From Good 2 Great

Embracing The Kingdom of God Culture

2 Kings 6:1–7 NKJV

1 And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. 2 Please, let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell.” So he answered, “Go.” 3 Then one said, “Please consent to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.” 4 So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5 But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, master! For it was borrowed.” 6 So the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float. 7 Therefore he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it.

In this Text we are witnessing an administrative transition:

Whats necessary for us to have is a view point:

View Point: determines view

Where you stand defines what you see

You cannot see what your leader see’s because you don’t stand where the Leader stands with Christ.

Because of this: The leader is responsible for bringing the people into a level of common perspective through transition.

We have created a “trusted vacuum”in the church because all our decisions are being placed in the crucibles of flawed mentalities to be adjudicated

The Church is seeing the poor choices of Leadership on the News & on Social Media. Our voices don’t hold the same ‘weight’ as our forefathers.

Why?

A Mishandling of a portion of the Kingdom message- equalization between the pulpit & pew

According to the baptistcourier.com the average length of time adults have been attending the same church is 13.7 years.

Probably a more general is the median of 6.6 years, which means half of all churchgoers have been attending the same church for less time than this, and half for a greater length of time.

Now its takes at least 3 years to defragment the culture of the last church in a member. Which means after discipling then another 3.6 years they are gone....

Hosea 4:4–14 NLT

4 “Don’t point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame! My complaint, you priests, is with you. 5 So you will stumble in broad daylight, and your false prophets will fall with you in the night. And I will destroy Israel, your mother. 6 My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children. 7 The more priests there are, the more they sin against me. They have exchanged the glory of God for the shame of idols. 8 “When the people bring their sin offerings, the priests get fed. So the priests are glad when the people sin! 9 ‘And what the priests do, the people also do.’ So now I will punish both priests and people for their wicked deeds. 10 They will eat and still be hungry. They will play the prostitute and gain nothing from it, for they have deserted the Lord 11 to worship other gods. “Wine has robbed my people of their understanding. 12 They ask a piece of wood for advice! They think a stick can tell them the future! Longing after idols has made them foolish. They have played the prostitute, serving other gods and deserting their God. 13 They offer sacrifices to idols on the mountaintops. They go up into the hills to burn incense in the pleasant shade of oaks, poplars, and terebinth trees. “That is why your daughters turn to prostitution, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery. 14 But why should I punish them for their prostitution and adultery? For your men are doing the same thing, sinning with whores and shrine prostitutes. O foolish people! You refuse to understand, so you will be destroyed.

Hosea 4:9 NKJV

9 And it shall be: like people, like priest. So I will punish them for their ways, And reward them for their deeds.

So now Churches Jump from cover to coverings. Like Priest Like People

Assessing Our Transit-ion Plan

Most African American churches do not have a TRANSIT-ion.  They often get stuck in an era of power: not understanding that power SHIFTS.

addition & attrition:

Essentials For Growth- We often mishandle DEPARTURES because we never appropriately discern ARRIVALS.

    We try to crystallize the formulas of our effective seasons (teams, programs, mentality ). Everyone was not meant to stay, Some people come to imagine, establish, Implement and then, depart.

Departures are a sign of new growth and an opportunity to identify new persons and parts of the next season. (SUPPORT BEAMS)

Support Beams:  Engineer beam theory 

Relationships are in direct correlation to Relation-SHIFTS. How we respond to those shifts determines our next place of effectiveness. 

Transistors: from here to there determines on Transit

Transistor: a semiconductor device with three connections, capable of amplification in addition to rectification (the action of putting something right)

Relationships are the corner stone of movement. A leader's effectiveness is only as good as his/her ability to get the people to find hear:

The commanding voice: 

When the Command changes, the Crowd changes. God will give you instructions to give to the Church for the Purpose of opening your eyes to who can and cannot go with the ministry to The next season.

Movement into NOW moments are layered with tests...fueled by revelation-nothing. This revelation reveals who a person really is... like the OFFENSE that transition can bring. 

Many times a body/people never fully transact transformation through transition because they often think that movement should take into account their perspective & how they feel.

Now, the story opens with the school of the prophets bringing a problem to Elisha that I think is worthy of a few minutes of our time for the purpose of examination. They say to Elisha in verse 1, “Things have gone so well under your leadership that we no longer have adequate space to fully function in the larger vision that you have cast for us.” They say to him, “This place is too small for us. And based on the vision that you have planted in us; and based on what we now want to do, this space we are in is too small to house our big ideas.” They say to him, “We can’t stay in lesser if we want to do greater.” And so my question at the onset of this sermon is ‘How many of you have arrived at the place in your life that where you are is too small to house who it is God has called you to be and what it is God has called you to do?’

Maybe your thinking is too small. Maybe your environment is too small. Maybe the folks that influence you, think too small. Again, have you reached a point where you’re saying to yourself: ‘I’m interested in doing something bigger. Good enough is no longer good enough.’ There is something in you that has become restless with the mediocre. There is something speaking to your greater capacity and you’re listening closer than you’ve ever listened before. You’ve decided that you can no longer just shift some things around, but instead, it’s time to ship some things off. (Talk back to me in this house.)

You see, the enemy wants you to downsize your opinion of yourself. But here’s what the Lord would have me to tell you: you’ve got to get to the point where you don’t underestimate the largeness of the greatness that is inside of you. (Stop, rewind, push replay.) You need to be at a place in God where you don’t underestimate the largeness of the greatness that is inside of you. (Now, instead of touching your neighbor, touch yourself and say: there’s greatness inside me.) (I don’t believe you heard yourself. Say it again: there’s greatness inside me!)

You’re too big for some things. You’re too big to argue with idiots. Your time is too precious to be wasted with folks who’d rather talk big than do big work for God.

So, here’s my question: Is your thinking big enough to house a panoramic picture of your God-given purpose? If not, then what are you gonna do about it?

They said to Elisha, where we are is too small!

Let me point out a few principles in the text and you can go put your pajamas on and get ready fo bed so you can be refreshed & ready to go to work in your living room in the morning.

Here’s the first thing:

where you have an interest, there must be an action.

(Let me unpack that for you.)

Verse 1 shows their interest in expansion.

They said the place is too small for us. But watch verse 2, they say,

“Let us go the Jordan and let every man grab a log so we can build a bigger space.”

(Did you see it?) Verse 1 shows their interest, verse 2 shows their action. You see, when you’re really convinced that good is enough is no longer good enough for you, you won’t just have interest, but you’ll take some action.

(Write in the message box... It's time for some action.)

(I’m in the text.) Look at verse 2. They don’t ask Elisha too prophesy about it. They didn’t try to pray it into existence. They didn't waste their time wishing for it. They understood the only way to witness it was to work on it.

Here it is: the text has been tailored to teach that God provides vision and provision, but YOU must provide the energy and the effort.

(I think I just said something.)

You see, I am convinced that we’re in a season where God is taking note of our actions to see if what we do is as prevalent as what we say. God is not moved by our words; He’s looking for our work. There must be some action to match your interest.

So, the text says they don’t leave it to Elisha to build it. They said, allow us to do something about this present predicament. Let us effect the change that we want.

Here it is: you don’t like the praise & worship team, then join it. You’re mad with the ushers, be a part of it. You don’t like the greeters, then get you a badge. You want better grades, then study more. You want to be promoted on your job, start by getting to work on time and be the last to leave. You got an interest in going back to school, then register for a class. You want your child to do better in home school, go meet the teacher wait you are the teacher.....partner with with the school in a plan for your child’s improvement. When you have an interest, it must be accompanied by some action.

Watch the text.

They have a vision..... “We need a larger place.” They have a strategy...... “We’re going to where the trees are.” They’ve identified their resources...... “We’re going to use the lumber we have to build what we want.”

(Don’t miss this.)

In order to experience manifestation of that which is greater, you need a vision, a strategy, and recognizable resources. (Talk back to me.) You see, one of the things that concerns me about this modern church is that we’re high on spirituality and low on practicality.

When you read the text, you discover there was nothing deep or spooky spiritual about what they did.

They said, God’s got some trees. We’re gonna get some axes and we’re gonna go cut some lumber and make it happen.

So now, verse 4 says that when they got down to the Jordan they began to cut down the trees. (Now, don’t miss this.)

The text says that they got down to the Jordan and began to cut down some trees.

Here it is: you’ll never get to a greater place in God unless you’re willing to cut something down and knock something out.

(Stop. Rewind. Push play.) You will never get to your greatest place in God without having to cut something down and knock something out.

***(Let me say it like the famous poet of my generation Sir L L of the coolest of J (momma said knock you out!! I'm going knock you out!!)

You’re gonna have to cut down some attitudes and knock out some habits. You’re gonna have to cut down some relationships and knock out some things you’ve been trying to hold on to.

You’re gonna have to cut down certain thoughts and knock out some negativity. What is it that you need to cut down that’s standing in your way?

So, the text says that as they are cutting, one of them loses the axe head. Now, keep in mind, all he’s doing is cutting down a tree, and he loses his edge.

(Don’t miss this.)

Sometimes you can lose your edge; lose your momentum while you’re in pursuit of the things of God. (God help me preach.)

Is there anybody in here honest enough to admit that while you were in pursuit of the greater that God has for you, somewhere along the way, you lost your momentum?

The text says that he was merely going through the routine of chopping the tree. He was simply doing what one normally does in order to get the desired result.

And it the process of going through his normal routine, he lost his edge.

Watch this:

You can get so busy in the daily rituals and routines of life that you lose your interest before you even know it. You didn't realize that your tank for the things of God was nearly empty.

You didn’t realize that your affection for your spouse had grown stale. You didn’t realize that you were trying to live today’s life on yesterday’s memories.

You didn’t realize that you no longer had concern for and interest in the things that really mattered.

Listen; never get so busy doing what you do that you forget why you do what you do.

The text says that while he was going through the motions of cutting down a tree......even though it was for a good cause.....even though it was for an admirable purpose.......he lost his edge.

So, the natural question is: how do I get it back? How do I get my edge back? How do I regain my momentum? How do I recover the joy I once had in the journey?

We will find this out tomorrow Night!

just kidden.

Watch verse 5.

He says, ‘Alas, Master!’

(You missed the shout.)

When he looses his edge, he cries out, ‘Alas, Master.’

Here it is: the first thing you have to realize is that you can’t get it back on your own. (God, help me preach.)

You can get it back, when you realize that YOU can’t get it back!

(I wish I had somebody.)

The young prophet didn't stand their staring at the water. He did the only thing he could do, he cried out. (It’s so simple that you’re about to mess around and miss it.)

He realized that he couldn’t get back what he lost on his own. His only hope was in the power of God.

(Somebody ought to text something.) tweet it book it, gram it!!

The next time you feel yourself losing momentum, losing excitement, losing interest in the things of God, don’t you try to fix it by yourself.

Cry out to God!

The text says that he cries out that it was borrowed. And, Elisha asked, where did it fall?

(This is simple, but it’s going to be the blessing that somebody came for.)

The prophet asked, “Where did it fall?” (Don’t miss this.)

He did not say, where did you lose it, but where did it fall?

Here it is:

the axe head isn’t lost, it’s just back where he left it. (Church folks don’t know when to shout.)

You see, you haven’t really lost your momentum; it’s just back there where you left it.

You have haven’t really lost your joy; it’s just back there where you left it.

You haven’t really lost your enthusiasm for the things of God; it’s just back there where you left it.

And so the question is, where did you leave it? Where did you drop it? What happened that caused you to walk away from it? What was the hurt that caused you to abandon it? What was the bad news that made you forget it? WHERE DID YOU LEAVE IT?

Here’s the shout:

Since it’s not lost; since it’s back there where I left it, that means I can go back and get it!

(text this in the message feed: and tell somebody.. go back and get it!)

Go back and get your joy!

Go back and get your peace!

Go back and get your mind!

Go back and get your smile!

Go back and get your family!

Go back and get your confidence!

The text says So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float.

7 Therefore he said, “Pick it up for yourself.”

This is how you know you have transitioned when the material you came for is in position to help you find the tool that produced the material. When the role reverse

When that degree that you sacrificed to get by working full time during the day and attending school at night pays off. You will no longer have a job but a career ,

While you reestablish your credit, pay off your bills, You might have to eat roman noodles for a while. But soon You will be able to purchase that home and then cook steak on your stove...

When that child you been taking care of and pouring into becomes great and they start taking care of you.. transition.. When roles reverse playa..

The man of God instructs him after he helps him find what he lost to go get it himself..

You have to be willing to go after it!