Gary Haugen

Where are we leading people?

We are leading people some where…

(missed part)

27m people living in slavery right now.
How are they supposed to believe that God is good?
2m children held in forced prostitution
How are they supposed to believe that God is good?

God wants them to know that he is good and wants them to know love.

He is passionate about the work of justice (Psalm 11)

If he is so passionate, why isn’t he doing something about it?
How does he respond?

We are the plan.  There is no other plan that we know of.
Micah 6:8
God has given to us the work of justice in the world.

If you want your leadership to matter, lead in the things that matter to God.

We know justice matters even though it seems hopeless and dangerous but
In the happy in safe is not a place where leadership matters
Leadership that matters happens when the calling seems hopeless, scary & hard

We lead by re-centering the basis of our hope

Hope is recovered when we remember that if God is passionate about getting it done then he is responsible for getting it done.

The feeding of the five thousand…
The disciples felt hopeless and couldn’t see a way
Jesus asks…what do you have?  Will you give it to me & I’ll do the miracle!

How do we lead when the task seems scary?

Jesus didn’t come to make us safe.  He came to make us brave.
If it isn’t scary, are we following?

How sad to go on the trip but miss the adventure!

Have we chosen the visitors center instead of the adventures of the park?
How do those exhibits & movies feel now?
Do we have the stories of those who hiked, climbed, walk, swam…

Do I abandon all that I do well?

No.  these are great things from God that he wants to use.
He wants to meet us and use what he has given us.

How do we lead others on the more demanding climb?

1)    Choosing not to be safe
•    we must go to places where we need God
•    do we have a work that we can’t imagine doing without prayer?
•    Maybe we need a new life’s work? Or ours done in a new way?
•    At the visitors center we just need an infrequent check in with Dad.  On the path we need him.
•    It is safe to follow him up the mountain.
2)    Choosing deep spiritual health
•    The climb demands deep spiritual health
•    People doing the scary thing generally have to have the deep…
•    Comfortable people work the checklist
•    We can’t survive the climb without our parent’s help on the steep paths
•    On the journey for justice people need God and will run to him
•    1 hour a day of prayer @ IJM makes all the difference…one our a day doing nothing is a must in accomplishing anything
3)    Choosing excellence
•    we have settled for mediocre spirituality and creativity
•    enough of the Christian adjusted scale is enough
•    may we raise the bar of excellence!
    4)  Choosing to seize the joy!
•    The struggle is hard
•    There is something wrong if Jesus’ burden is light & mine is hard
•    Jesus enjoyed life
•    The joy of the Lord is our strength
•    These things I have spoken so that my joy may be in you…
•    Jesus is offering us a way to lead people out of small Christianity and fears.  Into a struggle that will call us out of safety, into deep spirituality, into a quest of excellence and down paths to seize joy

Why have we been given so much?