Change

Let me throw this at you: "Church-leadership is Change-leadership." A leader is unnecessary if nothing ever changes or needs to change. If you're just going to stay where you are and do what you've been doing, you don't even need leader!

But the thing is...New Madrid Baptist Church...my church...NEEDS CHANGE! We need it because we have not arrived and it is inherent in following the Spirit's leading that we be moving and changing. You can't follow God and stay where you are at the same time--it's just not possible. Galatians 5:25 "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." that's following...moving...changing...

But change is a funny thing. If we're honest none of us like change. Well, I guess it's more accurate to say that we don't like change when it is someone else doing the changing... All of us have a little "control freak" lurking beneath the surface, and it will rear it's ugly head when we feel like someone is encroaching our comfort zone.

But God's Word never says anything about Christians being comfortable. In Matthew 8:20 Jesus reminded an eager scribe and would-be disciple that "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." Not a whole lotta comfort there. And what about John 15:20..."A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you." That is anti-comfort!

So where did American Christians get the idea that the Christian-life, and consequently, Church-life, was supposed to be comfortable? It is time that we get uncomfortable. Time to get dis-satisfied with a comfortable Christian-life. God created a world that constantly changes and let us know that in the midst of the discomfort of change we can lean on him - The only unchanging one. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" -Hebrews 13:8. He never changes...he doesn't need to...WE DO!

So I'm going to lead. I'm going to lead my church in following the Spirit...and I know that will require changes. We simply can not stay here and still go where He wants us to go. Some of those changes will be painful... But hey, if we're willing to get uncomfortable, only God knows what he can do through us!