You have probably noticed that there is one main character in the Bible – God! The Bible is God’s story. Yet, often when we read the Bible, we read it as if it were about us. We look for verses containing encouragement and guidance for us. Romans 15:7 tells us that the goal of all we do is for God to be glorified. God’s great longing is to fill the earth with His glory. He wants to impact and impress all of creation with His goodness and greatness.

God longs to accomplish this mission through His people. If the starting point of all we do is not right (the focus is on us in other words), everything else will be out of alignment. If we get off track right from the beginning, we will miss our destiny down the road. God must be the goal of everything – the focus, the reason, the aim – of everything we do. God has a mission and he wants everyone to be a part of it. The mission is to glorify Himself through His great mercy.

When we were made right in God’s eyes, we are saved for God and called to join Him in spreading the good news of His love and mercy. The new covenant, the covenant of mercy and grace that has brought us into relationship with God, is first of all for God. We are saved for God first, then ourselves.

If the focus and goal of God’s plan for all eternity is His own glory, then we are called to seek, savour, and spread His glory. The Church is not divided into the called and the uncalled, those who go and those who stay, those who live for His glory and those who don’t. We are all on a mission for God – not a secret mission, but an all-consuming mission, and that mission is the glory of God.

So, as you read your Bible today – remember, it is all about Him and not you!

We are called by God to go into all the world and make disciples in all nations. We do this because we love Him and thus obey Him. We also do it because we have been empowered and enabled to be His witness through the baptism in the Holy Spirit. We are called to “be” a witness and also to go and do – telling and teaching. So, being leads to doing.

It is the same with the church. We don’t go to church, we are the church. And we are called to be the church in the world – light where there is darkness, salt to add flavour and to preserve what is good while bringing healing to what is not good in our neighbourhood, society, and culture. We are called to “be” the church which then leads to us doing things as part of the church to impact and influence the world around us.

However, at times the “being” and the “doing” are neglected because we have so many church activities that we are involved in. There is the prayer meeting, the bible study, the small group ministry, worship team practice, the leaders team, the kids ministry… not to mention our own personal time with The Lord. So, our focus becomes ourselves – each of us looking after ourselves and then being a part of the bigger picture as we are involved in church programs and activities which, again, are often more about us than others – maintenance and not ministry. It does not leave much time to “be” a witness to the lost or “do” anything for those who are not part of the fellowship.

Maybe it is time to simplify the church somewhat. Nothing against all the activities – personal and corporate – that make up what we know as the Christian life. But, if they are simply activities that allow us to feel good about ourselves but keep us from “being” a witness to the lost and “doing” something for them or with them that will show them, in very tangible ways, that God loves them and cares about them – then it is time to rethink things a bit. Time to simplify.

There was once a small factory that produced lubricating oil for machinery. It had a great product and it was in very high demand. So, the factory was expanded and the product line was in production 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, the bigger the factory became the more oil it took to keep the machinery that produced the oil in good operating order. Eventually the company was so successful that it build the largest factory every seen, buying new and better equipment, hiring more people. However, it became so big that it was eventually using all of the oil it produced for internal use. It didn’t take long and the company went into bankruptcy.

Well, the church is in the same situation and facing bankruptcy – spiritual bankruptcy. All of of time, effort, and resources are going to the “factory” with little or no time, energy, and emotion left over to “go”, “be,” and “do.” So, because we are not fulfilling the ministry of The Lord, seeking and saving the lost, maybe it is time to simplify and change the focus from ourselves to those who are without hope because they don’t know Christ. From maintenance to mission and then ministry…

The early church travelled light and moved quickly. They only had organization if it helped to sustain the life of God (Zoe) that was flowing in the local church. They were mission and ministry oriented and thus grew quickly and spread rapidly. We are shrinking gradually and dying slowly but the outcome is inevitable if we don’t change what we are doing and, in some cases, the way we are doing it.

Simple is good.

I preach and teach a lot. I lover to study, research, dig in and dig through God’s word looking for the truth that the people I am going to minister to need to hear – that God wants them to hear through my words. Of course, my words are a result of God’s Spirit guiding and directing my study and my receiving the revelation that the Spirit shows me. I simply wrap words around the Spirit’s revelation of God’s word.

To get a decent teaching that actually expresses God’s heart takes a good, focused 10 to 15 hours. It takes prayer, focused digging, writing and rewriting, then polishing and changing an expression here and a phrase there to better express what I believe God is saying. When it is all done it then gels for a day or two and then suffers through one more rewrite and a lot of prayer before it is ready.

Some time ago when I was finished another great teaching I heard God say, “You have done well. You have spent the week studying My Word and you have done well in the way you have handled My Word and expressed the revelation I have shown you. You are ready to minister to others… but, you didn’t take a few hours to study My Word on a personal level so I could minister to you.”

That comment hit home. I spend many hours in God’s Word for the ministry He has called me to and given to me. However, I often fail to take quiet time every day in the same Word to let His Holy Spirit minister to me personally. So, I recently made some major, solid changes to my routine and the way I approach my day and my ministry. I have cut a number of things out of my day, stopped doing some things that were good but I don’t want just the good – I want the best. I want the best for my life and my walk with God. And, I know that when I have that, I will also have a much stronger, deeper, and more powerful ministry for The Lord. But, more importantly, a stronger and deeper relationship with The Lord.

It is not easy to cut back on the things you like to do so that you have more time for the things are essential to do to stay spiritually healthy, alert, and alive. It is not easy to break the comfort zone to enter back into a place that can be and often is challenging and stretching. It is not always easy to say no to people who want to talk or connect electronically from this nation and that nation… But, I have entered a season where I sense the next breakthrough is just around the corner and that I would be wise and it would be prudent to step back a bit, refocus, and prepare myself for what The Lord has planned. What His plans are I don’t know and I don’t need to know. I know the current step He is asking me to take and I and adjusting rapidly to enable me to obey. That’s all I need to know.

As this blog is published I will be reading my Bible and spending time with The Lord as I fly from Toronto to Istanbul, Turkey… it’s a night flight so it will be quiet.

I work with a good number of people in many nations of the world. I watch a lot of news because some of what is transpiring in other nations has a deep impact on the men and women I relate to, disciple, mentor, train and equip. They are living through the people confrontation on Independence Square, Ukraine. They worked witnessing during the recent games in Sochi, Russia. They lead underground house churches in nations where the Christian faith is not welcome and Christians are persecuted. They are giving their lives to raising up the next generation of disciples and church leaders and seeing people saved.

I have also been working with some leaders here in North America. That was past tense. My work here in North America is always looked at and accomplished in light of what is happening in other nations. When you see what believers are doing with their lives and limited resources elsewhere; when leaders you know are in jail for their faith or fleeing their nations for fear of losing their lives; when you see and experience the hunger for truth and fresh insights into God’s Word in so many nations … When you see and experience this and then come back to the reality of the Church in North America… well, let’s say it is never an easy transition. And, it obviously impacts the work I do here. It can’t help but do so.

Recently I have released a number of people I was working with here in North America. One was so in love with himself (and yet really so insecure) that he was literally rude, arrogant, and unappreciative of the work I was doing with him. Another I have been working with by email and the original purpose was to discuss one topic and it quickly turned into a game where he is out to convince me of his extreme grace message – a heresy from the 600’s. Several others have been severed because of simply not staying in contact and thus simply ‘name dropping’ when asked who they submitted to and related to (their covering). I have also recently stepped back from several ‘friendships’ which were, in hindsight, just friendships in name only. I value all relationships but don’t have the time nor emotional energy to relate to everyone who wants to be connected relationally. So, I am pruning. I am stepping back and evaluating the use of my time and emotional and mental energy.

It is difficult to admit that some relationships simply have not and are not adding anything to your life or to the work God has called you to accomplish for Him. These are often long-term relationships with much invested in them. It is hard to bring things to an end as then you have to admit that you were not using your time wisely or that you were simply being used. As a relational person who enjoys people and spends a lot of time connecting to people it is difficult to have to break off relationships or tone them down and take them to a lower level then you have been relating on. It is never easy to say “enough is enough.” But, I had to do this and will continue to do this over the coming months. New beginnings and moving on with God often necessitates the ending of what was so that you can grab hold of what is and what is still to come.

I am maintaining relationships with those who are walking with the real Jesus, who are sharing the true Gospel, and are guided by the one true Holy Spirit and not the many other spirits out there. I am looking for new connections with people who are serious about building God’s Kingdom and thus taking the Gospel of the Kingdom – the power of God unto salvation – into the community where they live, the nation they are citizens of, and the parts of the world that have not heard about Jesus. In other words, people who are serious, committed, obedient, true disciples of The Lord.

I am simply not interested in playing Christian games and relating to “make believe” Christians who are not sold out to the King and the Kingdom. Time to move on no matter how painful that may be.

I have been in the church business for 40+ years. I have had a variety of experiences (denominational work, independent work, networking, trans-local ministry) and ministered in numerous locations, cultures, and nations. I have taken over churches from others, planted churches, and consulted as an outside advisor to still others. I have learned a lot and forgotten little. A lot of my learning experiences have contained painful moments that one never forgets. There have been joyful times of victory and comradrie as well. Overall, it has been hard work with long hours and many times with little to no salary to live on. But it has been God – well, most of it has been.

I am currently just entering into another stage of my life and ministry. I have just been involved in closing down a church I planted and one that I have worked with for 33 years and 3 weeks. It is finished, closed, dead, buried and there will be no resurrection. It had some life on occasion. It was growing in numbers slowly. It had great worship and terrific teaching. But, the vast majority of people simply didn’t care. Didn’t care about the church. Didn’t care for or about others as it was mostly and often always about them. Didn’t give much thought or prayer to the lost. Didn’t listen to the hearts of others as they were too busy talking about themselves and others – one leading to sheer boredom the other to gossip. And, they did not tithe … even some of the leaders didn’t tithe. And, generally, the people attending spent more on the speciality coffees they drank – coffees from Starbucks, MacDonald’s, Tim Horton’s and numerous other places where you could spend $4.00+ on a cup of coffee then they gave to the church. Even the Keurig coffee machine at home had more spent on it monthly then was given to the church by some.

So, after working to rescue it numerous times and move it forward into the planned future God had for it, it is now closed. Some say I closed it. I did not! I just nailed the coffin shut but others were really responsible for it death. And it is dead and gone forever.

Sometimes we can have something that is good but not have the best. So, we need to prune it. Many times I cut good roses and great branches off the rose bushes so that the best buds can bloom. Good needs to be pruned so the best can be seen. Some really good people are now without a church home. Sometimes we need to end things because they are sick and not getting well. So, you cut your loses (of time and effort and increasing debt) and dismount because the horse is dead or soon will be. And thirdly, sometimes we just need to cut out the deadwood as it is simply taking up space and preventing true life from springing forth.

There were several aspects of the church and a few people that were good – and they were pruned. Hopefully they will bloom again somewhere and at some time and become the “best” for Jesus. There was much that was simply cultural Christianity and people who said they were believers and lived in such a way to totally disprove their declaration of faith. You might call them Christian athiests. They are sick and currently are not getting well. Maybe somewhere else they can one day be planted and have the life they have apparently been missing. And, there was much dead wood that simply needed to be chopped and removed. Only God knows what His plan for them is. The game just needed to end as there never would be a winner.

So I move on to a new season. I now have 40 to 50 hours a week free to focus on other ministry that I have been involved in part-time for a number of years. I can focus more specifically on the current apostolic call on my life and potentially make a living doing so. There is no financial risk involved as there has been no salary for the last nine months. A new adventure, new things to learn, new places to go, new ways to build, new nations opening up (Peru, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Burundai [Africa], and the United States), new skills to master, new relationships to build, and a new understanding of my future to grab hold of. And, I know, good fruit will come from all of this and already is.

Maybe even more time to focus on my wriitng ministry so as to fulfill several prophetic words spoken over my life. Maybe…