All Access 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
A Leader's Constant Companion: PAIN … Craig Groeschell
· Most of us try to avoid pain.
· If we are not careful, we will try to lead and step away from pain.
· If you are going to plant a successful church, you will deal with pain.
The difference from where you are today and where God wants you to be is the pain that you are unwilling to endure.
2 Corinthians 11:23-28 (NLT) --- Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again.24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes.25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea.26 I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. 27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. 28 Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches.
Our potential is tied to our ability to deal with pain
1. Increasing your pain threshold ….
· Deal with criticism. If no one is criticizing you, you are not doing anything. The higher the level, the most of the devil you will encounter.
· You will be attacked. Christians will attack you the most.
· They persecuted Jesus. We are no better.
· If you are not being criticized, you are not preaching the Gospel.
· If you are not hurting, then you are not leading.
· The quickest way to forget about what God thinks of you is to believe what people think about you.
2. Increase our threshold for making painful decisions …
· In the first 12 months of church planting are some of the most difficult decisions.
· Making tough decisions is a must.
· God is seeing how we will do with the little bit. How well we do determines the blessings to come.
· Often happens when you don't know how you will come out.
· Be willing to make the hard decisions. Some are real hard dealing with people you care about and/or influential.
· The old saying "this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you". You have to step into hard decisions.
· The best are willing to hurt.
3. Increase the ability to deal with the pain of God's pruning …
· There are often times when God does more in you than through you.
· If you blame yourself for the decline, you will pretty soon take credit for it when it is doing well.
· You often don't know the pain that people endure. Those people who seem to have it altogether have endured pain in various ways.
· Be thankful for the suffering because God is working. God will use it. Christ experienced so much pain for me.
· Suffer for the one who suffered for us.
· Show people the best of who Jesus is. Endure the pain. Blessings are coming. Thank God for the pain.
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