robsingleton.net

27 August 2008

What’s that guy’s name?

Remembering I really believe with every fiber of my being—that God is going to continue to do mind blowing things through this wonderful family of believers known as Southbrook Church!

Honestly, it’s a no-brainer. Because the Bible tells us in 2 Chronicles 16:9,

The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

And in Ephesians 3:15–20 as well,

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

That describes a whole lot of people at Southbrook these days. Not everyone, but a lot. I wish it was everyone—so does God. But it’s enough.

Enough for what? Well, how about taking a real close look at what we just read. The following line in particular,

to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine

I gotta be honest with you. I’ve got a pretty huge imagination. And I dream big because I serve a great big God. But be that as it may, I can’t out dream God.

You try it. Go ahead, think of the biggest, most God honoring, kingdom impacting thing you can.

Got it?

God can do more than that.

Can God build a church that impacts an entire community?

In His sleep (if He ever actually slept).

Could God turn a major city upside down for His glory?

With both hands tied behind His back (though, why bother? God is Spirit and this is metaphorical. Of course, Jesus could give it a whirl, I suppose. After all, He’s God).

Could God change a country?

The world?

He’s been there. Done that.

So, we need to have big faith, because it is impossible to please God without it. Hebrews 11:6 says,

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

So go ahead and ask God how you can line up with Him and do big things to make His name famous throughout the earth! Just make sure it’s His name you’re promoting.

Which leads me to the main reason for this post. Many churches today are seeing great big things happen in their midst but there’s a leak when it comes time to funneling the glory to God. And it’s a controlled leak that seems to by cyphening off most of the glory back to the leaders. It’s a very troubling shift. In looking at recent trends in the Church growth movement, I see a lot more glory going to individuals than goes to the God they claim to serve. This is sooooo unsettling in light of what God’s Word clearly teaches. Take a look,

Joshua spoke to Achan, “My son, give glory to God, the God of Israel. Make your confession to him. Tell me what you did. Don’t keep back anything from me.” Joshua 7:10

and here,

If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. 2 Corinthians 5:13

and here,

As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. 2 Corinthians 9:13

here,

and glory to God forever and ever! Amen Galatians 1:5

here,

God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. Ephesians 1:2

and here,

Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. 1 Peter 4:11

Please don’t ask for more. I’d be typing throughout the night. There is an endless supply of verses—almost as if God wanted to keep thumping it into our frontal lobes until we saw clearly that glory goes to Him—not us.

And yet, the trend is the polar opposite. Pastors are like Rock Stars today. The other day someone said to me that they get all nervous talking to me—almost like I’m a rock star. Immediately, I felt my heart catch in my throat.

She meant absolutely nothing wrong by it. It’s just that this image is all over growing churches. Whenever I hear it I all but beg the people to not think that way. I am God’s mouthpiece.

One of many.

Nothing more.

A fairly dorky one, truth be told.

But today we see pastors who travel with an entourage like they’re Paris Hilton or Brangelina (or however they spell this 2 headed monster). I think this saddens God because that glory belongs to Him alone.

There are books that bear only the pastor’s name as the title.

What is that? What’s the thing even about? The history of the name?

Ridiculous.

John the Baptist had it spot on when he said of Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

That’s when I thought of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. It runs 20,000 on the weekends and has radically transformed an entire community and much of the state. But, for the life of me, I can never remember the pastor’s name who presided over all that growth.

Bob something, I think. Hold on, I’ll look it up.

Bob Russell. Ok, I was right about the Bob part. But why is it so hard to remember the pastor who God used to build one of the largest, most impactful ministries in the USA?

Because, over 30 years, Bob was a deflector. He constantly deflected the glory aimed at him back to it’s rightful recipient—God. There are many others as well. Andy Stanley at Northpoint in Georgia seems to go to great lengths to make sure his name isn’t the main deal on their website. And his preaching is extremely powerful and practical without him acting like he knows it.

And one of my favorites, Mark Drisscoll manages to get back to the name of Jesus about every 12.3 seconds of a sermon. Awesome!

Contrast this with some of the others. At one particular website I went through page after page after page of their site and could never shake away form the pastor’s name. It was everywhere and on everything—coffee mugs, tee shirts, even a clothing line!

_______ and ____________ jeans.

I’ll stick with Levis. And I don’t even know who that guy was. Was Levi his first name or last name?

You know what would be the greatest compliment people could say about the leader of a church that impacted tens of thousands of people, saw multitudes come to Christ and made a real impact worldwide for the kingdom of God?

“What was that guy’s name again?”

Share and Enjoy:

12 Comments currently posted.

Dee Dee Sienkiewicz says:

Pastor Rob,
I’m so glad you wrote about this, this morning. I have experienced the same thoughts or some anxiousness about speaking with you. I found myself last night standing right next to you wanting so badly to talk with you and because I was nervous I could barely open my mouth. I have been very vocal about how this church has completly transformed my life. Your gifts and talents, and the way you guide and direct us to a fulfilling life with our Savior is so Real and so Awesome. You have showed me how to have life and have it abundantly. I had no idea how powerful God works in the lives of those who seek, trust, and know him. Thank you so much for your dedication to our Lord and our lives. I wake every morning spending time with the one you invited us to know, our precious Lord and Savior, and I expect AMAZING things to happen in our church, our Community, our State, our Country, and our World!!!!! Our God is truly amazing, forever faithful, never changing, and the love of my life. My prayer for our church is that all who seek him will come to know him, REALLY KNOW HIM!!!! And then all things are possible as we allow the Spirit to live through us all. Can you imagine what we could do if all of us had that passion. UUUUGH it truly takes my breath away trying to imagine the possibilities. With God all things are possible. Amen!!!!

Kati says:

Great comment, Dee Dee. I hope and pray that everyone’s attitude is that way towards the amazing things Christ can do. Also way to bring the glory to God, Pastor Rob. Right where it belongs!

Lysa TerKeurst says:

This is a GREAT POST!

All I can say is AMEN brother, AMEN!!!

Tim says:

I just read recently that Pride is the root of all sin. Your blog addresses the fact that even in the church pride can creep into the ministry and ministers as we are trying to build the kingdom. God’s challenge to me is to stay humble. I have found that if I don’t He will find a way to humble me. Thanks for the good words, and the totally awesome challenge Sunday! Best message I have heard on Peter, and more importantly God’s Spirit was moving in the room. Changed lives! Praise the Lord!

Summer says:

and, you really aren’t that dorky.

Brenda says:

and this is one of the many reasons i can feel so at home at Southbrook, is because i dont feel like i’m walking into a church where my pastor(s) have that ‘celebrity’ status and arent so caught up in things like having a ‘celebrity status’ that the passion seems to be lost, the connection with their church community seems to be lost.
I walk into Southbrook and I feel like I’m at home, every time I’ve been there you are at the end of services Pastor Rob, and you’re passing out hand shakes and hugs, passion for God and the people of the church is something thats strong and always there!
man i love Southbrook!

diane infranca says:

yes pastor …you are right ..you are not the rock star…GOD is….i love to say thank you to the people who do GODS work ….who do the right thing in GODS eyes.. although not perfect..sometimes people need to hear good job….well done….i love to give thanks to people who stand for GOD ……but only GOD gets the GLORY…. PRAISE GOD FOR OUR HUMBLE PASTOR…… AMEN.

Rob says:

Thanks for the comments, gang!

Diane and Brenda, you all are so right about encouragement! And your comments are very encouraging!

Yes, Diane, there is a world of difference between encouragement and letting someone know they have touched you or reached your very soul with the words God gave them. I am an encouragement addict. I really do appreciate words of affirmation.

The challenge for me and many others is to always keep these things in the right perspective. I wish I could say I were perfect at this. Truth is, I’m far from it. I wrestle with pride issues like anyone else. I just honestly hope that I am grounded in my relationship with Jesus enough not to believe my own press.

Dave Ingland says:

Rob, this was a great post…inspiring, motivational and encouraging. It’s interesting that of all the people whose name you couldn’t remember it was Bob Russell’s. When I first became a Chrisitian I immediately felt a calling into church planting and started studying. One of the first books I read was Bob Russell’s When God Builds a Church. Then, a couple of months later I was accepted to a private seminary and Bob Russell was a key speaker and eventually became the chairman of the board for the school once he retired from Southeast Christian Church. He is one of the funniest and humble guys I’ve ever met. So, that is one guy whose name I’ll never forget.

To God be the glory and when others go to describe you, may their descriptions be as if they were describing the face of Jesus.

Mark Cianciosa says:

Rob … great post. I love you and your heart. I would cover your back anytime … because you are always willing to let the Holy Spirit shine in your words! dorky … I’ll get back to you on that!

diane infranca says:

WOW !!!!! does anyone else feel the HOLY SPIRIT… I JUST WANT TO SAY A LITTLE PARYER IF THATS OKAY ……LORD THANK YOU FATHER FOR PUTTING THIS CHURCH AND THIS PASTOR AND THESE PEOPLE IN MY LIFE….IT HAS BEEN A LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE FOR MY FAMILY..AFTER 11YRS MY HUSBAND IS NOW SAVED…JESUS THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DID FOR ME THROUH THIS WONDERFUL CHURCH,PASTOR & PEOPLE… WE AS A FAMILY WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW YOU…THANK YOU LORD FOR A FAMILY OF CHRISTIANS THAT WE CALL CHURCH AND A FANTASIC LEADER THAT WE CALL PASTOR ROB….(with the rock star hair) FATHER THANK YOU FOR THE FREEDOM TO HAVE FUN,WORSHIP AND PRAISE ALL AT THE SAME TIME….KEEP US HUMBLE BEFORE YOU…KNOW OUR HEARTS AND KEEP US ON THE PATH WHICH YOU HAVE PUT US ON. ……IN JESUS’S NAME I PRAY AMEN……GUYS MY LIFE HAS TURNED AROUND AND I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU BUT PRAISE THE LORD……………………..DIANE

Jim Leasure says:

Very cool, Rob.

At the same time, would you not want to be remembered only because you left a legacy. The legacy not calling attention to your name, but the work that produces fruit?