Simplicity

Simplicity has been a theme in my life as of late. Though the book has been out since 2011, I just recently read Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger. I am also reading a book by Jacko Willink and Leif Babin entitled Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win. The title of chapter 6 in Extreme Ownership, you guessed it…Simple. All of these authors communicate the same idea, in order for people to achieve a goal, the goal must be simple and clear. Not simple in the sense that it is easy, but simple in the sense that you know exactly what you seeking to achieve.

I find it interesting that in all of my studies I have yet to find a genuine leadership principle that did not come straight from the Bible. The author may not know that it came from the Bible, but if you know your scriptures you will recognize it as a biblical principle. When it comes to clear and simple goals, Jesus was right on point. He left the church with one clear goal, MAKE DISCIPLES (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8). That’s it. He did not leave us long and convoluted list to accomplish, one clear simple goal. Now I will grant you that it is a multifaceted goal, but it is clear and direct none the less.

Northside Baptist Church must constantly remind herself of this goal. We must be careful not to get off track. We must make sure that all we do is in some way moving us toward the bigger goal of making disciples. If we allow ourselves to get distracted by lesser things, we will never be effective at the main thing. Let us work together to accomplish this mission. Let’s move past our personal preferences and agendas that might keep us from becoming all God has called us to be. If we will, I am sure of this; it will be one exciting and adventurous journey.

Honored to be your pastor,

Darrell

Missional Living

One of the things that I am often struck by when reading the New Testament is Paul’s missionary heart. It never ceases to amaze me the lengths to which Paul was willing to go in order to reach someone, or a lot of someones, with the gospel. One such instance is found in Romans 9:3. Paul says, “For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (ESV). In case you missed that let me put it in plain English, “If it were possible, I would wish that I would spend an eternity in hell if it meant that my fellow countrymen would come to know Christ.” Or as The Message puts it, “If there were any way I could be cursed by the Messiah so they could be blessed by him, I’d do it in a minute.”

I read such things and I think, “Now Paul, that’s just crazy talk. Why would you go to such extremes when they had every opportunity you did to respond to the gospel?” The truth of the matter is that Paul understood the reality of heaven and hell. He knew this was not simply the stuff of children’s Sunday School classes. He knew that hell is the reality of all realities and he did not want anyone to spend a second there.

Applying this truth to our lives causes us to ask ourselves a question: What extent are we willing to go to in order that others might come to know Christ? Are we willing to be uncomfortable? Are we willing to forego our own preferences when it comes to teaching styles, programming, or worship style if it means others will come to know Christ? Are we willing to step up and serve so that others might be saved? You see, to all of this Paul would say, “YES, YES, YES” if it meant people would come to know Christ.

I can only hope that over the course of my life that I might come to love with the passion and zeal that Paul had. The truth of the matter is too often I let my own comfort level, my own desires, and my own ambitions get in the way. May we journey together as we seek to become more for the cause of Christ and the sake of the gospel.