Negotiation.. to Build the Uncommon Dream

I want to thank my brother Michael McCormack for inspiring me to write this short post. His article "Negotiating with God" Isaiah 38:1-5 in which he talked about Hezekiah  being payed a visit from the prophet who tells him he is going to die. Hezekiah then seeks God who then adds fifteen years to his life

Negotiation involves a conflict of interest. and take place in a place of uncertainty. Negotiation usually starts off with the seeker or the buyer stating his desire to purchase a particular property. The seller then produces a proposal and so negotiation commences. During negotiation each side should be prepared to move from a position in order to come to an agreement that benefits both parties. In bargaining you can even get your opponents to modify their initial demands by convincing them of the strength of your own position. 

Is your destiny so real in you that you would negotiate with God over it? Show him the reasons why you should go to that mission field, or build that ministry in that city.

What about negotiating with other brothers, pastors and leaders? If your Dream is so big how come the brother alongside you, online knows nothing about it? Negotiating is not what you have but rather what others have from you that you have communicated to them. Negotiate, share it in writing, ask for feedback, take a risk and invite others to partner in it. Allow room for negotiation, the views, and insight from others then build together what you may never do alone. Negotiating is after all allowing the dreamer to live while you yourself may have lost a partner!

My Yoke is to Heavy and My Vision too small

Come unto me all ye that labor and heavy laden and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn of me: for I am meek and lowly in heart; and you shall find rest for your soul (Matt 11:28-30).

The bigger the load the smaller the yoke.

How can Jesus give me rest if I am to lay down my yoke only to take up his? He said, “Take my yoke!” How can taking up God’s yoke give me rest from the one I’m already carrying? Could the answer lay in the fact that we are often found carrying a yoke of ministry that doesn’t match our capability. Maybe the yoke that’s holding you down is the result of chasing a dream that’s too small. A dream too small will produce a burden too heavy. According to Jesus the bigger the cause, the less of a burden you’ll have bear. Your load is heavy because you made a ministry to match your ability. God however made you to match his. 

Pastor, preacher, believer, your under pressure because your dream has produced a yoke that doesn’t fit and a burden that’s way too heavy. Maybe you’re avoiding Gods high calling for you! You’re going to have to submit to God's big adventure, where the road is unknown and the way demands faith. So don’t pray for God to remove the burden just get involved in his bigger cause, world missions! Bigger is better, the bigger the load the smaller the yoke.

Pastors are now Missionary Pastors

Pastoral ministry has shifted since the availability of mass information through the internet and the rapid urbanization of the world forces unique challenges on the Pastor. City Pastors are often caught up in the change. Peoples ideas are molded by mass media and our challenge to influence and convert is great.

Churches are centers of global communication and pastors have to see themselves as Pastors of cities rather than just Pastors of congregations. They have to develop a missions strategy to reach a multicultural people by holding a multicultural church. What a Pastor had to learn about tribes and foreign missions overseas years ago, he now has to learn in order to reach his foreign mission field right at his front door. The Pastor is a missionary whether or not he chooses to go overseas or not. His success depends on his mission strategy to the global community. On his doorstep!

Shifting your Ministry.

Of his fulness have we all received. (John 1:16) Dont limit yourself to what others label you as, or limit yourself to the role you have played in your present tent. Rather take the limits off and do what God has placed in you. Abraham had "nations" in him. So dont stay home and fuction as a spiritual father, rather go further afield and function as a nation shaker, a prophet and a pioneer. One who had it in him to be a father of many spiritual sons and a father of many nations. Hear the bigger call, get the wider picture. Whatever the Lord was in the nations through Abraham, God can be in the nations through you, Why! Of his fulness have we received!

The Church Altar

Every revival meeting should have its place where folks can meet God.We call this the "Altar."

And when they had prayed the place was shaken (Acts 4:31).

I visited a church the other week where it was very informal, chatty and friendly. Before the service folks walked around the sanctuary with cups of tea, soft drinks, chatting to each other and making folks fell at home! a friendly service, no God!

I contrast this with my experience with the Pentecostals in Texas, before service we knelt down at the altar and prayed. after the message we went to the altar and prayed. we went out of the meeting refreshed and changed! The altar has always been the place of transformation and change.

1. The Altar is The place where we "pray through."
The place where we pray until the burden is gone and the load is lifted.

2. The Altar is the place where brother strengthens brother
.. and sister strengthens sister. Of course discretion is needed as to who you should pray for and if that person really needs another at that time. "Woe to him that hath not another to lift him up" (Ecc4:10). If your brother or sister needs you, go strengthen them, speak life into their soul, prophesy over them their deliverance.

3. The Altar is the place where we meet God
That's the purpose of us going to church. Does God meet with us there?
Prayer must become a divine compulsion, the altar must become the place of divine revolution, a place where contrition meets its salvation.  The altar the place where fire burns the dross of our carnality and lifts us up into glory. The place where people go with their burdens and stay until their cries turn into worship.The altar is preparation time for when we go into church and when we leave church. We enter as those going into the fire, we leave as souls "on fire!" The altar is the burning place. Where the old man has the cremation and the new man finds his freedom. Yes prayer is liberty for the soul that is bound and fire for the soul that in the presence of God



Remove not the landmark of prayer!

We need a church altar.

Good Company

When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place  by himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed him on foot from the cities. And when Jesus went out he saw a great multitude; and he He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.... He took up the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to Heaven, He blessed and broke it and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. So they all ate and were filled.(Matthew 14:13,19).

In the Hebrew friendship means "responsibility" which means that a friend is not one who just enjoys the good times with you but one who supplies in the time of need when your pockets are empty.
Friendship is responsibility.

Good company will see the need of the other and supply till they are full. You have to have friends who are "full" of something, full of ideas, full of compassion, full of the word, full of God. Don't make a friend of an empty head make friends with men who are full of it.

Good company is attractive.
Good company will empty the town and fill the pulpit (13).
Good company will build a mega church even in a desert place (v15).
Good company will get people following you (v13).
Good company will get people healed (v14).
Good company makes great ministry.
Good company will take whats little and enlarge it into something great (v20).
Good company deals with the fragments, picks up the pieces of a broken heart or a bruised soul.
Good company holds the fragments but gets involved in providing the main meal.

We all need good company.

Paul.

Be a Barnabus, Be a Door Opener!

Barnabus took hold of him (Acts 9:27).

There were few Christians at Damascus and even these would have little connection to the apostles at Jerusalem. Not even the apostles had heard of Saul's conversion and passion to preach the name.

I see a sea of preachers out there online, like Saul passionate yet unknown. They are not celebrated, some not even tolerated. Yet God has knocked them off their horse and they are on a different journey now. Men whose revelation of the name has changed the course and destiny of their lives.

I know there are nobodies out there in the internet sea of nothingness.
Preachers with a passion for God and lost souls.
Preachers who've heard the name, met the master and need a brother.

Some body has to take a hold of a nobody and show him to everybody so he can tell them of Jesus!
Take hold of somebody today.
Give them a blog to write their article on.
Give them a platform to preach the gospel.
Give them a word of encouragement to lift them up.
Give them a gift to meet their need.
Give them a friendship and helping hand.

Be a Barnabus, dont just talk to someone but take hold of them. Open the door for somebody. Here's my open door.... Connect with me on Google+ and if you are passionate about blogging invite me to your blog, connect to me and let me know if you wish to write an article on www.apostolicpreachers.com.