2015 Volume Five

2015 Volume Five
Business, Leadership &
The Workplace

This isn’t about a week at the beach.
It’s about fueling your faith for everyday life.
June 29-July 4 • Fort Worth, TX
kcm.org/southwest

EDITORIAL
PUBLISHER
Michelle Danko
mcdanko@eyeworship.org
ASSISTANT PUBLISHER
Vernita Simmons
vsimmons@eyeworship.org
Kathy Smith
kathy.smith@eyeworship.org
EDITOR
Jill King
jillking@eyeworship.org
Matt Poe
mattpoe@eyeworship.org
COPYWRITER
Apryle Krause
IMAGES:
COVER PHOTO
Pavel Losevsky@DollarPhotoClub.com
PHOTOGRAPHERS
illustratorCZ, Stuart Miles, michaklootwijk, Elnur. Sergey Nivens,
Zurijeta, Shock, Lasse, Kozzi inc, franky242, Natika, Iliana Mihaleva
Andy Dean Photography, Bartek78, Rugdal, pinkblue, David Castillo
Dominici, HIghwayStarz, HalfPoint, Elnur, mast3r, kasiastock,
franky242, zatletic, @Kozzi.com
BillionPhotos.com, Manuel333, @DollarPhotoClub.com
SUBSCRIPTIONS AND FEEDBACK:
For subscriptions or feedback, please visit our website at :
www.faithfilledfamily.comIinfo@faithfilledfamily.com
© Faith Filled Family Magazine, May Edition, Yumpu 2015
All material is strictly copyright and all rights reserved. Reproduction
in whole or in part without the written permission of Faith Filled Family
is expressly forbidden.

Faith Filled Family
CONTENTS
FEATURES:
HOME IS WHERE MINISTRY BEGINS...................09
Home is indeed our training ground and should not be
ignored. Discover why it is imporant to success.
PROMOTION: ACCEPTED OR DENIED................14
Discusses having the right heart for promotion. Is
your belief in man, or God?
PASSED UP FOR PROMOTION............................19
How should a believer behave when passed up for
promotion. Why does your attitude correspond to your
altitude?
SERVANT LEADERSHIP........................................22
What does true servant leadership look like, and why
don’t we practice it more?
UNCORVERING CLASSIFIED INFORMATION......32
Uncover what a believer should do in the event that
they uncover dishonesty at work. Learn how to
handle it.
SALT & LIGHT.........................................................40
Jesus called us to be a salt and light to the world,
but exactly what does this look like in business?
Discusses how we can accomplish this task.
FOLLOW THE LEADER......................................46
Working under someone who is annointed can be the
most wonderful experience. Learn how this benefits
the believer.
SHOW A LITTLE RESPECT!...................................50
Pastors are people in authority over our lives, and
deserve the respect that their title garners. FInd out
what happens when disrespect ensues.
FAMILY IS OUR FIRST MINISTRY..........................54
A thought-provoking article on what happens if the
family is forsaken for business prosperity. How can it
survive, and how can you get it back if it is lost?
YOU’RE HIRED!......................................................56
Discusses how to make godly choices in the hiring
process.

WORD OF GOD VERSUS THE WORLD................59
Should a Christian behave one way in church and
one way in business? Uncover godly characteristics.
I WANT TO BE INVOLVED......................................62
Are you involving God in all of your needs including
who you hire? Discover why you should!
KINGS AND PRIESTS.............................................65
We are called to be one or the other. Find out which
category God has placed you in.
SUCCESS AND PROSPERITY...............................68
Every believer is called to this, yet not many walk in
it. Find out how prosperity can be yours!
THE ROAD AHEAD.................................................80
What does your employment future hold?
MINISTERING IN THE WORKPLACE....................84
Be bold, be brave and share the gospel.
WORKPLACE OR HOME.......................................88
A mother’s dilemma. Where should she be?
INTERVIEWS:
RUSTY MARTINS ...................................................11
Rusty Martins discusses life on the set of
Courageous and what life looks like for him going
forward.
LIFE’S PUZZLE PIECES.........................................72
What is the plan and purpose of my existance?
We’ve all wondered, now is the time to uncover the
truth.
5C’S OF LEADERSHIP...........................................76
How do you raise good leaders? These steps tell you
how.
INTERVIEW WITH DE’ANDRE SALTER................29
Pastor De’Andre Salter discusses how to succeed in
business and his latest book.
PLANETSHAKERS: SHAKIN’ IT UP......................36
Music Spotlight on this phenominal Christian Rock
band that has taken the music industry by storm with
their latest album.
Faith Filled Family

Publisher’s Letter
There is so much misconception surrounding areas of
business, prosperity, and how Christians are to conduct
themselves. There are those that feel that there is a
differentiation between faith and business- meaning that
they can be ruthless in business, but exhibit being a
Christian at home.
God had intended us to be an example no matter where
we are and no matter what situations we encounter. His
objective is that we behave with Christ-like characteristics
no matter what we face.
Whether we experience the lows of business challenges,
being passed up for promotion or financial restraints, or
the highs of success, financial gain or wealth- everything
we do should give glory to God.
Please enjoy this time of learning about God’s truth over
business, leadership, and the workplace. May it take you
from glory to glory, and never forget who brought you
there!
Always give God your praises.
Be Blessed!
Michelle Danko
Publisher
Faith Filled Family Magazine

H o m e
Is Where Ministry Begins
By Shanica Agard
T
he home is considered
throughout history to be
the training ground of a
child’s life.
Why!
Isn’t there a moment where a
mother can recall those precious
memories lauded by amusement
as her child imitates her in
the most adorable way?
Or a dad who is almost moved
to compassion whenever his
son adamantly never gives up
because he echoes that he
wants to be the perfect hero he
sees in you?
This is because from that tender
and fragile age, a child stems to
become a parent
pleaser, and having the comfort
of a mother around in contrast
to a disciplinary yet loving father
creates a sense of security both
environmentally and psychologically.
The Apostle Paul encourages
the Corinthians to model after
his example, even as he
followed Christ.(1 Corinthians
11:1 NIV). Therefore, a husband
and a wife should live an
amplified life based on christian
principles modeling a Christlike
example.
Five Characteristics Of A Role
Model Parent
Love : This is expedient for
endurance, growth and stability
in a child so that they will better
understand the unconditional
love God has towards mankind.
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
Jesus encourages us to love
each other even as He loved Us
(Romans 13:34 NIV).
Creating a loving home environment
contribute to the nurture
and care of self identity,
self assurance and confidence
in a child, so that he or she will
establish an inert understanding
of the sacrificial Love of God.

Obedience
“Children obey your father and
mother for this is right (Ephesians
6:1 NIV).
The Bible teaches that we all
should give accountability for our
lives and so the simple truth is
that children are likely to observe
the attitude of parents regarding
obedience to the laws of
God written in the scriptures
and they will most likely reiterate
those actions as they
grow in wisdom and understanding
of the word.
Endurance
This attribute can be portrayed
when a husband honors his
wife faithfully throughout their
marital age, served as a profound
demonstration of an act
of God unending love towards
the church. The book of James
chapter 1: 3-12 teaches a vital
lesson on endurance and how
we gain spiritual muscles and
strength by facing difficult situations,
and triumphing over them.
Forgiveness
Teaching children the need to
forgive others is a reflection of
a compassionate God towards
an imperfect world undeserving
of his love and affection, yet displaying
his infinite kindheartedness
as describe in Romans 5:8.
Discipline
Parents should show consistency
reflected in their prayer life,
church attendance and incorporating
God first in every area of
their lives. Galatians chapter 5
verses 22 and 23 creates a vivid
picture of how the life of a discipline
christian should equate
to producing self control and its
nine other complimentary attributes
called the ‘fruits of the
Spirit’.
How Can A Role Model Parent
Influence The Lives Of Their
Children?
Lead By Example
This is a fundamental character
trait every parent, both mother
and father should emulate in
their everyday lives a this impact
a child development tremendously.
A young christian parent once
shared an experience with
a small audience, in which
he expressed his views why
emphasis is necessary to ‘lead
by example’. In his illustration he
related an event where he was
unaware of his two year old lack
of understanding and disobedience
to his authority when he
told her not to sit on the bathtub
because it was not safe, and only
to realize that she was emulating
his controversial attitude and
began echoing his very own rule
‘not to sit on the bathtub.’
Many parents can attest that
they too have encountered same
like situations, though intentionally
they meant well for the best
interest of their children.
And we can give guarantee to
the word of God which is written
in the golden book of wisdom,
the book of Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)
to start off the child on the way
he should go, and when he is old
he will not turn from it.
Remember, it is the duty of a
mother and a father to practice
what they preach, teach
and instruct in a child, because
-Actions speak louder than
words! resonates well with this.
Getting On Track:
Be A Teacher and A Student Of
the Word of God
Jesus modeled this type of
teacher/student attitude by referencing
‘to do as as I do’, which
is recorded in the Epistle of
John 13:15. He was a teacher, a
leader but most importantly displayed
a student characterized
lifestyle amplified before his the
lives of his disciples.
In today’s society Children are
faced with innumerable temptations
of all kinds on a regular
basis implicating their vulnerability
and exposing them to
the sumptuous indoctrination of
worldwide views creating a lot of
concerns as to what is acceptable;
and with this constant
filter of information processing
through their vastly growing
minds, we must be mindful to
educate them about the principles
of God and the importance
of using the bible as a counsel
and a guide for answers to unanswered
questions.
Do not conform to the pattern of
this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and
approve what God’s will is—his
good, pleasing and perfect will
Romans 12:2
Parents teach the word and be
good stewards of examples,
so that in the time when situations
arise and threaten to tempt
the ability of your children they
too can either use the word as
a sword against it, or simply
use their knowledge to escape
quickly even as Joseph did.

Rusty Martins
Courageously Inspires
Others
By Lisa Stillwell
Rusty Martin, known as Dylan Mitchell in the movie Courageous, still
continues to inspire people with his love for the Lord. He is humble in
heart and compassionate about his faith. Corresponding with Rusty
has been such a blessing, and I pray you will be just as blessed as you
read the interview below.
Tell me a little bit about the movie, Courageous. Was it the first
movie you ever acted in?
Courageous was a privilege and a blessing to be a part of. I

had been acting for 5 years by
the time I filmed Courageous,
but it was the biggest project I
had ever been a part of up to
that point.
How could you relate to
Dylan? How could you NOT
relate to him?
I related to Dylan in the fact
that he was a typical teenager
dealing with insecurities and
independence; but where I
deviated from his character was
his relationship with his dad. I
have been blessed to grow up in
a home with a wonderful father
whom I love to death and has
always been involved in my life.
Did the movie Courageous
make you wonder what it
might be like to lose a sibling
in real life?
Yes it did! Up to that point I had
lived a pretty good life: I hadn’t
had a family member die, no
strenuous family situations, I
hadn’t even had a pet die. So the
pressure to deliver a compelling
emotional scene was a big deal
to me.
Do you ever think about all
the high school teenagers
God has reached through
this movie? Many teenagers
struggle with a relationship
with their father.
I have never really thought of
the impact on the high school
community. Following the
wake of Courageous’ debut my
father and I spoke at multiple
churches and conventions about
our experiences on set. But in
the end I always saw men my
father’s age and little younger
who were struggling with the
relationship with their father and
how it motivated them to be
better fathers to their kids.
What do you think the turning
point was between Dylan and
his father? Was it the loss
of Emily? Did tragedy have
something to do with this?
“I think the most
shining example of how
they impacted my life
was when they came
together on one evening
to host a “manhood”
ceremony for me. My
dad had planned this for
years and had carefully
selected friends in his
life who challenged
him and who also I
respected. “
I absolutely believe that tragedy
had everything to do with it. I do
think the turning point followed in
the wake of Emily’s passing as
the family started to realize that
they truly needed each other
to get through this time. Dylan
however believes that the family
doesn’t need him because they
always had Emily. This drives
Dylan’s father to re-kindle the
connection to his son and draw
their hearts closer together.
Do you believe God uses
tragedy to steer our heart back
towards Him?
Yes. Though this is a hard
concept to grasp and is one that
many believers and nonbelievers
struggle with. We can
never know God’s full purpose
in things like tragedy, but we do
know that there IS a purpose and
we have to have faith that God’s
plan is higher and greater than
anything we can imagine on this
earth.
How old were you when you
accepted Jesus into your
heart? Who brought you to the
Lord?
I was 7 years old and my family
brought me to the Lord. I had
always grown up in a Christian
home where love abounded and
Jesus was priority. What I am
most thankful for however is that
fact that my parents didn’t shove
faith down my throat. They left it
as a decision for me to grow into
on my own so that when I
made the choice it would be
MY choice. And that is so much
more powerful than a forced
conversion.
Have you always been
accepted by your peers for
your faith in God? What has
been your biggest challenge?
Thankfully, I attended a Christian
school for most of my life and I
have also always tried to surround
myself with Christians that
challenge me so an opposition
to faith hasn’t been an obstacle.
The biggest challenge have
faced in both the world of acting
and real life is just living out what
it means to be a Christian and

keeping balance in my lifestyle.
What did your dad in real life
think about Courageous?
He loved it! Not only was it a cool
opportunity for us to act together
but it allowed us to be a “fatherson
team” on a movie about
fatherhood (talk about God’s
planning ).
It was a fantastic experience
because we got to spend hours
in the car together talking about
all the things a young teenager
is curious about: cars, college,
life, faith, girls…
Have you been blessed to have
men in your life that have lived
courageously for God? If so,
can you give me an example
of how it has impacted your
life?
Definitely. I think the most
shining example of how they
impacted my life was when they
came together on one evening to
host a “manhood” ceremony for
me. My dad had planned this for
years and had carefully selected
friends in his life who challenged
him and who also I respected.
They each pulled me aside for
a few minutes and taught me
about specific areas of being a
courageous man of God.
I have never forgotten that night
and it lives in my mind as a “rite
of passage” into manhood.
What age were you when you
first started acting?
I was 9 years old. I started after
acting in a school play and
realized my passion for acting.
Do you feel like God has called
you to be an actor?
I believe He has called me to
reach people. And for a time that
was through acting and speaking
at churches. Now I feel He has
directed me in another direction
for a time. I am currently studying
Agricultural Science at North
Carolina State University and I
plan on graduating a year early.
I have no idea why God has led
my path in this area; honestly I’m
still figuring it out.
But I know He has a plan, and I
also know that acting will never
run out of my blood. It will always
be there and I look forward
to getting out of college and
possibly sticking my foot in the
door again.
Have you acted in other
movies? If so, what are their
names?
I have acted in many films since
Courageous. Some of my more
recent films include: Polycarp-
Destroyer of Gods, Wanted, and
Chasing Grace. You can see the
full list of films I have been a part
of by checking out my website at
www.rustymartin.com.
I also have a Facebook page
so feel free to use the link on my
website to friend me!
Where can they be purchased?
Some of these films are still in
post-production so they will not
be available until later this year.
Honestly, the best way to find
them is to follow me on Facebook
because whenever a new film
becomes available to the public I
will be posting links to where you
can buy the film.
Lastly, is there anything
you would like to say to our
readers? Do you have a
special thought or quote to
leave them with? What is your
favorite Bible verse?
I would tell them; no matter where
you are, who you are, what you
have done, or what you will do,
God is always there for you and
He loves you.
Even if you haven’t had the best
relationship with your earthly
father, there is always a Heavenly
Father who will never leave you,
or forsake you, and will always
love you.
T
ying in to that is my favorite
verse, Romans 8:38-39
“For I am convinced that neither
death nor life, neither angels
nor demons, neither the present
nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor
anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from
the love of God that is in Christ
Jesus our Lord.”
Thank you so much Rusty for
continuing to be salt and light in
a world that desperately needs
direction.
I pray that you will continue to
live boldly for Christ! We were
truly meant to be Courageous!
Lisa Stillwell is a published
author. Her recent book entitled
I Asked, God Spoke will be
available through Barnes and
Noble/ Amazon in June.
Check out her website as well.
writingGodsstory.com

Promotion
Accepted
Or
Denied
Are you
looking to
be promoted
from Man or
God?
By Brenda Stapleton

Our world has long since been under the direction
of leadership authority. At times it was more so
than we wanted, and great changes were made.
In the United States of America, the land of the
free as we call ourselves here, we live under the
democracy principle. We are led by our President
of the United States, who is elected by the people,
to lead the people in all our government affairs.
One this person is elected into office for one, or a
maximum of two terms; our problems are looked
after by he, or she. So far, just he. This year, a
she has tossed her bonnet out there. Other male
counterparts are stepping up. One gentleman, a
retired neurosurgeon, and author, and well known
gentleman of research and development, has also
waved his hand just recently. And it has caused so
much discussion.
You see two terms ago, our first African-American
President was elected, and you would have thought
that was enough of the bad calls, and derogatory
statements. Now, it seems people cannot get
enough to say about someone. There will never
be anyone qualified enough to be promoted to this
position. There will never be anyone who doesn’t
have something in their background that doesn’t
make them boast about their accomplishments,
seemingly not well deserving of this promotion. It
seems no one is worthy enough. There is always
something said about race, creed, age, or education
that makes the person who leads, not worthy
of the promotion. Kind of sounds like office politics
at the workplace, doesn’t it?
I recall thinking, what criteria do we need to promote
someone? I wonder how the Lord promotes
us! Then again, HE does have access to that
super-secret list of wrong doings, and good deeds
about everyone, and rightfully so, as no other
leader, but the Lord should. Is that it, though? Are
there any other criteria? So I pulled out the words
that tell me these answers when I can’t recall the
exactness in my mind. As I flipped through the
pages, the Chapters and verses, I thought about
for instances, when this would apply, and a few
things came to mind.
Psalm 75:6-7
”No one from the east or the west or from the
desert can exalt themselves. It is God who judges:
He brings one down, he exalts another.”
The Bible can clarify so much for you when you
find yourself a bit low on memory. Here, the Bible
says that promotion comes from God. He may give
a promotion to one, and take it away from another;
then again, that is how it works, isn’t it. Does God
work that way at Election time? You betcha! God
has everything in HIS control. If HE wants us to
have a lady for a President this year? Well, sorry
men! Deal with the fact that you may get pushed
around at the office by some ladies for a few days,
who you may have told, “No Lady President in
the White House, no way, no how!” Yes, it could
happen.
In the office, I know it doesn’t seem like things
always come out in the best favor. There are times
when you may think, “Lord, were you too busy to
stop in today?” “I really think I deserved that pro-

motion, but it went to someone else.” HE wasn’t
too busy, but you have heard about unanswered
prayers, right? It just may not be your time. You
don’t know when your time is. HE does. When it is
your time, it will happen for you. Then again, there
are some people who don’t even stop and ask for
God to show up at the office, until promotion day?
Maybe HE was there, and was wanting you to
talk to HIM more. Maybe after the promotion, you
walked out and didn’t give HIM a second thought.
Well, that’s one of those things you need to spend
more time with HIM about. You know there is a
reason for everything, and we do not know what
those reasons are. Those are those one-on-one
opportunities for us to work on our relationships,
our goals, and our relationship with the promoter.
There are many people who have this situation
under control. Not in the way you would think
though. How many people do you know go to
church and make a family affair?
Psalm 118:8:
“ It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence
in man.”
The Bible is saying exactly what I mean, which
is when you have a set of parents who are the
Minister, and their spouse is over the choir. Then
their son is the youth director, and his wife is over
the nursery. Their daughter is the office receptionist
and bookkeeper, and her husband, and the
minister’s son-in-law is taking care of the parsonage,
grounds, etc. You will notice how the family
branches out and before you know it? There is
not one member of the family who doesn’t play
an executive role at the church. This is another
common practice of having a relationship with
the promoter, but in the wrong way. It is one thing
to want to get your family involved, but God has
a way of promoting people into the family of the
church, not the family into the family of the church.
This is not to say you can’t ever have your family
involved in church, but it is to say you must have
your family involved for the right reasons. The
right reasons are want, desire to be closer to God,
or to grow closer in your relationship with God.
Daniel 2:21:
“He changes times and seasons; he removes
kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the
wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;”
God gives rewards and promotions, and HE wants
you to be rewarded for success. HE wants you to
seek HIM in every aspect of your life, and through
HIM you will find an increase all of those things
that are good. This is not to say, things will always
be “smooth sailing” or that life will easy. Life for a
Christian never has been, nor ever will be what
one considers, easy. Nonbelievers will find a way
to focus on you. These people will notice you have
debt, find fault in the way you do things, and bring
it to your attention in an effort to make you question
yourself. These people see the negative in everything.
The fail to see that because you put God
first and live for HIM, it’s not that you aren’t faced
with the same situations others are, it is that God
provides. It’s a big difference in the way a believer,
and a non-believer handles life, stress, money
matters, and loss. Vigilant prayer, Bible study and
fellowship with others can play a big part in how
you lead your life, and how God promotes you in
each stage of it.
Psalm 31:14-15:
“But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, “You
are my God.” My times are in Your hand;”
In following social media, I see many posts, and
follow many people, who are consistently having
publicized lives. I have friends who respond by
saying, “I wish I looked like her, or I wish I had his
money, his body, or his lifestyle.” Every day a different
story is written, one good, or one bad about
the life and times of one of these people who are
excelling in the world. For every one I read, I read
an obituary of a person in their early 40’s, 50’s,
or 60’s, passing on from a heart-attack or other
unforeseen circumstance, and I think about their
family and friends. I then wonder if the person I
talked with a few days past, wants to be this person
now. These people give up so much to lead such
a hard life. When I say, hard- I mean public, fast in
the eye of the people who follow them. We never
know what they had to give up to get where they
are, or what they do to their bodies. Some actors
or actresses, lose or gain weight, exercise hours a

day, function on little to no sleep, just so they can
make the public happy. Some of them hardly see
their family. We never hear about their relationship
with God, or if they have one. Their promotions
are the next job, and even though it is a blessing,
it may at times be a curse, because they lose
a relationship with God. They may look like they
are happy splashed across the pages of a magazine
walking on the beaches of Hawaii, but do they
really have peace or joy in their life? How can they,
not knowing when and where it will end, and when
life ends, will it have been enough?
James 1:9:
“Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and
the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of
the grass he will pass away.”
I know I have always wondered how people seem
to have such differences in their lives. Some
have a quiet life, with success like a gentle flowing
stream, just progressive all their lives. Some
have strife, continually up and down their whole
lives, and then towards the end, it as if everything
changes, and for the latter part of their years, it
doesn’t get any better than then. I see some who
have challenges as children, and never have a long
life. I see some, who never make it past the first
couple of days, and they drift as peacefully out of
this world, as they drifted in. Sometimes, I wonder
how the Lord puts all of these things together. How
HE prepares each and every person to handle
what comes next.
I remember asking a minister one time while in
nursing school, how he came to be on call at the
hospital for grief counseling, or on call out. He said
he had lost a child to SIDS, and it was an incredible
loss for his wife and himself. He decided, since
the Lord had blessed them with another child, he
would sign up to be there for others. If for some
reason he had to be there for someone who experienced
the same kind of loss, he would remember
how they felt, and be with them. I told him, it was
still hard for me, as I wasn’t really sure what to say,
or if I should leave. He told me to consider that
time a change to do something more, kind of like a
promotion to be an angel for a time. It had nothing
to do with what you say, but more just to be-it was
a quiet time; a time to be still, with the Lord.
I remembered that for the longest. Promotion to
angel status- be still, with the Lord. It became
some of the most precious time I had spent with
patients and their families-even the patients I had
lost. I later learned that being with the Lord was
about humility and quiet. It was about obedience
and being full of the spirit, and I never felt the
spirit move within me more, than in those quiet,
still times. These are not feelings you can fake, or
force. They move through you so slowly, they are
there before you know it, and they leave just as
subtly. Once you get promoted to a status like this,
a status to be still, with the Lord? It is a promotion
you will want to stay in and with, as long as you
can, and a state of being you will never want to
forget. It leaves you humble, and thirsty for more.
1 Peter 5:6-7:
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty
hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt
you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he
cares for you.”
Acts 2:33:
“Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God,
and having received from the Father the promise
of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you
yourselves are seeing and hearing.”
One thing to remember is throughout our lives,
God will have many opportunities to address us
as HIS children. Through our character and our
humility, we will produce before HIM who we really
are.
The Bible reminds us in Luke 14:1:
“For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled,
and he who humbles himself shall be
exalted.”
Humility, through repentance and an appeal for
grace, leads to spiritual promotion – the greatest
of responsibilities. This is the highest of promotions,
and the one you don’t want to get passed
over for. If you are going to strive for one, strive for
the one you only get one chance for – and make
it count.

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Passed up for
Promotion
Why Watching
Your Heart and
Actions May
Determine Your
Future Altitude
By Brenda Stapleton
A
promotion is never
considered a bad
thing in our culture.
When I say our culture,
I am referring
to our human culture
vs. our spirituality. We
especially are fond of
anything making us
appear as though we
have earned ourselves
a new position at work.
Maybe our new promotion
comes with a larger
office, or an office at all
would be great. Sometimes
a private phone
line, a longer lunch, or
our own parking space
are a few benefits that
would not mean anything
to some, but for
others- it would be
leaps and bounds to
what they are accustomed
to. Would you
want a promotion, if it
was just a promotion
on paper? No benefits,
no increase in pay or a
new title, just a promotion
in your personnel
file to say, “Good Job!”
Let’s say you came into
work and your desk
mate told you he or she
received a promotion.
How would you react?
Would you wonder
if there was a raise?
What if it was only on
paper, but he or she
never told you that part.
Would you be jealous,
or concerned you had
not gotten a promotion,
or you had been passed
over? What if everyone
in the office received a
promotion, but no one
received anything other

Now in the spiritual
realm of things, what
a grand reward to be
a servant to the Lord.
There is nothing you
wouldn’t do. Question
is, what are you to
do? You already know,
right? Well, humor me a
bit, and let me just clarthan
a note in their
personnel file to that
extent. Would promotions
mean anything?
So, where do you draw
the line with a promotion?
It has to be to
the fewest number of
people, so someone
else feels less of themselves,
or the promotion
has to be humiliating to
others. It has to have
benefits, to make others
envious, and another
person proud, or a bit
haughty. Someone
will feel proud of their
accomplishment, and
honored by their promo-
tion over others. Odd, I
am recalling a scripture
from the Bible.
Matthew 23:11 “But he
that is greatest among
you shall be your servant.”
So let us think about
that for a moment,
just as it stands in our
human culture.
You have received a
promotion, and what
do promotions mean?
More pay, more recognition,
more anything,
means more work,
and greater responsibility.
Therefore, your
boss puts you in the
nice corner office, and
above your door, he
puts this verse on a
plaque. Congratulations!
You are now your
boss’s servant. Aren’t
you glad you did such a
great job? I guess your
old desk partner who
still takes hour long
lunches, leaves at 4
o’clock every evening,
and no weekend work
doesn’t look like such
a slacker after all, huh?
Maybe that desk partner
had it all figured out.
After all, the only difference
is this big office,
one dollar more an hour,
and you work twice as
hard as you did before,
you stay late every evening,
you work every
Saturday, take home
work on Sundays, and
your family complains,
because all you do is
work.

ify for those who say
they do, but need that
reassurance they are
doing everything right.
You see some people
already “know” they
are. They also can tell
you what everyone else
is doing wrong, and
some do it quite bluntly.
So let us make sure
you know how to Honor
your Father properly.
The reason to be clear,
since the “know” people
may actually fall into
a category known as
Haughty. Those who we
call the pointers- may
fall under the Humiliation
group. Then those
who are doing it right,
but may be doing it for
the wrong reasons, may
actually have fallen out
of the Humility group.
Before I get to those
four H’s in depth, I want
to just briefly go over
what I have found to
help us all to remember
what is expected of
those with the Servant’s
Heart. The Bible tells
us in
1 John 5 19-20 “And
we know that we are
of God, and the whole
world lieth in wickedness.
And we know that
the Son of God is come,
and hath given us an
understanding, that we
are in him that is true,
even in his Son Jesus
Christ. This is the true
God, and eternal life.”
Considering this, I am
reminded of Stephen
Covey who wrote about
Servant Leadership.
One of his statements
included, “The deepest
part of human nature
is that which urges
people—each one of
us—to rise above our
present circumstances
and to transcend our
nature. If you can
appeal to it, you tap into
a whole new source of
human motivation.”
I feel this speaks volumes
about who we
are internally, about
our servant heart. What
wonders we can do
through the Father leading
us! HE has instilled
so much through us
with the spirit, we are
just untapped potential,
awaiting fulfillment. This
explains largely why we
struggle so much in the
working environment to
succeed. Then again,
we at times fall short of
what is really important.
It is the Principles of
Christian Service that is
our prize, and is represented
by the four qualities
of: haughtiness,
humiliation, humility
and honor. Those
sound really familiar
don’t they? Verse 12
is very explanatory of
these as it states:
Matthew 23:12 “A disciple
can either exalt himself
(haughtiness) or
he can humble himself
(humility). As a result,
he will either be abased
(humiliation he will be
exalted (honor).“
So what about a promotion?
Should we
not work hard at work
to succeed? Should
we just do bare minimum
and not do what
is required to receive
more pay, more recognition
or prove ourselves
to be competent
and talented in our
positions? Doesn’t it
say in the Bible that we
should…? Yes, it does.
You see, haughtiness
was Satan’s sin. Satan
had his own agenda,
full of pride and he was
guilty of exalting himself.
Let’s review that-
Isaiah 14:12-15 ~ How
art thou fallen from
heaven, O Lucifer, son
of the morning! How
art thou cut down to
the ground, which didst
weaken the nations!
For thou hast said in
thine heart, I will ascend
into heaven, I will exalt
my throne above the
stars of God: I will sit
also upon the mount
of the congregation, in
the sides of the north:
I will ascend above the
heights of the clouds;
I will be like the most
High. Yet thou shalt be
brought down to hell, to
the sides of the pit.”
The only thing that mattered
to Satan, was
“I”. His pride was his
destruction. Pride is
something that consumes
a person, quicker
than it did an angel. You
may not have that pride,
and all you may want is
to simply get recognition
for your labor. You
worship the Lord, and
all the glory you give to
HIM. However, this can
change, when others
pass you by once, or
even twice? Even Paul
held this true until it was
brought up in the Bible.
Philippians 2:21 ”For all
seek their own, not the
things which are Jesus
Christ’s.”
That wouldn’t be me!
Right? Let’s consider
some ways it could be.
How many of you go to
church where they take
attendance? Why do
they take attendance?
Politics. If someone
gets a promotion, and
you do not; what do you
look at? How long have
they been here? What
experience do they
have? What if they have
less experience with
your company? Should
they have gotten the
promotion? Would you
compare yourself to
someone else, then criticize
them? Would you
exalt yourself because
you are more deserving
than someone else,
because you know
better than your supervisor,
your boss? How
quick we are to judge
others, but slow to sit
in judgement on our-

selves! We speak out to others,
humiliating our friends. Where’s
our humility? Are we reserving
that for judgement day? Is today
not deserving enough?
In Job 40:11 “Cast abroad the
rage of thy wrath: and behold
every one that is proud, a n d
abase him.
Must we wait for humility before
God? Do we really want to have
our Lord bring us down? We
must grow in the Lord, before
we can grow. We must grow in
servitude, living with a servant’s
heart. With that heart, we will
humble ourselves.
Remember when we reviewed,
Matthew 23:12:
“Whereas haughtiness is selfexaltation,
humility is self-abasement.
A humble man is
small in his own eyes. He exalts
the needs of others and his own
needs. And, he desires to fulfill
God’s.”
We must remember what it
means to be humble. Not to be
humble in our eyes, but to be
humble in the eyes of God. Consider
what we know, already.
A haughty man uses others,
because haughtiness means “I
want”, “I need”, It’s all about I”,
as with Satan. A humble man
will think of everyone first, sometimes
making himself be used
in situations. At times, being
humble or being the servant can
be done so much, you forget to
remind yourself – is this for me,
or is this for the God? Remember
to check your H’s! Even in
Christian service, you can begin
with the greatest of intentions,
but Satan is a haughty one.
In Matthew 25:23 “His lord said
unto him, Well done, good and
faithful servant; thou hast been
faithful over a few things, I will
make thee ruler over many
things: enter thou into the joy of
thy lord.”
This is humility in the Servant’s
Heart. Working for the Lord, the
end result, the big picture- these
are where Christian Service is
evident in the workplace, in the
home, in the church, in the car,
at the restaurant, at the drycleaners...
You see where I am
going here. No matter where you
are! God is there, and He is in
your heart. Servants do not look
for recognition. They do things
unto the Lord. Their satisfaction
is the task well done.
When considering your humility,
think about Galatians 6:2-5:
“Bear ye one another’s burdens
and so fulfil the law of Christ.
For if a man think himself be
something, when he is nothing,
he deceiveth himself. But let
every man prove his own work,
and then shall he have rejoicing
in himself alone, and not in
another. For every man shall
bear his own burden.”
Being humble, striving for humility
will keep you honorable to the
Lord, and to be honored by HIM.
And isn’t that what we all want
most of all. Yes, it does require
some work. It does require us
to be diligent and to be patient.
Sometimes a life time of proving
yourself to the Lord may
seem like a continuous system
of checks and balances. You
must be fearful of falling behind.
You must careful to receive the
proper instruction. You must
practice prayer, imitate servanthood,
read scripture, and be
weary from divine-exaltation and
spiritual promises. We never
know when our time will come,
but we must be faithful.
1 Peter 5:6 said “Humble yourselves
therefore under the
mighty hand of God, that he may
exalt you in due time.”
In due time, wow! If that doesn’t
tell you everything you have ever
wondered? How long do I do
this for? In due time! How long
is enough? In due time! Will I
have done it long enough? If you
have done it for due time, yes.
For some people, they may say
that is stupid, and it doesn’t tell
me anything. It doesn’t tell me
WHEN! No, not when, but it says
“IT WILL”. That’s all that matters.
“IT WILL”, and what a beautiful
thing it is. To know that in due
time, we will be with our Father
once again. I don’t know about
you, but nothing would make me
any prouder than to hear those
words the Lord said in Matthew
25:23, mentioned above:
“Well done, good and faithful servant;
thou hast been faithful over
a few things, I will make thee
ruler over many things: enter
thou into the joy of thy lord!”
AMEN!

Servant Leadership
Showing the Love of Christ
“We’re moving on Saturday and we need help.
Are you going to be around?”
T
hese words are not for the faint of heart.
Such a request sifts friends from casual
acquaintances. They are among my least
favorite requests to hear from someone I love.
It’s not just that moving can be exhausting and
backbreaking work; it’s not even that it is a daunting
affair that demands completion regardless of
inclement of weather; it’s the utter unknown of it
all. To some people – oh, if only all people! – “I
need help moving” means “I need help carrying
all these packed and sealed, uniformly-shaped
boxes into the U-Haul I rented.” But to others, it
means, “I need you to carry a washing machine
up a ladder out of the hole that is my unfinished
basement.” To still others, it means, “I need you
to help me transport all the possessions filling
a four-bedroom house by making 45 trips in
a sedan. (But it has a roof rack!)” But the most
dreaded scenario is when you arrive at 8AM to
discover that “help moving” means “help pack-
By Tim Schaffer
ing first,” and “help packing” is a euphemism for
“micromanaging as you sort through piles of my
dirty clothing, very personal toiletries, and musty
basement clutter.”
But I digress.
A few years ago, a church friend asked me to help
him move. The job turned out to be somewhere

in the middle of the range of possible
bad scenarios: he needed
our small group to cart packed
boxes from one apartment to
another in a dozen trips. No big
deal. But, it was hot and humid
– in the eighties. And it was 4th
of July weekend – I had family
in town I wanted to see. And I’m
a whiney, lazy bum – in case
you haven’t noticed. So, about
an hour after lunch, I was ready
to wish them luck and head for
the hills. I could have: some of
our party had already left due to
prior engagements and I know
that my hosts were gracious for
any time that I gave them. But
here’s the rub: the job was certainly
unfinished. Not impossibly
unfinished – it was doable in an
afternoon. But there were some
large pieces of furniture left and
my arms and back and car could
make a significant difference.
Yeah, but I didn’t say I would
be here all day, I reasoned with
myself. I’m tired; I have other
things to do; I’ve done enough.
Then I had one of those annoying,
persistent thoughts – probably
attributable to the presence
of God in my life – that I haven’t
been able to shake since. I
asked myself, …Am I here as a
servant? Or as a volunteer?
Before I explain this rhetorical
tool and finish my anecdote, let’s
tease out exactly what Biblical
servant leadership looks like.
Jesus Calls Us To Be Servants
The phrase “servant leader”
doesn’t occur in the Bible, and
yet its spirit is at the core of Jesus’
teaching. When his disciples are
arguing about their greatness,
Jesus tells them “[T]he greatest
among you should be like the
youngest, and the one who rules
like the one who serves” (Luke
22:26). Why? “I am among you
as one who serves,” he explains
(Luke 22:27). The evening before
his arrest, Jesus was acutely
aware “that the Father had put
all things under his power” (John
13:3) – in other words, he was
acutely aware of his role as
divine leader. In response he fills
the role of the lowliest servant
and washes his disciples’ feet.
Afterwards he explains:
“Now that I, your Lord and
Teacher, have washed your
feet, you also should wash one
another’s feet. I have set you an
example that you should do as
I have done for you. Very truly
I tell you, no servant is greater
than his master, nor is a messenger
greater than the one who
sent him. “(John 13:14-15)
If the Lord of Lords is so humble
a servant, how much humbler
should be the servants of that
Servant! But in our time and culture,
stripping to the waist and
scrubbing out toe jam will probably
make friends feel uncomfortable
rather than served. And
even if we lived in 1st Century
Jerusalem, following just the literal
letter of Jesus’ command
would be missing the point by a
long shot. So what is a servant?
People are servants because
they are people
The most basic answer to that
question is: you are, I am, everyone
is a servant. Consider Paul’s
description of Christ in Philippians:
“…he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of
a servant, being made in human
likeness” (2:7). Paul intermingles
two aspects of the incarnation:
Christ’s role as God’s servant
and Christ’s human body. Implicitly,
being human is synonymous
with being a servant.
But a servant to who?
“Everyone who sins is a slave to
sin,” explains Jesus in John 8:34.
Paul says the same thing, but
then goes on to say, “But thanks
be to God that, though you used
to be slaves to sin… [y]ou have
been set free from sin and have
become slaves to righteousness”
(Romans 6:17, 18).
There is no “free agent” position
in the human condition – your
options are either “serve sin” or
“serve God.” This is why Jesus
is able to say “whoever is not
with me is against me” (Matthew
12:30) and that the people he
taught either belonged to God
or to the devil (see John 8:42-
47). The freedom that comes in
Christ is not freedom to do whatever
we’d like, but rather freedom
to choose the best master.
Leaders are servants because
they are leaders
If humans are naturally servants,
leaders are all the more
so. God calls Nebuchadnezzar,
conquering King of Babylon, his
servant repeatedly (Jeremiah
25:9, 27:6, 43:10, for example).
In Romans 13, when Paul
implores the Church to submit
to the powers of secular government,
he explains, “there is no
authority except that which God
has established” (vs 1) and “the
one in authority is God’s servant
for your good” (vs. 4). Similarly,
in his interview with Pilate, Jesus
says, “You would have no power
over me if it were not given to

you from above” (John 19:11).
Consider the context of the
Romans passage: Paul is not
referring to his democratically
elected representative, or even
a king who frustratingly taxes
without the people’s consent.
His government authorities were
Pontius Pilate, Herod Agrippa,
and Nero. They demanded
Caesar worship, oversaw the
execution of Jesus, and persecuted
the Church. And they
would eventually behead the
author of this letter in the city of
its recipients. When Paul calls
men like these “God’s servants,”
it’s not only a humbling command
for our obedience but an expression
of the inherent nature of
leadership. If we have authority
over others, whether we realize
it or not, it is on loan from God.
Note that Paul doesn’t use the
term that we might: “public servants.”
A leader is “God’s servant
for [the people’s] good.” This is
“Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your mind” and
“Love your neighbor as yourself”
– the Greatest Commandment
and its close kin (Matthew 22:37-
40) – echoing through a specific
context. All leadership hangs on
serving God and doing good to
others in the process.
Authority
If leadership means being called
to love God first and then serve
others, Christians can do better
than Nebuchadnezzar, Pilate,
and Nero as role models. Thankfully,
we have Paul, Peter, James,
Jude, and John. All these men
took the title “servant” (or “slave”
in some translations) in the introduction
of their letters. (See 1:1
of Romans, Philippians, Titus, 2
Peter, James, Jude, and Revelation.)
In fact, “servant” typically
comes before “apostle” or any
other title.
This ordering expresses their
humility, but also their authority.
The word “apostle” is a job
description and a title, as are
“CEO,” “President,” and “attorney.”
But that authority is borrowed
from stockholders, the
Constitution, and the principle,
respectively. So when our faith’s
founders used the title “servants
of Christ Jesus,” it was
a reminder to both their readers
and themselves that their
authority – and accountability –
ultimately comes from God.
Accountability
This authority as servant leaders
is kept in check by our sense of
accountability. As God’s public
orators, prophets had great
authority in Israel and therefore
were held to a high standard. The
first check was basic job competence:
does what they say come
true? (See Deuteronomy 18:22).
But consider this as well:
“If a prophet, or one who foretells
by dreams, appears among you
and announces to you a sign or
wonder, and if the sign or wonder
spoken of takes place, and the
prophet says, “Let us follow
other gods” (gods you have
not known) “and let us worship
them,” you must not listen[…]
That prophet or dreamer must be
put to death for inciting rebellion
against the LORD your God…”
(Deuteronomy 13:1-3, 5)
Gifts, abilities, and titles are
nothing if it is not accompanied
with service to God. When we
preach (or write magazine articles)
today, we don’t fear public
execution for misspeaking – but
we are by no means off the hook.
“If anyone causes […] those who
believe in me to stumble, it would
be better for them to have a large
millstone hung around their neck
and to be drowned in the depths
of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6)
Put another way, if we mislead
people we would prefer an old
fashioned stoning over God’s
judgement.
Know Your Principal
In the business world this is
called fiduciary responsibility.
The shrewdest lawyers will have
their Powers of Attorney revoked
if they aren’t acting in their clients’
best interest. The most
dynamic CEOs will be sacked if
they don’t do right by the company
stockholders. Moses and
Jesus’ words about our fiduciary
responsibility to God should
invoke some fear and trembling.
So, do we make sure we’re representing
our company, client, or
God, responsibly?
Know them so that their goals
focus your work and their values
influence your methods. “All
Scripture is God-breathed,” Paul
tells his fellow servant leader
Timothy, “and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness, so that
the servant of God may be thoroughly
equipped for every good
work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Similarly,
in the Torah God said that
a king was to “write for himself
on a scroll a copy of this law […]
It is to be with him, and he is to
read it all the days of his life so
that he may learn to revere the

LORD his God and follow carefully
all the words of this law and
these decrees” (Deuteronomy
17:18-19).
Little Bits of Grace
Have you ever visited the “Chinatown”
or “Little Italy” neighborhood
of a big city? The language
and ethnicity of the people
around you are different. The
stores sell different products.
The air smells of different food.
For a few blocks you experience
something different from the rest
of the city. So it should be with
us. The word “Christian” literally
means “little Christ.” A Christian
who has internalized God’s
Word and thoroughly knows our
Principal should be markedly
different from the surrounding
world, exuding different life and
flavor. We shouldn’t have delusions
about this: no one is going
to mistake a Little Christ for
Jesus, just like no one mistakes
Little Italy for Rome. But Little
Italy shows that there is a Rome
and gives those who encounter
it a taste of what it is like.
Let’s consider these economic
laws in Deuteronomy as a concrete
example:
•“Every creditor shall cancel any
loan they have made to a fellow
Israelite” (15:2)
•“If anyone is poor among your
fellow Israelites in any of the
towns of the land the LORD your
God is giving you, do not be
hardhearted or tightfisted toward
them. Rather, be openhanded
and freely lend them whatever
they need” (15:7-8)
•If any of your people—Hebrew
men or women—sell themselves
to you and serve you six years,
in the seventh year you must let
them go free. (15:12)
•And when you release them,
do not send them away emptyhanded.
Supply them liberally
from your flock, your threshing
floor and your winepress. (15:13)
Why should the prosperous
people of Israel be so lenient
and generous towards their poor
neighbors? Moses explains:
“Remember that you were
slaves in Egypt and the LORD
your God redeemed you. That
is why I give you this command
today” (15:15). God redeemed
them from slavery; they received
liberally from the Egyptians as
they left; God is now generously
giving them a prosperous land;
God will continually cancel their
debts of sin by accepting their
sacrifices. And so when prosperous
Israelites forgive debts, free
slaves, and give generously,
they are doing in a small scale
what God has done – and continues
to do – on a large scale.
By following God’s word they
become imitations of God.
The Servant-Leadership of All
Believers
The wealthy lenders of Deuteronomy
15 might not be the
sorts of people we automatically
think of when we hear the term
“servant leaders.” They were
prosperous businessmen, not
priests, prophets, or kings. But
this may show our bias for fancy
titles rather than the nature of
leadership. Our time, money,
social position, natural talents,
spiritual gifts – in short, every
blessing we receive from God –
open particular opportunities for
action to each of us. The power to
act in these opportunities make
us all de facto leaders, at least
for moments in our life. Stewardship
is more than just responsible
bookkeeping: stewards are
servants handling affairs for a
Lord; stewards have authority
within the sphere of their responsibility.
So whenever we live with
any sort of abundance and see
others in need, we are leaders
with an opportunity – even an
obligation – to serve.
Called
That said, let’s finish by considering
some of the characteristics
of the greatest servant leaders
of scripture.
In Exodus 18, Jethro the Midianite
comes to visit his son-in-law
Moses. The Israelites are fresh
from Egypt and Moses is still cutting
his teeth as a leader. Jethro
is pleased with what he finds –
I imagine both professionally,
as a priest, and personally, as
a father-in-law. However, one
thing bothers him: As God’s representative
and lawgiver, Moses
holds court each day settling disputes
between Israelites. Since
the Israelites have a population
the size of a city, this is an allday
and exhausting affair. Jethro
wisely councils Moses to appoint
lower judges to settle minor disputes
leaving Moses to hear only
more difficult cases.
We come across a similar situation
in Acts 6. There is discord
in the Jerusalem church: Greek
Jewish Christians felt they were
being neglected in favor of the
Jerusalem Jewish Christians at
mealtime. The Twelve – the only
official leaders of the Church at
that point – appoint seven deacons
to settle the dispute and
administer this food ministry.

As Christians, these organizational
decisions should be
shaped by our calling from God.
Moses was called to be many
things for Israel; a big one was
Law Giver. Can you imagine if,
two chapters after the Jethro
story, Moses had to excuse himself
from Sinai early because it
was time for his office hours?
The disciples are quite explicit in
their delegation: “It would not be
right for us to neglect the ministry
of the word of God in order to
wait on tables” (Acts 6:2). Jesus’
calling similarly focused his ministry.
During his days of ministry,
his understanding of God’s calling
leads him to be an itinerant
preacher rather than set up a
home base (see Mark 1:38). It
leads him to focus primarily on
reaching out to Jews rather than
Gentiles (“I was sent only to the
lost sheep of Israel,” he tells the
Canaanite woman in Matthew
15:24). And it leads him to limit
his healing ministry (after raising
a girl from the dead he gives her
parents “strict orders not to let
anyone know” (Mark 5:43)) and
feeding ministry (see John 6:25-
59).
Willing and Open
These principles are staples of
all leadership – delegation, differentiation,
and job descriptions
shape branches in government,
departments in corporations,
and ministries in churches. But
what are the marks of servant
leadership?
First, our calling should focus
our work, not limit it. As God’s
servants, we should do the work
at hand whether or not it fits
our job description. Moments
after Jesus tells the Canaanite
woman his mission is to Israel,
he is moved by her faith and
heals her daughter (Matthew
15). Moments after telling his
mother he hasn’t come to earth
to cater weddings, he turns water
into wine (John 2). Similarly, Acts
tells us that at least two of those
seven deacons – Stephen and
Philip – had important preaching
and missionary ministries
beyond their table waiting duties
(Acts 6-8). To a large degree, our
calling is to the task at hand.
Humble
Similarly, servant leaders must
guard against the pride that can
accompany differentiation and
delegation. There is a particular
odiousness to someone who
thinks themselves above certain
types of work. I have a friend
who works in a preschool. One
of his co-teachers has a degree
in Elementary Education. She
regularly makes it clear that
she considers her job beneath
her: the lessons are too simple
to utilize her full potential; her
coworkers are not up to her level
of professionalism; and she did
not earn her degrees to wipe
noses and change diapers. That
is not the heart of a servant of
God. The only tasks beneath
God’s servant leaders are morally
debase activities – lying,
cheating, dehumanizing, slandering,
etc. But if work is moral
and good, it is something worthy
of God’s people.
That repugnant haughtiness is
refreshingly absent from these
stories in Exodus and Acts. Elsewhere,
we are told that Moses
was extraordinarily humble
(Numbers 12:3). That humility
shines in his conversation with
Jethro. “The people come to me
to seek God’s will,” he explains.
“Whenever they have a dispute,
it is brought to me, and I decide
between the parties and inform
them of God’s decrees and
instructions.” (Exodus 18:15-16)
Think of the disputes he must
have heard on a daily basis: civil
suits, small claims cases, and
disagreements between neighbors.
His response to Jethro
implies that he (rightly) saw all
these disputes, from piddlely to
profound, in light of God’s truth
and justice. I would hazard to
guess that his failure to delegate
before Exodus 18 was not
a matter of personal pride (“I’m
indispensable! Who else can do
this?”), but rather the shortsightedness
that can accompany
passionate commitment (“I need
to make sure these things are
done right!”).
At first blush, we might hear a
note of disdain in the Apostles
words: “It would not be right for
us to neglect the ministry of the
word of God in order to wait on
tables.” But we need to consider
what they didn’t say: “We
don’t have time for this – figure
it out yourselves.” And we need
to consider who they commissioned
to the work: Stephen, “a
man full of faith and the Holy
Spirit” (6:5), who is a bold and
brave teacher; and Philip, the
first missionary to the Samaritans
and to the Gentiles. These
guys were no slouches or thirdrate
leaders.
Bringing Glory to God
From this humility, the work of a
servant leader should naturally
direct_ praise back to the Master.
Imagine a landscaping business.
One day, the owner and

foreman notices that an elderly
couple near where his crew is
working is having a difficult time
raking the leaves in their yard.
He sends over four of his teenage
grunt workers to clean it out
– free of charge. The couple will
likely be deeply appreciative.
They’ll naturally thank the boys
and offer them cold drinks, but
their ultimate gratitude is toward
the landscaper. Those guys
were just doing their job – their
boss was the one generous with
their labor.
Among the greatest Biblical
examples of this is John the
Baptist. When he hears that his
followers are leaving to follow
Jesus, he says:
A person can receive only what
is given them from heaven. You
yourselves can testify that I said,
‘I am not the Messiah but am
sent ahead of him.’ The bride
belongs to the bridegroom. The
friend who attends the bridegroom
waits and listens for him,
and is full of joy when he hears
the bridegroom’s voice. That joy
is mine, and it is now complete.
He must become greater; I must
become less. (John 3:27-30)
Years of successful ministry is
dissolving before his eyes, but
he is happy to see it go – it was
never about him. Paul regularly
admitted his marred history,
awkward apostleship, and personal
weakness. “But we have
this treasure in jars of clay,” he
explains, “to show that this allsurpassing
power is from God
and not from us” (2 Corinthians
4:7). Our humble condition
directs people to God.
Servant or Volunteer?
And this brings us back to that
troublesome reflective question:
Do I serve others as a servant
or a volunteer? I ask this not to
denigrate volunteerism, but as a
rhetorical tool for examining my
heart and mindset. If I’m a volunteer,
I give of myself to a cause,
person, or end that I like. I am
being generous. I can decide
what, when, and how much I
give. When I’m done, I expect
to be thanked and appreciated.
In other words, I’m setting the
terms of my service. In contrast,
a servant has his terms of service
set by his boss or master.
As a servant, my time is not my
own – it is God’s. If there had
been a pressing engagement to
get back home for on that July
moving day, I certainly could
have excused myself and left.
But my concern about my time
was bald possessiveness: I
didn’t want to give up my whole
afternoon because it was mine.
As a servant, my work isn’t dictated
by my fickle feelings – it is
determined by God’s feelings.
Feeling bored or restless or
annoyed doesn’t end my responsibility
to follow through.
As a servant, my reward isn’t
gaining gratitude (or avoiding
guilt). This one is difficult for me.
If I feel someone is unappreciative
of what I’m doing – or even
if they fail to take ample notice of
what I’m doing – I feel justified
with dropping a task to do something
else. But that’s a sign that
God isn’t my boss – I’ve subcontracted
myself out for a payment
of gratitude. That’s not service
to God – Jesus would likely say
that I’ve “received my reward in
full.” (See Matthew 6 and Luke
6.)
As a servant, my work isn’t an
act of personal generosity – it
reveals generosity on God’s part.
Servant Leadership: Contrast,
Paradox, and Balance
As with so much in life, the art
of right living lies in finding balance
between extremes. We
are servants, but we are also
leaders with decision-making
responsibility. Dizzyingly, stewardship
sometimes means we
are servants standing in as our
own masters. Although we are
servants, Jesus also calls us
friends (see John 15). It would
be sinfully wrong to assume that
our peeves, wants, and whims
always align with God’s will; but
it is also folly to think God’s will
is always the path that makes
us unhappy. And though we are
servants, servants have a right
to compensation (see 1 Corinthians
9) – including gratitude.
“Giving credit to God” doesn’t
mean insufferably batting away
any thanks directed at us. God
wants us to thank and reciprocate
amongst ourselves.
So goes the adventure of servant
leadership. For my part, I
tend to aim for smart leadership
when making commitments and
for servant-heartedness when
fulfilling them – though as a
sinner in need of grace I often
make the wrong call or fizzle
out. However, I’m happy to say
that on that oppressively muggy
moving day I stuck it out for a
couple more runs.
“Don’t work only while being
watched, in order to please men,
but as slaves of Christ, do God’s
will from your heart.” (Ephesians
6:6)

De’Andre
Salter
Discusses
7 Wealth
Building
Secrets for
Success in
Business
By Michelle C. Danko
Faith Filled Family Magazine is privileged to have interviewed De’Andre Salter for our May issue.
De’Andre is both an entrepreneur and a minister. De’Andre is the CEO of various successful business
ventures, and is the Senior Pastor of The Tabernacle Church. His success in ministry and business
have caused him to be profiled across reputable media channels such as FOX, CBS, ABC, NBC, and
he has been featured in many national magazines.
He is a graduate from Drew University, and has obtained his Masters in Theology from the King Seminary.
De’Andre also completed his post-graduate studies at Oxford University.
In speaking with De’Andre, you hear not only his love of God and scripture, but you also hear about
how scripture applies to your daily life. That if you take time to study it, and meditate on the principles
outlined in the Bible, and you seek to gain understanding from the Lord, that you can be prosperous in
all areas of life.
De’Andre recently released his book entitled, “7 Wealth Building Secrets” which is currently available
on LifeBridgeBooks.com
In our two-part interview, De’Andre outlines what it takes to biblically be successful in business, and
God’s purpose for wealth. May you just as equally be blessed by reading it as I was in my conversation
with him.

What lead you to write a book
about money and business?
So when I wrote 7 Wealth Building
Secrets, I didn’t start out with
the intention of running a book
exclusively on money investments.
It really was my goal
was to write a book that would
help solve a problem for people
in the pews on Sunday mornings
and the problem that I was
looking to solve was this whole
issue of income inequality. I just
believe that those in the pews
on a Sunday morning, when we
get finished worshiping, we are
still going back to some stressors.
One of the greatest stressors
right now, in our society, is
money, finance and wealth.
One of the disconnects I think
that we have is that the church is
not releasing or teaching people
to unlock the gifts that God gave
them for business, industry, in the
marketplace, and entrepreneurship.
When I read the Bible, on
a very surface level, from the old
to the New Testament, and I think
that you will agree with me, there
are countless- I’m still doing the
research to try to come up with
a number- but there is a limited
number of stories of people who
are providing for themselves and
solving their income issues by
using their head and their hands.
But 7 Wealth Building Secrets
is really one of the things that I
want to get released in the body
of Christ was to say, “Hey, listen
guys; you know God has given
us all we need. It’s time for us to
go out there and bring this conversation
to the forefront. (We
need to) go out there and get
what we can.”
Then the other side of that was to
not just talk about wealth, but to
talk about the purpose of it. One
of things that I mention in the
book often is that wealth should
have a purpose and God gives us
a release towards the power, or
the ability to gain wealth, so that
we will think about wealth building
for the kingdom. Then we
can expand it from wealth building
to family building, wealth for
communities, or wealth building
for missions. However you want
to expand that out, it always
comes back to wealth building
for kingdom building.
One of the many principleswhen
you read through the
book- we’ve been discovering as
well that many of the principles
are applicable to business individuals,
leaders, and individuals
who are able to extrapolate
these great principles and apply
them in many different fashions.
Can you please give us a brief
synopsis of what your book
entails and how it will help
people in business prosper?
Without giving away a story
(laughing), the book is set up
as an easy read. Basically, 7
Secrets (really they are 7 principles),
can be applied to any business
and finance context. So
the way the books are set up is
that it’s set around this one principle
that leads into the others.
Here’s the principle that I lay out
in the book:
I lay out a foundation that there
is something called the “cycle
of wealth”- I call it the cycle of
wealth. So the idea is to picture
a kind of a cycle or circle.
What I disclose is that there are
entrance ramps and exit ramps
on and off the cycle of wealth.
Those entrance ramps and exit
ramps are basically decisions
and actions that we do or do not
take which will lead us on to the
cycle or off the cycle.
So that cycle I describe, has
three phases. Phase number
one, we’re supposed to be born
into something. When God
made man, and placed Adam
and Eve in the garden, they didn’t
have to work to build the garden.
They had to work to maintain it.
In other words, they inherited
the garden. They didn’t do anything
to work for it. The principle
of creation is that something is
created and the created thing
should be born into something.
This is the idea of the phase one
of the cycle- that we are to be
born into something.
Then, the second phase of the
cycle is that we are to gain from
where we start. We are to use our
life for gain- its purpose being to
grow. Then the third principle is
that we are to leave something
behind- we are to pay it forward.
We pay it forward in the form of
work, our business, our family,
our legacy, or however you want
to describe it, we are to leave
something behind. What it leads
to is the repeating of the cycle
because what we leave behind
then allows the next generation
to be born into something. By
doing this, the cycle continues.
So that is the underlying principle
of the book, and there are other
principles that build upon it.
The way business leaders can
apply it, is that it brings us into
the context of vision and why we
build organizations. As Christian
business leaders, I think we
are called to have a deeper and

greater purpose than just the
traditional reasons people start
a business- which is that I want
to control my own destiny and
economic freedom. I’m adding
something else into that… Great,
control your own destiny and
have economic freedom, but
have a far greater purpose. That
purpose should be that you want
to enter into that cycle of wealth.
You want to grow your business
for profit and gain for purpose of
paying it forward in the community,
creating new jobs, into your
legacy by giving your children,
or those who partnered with
you along the way, something
to carry forward in terms of philanthropy.
There is a far greater
purpose than controlling my own
destiny.
We should be more kingdom
minded.
If there were a person who was
looking to start their own business,
but not sure where to
start, what would you advise
them?
That’s a great question, and a
fair question. One of the ideas
that I talk about in my book, is
taking the principle, or the idea
of discipleship, and applying that
in every area. So I give many
stories of people that I’ve mentored
and coached, or how I
was mentored and coached, I
think the number one thing that
people should do before they
start a business is to find a way
to be discipled into that business
idea. They should seek to
apprentice with someone who
already does what they seek to
do. Offer yourself to learn the
business, and apprenticeship
sometimes means that you will
not be compensated for it. The
true value is in the knowledge
that you would gain.
There are five hundred thousand
small businesses that start and
go out of business very quickly
within the first three years. I
think the number one reason is
because there are far too many
mistakes made. Jesus gives us
a very powerful principle: that
when he first started ministry,
the first thing he did was to find
disciples. Why? It was because
He was thinking long-term. He’s
thinking about how His ministry
will survive Him. Ultimately, he
finds disciples and tries to teach
them how to do ministry by walking
with Him. Then they are able
to go forward and do ministry.
So how do we go forward and
apply that into business?
I think the same principle is true.
We need to learn how to open
ourselves up to collaboration
and apprenticeship. The best
place we see this, right now, is
in the tech world. If somebody
comes out with a tech idea,
it’s always about collaboration.
These young kids in tech
go and find a venture capitalist
or some angel investor, and
mentor them. They’ll go find a
programmer to join the team and
they collaborate. There’s a kind
of apprenticeship or discipleship
that takes place.
They will learn how to build a
company through these venture
capitalists until one day they’re
able to run on their own. So I’m
going to say, I think the number
one thing I would tell someone
looking to start a business is
don’t worry about the capital.
Don’t worry about the money you
need to worry about it. Learn
all the ins and outs of this business
and who you can connect
yourself with to that will help you
discover the ins and outs of business.
Many are starting from a place
of distrust. So either they were
in the career, and felt like they
never got their full value recognized,
were laid off or downsized,
didn’t get promoted to
the position they wanted, and
so many of us are starting from
a place of negativity or the view
that company life was destroying
family life. So I need to control
my own destiny. We have to be
careful with that, because what
happens if we end up starting
from a place of negativity is that
it will affect how open we are to
collaborate. If we are not careful,
our small business will stay
a small business. It may get off
the ground, and may provide
enough money to feed us, but it
may not provide us the money
that we can hire people so that
they can feed their families, too.
It may never grow out of those
other plateaus because the trust
issues will be there and we won’t
trust other people’s ideas. Again
it comes from that place of where
we start.
There was so much pertinent
information in our interview with
De’Andre that will truly bless our
readership, that we decided not
to edit the interview, and do a
two part series.
The next part will discuss seasons
in business, economic conditions,
differentiating between
the attack of Satan and God’s
desire, and so much more!
Part two will be featured in our
June issue.

Uncovering
Classified
Information
What do you do when you
uncover deceit in the
company you work for?
By Toni Troxell
What should a believer do when confronted
with deceit within the company? What if the company
refuses to acknowledge the issue?
At the age of 21, I worked for a company that was
growing in leaps and bounds. I was supposed to
grow with in this company myself. Upon doing the
regular routine of the day, I uncovered information
that revealed deceitful events taking place. I did
what I thought to do as a follower of Christ and
reported what was going on to the manager. Three
days later I was without a job and surrounded by
an air of suspicion. When one is confronted with
deceit in the work place, do we turn a deaf ear,
turn our backs, walk away, or do we reveal the
truth no matter the cost? Can we, as responsible
Christians, just walk away when deceitful actions
are revealed? To answer this question must turn to
scripture and read that not only are we not to participate
in such acts, we are told to expose them.
In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, Paul covered
many areas of concern. Being a great city of many
travelers with heavy Greek influence and businesses
which were laden in ungodly acts, Paul
urged the church in this way:
“Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness,
but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful
even to speak of the things which are
done by them in secret” (Ephesians 5:11, 12).
As the church of Ephesus continued to grow, so
did the possibility of falsehood invading the church.
He wanted Christians to face their responsibility in
two ways.
First, don’t even participate in deceitful things.

Work can be a place of cunning drive and selfish
ambition as individuals strive to be the next in line,
capture the boss’s eyes or to cover up a mistake
that could cost them their job. Stealing, falsifying
documents and the like can turn a business upside
down and create havoc in the workplace. Paul
says, “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of
darkness”. The temptation to participate can seem
innocent enough, however caught in its grip these
“unfruitful events “can lead to a loss job, a ruined
reputation or worse. Do not even think about being
a part of such practices! Some argue that “just a
little won’t hurt”, however even dabbling in such
practices can lead to disaster.
The second responsibility Paul wanted the church
to realize was this “Do not participate in the unfruitful
deeds of darkness, but instead even expose
them…” Wow! This is the hard part. Are we really
supposed to expose any deceit that may occur in
church or even the workplace?
As Christians we are not to participate in deceitful
acts and at the same time we are to expose the

deeds of darkness. Why would Paul want us as
Christian’s to do such a thing? Could this not be a
bit scary?
Remember John the Baptist, when he exposed
Herod he was imprisoned:
“But when Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by
him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and
because of all the wicked things which Herod had
done, Herod also added this to them all: he locked
John up in prison” (Luke 3:19).
Now why would a Christian expose someone
stealing at work or some other deceitful act and
risk getting reprimanded? In Proverbs 11, we see
the difference between the upright and the wicked.
In it, we see that the upright and the wicked are
compared back and forth to emphasize and distinguish
one from the other. Proverbs 11: 3:
“The integrity of the upright will guide them, but
the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy
them”. John the Baptist did what he had to do.
No regrets. There was a deception occurring and
as God’s servant John the Baptist must expose
the wrongful act. His walk with the Lord was more
important”
Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6). How can we as
Christians do any less than stand for truth and what
is right? Of course there are some very important
things to remember, like having the facts correct.
You would not want to jump to conclusions without
the proper facts. Colossians 4:6:
“Let your speech always be with grace, as though
seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you
should respond to each person”.
Our response to such matters is very important.
Yes, we are to expose deeds of darkness; however
we need to understand that our response is just
as important. When a person in the work force is
committing a deceitful act we as Christians should
pray and ask God for His wisdom. Next we need
to approach the situation with grace and humility.
When Nathan, in 2 Samuel 12, had to confront
David about his sin with Bathsheba and the subsequent
murder of her husband to cover the consequences,
Nathan did so under the direction of
God’s Holy Spirit. Nathan confronted David using
wisdom. There was no judgment involved on the
part of Nathan. He simply stated the facts and
David saw his own mistake.
We see this over and over again in scripture where
under the guidance of God’s leadership an act of
deceit is confronted. As Christians we are called
to a higher calling of right actions, behavior and
responses. Suppose David had gotten angry with
Nathan and refused to acknowledge his sin and
repent of his actions, well then the consequences
would then be on him.
Let’s take this a step further. Suppose you discover
that a person in your office is stealing. You
subsequently reveal it to your superiors and nothing
happens. What do you do? Some businesses
have a human resource department that
handles such matters, while other smaller businesses
do not. And even though your business
may not have a department to handle it, there are
things you can do. Like Nathan with David you do
not want to be judgmental or accusatory. If the boss
refuses to take action, ask what you should do in
the future should another event occur. Remember
we as Christian are told in scripture to obey the
authority over us (1 Peter 2:12-14). Strong attitude
or lashing out on your part will solve nothing.
Another important idea is intercessory prayer.
“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers,
petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of
all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so
that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness
and dignity. This is good and acceptable in
the sight of God our Savior…” (1 Timothy 2:1-3).
Prayer, simply put, changes things. Our attitudes
towards the events or the people involved can
have a tremendous effect on the situation. Continue
to pray over the situation and be watchful.
Decide to be a Barnabas to this person. Read Acts
9. Paul went from Saul the persecutor to Paul the
preacher. Barnabas beside Paul encouraged and
help mold and grow Paul. We can do the same in
our work force when confronted by deceitful acts.
Prayer and perhaps an attitude change on our part
may encourage a change.
In conclusion, deceit in the workplace for some

usinesses is common ground. It is the way of the
market world in some yet not all places. We as
Christian are called to a life of integrity. Sometimes
this means exposing the darkness. This is not a
pleasant task, yet our responsibility never the less.
Make sure your facts are straight and approach
your boss with a non-judgmental spirit followed
with grace. If your boss refuses to act continue to
be watchful and ask your boss what you should
do in the future should these events occur again.
Be in prayer for the person who may be caught
in such deceitful acts. Perhaps you were put in
your current place to encourage this person to a
better lifestyle. Remember nothing is impossible
with God.
At the beginning of this piece I shared how reporting
a deceitful event cost me my job. It does not
end there. Something amazing happened 20 years
later. The superior who terminated me knew and
covered up what really happened. One day at my
new job, this supervisor showed up and asked if
he could speak with me. I said sure. He had come
to ask for my forgiveness and explain that he himself
was now a Christian! Needless to say, I was
delighted and said of course. This supervisor went
to be with Jesus one year later. You see all things
do come together for the good (Romans 8:28).

Music Spotlight
Planetshakers
Shakin’ It Up!
By Lisa Carter
Planetshakers is a community of individuals who
create music birthed out of an intense love for
God and praise and worship. While once a praise
and worship team at its inception, it grew by leaps
and bounds becoming what is now an entire
movement of music makers moving and shaking
things up all around Melbourne, Australia. The
movement extends to South Africa, as well as the
United States with the help of this anointed group
of worshippers.
The music they make expresses their love and
adoration for God while escorting listeners into a
realm of worship that opens the doors for better
relationship with the God they serve. They understand
the essence of what it means to worship and
are dedicated to helping others come to understand
and know God in a deeper way. Planetshakers
are made up of a host of writers, singers, and
musicians who endeavor to give God their all in
excellent praise and worship. Faith Filled Family
Magazine talked with Joth Hunt of Planetshakers
who gave more insight into this music making historical
movement.
Faith Filled Family was priviledged to be able to
interview Joth Hunt.

What would you say the purpose of worship
music is?
The purpose of worship music is to give expression
to our heart’s desire to worship God and facilitate
an exchange between Heaven and earth. The
word “worship” in biblical Greek is proskyneo,
which means “to kiss towards” someone or something.
That is what happens when we sing our worship
to God – we “kiss towards” Him; that is, we
draw near to Him. And like the Bible says, when
we draw near to God, He is always faithful to
draw near to us.
Please tell us how the Planetshakers Movement
began.
JH: Planetshakers began as a youth movement
and conference in 1997as a result of the vision of
Senior Pastors Russell and Sam Evans. We have
since started Planetshakers Church in Melbourne,
Australia where we have four campuses and two
international campuses in Los Angeles, USA and
Cape Town, South Africa. Additionally, we hold a
conference called Planetshakers Awakening once
a year where people from all over the world come
together to seek God and be inspired to win their
world for Jesus. We are passionate about empowering
generations to win generations, and the
sound of Planetshakers music is an expression of
this.
What is the message of your music that you
believe is so imperative to share with the
world?
Ultimately, our music is all about Jesus. We seek
to point people through our music to Him. Every
song carries messages of God’s love, saving
grace, almighty presence, and undeniable power.
We believe that the world needs to experience all
of these things for themselves.
Please tell us about your latest project. What is
behind the title, This is our Time?
Our latest album released at the end of last year
is called This is Our Time. The title is a prophetic
declaration over our church, which we believe is
also relevant to you – this is our time to step out in
faith, to seek God more, to make a change.
Just as Esther in the Bible was appointed for “such
a time as this,” we believe that there is no time
like the present to make a difference in our world
for the kingdom of God.
Can you tell how effective this movement has
become? What kind of feedback are you
getting from listeners?
It is our absolute privilege and honour to be able
to write and record praise and worship music that
helps people encounter God and experience the
realness of His presence. That is our primary goal;
that people all over the world would listen to our
music and be drawn into a deeper relationship
with God. We constantly hear of many great and
encouraging testimonies of lives that have been
touched and transformed by God through our
music – and that is what it’s all about!

Who are your key writers/musicians?
At Planetshakers, we have many songwriters
and musicians, and we are constantly raising up
the next generation of worshippers. On our latest
album, you will see songs written by Sam Evans,
Andy Harrison, BJ Pridham, and myself, just to
name a few.
What image do you hope your music conveys
to the world?
We hope that our music brings a message of the
hope, love and salvation that only comes through
Jesus. Through songs such as Nothing Is Impossible,
we hope that as you listen and join in worship
to our great God, that you would be inspired
to believe that nothing is indeed impossible with
Him! Once we believe that, we are empowered to
make a change in our world.
How effective would you say your music is in
reaching those who don’t know Christ?
We believe that our songs have the power to reach
those who don’t know Christ, and we pray that
they would themselves be drawn into a relationship
with Jesus as they hear our praise and worship.
It is our desire that people who don’t know
Him would experience God’s love and presence in
the same way that we do.
Are there certain practices or habits (or your
writers/musicians) do to prepare to create
music?
Seeing as we write praise and worship music,
first and foremost it is essential that we ourselves
praise and worship God before writing any songs.
We seek to write music out of the overflow of what
is happening in our hearts, as well as in tune with
what God is doing in our church.
Name a favourite song from your new album.
Why is it your favourite? What is the message
you want listeners to come away with?
“Covered” is my favourite song of the new album.
It’s a very simple song, but a very powerful message.
Without God’s grace we are lost. With His
grace we are empowered to live the life He has
called us to live.
Please tell us about the Outback Worship
Sessions project. How did this project come
about?
We are so excited about the Outback Worship
Sessions released worldwide May 12, 2015. This
album is a mixture of songs from Planetshakers,
arranged in a different way to our usual sound.
With this project we really wanted to create something
that would appeal to listeners that might not
have ever heard our music before, or who might
benefit from a more acoustic and accessible
sound. We can’t wait for you to hear it!
Where are you hoping God will take this movement
in the future?
We believe that Planetshakers is going to continue
to expand and grow in influence. Above all,
we want to see God glorified above all else, and
for people all over the world to come to know and
experience Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. To
play a part in that is our greatest privilege.
A special thank you to Joth Hunt and Planetshakers
for sharing your thoughts with us about this
great movement. We pray God’s continued blessings
upon you as you endeavor to honor and glorify
Him through worship music.
Many thanks to Rick Hoganson for arranging this
interview for Faith Filled Family!

More Than a Bookstore!
Located in Boone, Iowa, we are a community based bookstore
with a family friendly Christian environment.
In addition to DVD’s, Bibles, books, music, t-shirts, cards, and gift
items, we offer:
• Brewed beverages
• A safe place for kids to play while parents shop!
We are located at 1325 S.E. Marshall Boone, Iowa 50036
Phone: 515-432-5242
Visit our website at www.kingschristianbookstore.com
3

Salt
&
Light
By Julie Merrin

Spreading Salt in the Midwest
Carter and Holden both worked
for the Department of Transportation.
Both were good at
their jobs. Winter in the Midwest
kept the two men busy spreading
salt on snow-covered roads
in an effort make them safer for
travelers. Even as they were
busy spreading road salt over
the highways of their state, they
were also busy spreading two
very different kinds of salt.
Carter was known for his quick
temper and his “salty” language.
He was quick to take offense
when crossed. If anyone dared
to remind him that
break was over,
and it was time to
get back to work,
they could expect
to be treated to a
stream of expletives
that would
make a sailor
blush. He managed
to keep his
temper enough in
control around his boss that he
managed to keep his job, but he
was certainly not easy to work
with.
Holden was known as a hard
worker with a cheerful word for
his co-workers. He could be
counted on to do his work faithfully
and conscientiously. He
was given the responsibility to
train some of the newer workers
on the crew, and was patient
with them as they learned. At the
same time, he demanded the
best of himself and of those he
was given responsibility to train.
He didn’t go around preaching
to his co-workers, but they
knew him as a man of faith.
Even though many of the work-
ers on the crew would not consider
themselves “religious”,
they found something compelling
about Holden.
Carter spread one kind of salt.
Holden spread a very different
kind.
Turning on the Lights on the
47th Floor
Cassie and Madge were secretaries
to two different partners in
a high-powered law firm located
on the forty-seventh floor of a
sky-scraper in a major city. The
partners for whom they worked
counted on their secretaries to
carry out the necessary tasks
efficiently and accurately. Every
day, Cassie and Madge would
arrive well before their bosses,
turn on the lights, and prepare
for the first appointments of the
day.
Madge had been working for
the firm for over thirty years. It
is doubtful that even the lawyers
themselves knew more about
the law than she did. She knew
it, too, and reminded everyone
else of this fact in dozens of
ways each day. Younger secretaries
and paralegals tried to
avoid Madge’s office if at all possible.
Most of them had, at one
time or another, been on the
receiving end of Madge’s razorsharp
tongue. Clients were often
struck by the tone of Madge’s
voice over the phone. This tone
could be bored or impatient
depending on her mood. Once
in a while, Madge’s boss would
hear a report about her attitude,
but she was always careful that
he never saw any evidence of it
himself. Madge’s office was not
an enjoyable place to be. The
lights may have been on, but
the atmosphere was dark and
heavy.
Cassie had been with the firm
only a few years less than Madge.
Her boss counted on her to keep
a complex schedule running
smoothly, and she rarely
proved to be a disappointment.
When newer secretaries
and paralegals had
questions, they knew they
could count on Cassie to
help them out without belittling
them. Cassie worked
diligently, whether or not
her boss was in the office.
Somehow, she managed to
avoid getting caught up in
the office gossip that so easily
swirled around in a large firm
like theirs. All-in-all, co-workers
found themselves attracted to
Cassie’s desk, every bit as much
as they avoided Madge’s office.
Each day, Cassie was busy turning
on the lights on the 47th
floor…in more ways than one.
Salt and Light in the World
As long as Christians live in this
world, we will also work in this
world. As long as we are here,
what kind of an example should
we be in the places where we
work? Jesus had a lot to say
about how His followers should
live, work, and relate in this
world. He sent us into this world
to be salt and light. In Matthew

5:13-16, Jesus says:
“You are the salt of the earth.
But if the salt loses its saltiness,
how can it be made salty again?
It is no longer good for anything,
except to be thrown out and
trampled underfoot.
“You are the light of the world.
A town built on a hill cannot be
hidden. Neither do people light
a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead they put it on its stand,
and it gives light to everyone in
the house. In the same way, let
your light shine before others,
that they may see your good
deeds and glorify your Father in
heaven.” (NIV)
We have probably all heard these
words many times. Perhaps we
have heard them so often that
we don’t really consider what
they actually mean. Let’s unpack
these two metaphors—salt…
and light.
What is so significant about
salt?
We all know that in the right proportion,
salt makes food tastier.
Applied to the Christian life, we
might say that Christians should
be pleasant and interesting
people. Christians don’t need to
be bland and boring to be godly.
This is correct, as far as it goes.
If being “salt” in this world meant
nothing more than being pleasant
people to be around, many
people who do not believe in
God at all would fit that description.
Let’s not stop there. Salt
has other uses beyond merely
adding flavor.
Salt acts as a preservative. Salting
meat is one way of keeping
it from spoiling. Christians have
an important role in preventing
“spoilage” in our society. The
question is, will we do it?
Salt has cleansing and healing
properties. Perhaps you have
had an infected finger at some
point in time. You were told to
soak the finger in warm salt
water to draw out the infection.
Jesus left His followers in this
world to help bring about healing
to others need it.
Salt has other functions, but
these give a good start as we
consider what Christians are to
be like in the workplace. However,
salt is not the only metaphor
Jesus used when describing His
followers.
What is so significant about
light?
One obvious function of light is
to make things visible. Car headlights
allow us to see the road
ahead so we can drive safely.
In a darkened house, it is easy
to trip over items left carelessly
on the floor, but with the lights
on, these hazards are easily
avoided. Jesus left us as His
people in this world to shine the
light of the Holy Spirit and show
others the way to Him.
Light also shows up things that
are not quite right…or obviously
wrong. A stain on a shirt that is not
obvious in a dimly-lighted room
will show up with glaring clarity
when it is seen in bright sunlight.
The light doesn’t have to actually
do anything to show up the
stain. It just has to be. Even so,
Christians don’t actually have to
point out all the wrong things in
the world, or the workplace. We
simply need to be what God calls
us to be. When we are living in
the way to which we are called,
we are like lamps that shine the
light of the Holy Spirit. When we
do, the things around us that are
not quite right will just show up.
Once the not-quite-right things
are shown up, light has another
important function. Jesus does
not want us to simply point out
everything that is wrong around
us. The bright light over an operating
table enables the surgeon
to clearly see where the cancer
is that needs to be removed, or
where the severed artery is that
needs to be repaired. Christians
can serve as lamps through
which the Holy Spirit shines
while the Great Physician heals
those who are spiritually sick.
Nice Metaphors, but How Do
We Live It Out?
Jesus didn’t just leave us with a
couple clever metaphors to show
us how to live. In what we know
as his “Sermon on the Mount”
in Matthew 5, He goes on to
give specifics regarding how we
should live. A number of these
have direct application to how
we are to live in the workplace.
Let’s look at a few.
Keep Short Accounts
“Settle matters quickly with your
adversary who is taking you to
court. Do it while you are still
together on the way, or your
adversary may hand you over
to the judge, and the judge may
hand you over to the officer, and
you may be thrown into prison.
Truly I tell you, you will not get
out until you have paid the last
penny. Matthew 5:24-25 (NIV)
In the workplace, we may not
necessarily be taking our fellow
workers to court, or vice versa,
but we may face conflict with

a co-worker. As Christians, we
need to make every effort to
resolve conflict peacefully. We
ought not to quickly run to the
boss to complain without first
seeking a resolution face-to-face.
Keep relationships pure
“You have heard that it was said,
‘You shall not commit adultery.’
But I tell you that anyone who
looks at a woman lustfully has
already committed adultery with
her in his heart.” Matthew 5:27-
28 (NIV)
As Christians, we must be careful
in our relationships with our
co-workers. Many a marriage
has been torn apart when one
spouse develops a closer relationship
with a co-worker than
with the other spouse. With the
many hours spent on the job,
eyes might stray, and hearts can
easily follow. Although the stakes
may be higher for those who are
married, singles aren’t exempt
from this temptation. Jesus was
speaking of adultery in Matthew
5. We need to remember that
adultery, according to His definition,
starts long before any outward
act. We must guard our
eyes, and our hearts.
Keep Your Word
All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’
or ‘No’; anything beyond this
comes from the evil one. Matthew
5:37 (NIV)
Jesus wants His followers to be
known as people of their word. In
the workplace, at home, at play,
wherever Christians go, those
around them should know that
whatever Jesus’ followers say
is the truth. No need for elaborate
promises. We live in a world
where contracts laid out in black
and white are the norm. We will
probably never get around that.
Even so, our employers and
co-workers should be able to
have the sense that our word
can be counted on, even without
the contract.
When it comes to making
promises that wouldn’t normally
require a contract
anyway, those with whom we
work should be able to count
on Christians to fulfill their
promises. So, let’s be certain
not to promise more than we
can actually carry out. Letting
people down just because our
plate is too full that things start
falling off of it is not a good witness
to our co-workers.
Let’s consider for a moment
another facet of being truthful.
This has to do with owning up
to mistakes. Face it. Christians
are human, too. We are not
perfect. Sometimes things go
wrong on our watch. How we
handle these situations is telling.
Let our yes be yes. Let our
no be no. We need to resist the
temptation to hide the mistake,
or shift blame to others. Own
it. Admit it, and work toward a
solution.
Don’t Seek Revenge
“You have heard that it was
said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth
for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not
resist an evil person. If anyone
slaps you on the right cheek,
turn to them the other cheek
also. And if anyone wants to
sue you and take your shirt,
hand over your coat as well. If
anyone forces you to go one
mile, go with them two miles.”
Matthew 5:38-41 (NIV)
When we are wronged, human
nature desires to fight back.
When someone hurts us, the
urge to get revenge often arises.
Whether that desire for revenge
shows up in an overt attack or
in more passive-aggressive
actions, the natural tendency
may be to make the other person
pay for what he or she did. This
is not Jesus’ way. If a co-worker
hurts or offends a believer in
some way, Jesus calls us to go
against the tide and refuse to
seek revenge. Not only that, but
go a few steps further and extend
a helping hand, even to the one
who just hurt us. The power and
grace to do this can only come
from God Himself.
Actively Seek the Good of
Those Who Wrong You
“You have heard that it was said,
‘Love your neighbor and hate
your enemy.’ But I tell you, love
your enemies and pray for those
who persecute you, that you
may be children of your Father
in heaven. He causes his sun
to rise on the evil and the good,
and sends rain on the righteous
and the unrighteous. If you love
those who love you, what reward
will you get? Are not even the tax
collectors doing that? And if you
greet only your own people, what
are you doing more than others?
Do not even pagans do that? Be
perfect, therefore, as your heavenly
Father is perfect.” Matthew
5:43-48 (NIV)
In the previous passage, Jesus
addressed the desire to get even
with those who wrong us. In this
passage, He expands on that
idea by saying that we are to

actually love our enemies. It is
one thing to simply refrain from
seeking paybacks. It is quite
another to allow God’s love to
so penetrate the depths of our
hearts that we have a genuine
desire to seek the good of the
cantankerous co-worker who
makes everyone else’s life miserable.
Loving our enemies, to
be sure, is one of the most difficult
things we are asked to do.
Yet it is exactly that kind of love
to which we are called.
Don’t Demand Recognition
“Be careful not to practice your
righteousness in front of others
to be seen by them. If you do,
you will have no reward from
your Father in heaven.
“So when you give to the needy,
do not announce it with trumpets,
as the hypocrites do in the
synagogues and on the streets,
to be honored by others. Truly I
tell you, they have received their
reward in full. But when you give
to the needy, do not let your left
hand know what your right hand
is doing, so that your giving may
be in secret. Then your Father,
who sees what is done in secret,
will reward you.” Matthew 6:1-4
(NIV)
Have you ever worked with
someone who always seemed
to be seeking attention? She
might be offended if the boss
and co-workers did not give the
recognition she felt was rightfully
hers. He would be quick to
sign up for a project that is likely
to get him a raise, but would
be reluctant to take on a task
that few people would notice.
Such a person might be miffed
if someone else was selected
“Employee of the Month”. As followers
of Jesus, the good work
we do ought to be for God’s
glory, and not to receive praise
from others. There is nothing
wrong with being pleased when
our good work is recognized, of
course, as long as the desire for
recognition is not the motivating
force that drives us.
Firmness and Humility
“Why do you look at the speck
of sawdust in your brother’s eye
and pay no attention to the plank
in your own eye? How can you
say to your brother, ‘Let me take
the speck out of your eye,’ when
all the time there is a plank in
your own eye? You hypocrite,
first take the plank out of your
own eye, and then you will see
clearly to remove the speck from
your brother’s eye. Matthew
7:3-5 (NIV)
Finally, as we seek to live as
good examples in the workplace,
we need to be honest with
ourselves about our own shortcomings
– what Jesus referred
to as “planks” in our eyes. Christians
are not perfect, but we are
forgiven. We are all still works in
progress. One interesting thing
about human nature is that the
things that annoy us most about
others are often the very same
things that we struggle with ourselves.
Somebody else’s “speck”
might remind us uncomfortably
of our own “planks”. Jesus
addresses this tendency in the
verses above.
When a Christian sees coworkers
gossiping during coffee
break, it really does little, if any,
good to try and urge them to
stop the gossip if she is known
for occasionally joining in a
gossip session herself. Suppose
a Christian manager wants to
stress the importance of integrity
among the workers on his team.
He has better be certain that his
standard of integrity for himself is
at least as high as he hopes for
from his staff. If they catch him
cutting corners or telling “little
white lies” to get himself out of a
sticky situation, his credibility is
lost.
Jesus wants us as his people
to be humbly honest about our
own shortcomings. Then, we
can deal with our own “planks” in
our eyes first. When that is done,
we can see clearly to help those
with whom we work to deal with
their “specks”.
Salt-Spreaders and Office Lights
on the Job
Being a Christian on the job is
not always easy. In some workplaces,
it is fairly easy to live as
a Christian. In others, it may be
an uphill battle all the way. In an
environment where values and
morals compatible with Christian
faith are held in high regard, it is
not terribly difficult to live out our
faith.
In work environments where
Christian values are viewed as
something that gets in the way
of business as usual, living as
salt and light will be more difficult.
Always remember that it is
in exactly those places that salt
and light is most desperately
needed, whether those with
whom we work realize it or not.
So let’s determine, with God’s
grace and power, that we will be
salt-spreaders and office lights
in whatever work environment
God places us.

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What is it Like to Work with Someone Under the A
By

nnointing?
A Christian leader understands the ultimate purpose of God’s plan for
mankind and serves as a messenger, spokesperson and an ambassador
for discipleship. We can review the Holy scriptures and recognize this kind
of leadership evident in the life of John the Baptist. (A full account can be
found in the Gospel of Matthew, Luke and John).
For every entity, organization or committee to function effectively and efficiently
there must be offices in place to assist in the management, and
operation of achieving an assumed goal.
Jesus Christ is the emblem of the church and since he is identified as the
Head who governs the community of believers (Colossians 1:18),it is relatively
important for a Christian leader to equip the body of Christ for works
of service, so that the church may continue to evolve from glory to glory
(Ephesians 4:11,12).
Therefore, a Good Christian Leader should be able to communicate and
conveyed the proper revelation and interpretation of the scriptures effectively
by:
Listening Attentively
This shows a sincere concern for the cares of others with a compassionate
heart; the church can establish a brotherly love relationship through the
practice of encouraging each other fervently to lift up their countenance with
psalms and hymns as they continue in the Grace of the Lord. (Ephesians
5:19) A good leader sets the tone for this type of fellowship.
Establishing A Vision
The Bible gives many accounts of how God use visions to communicate
a forthcoming event in the lives of men. Likewise, Proverbs 29:18 speaks
about establishing a vision. Impacting the body of Christ as a unit can best
be accomplished by assigning a goal, which stimulates purpose in the lives
of believers to act upon collectively.
Submitting To Authority
A leader must have a humble approach to life and not react hastily when
faced with opposition. In Romans 13:1-7 Christ emphasize that we should
exercise no ill respect of person, class, ethnic, or any ungodly passion
towards leading figures in the land.
Shanica Agard
Being Enthusiastic
A leader should express much joy in the things concerning the Gospel of
Jesus Christ and be actively involve in the activities of the ministry. Harness
your talents and showcase them for the glory of God.(Romans 12:11)
Making Wise Decisions
Leaders are the forerunners, the face, heart and mind for the church. Therefore,
they should exemplify good decision making by using the method and
principles instructed by the written Word of God. This includes fasting (as a
unit) when necessary. (Ephesians 2:20)

Appointing Offices
A leader under the anointing of
the Holy Spirit should charge
or assign members to function
respectively in the various
offices of the church community.
The first book of Timothy chapter
3 gives a thorough study of
functioning as an leader in the
ministry of God.
Building Up A Team Of Good
Christian Leaders
As mentioned earlier we know
that the ministry of God is manifold
and this is when disciplining
a team to be effective in every
office is extremely important.
This is to prevent the work load
of managing a ministry from
overlapping and certainly Divine
order identically describes the
holy function of the Father, Son,
and the Holy Spirit.
First Corinthians chapter 11 and
verse 3 reads as follow: “But I
want you to realize that the head
of every man is Christ, and the
head of the woman is man,and
the head of Christ is God.”
Secondly, Jesus gives specific
command to the forefathers of
the church age to go out into all
the world and make disciples
(Matthew 28:19). Henceforth,
discipleship should be taken
with care and implementing the
four C’s of christian leadership
can help identify the readiness in
a christian who desires to serve
in a specified office.
Recognize A Calling
Should someone be called to
desire the function of a particular
office,that person mentally
equipped to function as a leader.
The scripture encourages us to
put off any manner of foolish or
childish ways and mature so the
growth is imminently visible in
the lives of a leader more so a
christian. ( 1 Corinthians 13:11;
Hebrews 13:14)
Display Competence
A christian desiring of a specified
office should showcase a good
knowledge foundation of the
word of God; portray an humble
character, evidently exercise
obedience and must regard
elders of the church with respect.
These qualities must be visible
in their character. Certain talents
or skills should also be present
if not learned before they will be
able to pursue such function.
For example, someone desire
to lead the choir or the worship
band but cannot sing nor understand
any of symmetric of that
particular craft is incompetent
and should consider training if
they feel adamantly inclined to
perform in that area.
We can take a closer look at the
character of Moses, the meekest
man that ever lived according to
scriptures. A young man who
grew in the wealthy environment
of the Egyptians and though he
was a Jews was despised by his
very own. But God met with with
him in the wilderness and later
anoint him to deliver the Israel.
(Exodus 1-15)
Confidence
First and foremost can you
explain your reason for taking
up your calling, or how did you
know that this area of function
describes you? Well this
is a question only between the
desired christian leader and God
will be able to answer. However,
there may be uncomfortable situations
in life that will either stir
up lack of confidence or promote
the ample faith of that believer
to confront the given situation.
A typical example, is taken in to
account of Peter’s experience
when he walked on water, in the
beginning he saw Jesus silhouette
and walked confidently, until
he looked down and lost faith
and began sinking. (Matthew
14:29)
Strong Character Traits
What can we say about a christian’s
character? Well it is dependent
on the level of his calling,
whih will propel him to identify
with purpose; his competence,
allowing him to showcase he talents,
skills; and his confidence,
the assuredness of his stability
as a believer. However, it believe
that our character best shine in
the time of a challenge. This
preparation of ministry should
esteem a desire christian leader
to strive to for excellence always.
Leaving A Legacy
Shortly before Jesus left the
presence of his disciples he said
to them “But very truly I tell you,
it is for your good that I am going
away. Unless I go away, the
Advocate will not come to you;
but if I go, I will send him to you
(John 16:7).” He paved the way
for the legacy for Christendom to
continue even when he will not
be there physically, yet the Holy
Spirit acting on his behalf continue
in the direction of orchestration
the divine plan of God
through humans, generation
after generation.
A great leader once said that
“The greatest act of leadership is
what happens in your absence.”
The late Dr. Myles Munroe

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Show a Little
RESPECT
By Lisa Carter
To give honor and respect to the
man of God is not something
that is optional for the believer, it
is a requirement. Respecting an
individual is to show honor and
esteem them highly; to show
high regard for another person.
The pastor is the leader of the
church and is therefore due this
respect. He is designated and
appointed by God to lead and
guide His people. There are
some instances where a pastor
may be nominated into office by
a group of people.
However, even in those circumstances,
God has likely chosen
Him. The nominating, voting, and
recommending that takes place
are just a part of due process.
God is the one who ultimately
appoints and selects those
He wants to lead His people.
Ephesians 4:11-12 says, “And
He Himself gave some to be
apostles, some prophets, some
evangelists, and some pastors
and teachers, for the equipping
of the saints for the work of ministry,
for the edifying of the body
of Christ.”
Someone once came up with
the bright idea that churches
should do away with pastors
and leaders, and run the church
themselves. However, what they
apparently failed to realize is
that an appointed leader for a
church is God’s idea, not man’s.
In order to effectively do ministry,
you need a leader. You need
someone in charge to make
decisions when necessary.
To take this role away would
mean utter chaos for the church.
Everyone would do as he or she
saw fit for themselves just like
in the Bible days when they had
no ruler. No one would come to
know Christ that way. We know
that Christ is the head of the
church, but the role of pastor is
the designated person assigned
by God. So since a pastor is
needed, we therefore as believ-
ers, are called to honor and
respect him as the God-given
leader he is.
Every Christian is encouraged
to belong to a ministry. This
needs to be a Bible-based, Bible
believing ministry headed by a
godly leader. For some of us, we
continue to belong to the church
we grew up in, or have family
in, etc. Others may have left
their churches due to changes
in their circumstances such as
having moved away, etc., and
found themselves looking for
another place to worship.
Once such a place has been
found, it is important to make
it a priority to attend regularly.
It is to our benefit as believers
to do so. This is where we fellowship
with other believers and
are encouraged and uplifted as
we witness their growing faith.
Our faith is also then increased
as we hear the spoken Word
through a prayerful and thought-

ful leader.
The Pastor is a Shepherd
It is tempting to think that since
we are adults, we don’t need
someone guiding us spiritually.
We may think that since we
pay our own bills, raise our
own children, and hold down
a job, that we can be our own
leaders in everything and don’t
need advice when it comes to
spiritual things. After all, we can
read the Bible for ourselves, and
understand what Scripture is
saying, for the most part, right?
Some may even have spiritual
gifts of discernment and
wisdom for even more in-depth
understanding of God’s Word.
You may be a gifted teacher
or church leader yourself.
However, everyone who calls
themselves a Christian needs a
spiritual leader. It matters not the
gifts you have, or the impressive
way you can teach, understand,
and interpret scripture yourself.
We are after all, like sheep. In
Psalm 100:3 we read, “…It is
He who has made us, and not
we ourselves, we are His people
and the sheep of His pasture.”
Sheep need a shepherd.
According to Greg Laurie’s
article on “How Are
We Like Sheep?”
he explains, “sheep
have no survival skills
whatsoever. They are
totally dependent upon
the shepherd – just like
we are.” This statement
can be taken two ways.
We simply cannot
survive without Jesus,
the Good Shepherd
to guide us. We also
cannot thrive in our
spiritual walk without a godly,
spiritual leader in the form of a
pastor to guide us. It is a case of
“follow the leader” as he follows
Christ.
You may have even heard of
pastors who originally did not
accept their calling to pastor
a church. They may have told
stories of how they “ran away”
from God just like Jonah did.
They understood the incredible
responsibility of leading God’s
people and did not want the job
no matter what it paid.
These are the people that I
believe are truly called to do the
work. Once they finally come to
accept who they are as pastors
and leaders, they take on the
mindset that it’s time to get to
work. They’re not looking for
glamour or riches. They just want
to do what they are called to do,
and that is to lead the people
back to God.
Because there are those pastors
and leaders who flaunt their
wealthy lifestyle on television, it
may be tempting to take on the
worldview that all pastors are
money hungry individuals eager
to get ahead. It is unfortunate
that some are that way. For those
that are, they will have to answer
to God for their attitude toward
their calling, if in fact, they were
called.
The body of Christ should remain
prayerful for those in leadership
as they are human and do make
mistakes. However, this is not
about those who fail to see
the seriousness of their role
as a godly leader. This article
is dedicated to those who do
appreciate the call of God on
their lives and seek to please
Him not themselves.
To see all pastors in a negative
light is not an accurate view of
the role as pastor. There are
those who are indeed chosen
by God to lead His people, and
they realize it is a purpose in
which they are called, not just a
vocation they selected. For them,
it is a matter to be taken very
seriously. They understand they
are considered a shepherd. The
burden of the shepherd is caring
for the flock. God is holding them
responsible for the very souls of
the people they minister to.
According to Hebrews 13:17,
“…for they watch out for your
souls as those who must give an
account.” We are all going to be
accountable to God for our words
and deeds. However, the pastor
will be held doubly accountable.
His role as teacher, and leader
of the people of God makes this
so.”
Submit to His Godly Authority
While the pastor’s role as leader
is to teach and preach the Word
and to pray for the people under
his leadership, we the members
of the church also have an
important role. Our role in
ministry is to pray for the pastor
and submit to his authority. Up
to this point I’ve been focusing
on the pronoun he/his when
speaking about the role of pastor.
I realize there are women pastors
out there. They believe they too
are called and ordained of God
to lead His people. I am not here
to argue which gender a pastor
should be; male or female. Traditionally,
the role of pastor as

the leader of the church has
been male.
As the church leader, the pastor
is the head decision maker. He
may appoint members to an
office in which he gives permission
to oversee certain aspects
of how the church is run. However,
when it comes to the most
important decisions, he is the
one who makes them.
This is also a reason why some
people have an issue with godly
leaders. They make decisions
that we at times as lay members
don’t agree with. However, it is
not written that we must agree
on everything. Our role is to
submit. We trust in God to lead
and guide the pastor and show
him the right way, if he is wrong
in a decision made.
It is not a sin to disagree; how
you handle the disagreement
is another matter. Those who
have a difficult time submitting
to godly authority probably have
trouble submitting to any authority.
It’s this “you can’t tell me
what to do,” kind of attitude that
gets us into trouble every time.
As stated before, we are sheep,
and sheep need a shepherd.
The Bible puts it this way in
Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way
that seems right to a man, but its
end is the way of death.” To rebel
against the leader for any reason
is to set oneself up for destruction
down the road. Submission
is not an easy thing, but it is our
calling. It is what we as believers
must learn to do well, and it is
what pleases God.
Sometimes, people may fear
whatever they believe the pastor
may “see” about them in the spirit
realm. However, if you truly have
a heart that loves God, there
is no need to harbor this fear.
The pastor’s vision and ability
to speak truth into your life is an
excellent benefit to being under
the guidance of godly leadership.
He can warn you of trouble
ahead, and he can also speak
life to your dead circumstances,
if you are willing to listen. This
takes humility and not everyone
has that.
The problem comes in when we
have a difficult time hearing and
understanding that the Word is
coming from God. Some even
rebelliously think of their leader
as “just a man,” and therefore
lack respect for his authority.
It is true that he is human and
not super-human. However, it
is important to respect his role
and leadership, even though he
is only human. To disrespect his
authority is to disrespect God
who put him in this position in
the first place.
Serve Under His Leadership
If you truly want to grow and
flourish as a Christian, you want
to be a faithful follower to your
leader in the ministry in which
you belong. It is there that you
can see your talents take root,
see your faith increase, and feel
yourself becoming more empowered
to face any challenge that
rises in your life. This is how you
discover who you were created
by God to be, and what gifts you
possess (both natural and spiritual).
Under a godly leader, you will
thrive learning all you can about
the God you say you love and
serve. You can serve your leader
by faithfully coming to Bible study
sessions, and participating in the
various ministries that appeal to
you where you can learn and
grow and help others. It may be
that your pastor asks you to participate
in a ministry in which you
don’t choose to belong. If that
happens, the answer should not
be an immediate “no thanks,”
but rather it should be, “I’ll give
it a try.”
An attitude of submission and a
willing spirit to obey God’s will is
what we need more of as believers.
This way, even if you participate
and decide you really don’t
enjoy the work, you can then go
to your leader and express this
in love, asking for a different task
in which you feel better suited. It
is my opinion that rarely does
a godly leader put someone in
a position that they truly don’t
belong in. This is because they
are praying to God faithfully for
direction and are being guided
by the Lord in their decisions.
So if asked to do the task, it’s
worth doing because your pastor
may see something the Lord
wants to develop in you, that you
can’t see. To serve means to give
of your time, energy, effort, natural
and spiritual gifts, and money.
Yes, we are to give our money
faithfully through tithes and freewill
offerings. Some Christians
don’t believe in tithing, however
it is right in the sight of God. It
also helps the church meet its
monthly obligations and do ministry
outreach. Serving means
giving.
Perhaps it would help to remember
the pastor is one who wears
many different hats. He is in rela-

tionship with God first, his wife,
his children, then next comes
every person at church who
thinks they should come first in
his life whenever there’s a crisis.
Maybe it would help to realize he
is just one person being pulled
into so many different directions
and with so many different
expectations on his shoulders.
So maybe it would be beneficial
to stop and ask ourselves, “What
are my expectations toward my
pastor?” Are they realistic? How
can I begin to show respect and
honor if I’ve been lacking in this
area?” The answers are found in
the mirror of God’s Word. As we
read and study scripture, we will
discover who we are in God’s
eyes. As we pray and study
the Word, He will reveal to us if
we’ve had the wrong attitude, or
if we’ve been disobedient in one
way or another. The question is,
are we ready to learn the truth?
Even Christ Jesus, who is the
Son of God was not above serving
others and being submissive
to authority. We read in Matthew
20:28, “Just as the Son of Man
did not come to be served, but
to serve, and to give His life a
ransom for many.” We can look
to his perfect example as to how
to behave in this fallen world as
Christ followers. We can also
confidently follow our pastors
with the expectation that they
are in turn, wholeheartedly following
Christ.
____________________
Sources cited:
Scriptures: New King James
Version
Greg Laurie’s article, “How Are
We Like Sheep?”
http://www.jesus.org/followingjesus/discipleship/how-are-welike-sheep.html

Family
IS
Our First
Ministry
Let it Flourish!
By Millicent Njue
1 Timothy 3:1-5
Qualifications for Overseers and Deacons
“Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires
to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the
overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his
wife,temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable,
able to teach, not given to drunkenness,
not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover
of money. He must manage his own family well
and see that his children obey him, and he must do
so in a manner worthy of full[a] respect. (If anyone
does not know how to manage his own family, how
can he take care of God’s church?)”
The home is the basis of one’s character. No doubt
it is a good basis for one to extend the love of God
to the ones they love. This is the place where a
believer can be himself without holding anything
back. It is therefore the one place where he is
able to exercise the love of God with no limit. God
intended it to be the place where one finds solace
and also has a chance to blossom around loved
ones. He also fashioned it to be a place of ministry
amongst family members.
Charity begins at home and so it is even in the
Christian home. The way one treats those who are
close to him does not differ from the way he will
treat others outside the family circle. When a man
or woman in ministry has a solid basis at home it
is easy for him to be fully functional in the body of
Christ. For this to happen there is therefore need
to work at fulfilling family relations that are within
the will of God. Needless to say there is need to
seek God in chatting ahead as just like everyone
else believers too face challenges. However the
manner in which they deal with them should exemplify
the presence of Christ in their lives. That is in
itself serious ministry right there at home!
It does matter therefore, the kind of atmosphere
in the home of a Christian. You cannot give what
you do not have thus the way that you interact
with family members will most definitely extend to
other relations elsewhere. As Disciples of Christ,
we are called to possess those characteristics that
point others to him. When one is kind and gentle
to the people close to him it is easy to be the same

way to others out of the family circle. These are
the same virtues we are meant to make use of to
impact others around us with.
When you neglect your home life then you are
not living in accordance with the Gospel of Christ.
This is because the scriptures lay emphasis on
this as quoted above. Remember that your family
members are always watching you therefore you
should be able to model true Christian living to
them. How wonderful when one’s loved ones can
testify to his love for Christ! For it is these same
ones who know you through and through. They
know all your virtues as well as weaknesses. Yet if
you are submitted to the will of God they are definitely
the ones who will notice that in you before
anyone else. Come to think of it, what kind of testimony
does your family have of you? Is it one worth
emulating for others out there as well?
If on the other hand the family is neglected then
it also leaves a gap in one’s ministry. There is no
way that one is able to manage the affairs of the
church without first being of service to his family.
When others look at your family they should be
able to see your ministry to them thus be able to
trust you with the work of God. It makes sense that
those who are in control of the affairs of their families
will also extend the same responsible behavior
in God’s service. The other way round is true
as well! God does not desire that our families fall
apart but that they should be strong foundations in
order to be able to impact others around us.
A strong Christian home is an unspoken testimony
for all to see. Just like the Christ is the foundation
of the church so also is home to the believer.
Work at building your home on the virtues of Christ
so that all who behold it will see the character of
Christ in you. Only then will you be worthy to stand
before men to proclaim the love of Christ to them.
Worthy to remember is the importance of the
Christian home in God’s ministry. Being the model
of security and love between individuals, it is the
very illustration of the love that God has for people
all over the world. When you live out your life right
with God, you are not only ministering to those
around you but also revealing the love of God to
man. Greater love has no man than this, that he
should lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13
KJV.
Live your life in a way that others will be able to
see the self giving love of Christ in you. It is much
easier to do that with loved ones anyway, so go
on and make this your goal. As they flourish in the
love that they have from you God also shines his
face upon you showering you blessings.
Do not neglect those whom God has placed so
close in your life. For doing so will not only cause
you to be a failure of the true meaning of Christian
ministry but also deny you favor with the Lord
Jesus. Let him guide you in the way to minister to
these very dear people in your life and watch him
take over winning the rest of the world to himself.
After all, will he not trust you with bigger things,
once you proof yourself worthy with the little ones?

Your Hired
Making Godly Employee Decisio
By Vernita Simmons
Being a Leader is a great
responsibility. To be a great
Leader, you process the ability
to lead with grace and dignity.
The manner in which you lead
determines the type of Leader
you are. One good asset in
being an incredible Leader is in
your knowledge of hiring godly
employees without discriminating.
You must be fair, openminded
and apply the gift of
discerning through seeking God
in prayer.
Set Company Values for your
organization which reflect godly
principles. Such customs will set
the tone for a workplace which
adheres to virtuous work ethics.
As the Leader of the company,
you set the example by being
respectful to your employees
and customers. Design policies
and procedures and reinforce
them through your example.
Here are an example of such:
· Be honest, don’t lie, cheat or
steal
· Take responsibility for your job
performance
· Establish a specific dress code
· No smoking, usage of profanity,
playing around while working
· arrive to work on time, overtime
policies, salary and benefits
Create an environment that’s
Christ centered ~ by showing
evidence you are not ashamed

!
ns
to be known as a Christian. This
comes forth from your attitude.
You walk in the spirit and bear
good fruit. But the fruit of the
spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
kindness,goodness, faithfulness,
gentleman, self-control.
Against such there is no law. And
those whom are Christ’s have
crucified the flesh with its passions
and desires. (Gal. 5:16;
22-25).
These fruits allows you to live a
life of virtue and make a difference
within the workplace which
brings God glory. They will know
you are a Christian by your lovely
demeanor.
You show your employees you
appreciate them and they are
valuable to the company. However,
inform them you expect
them to be respectful to you and
their co-workers. If any problems
arise, you have an open
door policy and is available to
help resolve such. During the
interview process, explain to
your employees what you expect
from their job performance. They
need to know exactly what you
are seeking. And you need to
know the position they are best
suited for to bring out their maximum
potential.
What should you look for?
When you advertise for a specific
job, it is important to seek
out the intended candidate’s
skills, gifts, credentials and
experiences. Although, these
are guiding points in the hiring
process, discovering their purpose
for submitting a resume for
the position is imperative. Are
their purpose and motivation
that which will achieve the goals
of the company? How can they
benefit the company? Employees
are investors in the company
who will contribute their abilities,
experience and credentials to
perform their job efficiently and
effectively to provide a sufficient
brand to the customers, community
and society.
Enthusiastic Attitude
You attitude effects your job performance.
You’re looking for
Employees who are able to work
in harmony with their co-workers
and the boss. They must be
respectful, courteous, patient,
kind, forgiving, compassionate
who has empathy in regards to
the need of others. You love
righteousness,uprightness, and
right standing with God and hate
wickedness; therefore God, Your
God, has anointed You with the
oil of gladness above Your fellows.
(Psalms 45:7). Though
you will get frustrated, distracted
or angry, you are able to apply
self-control and remain calm
rather than creating contention,
strife and stress within the workplace.
Character ~ will reveal their core
principles of life. To discover
this, you will have to check references
beyond their present or
past employer and co-workers.
Our character speaks volumes.
One vital thing regarding character
is it’s steady through the
years. But cloth yourself with
the Lord Jesus Christ (Messiah),
and make no provisions
for indulging the flesh, put a stop
to thinking about the evil cravings
of your physical nature to
gratify its desires, lusts. (Rom.
12:14). This will afford you the
opportunity to get a history of
their attitude and behavior. You
can better discern if they will
compromise their principles or
whether or not they are trustworthy
and reliable.
Creativity and Innovative ~ Are
they looking for an opportunity to
put forth the extra effort to take
the initiative to apply their creativity
to take on added responsibility
to help the company grow
with no hidden agenda? Such
an employee is a great asset to
the company. It’s evidence of
their sensitive nature and good
intentions for the overall benefit
of the business and co-workers

and willingness to help others
thrive.
Loyalty to the company ~ Are
they willing to commit to a long
term partnership? Their prior
job history will reveal if they have
the stamina to endure through
the seasons the organization will
most likely go through. Every
job has its peaks and mountains.
It goes through the valley of dryness
and the hilltop of abundance.
Fight the good fight of
faith, lay hold on eternal life, to
which you were also called and
have confessed the good confession
in the presence of many
witnesses. (I Tim. 6:12). As
long as if they don’t have a legal
recourse to leave due to abuse
of authority, unrealistic problems
with their salary, serious illness,
some type of family or personal
emergency, etc.; and are willing
to be a member of the team
and remain committed through
the good and tough times, their
faithfulness should be rewarded
with a great harvest.
As a potential employee, how
can you be one?
As an employee, you can keep
a positive attitude and respect
authority and your fellow coworkers.
Take responsibility
by showing up to work on time
and never shift your duties onto
another employee. Put forth
your best effort and be committed
to meet deadlines ahead of
schedule. Always seek information
from the right person while
avoiding jumping to the wrong
conclusions. Show the willingness
to be adaptable and flexible,
though, you may prefer
not to do a particular task, by
accepting such an opportunity
will prove you are can handle
whatever thrown at you, perhaps,
placing you at the top for
promotions and advancements.
God Bless You!

The Word of God
Versus
The World
How Should Christians Conduct
Themselves in Business?
By Vernita Simmons
The workplace provides a
grand opportunity for Christians
to make an exceptional difference.
The example we are to
exhibit is to identify us as living
in the world but not part of the
world. Never should we fear
allowing our light to shine for
Jesus and take a stand for biblical
principles. So that you may
live a life worthy of the Lord and
please him in every way: bearing
fruit in every good work, growing
in the knowledge of God. (Col.
1:10).
Our work ethics are to speak of
our character as a reflection of
our relationship with Jesus. It
begins with your attitude.
Regardless if you work in a
Christian environment or
not, and despite what field
you work in or position you
hold, your attitude, behavior/
conduct and communication
must stand out from the crowd.
You’ll work with people with various
beliefs, backgrounds, opinions
and personalities. However;
there must be absolutely no
compromise on your part. It is
imperative to represent Jesus
wholeheartedly and Do to others
as you would have them do to
you. (Luke 6:31).
We all desire to work for an organization
where we are valued,
appreciated and respected and
your job performance has a
significant meaning. In order
to meet such a mandate, both
Leaders and employees has a
vital role in creating an atmosphere
on the job that is
filled with joy, peace, mutual
respect, trust and being sensitive
to others. As Christians we are
held to an even higher standard
because we are not working for
a company or the Manager. It’s
all about performing a job for
the Lord. And whatever you do,
whether in word or deed, do it all
in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father
trough him. (Col. 3:17). Realizing
our priority is to bring glory
and honor to God, we will humble
ourselves, giving respect to the
most meanest humans.
Your attitude really does determine
your altitude. The most
important element in exhibiting
a godly example is to come
to work with a cheerful attitude.
Your attitude has a direct effect
on your job performance and
the means in how you treat your
co–workers. Be courteous and
polite to your boss and whomever
you work with. When you
arrive, be friendly and greet
everyone with a smile. Be a constant
source of encouragement.
You never know what your boss
or coworkers may be enduring.
Whatever you do, work at it with
all your heart, as working for the
Lord, not human masters. (Col.
3:23). Contribute to assist with
the purchase of coffee and supplies.
Contribute to the yearly

picnic. Render random acts of
kindnesses.
Arrive to work at least 30 minutes
ahead of schedule. This
gives you time to refresh. When I
was a Substitute Teacher, I often
used such time to read my Bible
or devotional to prepare myself
spiritually, emotionally and mentally.
It can be used as a time to
fellowship with others.
In addition to your attitude,
guard what proceeds from your
mouth for it reveals the condition
of your heart and your true feelings.
The words you choose to
speak discloses whom you are.
Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from
it. (Matt. 12:33-34; Luke 6:43-
45; Prov. 4:23). Christians,
particular those in Leadership,
plays a significant role in making
sure the company functions efficiently,
effectively, properly and
productively. It really isn’t all
about you. Therefore, you must
choose not to be condescending
and putting others down to make
yourself feel good. There’s a big
difference in talking to people
and talking at them.
If you are a Supervisor/Leader,
produce a work culture where
there is collaboration, organization,
planning and implementing
the operations of the company
efficiently while working well with
others.
· Treat employees with respect
and appreciation not as if they are
your property. Adhere to values
and morals that though someone
slander you, it will be due to your
commendable conduct which,
they have grown envious and
jealous of. Live such good lives
among the pagans that, though
they accuse you of doing wrong,
they may see your good deeds
and glorify God on the day he
visits us. (I Peter 2:12). Apply
an ethical work code whereby
you never abuse your power by
overworking employees, getting
them fired or preventing them
from attaining promotions and
advancements. Follow through
on what you say. Teach ~ Mentor
~ upgrade and provide resources
to acquire skills to keep abreast
of the ever changing state and
government requirements within
the workforce industry.
· Have an open door policy and
listen to what they have to say
while, providing answers to solve
problems and how to improve on
relationship with other employees.
When you have to reprimand
an employee, it needs to
be administered privately, effectively,
firmly with gentleness with
an appropriate course of action.
The Lord s gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and
rich in love. (Psalms 145:8).
If you choose to correct an
employee publicly, it shows your
lack of compassion, professionalism
and your inability to handle
conflict effectively. Being a
Leader doesn’t give you the right
to intimidate your subordinates.
And you place yourself in a position
to lose the respect and trust
of your employees.
· Be the kind of Leader who recognize
and acknowledge what your
team does. Give them credit for
what they do. Your employees
are first and most importantly
human being. They have feelings.
Treat your employees as

important to the business as you
are. They work with you not for
you. Apply simplistic methods to
signify that you care; such as a
simple; “Thank You!” would suffice.
Offer incentives as a bonus
not as a means to bully them into
staying late or else. Reassure
them not to feel threaten of losing
their job if they have a legitimate
reason to take off due to some
form of unexpected emergency.
Practice being kind, patient and
compassionate.
Employees/Subordinates
Christians must strive to do their
absolute best job performance
not for a promotion, raise, to
impress others, or recognition.
· Do it because it is the right thing
to do. For we are on guard,
intending that no one should find
anything for which to blame us
in regards to, our administration
of this large contribution. (II
Corinthians 8:21). Jesus need
to see you be different because
you are different. You have been
commissioned to effect positive
change on your job. You gave
your word to fulfill a position by
utilizing your skills, experience
and capabilities to meet the
goals of the business and fulfill
the supply and demand of a
society or community for what it
serves.
· Respect authority, unless they
demand you to do something
that is in direct violation and contrary
to the word of God. Be
honest and not lie, not even
for your boss. The integrity of
the upright shall guide them,
but the willful contrariness and
crookedness of the treacherous
shall destroy them. (Prov. 10:9;
11:3). When other workers steal
from the company and justify it
with irrational excuses, you are
not to follow such an unethical
example. Maintain a pleasant
demeanor and refuse to be
a complainer. Go beyond what
is expected and present the
best Power Point presentation
you can. Leave your audience
in Awe. No one can and will do
your job like you.
· Be proactive. Offer to stay overtime.
During some of my assignments
as a Sub Teacher, I often
worked late, knowing I wasn’t
going to receive extra compensation
or any incentives. I did it
because it was of necessity. Volunteer
to organize holiday celebrations.
Perhaps, you can offer
to train another employee.
Why is it important for Christians
to exhibit godly example
within the workplace?
Regardless of your position,
your attitude you display within
the workplace can create either
a stressful or pleasant environment.
You can either bring down
morale or build self-esteem and
morale. Moreover, it is your
Christian duty to perform your
job with diligence, having the
same mindset as Christ. Let this
same attitude and purpose and
humble mind be in you which
was in Christ Jesus. Let him be
your example of humility. (Phil.
2:5; 7). Do what you can to
create successful work relationships.
Help establish a culture
which is positively infected daily
with your positive and enthusiastic
disposition.
Take responsibility for your part
by showing up on time and do
not shift your duties onto others.
Be committed to meeting deadlines
ahead of schedule. Don’t
get caught up in “Office Politics.”
There’s going to be people on
the job that you disagree with.
You will encounter those with
their public opinions”. Your boss
may not have the greatest personality
and use their position of
authority to make your life miserable,
having you downsized or
transferred, overworked or taken
advantage of. In such an incidence,
seek to meet and discuss
the matter, applying the wisdom
of God. You may be surrounded
by those who gossip, are negative
and chronic complainers.
Remember, you are being surveillance
and the means in how
you treat those you work with
defines your Christian character.
God will give us the courage and
strength to fight the good fight of
faith.
Avoid the gossip. If you have
a problem with someone, don’t
broadcast it around the workplace,
through an email or on
social media. Use your mouth
as an instrument to edify and
build up. Be a problem solver,
not a trouble maker. It’s not a sin
if you’re unable to get along with
everyone. Politely, agree to disagree.
Show and give respect
at all times. I believe in treating
people better than how I’m
treated, even if I feel someone
doesn’t deserve my respect. As
others observe your exceptional
behavior, it can change the atmosphere,
making it an enjoyable
place to work. You have experience
and many great qualities
whereby you can effect positive
change within the work environment.
Go forth and exhibit your
outrageously wonderful, contagious
and godly example!

I Want to Be Involved
Why Should we Involve God in Hiring
Decisions?
By Clarissa Lee Kennerly
I work in a Christian Business. We pray every morning in morning meeting. Even if we have do not
have anything else to discuss-we pray. We pray for each other, we pray for the concerns and issues
of the world, and we pray for the business. We pray for our clients, we pray for the relief of any type
of difficulty we may be experiencing at the time in the business and we pray over any potential business
decisions whether it be goals to be set in the business, the accomplishment of goals that have
already been set, a new hire or a new client, it really doesn’t matter the situation, regardless of it we
pray. We pray because we have faith in a God who dares to do not only what we ask but to exceed
our needs. Ephesians 3:20 tells us so. We pray because He is the God that we serve and love and
not only do we as individuals have a relationship with Him but the business is connected to Him in
a way that places Him in the center. We pray out of obedience to his Word that says in Philippians
4:6 to be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known unto God. He is telling us to pray in all things. We pray because we want
the business to be covered by His grace and mercy and for His Will to be done through us in the
company. We pray because the business is dedicated to Him and we don’t want to do anything to
hinder the vision that he has for
the company. And lastly we pray
because this business is His so
it represents Him in all that we
do. Man is fallible so we pray.
If you are a believing believer,
one might think you would be
crazy not to pray. Prayer is conversation
with the most high
in which we speak to God and
He speaks to us back. People
pray for various reasons. They
may pray about what shoes to
wear for a job interview to health
and healing for ailing loved one.
Whether you are a believer or
not, life throws you a curve ball
and before you know it you sure
on your knees! And the reason
for all of this is because prayer
works; God always comes
through. It may not happen in
your timeline, or the way you
expect but prayer works. It
doesn’t matter the level of the
prayer either. The Bible commands
us to cast our cares upon

Him because He cares for us.
We find that in Psalm 55:22. Not
only does it command us to cast
our cares upon the Lord but it
also says that He will sustain us.
That He will never let the righteous
be shaken. Now let’s think
about this for a second. The
way to cast our cares upon the
Lord is the pray. And when we
pray-we are the pray in faith. If
we do this then according to the
scripture in Matthew 17:20 nothing
will be impossible for us. Our
businesses are a part of who we
are. Therefore, nothing will be
impossible for our businesses.
Now as a business owner this is
wonderful news! Owner a business
is not easy but we serve a
God who specializes in supplying
our every need-even our work
needs. Equipped with this information,
it would be a shame not
to pray and allow our Lord and
Savior to work on our behalves,
especially since that is what he
has called us to do. We do it in
our everyday life-we should be
doing it for our businesses too.
You see when we start a business
in God’s Name and do a
work in Him, He receives the
glory and honor and it allows
Him to move and allow Him to be
God in our work place because
we have invited Him in. God is a
gentleman; He will not force His
way in. He wants to be invited
just like He needs to be invited
in our hearts when we become
saved. It is only then that He
can work in us because we allow
Him to. Our businesses are the
same way. We need to invite
Him in so that He can take over
and save us a lot of unnecessary
work and heat ache. This is the
same in our lives. For example-
Have you ever been in a situation
in which you didn’t know what to
do? You didn’t know which decision
to make and only if you knew
the outcome to both of the paths
then you would know which decision
to make? So you make a
choice. You just do it because it
needs to be done and a decision
has to be made. And then you
recognize that you have made a
mistake. You chose the wrong
answer and you wish that you
had made the other decision.
Sometimes these choices just
have minor consequences and
sometimes they have majors
ones that cause all types of difficult
problems. However if you
would have prayed-you may
have avoided all the consequences
altogether because the
Lord would have directed your
path- had you asked. Making
poor decisions in your business
could have major implications.
Allow God in-pray about everything
in it and allow Him to lead
you.
Inviting God into your business
by praying over your business in
general and your business decisions
is not only a highly intelligent
thing to do-it is a necessary
thing to do. Prayer is mention in
109 verses, and the word pray is
used in 310 verses. God wants
us to pray.
The Bible says in Romans 8:28
that we know that all things work
together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the
called according to his purpose.
Number one-if you are calling
on God and praying to Him you
need to love Him, in order for all
things to work together for good.
If you have started or dedicated
this business to Christ the hope
is that you did so because this is
something that He has called you
do and that your intentions are to
honor Him with it. When you love
God- all things work together for
good. All is all-encompassing.
All refers to your personal life as
well as your work life. All should
cause you to pray.
A part of making your Christian
business successful is everyone
being one accord. Being
on one accord in the Bible is
really important as it is in your
business. In order to be on one
accord, people in your business
need to be one accord which
is why you need to pray over
your hiring decisions. Philippians
2:2 tells us Complete my
joy by being of the same mind,
having the same love, being in
full accord and of one mind. If
you have ever worked in a business
where everyone is not on
one accord then you have experienced
working in discord. And
working in discord is a terrible
place to be. Not only is it stressful
but if your employees are not
getting along and you have poor
workplace moral then your business
is going to suffer greatly.
Romans 15:6 says That together
you may with one voice glorify
the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ. When we pray
every morning in morning meeting,
my prayer is that we are
all on one accord and I believe
that we are. We are all believers
and come together in unity
over issues of every kind. If we
brought someone into the mix
who was not a believer and they
disagree and oppose our prayers
and the atmosphere of allowing
the Holy Spirit to have his way in
that place then everything would
fall apart. There would be no
peace. 1 Corinthians 12:1-31
says Now concerning spiritual

gifts, brothers, I do not want you
to be uninformed. You know that
when you were pagans you were
led astray to mute idols, however
you were led. Therefore I
want you to understand that no
one speaking in the Spirit of God
ever says “Jesus is accursed!”
and no one can say “Jesus is
Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
Now there are varieties of gifts,
but the same Spirit; and there
are varieties of service, but the
same Lord; Bringing in someone
that is not on the same accord
as those that are can lead others
and your business astray. Bring
in someone who will enhance
your business work wise, spiritually,
and relationally. They may
have a different gift but they will
be of the same Spirit and of the
same Lord.
Matthew 18:20 says,
“For where two or three are gathered
together in my name, there
am I in the midst of them.”
How powerful is that? Can you
imagine having Jesus in the
midst of your business? Praying
and gathering in His name
with one or two employees He
will be in the midst. The word
midst there is the Greek word
mesos which means “amongst”.
The word amongst according to
dictionary.com means in, into,
or through the midst of; in association
or connection with; surrounded
by: in the midst of, so as
to influence. So praying for your
business will make a connection
with God, have your business
surrounded by God, and
influenced by God. How could
it get any better than that? What
can be more powerful than that?
This is better than the best business
consultant that money can
buy! To have the King of Kings,
Lord of Lords, and Savior be an
intricate part of your business
is more than amazing! Imagine
the favor, the peace, the love,
and joy that your business could
experience if you prayed.
Now praying for your business
and dedicating it to God does
not mean that you can be deceitful,
greedy, and unfair. The Bible
says in Colossians 4:1 that Masters,
are to give their servants
that which is just and equal;
knowing that you also have a
Master in heaven. It also says
in Ephesians 6:9 not to threaten
them, since you know that he
who is both their Master and
yours is in heaven, and there is
no favoritism with him. God will
not be mocked and He will not
bless mess. I say this to make
it clear that you cannot mix light
with darkness. The Bible says
that you will reap what you sow.
As a Christian business owner
the world is looking at you, your
employees are looking at you,
and more importantly, God is
looking at you. And in order to
be successful in this endeavor,
you must pray. Pray for your
business to be a light in your
field. Do not allow the enemy to
have access to your business.
Ensure that it is surrounded by
God through prayer and follow
the commandments of the Bible
and implement them in your
business.
Being a Christian business
owner is no easy feat. You will
have people praying for your success
and people praying for your
demise. You will have people
support you and you will have
people want to ruin you. The
Bible says in Luke 21:17 that we
will be hated because we follow
God so it is to be expected. The
important thing though is that
we pray over our business in
general, that we pray over our
employees, that we pray over
our business decisions and we
pray over our hiring decisions.
We must pray for favor and with
at least one other. The best
business decision you can make
is to make God the center of it.
Get instructions directly from
God through prayer and watch
your business become all that
God had intended for it to be.
Remember to have faith when
you pray and listen for the move
of the Holy Spirit to direct your
path.

Kings and Priests:
Which One Are You?
By Ken Alexander
A
fter 100s of years of having
judges and priests rule
ancient Israel, they cried
out for a King to rule over
them. God’s response to their
demand was interesting. God
considered it an insult that the
people wanted a human King,
rather than having God rule
over them. He, thru Samuel the
prophet, spoke the following
words concerning a King and
the disadvantages of having
such a supreme ruler (1 Samuel
8:11-19).
“And he said, “This will be the
procedure of the king who will
reign over you: he will take
your sons and place them for
himself in his chariots and
among his horsemen and they
will run before his chariots.
“And he will appoint for himself
commanders of thousands and
of fifties, and some to do his
plowing and to reap his harvest
and to make his weapons of
war and equipment for his
chariots. He will also take
your daughters for perfumers
and cooks and bakers. And
he will take the best of your
fields and your vineyards and
your olive groves, and give
them to his servants. And he
will take a tenth of your seed
and of your vineyards, and
give to his officers and to his
servants. He will also take your
male servants and your female
servants and your best young
men and your donkeys, and
use them for his work. He will
take a tenth of your flocks, and
you yourselves will become
his servants. Then you will cry
out in that day because of your
king whom you have chosen
for yourselves, but the LORD
will not answer you in that

day.” Nevertheless, the people
refused to listen to the voice of
Samuel, and they said, “No, but
there shall be a king over us,
that we also may be like all the
nations, that our king may judge
us and go out before us and fight
our battles.” (1 Samuel 8:19-20).
The people ignored Samuel’s
warning and cried out for a King,
like the other nations had. So
God felt that by demanding a
King they were rejecting Him as
ruler over the house of Israel.
Against His best wishes Samuel
picked a King named Saul. Saul
was a failure as a King and the
Lord ripped his kingdom from
him and appointed David as
King who was of the lineage of
Christ and a man “after God’s
own heart”.
Duties of a King:
What are the duties of a king
over several cities ruling under
God? Have you have stopped to
ponder what it is that a governor
(King, absolute ruler) would
be expected to do? And, by
implication, what would He be
expected to know about God’s
law in order to apply it as a ruler?
To look at an example of what a
governor (King) was expected to
know, let us look at the example
of Nehemiah. As a governor
and absolute ruler Nehemiah
had to deal with Jewish citizens
who were not very interested
in obeying the law, and he was
forced to enforce God’s law in
the province where he ruled. Let
us look at two examples of God’s
laws that Nehemiah enforced as
the governor of Judah.
First, let us look at Nehemiah
5:1-13, to see how Nehemiah
dealt with the problem of the
rich exploiting the poor. Therein
Israel complained that they were
forced to borrow money from
the rich and rulers among them
to grow their crops to feed their
families. The rich sometimes
loaned the money at usurious
rates placing a burden on the
people.
Nehemiah became angry when
he heard their outcry and these
words. After serious thought, he
rebuked the nobles and rulers,
and said to them, “Each of you is
exacting usury from his brother.”
So I called a great assembly
against them. And I said to them,
“According to our ability we have
redeemed our Jewish brethren
who were sold to the nations.
Now indeed, will you even sell
your brethren? Or should they
be sold to us?” Then they were
silenced and found nothing to
say. Then I said, “What you are
doing is not good. Should you
not walk in the fear of our God
because of our reproach of the
nations, our enemies? Please,
let us stop this usury! Restore
now to them, even this day, their
lands, their vineyards, their olive
groves, and their houses, also a
hundredth of the money and the
grain, the new wine and the oil,
that you have charged them.”
A King has the power and indeed
the duty to enforce the Laws of
God as he did here. Priests are
more focused on the religious
side of the nation and leave
enforcement to the King.
Another example is recorded in
Nehemiah 13:15-22. Here we
see how Nehemiah enforced the
Sabbath in Jerusalem. At that
time Israel was not observing the
Sabbath as they were working on
their crops, transferring them to
and fro. And Nehemiah warned
them about the day on which
they were selling provisions.
Then he contended with the
nobles of Judah, and said to
them. “So it was, at the gates of
the Jerusalem, as it began to be
dark before the Sabbath, that I
commanded the gates to be shut,
and charged that they must not
be opened till after the Sabbath.
From that time on they came
no more on the Sabbath. And
I commanded the Levites that
they should cleanse themselves,
and that they should go and
guard the gates, to sanctify the
Sabbath day”.
What was the problem here?
There were several problems
that Nehemiah was dealing
with, actually. For one, people
in Judah were working on the
Sabbath. This is unacceptable
under biblical law, namely the
Ten Commandments, which
require everyone, whether a
servant or even a stranger
within the gates of a believer,
to rest from their labors on the
Sabbath. Only the priests and
Levites, who were commanded
to guard the gates of Jerusalem
to keep out merchants from the
city of Jerusalem, were to work
on this day to do God’s work.
Not only was it a sin for the Jews
to work on the Sabbath, but it
was also a sin for the nobles to
profit from the work of anyone
else on the Sabbath. It is also
a sin for believers to purchase
goods and services, even to go
to the market and buy some fried
chicken, on the Sabbath day.
The Sabbath is to be free from
our business interests and our
laboring, or the forcing of others
to labor on our behalf and for our

profit. A King enforces the Law of
God irrespective of whether the
people approve.
Duties of a priest:
A King is the civil ruler primarily
and the priest is a religious
leader. Often a ruler will rule as a
priest and King at the same time
as Nehemiah did above. But
usually a priest aacts as a priest
in conjunction with the priesthood
who know the Law. Christ moved
as priest, king and prophet in one
ministry. Hopefully our detailed
examination of the duties of
a governor (or king) in God’s
Kingdom has opened our eyes
as to how much more knowledge
of God’s law is required than
is typically understood by
the average believer. But the
responsibilities that we read in
Nehemiah only cover the duties
of a civil ruler. We still have yet to
discuss the duties of a priest, a
religious leader, in the Kingdom
of God.
2 Chronicles 19:4-11 tells us of
the duties of a priest as a judge
of the sins of the people. This
passage makes it clear what
sort of difficult responsibilities
a priest in the Kingdom of God
faces. 2 Chronicles 19:4-11
reads as follows: “Moreover, in
Jerusalem, for the judgment of
the Lord and for controversies,
Jehoshaphat appointed some
of the Levites and priests, and
some of the chief fathers of
Israel, when they returned to
Jerusalem. And he commanded
them, saying, “Thus you shall act
in the fear of the Lord, faithfully
and with a loyal heart: whatever
case comes to you from your
brethren who dwell in their cities,
whether of bloodshed or offenses
against law or commandment,
against statues or ordinances,
you shall warn them, lest they
trespass against the Lord and
wrath come upon you and your
brethren. Do this, and you will
not be guilty. And take notice:
Amariah the chief priest is over
you in all matters of the Lord; and
Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the
ruler of the house of Judah, for
all the king’s matters; also the
Levites will be officials before
you. Behave courageously, and
the Lord will be with the good.”
This passage tells us some of
the responsibilities of a priest
of God who serves a godly
king. The priests and Levites
were sent out as judges into
the towns, and some of them
remained to handle the difficult
cases that were appealed to
Jerusalem. The judges were
to be fair judges, not showing
partiality to poor or rich, to male
or female, to one people or tribe
over another, nor taking bribes
from anyone. They were also
commanded to judge offenses
to the law, between degrees of
guilt, as well as the judgment
of whether people obeyed all
of God’s laws. The duties of a
priest are also enumerated in
Numbers 3.
A priest works together with a
Godly King and both participate
in enforcing the Law of God as it
concerns the people who usually
do not know these things. Both
walk closely with the Lord so
they can know His wishes and
commands. However in God’s
eyes he should be King as he
said in 1 Samuel above. It is
indicative of the immaturity of
the people that they would rather
have a King on earth lead them.
Who is a King and who is a
priest? It is entirely a matter of
God’s choosing.

Success
AND
Prosperity
It’s a Promise For
Every Believer
By Dr. Stan DeKoven
They Just Want My Money-
Countless times over the past
several years I have heard
someone in the church proclaim,
“They are always taking offerings,
pressuring me to give. All
they want is my money!” Certainly,
this sentiment is not a new
one, and there are unfortunate
cases where excessive and even
exploitive emphasis on money
and prosperity are practiced.
However, the giving and receiving
of money are only one part
of the important topics of stewardship,
which must be properly
understood by the Christian
church today. One thing is for
certain, our prosperity is linked
to our stewardship.
What Is Stewardship?
A steward is a person who manages
the affairs of a household

“As each one
has received
a special gift,
employ it in
serving one
another as
good stewards
of the manifold
grace
of God” (1
Peter 4: 10).
or an estate for an owner. As
Christians, a steward is a manager
of the affairs of God on
earth, using the abilities, talents,
and resources provided by the
Lord to the best of one’s ability.
Everything that one possesses,
whether a gift or talent, has been
received from the Lord. This
includes time, talent, property,
health, environment, relationships,
and of course, abundant
life in the Kingdom of God. A
Christian is given the wonderful
privilege of serving and worshiping
God through the gifts God
has given. Giving back to God
and managing the gifts he has
given, with a heart of gratitude,
is part of a believer’s service to
the Lord.
“As each one has received a
special gift, employ it in serving

one another as good stewards
of the manifold grace of God” (1
Peter 4: 10).
The Gift of Life
Of all the gifts given by God,
the first and greatest gift of all is
life. A Christian’s life is a sacred
trust and each believer is to give
proper care for their life before
God. The cavalier attitude of
the world towards God’s gift of
human life is a modern tragedy.
Life is a gift and is to be cared for
and affirmed as good (Genesis
1).
God has provided to all the precious
gift of life, yet no one knows
the length of that life. Thus,
stewardship must extend to the
usage of time. The wise usage
of time is essential to the enjoyment
of life and the pleasing of
the Lord. How does a believer
balance their time? There are so
many obstacles to balance. The
possible distractions are innumerable
because of modern life.
Certainly balance must be found
within godly priorities: God first
in prayer, praise, worship, and
service; family second, in loving
a spouse and nurturing the children;
vocation third, providing
for family and having something
to give to those in need.
Health
One’s health must be guarded,
since the Lord desires all His
children to enjoy long life and
abundant health. As the Apostle
John stated, “Beloved, I pray that
in all respects you may prosper
and be in good health, just as
your soul prospers” (3 John 2).
Prosperity from John the apostle’s
view was both related to a
vibrant soul (mind, will and emotions)
in tuned with Holy Spirit,
and a healthy body, soul and
spirit. These important things
would be what ultimately helped
a person fulfill the journey of life
determined by Father God. As
I have stated many times, God
wants us to have all we need for
our journey, in terms of health
and resources…but if you are
not going anywhere, you probably
don’t need much…but if you
are, you can trust God to provide
what you need for the journey.
Talent
Many a Christian has stated
with dismay, “I can’t do anything.
How could God use such a no
talent like me?” The Word of God
states in 1 Corinthians 12:12-20;
“For even as the body is one and
yet has many members, and all
the members of the body, though
they are many, are one body, so
also is Christ. For by one Spirit
we were all baptized into one
body, whether Jews or Greeks,
whether slaves or free, and we
were all made to drink of one
Spirit. For the body is not one
member, but many. If the foot
should say, “Because I am not an
eye, I am not a part of the body,” it
is not for this reason any the less
a part of the body. If the whole
body were an eye, where would
the fearing be? If the whole were
hearing, where would the sense
of smell be? But now God has
placed the members, each one
of them, in the body, just as He
desired. And if they were all one
member, where would the body
be? But now there are many
members, but one body...”
The fact is, all of God’s creation
is a divine original, and all His
children have natural and spiritual
gifts needed for the kingdom
of God. It may take some
searching (most friends can tell
you your talents), but once discovered,
talents and abilities are
to be submitted to the Lord for
His purposes.
Christians do not have the option
of idle observation of others’
labor in the body of Christ. If we
do not use the talents God has
given us we may lose them. Part
of the satisfaction of the Christian
life is found in joyfully sharing
one’s talents with others.
Relationships
The Word of God states that the
whole of God’s requirements
can be summarized in Matthew
22:37-39, “You shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with
all your mind. This is the great
and foremost commandment.
The second is like it, you shall
love your neighbor as yourself.”
In fact, the requirement to love
God and others unconditionally
is not possible, outside of
the grace of God living through
us. Relationships are the building
blocks of personality, selfimage
and a sense of worth.
Christ affirms that to love God
and our neighbor is our highest
requirement, which can only
be done through our relationship
with Jesus Christ. All relationships
are important, and by
God’s grace we can be good
managers of our relationships
as expressed in the key social
arenas of life. These include:
•Home - Where a demonstration
of God’s love can be seen in our
consideration of each other’s
needs, kindness towards each

other, and faithfulness towards
our family and self.
•Work - Where a true witness
of God’s grace can be demonstrated
by our diligent work in
service to the boss, whether he/
she be a good boss or not.
•Church - Where the believers
gather in vibrant worship and
our gifts of love, friendship, and
service can be practiced and
celebrated.
Possessions
It is absolutely true that we
brought nothing into this world,
and we will take nothing out of
it. All that we possess belongs
to the Lord; we are merely stewards.
As stewards, we have a
responsibility to:
•Manage with care what God
has given, not to hoard wealth,
or hide talent, but use it for the
expansion of the kingdom of
God.
•Increase what God has given,
for a good steward wants to
show a profit for their labor, thus
providing even more to give as
God directs and provides for the
next generation. (“A man lays
up an inheritance for his children
and his children’s children,”
Proverbs 13:22.)
•Share in the blessings of God
through faithful, Holy Spirit led,
generous, and systematic giving.
It is in this last area that this
article now places its emphasis,
though all of these areas are
important.
Generous Giving
It is the privilege to give. Of
course, in these discussions,
it is necessary to distinguish
between giving and paying, to
maintain clarity. In the Old Testament,
the tithe belonged to
God, so one pays their tithes.
As New Testament believers, all
our activity, including our giving,
must be motivated by faith which
works by love. A believer’s heart,
transformed by the Word of God,
desires to give with generosity,
not through compulsion.
A clear insight into giving is found
in 2 Corinthians 16:2, where Paul
says, “On the first day of every
week, each one of you should set
aside a sum of money in keeping
with his income, saving it up so
that when I come no collections
will have to be made” (NIV).
From this is learned that giving is
to be done on a regular weekly
basis: “On the first day of every
week.” Then, Paul makes it
very clear who is to participate.
No believer is left out. It is allinclusive:
“each one of you.” The
method of giving is by earmarking
a certain amount: “set aside”
a percentage, “in keeping with
your income.” Here Paul gives
the when, who, how and what of
giving.
When? Weekly (regularly) “on
the first day of every week”
Who? Inclusive (no believer left
out) “each one of you”
How? Earmarked “set aside”
What? Percentage “in keeping
with your income”
What about Tithing?
In the first place, tithing as part
of the New Covenant is to be
seen as a principle, not a law of
giving to be feared, or to be used
as a battering ram, forcing God’s
people to be good and give. Our
giving should always be seen as
returning to the Lord that which
rightfully belongs to Him. This
principle (which is a good starting
point for many) designed by
God is not a form of charity, but
a beautiful means to establish
God’s people and His covenant.
One of the greatest joys of the
Christian life is sharing. Deprive
a person the privilege of supporting
God’s work and their
happiness is taken from them.
Generous giving of a tithe or
more is one of the ways to grow
and become stronger as Christians,
for it is recognition of God’s
power.
Money is a physical means used
by God to enhance spiritual
growth. Whenever a Christian
begins to trust the Lord for daily
needs, spiritual growth will be
the result. We are to be a people
of faith instead of a people of
fear whose anxiety level rises
with one’s needs.
When one gives their finances
generously, God blesses. When
one withholds, they limit their
own joy, for there is great joy in
generous giving.
Giving is not only a holy habit,
but a high honor. If all institutions,
as well as individuals
would begin to give generously,
beginning with a tithe as a starting
point, the church would have
all it needs to fulfill the Great
Commission.
God wants us to prosper…and
prosperity, having all we need for
our journey is linked to our soul,
or our thinking, and a key component
of our thinking is that all
we have comes from God, all is
his, he is good, and being generous
demonstrates a heart truly
set on God and his purposes.

Life’s
Puzzle
Pieces
Uncovering God’s
Plan and Purpose for
Your Life
By Kathy Smith

Plans, purpose, and destiny, hallmark terms
used in conjunction with one’s search for significance.
Who am I? Why did God create me?
What is the ultimate reason God placed me here
upon the earth? What is my assignment? We
often have more questions than answers, especially
as new Christians. While this treasure of
truth may appear to be hidden, it is only hidden
for a season. The season will pass, and the truth
will be revealed, to those who search for it with
diligence.
Proverbs 25:2 reads:
“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the
glory of kings is to search out a matter.”
Uncovering God’s plan and purpose for life is vital
to fulfilling destiny. It is the impetus for which we
run the race of life. Running the course and fulfilling
the call leads us to the ultimate finish line. It is
our destiny; to cross the line, to finish the race, and
hear the words of the Father, “Well done!” Let us
begin the search for truth.
A small child approaches you with a large sack
full of various puzzle pieces and drops them at
your feet. He asks, “Can you help me with this?”
The puzzle box has long since disappeared in
the trash, and you have no idea what the finished
product even looks like. While a small puzzle may
be a simple task, a large one with 500 or more
pieces may be more daunting. Having a clear
vision of the expected end makes the whole process
much easier. What picture did the creator
of the puzzle see before he created the puzzle
pieces? The puzzle creator knew what the finished
product would look like even before he or she created
it. So it is with God!
There is intentionality in all that God does. He creates
each of us with a plan, for a purpose, and
an assigned place. Just as the individual members
of our physical body have a specific role to
play, so do the members of the body of Christ. We
often refer to this as our “calling.” According to
Jeremiah 29:11, we have an expected end. God
created each of us with our expected end in mind.
While God knows our end from the beginning, our
personal vision of who he intended us to be, is
often unclear and elusive. Finding our place and
understanding our purpose, is not always easy.
As the teacher of numerous spiritual growth
classes and spiritual gifts seminars, the one question
I am asked more often than any other is this,
“How can I know God’s plan and purpose for my
life?” Often people of all ages and sizes have
no comprehension of what God’s intention is for
their life. The first question I ask my students is
this, “What do you like to do?” Not what you have
to do to earn a living or satisfy the needs of your
family, friends, or peers. What do you like to do
just because you can? If money or circumstances
were not obstacles, what would you enjoy doing
with your life right now and in the future?
Another question I like to ask is this, “What are you
passionate about?” What stirs you heart, either in
a positive or a negative manner? Do your heart
strings tighten just a bit when you see a homeless
man on the street? Perhaps you become passionate
about the victims of abuse. Are you a return
visitor to the mission field? Do you enjoy volunteering
at the local soup kitchen or witnessing to
the lost?
Some people love to search the scriptures and utilize
the wisdom they gain to teach others. Then
we have people with the gift of helps. They don’t
care how large or how small the task may be, they
simply want to help in whatever capacity they can.
Matthew 6:21 says this, “For where your treasure
is, there your heart will be also.” What you are
passionate about is a clue to who you are. Who
you are is a gift from God. Your identity, or your
purpose, is the gift God gave to you. It is his treasure
hidden in an earthen vessel, his vessel. It is
your spiritual DNA.
God Gifted You with a Purpose and Gave You
an Identity in Him.
I remember even as a small child, longing to play
the piano. I begged my mother for lessons. Thinking
this was probably a phase that would soon
pass; my parents decided I would take dance lessons
instead. They took my brother and I to tap
dance lessons for 2 full years, until they realized
that I had two left feet; and I still wanted to play the
piano.
They finally purchased a piano and put it in the

asement so that I could practice. No doubt
they were protecting their ears from any offensive
sounds that may come from my humble beginnings
as a pianist. However persist I did, and
eventually they decided that this was no passing
whim. They purchased a much nicer piano and I
graduated to the living room to continue practicing
my musical assignments. My dream of becoming
a pianist was being realized. I continue to love
playing the piano to this day.
You may be wondering what all this has to do with
finding one’s purpose and calling. Well for me, it
was the first small puzzle piece to my picture of life
in Christ. Another piece to the puzzle appeared
when I was the ripe old age of eight. I had an
english assignment. My teacher, Mrs. Gibson,
insisted that the whole class write letters on a
weekly basis to a classmate who was ill. I did not
know the classmate well, and had no idea what
to write. So, I wrote her a story each and every
week. Little did I know it would birth the craft by
which I would eventually earn a living. By the time
I advanced to high school, I had cultivated a passion
for writing. Creative writing was my favorite
class.
I did not like to speak in front of others, but instinctively
knew that it was a fear that I would need to
overcome. I was determined to conquer the handicap.
I took speech and landed roles in most of the
dramas performed in our high school. I can’t say I
mastered the fear of public speaking at that time;
I did develop a healthy tenacity for doing it afraid.
The last puzzle piece I can relate from childhood
was the desire to become acquainted with the
mission field. Even in junior high, I loved reading
books about missionaries and their work. I volunteered
to work at a local migrant school and spent
the bulk of two summers helping with the children
of the migrants that worked the fields in my community.
Each of these became puzzle pieces pointing to
the future that God had intended for me, even
though I did not recognize them at the time. As
an adult, a desire to preach, teach and write eventually
landed me a job at a Christian University,
doing what? Writing, teaching and preaching;
among a myriad of other tasks that have found
their way to my plate, but that is not the greatest
miracle. God moved me from a career as a nurse
in Ohio, where I had lived all my life; to North Carolina
where I learned the skills I would need to live
life on my own in a big city. Finally, he brought
me to southern California where I am living out the
dream. I am doing exactly what God intended.
That is how the picture of my life began to take
shape, one piece at a time. So, what do your
puzzle pieces look like? What are your gifts, talents,
and desires? If you could do anything you
wished to do and money were not an object, what
would you choose to do?
What do people seek you for? Do you have a
talent or a gift that draws others to your side?
What stirs your heart and causes you to become
alive with passion? Whatever your purpose is, it
is your ticket to a successful life. Success is not
simply about money, but it is about living a fulfilled
life. Success encompasses finance, education,
relationships, career, family, and more. For one to
fulfill God’s plan and purpose, a person needs to
fully understand who they are. It requires a sense
of personal identity.
Habakkuk wrote in Habakkuk 2:2,
“Then the LORD answered me and said, “Record
the vision And inscribe it on tablets, That the one
who reads it may run.”
How can we run our race unless we have a clear
vision of where the finish line is? The finish line
of life is our expected end. A good friend of mine,
Dr. Calvin .Sweeney says, “Run your particular
race with purpose in every step, so that you can
become whatever He’s called you to become.”
How can you uncover the truth of your calling and
discover your purpose? Experiment if need be,
try a few things to see how they fit. Do you want
to teach? Try teaching some kids in the Sunday
school or Children’s Church. You will quickly fall
in love with the kids and teaching, or move on to
find something that suits you better. Do you have
a desire to help out with visitation of the sick or
building projects? Try it, see if it fits. If it does not
seem to be your forte, then try something else.

Another valuable guide is your pastor and other
church leaders. Once they have an opportunity
to get to know you, they can help you find your
place, the place where you fit in best. They can
give you opportunities to grow and mature in your
calling. Don’t hesitate to get some training in the
areas that interest you the most. Studies on spiritual
growth and spiritual gifts are helpful as well.
Find your place. Run your race. Fulfill your purpose.
Once more to quote Paul,
“For the body is not one member, but many. If the
foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not
a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any
the less a part of the body. And if the ear says,
“Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the
body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part
of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where
would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing,
where would the sense of smell be? But now God
has placed the members, each one of them, in
the body, just as He desired. If they were all one
member, where would the body be? But now there
are many members, but one body” 1 Corinthians
12:14-20 NASB
We have each been created uniquely different,
yet we all fit together to become one. That is, we
become one as the body of Christ. But if the foot
said, I want to be an eye, what good would that
do? The foot cannot effectively see any more
than we can walk on our eye. I say that to say how
vitally important it is to discover not only who we
are, but where we fit in to the body of Christ. We
cannot be effective, successful, or happily fulfilled
unless we take our place, discover our own identity,
and run our race accordingly.
So what do your puzzle pieces say about you?
Who are you and what is your purpose? What
is your calling and destiny in Christ? If you have
not uncovered the truth of who you are, isn’t it time
you did?
For more on this vital subject read the book, “Treasures
of the Heart.” You can purchase the book at
Kathy’s website at www.kathysblog.org Kathy
teaches on this subject and others in seminars
and workshops. Contact her at kathyj214@hot-

The 5 C’s
The Philosophy
of
Leadership Development
By Dr. Stan DeKoven
with Jesus, and living by means
of His indwelling life. Thus, this
is the source of Christian leadership,
and Jesus’ disciples led
out of their fellowship with Him:
(Acts 4:13)
Community
The Christian life is personal
union and fellowship with Jesus
(John 17:3). Church life knows
God together. Together the community
of believer’s can experience
God in His fullness. (1 Cor.
12:12-14) Spiritual maturity is a
corporate experience, not just
an individual one. (John 13:34-
35) In the life of the community,
as we love and serve one
another, the daily realities of
our own walks with Jesus are
expressed in our relationships
with one another. Thus, Christian
unity is not a unity of structure,
but of fellowship.
Healthy leaders are effective
leaders. An effective leader possesses;
◦Calling
◦Character
◦Competence
All three elements are found in
the description of King David in
Psalm 78. Just as a stool has
three legs, there are three foundations
of effective leadership;
calling, character and competence.
However, though these
three characteristics are foundation
stones to effective leadership,
there remain two elements
missing in our model: Christ and
Community (Matt 22:35-40).
Christ
For healthy leaders to be developed
in our churches, Christ
must come first! Without Christ
first in the life of the leader, he
or she will never function fully
in the community of faith (Titus
3:3). Frankly, a person’s competencies
are useless apart from
Christ. Without Christ first, the
leader is capable of nothing of
value in God’s eyes (John 15:5).
Jesus’ leadership came from
His union with His Father. In the
relationship between Jesus and
His Father, we are going to find
a parallel to what our own relationship
with God can be. {John
6:56-57} As Paul testified:
“…God…was pleased to reveal
his Son in me…” (Galatians
1:15-16). This is the simple
nature of the Christian life: union
Leaders, too, need healthy communities
around them, communities
that will uphold and
strengthen them, communities
with loving accountability, trust,
and unconditional acceptance,
and communities that will challenge
them to authenticity.
4. The author is grateful for the
seminal work of Dr. Malcolm
Weber on these five keys to
healthy leaders.
In these “safe environments,”
people have the freedom to
be honest and to grow within
boundaries framed by shared
values and common goals.
Such healthy organizational
communities nurture character.
Healthy community forms
the context in which individual
callings and responsibilities are
expressed in order to fulfill the

community’s corporate purpose.
The leader develops in community
(Ephesians 4:13-16); in reality,
we only really mature and
grow as Christians in the context
of community.
Character
No leader will be perfect- other
than the Lord Jesus. However,
leaders reflect God Himself to
men; they must be of the highest
character. The minister’s shortcomings
simply cannot be concealed.
Prayer, meditation, and temptation
make a minister. Martin
Luther (1483-1546) People are
not only motivated to follow by
the leader’s captivating vision or
by his compelling communication
skills, but also by their sense
of the leader’s desire to serve,
his high integrity and consistency.
Character is a “non-negotiable”
requirement. Scholastic
accomplishment neither makes
nor breaks a missionary. It is
but one factor in the complex of
influences which have formed
the man himself.
Developing Character
At the heart of character lies discipline
{1 Corinthians 9:24-27;
Proverbs 25:28} When discipline
matures, a leader is then permitted
by God to give discipline to
others.
True character is formed in the
context of Christ and Community
in these 3 stages:
1. First the emerging leader
submits to discipline.
2. Then, in that context,
internal discipline is built. This is
self-discipline, self-control.
3. Once internal discipline is
in place, God permits him, and
man trusts him, to lead others.
This order cannot be reversed
and none of the steps can be
skipped. Internal discipline must
be in place in the leader before
he can effectively lead others.
A leader does not become one
overnight. He must be tested
first. (1 Timothy 3:10) He must
undergo the preparations of
God. All biblical leaders went
through times of discipline and
character building. Consider:
· Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness
before he was released
as a leader.
· Joseph spent years in prison
before he ruled Egypt
· David lived in the wilderness
for years before he was trusted
to rule Israel
· Jesus’ disciples were all personally
prepared and proven
by Jesus before He entrusted
them with the leadership of His
church. The Lord Jesus Himself
“Increased in wisdom and stature,
and in favor with God and
man” (Luke 2:52), and learned
obedience from what he suffered”
(Hebrews 5:8)
·Paul underwent extensive preparation
before he was finally
commissioned as an apostle.
Thus, Paul instructs us that a
novice should not be given primary
leadership responsibility.
Emerging leaders must be
given time to learn, to be proven,
to learn discipline and to be
broken, in order for character to
be formed.
The emerging leader must learn
to choose accountability. The
word means being answerable
for your actions. People think
of Paul as an independent ministry,
accountable to no one but
God. But Paul was sent out by
the church at Antioch (Acts 13:3)
and he remained accountable to
that spiritual community throughout
his ministry (Acts 14:26-28;
15:2-3, 35-40; 18:22-23) Paul
willingly made himself accountable
to the leaders of the church
at Jerusalem, from whom the
gospel had initially come (Acts
21:17-26; cf. Gal.2:2). Accountability
is central to character and
to effective leadership.
Healthy leaders will be accountable
ones! A top leader who does
not presently have a relationship
of accountability built into the
system of his community should
seek an outside relationship of
accountability.
Calling
A leader must have a calling
and a vision from God or else he
would be wise not to lead (James
3:1). Strong calling must not be
disconnected from a deep surrender
to and relationship with
Christ. Christ comes first!
A true calling comes from God.
Then it becomes the leader’s
own vision; something he can
share passionately with others.
In addition, the calling must be
submitted to community. Today,
man-appointed leaders look
upon spiritual leadership as a
profession or a career.
True leadership will be appointed
by God. Leaders will be aware
of the call of God on their lives.
They may fight or deny the call
for a while, but they will still know
God has called them
One’s individual calling will be
the result of a very complex

interaction between the following
elements in the leader’s life:
◦Personality
◦Culture
◦Gender
◦Age
◦Physical condition
◦Leader/manager orientation
◦Genes
◦Life expectations
◦Relationships
◦Role models
◦Mentors
◦Family heritage
◦Current family
◦Spiritual gifts
◦Motivational gifts
◦Ministry gifts
◦Formal education
◦Training experiences
Thus, there are not only 5 callings
(e.g., Ephesians 4) but an
almost infinite number of callings
that match each individual
perfectly in the purposes of God.
A divine calling to lead establishes
the leader’s purpose, passion
and commission. Without a
clear understanding of his purpose,
the leader will not accomplish
much. Leaders must have
a clear purpose for their leadership
and this purpose must be
established by God.
In the leader’s life, there will be
a specific time of divine commission
when he is set apart
for the work to which God has
called him. This commission
was given by the Holy Spirit Acts
13:4; cf. Matthew 9:38; 1 Corinthians
1:1; Galatians 1:1; Deuteronomy
31:14) in the context
of the authority structure of the
church (“they placed their hands
on them and sent them off”, Acts
13:3; cf. Acts 6:3-6)
Thus, the calling comes from
God and is then confirmed by
the community. Remember this;
authority does not come from
gifting; it comes from the commission.
As you are faithful in
what He gives you to do, God
might expand your field of ministry
(Luke 16:10). Paul faithfully
taught for years before receiving
his apostolic commission.
Competency
Many Christian leaders fail due to
a lack of competency. They have
a good knowledge of the Bible,
but they have never learned how
to lead people or manage the
practical aspects of an organization.
Other leaders do have good
strategic and technical abilities
to lead, but they lack sound biblical
knowledge. They are able
to build a large, and apparently
successful church or ministry
but they lead it into spiritual
error. Again, the issue is inadequate
competencies (2 Timothy
3:14-17). Paul told Timothy
to choose elders who had some
basic organizational competencies
(1 Timothy 3:4-5). This was
in contrast to the false leaders at
Ephesus who did not know what
they were doing (1 Timothy 1:7).
Thus, the leader must “know
how” to do it.
A future leader also needs experience
in ministry before he is
commissioned. His spiritual
community is the safe context
in which he should “practice” as
he grows as an emerging leader.
As the leader matures he will
experience changes in task and
responsibilities. There are many
kinds of competencies that are
necessary for leaders to have.
Essentially, the individual’s calling
defines his necessary competencies.
Competence is the
last part of our model of a healthy
leader. It is absolutely necessary
that a leader have strong competencies.
Conclusion
Perhaps now more than ever,
we need healthy, spiritual leaders.
Leaders are never perfect,
but they can be competent, or as
Paul put it, adequate for every
good work. (2 Cor. 3:5)
Dr. Stan DeKoven Ph.D., MFT
is the founder and president of
Vision International University.
He travels extensively both in the
United States and abroad teaching
and ministering to the body
of Christ and training the next
generation of Christian leaders.
Contact him at sdekoven@
vision.edu or visit his website.
Stan E. DeKoven, Ph.D., MFT
Founder and President
Vision International University
1115 D Street
Ramona, CA 92065
760-789-4700 X103
Fax: 760-789-3023
www.vision.edu and
International Training and Education
Network
1672 Main St., E109
Ramona, CA 92065
855-355-4836 (ITEN)
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itenetwork
“The Whole Word to the Whole
World”

The
Road
Ahead
By Tony College
Be willing to go fast or slow
don’t be afraid to step out in
faith and godon’t be afraid
to hear His voice and know
that you knowjust stay close
to Jesus and follow God’s
offer of salvation to us is
not an invitation to church,
but rather it is an invitation
to a relationship with Him.
Going to church fits into the
framework of our relationship
with God, gathering with our
brothers and sisters to enjoy
each other and enjoy our
Father, our Dad. The focus
is relationship. God’s offer is
relationship. God, even before
creating humankind was
three in one, a holy eternal
relationship called the Trinity.
When we are born again by
placing our faith in God and
the finished work of Christ,
we enter into a family, we now
can know God intimately and

hear his voice (John 17:3, John
10:27). God has the best in mind
for us in every aspect of life and
He wants to lead us into the work
environment that he has in mind.
This is where thing can get blurry
if you let it. They are waiting to
know everything that God has for
them before stepping towards
it, others say that God’s will is
whatever you want to do as long
as you follow biblical standards
for your life, still others believe
that God does have a plan, but
wants to do it with you, step by
step, Him being your guide on
this journey of life. Let us take a
look together at these viewpoints
regarding how to know if you are
in the work environment that
God wants for you.
Analysis Paralysis
If you have went to church for
any amount of time, you have
likely heard something along the
lines of “God has a plan for your
life”, and what a beautiful truth
that is. The problem is that many
times we do not know what that
plan is, or we have a glimpse, but
don’t know where to start. Some
people are even afraid to move
forward in life because they “do
not know what God’s plan is”. So,
they stay in an environment that
they don’t feel good about, afraid
to go anywhere else. This is a
good time to mention that God
can “turn the bitter waters sweet”,
meaning that God can redeem a
negative work environment, like
what happened for the Israelites
when they were drinking the
bitter waters of Marah. God had
Moses put a stick in the bitter
water and the water turned
sweet, ready for the Israelites to
gulp down and be refreshed by.
When we put the cross of Jesus
into a bad situation it can turn
sweet very fast. What does that
look like? Going out of your way
to honor a dishonorable boss,
repenting to your co-workers
for speaking badly of authority,
choosing to not speak in the
moment when angry words
are bubbling up, making peace
with anyone in whom you are
in conflict with at work, buying
everyone coffee, thanking God
for your boss and co-workers,
these are all ways to bring the
cross into your work situation. It
may seem like doing those things
are very counter intuitive, hard
even, but if you push yourself to
“honor all people” (1 Peter 2:17),
there are great rewards, for your
heart and potentially in your work
environment.
There was once a farmer who
heard of diamond mines being
discovered in Africa. After
hearing stories of people getting
wealthy, he decided to sell his
farm and move to Africa to
search for diamonds. He never
found any, but the man who
bought his farm came across
something shiney one day by the
stream at the farm. After picking
up this half-shiney and halfmuddy
object, he cleaned it off. It
was a diamond. One of millions
that were under this farm. If the
previous owner of the farm - the
man who moved to Africa in
search of diamonds - took time
to investigate and make the best
of where he was, his life would
have been changed forever.
Making choices from a place of
frustration feels very justified,
especially in the moment, but
we risk carrying that bitter spirit
to our next work environment
instead of inviting Jesus in to
make the current environment
sweet, or atleast make it sweet
so we can leave with a pure
heart if it is time to move on.
One of the most important things
to understand in this area of
God’s will is that: God’s will is first
for relation not vocation. I believe

God has a vocation in mind for
you (Ephesians 2:10), but the
number one thing on His heart is
His relationship with you. From a
place of union with God we can
then be lead to where He would
have us to be. Like train cars
hooked up to each other, where
one goes the other one goes,
they are united. We are moved
by what or who we are united to
(at many levels, including soulish
connections). Being united with
God is of utmost importance to
going where He would have you.
After all, God wants you to do life
with Him, not just for Him. Doing
life with God, being a co-laborer
with God is what he has in mind
(1 Cor. 3:9). What would happen
if we believed this with all of our
hearts: “I will never leave nor
forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5)?
How would we live life if we were
truly aware that God is in us, with
us, is our teacher, and our guide,
wanting us to live surrendered to
his loving lordship because he
has the best in mind for us, for
our good and His glory?
“God’s Will Is Whatever As
Long As You Are Living By
Biblical Standards”
There are many who believe
that you can do whatever you
want in life, as long as you are
living by biblical standards. If
you are “following God’s rules” in
business, you can participate in
any vocation field that you want.
After all, God does promise to
give us the desires of our heart
if we delight in him (Psalm 37:4).
The desires of our hearts tell us
a lot. Jesus asked people “what
do you want me to do for you?”
(Mark 10:51). He also invited us
to desire with this offer: ““Ask and
it will be given to you; seek and
you will find; knock and the door
will be opened to you” (Matthew
7:7). God has intimately created
us with specific desires and
giftings that “make room for
us” (Proverbs 16:18) and lead
us in life. Many good-intending
people kill their hearts desires
because they believe their heart
is deceitfully wicked. God says
that in Christ we have a new
heart though, a circumcised one
(Ezekiel 26:36, Romans 2:29).
We must crucify our flesh, but
not our deep true heart, our deep
true self. We must control and
harness our feelings, but not kill
them, not dismiss them. What we
do with desire is often what we
do with our heart, and above all
else we are to protect and guard
our heart (Proverbs 4:23), not
kill and dismiss it. It is a beautiful
thing when a hardened religious
man has his heart awakened to
desire again. All good things flow
from the heart, from creativity to
romance, love, joy, peace, and
much more. So, “listening to your
heart” is of utmost importance.
After all, that is where Jesus
lives (Ephesians 3:17). If we
are to follow biblical standards
though, we must include this one
“My sheep hear My voice” (John
10:27). To do life with a Bible, but
without Jesus is scary - Jesus
rebuked the pharisees for such
a thing (John 5:39). To bear the
fruit that Jesus has in mind for
us, we must continually abide
in Him and his love. Without
Him, we can do nothing (John
15:5). This brings us to the third
viewpoint.
Doing Life With God
The question at hand is “how do
we know if we are in the work
environment that God has in mind
for us?” That’s the billion dollar
question. Is there a scripture that
will tell us specifically for sure?
No, I don’t think so. So, how do
we know? We get to hear from
God Himself. That’s right, we get
to hear from God and be lead into
his green pastures for us (Psalm
23:2), sheep who hear our
shepherds voice (John 10:27).
God speaks to our hearts, he
leads us by His peace (Isaiah
55:12), and He’ll use people,
especially authority in our life
to confirm it. God never speaks
anything that is contrary to His
word, and having His peace (not
a guilt or foreboding when you
think you’re hearing him) is so
important. Sometimes God will
show you years down the road,
but it always comes back to the
present moment where he leads
us step by step. Psalm 119:105
tells us that “Your word is a lamp
to my feet And a light to my path.”
It is usually not a floodlight, God
usually leads a step at a time as
you walk this journey of life with
him. Maybe He leads one step
at a time because He wants us
to be aware that we are doing
this thing with Him. If we will
only trust Him and follow, He’ll
make our path straight and He
will do exceedingly abundantly
more than we could ever ask
or think. God’s heart is for you.
He loves you. His invitation is
“will you follow me?”. Accepting
that invitation, though it may
seem risky, is the safest thing
to do. Safety is not the absence
of danger, it is the presence of
Jesus. He who started this good
work in you is faithful to carry it
on to completion and your best
days are ahead of you!
“The path of the righteous is like
the morning sun, shining ever
brighter till the full light of day.” -
Proverbs 4:18

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Ministering
in the
Workplace
By Chris Schmidt
“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” (Matthew 9:37)
There is no question the world is a fallen place and it seems like it is getting worse
every day. This should not surprise the Christian. After all Jesus spoke about the end
of the age and the things that must pass prior to his return (Matthew 24).
As the grace of God is slowly withdrawn from creation as a whole, societies and culture
will continue their downward spiral. There is nowhere more evident God is turning
sinners over to reprobate minds (Romans 1) than in the business world.
People are in need of salvation and there is no better place than that in which you
spend one third of your life. The modern day corporate culture is replete with sin on
many levels. Employees gossip to, and about one another. There is lying and cheating
on a grand scale. Many managers and those in position of higher authority are
stealing from their own corporations. Does anybody remember Enron? Corporations
are now affirming, tolerant, and increasingly protecting sinful behavior like abortion
and homosexuality as a right. There is increasing incidents of religious discrimination
against Christians as well as those of other religions, too.
When it comes to their faith, Christians are encouraged to keep silent and turn a blind
eye to all that is happening around them for risk of losing their job. To minister to coworkers,
does there have to be the “in-your-face” evangelism? No, that is the wonder
of it all, all you have to do is work like a model employee and that is enough. So, how
does a Christian in the workplace begin ministering to co-workers?
Prayer
Before ministering to co-workers, the first thing to do is to go to God in fervent prayer.

Pray for grace, guidance and
wisdom to be Christ-honoring
visual and vocal witness in the
workplace. Pray that God provides
sets up the ‘divine” appointments
with those co-workers,
managers, supervisors, or anybody
else receptive to receiving
the great news of the gospel. In
your prayers, seek to communicate
to God that it is through
his will that you be used as an
effective ministerial tool. Pray for
strength and courage to seize on
any opportunity to demonstrate
the light of Christ within you.
Also, pray for the Holy Spirit to
be your constant companion and
guide as you step out in ministering
to others at work.
Be sure to pray for your perceived
enemies (Matthew 5:43-48). It
is easy to pray for blessings for
those with whom you have no
quarrels. But praying for those
who do not like you or those you
do not get along with is a bit different.
Pray for your managers and
supervisors who seem to harbor
ill-will towards you whether it is
for being Christian or not.
Understand Them
When a Christian places their
faith and trust in Jesus Christ,
they are made into a new creature.
Essentially “reborn” and
their heart of stone replaced with
a heart of flesh. The Holy Spirit
comes to reside with them, convicting
them of the awfulness of
sin and the need for repentance.
For the impenitent sinner in the
workplace, the desires of the
world (“flesh”) are what controls
their thoughts and actions which
are at odds with God. “The mind
governed by the flesh is hostile
to God; it does not submit
to God’s Law, nor can it do so.
(Romans 8:7) When it comes to
the things of God, sinners have
no capacity to comprehend their
desperate condition.
Why is this so? The sinner does
not possess the Spirit of God to
convict them of sin.
“The person without the spirit
does not accept the things that
come from the Spirit of God but
considers them foolishness,
and cannot understand them
because they are discerned only
through the Spirit.” (1 Corinthians
2:14)
Commanded and Commissioned
We are commanded by Christ
himself to be witnesses for
him. The apostle John writes in
his gospel, ‘And you also must
testify, for you have been with
me from the beginning.” (John
15:27) As the apostles were witnesses
to the ministry of Christ
when he was in the flesh 2,000
years ago, so must we be witnesses
today for Christ if we
believe in the veracity of the
bible. Jesus also taught us that
we go out and teach all that he
taught. “Therefore, go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing
them into the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit, and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded
you.” (Matthew 29:19-20)
When we minister to others
we are being obedient regarding
the things that Jesus commanded.
As a creature with
limitations and finite capacity,
and God being omniscient, he is
the only one who knows who will
be saved. Therefore, you are in
partnership with God spreading
the good news regarding Christ.

And you may never know the
outcome, but since grace was
extended to you, we are called
to do the same to others.
Know that God Provides
When the fullness of faith and
trust is placed in the hands of
the God, then there is no worry
that when the time to witness to
your co-worker you will be short
of things to say and how to say
it. This is probably one of the
top reasons why Christians fail
to witness in the workplace. It is
the fear of what words will be the
right ones. How do I say it in the
perfect context? Can I remember
that scripture verse exactly?
Well, God provides for his people
and Matthew provides some
assurance when he writes, “Do
not worry about what to say or
how to say it.”(Matthew 10:19) It
is important to know Christians
cannot speak any special words
or say things in any way that will
have any power to convert the
unbeliever. “Just say whatever
is given to you at the time, for
it is not you speaking, but the
Holy Spirit.” (Mark 13:11) And
when the unbeliever hears those
words there is no debate, “For I
will give you words and wisdom
that none of your adversaries
will be able to resist or contradict.”
(Luke 21:15)
Be a Good Servant
Be a joyful servant and always
remember “Whatever you do,
work heartily, as for the Lord
and not for men, knowing that
from the Lord you will receive
the inheritance as your reward.
You are serving the Lord Christ.”
(Colossians 3:23-24). You
always be putting your best foot
forward and performing all your
job duties to the best of your
abilities. Whether you know it
or not co-workers are watching
you. They want to see how the
“Christian” will manage when the
boss asks for you to put in some
overtime or take on a little extra
work. Be punctual and courteous
to all.
No matter what the work conditions
are like and what may be
asked of you (so long as it is not
illegal. Unethical, or unbiblical),
“be subject to your masters with
all respect, not to the good and
gentle but to the unjust” (1 Peter
2:18) No matter what job it is,
there will be points in time when
you must work with supervisors
who do not have your best interest
at heart. What better way
to demonstrate integrity and a
strong work-ethic. Do not be lazy
or complacent. You are serving
the Lord. Let people see it.
Maintaining Humility
Serving Christ requires humility
and it is no different in the workplace.
You want to be kind and
generous with a humble heart.
Do not seek take the glory or
credit for how successful you
are at your job. If you are part of
a project team, be a source of
encouragement and take a submissive
role. Do not try to exalt
yourself but let others be exalted.
It is easy for the sin of pride to
creep in and the team environment
can be rife with rivalry.
“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit,
but in humility count others
more significant than yourselves.
Let each of you look not only to
his own interests, but also to the
interests of others. Have this
mind among yourselves, which
is yours in Christ Jesus, who,
though he was in the form of God,
did not count equality with God
a thing to be grasped, but made
himself nothing, taking the form
of a servant, being born in the
likeness of men…”(Philippians
2:3-11)
Transparency and Truthfulness
Nobody cares for a hypocritical
Christian. But people love Christians
who can be honest, open,

and truthful about their lives. A
good way to minister to a coworker
whom you don’t know
very well is to share some innocent
and intimate detail about
your life. It doesn’t have to be
something extremely private.
Perhaps take a chance and talk
about some of your hobbies or
a recent trip. When you demonstrate
your willingness to share,
you gain trust with the co-worker
and before you know, they may
reciprocate. It is possible they
are open to discussing spiritual
matters.
Christian Holidays
There is no better time to minister
to an unbelieving co-worker
than a Christian holiday such as
Christmas or Easter. Since these
holidays are focused around the
birth and resurrection of Christ
and most unbelievers know that,
it represents an ideal time to let
the conversation about spiritual
matters flow. A company Christmas
party lends itself to initiating
a spiritual conversation. If your
church or some other church is
having a seasonal play or music
concert, invite a few co-workers
to attend with you. It is a nice
way to have a good time with
colleagues and is an ideal environment
to start a conversation.
Do You Have Company?
There is no need to go it alone.
There may be other believers in
your office with whom you can
establish partnerships. It may
come as a surprise how many
other Christians in your workplace
are already ministering to
their colleagues or, just like you,
are looking to begin speaking
with others but do not necessarily
know where to begin. Pray
about it. Ask the Lord to show you
others in your workplace that will
be a source of encouragement
and support in your quest to minister
to other employees. Know
there are others near, who just
like you, are called to witness to
their fellow co-workers. Think of
Elijah when he thought he was
alone, God reserved thousands
“who have not bowed the knee
to Baal.” (Romans 11:4)
Understand Policy
As you begin ministering in the
workplace you may connect with
other believers and be exposed
to the fruits of your hard work
by seeing some of your fellow
non-believers come to saving
faith in Christ. Now, you decide
you may wish to form a small
worship study group within your
office. Be sure to understand
what your company policies and
procedures are before doing so.
Speak with your managers or
your company personnel department
for clarification. There may
be limitations on using company
resources (conference rooms,
phones, supplies, etc.) and the
times when you can hold such
meetings.
Persecution
There will be times when coworkers
with whom you speak
who may be hostile to you. You
may face opposition from others
who have different belief or faith.
Perhaps they have no faith at
all. Be aware that persecution
in the workplace is a reality and
Jesus taught to expect persecution.
Depending on the circumstances,
you may face discipline
or be fired over it. However, if
you are careful and prayerful
about how you witness to others,
and discerning in responses, the
likelihood you will face open hostility
is limited.
Prepared for an Answer
So far you have been a light for
Christ for the workplace. You
have established relationships,
earned trust amongst your coworkers,
celebrated holidays
with them, socialized with them
before and after work. Now
comes the moment when someone
walks up to you and asks,
“Why are you so friendly to us?”
Stay late with us? Literally, go
out of your way for us? What is it
about you? Now let the words of
the Apostle Peter ring loud and
clear, “But in your hearts honor
Christ the Lord as holy, always
being prepared to make a
defense to anyone who asks you
for a reason for the hope that is
in you; yet do it with gentleness
and respect,” (1 Peter 3:15) And
let God do the rest.

Workplace
OR
Home?
By Braden Becknell
T
he question of the decade for Christian
women seems to be whether a woman
should work or stay at home to raise her
children. The answer is different for every
person which makes this a much harder question
to answer than just saying yes they should or
no they shouldn’t. Yet, at the same time, some
women in the workplace feel like they are making
a sacrifice at the risk of their children. The only
way to seemingly deal with the guilt is to quit your
job, stay at home, and simply raise your children
in the way you see fit. However, this also brings
along some guilt as you are no longer contributing
to the source of income and instead depending on
your husband to support the family. Which could
place strain on the relationship. In order to follow
the Christian teachings of the Bible it is necessary
to analyze and study the scriptures that are related
to this topic and the women in the Bible. There is a
reason the Bible is called the Living Word, people
could read the same verse or section of verses but
come out with different things and understand it to
mean different things. There is a reason there is
only a few women in the Bible that are discussed
in great detail and it’s not because they didn’t exist.
One of the most famous passages of scripture in
the Bible for women is Proverbs 31, you might’ve
heard of it as the Proverbs 31 Woman. It is the last
chapter of Proverbs often titled as the Epilogue, the
Wife of Noble Character. In verse 13, it states that
“she selects wool and flax and works with eager
hands.” This verse has been used multiple times
to state that a woman should work even if she
has a family including children. Yet, in the same
manner it is easy to say that she could be making

“Whatever you do,
work at it with all your
heart, as working
for the Lord, not for
human masters. It is
the Lord Christ you
are serving.”
clothes for her family, especially considering the
time period. It also doesn’t specify what work the
woman is doing, it could range from chores around
the house to going out to work for a business.
I’m going to skip a couple of verses here, not
because they aren’t important, but because they
speak more of providing food for the family, which
isn’t related to what is in question. In verse 17 of
Proverbs 31 it goes on to say “She sets about her
work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.”
This can be interpreted in dozens of ways. No
matter what the work is, in any setting, the woman
works energetically and wholeheartedly seeking
out to do what is expected of her and more. This
correlates with Colossians 3:23a-24,
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as
working for the Lord, not for human masters. It is
the Lord Christ you are serving.”
As well as the song Do Everything by Steven Curtis
Chapman which goes on to say that no matter what
you do, as long as you do it to honor and glorify the
Lord then it is well. Continuing on with Proverbs
31, in verse 27 following the personality traits of
the woman, declares that the woman “watches
over the affairs of her household and does not eat
the bread of idleness.” It is often disputed over
the definition of idleness in this context as to what
it was supposed to mean written in the original
Hebrew.
There isn’t one specific way to deal with such a
broad topic, even with scriptures, it can often be
hard to decide which path is the correct path for
you. Just as in 1 Corinthians 12, there are different

spiritual gifts people have. Differences are what
make us unique, just as everyone isn’t called to
do the same thing. Some people are called out
into the mission field, some people are called to
be teachers, CEOs, and into other fields. Although
it is debated as to how many spiritual gifts are
specifically named in the Bible, there are twenty
different Greek words used in the main passages
dealing with spiritual gifts. Some examples are
prophecy, service, teaching, faith, knowledge,
wisdom, tongues, evangelism, hospitality,
and martyrdom, just to name a few. There are
thousands and thousands of ways to implement
and use these spiritual gifts. Some people are
called to the workplace while others are called
to stay at the home simply based on The Lord’s
calling for their life which is often aligns with the
spiritual gifts, desires, and passions that He lays
on your heart.
In order to thrive in the workplace or at home, it
must be understood that everyone has a different
job in the Body of Christ. To presume a roll that is
not in line with The Lord’s will is simply just to deter
when it will be accomplished. In remembrance
of our childhood, let’s remember the story of
Jonah and the Whale (or the fish, whatever your
preference). Jonah fled from what The Lord asked
of him and even jumped on a boat heading in the
opposite direction. While on the boat, a terrible
storm came up and the sailors on the ship started
throwing things overboard to lighten the load as
well as to appeal to their god. Finally, after some
thinking, they threw Jonah off of the boat and
into the stormy seas where the whale swallowed
him whole. The reason I am telling you this is
because not everyone realizes what The Lord’s
plan is for their life and some people even ignore
it completely to do what they want to do. However,
the fish was smarter than Jonah as it did what
The Lord told it to do by Jonah. Whether or not
the realization came when reading the story, but
eventually Jonah did what was asked of him after
The Lord got his attention. Maybe that’s what led
you to read this article.
Thriving in the world is only temporary as there is
no definitive definition of the word thriving. Some
people find success when they are surrounded
by people while some people find success when
they have completed a good day’s work. Very few
people, if any have the same definition or view
of success. Thousands of people seek out one
thing after another just to feel successful in their
everyday life. Once you’re a certain size, then
you’ll be successful. Once you have a decent size
savings account, then you’ll be successful. We
have these thoughts all the time, these doubting
and hesitant thoughts placed in our hearts to
discourage us and distract us from what really
matters. To thrive, whether as an at home mom or
in the workplace, depends on your state of mind
and what is your passion behind what you do.
Working because the thought of people judging
you is daunting is not the right reason. You can do
the right thing for the wrong reason or the wrong
thing for the right reason. Either way, it’s what your
life is made up of and what you feel the Lord has
called you to do.
There’s no query that raising children isn’t an
easy venture whether it be a mom that stays
home or goes to work. Guilt is a large portion and
tract when it comes to motherhood. Some moms
feel embarrassed for returning to the work force
while other moms feel uncomfortable because
they can’t come up with the money for fancy and
name brand clothes or vacations when they give
up their salary. Staying at home to raise your
children can also carry on depression because
countless women don’t anticipate the physical and
emotional distress that comes with it. One of the
main worries facing mothers who want to stay at
home with their kids is finances and other money
related things. Changing from two incomes to one
puts tension on thousands of families every year,
particularly if the budget is already tight. You can
most likely make it work, but it necessitates some
strength. You’ll need to take into account and
realize the expenditures associated with being
employed, including child care, which for some
working moms refutes their take-home salary.
Staying at home to raise kids is tremendously
rewarding for most moms. However, it also
creates the possibility and risk of damaging as
well as sabotaging their current and future career
path. Being out of the workforce for several years
can make it difficult for some women to return to
work once the kids go to school full time. In many
different professions, things change quickly and
you might be way completely out of the loop by
the time you’re ready to go back. To make sure

that any future career or vocation, keep up with
the changes and fluctuations that happen in your
field, stay in relatively constant communication
with former coworkers and consider volunteering
part-time as another way to stay connected and
keep your name out there among the community.
Megan Dalla- Camina, the author of Getting Real
About Having It All recently created a survey about
women in the workplace titled “Getting Real About
Women AT Work”. After finalizing and analyzing
the results she had this to say about her new and
unique survey in regards to women and their ability
to achieve a style of life they desire.
“Seventy percent of the women that I surveyed are
really struggling with a couple of things. They are
struggling with the ability to put their careers and
lives together in a way that works for them, and
they’re also really struggling with their well-being.
Forty percent of the women that we polled said
they are hanging on by a thread, and 10 percent
of those said they just can’t get out of bed in the
morning.”
With these recent results, it is obvious to see that
the debate about whether or not a woman should
stay at home or go to work. These difficulties
are nothing new for working women or people in
general. This thought process and the decisions
included will always be around no matter what
may come up. That’s why it is necessary to remain
in a close intimate relationship with The Lord in
order to hear His voice when He speaks. It’s also
necessary to understand that while it may seem
like He isn’t listening, it may just be Him teaching
you patience or trying to teach you to lean more
steadily on Him to satisfy and fulfill all your desires.
As encouragement, I decided to end this section
with some scripture that are powerful in meaning
and will hopefully lead to a better understand of
The Lord’s plan for your life as well as keep you
confident in any decision you make in the future
whether it be about working, staying at home, or
any other decision you may face in the future.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your
heart and lean not on your own understanding; in
all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make
your paths straight.”
Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will
strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with
my righteous right hand.”
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for
you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you
and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and
a future.”
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I
give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be
afraid.”
John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that
in me you may have peace. In this world you will
have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the
world.”
2 Timothy 1:7” For God did not give us a spirit of
timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of selfdiscipline.”