An Equipping Culture
Series: LeaderSHIFT
At the heart of this effort is Pixar University:
The operation has more than 110 courses: a complete filmmaking curriculum, classes on painting, drawing, sculpting and creative writing. “We offer the equivalent of an undergraduate education in fine arts and the art of filmmaking,” [Randy Nelson, dean of Pixar University,] said. Every employee — whether an animator, technician, production assistant, accountant, marketer, or security guard — is encouraged to devote up to four hours a week, every week, to his or her education.
Randy Nelson is adamant: these classes are not just a break from the office routine. “This is part of everyone’s work,” he said. “We’re all filmmakers here. We all have access to the same curriculum. In class, people from every level sit right next to our directors and the president of the company.” [...]
Thanks to Pixar University, employees learn to see the company’s work (and their colleagues) in a new light. “The skills we develop are skills we need everywhere in the organization,” Nelson said. “Why teach drawing to accountants? Because drawing class doesn’t just teach people to draw. It teaches them to be more observant. There’s no company on earth that wouldn’t benefit from having people become more observant.”
That helps to explain why the Pixar University crest bears the Latin inscription, Alienus Non Diutius. Translation: alone no longer. “It’s the heart of our model,” Randy Nelson says, “giving people opportunities to fail together and to recover from mistakes together.”
“Every piece of the business plays a part, every part is indispensable, every failure breeds success, and every success demands improvement.”
“If the company’s expressed mission is to organize the world’s information, it has a somewhat less exalted but equally important unexpressed commercial mission: to monetize consumers’ intentions.”
What’s the difference between declining and dynamic churches?
Less than 50% of churches reach ONE person for Jesus.
- Approximately 4,000 churches will close their doors this year.
ü If you’re Seeking Jesus Today … we’re glad you’re here
ü ? What sort of community do you WISH the church was?
Our mission / reason for existing is to help people learn how to follow Jesus. We want to draw people to Jesus … through worship, through preaching, through our volunteering and charities … it’s all to help people meet Jesus.
It is easy to think that the Church has a lot of different objects-education, buildings, missions, holding services. … The church exists for nothing else but to draw men to Christ, to make them little Christ’s. If the are not doing that, all the cathedrals, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. - CS Lewis
What Sort of Church Facilitates the Mission?
#1 An Equipping Church Has Spirit Filled Leaders
Equipping = Connecting people and resources
A. History of the Church in Antioch
Church was started because of the persecution in Jerusalem (Acts 11:19)
Acts 11:21 – Saved Church
“And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. ” (Acts 11:21, ESV)
Acts 11:24 – Great Evangelism
“for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. ” (Acts 11:24, ESV)
Acts 11:25 – Great Teachers
“So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, “and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people.
Acts 11:26 – Great Effect (First Called “Christians”)
And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. ” (Acts 11:26, ESV)
Acts 11:27-30 – Great Service
“Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). So the disciples determined, everyone according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul. ” (Acts 11:27–30, ESV)
CHANGE
- Turned to the Lord
- Great many people were added to the Lord
GROW
- Teaching
- Becoming like Christ (Christians)
SERVE
- Giving for the Famine
B. Backgrounds of the Leaders
Mixed bag.
Barnabas – A Jew from the tribe of Levi. Generous.
- Not raised in Jerusalem … a native of Cyprus
- Nickname means “Son of Encouragement” (real name was Joseph)
- Sold land and gave all the money to the church (cf Acts 4:36-37)
- Either black skinned or a black background
- Africa
Simeon who was called Niger
Lucius of Cyrene
Might be that both Lucius & Simeon were from Cyrene
- Interesting note … the man who carried Jesus’ cross was named “Simeon of Cyrene”
Manaen, a member of the court of Herod the Tetrarch
- Upper crust of society
- Raised in the royal court
- Perhaps a foster brother to Herod
Saul
Somehow this group turned into an equipping church … one that changed the world.
- No racial discrimination
- No difference between the rich and poor, elite & sub-class
- Didn’t matter where you came from … it only mattered who you followed
THIS CHURCH BEGAN TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL INA WAY THAT CHANGED THE WORLD.
- Missions start here
- The Gospel GOT here because Christians got kicked out of Jerusalem.
- The Gospel WENT FROM HERE because they were an equipping church who listened to the Holy Spirit.
An Equipping Church Doesn’t Look at Your Skin, Status or Sins … It Looks at Your Connection to The Savior
#2 An Equipping Church Worships and Prays
Worship
Liturgy / Performing Religious Duties
Prayer
Fasting
è All This was a way of connecting to Jesus’ presence in a real, emotional way.
- Not just knowing more ABOUT Jesus
- Though that’s important
- Worship = Living like what you know is real
- Works of service
- Songs
- Pleadings
- Prayers
- Giving up food for the sake of Knowing Jesus more
è They were Passionate about Jesus
è Mission, LeaderSHIFT requires passion for Jesus
- You won’t introduce anyone to Him if you don’t care about Him
- You won’t become a servant if you don’t love Him
è In Fasting and Prayer … God spoke
- We’ll get more into that in a moment
- But it’s important to see that this very important command
Confirming Everything in Prayer (v.3)
In v.2 they heard the commandment of the Spirit.
So in v.3 they keep praying and fasting … double checking.
We are called to TEST the will of God like this.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. ” (Romans 12:1–2, ESV)
#3 An Equipping Church is Directed by the Holy Spirit
Spirit-Filled Leaders
Barnabas – Acts 11:24
Paul – Acts 13:9
Galatians – having begun in the Spirit are you trying to finish in the flesh?
Not Inventing Programs … But Waiting for God to Speak
In Exodus 33 God and Moses are having a discussion.
- Moses says, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me.”
- In other words, God you’ve given me the basic outline for what’s going to happen, but I need to know that you are in this plan.
- In v.15 Moses makes an ultimatum to God, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.”
- “I will not go from here unless you go with me!”
- Today, I want us all to say the same thing.
- “God, we will not move from this point unless you are with us! If all these plans and ideas aren’t from you, it’s nothing. But if you will go with us, no power will be able to stop us!”
- Unless God sends us out like He did in Antioch, we are dead!
- What are our sendings?
- Most of these tactical decisions aren’t in the Bible, so we can’t be rigid about them.
- If God doesn’t speak BOOM – disunity.
How Do You Hear the Spirit?
Study the Word
Be saturated by the Word
Be broken by the Word for the World
God has spoken … we have to listen and see where He is still speaking.
FASTING = I’m not SETTLING for McDonalds’s, a $5 foot-long and hot wings.
I’d rather have you.
Prayer during Fasting:
“God, when I feel this way, MY normal reaction is for ME to reach into MY refrigerator or MY wallet and let MYSELF provide for MY needs. Today, I’ll ask YOU to provide the strength I need. I’m hungry for food, but I’m hungrier for YOU.”
#4 An Equipping Church Sets People Free
Story in v.4-12
Satanic Bondage
Preaching the Word = Setting People Free
RESULT
Antioch è Paul & Barnabas èMission
Mission è Converts è Church
Church è Leaders è Mission
Mission è Converts è Church
Church è Leaders è Mission
"Compared with this voyage (Paul & Barnabas leaving Antioch) the results and consequences of the voyages of Columbus, Vasco de Gamma, Magellan, and the Vikings were of little consequence for this was the commencement of the Christian odyssey. For the gospel had been preached in Judea and Samaria and not it's to be proclaimed in the uttermost part of the earth. More than any ship that ever cleffed the ways with its prow that failed craft bound for the shores of Cyprus carried with it a man and an idea, which were to affect the destinies of the human race." – McCartney
Other Results of Prayer, Fasting & Having An Equipping Culture:
1. Piper’s Story from Kazakstan.
This place is re-writing the book of Acts.
- They tell how in the Spring of ‘93 Velodia gave a New Testament to Yerkimbek, and he read it and recieved the call of Jesus for salvation. (Generation 2)
- Yerkimbek brought his brother, Itcallity who brought a co-worker and many others (God gave Itcallity the gift of evangelism). (Generation 3 )
- This co-worker brought his sister, Batkipbeck. (Generation 4)
- Batkipbeck brought many students from a Technical University. (Generation 5 and beyond)
The church noticed a huge growth in conversions happening, and were amazed. They had seen 6 generations of people brought to Christ in 18 months. They had seen a large increase in attendance and wondered why … But then they remembered, they had fasted and prayed for 3 days.
2. Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20
There is a huge blood thirsty hoard aligned against little Judah and king Jehoshaphat.
v.3 1) Afraid; 2) Sought help from the Lord; 3) Called a fast
All of Judah shows up to seek God and fast
That day, the Spirit comes upon a prophet Jahaziel and God says, “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you, do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not your, but God’s.”
The next morning they went out, and they were all dead, they had killed each other.
It took 3 days to gather the plunder!
That’s what God loves to do when His people fast and seek Him.
Are you confused, scared and facing a hopeless situation?
Seek God and fast.
Just like that he can turn disaster into blessing!
3. Wesley, February 6, 1756
The French were preparing to invade England
The King was terrified and called a national fast.
Wesley’s Journal
“The fast day was a glorious day, such as London has scarce seen since the Restoration. Every church in every city was more than full, and a solemn seriousness sat on every prayer. Surely God heareth prayer and there will yet be a lengthening of our tranquility.”
Footnote, added later, “Humility was turned into national rejoicing for the threatened invasion by the French was averted.”
4. Today’s Need
- We’re facing a bad economy
- Most unchurched part of the country
- An up-hill spiritual battle
We can’t do this alone!
We have to find power beyond our 4 walls.
The resources we have in our pockets … the strength we have to offer … all of its good … but it’s not enough.
We need more
- We need the Gospel of Jesus to change our leaders.
- Not looking at people’s backgrounds, money or status
- But looking at how closely we walk with Jesus
- We need To be a church that WORSHIPS and PRAYS
- Connecting with God in a desperate, passionate way
- We Need To Be Directed by the Holy Spirit
- All this so that we can set people free.