I am a Spirit…

Some things I’ve learned in the past month away from facebook…

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This is the commission. Disciple nations. This is not about getting people to pray a prayer (though that is often included), this is about modeling Jesus and effectively training people to walk in victory, to reign in life, and to have an abundance in every good work.

The basis of discipleship is relationship. You cannot have [effective] discipleship outside of relationship. A church-goer is not an equivalent of a disciple. The implication of someone being a disciple is that they want to learn.

You can read an article about creating spiritual bastards written by Dennis.

Salvation is free. Discipleship will cost you everything that you’re not called to do.

The mark of successful discipleship is the discipl-ee surpassing the discipl-er (John 14:12).

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If my ability to worship God changes with my circumstances, I am worshiping God for what He does rather than who He is and has already done.

When it comes to worship, too much is not enough. When it comes to worship, it must be a lifestyle and not an event. It is a posture of the heart, not words that you say.

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The best message has never been popular, but it has set the most people free.

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I’d rather be known for action, not vision. Walk, not talk. Practice, not theory. Realities, not dreams.

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I cannot be defined by what I do. Who I am determines what I do. I don’t put my identity in what I do. It’s not about “being a leader,” or “doing miracles,” it is about being like Jesus. My identity is a Christ-identity.

What I do has everything to do with who I am. Who am I? I am light. I am salt. I am leaven. I am an ambassador. I am a royal priest. My identity determines my function.

The more gripped I am with my identity, the less prone I am to do something that is contrary to who I am.

The more gripped I am with what I do, the more prone I am to do things that are contrary to who I called to be.

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Don’t build your life around a negative.

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Most people talk about getting to know God more than actually doing it.

If it’s true that you look like the people you hang out with, then most church-goers don’t actually spend time with God.

If you want to live and breath faith, hang out with the Faithful One. If you want to walk in peace, the Prince of Peace.

You become what you worship/behold.

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Self education is what separates leaders and followers. Followers wait for something to happen, they wait for someone to teach them, they wait for someone to show them the way. Leaders make things happen, and they learn so eventually they can teach. They actively find someone who will show them the way, or find a way themselves.

Leaders realize what needs to change and then find out how to do it. If they don’t know the answer, they know how to find the answer. Followers go with the flow and accept what comes their way. If they don’t know an answer, they wait for someone to explain it.

Leaders are voices. They are original. They are their own flavor, their own sound. Followers are echoes. They are mirrors and reflections. They are a familiar taste, they are a repeated line.

The difference between an average leader and a great leader is humility. An average leader will always think they are right. A great leader can take criticism and correction. An average leader will they are an expert and stop learning. A great leader will remain a student and look to improve.

Self-education is a byproduct of passion for the cause…

The difference between a culture and a movement is longevity. Movements start with a boom and end with a fizzle. Cultures begin as “counter-cultural,” then become “tolerated,” then “socially acceptable,” then it becomes the “norm.”

The difference between a lasting culture and a fleeting movement are followers who add their own momentum and followers who just ride a wave.

This illustrates my point:

Often, followers just follow because there is no longer risk involved. They do things just because everyone else is doing it. They have no momentum of their own. They then put their identity in “doing as others do” rather than taking responsibility of the original cause.

These people are the like crowds that followed Jesus. They came because food was being multiplied (John 6:26) or because the sick were being healed (Mark 6:54-56). But the moment Jesus challenged them, they left.

Jesus challenged the status quo so that anyone who continued with Him would be marked with controversy. That was when their loyalties were exposed. It revealed that they desired to be part of a risk-free fad rather than fueling a controversial revolution of freedom in Christ.

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