The Church at Grace Point Leadership Podcast

S2:E12

IT FACTORS: - if you want your ministry to have it, more important than anything else, we've discussed, you must have it - As we increase, it decreases  - God is what you need and is the answer to your problems  - If you think you can buy it, you've already lost it - You might need to start with the confession, "I've lost it. I've taken my eyes off the prize. I've been distracted from a wholehearted pursuit of Christ." - Ask God to give it back - To get it back, do the things that brought it before  - God will help you find what you didn't mean to lose  -When you become comfortable and complacent in your relationship with God, you'll lose it. Comfort is the enemy of faith. Without faith, it's impossible to please God - Your greatest limitation is often your mind. Your body can do more than your mind can understand - Let God stretch you. Attempt what others say can't be done. You have more in you than you realize. God has put more in you than anyone else sees. Ask God to stretch you. As he does, you might start to find it again.  - If you want to keep it, ask God to ruin you. Expose yourself to something you know will move you. Feed the hurt. Let it grow. Let it bother you. Invite it to overtake you. God loves to give it to ruined people. - To be healed, we have to first admit the ways we're sick or in need, you might have to face something you've stuffed, ignored, or rationalized for years. Are you ready to confess your need?

S2:E11 Chapters 11 &12: Getting It Back and Guarding It

IT FACTORS: Chapter 11: Mindset over Model -Churches without it often think the solution is changing their church's style. It's not. The issue is not the model; it's the mindset - The church must be people focused and Jesus centered. Most Christians would say they are. We need to live it out in our actions and in our teachings - The church must allow for in-process conversions. We know that transformation is a process, and so we give people room to doubt and ask their questions -Instead of being angry when someone is slow in making spiritual progress or takes a step backward, we choose to believe this might be part of the process - We need to have the same patience with people that God has with us - We need to help people know they are needed and known Chapter 12: Creating Systems That Empower It - Goals do not determine success. Systems do - We don't have people problems. We have system problems - Strong systems make good people look great. Weak systems make great people look bad - Systems create behaviors. Behaviors become habits. Habits drive outcomes - Healthy systems never happen by accident - Never underestimate how God can start something big through one small habit - The ultimate it is faithfulness

S2:E10 Chapter 10: Kingdom-Mindedness

IT FACTORS: - The more possessive and competitive we are, the more divided we become - A kingdom-minded ministry is more about what God is doing everywhere than what God is doing right here - If you are kingdom minded, you will speak well of and promote other churches and ministries - A kingdom-minded ministry is generous and hungry to partner with others to get more done for the glory of God - When you have it, you know that it doesn't belong to you. It belongs to God. He gives it. Since it is his and not yours, you're willing to share it - The more you try to keep it, the less of it you tend to have. The more you are willing to give it away, the more of it God seems to give - Kingdom-minded churches ask, "What do we have that we can give away?" and, "How can we partner with other ministries to grow God's kingdom?"

S2:E9 Chapter 9: Hearts Focused Outward

IT FACTOR: - When we love deeply, love makes us do things we wouldn't otherwise do - To have it, we have to care about those who are far from God. Many people don't - We need to recognize that our friends desperately need Jesus - When our churches look inward instead of outward, we're basically saying to nonbelievers, "You can just go to hell." - Outreach is a team event, and we each have a part to play - Be careful not to blame yourself if someone rejects Christ. If you do, you might be tempted to take credit when someone accepts him - Love overcomes any obstacle. we need to be willing to do whatever it takes to reach people who are far from God - We need to have the faith to clearly share the gospel story and expect people to respond

S2:E8 Chapter 8: Willingness to Fall Short

IT FACTORS - Failure is not an option. It is a necessity - If you're not failing, you've stopped dreaming. You'll eventually stop learning and you will stop growing. those who have it fail often - It is impossible to please God without faith, which means we have to risk - Sometimes the fruit of your steps of faith is measured not so much by what God does through you as by what God does in you - Failure is often the tuition for success (adapted from Walter Brunell) - Debrief after you fail so it becomes a learning experience - If you're breathing, God's not finished with you - If you've failed, you have learned something others haven't and are in the perfect position to try again and succeed - Great leaders learn the art of failing forward - The pain of regret is often greater than the pain of failure. So get out of the boat