08/19 Compass Guide Comments By Dr. Daniel Daves

19-Aug Ecclesiastes 1-2, 2 Thess. 1-2, Psalms 101-105, Proverbs 19

Proverbs 19:20 (NIV)  Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.

I have learned through hard times and horrible mistakes to ask for advice and instruction over and over again. And when I have gotten advice from many, I find many more to give me more advice.  With fear and trembling, and much advice, I make critical kingdom decisions, assembling the team of wise advisors beforehand.

Proverbs 15:22 (NIV)  Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

God has made us in such a way that we can only know in part and see in part.  He wants us to understand our NEED for one another. No man is an island, and no one man can solve the world's problems.  Any man who stands up at a podium and says, "I WILL DO THIS AND THIS IF YOU MAKE ME PRESIDENT" had better have a well qualified team of people surrounding him. Those people had better be professionals in their fields. And person in power, whether a president or a manager of a company, decides to go at it alone, he/she will be greatly dissatisfied when failure arrives at the door.

I want to make a particular plea today to PASTORS. The world is filled with pastors, one or more for every church. Yet the New Testament does not call for pastors to lead the church alone.  Pastors will fail repeatedly if they try to lead a church without help from the 5 fold ministry apostolic ministry.

Ephesians 4:11-13 (KJV)   And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;   For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:   Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

I have spoken about this subject in books, radio shows and everywhere I go, so I will not belabor the issue today.  But the bottom line is that a pastor, a president, a manager, or the leaders of a family will not succeed far without critical help from a TEAM.  In the church world, it's a team of 5 (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers).  In the business world it's a team of 5 (CEO, COO, Sales, Human Resources & Training).  Anyone who leads alone is leading their followers into a ditch and destruction.

I worked with pastors through the years who couldn't comprehend the apostolic team model. They couldn't let go of their solo need to run the show alone.  They couldn't give up control, and because of this they couldn't RECEIVE INSTRUCTION.  And because of this, I have held great friends, good pastors by the hand as they led their church into the pit of despair.  Making wrong business decisions, they lost hundreds of thousands (and once - millions) of Dollars.  They brought the wrong people on to serve in their ministries who wreaked havoc in the church. They made critical errors in important decisions, as well as daily errors in smaller daily decisions.  Why? Because they are flying solo, they are alone, they are solely in control, and that's the only way they can do things.  They are unfortunately, committed to the old wineskin and their demand for control will lead them into more error than good.  I know this for a fact, because I used to be one of these people.  And I still struggle with this, yet must die to the team, give up authority, and trust others on the team who are looking out for the best interest of the team.

Today as we move forward, I want to ask you if you are LISTENING to advice and ACCEPTING instruction? Or are you caught in the old wineskin model of solo leadership and control?  Being a PASTOR in the solo mode makes you antiquated in God's kingdom, and He will never be able to unleash the riches of His glory upon you for it would destroy you. Why? Because you don't have a team and you haven't given up solo control.  The price is a heavy one to pay for a person who has always enjoyed solo control.  But to let go, to die to your need of controlling your environment and ministry/business/family, this is the way to life abundantly and the blessings of the new wineskin!!!  Solo Pastoring is part of the Old Testament leadership model.  POPE/PASTOR/PRESIDENT/PRIESTHOOD.  One man of God, one leader, and everyone files in behind and does what the leader says.  This leader is certainly driving the bus and you will go where he/she decides.  (Personally, I would run for my life away from this model because a solo leader is incapable of owning responsibility for financial, spiritual, mental, social, educational, family, business, architectural decisions that he/she will be making.)

The New Testament demands a team. And that team must be willing to LISTEN to advice and ACCEPT instruction!  I challenge us all today to look at our most critical scenarios, to gather a team of wise and capable leaders, and re-approach the target goals using the team model.  Watch the glory of God and acceleration of the project take place immediately!!      

Tomorrow's Reading:
20-Aug Ecclesiastes 3-4, 2 Thess. 3, Psalms 106-110, Proverbs 20