Leadership Training (September)
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Elevate the Mundane
Elevate the Mundane
18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint;
But happy is he who keeps the law.
“Vision is the quality that elevates the mundane into higher realms of achievement. Vision excites passion, bestows meaning on otherwise routine or dreary days, gives direction to goal, provides guidance for daily decisions. Without vision, organizations wither, and people lose interest” -Jerry Lucas
Our Mission: We live to know Him and make Him know
We elevate people to the position that they see Christ in us:
When people see us they should something bigger than you!
We have the most important Job! Showing people the Father
They should see joy, peace, self-control things that are above what the World has to offer
As leaders we see the potential in others and elevate them
Jesus elevated a whole team of people around him to do the impossible
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
Jesus elevated the mundane
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
He spent the first 30 years of his life as a carpenter
The one who’s hands flung planets into alignment, worked with simple tools creating common objects like a common man
Wonder what one of those would go at auction for
Jesus knew the value of hard work
You see him sleeping in storms being exhausted from ministering and walking
He didn’t just do normal things, He made them better
When he spit into the clay he didn’t make mud he restored sight to the blind
He didn’t simply prepare food for people he multiplied fish and bread for 5K
He washed the disciples feet a task meant for a servant, he humbled himself and showed people how to lead for eternity
In His death he made everything come alive
Jesus did the mundane he required others around him to do the same:
Why did he ask the servants at the Cana wedding to fill jars with 120 gallons of water, which must have taken a lot of time and effort, when he could have filled them with wine on the spot?
Why did he ask his disciples to “go and see” how many loaves they had, when he was about to miraculously feed 5,000 people?
Why did Jesus send the blind man, with mud and spit on his eyes, to go wash in the pool of Siloam when he healed others right on the spot?
Things that seem insignificant to us are elevated when they are done in obedience to Jesus, our God who took on flesh.
Habits to Elevate the Mundane:
We should have an abnormal prayer life
6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Jesus gave very definite instructions concerning prayer:
We are to enter into our private room and shut the door.
We may be out in the field, in the heart of a forest, or on a quiet hillside
Alone with you and God
What do you do first?
Eliminate distractions
Create an atmosphere for focus
Give yourself time for your prayers to turn into desires
1 Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off;
But those who wait on the Lord,
They shall inherit the earth.
So many times in prayer my thoughts and words are recited as a hurried regurgitation of things i’ve said before
Change your confessions to desires
The Shut door creates space between you and the world:
If you’re not actively shutting the door to the world, the world will try to shut the door on God
You have put your business, your ambitions, your pleasures, far from you
18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
I have seen so many people get a job or in a relationship
We must seek to shut the door and close out the world
To elevate the mundane we have to stay focused
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
We have to say no to distractions
Success is the ability to handle boredom
How good are you at doing thing consistently rather than enthusiastically
Leadership is defined in the the lack of enthusiasm
Can you pray when you don’t feel like it
Can you minister when you don’t feel like it
Can you obey when you don’t feel like it
38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”
39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.
44 So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”
We are Never the less People
I don’t feel like serving
Never the less
I don’t feel like loving my neighbor
Never the less
I don’t feel like Praying
Never the less
Questions:
What are mundane activities that you’ve given up that you need to start doing again?
Is your prayer life below average, average or above average?
What are wants you have that you need to turn into desires?
When is the best time of day for you to focus?
What is something that can help you stay focused?
