Standing Shoulder To Shoulder Together As We Fight the Good Fight of Faith A personal letter of encouragement to You, written solely to "lift up hands that hang down". TO SUBSCRIBE send a blank message to shoulders-subscribe@... . TO UNSUBSCRIBE send a blank message to shoulders-unsubscribe@... . IN EACH CASE click "Return" when you receive confirmation request. FOR BACK COPIES go to http://associate.com/groups/shoulders . Get "HOPE4KYIV", a praise report and prayer request letter of the Tolliver's ministry as missionaries to Ukraine, TO SUBSCRIBE send a blank message to hope4kyiv-subscribe@.... IN EACH CASE click "Return" when you receive confirmation request. FOR BACK COPIES or more information go to http://associate.com/groups/hope4kyiv. Get "PrayKYIV", a new informational prayer strategy letter for people wanting to pray for Kiev, Ukraine. TO SUBSCRIBE send a blank message to prayKIEV-subscribe@... IN EACH CASE click "Return" when you receive confirmation request. FOR BACK COPIES go to http://associate.com/groups/prayKIEV. Website: www.praykiev.org (still in development but accessible) +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #477 ---- 1/29/07 Title: "Jack of All Trades or Master of One?" To correspond with Bob, please send to lifeunlimited@.... Do NOT simply hit "reply"; Bob will not get your letter. My Dear Friend and Partner in Ministry: My confidence in my local server continues to deteriorate as I again discover my letter was not sent on to you. So, I'm trying again for the third time. So, forgive the format distortion. Greetings once again from our home in Kiev, Ukraine. After a flight cancellation requiring a one-day delay in our return, we arrived safe and sound Thursday afternoon to our favorite apartment and scores of dear friends. I pray this finds you reveling in the abundant grace of the Lord, gratefully enjoying all His sufficiency and blessings He has so graciously lavished on you. I awoke far too early this morning, my body clock still trying to adjust to an eight-hour time change, and had a most extraordinary experience that I can neither fully comprehend nor adequately explain. The most adequate description I can give you today is that I sensed the Lord leading me to a dimension of understanding I had not known heretofore. As my mind sped through one song after another, I felt the Lord leading me closer and closer toward the most holy place of all, and farther and farther away from the corrupting and cluttering things of the world. It was like a literal enactment of the lyrics, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace." Because I still can't comprehend it all, I'll leave it there for a later time for sharing. But, it was a holy time. POTPOURRI: + Global Day Of Prayer: God is moving in extraordinary ways in many parts of the world. One of those ways is in calling His people to prayer. Just as on many occasions in Old Testament times the clarion call to prayer rang throughout the entire nation of Israel, so it is happening today in the Body of Christ. This movement of prayer which has received the most publicity is that which has taken place in the United States. However, even larger and more powerful movements have been taking place around the world . . . . South Korea, China, South Africa, Sudan, Australia, etc. Some of them have been going on for decades, but something is different this time . . . both in scope and intensity. Beginning in 2002, following the previously begun "See You At The Pole" and "National Day of Prayer" movements of the 1980's, a more global movement of prayer began to develop. In many ways it is as if the scene in Revelation 8 is beginning to unfold. You know the scene . . . . six seals on the book have been broken, and now the Lamb of God breaks the seventh seal, and everything in heaven goes completely silent. No more worship, no more rustling of angel wings, no more commands and proclamations. Nothing but total and complete silence. Silence so loud you can hear it . . . silence so complete you can feel it. In that complete silence of reverence, awe, and fear, God goes from one angel to another, giving each of the seven a trumpet. They stand in rapt attention . . . motionless . . . and silent. Another angel holding a gold censer in one hand and fragrant incense in the other moves silently toward the great altar from which the prayers of the saints rise. He places the incense upon the alter and, mingled with the prayers of the saints, its aroma fills the nostrils of Jehovah God . . . and perhaps God smiles. Then, deliberately the angel fills the censer with that fire/prayer mixture and flings it to the earth where the holy presence of God is then evidenced through the reverberation of His thunder, the flashing lighting of His eyes, and the foundation shaking earthquake of His footsteps. God has responded to the prayers of His saints in due season. It appears that the prayer movements around the world are now merging into such a global movement of prayer . . . . of repentance, of praise, and of intercession for God's intervention. Pentecost Sunday, May 27th, forty days after the Resurrection of Christ, has been designated as the Global Day of Prayer for this year. And, there is a global movement to bring the Body of Christ together to repent and intercede for the nations. This past Friday I watched an interview with the coordinator of that movement . . . and my heart leaped in anticipation of what could happen if God's people took this opportunity seriously. I feel in my heart that my church needs to participate in this event as much as we can. Go to www.globaldayofprayer.com and look it over. Or, if you're in the U.S., you can go to www.glopusa.com as well. Would you, my friend, seriously consider being both a participant of this event, and also a cross-country messenger racing to tell others to consider this event. Imagine what it would be like to have Christians in some 220 countries united, 24/7, at the same time crying out to God for forgiveness, mercy, and the awesome release of His glory through the proclamation of the Gospel! I urge you to participate and to promote it with all haste. The world situation is unprecedented, and the Day of the Lord is fast approaching. + Special Prayer Requests: 1) Missionary George Markey with Calvary Chapel ministries is in critical condition in an undisclosed closed country where he has developed a serious case of Pancreatitis, erroneously diagnosed as appendicitis. The next two weeks are critical to his condition. This man with a giant servant's heart desperately needs your prayers. 2) A Chinese pastor here in Kiev was recently fired because of his "extreme" emphasis on evangelism and creative methods of reaching people. We are now considering how we may come along side, especially with our emphasis on our own Chinese ministry. Pray for guidance and for encouragement to this pastor. 3) The young brother who heads our Persian ministry has had all of his documents "disappear" and all records of his presence in the country "vanish". Married to a wonderful Ukrainian young woman, he has great need to get this matter resolved. If it is not, it has far reaching ramification to his presence, his education, his ministry, and his family. I plead with you to pray about these matters. + Wedding Anniversary: It is with great joy and deepest gratitude that I give honor to the love of my life, my wonderful wife, Jo Ann. She has endured me and all my foibles for an amazing 48 years, and I honor her before you today, the anniversary date of our marriage in Tucson, Arizona. I'm convinced that the only way we could be married this long is if we married an extremely young ages, because neither of us is old enough to have been married 48 years. Since that moment, God has blessed us with an array of ministries, four amazing daughters, and twelve grandchildren. I am a blessed man, indeed. JACK OF ALL TRADES: Last Friday as we began adjusting our body clocks back to Kiev time, Jo Ann and I watched a couple of favorite Christian television programs (we're extravagantly blessed to receive six major Christian networks' programming), specifically James Robison's "Life Today" and David Curillo's daily program. It wasn't so much what the topic was on each program, but rather it was the fact that they have found their respective niche's and have zeroed in on their target ministries. Like a flash, it occurred to me just how ministries like these are so different from the average church's approach to ministry. Unfortunately, there is often resentment and jealousy from denominations and local churches toward such para-church ministries . . . I remember it well because of my own past attitudes. "They're really not part of the true Church. They're renegades that can't get along in their denominations. They're stubborn and unteachable, so they had to go do their "own thing." I've said them all, . . . and more. However, in past years, as I've personally struggled with trying to find balance in my own ministry, and as I've tried to figure out why so many local churches are unable to manufacture a program that is effective and highly productive, my tune has changed. Now, I don't want to over simplify things, but it seems to me that most denominations and churches are so driven to be a "Jack of all trades" entity that they literally do become, in a very real and evident sense, a "master of none" purveyor of mediocrity, minimal results, and ultimate stagnation . . . thus requiring another method, idea, or strategy to be added to the already overladen and weary church. At the same time, most para-church organizations are just the opposite, . . . they tend to be "Masters of One", and that may be one of the reasons for their frequent greater level of accomplishments over local churches, and about which sometimes so many pastors are insanely jealous and resentful. Local churches are usually more rigid, while most para-church organizations are more flexible. Often local churches have found their identity and security in the systems, doctrines, and structures, while para-church ministries find their identity and security in their vision and mission. Local churches are often not very innovative or willing to step out of the box and take risks, while para-church organizations generally live on the cutting edge of risk taking as a way of life. Neither para-church movements nor the frequent local church jealousy are new. Even before the modern missionary movement launched by people like William Carey this polarized philosophy has existed. Para-church movements by their very nature are simple in structure, singular in vision, and streamlined in strategy. Their message is uncomplicated, and their ministry always points directly toward the vision. Campus Crusade, for example, while enormous in size, has a simple message and a simple method . . . . "Jesus is the answer, and this is how you can know Him." India Inland Mission with praying John Hyde and China Inland Mission with Hudson Taylor are two earlier examples of the same thing. And, it's good to remember that so-called para-church movements are still the Church. They are not uncontrollable wild shoots, but are an expression of the Church in a simpler and more focused form than often times you find in a denomination or a local congregation. You'll see what I'm getting at here in a moment. THE NEED FOR RETURNING TO "MASTER OF ONE" MODELS: God has reminded me again very recently of just how much of a "God thing" it was when the leadership of the church we helped plant here sixteen months ago made the following decisions, by which we continue to operate: > We will stick to our calling of evangelizing internationals, discipling and training them into leaders, and helping them plant churches within their own language groups both here and in their home countries when they return. > We will keep everything in its simplest form possible. > We will not create systems and programs for the sake of having systems and programs that make us look good or successful. > We will not do anything unless the Lord gives us clear direction to do it. Paul made it clear that simplicity, selectivity, and strategy was the pattern for the Church, the "body of Christ" (I Cor 12); take time to read that chapter. The church was to have a simple, narrowed, and targeted ministry, rather than having a broad, and thereby diluted, approach to sharing the Gospel. While there was diversity of giftings and function, there was singular unity when it came to the task at hand. They understood three things about the church . . . . 1) The purpose of the Church was to glorify God in everything in every way (Eph 3:21), 2) The task of the church was to faithfully and zealously obey the Great Commission (Mt 28:18-20), and 3) The message of the church was Jesus Christ, crucified Savior, Risen Redeemer, and Returning King (I Cor 2:2; 15:3-4). Yet, just 400 short years later the church was so "Romanized" that it had begun functioning as much for the praise of man and the prestige of its own name as it had for the glory of God. It began to flaunt its own glory through professionalism, prestige, and buildings, . . . its task began to fragment into many doctrines, beliefs, and emphases, . . . and its message began to dilute into a more and more accomodating and compromising version that offended fewer and fewer, . . . and in the slow process, drew in more and more unregenerate members. That, as you well know, led the church into the Dark Ages, only to finally emerge some 900 years later with an opportunity to return to the basics of ministry as well as the basics of doctrine which Luther espoused so vehemently. While he was liberated in doctrine, he was still enslaved to the highly institutionalized system. And the church remains so, by and large, even today, particularly the western model of the church. And, before you claim that your church is an exception, I'd suggest you take a closer look. I know of very few churches that have been totally liberated from the "Jack of all trades" mentality. Most churches spread themselves far too thin in ministry activities to the point that they do very few things really well. A far cry from the attitude most denominations and most local churches have. Many still can't tell the difference between "good" things that deal primarily with the temporal and "best" things that deal with eternal issues. DEFINING WHAT WE MEAN: Maybe it would be good to try to define in some way what we mean when we use those terms, . . . "Jack of all trades" . . . and "Master of none". Obviously the entire statement is an idiom, and quite simply it means that a person (or an organization such as a church) can do just about anything to a degree, but he's not really a master craftsman at anything. It's much like the difference between a general store and a specialty store. You can get just about anything in a general store, but it offers nothing particularly fitting for specialized purposes. My grandfather was a farmer, a soldier, a blacksmith, a hunter, a sawmill operator, a threshing machine operator, an inventor, a builder, a road commissioner, and a justice of peace, along with a variety of other things. And, he was pretty good in all those areas. But, if you really wanted to know what he was truly good at, you'd have to see him as a devout Christian leading by example and as a family man, an elder in his church, and a Sunday school teacher. So, if a "Jack of all trades" is someone who can do lots of good things, and do many of them well, but yet is not "Master of none", what does that last part then mean? At first glance, it sounds like you're saying that a person is fair at just about everything, but not really good at anything. But, that's not what the final part of the idiom means. The word "Master" is actually an official title . . . . like a Master Craftsman, a Master Plumber, a Master Carpenter, . . . "Master" in this setting infers three simple things: + A "Master" is Capable. He is a person who is gifted, talented, trained, and skilled in what he knows how and what to do best. He is more than "good" at what he does. He's great at what he does. + A "Master" is Certified. He is also a person who has gone through the necessary process to be both Authenticated and Authorized to the task he has been assigned. He's not only has ability within himself, but he has affirmation and authorization by others . . . the admiration of his peers, the authentication of his superiors. + A "Master" is Called. To a master craftsman, his job is not a job; it is a calling . . . it is a lifestyle. He does what he does because he knows deep within that the inner drive he feels is more than just a fancy interest. He is driven not so much by necessity or duty as he is by vision and passion. Through all his waking hours, he knows Who he is, Why he is here, and What he is to be doing. So, when we describe a church as being a "Jack of all trades, but a master of none", we're simply saying that it is a church filled with lots of religious and mostly good organization, plans, structure, and activities, but isn't particularly effective . . . for three basic reasons. 1) First, it has spread itself too thin and doesn't have the resources to do anything particularly well. 2) Second, even though it may recognize it intellectually and even theologically, it has never seriously caught the mandate of the Great Commission. It has a form of godliness and mission, but the anointing of God is nowhere to be found upon it. 3) Finally, it has lost its vision, but fails to realize it because it's so busy trying to fix something that is broken, maintain something that is sacred, or create something that will look like it's new. Where, then, does that take us? Maybe to the conclusion that most of us are trying to do way too much, and most of it has little or no eternal value. The difference in the two approaches is clear in Scripture. Paul, Peter, Phillip, Jesus . . . all of these men really did only two or three things, . . . but all related to one thing. Let me give you some examples: > Paul essentially preached, taught, and did miracles. He hardly did anything else, even baptizing people. > Peter was the same; he preached and performed miracles. > Phillip, Stephen, James, . . . the list goes on and on. Even in later church history we see that the people who were most effective and became the most renowned were those who had narrowed their interests down to fit their callings. Dwight Moody, Martin Luther, Charles Finney, Billy Graham . . . the list is endless. > In addition, the very description of the church as the Body of Christ in I Cor 12 makes it clear that an individual member functions in one primary way . . . an arm, an ear, a hand, etc. Even when it comes to the Gifts of Holy Spirit we see that most of us have one primary spiritual gift with just another one or two that supplement the main gift. > When you examine the ministry of Jesus, you discover that He limited Himself to simply "doing the will of Him Who sent Me". That manifested itself in the forms of teaching, healing, and delivering. He did little else but those three. When we, then, become "Master of One" it is because we both recognize and submit to the fact that . . . We have been Specifically Called, We Are Suitably Capable, We have been Specially Certified. Anything else we do, will be "average" or "inferior, and needs to be left to someone else. As I began writing this letter last Saturday, God reminded me again of something that both you and I know . . . . It's Not About Us. And yet, in practical application, we live as if it is. Unfortunately, the church is not about us, and it is not for us. The church Is From Him, it Is Us, and it's For Them. God created the Church, He made it up of regenerate believers, and He made it for going into the world to declare the liberating and life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ. ESSENTIALS FOR BEING A "MASTER OF ONE" MINISTRY: So, then, how to we change ourselves . . . and our churches . . . from being "Jacks of all trades and masters of none" into being "Masters of One"? Consider these suggestions: + Know exactly what your vision and calling are. It's good to revisit the moment when God put the incentive in your heart. If it has never happened, first go back and check your true relationship with Him, and then ask Him to place that vision, calling, and passion within you so your life will mean something in the realm of eternal matters. + Know clearly your strengths and weaknesses. Recognize there are some things that you'll never do well, and identify those that you will. Consider your basic disposition and attitude, your particular skills and talents, and your spiritual gifts. You see, when a person is unsure of his capabilities, he often tends to mask over that fact by keeping as busy as possible, hoping people won't notice, and hoping maybe something will "click". + Develop a strategy or plan that accomplishes and maintains your fundamental vision and calling. Don't do something just because it's in the book or because another person/church is doing it. Don't be a copycat Christian or church. Be an original. Always develop your strategy based on your vision and calling. Keep your vision simple, keep your calling solid, and limit your strategy and plan only to that which your vision encompasses. Don't "color outside the lines". It ruins the picture. + Be selective in who you invite to join with you in the endeavor. While it is certainly important to listen to the counsel of others, you must be careful to not go to the naysayers for opinions; they'll offer enough of their own without your asking. Follow the pattern of Nehemiah. Gather only those who see what you see. Stay away from too many "idea" people; sometimes that's all they've got . . . ideas. That only dilutes your resources and your effectiveness. + Build your structure and methods to match your strategy and objectives. You don't create a plan or organizational structure first and then try to fit your ministry into it (an error far too many pastors and churches make); instead, you identify the purpose and vision God has given you, and then you develop the supporting plans and structures. When you develop the plan around the vision, you're building a house; when you build the plan and try to put the vision in it, you're building a coffin. + Keep your structure as simple as possible and only as detailed as necessary. Big visions don't necessarily require big structures. Keep in mind that the bigger the vision, the greater the motivation and the stronger your faith. But, the bigger the structure, the more time, energy, and other resources are required to maintain it. You want your major resource investments to be placed in the "doing" and not in the "maintaining". + Make and keep a vow to never deviate from your vision and calling, even if strategies, structures, and methods must be adjusted. If your vision changes, it must be God that changes it. Otherwise, stick with it. But, be willing to make adjustments, even major ones, to your plans, structures, and methods. As I heard Dr. Kenneth Hemphill once say, "Principles never change, but methods always will." Your strategies, structures, and methods must never rule over you under any circumstance. They must never be your masters. Any good strategy, plan, or method, must be "SAFE" ---- Simple as possible, Adaptable with ease, Flexible as necessary, Expendable if not effective. FINALLY: Yesterday as I stood before the people whom I serve, I was overwhelmed by their presence. I just wanted to stand there and look at them; they're such incredible people. At that moment, God reminded me again of just how blessed I am to be part of a body of believers who really understands what I've just written about. I stood there and looked at Ukrainians, Americans, British, Russians, Iranians, Chinese, Indians, Angolans, and more . . . . I looked at students, missionaries, teachers, counselors, shop keepers, mechanics . . . . and I thought ---- "In all my 50 years of ministry, I've never worked with a group with such understanding of what we're about and why we're here." It's my prayer, dear friend, that you will, first, stop trying to be a "Jack of all trades", and second, commit yourself to be a "Master of One" . . . or two . . . or three . . . but no more. (Don't forget the prayer requests, and take a look at the Global Day Of Prayer website.) In His Bond, By His Grace, and For His Kingdom, Bob Tolliver -- Romans 1:11 Copyright January, 2007 Life Unlimited Ministries lifeunlimited@... http://community.webshots.com/user/kic4n for new church ministry albums. http://www.praykiev.org for our city-wide prayer strategy. If this letter has blessed you, feel free to forward it, with proper credits, to any and all you wish. Please do NOT hit reply to this letter. This is an automated unmanned system. If you want to write Bob, send directly to lifeunlimited@.... Replying to "Shoulder To Shoulder" mailer gets you nowhere. REMEMBER ---- "God's Work done God's Way never lack's for God's supply." (George Mueller) May I Recommend . . . . If you have a heart for God and would like to be encouraged in your life and ministry, and you have a burden for your church, your community, and the world, then you may want to receive . . . http://bibleprobe.com/islamapostates.htm ---- fantastic website on ISLAM (amazing testimonies and excellent resources) http://www.answersingenesis.org/ ---- one of the best Creation websites I've ever seen. http://frangipane.org ---- for excellent brief words of encouragement from one of America's premier evangelical writers/thinkers. www.jfloydministries.org ---- great website for dealing with hurts and wounds through forgiveness. www.cnsnews.com for daily world news without a liberal, godless bias. www.worldprayerteam.org ---- A world-wide network for praying together. www.watchword.org ---- excellent resources on revival, prayer, missions. www.waymakers.org ---- resources on prayer, evangelism, etc. www.missionvisionnetwork.org ---- resources on prayer & missions www.global-prayer-digest.org ---- resources on world-wide prayer www.theworldprayercenter.org ---- resources on world-wide prayer http://www.nppn.org ---- "National Pastors' Prayer Network" newsletter. ~ email: phil@.... Register your PPG: http://www.nppn.org/ppg/ . www.LifeAction.org ---- "Life Action Outreach". www.missionamerica.org ---- "Mission America" . Other Great Resources Are: www.sermonindex.net for access to over 3900 downloadable audio sermons. Exceptional site. www.illustramedia.com a great site for video on creation and evolution. www.livinit.org a super source for Christian extreme sports witness to youth www.creationscience.net an excellent source for dealing with evolution and creation www.crosstv.com a great site for video on creation, evolution, and apologetics www.onechurchsource.com a good site with links for many resources. www.biblemaster.com for great Bible resources and downloads. Exceptional site. www.e-sword.net (one of the best free download Bible study site I've ever seen!) http://www.discipleshipdirect.com/ for new and fresh evangelism & discipleship materials. http://associate.com/camsoc/ctt/"Christian Communications Toolkit" (using internet wisely) www.associate.com/camsoc/crs/ for church related software from CAMSOC. To subscribe to CAMSOC update newsletter, go to grga@.... Online Resources on Ukraine are . . . . http://www.1plus1.com.ua/video/camera.php Live webcam of Independence Square, Kiev. http://www.kievukraine.info/ Excellent website on Ukraine with lots of links. http://encyclopediaofukraine.com/ Excellent website on Ukraine with lots of links. http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/search.aspx?q=ukraine&Submit2=Go Encarta info on Ukraine. http://www.samford.edu/groups/global/links/religion-ee.html Source of many sites relating to religious issues in Eastern Europe. www.uazone.net Excellent website on Ukraine with hundreds of pictures and other links. www.travel.kyiv.org/map/e_kyiv.htm www.mindspring.com/~goliath74/kiev.html www.ukraineinfo.us http://www1.excite.com/travel/travelguide/destination/0,20310,europe-550,00.html Secular News on Kiev and Ukraine will give you interesting views at . . . http://www.interfax.com/com?item=Ukr www.kievpost.com www.ukrainenews.com www.ukraine-observer.com