Mark Conner Theology

Spiritual Freedom (Part 3)

Chains_3Over the last two days we have been speaking about spiritual freedom. Jesus’ ministry included setting people free from demonic spirits. Satan and his kingdom of darkness are clearly still around today in the 21st century.

But how do we respond to all of this? What’s the right approach to take to this somewhat controversial area?

When it comes to this subject, I believe that there are two extremes we need to avoid:

1. A preoccupation with Satan and the demonic world (‘Demonic Dave’).

Some people know and talk more about the devil, demons and spiritual warfare than they do about God and the gospel.

  • A black cat walks by … "the devil must be on the prowl today!"
  • It’s an overcast day … "there is an oppressive spirit over the city!"
  • Someone coughs … “Come out!” [You can’t cast anything out’ if it’s not ‘in’]
  • You’ve had a tough week … “The devil has been chasing me this week!”
  • You make a mistake … “The devil made me do it.”
  • You meet a strong woman … "she has a spirit of Jezebel!"
  • You’re feeling down … "A spirit of depression is attacking me!"
  • Someone acts a little cool to a friend … “Watch your back!”

2. Ignorance or unbelief in Satan and the demonic world (‘Sceptical Susan’).

Some people, including Christians, live like the devil doesn’t even exist. Back in the 1970s, Christian artist Keith Green sang a song from the devil’s perspective, No One Believes in Me Anymore, emphasising how easy it is for the devil today to work his tricks because so few people believe in him. People with this view tend to think …

  • "Everything can be understood through reason and science."
  • "Yes, God is real but the devil and demons? That’s a lot of ‘hocus pocus’."
  • "Things happen – luck, change, coincidence, unfortunate …"
  • "There’s a psychological explanation for most things."

So where would you be on this spectrum? Are you more like Demonic Dave or more like Sceptical Susan (with apologies to all the Dave’s and Susan’s here today)? Which way do you need to move?

Mark Conner Theology

Spiritual Freedom (Part 2)

Chains_2The Gospels contain many stories of Jesus setting people free from the power of demonic spirits. These stories raise a lot of questions, such as: What are demons, are they real, how does a person give access to a demon, are demons still around, how would you know if one was around, and what do you do if you became aware of one?

Let’s just put those questions aside for a moment and do a quick overview of what we do know or assume about Satan and demons from the Bible …

LUCIFER – Many people believe that in addition to creating myriads of angels, God also created twelve archangels (or senior angels). We have the names of three of them in the Bible – Michael (he appears in the books of Daniel, Jude, and Revelation and he seems to be over the armies of heaven), Gabriel (he appears to Daniel, Zacharias, and Mary and seems to be God’s messenger especially about the Messiah) and Lucifer (see Isaiah 14, although the NIV translates his name ‘morning star’, and Ezekiel 28). These passages (Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28) were addressed originally to the kings of Babylon and Tyre. But in their long-range implications, many scholars believe that they refer to Satan himself.

Lucifer may have been in charge of the worship in heaven. Something rose up inside of him that wanted to be worshipped, just like God. In his pride, he lifted himself up against God and led a revolt in heaven. As a result, he and one third of the angels were cast out of heaven. This beautiful archangel, who was created by God, became the Devil. Many believe that these fallen angels became demonic spirits.

Continue reading “Spiritual Freedom (Part 2)” →

Mark Conner Theology

Spiritual Freedom (Part 1)

ChainsAs we read the Gospels, we discover that Jesus’ ministry had three major components: (1) teaching, (2) healing, and (3) deliverance (see for example Luke 4:14-5:26).

Jesus confronted demonic powers and delivered people from their influence (Luke 4:31-37, 41). The early church carried on the ministry of Jesus as the apostles focused on these same three areas of ministry (Acts 5:12-16). We should do the same – go about doing good, teaching, healing, and helping people find freedom from the work of the enemy (Mark 16:15-18). The result will be many people being set free and added to the kingdom of God.

I don’t believe that Christians can be ‘demon possessed’, as God owns us. However, demons can influence Christians both externally in the form of various attacks (oppression, affliction, torment, etc) and internally if we give them a ‘foothold’ through various access points (see Eph.4:26-27).

Paul tells us not to give place to the devil, which means it’s obviously possible. If we give place to the devil, we can give demons the right to ‘occupy’ parts of our lives (like illegal ‘squatters’). At times people have to be loosed or set free from demonic involvement.

We’ll discuss this further tomorrow.

Mark Conner Humour, Leadership

Leadership Selection

TO JESUS, SON OF JOSEPH,

FROM THE JORDAN MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT FIRM

By Dr. Fred Mueller

Dear Sir,

We would like to thank you for submitting the resumes of the twelve men you picked for management positions in your new organisation. All of them have taken our battery of test and each of them has had a personal interview with our psychologist and our vocational aptitude consultants. And it is the staff opinion that most of your nominees are lacking in background education and vocational aptitude for the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have a team concept. And we would recommend that you continue your search for persons of experience and managerial ability and proven capability.

Simon Peter, for example, is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership.

The two brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, place personal interest above company loyalty.

Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that will definitely undermine the morale of your entire group.

We feel it is our duty to tell you that Matthew has been blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau.

And James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus definitely have radical leanings and they both register a high score in the manic depressive scale.

One of your candidates only, Jesus, however does show great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness. He meets people well, has a keen business mind, has contacts in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious and responsible. We do recommend Judas Iscariot as your controller and right hand man. All the other profiles are self-explanatory. We wish you every success, Jesus, in your new venture.

[Author Unknown]

Mark Conner Relationships

Better Relationships (Pt.3) – Control Your Anger

James gives us some great advice to help improve the quality of all of our relationships. He highlights three essential ways to improve our relationships: be a good listener, think before speaking and control your anger.

James 1:19-20. My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for human anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

After telling us to be “quick to listen” and “slow to speak”, James tells us to be ‘slow to become angry’. If we are not careful anger can do great damage in our relationships.

Observations about Anger

  1. Anger is a common emotion. Just as every relationship involves ‘listening’ and ‘speaking’ (communication), James acknowledges that ‘anger’ is also a potential threat to every relationship. Every person has times when they experience feelings of annoyance, irritation, resentment and anger. Feelings of anger usually come from frustration or hurt.

  2. Anger can cause great damage. Anger is a major destroyer of relationships. It has been causing damage in relationships for a long time, ever since sin entered the world. In fact, the first family conflict was between two brothers, Cain and Abel, and it resulted in Cain killing his brother in an act of violent anger. Anger creates ‘distance’ between people, it pushes us into ‘darkness’ and it ties us up in ‘knots’ on the inside. Ultimately, anger hurts the one who is angry. It is like a boomerang. We throw it at others but we are the one who suffers. 

  3. Anger management is essential for healthy relationships. It is essential that we get our anger under control. It is a critical area. It is also a developmental task that takes time and intentional focus on our part. If any relationship is to function healthily then the emotion of anger has to be under control.

  4. There is a difference between angry ‘feelings’ and angry ‘behaviour’. We need to differentiate between anger as a feeling and anger as a behaviour (aggression). We do this by distinguishing between the feeling of anger and the behavior. Anger is not the problem. It is what we do with it. If you are angry (you will be at some time), do not it let it lead you into sin. We can manage our anger in a constructive manner. The issue is what we do with our anger, not the angry feeling itself. Believing that we should never be angry is impossible and not very helpful.

  5. There is a place for ‘righteous anger’. Does God get angry? Clearly, the answer is yes! However, his anger is never irrational or out of impatience. He is ‘slow to anger’ and ‘long suffering’. His anger lasts only for a moment and is always an expression of his goodness and concern. We too can move in a sense of ‘righteous anger’ where God stirs us to stand out against things that offend God or damage people. In fact, one of the criticisms of the Western church is that we have lost our sense of ‘outrage’. It is easy for us to become so focused on being ‘balanced’, ‘tolerant’, ‘politically correct’ and even ‘relevant’ that we can stick our head in the sand and remain silent about the injustices of our world. However, we must be sure to differentiate between this kind of righteous anger and our own selfish irritations.

Continue reading “Better Relationships (Pt.3) – Control Your Anger” →

Mark Conner Relationships

Better Relationships (Pt.2) – Think Before Speaking

James gives us some great advice to help improve the quality of all of our relationships. He highlights three essential ways to improve our relationships: be a good listener, think before speaking and control your anger. Today we will spend some time looking at how important it is to ‘think before speaking’.

James 1:19-20. My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for human anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

After telling us to be “quick to listen”, James tells us to be “slow to speak”. In other words, we need to think (engage our brain!) before opening our mouth! Our mouth tends to get us into a lot of trouble, if we’re not careful.

Observations about ‘Words’:

Let’s make a few important observations about the words that we speak.

  1. Words have great power! The things we say have big consequences! We, in so many ways, are the product of words. The words others have spoken over us and the words we speak to ourselves and about ourselves. Words, although invisible, are mighty! They induce emotion – great fear, great thrill, sadness, longing, joy – words touch the heart. Because of the potential damage of our words, it’s wise to be ‘slow to speak’ and not too ‘hasty’ with our words.
  2. Controlling the tongue is difficult. As we have seen – our mouth gets us into trouble more than any other thing. How easily we say things and then wish we hadn’t. Once those words have been spoken they are ‘out there’ and their affect is difficult to undo.
  3. Words influence the quality of our life. You will reap a harvest from the words you sow, just as a farmer receives crops from what he plants. This is the law of the harvest – you will reap what you sow. If you can control your tongue, you set the direction of your life and you can keep your whole body in check. Your tongue turns or directs your whole life, just like a small bit in the mouth of a horse and a small rudder on a large ship. Our words create an ‘atmosphere’ around us – in our world and our relationships. Whether it is positive or negative is determined by the choice of the words that we speak.
  4. Controlled speech is a sign of maturity. The ability to control the tongue is one of the clearest marks of maturity and wisdom. In fact, a perfect person is one who is never at fault in what they say. As we grow older and more mature, an indicator should be a greater control of the words that we speak.

Continue reading “Better Relationships (Pt.2) – Think Before Speaking” →

Mark Conner Relationships

Better Relationships (Pt.1) – Be a Good Listener

Relationships are one of the most significant elements of our life. We have been created for relationship with God and other people. When we find and develop healthy relationships, they are a great blessing to our lives. On the other hand, when we are unable to do this, there can be a tremendous amount of loneliness and sadness in our lives.

James gives us some great advice to help improve the quality of all of our relationships. He highlights three essential ways to improve our relationships: be a good listener, think before speaking and control your anger. Today we will spend some time looking at how important it is to be a good listener.

James 1:19-20. My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for human anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

Communication

Communication is the ‘life blood’ of relationships. It is the basis for building relationships and really knowing another person. It is the basis for achieving unity between people and it is the basis for solving problems and conflicts, and restoring unity. The bottom line is that good communication usually leads to a good and successful relationship. Bad or poor communication often leads to a failure in relationship. In fact, most relationship breakdowns are caused by a breakdown in communication breakdown usually because of conflict or misunderstanding.

When we think about communication we often immediately think about talking or letting other people know what we think and feel. This is an important part of every relationship but James places an important priority or emphasis here. He says we should be “Quick to listen and slow to speak.” The reason he says this is that this is the opposite of how we usually relate. More often than not, we are “Quick to speak and slow to listen.” We have to reverse this natural tendency if we desire to build quality relationships.

Continue reading “Better Relationships (Pt.1) – Be a Good Listener” →

Mark Conner Leadership

Climb a Tree

TreeThere is a big difference between leadership and management. Management tends to focus on “doing things right” while leadership focuses more on “doing right things”.

Here is a good story to illustrate this difference. Imagine a group of people cutting through a jungle. The managers are right there, making sure things are going smoothly – organising rosters, providing the sharp machetes, arranging regular rest breaks, ensuring adequate first-aid facilities, etc. The leader is the person who climbs a tree, looks around and yells, “Wrong Jungle!” But the managers respond by saying, “But we’re making such progress!” Yes, they’re making progress, but go fast in the wrong direction is not true progress!

For me, life in the ministry can be a bit like a jungle. There’s so much to do, so little time to do it in, the work is hard going most of the time and the pressure can become intense. I have found great benefit in scheduling a regular “Climb A Tree” day. I have been doing this monthly for many years now and it is one of my favourite habits of effectiveness. What I do is schedule one day for each month of the year where I “retreat”. I don’t prepare sermons on this day. I spend it totally by myself and I try to get out of the office (either go for a drive in the car or a walk in a park). I spend the day reflecting back over the previous month and asking myself some key questions such as, “Father, what are you saying to me right now?” “How am I doing … as a husband, father, pastor, leader …?” “What’s going well?” “What needs to change?” I then look forward to the coming month and do some prayerful planning and preparation for the future.

I record my thoughts in a notebook or journal. Writing things down helps you to focus (your mind can’t wander when you’re writing!) and it also gives you a record of what God says to you so you can review it later on (I usually review my journal from the previous month as part of this day).

The accumulated years of regularly doing this month after month give you a sense of continuity and progress as you see God’s work in your life. I come away from these days rejuvenated and with a clear fresh mind ready to face the coming month. By the way, I discovered that this is a Biblical concept. Not only were there weekly Sabbath rest days in Israel. Every New Moon was a special holy day or festival, like the Sabbath, for God’s people (Num.10:10. Ps.81:3). They were not to work on these days but were to offer special offerings and I imagine they took time to reflect on the previous month and get ready for the next one. Hey, God thought of it first.

The best gift you can give your church is you being a healthy leader. Climbing a tree every now and then makes sure you don’t get lost (or eaten!) in the jungle. Take time to look at your spiritual compass (where you’re headed) not just the clock (how fast you’re going).

Jesus did this regularly and I believe it was the key to his focus and his effectiveness. After all, at the end of only three and a half years, he was able to say, “It is finished!” Wow, wouldn’t that be great. He didn’t do everything that could have been done but he knew what he was called to do and he did that alone.

Mark Conner Humour

What if God Had Voice Mail?

PhoneWe have all learned to live with voice mail as a necessary part of modern life. But have you wondered, "What if God decided to install voice mail?"

Imagine praying and hearing this: "Thank you for calling My Father’s House. Please select one of the following options:

  • Press 1 for requests
  • Press 2 for thanksgiving
  • Press 3 for complaints
  • Press 4 for all other inquiries

What if God used the familiar excuse, "I’m sorry, all of our angels are busy helping other sinners right now. However, your prayer is important to us and will be answered in the order it was received, so please stay on the line."

Can you imagine getting these kinds of responses as you call God in prayer:

"If you would like to speak to …

  • Gabriel, Press 1
  • For Michael, Press 2
  • For a directory of other angels, Press 3
  • If you would like to hear King David sing a Psalm while you are holding please press 4.
  • To find out if a loved one has been assigned to Heaven, Press 5, enter his or her Tax File number, then press the pound key. (If you get a negative response, try area code 666)

"For reservations at My Father’s House please enter J-O-H-N followed by 3-1-6"

"For answers to nagging questions about dinosaurs, the age of the earth and where Noah’s ark is, please wait until you arrive here."

"Our computers show that you have already prayed once today. Please hang up and try again tomorrow."

"This office is closed for the weekend to observe a religious holiday. Please pray again Monday after 9:30 AM. If you need emergency assistance when this office is closed, contact your local pastor."

Thank God He doesn’t have voice mail and he listens when we pray!

[Author Unknown]

Mark Conner Leadership

Leading Your Church Through Change

LeadingChurch leaders are “change agents”, called by God to initiate change by moving people forward to where they need to be.

I believe that every leader needs a “model” for leading change. I have put one together from the life of Nehemiah that has been a great help to me.

Here are eight steps to leading effective change in your church. You will also find them helpful for leading change amongst any other group or organisation.

 

  1. See the Need for Change. All positive change begins with seeing the need for it first. Change for change’s sake is crazy, but change aimed at helping people and improving things is essential. Allow God to place a burden on your heart about the way things are.
  2. Receive a Clear Vision from God. All vision begins with seeing the big picture of what God wants to do. As you spend time in prayer, God will show you what He can do through you and give you a vision of a preferred future. Every leader needs to invest time into receiving a clear vision from God for their life and ministry. Effective leaders tie all change to vision and purpose. They know where they’re headed and why.
  3. Create a Strategic Plan. You need to know exactly what God wants you to do (vision) and then think through all of the details of how you will do it (strategy). Wise leaders take their God-given vision and form it into a plan that describes how and when the vision will become a reality. This takes time and involves a process. It needs wise and godly counsel from other leaders. The more significant the change, the more necessary it is to have the input from all perspectives.
  4. Speak to the Influencers. Unless the people who were in positions of influence buy into the vision, the change will not occur. When speaking to the influencers, don’t present the solution first. Speak about the problem so that they agree on the need for change. Unless people see and embrace the need for change, they will not be willing to pay the price or be committed to the work required to bring the change about. People need to understand the purpose of the change and see the benefits it will bring. When people see the need for change and catch a realistic vision of how things could be better, they become motivated to become part of the solution.
  5. Organise the Work to be Done. Vision has to be broken down into a strategic plan that enables people to take simple steps towards realistic goals. A church leader must seek to acquire ownership from the entire congregation for positive change to take place. It needs to become their vision so that they are committed enough to work towards it.
  6. Deal with the Opposing Forces. I wish I could tell you that there will be no problems when you lead change but the reality is that movement causes friction. Resistance to change is normal and so we need to prepare for it and handle it wisely. In every change, there will be opposing forces. Someone or something will face loss, despite the many gains. You may encounter anger, frustration, fear, uncertainty and disappointment during the transition. Wise leaders think through the possible reactions or problems and avoid unnecessary conflict by preparing for and addressing these forces in advance.
  7. Communicate Continually. When leading change, we must stay close to the change process and actively lead the transition from the old to the new. People need to be constantly inspired and motivated about the importance of the vision and the progress that is being made. We all tend to drift and vision can easily become blurred. Wise leaders constantly bring the vision back into focus and never allow people to be satisfied with the way things are.
  8. Don’t Give Up. Announcing a change or coming up with a vision statement is the easy part of leading change. It’s harder to then translate that vision into a workable plan. But it’s even more difficult to implement that plan step by step and monitor it until it is completed. This takes diligence, patience and focused attention. However, oh, the joy and fulfilment that comes when you are able to bring about positive change. Don’t give up. Persevere. If the vision is from God, it’s worth fighting for. Don’t chop and change direction. Yes, make adjustments along the way, but finish what you start. Commit to it and be willing to pay the price.

I think the most challenging task of leadership is to manage change and transition. The key issue is to know in your own spirit that God is leading you and that you are moving out in His will for your ministry and your church. The giants will be there and the need for courage will be great, but God will not fail you or let you fail. As you seek Him, He will guide you, give you wisdom and favour with the people. Change is not easy. In fact, it can be very uncomfortable. However, the church must change if it is to be what God intends it to be in the world.

P.S. This article is summarised from the last chapter of the book, Transfoming Your Church. Also, consider purchasing my most recent book, Pass the Baton – Successful Leadership Transition, in which I outline the key principles that have learned over the years about leadership succession.