J.R. Lee

In Malachi 1 the Priests are getting blasted for lackluster leadership.  In a complicated sacrificial system, the Priests had been allowing the people to bring their leftover, jacked-up animals to the temple instead of the award winning kind that were capable of winning a blue ribbon at the county fair (do they still have that stuff?).

The problem was that since the Priests were to be a type of standard bearer – their willingness to bend the rules caused the people to have a distorted perception of God.  2nd rate giving (our gifts to God reflect our attitude toward Him) became the norm and ignoring the issue was much more convenient than confronting the problem.

God didn’t take this lightly…¹⁴ “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great King.”

If He didn’t take it lightly – than neither should we.  God deserves our best – so whatever your bringing – bring your best.  He is a Great King!

I am going to be traveling this afternoon to Charlotte for THR3E.  It’s going to be a great event.

Pastor Steven and the crew from Elevation have already made a substantial investment in my life personally and in the life of Freedom Church.  I am grateful for the relationship we have with those guys and look forward to what God has in store over the next 24 hours.

Not to mention, it’s always fun traveling with Michael and Gary.    I foresee many interesting conversations in our future!

Since I am on my way to Unleash as you read this – I figured I would let you know one additional event that I am very excited about…

I’ve been extremely privileged to have some phenomenal leaders pour into my life.  One of those leaders is Pastor Steven Furtick.  He has been a friend of mine and Freedom Church since before we even began.  I’ve spent hours on the phone or at a restaurant with him and I always walk away extremely challenged.Pastor Steven is a “capacity increaser” in my life and actually serves on our Board of Overseers.  He is the real deal.

The story of Elevation Church is one that can’t be explained by anything short of the favor of God.  It’s unreal what God is doing!  If you lead a church (whether old or young), make it a priority to attend their one day event called Thr3e.  So rather than asking me to hook you up for a meeting – take advantage of this opportunity and do yourself a favor – and get to this one-day event.

I had a great time last week with Bishop Jim Bolin.  It has been 25 years since he started Trinity Chapel and they continue to reach several thousand people in the community of Powder Springs.  Here are a couple of his thoughts…

• “Anointing and power attract.  If you don’t have safeguards in your life than it is the recipe for the perfect storm.”
• “Build bridges.”  Help people get to the place that God desires for them to be – one step at a time.
• “Don’t get comfortable with success. As your community develops and changes – you will have to re-invent yourself in order to reach those who are far from God.”
• “Keep your stories and help people remember how you got to where you are.”
• “Never short-change the power of God and never stop celebrating the Awe of God.”
• “Jesus is more than a principle to follow!”

If you are a church planter/pastor/staff member of a church – he made an unbelievable statement that I will never forget.  The funny thing is that I can’t write it on the blog.  It’s a variation of the three most common temptations and it is good stuff.

If you want to know what it is – let me know and I will tell you.

I very rarely repost something that someone else has written, but I couldn’t help myself with this one.  Pastor Steven knocked this one out of the park.  Here it is…

One of the most devastating effects of sin is the way it strips away our confidence.

I think it’s impossible for a pastor to confidently lead his congregation to trust God for the unknown while he’s nursing known sin in his life. 

Many fathers are unable to fully lead their families to seek and worship God because they’re aware of their own hypocrisy…and it strips confidence away layer by layer.

Unconfessed sin will chip away at your confidence until you find yourself backing down from Christ centered challenges, and settling into survival mode. 

Walking in purity activates a boldness that enables you to follow Jesus with a holy swagger.

Be pure…and be bold.

1 John 3:21
Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.