swallowed a lie - they had a subtle shift in convictions from what the bible says to some flaky spooky bit of subjective experience.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:12 says “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?”

Are we really a welcoming community? It is my deeply held belief that God did not instruct the church to force the rest of the world to have the appearance of the church and to act like Christians.

The church is called to illuminate a path for earnest seekers to pursue the light of God, and provide a place of solace where the Lord’s call can find a response in their hearts. Instead, we have often crowded that path with protesters and picket signs, and drowned out the sound of God’s knocking on people's hearts with our shouting. 

Do we really believe in the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ  or will we seek to legislate holiness. The church ought to be immersed in the business of transforming lives through teaching, compassion and care, instead of trying to govern lives through legislative force.

Christians need to model themselves after Jesus Christ rather than Robert De Nero in Taxi Driver.

Rick Warren tweeted this week, "Preachers who insist that only guilt leads to repentance deny Romans 2:4 "It is God's KINDNESS that leads us to repentance"

It seems in recent years there have come into mainline Christianity the hater! They hate - they hate GAYS, they hate MUSLIMS, they hate left wing politics - they hate Obama - they hate Justin Beiber - they even hate HARRY POTTER!

Their goal is to shame people into Heaven. Shame on them!!

I’m tired of the church being defined by what it is AGAINST rather than what it stands FOR! You can have your opinions of what you like or dislike – cool! Hey there is even a buttons of Facebook to help with that as well – but there is no need to slag people off – or to criticise them, to make them feel guilty or ashamed.

Jesus came to save people not condemn people - Jesus said we're here to bring out the God colours and the God flavours in the world around us - we've been called to be "a city on a Hill!" We were meant to become an aroma of God's love in our community not a bad smell and a stink!

Luke 10: 25 - 28, "On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. Teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life? What is written in the Law? he replied. How do you read it? He answered: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' You have answered correctly, Jesus replied. Do this and you will live."

Love God with all your heart, soul, strength and MIND!!! Do this and you will LIVE!! You'll live with passion, you'll live with a fire of devoted living deep within your heart. You'll live with a passion to see people connecting with Jesus Christ and recieve the new life He promised.

Phil Cooke is an innovator and original thinker. He is unashamedly bold is announcing himself as a writer, filmmaker, producer, etc etc …. His media company advertises many of the largest and most effective churches and non profit organisations in the world.

His book Jolt was for me and interesting read. Getting the jump on a world that is constantly changing is his sub-title and describes his mission in this book. Chapter by chapter he challenges and inspires us to take a JOLT in various areas of our life.  Jolt in our directions, what matters, our potential, our heart and our future.

The book is full of stories and personal experiences of others that go to describe his points.

Cooke’s content is good and mostly fresh though his applications are a bit too prescriptive for me.  

Respectfully submitted by

Tom Rawls

www.proclaimers.com

James and Becky Galloway are the Lead Pastors of Breath City Church in the city of Stoke on Trent in Staffordshire in England. They have, with much courage and with a word from God, taken a local church through a process of re-purposing – a re-engineering. This book tells their story.

James is quick to say this is not a model for others to follow but a story of where and what God breathed into their hearts. James stresses the importance of receiving revelation from God regarding how God wants to move in our own churches, cities and towns.

From a beach hut near Cardiff God spoke into their hearts a dream and a vision of a church that would be significant, explosive and give a mighty hit to the “status quo” of what church is thought to be. His story speaks of a church that blasts through the barrier erected by mediocrity and sustained by a pedestrian version of just average.

On his arrival in Stoke he began a process of what he calls re-purposing a church. His book speaks about his hardships and his successes. This is an honest book. The book stresses the need to create culture and not allow the momentum of culture by default to find refuge and comfort.

In a rare moment of insight James (the book is full of them – rare insights that is) speaks about a “spirit” that can at times animate people to detract from this awesome God-process of repurposing. His book speaks openly about the Ahab & Jezebel spirit that can animate seemingly genuine people to block what God is doing in His church.

Without insulting any one (No names are mentioned so as to protect the guilty) James walks graciously through describing the hate mail, critical emails and the Facebook campaign to disgrace him. He boldly uses the victory to describe his journey to overcome this attack upon his integrity and his character.

Many will appreciate the way James takes a fresh look at an Old Testament story of Jonathan and his armour bearer found in 1 Samuel 14. James brings out many truths about having a “heart & soul” mentality to work together to achieve a lasting success we can hand over to another generation.

I have appreciated the chapters dedicated to “culture” and his explanations of what goes into the makeup of BCC, how culture is created and the source of the culture which is the culture of God’s Kingdom.

This book is not solely the work of James, his wife has a chapter and two of his close team also write with a load of conviction and passion. The book is interspersed with stories of BCC’er as they tell their inspired stories of God’s transformation.

Many will find the chapter on Intentionality refreshing as he opens up the power of doing things on purpose. I appreciated very much the way he opened up the usage of the word “no” & “yes.” Let me mention a small part of that passage; “People will always smile if they receive a “yes”, but the fruit of who they are is revealed when they receive a “no”. Unity is not unity until two parties disagree and still walk together.”

This book is a testimony of the impact that Breath City Church – no one can deny the fruit this church is seeing as literally hundreds of people are being added to the church through conversion growth. People are connecting with Christ; salvation is in this house and this book is an inspiration to anyone wanting to commence a journey towards repurposing their church. I thoroughly  recommend this book!

To purchase this book go to Amazon.co.uk

Respectfully submitted by Tom Rawls

Lead Pastor of Proclaimers

www.relentlessbook.com

Not only are we are spiritual being – we are a spirit, we have a soul and live in a body (1 Thessalonians 5:23 How often we turn that around with a body consciousness and a worldly perspective) but we have a supernatural appointment by the very hands of the Lord Jesus Himself. (Ephesians 4:11)

To describe our spiritual nature 1 Peter 2:2-5 says “...we crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in our salvation – we are like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Note the words used – “spiritual milk,” “grow up into our salvation”, “we are living stone,” “built into a spiritual house” all these term denote a spiritual power and reality. As God’s messenger, as God witnesses Jesus said we have received “power” as the Holy Spirit comes upon us. (Acts 1:8)

As God’s witness we receive the Holy Spirit and holy fire so we can declare the message of salvation! Paul declared that supernatural power when he said in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, “… my preaching was … with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might rest on God's power.”

As a messenger sent from God we are simply supernatural and need to grow in our understanding of being Holy Spirit empowered!

Jesus read the scroll of Isaiah and it is recorded in Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me...” We need to develop that anointing – move in that anointing – demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit in all that we do – as messengers we are inherently supernatural.

Max Lucado is a prolific author who has captured the ability to speak “straight to the heart!” His book “It’s not about me” is a brave book which challenges and successfully unseats us as individuals from the driver’s seat and from the centre of our own universe.

Challenging yet incredibly uplifting of God and His awesome glory Lucado speak to our hearts and minds about making sure we have Jesus at the very centre of our lives.

His book shows us the ludicrous nature of self absorbed Christian living and the abundant nature of God’s love.

As a pastor I will make sure we have this book available on our resources stand. I will personally promote this book with great passion. Because when people get this truth they will become all we ever want from them as passionate members of the church the body of Christ!

Our 21st century doesn’t take kindly to being usurped from the central place of power or desire. Just like the world was disturbed by Copernicus and Galileo when they told the waiting world that the earth did indeed revolve around the sun and not the other way around so we get disturbed when we have to sacrifice the central slot to the LORD Jesus Christ.

But Lucado doesn’t just provide challenge he provides enormous inspiration for us to surrender the leadership to God. The second half of his book is page after page of inspiration and to have the courage to make Him Lord.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this book and want to recommend it to as broad a readership as possible. Again this is another great book for those seeking after Christ and desire a connection with God in salvation. (To purchase this book go to Amazon)

Respectfully submitted by Tom Rawls

Lead Pastor of Proclaimers

www.proclaimers.com

“Our message is empowered by the Spirit”

Just a timely reminder that our message is good news and is inherently a supernatural message of power.

The gospel is according to Romans 1:16, “... the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” This is the message we are called to preach.

Inherent in the message of salvation, [sozo – Greek] is the concepts of healing, new life, forgiveness and deliverance from the power and authority of Satan. Our message is the “power of God unto salvation.”

The gospel we preach is simply supernatural! It has hidden within it the power of God all we need to do to release that power is to preach it, communicate it or to proclaim it in word and deed; demonstrate it.

Jesus announced in Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.”

He says that He is anointed by the Holy Spirit to preach this good news – if Jesus needed the Holy Spirit’s empowering how much more do we? Communicating the message requires God power so we can deliver a message that embodies this very same power to bring salvation.

Paul said he had determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified he declared in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, that his “... message and preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.”

Note His message and preaching was with a “demonstration of the Spirit’s power.” We need the Holy Spirit’s power when we declare Jesus is Lord. We need an anointing from God when we communicate this message of Good News! It is imperative that we know the empowering of the Holy Spirit as we declare the gospel.

The very message is inherently supernatural – the telling and the re-telling of this story can bring new life to everyone who dares to believe. From a child of 5 years old to person reaching 100+ who so ever believes will be saved.

This supernatural transformation is the release of power that silences the most ardent atheist for who can argue with an experience like that? The release of power during salvation can only be compared to the power of the Holy Spirit raising Jesus Christ from the dead.

Because this message is supernatural we can trust Him who empowers it to set the captive free, bring sight to the blind and even raise the dead. The power embodied in the message is the power of God that delivers us from Satan’s control and sets us free from the grip of every evil spirit.

This message set us free from the power of sin and causes us to become living witness of the power of His resurrection. The reason many churches lack power is they don’t preach the gospel. The reason some church lack the manifest power of God is they don’t believe in how far reaching this message is. The reason many Christian are always “fighting the devil” is they have not yet comprehended the scope and the scale of the message.

The gospel IS the power of God unto salvation. Our responsibility is to preach it and prepare our lives and our hearts to experience this Spirit’s power.

“… my message and my preaching were with the Holy Spirit’s power so that your faith would rest on God’s power.”

Tom Rawls

Lead Pastor - Proclaimers

Norwich, England

As a matter of approach Max uses an unusual style of using real people’s questions and responding with his unique outlook on the bible, life and learning God’s ways. The subtitle makes it clear what you’ll get in his latest book “Answers and inspiration for today’s questions.”

Reading this book as a pastor and church leader I became aware of the questions many normal church goers may ask about my sermons and the overall teaching ministry of the church; people understand less than I expected!

“Max on Life” is a book you’d want to include with your New Christians pack.

”Max on Life” is a book you’d want to distribute to the people coming to your new Christian’s course letting each participant know it’s okay to ask questions.  

“Max on Life” is a book you’d want on sale in your lobby at church for folks maybe too shy to ask the questions poised in this book.

Max Lucado has once again produced a great book with a powerful message. It’s okay to have questions; we all do! He goes a long way to answer a lot of the most asked questions from people both from within the church and from without the church. This is a great resource for churches with loads of people coming to Christ! I can recommend it!

Respectfully submitted by,

Tom Rawls – Lead Pastor

Proclaimers, a 21st Century Church in Norwich, England

www.proclaimers.com

What we believe is vital because we will build according to our firmly held convictions. Even if we say we believe something but deep down hold another deeply entrenched opinion we will build according to what we really believe! (Check out chapter 5 in my book Relentless for a further dealing with this subject: www.relentlessbook.com )

Our theology is vital at this point: what we hold deeply is very important and will form the foundations of what we will build.

We need to make sure we believe the right stuff. Not just intellectually but emotionally believe it – we need to examine our most deeply held beliefs. 2 Corinthians 4:13, “It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak.” What you believe becomes your practice – what you believe you will accomplish.

What you truly believe is spoken by you!

Jesus said, “I will build my church!” Matthew 16:18 As far as I can see this building is primarily a supernatural action. I know there is the science of church planting, church growth and church management but at the core at the heart the building of the church is a supernatural act and possess a supernatural dynamic. Let me explain:

I get really concerned with certain kinds of people who say “I don’t feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in this meeting.” What they are saying is that they walk by sense not by faith. They are saying they don’t believe in the inherent supernatural presence of Christ in the church.

Many of these people are demonstrating their spiritual immaturity saying they need to feel the presence of God or He’s NOT there. They are errant theologians!

Jesus walks amongst us when we gather corporately and when we are scattered over our city – He is within us by the Holy Spirit and He promises to never leave us or forsake us! Hebrews 13:5

Let us take time to examine our most cherished beliefs. The church at it’s core is a supernatural entity!

Feel free to comment on this blog - I am interested in your thoughts

Tom Rawls - Lead Pastor

Proclaimers, Norwich England

Reading and reading widely will prepare you as a person with a broad grasp of subjects. There is no need to be ignorant when reading can fill the gap.

Don’t fall for the clap trap of saying you’re not a good reader either. Start to read and read widely. Someone once said “Leaders are readers.” It’s true too!

You don't need to just read books either; there is a whole host of hard copy magazines and newspaper as well as the mountains of online reading of blogs, articles and e-books. You can get books on CD, there are a myriad of pod-casts available as well as pre-recorded messages. (But don't get sucked into saying you’ll just listen to podcast – the subject matter in books is enormous – read)

If you’re wondering what to read – check up on some of your favourite speakers and see what they are reading. Browse specific sections of Amazon and see the host of subject; you’ll find a recommended reading as well. Why not wander around a good book store and pick up a couple of interesting books and start the journey towards intellectual prowess.

Someone once mentioned it was important to be able to read people too!

Don't be an intellectual weakling with people kicking sand in your face – learn to read, learn to read fast and make sure you diversify by reading widely.

I couldn't hold myself back. I went over and asked to look at it and then proceeded to throw it away in a nearby bin.

“Hey!” he said! “What are you doing?” I looked him in the eyes and said to him, “You said it was just a piece of paper so I was going to throw it away for you.” He looked a bit chastened when I handed it back to him.

Some people think that ordination is just a piece of paper. But is it? Is it really just a piece of paper?

What ordination represents is so much more than a piece of paper. But hang on to the paper. The paper is the sign – it’s the symbol, it’s the endorsement it’s the stamp of recognition from a group of others who have seen a divine calling on your life. They now want to publicly agree with the Holy Spirit and acknowledge your calling as true and authentic; they want to make a public declaration.

There are many people walking around today as self authorised, self proclaimed and self declared “ministers of the church.” They have no authorising body and no one in positions of authority recognising their ministry or calling. They are under no authority and relate to no one in positions of authority. They have had no formal theological training and no one in church ministry recognises them as ministers of the church. They are self proclaimed!

At this juncture red lights should be flashing and we should hear the sound of danger. Let’s look at scripture.

Acts 26:16, “Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you.”

“...to appoint you...” To make you – to make my choice of you; the original Greek seems to imply that Paul is being handled like a vessel in the hands of a potter. In clear terms Paul was being chosen and appointed by the risen Christ as a “servant” or minister of the gospel.

The Greek word used for minister here is “under – oarsman” the guy on the lowest level on a boat pulling the hardest and working the toughest job. (The story is found in Acts 9)

Acts 9:15 says that Paul is a divinely chosen instrument of God’s.  

Move forward now to Act 13 where “prophets and teachers” were gathered to fast and pray.

Let’s read the account; Acts 13:2-3, “While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”

Note some very important ingredients;

1. The word of the Holy Spirit – no doubt being spoken through the prophets.

2. Direction from the Holy Spirit is to “set apart” – the Greek word is aphorizo (af-or-id'-zo); which means to separate or appoint – ordain is another word to describe this process.

3. Note these words; set apart for the “work to which I have called them.” This is clearly the work of ministry and it is a work they have been “called” to perform. Called by Christ; a specific and special calling of Christ to ministry. This is not the calling every Christian receives to serve in God’s House but is a designated call we ultimately see to be an Apostle.

Note Paul’s words in Romans 1:1, “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God.” He is set apart – aphorizo – appointed or ordained.

4. Here is where we get the procedure for our “ordination services.” The gathered group of prophets and teacher – leaders of the church in Antioch – did something to acknowledge that the Holy Spirit had indeed spoken. They laid their hands upon Paul and Barnabas and sent them. These words “sent them off” in the Greek is one word meaning to set them free to do what God had called them to.

Let’s now move on a few chapters and we find Paul ordaining others to ministry.  Acts 14:23, “Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.”

I see a progression here that ordained people ordain others into the ministry. Follow the usage of the word in Acts and read further in Titus where another generation of ordained leaders are being instructed to further ordain others into ministry. (Titus 1:5)

We live in an interesting time in church history. It seems anyone who wants to be a minister can proclaim themselves a minister. They can set up a church and just start doing their thing. No one in the church even bats and eyelid – I mean hey! What’s going on here?

Paul’s tendency to highly charged and descriptive writing is interesting as he calls these self proclaimed kinds of people as “... false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:13) Deceitful in what way? Masquerading how? Interesting questions.

To the leader of the church in Ephesus Jesus commends them for making sure they have had to judge certain ministries; Revelation 2:2 says it all. “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.”

I’m not saying that every person with an ordination certificate is automatically to be trusted and seen as a true leader, or minister of Christ. What I am saying is never before have we needed to be discerning of those who proclaim themselves minister’s of Jesus Christ.

What I am also saying is your ordination certificate is far much more than a piece of paper. It is the recognition of other ministers that you are truly called to minister on the behalf of Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 4:8-12, “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men." It was He [Jesus Christ] who [gifted] some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.

Respectfully submitted by Tom Rawls

Lead Pastor of Proclaimers Norwich, UK

Tom & Denise are ordained minister of the Assemblies of God Australia

Following on from my previous review of this book I felt the need to address some of the comments I have received and make further observations and notes.  

I’ve got to say, I liked the book – but that doesn’t mean I have endorsed the conclusions; I did however enjoy reading the book. Rob Bell is sheer genius and well deserves his place as one of TIME’s top 100 most influential people in the world. [Time Magazine 100 most influential]

“Love Wins” throws a grenade into the Evangelical’s theological camp meeting upsetting our Kumbaya moment. What upsets many is that he has been considered for a long time as “one of us” but his latest book has made a lot of people mad.

Amazingly a lot of people are mad and haven’t even read the book. To those people I say, “Get a grip, overcome your prejudice, read the book and join the conversation.” Whether we like it or not there will be 100,000’s who have and will read this book and they won't be theologian and “Love Wins” will resonant with them and we’ll need to understand before we seek to bring clarity and correction.

In my review of April 22nd 2011 I said I believe the book was “unscholarly.” Maybe a poor choice of words; John Cottey, [comment 23rd April] seems to understand where I’m coming from and helps me to further explain my point.  

“Love Wins” is not an academic treatise on the doctrine of Hell. Neither is it a work sighting other theologians and other theological views. It most definitely isn’t a systematic theology. Bell’s book doesn’t employ classic expositional strategies and he does not unpackage scriptures to allow them fully speak.

The book is a narrative; it tells Rob Bell’s story - it’s not meant to be a scholarly work. The book is a discussion piece, it’s an interchange. The book is more a walk through Rob Bell’s thought processes as they unravel.

Nathan Smith’s comments on my blog [23rd April] are also a very welcome correction. I’m sorry; my intention was not to make a character slur against Rob Bell. I didn’t express myself adequately and so “... thanks Mr Smith for your correction.”

When I say Rob Bell’s book is misleading – let me explain. Bell is definitely leading his readers to his conclusion. This is the reason is he such a great communicator and he brings us along in his conversation. The conclusion is of course his own conclusions about Heaven and Hell.

Rob Bell makes the thought of an eternal Hell of suffering and torment at odds with a loving God. I feel he misleads his readers because he neglects the biblical nature of God’s justice, righteousness and His holiness. He appeals to the human emotion of “fairness” instead of the divine nature of holiness and justice and that somehow God “changes” after we die and becomes something He isn’t.

Fairness does resonate in the human heart but so does the sense of human moral outrage over wrong perpetrated by others. When we hear of rape, human trafficking or sexual abuse against children out hearts are enraged; I would like to suggest that this is “eternity in our hearts.”[1] This outrage is the residual image of God within our hearts. God is a God of love as well as justice.

What I sought to express in my previous review was that through his astonishing intellect and amazing logic Rob Bell’s employment of inductive reasoning seems to imply that you may be an intellectual midget if you can’t see his point of view.  

I have genuinely appreciated this book. It has had an impact upon me. I am not a Universalist – I do believe in Hell and unlike some I do believe that Hell will have people there because they chose to be there by denying Jesus Christ.

I have to be honest though I find the subject of Hell a really hard subject to preach about. I am passionate about sharing my faith and seeing people connect with Jesus Christ; it consumes my every waking moment as a Church leader.

Hell, mentioned by Jesus repeatedly, is the rubbish dump outside Jerusalem? Is that what He was meaning? I think Jesus may have had more in mind than merely rubbish and rabid dogs.

I would love to hear your comments.

Respectfully submitted by

Tom Rawls

Lead Pastor at Proclaimers

[1] Ecclesiastes 3:11 Amplified Bible "He also has planted eternity in men's hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy]”

Can we sharpen our ability to be diligent? I think so... as a matter of fact I think a whole team can sharpen this great tool for success, impact and ultimate influence in our world.

As a character trait it is astounding that diligence is in fact an aspect of our moral fibre that can be worked on, developed and tended to. You and your team can increase in diligence and make it a part of the nature, personality and temperament of your organisation.

A diligent person is a hardworking person with a divine sense of responsibility. It is obvious to imagine that a team will be even more impacting as they become thorough in their work and make sure a project meets its deadline in line with its outcomes.

As a team they are conscientious and careful that all aspects of the job are conducted to higher standards than normal because they carry a sense of attentiveness about the work that has been committed into their care.

Diligent people working together make for a winning team because as they make sure an assignment or an undertaking that has been delegated to them finishes well. This team can be trusted to produce a product or result others will prize and appreciate.

These kinds of teams are not just “self starters” but those who finish well. They attract attention because they come through with flying colours. These kinds of teams achieve their desires and the desires of those they serve. These kinds of teams create value.

Diligent people like diligent teams, become market leaders. Diligence combined with innovation and creativity will blow other organisations completely out of the water and deliver an experience that will not just meet expectations but exceed expectations. These kinds of team create profits by creating value appreciated by adoring consumers.

When you have diligence in the church world we become a people who increasingly attract attention, other look on and are amazed. It won't be long before they begin to utter words like “awesome” or “amazing.”

In our churches when diligent people lead we create the “wow factor” and people begin to understand how much we value them and appreciate them. Diligence reflects the underlying principle that people have inherent dignity and worth and we value that in them.

We can inspire people to be diligent. We can model diligence. We can develop diligence in individuals and teams by providing careful instruction and guidance. We can equip our team with diligence by unpacking the ingredients of this powerful characteristic.

Bill Hybels once noted that “...dignity does not float down from heaven it cannot be purchased nor manufactured. It is a reward reserved for those who labour with diligence.”

Is diligence the mother of good fortune? I think it is.  But what is diligence? [... diligent – diligently] The dictionary describes it as “...a constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; a persistent exertion of body or mind.”  

I love the other words we use to describe diligence as assiduousness, meticulousness, conscientiousness, thoroughness, attentiveness and carefulness. It means you are a persistent person who works with a sense of industry and who is tireless in your attention to a project.

Diligence is continuing to strive after a goal with focus, determination and without giving up; its crossing “T’s” and dotting “I’s.” Diligence is thinking through the process and determining the outcomes; looking at the alternatives and considering the variables.

What causes a person to be diligent? Why are some people lazy? Are you born that way; it is a personality trait? What makes another person thorough and another person have the attitude that near enough is good enough? Why are some people committed to pursue excellence in everything they do and yet others act so indifferently? Why are some people MORE diligent than others?

When you boil it down the answer is diligence is an aspect of our character and can be developed or ignored; it can be cultivated or left uncared for. Some people seem naturally disposed to be more diligent than others. Diligence is a trait that appears to be unaffected by maturity as some children seem more diligent than others. But as an aspect of character trait it is a quality you can grow in.

Wiseman and sage King Solomon ruler of ancient Israel once wrote Proverbs 13:4, “The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.”  

Diligence has its reward; as Disraeli said it is the mother of “good fortune!”

To be continued.....

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Tom Rawls

Lead Pastor

Ralph Waldo Emerson seems to agree with him when he once said, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by statesmen and philosophers and divines!” Emerson qualifies his comment by the addition of the word “foolish consistency.”

But did he really understand the character trait of consistency? I think not!

Consistent; this word means to be regular, dependable and constant. To be constant is to be steady, stable even relentless! Consistency means to be persistent, perpetual and unremitting. This sounds like an awesome quality for an individual, a team member, a team even an organisation!  

Being consistent is to be coherent, “in harmony” and uniform – not contradictory or conflicting. A consistent person is someone you can count on to produce evenly and according to a standard.

The term consistent doesn’t presuppose a positive or negative outcome; but when applied positively it carries great weight. None of us would be ignorant of the “foolish consistency” spoken of by Emerson because we all know that there are people who are consistently negative, consistently critical and consistently produce low standard produce.

But what of the person who is consistent in a positive sense? Allow for this type of consistency;

This person is consistently creative

This person is consistently innovative

This person is consistently thinking outside the box

This person is consistently producing work which is out of the ordinary

This person is consistently loyal even in difficult situations

This person is consistently generates work of a high standard

This person consistently does more than is expected

This person consistently surprises the team by finding solutions others haven’t considered

This person consistently responds to difficult situations with a great positive attitude

This person consistently out produces others on the team

This person consistently responds well to challenge, change and conflict

This person consistently shows loyalty, trustworthiness and dependability

WOW – where is the person?? Give me a team of them and watch what my organisation will achieve in the market place!!

The secret of this characteristic is that is available to anyone who desires to develop character and walk in increasing integrity!

Consistency powerfully affects an organisation, impacts teams and continues to produce great value that others will see and earnestly desire.

The good thing about this trait is it is developable, accessible and definitely expandable.

Hebrews 13:7 says in the Message, “Appreciate your pastoral leaders who gave you the word of God. Take a look at the way they live their lives and let their faithfulness instruct you as well as their truthfulness. There should be a consistency that runs through us all. For Jesus doesn’t change – yesterday, today, tomorrow He’s always totally Himself.”

What do you think? Leave a comment today!

Tom Rawls

Lead Pastor Proclaimers

To be reliable is to be dependable, accurate, and honest; it means you are a person who others can count on to be there and to be depended on. Being reliable means you don't have “hidden agendas” but speak truthfully, honestly and accurately no matter what the cost.

Being reliable is a character trait; it’s not something you DO it’s someone you ARE. Being reliable is part of your character and hence something you can develop. Character is the sum total of the traits and the distinguishing qualities of an individual. You can be of noble character or poor character; the choice is yours to make.

Being reliable means you are THERE when you say you’re going to be there; you’re reliable to be there on time. Reliability speaks to accuracy; its means that what you say can be trusted to be true.

Being reliable is being trusted, faithful, loyal, steady and responsible. You can see by this understanding that it does not describe behaviour but the inner qualities of character; the nature of a person.

In every team reliability increases and enlarges the capacity of the team. Reliability multiplies the capability and impacts the competence of a team. Reliability gifts and graces the team with trustworthiness and ultimate influence and authority.

Reliability affects the working of the team and gives the team a sense of genuineness and authenticity. This gives the team a big lift with the competition putting you ahead of the game in the most enviable ways!

When TEAMS function reliably the ORGANIZATION is able to achieve greatness. Reliability helps to achieve a rhythm and grace others will desire; it makes an organisation more productive, more creative, more prolific and more dynamic.

Being unreliable will SABOTAGE you personally undermining the development of character and will undermine the team and ultimately be the weakest link in every organization. Being unreliable destroys the fabric of true trust and makes you worth less to an organisation.

Paul the great apostle of the New Testament wrote to his protégé Timothy, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” (2Timothy2:2)

John Luther, author of Madam Butterfly, once said, “Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are to some extent a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece by thought, choice, courage and determination.”

I encourage our people and our teams to read according to personal need as well – if you need to brush up on management skills or team building read books and listen to resources that specifically target the need. If you want to know more about grace then there’s so much out there.

Fiction: There are some great authors out there who write incredibly well. They write about history and historical themes; they write about people and how they act, react and respond to situations real and made up. You can learn a lot about various subjects and enjoy the read too!

I speak openly about taking care you don’t read just a certain authors exclusively or listen too much to a favourite speaker. I encourage our folks to take care of coming under the influence of someone else’s house exclusively. In fact one thing you should do is listen to the messages from your own house a second time.

In my experience I have had to deal with the fallout from people who are Mark Driscol fans or John Piper fans. Listen to me; there is nothing wrong with either of these guys but when you come under their influence you’ll find your church is not doing things with their flavour; it will cause division.

I encourage our church in the pursuit of personal growth to read widely. 

Let me start by saying how much I enjoyed this book. It had many challenging and incredibly thought provoking fresh ideas and I have loved the way Rob Bell unpackages certain scriptures with a fresh eye and articulate voice.

I must say however that some of his “theological” conclusions are a bit misleading and even border on the unbiblical... let me explain.

He employs an inductive style of teaching that leads you to his own conclusions rather than what the bible actually says. Many have thought of Rob’s book as a bit of evangelical mutiny.

 For me as I read his book (and I read it twice – once to get through it and the second time had my bible open to check out his use of scriptures) I really wanted to believe what he was writing! It sounded so good and just made it easier to think about God, a relationship with Him through Christ and just forget about the reality of Hell.

Now please don't get me wrong. I am not seeking to be “critical” in a negative sense. I think Rob’s book is a good read. Love Wins is a “crackling good yarn” as they say in reference to Tom Clancy and Clive Cussler novels.

I love his fresh approach to certain well worn scriptures and I love the noble attempt to open a little wider the doors to Heaven. We evangelicals can become so legalistic and nit picking we actually become like the Pharisees of old, and shame o us trying to close up those doors to heaven so that heaven will just be people who think and act like me!!

God is a God of indescribable love; but He is also a God of justice. I will never assume I know who’s going to heaven and who is not but I will seek to declare and proclaim as faithfully as I can that Jesus Christ is the way the truth and the life and no man can come to the father unless they come through Him.

I am not ashamed of the good news story about Jesus – it is the power for God for salvation to all.

1 John 2:2-5, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him.”

I appeal to people to read this book, but make sure you have your bible open along side of it. This is a book you have to read with your brain engaged!

Respectfully submitted by Tom Rawls

Lead Pastor of Proclaimers

It’s not the size of the church – small churches can be great churches. But a great church won't stay small either – the very nature of a great church is expansion, growth and increase. 

To name a few ingredients of a great church:

I loved being at Gilead! One of Sweden’s great churches! They have started a second service and seeing over 350 people every weekend! People are connecting with Christ each and every week! This is developing to become one of Europe’s outstanding churches.

Perry Noble once said, “You can never schedule a move of God but you sure can be prepared for one.” This wisdom struck me powerfully!

James 4:7-10 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

My preparations will always involve a life lived devoted to God!

My prayer; “I am prepared God for you to move in my life, my relationships and in the church you have asked me to lead.”