Guts
I just wrote an article for Catalyst Monthly. Should be in next month's issue. I'm not sure exactly how to say this--don't have my mind wrapped around it yet. And it probably won't come across as very academic. But one of the most over-looked and under-appreciated dimensions of great leadership is guts.
Yesterday I preached about Jonathan climbing a cliff while Saul sat under a pomegranate tree on the outskirts of Gibeah. I love Jonathan's modus operandi in I Samuel 14: Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. It took guts to climb that cliff. But a little bit of guts saved the nation of Israel.
It took guts for Benaiah to chase a lion. For the normal person, the gut reaction would be to run away. But Benaiah made a gutsy move--he chased the lion. And it changed the course of His life.
Great leaders are gutsy! It takes different shapes in different arenas. But gutsy leaders dare to be different. Gutsy leaders challenge the status quo. Gutsy leaders refuse to play it safe.
And no one was more gutsy than Jesus! He wasn't afraid of offending Pharisees; touching lepers; washing feet; defending prostitutes; or befriending tax collectors. In the words of Dorothy Sayers:
To do them justice, the people who crucified Jesus did not do so because he was a bore. Quite the contrary; he was too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have declawed the lion of Judah and made him a housecat for pale priests and pious old ladies.
I just have this growing conviction that what the church lacks is guts. We need more leaders with the spirit of Jonathan; the spirit of Benaiah; and the spirit of Jesus. We need more leaders who climb cliffs, chase lions, and throw Temple tantrums!
It's not enough to have the truth in our minds. It's not enough to have the truth in our hearts. We've got to get the truth in our guts!
It takes guts to share your faith. It takes guts to tithe. It takes guts to pursue a God-ordained dream. It takes guts to lead a small group. It takes guts to confess your sin. It takes guts to follow Christ.
Praying for guts!
Yesterday I preached about Jonathan climbing a cliff while Saul sat under a pomegranate tree on the outskirts of Gibeah. I love Jonathan's modus operandi in I Samuel 14: Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. It took guts to climb that cliff. But a little bit of guts saved the nation of Israel.
It took guts for Benaiah to chase a lion. For the normal person, the gut reaction would be to run away. But Benaiah made a gutsy move--he chased the lion. And it changed the course of His life.
Great leaders are gutsy! It takes different shapes in different arenas. But gutsy leaders dare to be different. Gutsy leaders challenge the status quo. Gutsy leaders refuse to play it safe.
And no one was more gutsy than Jesus! He wasn't afraid of offending Pharisees; touching lepers; washing feet; defending prostitutes; or befriending tax collectors. In the words of Dorothy Sayers:
To do them justice, the people who crucified Jesus did not do so because he was a bore. Quite the contrary; he was too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have declawed the lion of Judah and made him a housecat for pale priests and pious old ladies.
I just have this growing conviction that what the church lacks is guts. We need more leaders with the spirit of Jonathan; the spirit of Benaiah; and the spirit of Jesus. We need more leaders who climb cliffs, chase lions, and throw Temple tantrums!
It's not enough to have the truth in our minds. It's not enough to have the truth in our hearts. We've got to get the truth in our guts!
It takes guts to share your faith. It takes guts to tithe. It takes guts to pursue a God-ordained dream. It takes guts to lead a small group. It takes guts to confess your sin. It takes guts to follow Christ.
Praying for guts!
10 Comments:
Well said, Mark. The Church has somehow become infected with gut-less wonders who are very good at criticizing the risk takers. I'm thankful for leaders like yourself who are willing to not only storm the gates of hell, but can fend off the "friendly fire" from the critics within the church.
Hey Mark, go for it. I love your stuff. Keep leading the charge. I wish it wasn't so far from Australia to the US or I'd love to drop over and shout you lunch and hear more of your heart for ministry!
You said it! I want more "guts" for Christ. Dearest Jesus I pray in your Holy Name for lots of guts just like you had, your kind of guts all the way, Amen
That's right on, Mark. The Church has turned what it means to be a "Christian" - gutsy risk-takers that never quit working for Jesus, and that occasionally have to "shake up the joint" - into a settled, "reasonable" person that is "nice" and "tame" that defies doing anything out of the box or courageous. And Donna, we all need to be praying that prayer!
Keep it up, Mark!
Read a good wee book over Christmas which talks about this, and in fact I think it used that same quote. The book's called 'The Jesus of Suburbia" by Mike Erre.
Thanks, Mark, for the reminder. I would love to re-publish this article to your credit, of course, on my blog - Man Words - www.manheart.org/manheartblog. I would love to use it to let men know that it takes guts to be a Christ-like man. Feel free to email me at mike_shipp@comcast.net.
Thanks again for the reminder.
Mike,
Use at will :)
Mark
Wow! This is exactly where my thinking is at the moment.
I love the song by Mercyme 'I would die for you' especially the lyric 'you never you're alive until you know what you would die'. That is the challenge want our young people to take on.
To do it will take guts, courage, bravery - call it what you will. Only those who dare to be different can make it. Check us out at www.planetyouth.co.uk
Mark,
This has certainly struck with me. I shared it with my department and have received a number of appreciative responses. Thanks for continuing to issue the challenge to grab the life the we are given in Christ. Given what we are in the middle of right now this has really hit home.
Mark, what I like about your comments is how it makes me think of the many aspects of soul-searching Christianity which require guts. It can be sharing one's faith, it can be refusing to let politicians ask Christian to support one issed elections, which actually detract from Christ's love and roar.
I just ordered your book, take care
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