Talks from the Springboard Conference

Talks from the Springboard Conference: "Mike Betts - Building a New Testament style leadership team"

Wonderful Wonder

From Graham Cooke:
http://grahamcooke.com/index.php?fuseaction=e4_news.display_full&news_id=76

Jesus’ own sense of wonder surfaced whenever He saw others who walked in innocence and purity. One of the few times Jesus said “behold”—or, as we would term it, “wow”—was when He first met Nathanael, a man who later became one of His disciples. “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” Jesus exclaimed in John 1:47 (King James Version).

What did Jesus see in Nathanael? He saw a man without deceit. The Message version of the Bible translates Jesus as saying, “There's a real Israelite, not a false bone in his body.” Jesus saw his innocence and loved it.

Innocence is a quality we are born with and then slowly lose through the experiences of our life. Every time we have one of those bitter experiences, as we call them, a part of our purity erodes away. The way we think and perceive things in the spirit withers as we become guarded, wary, mistrustful, and suspicious. When another bitter experience occurs in our life, another layer of grime is placed on our sense of wonder. Given enough time, we become unsure that we were ever innocent. Meanwhile, we look at everyone around us and see the worst.

Jesus, the same Man who saw and loved Nathanael’s purity, also allowed Judas Iscariot to be close to Him. Jesus’ own sense of wonder about who God was allowed Him to be true to Himself and love the unlovely. He was a friend to sinners without being tainted by them.

Innocence is always under the threat of attack. But purity isn’t about what others can do to us, it’s about who we want to be. We can remain pure in heart and remain watchful for unscrupulous and disrespectful people at the same time.

We are in control of our own sense of wonder. Jesus dealt with this idea when, in Mark 7:6, He defined what He considered hypocrisy to be: “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” When our hearts are bitter, hard, callous, unfeeling, cynical, judgmental, angry, suspicious, closed, wary, distressful, jealous, skeptical, derisive, contemptuous, pessimistic, unbelieving, sarcastic, or scornful, we hurt ourselves—these things are corrosive to innocence. The damage we do to our own purity is far greater than the damage we can inflict on anyone else’s. Giving in to impurity grieves the Spirit of God. Our hardness grows as we protect ourselves from people and situations. We get hurt and we swear an unholy vow: “I’ll never let that happen to me again.” Immediately, we begin to insulate our hearts from taking another chance on someone or something. We close ourselves off relationally.

As we can see from Luke 9:46-48, Jesus always knew what people were feeling in their hearts:

Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.”

Unless we become child-like in innocence and purity, we won’t be able to see the wonders God wants to show us. Jesus wanted us to throw away our pride and self-protectionism and live a truly spiritual life.

Thoughts From the Diary Of A Desperate Man by Walter A. Henrichsen

"Seemingly senseless pain and trauma engulfs much of life. If you seek to follow Him, you must be content to trust His character rather than your ability to understand. The difference between a knife in the hand of an assassin and a knife in the hand of a surgeon is intent: both inflict severe pain. You must decide whether God is an assassin or a surgeon. But remember, your choice does not change God, only your opinion."

"If you cannot forgive because of hurt inflicted by others, you will be unwilling to be vulnerable for fear of being hurt again. Because people are sinners, you cannot love and you cannot minister without getting hurt."

"God charges the state with the task of justice, the individual with forgiveness. When the state seeks to be merciful, oppression and injustice reign."

"God has no grandchildren. Each follower of Christ must develop his own convictions and perspective."

Offering - Jason Morant

There’s so much more to You
Than I can even try to understand
But that won’t stop me now
From emptying myself into Your hands
All I know to do is fall apart in You

Like the night steps aside as the dawn rushes in
Let Your glory be known

I’m Your offering
I’m Your offering
Make Your suffering known through me
I’m Your offering
For all the world to see
Your love and believe

There’s so much more to You
Than any hardened heart could ever dispel
To You my soul bows
I empty my will into Your hands
All I know to do is fall apart in You

Let Your glory be known

Dallas Willard quote:

"I fear that many people seek to hear God solely as a device for securing their own safety, comfort and righteousness. For those who busy themselves to know the will of God, however, it is still true that "those who want to save their life will lose it." My extreme preoccupation with knowing God's will for me may only indicate, contrary to what is often thought, that I am overconcerned with myself, not a Christlike interest in the well-being of others or in the glory of God."
Dallas Willard, *Hearing God*, p. 28

Just About Sums it Up

Knickerbockers Lyrics
"Knickerbockers The Lust, The Flesh, The Eyes & The Pride Of Life lyrics"


Well, I Feel
Like I Have to Feel
Something Good All of the Time
With Most of Life I Cannot Deal
But a Good Feeling I Can Feel
Even Though It May Not Be Real
And If a Person, Place Or Thing Can Deliver
I Will Quiver With Delight
But Will It Last Me For All My Life
Or Just One More Lonely Night

The Lust, the Flesh
The Eyes
And the Pride of Life
Drain the Life
Right Out of Me

Well, I See Something and I Want It
Bam! Right Now!
No Questions Asked
Don't Worry How Much It Costs Me Now Or Later
I Want It and I Want It Fast
I'll Go to Any Length
Sacrifice All That I Already Have
And All That I Might Get
Just to Get
Something More That I Don't Need
And Lord, Please Don't Ask Me What For

The Lust, the Flesh
The Eyes
And the Pride of Life
Drain the Life
Right Out of Me

And I Love When Folks
Look Right At Me
And What I'm Doing
Or Have Done
And Lay It On About
How Groovy I Am
And That I'm Looking Grand
And Every Single Word
Makes Me Think I'll Live Forever
Never Knowing That They Probably
Won't Remember What They Said Tomorrow
Tomorrow I Could Be Dead

The Lust, the Flesh
The Eyes
And the Pride of Life
Drain the Life
Right Out of Me

Valley of Decision

1 Kings 18:20-22 (Contemporary English Version)
Ahab got everyone together, then they went to meet Elijah on Mount Carmel. Elijah stood in front of them and said, "How much longer will you try to have things both ways? If the LORD is God, worship him! But if Baal is God, worship him!"

A quality decision is one that is made but once. With regard to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, choose you this day to:

1. Surrender your will to the will of God
2. Praise God in every circumstance
3. Love and study the Scriptures
4. Forgive everyone for everything
5. Submit to the King and His Kingdom

God has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 2 Cor 5:18-20

His royal priesthood, the king-priest ministry out of Zion, presently stands in the earth and "pleads" with men to be reconciled to God.

This present or future Kingdom operation of reconciliation, in the Valley of Decision means lights out for the "old order" (Joel 2:10,31) the abolishing of the old administration, the old mindset, the old way of thinking and living. (Luke 21:25; Rev. 8:12)

God's restoration saw its vindication in the valley. Once this is accomplished, the Lord will dwell with us in complete victory - his permanent dwelling - the Bride of Christ!