APPLE + STEVE JOBS VS. APPLE + TIM COOK

Ignite

I am a true apple head, the only product I haven’t owned was a classic iPod.

But most of all the electronics i have either owned or bought for others.

iMac, Mac book, Mac book pro, Mac Pro, Mac Mini, ipad, iphone, air pods, Air Pod Max, Air tags, Apple TV’s, Apple Home Pod.

I gave you that run down so you would know how invested i have been in the Apple Movement over the last 15 years.

What made me most attractive about Apple was Steve Jobs: Steve’s vision Steve’s imagination Steve’s ability to create something that was impossible to create, and actually made it happen was so attractive to me his vision stood out far beyond anyone else that I could see in the Tech field.

I have been trying to tell people for the last 10-15 years that Technology and ministry are preparing to be married. Covid-19 hosted the ceremony.

Evangelism & technology is more important than, showing folks shouting. It’s an opportunity to reach unreachable people all over the world.

When Steve passed, it seems to me that Apple somehow had died as well. The vision and creativity isn’t the same. Don’t get me wrong. I love Apple and I can’t find and think I could be able to choose anything other than this at this point in my life, but I have to be honest and say I realize that when the visionary dies sometimes so does the vision, the thing that he’s created dies unless he can captivate individuals that have the same type of DNA the same type of vision and is able to continue what the visionary has started. And Do a Joel Olsteen or David Ellis

One of my major concerns is always people that come into leadership and fail to learn the leader & his vision and the brand that God has given him to present.

When people that come into leadership never take it upon themselves to get to know the leader (intimately) to understand his heart, his purpose and the reason he has been placed on this earth, it’s going to be impossible for you to carry an auxiliary or Ministry, and have the true DNA of that Leader.

A ministry in all intents and purposes is actually the heart of the leader. You can learn a lot about a ministry by spending time with the leader.

If you’re not careful, you can bring the mindsets the culture and the belief systems from a previous ministry in attempt to integrate it into a new ministry. This would be considered a virus and sometimes without us, knowing we’re walking around with a virus attempting to get old culture that’s been ingrained in your heart & in your spirit into the new culture of the church you now serve, the new church is going in a totally different direction then What’s in the virus.

Now ask yourself these question what kind of virus am I caring? What’s in my DNA? Where is the virus? Where is it Stemming from? Who has influenced me the most to believe what I believe? & to practice what I practice? & how too live the way I live?

Let me say this as well that many are not carrying a virus but potential, great experience and Knowledge they have gained from another ministry and or company.

Some come with both, great potential and virus 🦠. You will always be able to diagnose this type the easiest. Because they are driven by their own Agenda.

They Serve for a personal purpose: when that purpose is not being fulfilled they will leave with no explanation.

If you come from a ministry that is built on following suit, going with the crowd & following behind what others do, this is how we’ve done it, this is how we’re doing it, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, then you’re probably going to have some struggle here because this is a ministry built on being a forerunner this is the ministry that sits on a boat with 11 other ministries and when Jesus says come, we get off the boat……. And if you’re comfortable with sitting on the boat and watching other people walk on water, this isn’t the ministry you want to be in leadership with.

I can always Tell the I person who has the (‘ I am comfortable in the boat spirit.’) By the way you will react to faith moves.

I don’t want to discourage the staying in the boat people, you are here because God wants you to confront your fears. But just know if you on this fellowshippppp. Expect to get pushed in deep waters..

(Tell someone I am getting ready to launch out into the deep)

The hardest part of being a senior leader, all the way back from Moses all the way to now is getting the slave mentality out of people that are called too lead, and when all you can see is Giants and you look like a grasshopper you’ll never be able to take possession of what God has promised your people.

Matthew 11:4–6 KJV

4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

What if this text is referring to spiritual and Natural.

So Moses sent 12 spies out. They were 12 Leaders of families and these 12 leaders came back and only two was an agreement with what God originally said that this land belong to us, and that we should go and conquer it.

The 10 saw themselves so small, and saw their enemy so much bigger than God, that they canceled out the assignment and caused their family to wander for 40 years until they all died out, I don’t know about you, but I don’t have 40 years to waste. I don’t have five years to waste and I don’t have two years to waste with trying to convince individuals that you’re not a slave and that you are a son of the most High God. Its one thing when you’re trying to convince a regular member it’s another thing when you have to keep trying to convince a leader at this point in your life you should be at the stage were you believe for Impossible things.

You shouldn’t be struggling with tithing

Tithing is a small thing to a leader, because a leader is a financier we give far above and beyond a tithe. We are called to help finance the Kingdom. Leader’s understand money is currency that flows in and out of their life to fulfill purpose.

Back To Steve Jobs..

This is gonna be very difficult for some of you to digest, but you have to understand

a Ministry can only go as far as the visionary can push it.

A Ministry is limited to the vision of the leader, the leader needs to have the capacity to Birth, Train, and Deploy Leaders.

Birthing, Training & Deploying, thats what we are going to talk about.

Birthing Requires: Dying to self

1 Corinthians 15:31 (AMP): 31 [I assure you] by the pride which I have in you in [your fellowship and union with] Christ Jesus our Lord, that I die daily [I face death every day and die to self].

What’s needed to give birth to what’s inside of you requires you dying completely to yourself to your opinions to how you feel about things what you know about things what people have said about you all that Has to die in order for you to really embrace what God’s about to birth in you through your leader.

This is gonna be difficult for some of you, because you’ve gotten comfortable in the lies in the misconceptions in the hurts and the disappointments. It’s easier to embrace that then to except that God has a greater, unbelievably better, far beyond you can see or imagine for your life, for your ministry, for your family, And for the kingdom of God and he’s gonna do it through you. Tell Someone that

1 Corinthians 2:9 KJV

9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Not everyone is going to make the cut, but the ones that do will see with-in the next 3 years a major difference in every area of your Life.

I will begin to see it probably within the first 3 months. I won’t tell you because it will make some of you lazy and slack off, and the ones i don’t see in three months will hear you bragging and get discouraged and stop all together.

So before you go further lets look at my DNA

I am sure at this point in your life you can see your resemblance of your Parents and possibly if your blessed to have grown up with them your grand parents;

But I also can see the DNA Resemblance of my Spiritual Parents in both myself and Lady Middleton:

Write down 8 things you believe is in your Spiritual DNA

Example: Faith, gifts of healing, helps,

I am going to give you 5 min.. when your done turn your pad over

Pastor Robert L Middleton:

Visionary -faith-determination-consistency-Fearlessness

5 Fold Ministry: Pastor, Teacher, Evangelist, Prophet, Apostle Transparent Father

Servant

Mentor

Son

Priest

8 DNA Strand’s and in order to be a true son or daughter you need at least 4. How many of yours match mine?

I Interview Bishop Augustus David Pullen and asked him what would he say 8 Spiritual DNA strands are in his loins.

Teacher

Admin

Leader

Student of the word Study

He demands Order & Excellence

Prophetic

Operates strongly in the Gifts of the spirit / spiritual sensitivity

Motivator/ Bring the best out of people/Mentor

(Write this down)

Training: Requires a teachable Spirit/ It’s becoming a disciple/ Disciples are willing to walk with and following when others won’t

Discipleship is the process of devoting oneself to a teacher to learn from and become more like them. For the Christian, this refers to the process of learning the teachings of Jesus and following after his example in obedience through the power of the Holy Spirit. Discipleship not only involves the process of becoming a disciple but of making other disciples through teaching and evangelism.

Discipleship in the ot is fundamentally about learning what is required from the Torah and submitting to it in obedience. The Hebrew terms יָסַר (yāsar, “to instruct”) and לָמַד (lāmad, “to teach”) fit the idea of discipleship well, as they both strongly imply a change in behavior as a result of the instruction.

nt, the word μαθητής (mathētēs, “disciple”) and other words related to μανθάνω (manthanō, “to learn”) express the idea of discipleship more narrowly. The root meaning of manthanō is “to learn,” which again ties discipleship to the concept of learning and instruction. Like the Hebrew terms, however, these words also refer not only to the transfer of information but also to the transformation of one’s lifestyle in order to be more like one’s teacher.

Matthew 4:18–22 KJV

18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. 21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. 22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

Matthew 8:18–22 KJV

18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. 19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

Disciple:. a student who adheres to (and travels with) a teacher in a pedagogical relationship; especially used of students of spiritual leaders.

to teach — verb. to impart skills or knowledge to.

2 Kings 2:1–8 KJV

1 And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel. 3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. 4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. 5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. 6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on. 7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. 8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

2 Kings 2:11–15 KJV

11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. 13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; 14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. 15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

Notice the similarity in the story of the 12 disciples in the Boat and they all seen Jesus walking on water but only one had faith to get out the boat and follow, Elijah had 3 prophetic schools he had to visit before leaving, they all knew he was about to leave but only one was willing to follow to the end. He was not the eldest but the youngest of his students and he received the eldest son’s inheritance. Double…….

The Passion Translation Ac 5:15).

15 In fact, when people knew Peter was going to walk by, they carried the sick out to the streets and laid them down on cots and mats, knowing the incredible power emanating from him would overshadow them and heal them.

Mantles aren’t inherited they have to be caught….

3.Deploy:

Acts 13:1–3 KJV

1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

Deployed Christians understand, The Church is the filling station. But the work begins in the Market Places, Hospitals, Prisons, Board Rooms, Street Corners & family homes.

The Job of the leaders done when he duplicated leaders that can do what he or she has done….