LifePoint LIVE » Larry Potter

I’m a Mess, Most Christians Are!

Larry Potter — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:33:31 +0000

Not long ago I was asked my thoughts on the verse in the Bible “must be above reproach” which is one mandate for Christian leadership found in 1 Timothy 3:2 (NIV) For those of you that don’t know I have a grandson named Isaac. Isaac is 2 years old and his favorite sentence is “It’s a mess”. And He is right because he usually made it. A couple days back, and I don’t remember the reason for his statement, maybe it was because of the way I was dressed but he said,“papa you a mess”.

Yes, as hard as it is to admit especially as a pastor of a growing and exciting church like LifePoint, I’m a mess. I’m a follower of Jesus Christ, but not a very good one. I love God more than anything else, but I don’t have it all together. My deepest desire is to live a life just like Jesus Christ, but in all reality sometimes I’m successful at it and sometimes I’m not. I pray and I read the Bible but I know I should pray and read more, but I don’t always do that. As hard as this is to say I don’t have life all together. I am flawed, broken, incomplete, under construction, unfinished, unfixed, a work in process, I’m a mess.

By the way I am not alone when it comes to being a mess; I am in good company or bad company, depending on how you look at it…Noah the drunk, Moses the murderer, David the adulterer, Eli the screwed up priest, Samson the lustful hunk. The disciples were not exactly models of discipleship either, or should I say they were models of real discipleship. Trouble is, over the centuries we’ve tried to make them something they weren’t. The real disciples were inconsistent, erratic, confused, frustrated, afraid, had doubts, and argued with each other. IMPORTANT: Don’t forget most of them “messed up” while in leadership positions!

That’s very encouraging because if what I just described is a real discipleship of Christ while being a leader, then I can be one

We can address problems, we can clean up the particular mess we’re in, but we are all still a mess, still imperfect and flawed. We can do better, but we’ll never be perfect. That’s the truth. That is reality. And, for some reason, the church doesn’t like to admit it.

Now don’t misunderstand me, a person’s life style and relationships provides a window into their character. If have a lifestyle of being honest, not stealing, not cheating people, not a drunkard, then I would say you are living above reproach. Remember our life style (not one mistake or even one act of sin) provides a true look at the person we are. Sometimes it is easy to confuse “living about reproach” with “living above sin”. If that were the case why would we need Christ? The fact remains according to God we are all “a mess”, “For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NIV). As old fashioned at it sounds, it is only when we have the blood of Christ applied to our lives can we truly say we are “above the mess” because when God looks at us, he sees the blood of HIS SON, not our faults. So with all that said, for my life I have concluded that being a Christian, and even a Christian leader is not about getting rid of the mess (being sinless), it’s about living a life with Jesus being present in the midst of my mess. Pastor Larry

Those Christians sure act crazy! (Follow Up to “GET REAL”)

Larry Potter — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 12:10:22 +0000

“These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!” Acts 2:15 (NIV)

Have you ever been to a new place and felt confused about what happens there? I remember going to a dinner theatre called “King Arthur’s Court” somewhere in Florida. The waiters dressed weird, talked with really bad English accents, and served the whole bird when ordering chicken. I had no idea what was happening most of the time

At Pentecost (Acts 2:1) when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and they spoke in different languages, they acted differently; people thought the disciples had been making some early morning grape dacaries. So Peter had to stand up and explain to guests that they were not drunk but had been filled with God’s spirit.

So we need to realize the next time when a new person comes to church, they feel the same way about the regular attenders. The way the people associate with each other and how the service runs is so different to anything they’ve ever experienced. And unfortunately most of the time it’s not because the congregation members are so filled with the Holy Spirit that they seem different! It’s usually because the church has locked itself into a particular way of functioning and no one outside of the church knows how it works. As Christians we need to “GET REAL”, start living a relevant, engaging, and authentic life, in our communities and in our churches.

Pastor Larry

Leadership Thoughts: “The way you spend your time, is a measure of your worth”

Larry Potter — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:34:18 +0000

Regardless of your position in society, your job status, the amount of money you make, who you know, or any of the other factors in life that affect us each day, one thing remains consistent—everyone is given the same amount of time each day.

Each one of us chooses how we are going to spend the precious gift of time we have been given each day. As a leader we set the example for others. When it comes to time—Choose wisely!!!!

Thank you for the Christian leadership you exemplify each day.

Sid Spiva

Administrator

What Does A Godly Leader Look Like?

Larry Potter — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:39:04 +0000

As Christians we are to not only display but live out Godly leadership qualities (although you may not see yourself as a leader) This morning I was reading my daily Bible study from Nehemiah 1:1-8 in “youversion” I came across the following commentary. Although I am aware of all these principals, the following brought clarity and gave me a check list as to the respondsibilities a Godly leader looks like.

It might help you, check out the following and you may even want to save it

Pastor Larry

In Nehemiah 1-2

1. A godly leader has a concern for the people and purposes of God.“…Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem.” (1:2)“When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days…” (1:4)“Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses…” (1:8) Nehemiah did not ask about Jerusalem and the Jews just to make small talk with the visitors from Judah. It is clear that Nehemiah, like Daniel, knew the Scriptures and the prophecies about the Jews’ return to their homeland. His despair at the bad knews came from both a genuine concern for the well-being of his countrymen, and a knowledge that things were seemingly not going according to God’s plan laid out in Scripture. Nehemiah’s rise to action flowed not from a self-seeking, power-hungry spirit, but a spirit that was seeking to obey God and care for his people. 2. A godly leader prays before he acts.
“…and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” (1:4) Nehemiah did not rush into action upon hearing the bad news about Jerusalem. In fact, about 4 months passed between his hearing of the news in chapter 1 and him approaching the king in chapter 2. These 4 months were not time wasted, but rather time spent in prayer discerning what God would have him do. Martin Luther is credited with saying, “I have so much to do today that I should spend the first three hours in prayer.” It is our nature (especially for men) to try to spring into action and DO something to solve a problem. Often, it is best to pray about a situation before acting on it.

3. A godly leader uses his position in life to his advantage.“Now I was the cupbearer to the king.” (1:11)
“…wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. So the king said to me, ‘Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.’ Then I was very much afraid.” (2:1-2) As the king’s cupbearer, Nehemiah had unique access to the one person with the authority to move his plan along, and Nehemiah (and God) used that to his advantage. The fact that Nehemiah was afraid of the king’s question means that he probably had not planned to approach the king in this way, but he recognized that God had given him an opportunity, and he seized the moment to exploit his position. 4. A godly leader gives proper respect to those in authority.
“I said to the king, ‘If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you…’” (2:5) Nehemiah gave honor to the authority God had placed over him even though the king was a Gentile. We are to do the same to the leaders in our government even if we do not share their religious or political beliefs. Nehemiah’s respect for the king may have been a reason why the king looked favorably on his cause.5. A godly leader has a specific, detailed plan.
“So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time. And I said to the king, ‘If it please the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go.’” (2:6-8) When I was growing up, I knew that if I wanted to go out with friends, I would need to tell my dad all of the details: where I was going, who else was going, what adult supervision there would be, what time I would be home, etc. I quickly figured out that I was more likely to receive permission if I had all those details worked out before I went and asked my dad if I could go. Nehemiah does a similar thing here. He had all the details worked out, and gave the king a definitive plan of action. People will put their time, effort, and money behind a plan that is well-thought out and detailed. Yes, God may step in and change our plans, but that does not mean we should never make any.

6. A godly leader is careful with whom he shares information.
“And I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God was putting into my mind to do for Jerusalem and there was no animal with me except the animal on which I was riding.” (2:12)“The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; nor had I as yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials or the rest who did the work.” (2:16) One of the effects of living in a democratic society is that everyone thinks they have the right to know everything. Even in a church (especially in one where the congregation makes decisions), people think they need to know everything the leaders do. Such a situation, however, is not always practical. Leadership at times is privy to information that needs to stays confidential. In Nehemiah’s case, the fact that he was facing opposition made it necessary to be tight-lipped. He may not have known who he could trust to keep his confidence. Such discernment about sharing information is a quality to be aspired to.

7. A godly leader stands firm in the face of fear and opposition.
“So the king said to me, ‘Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.’ Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, ‘Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?’” (2:2-3)“But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard it, they mocked us and despised us and said, ‘What is this thing you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?’ So I answered them and said to them, ‘The God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem.’” (2:19-20) Nehemiah had every right to be afraid of the king question his mood. Displaying negative emotions before the king was a capital offense. Yet Nehemiah boldly explained himself to the king and requested his assistance. The opposition he faced as the rebuilding began is reminicent of the opposition faced by Noah when he was building the ark. Nehemiah was seen as conducting a fool’s errand according to human perceptions, but he was confident in the knowledge that he was peforming God’s will. If we are living according to God’s will and God’s word, we will undoubtedly face opposition from the world. It is our response to that opposition that betrays how confident we are in God’s plan and promises. May we stand firm in the knowledge that if God is for us, who is against us? (Romans 8:31)

God, LifeGroups, and Our Responsibility

Larry Potter — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 01:11:12 +0000

Hey all,

I hope this finds each of you well. Several of us were very blessed to attend an amazing conference this past Wednesday and Thursday. The speakers asked some very tough questions that got me thinking.

We are very priveleged to be the leaders of our Life Groups. God has given us an incredible responsibility to lead people closer to Him. This is not an easy task, and certainly not one that should be taken lightly. God has also called us, most importantly I believe, to disciple those around us, to create the next generation of leaders who will continue His work. In light of this, I want to ask you the following questions:

1. At LifePoint our mission is to “Lead people into a deeper relationship with God”, what are you as a leader doing to accomplish this task? How much time are you devoting to preparation for your weekly meeting? How much time do you spend in prayer for each of you group members?

2. Who are you training to be the next leader in you group? Have you chosen an apprentice? How are you discipling this person?

Sorry, I know that was more than 2, but I really believe you as a leader should be able to answer these questions. If you can’t answer them, take time over the next 48 hours to develope a plan so that in 2 weeks you can answer them. I love and appreciate each of you so much.

I also want to remind you that God is truly amazing!!! I challenge you to remember, and thank God everyday that you are His child. I feel we often forget this as we go through our day to day lives, but we are each a child of God. How incredible to have such a loving, encouraging, disciplined parent to watch over us. Just think of how much you love your children, or the children in your family, it seems impossible that someone could love us more than we love those children, but God does. God loves us on a level that we will never, while on this earth, be able to comprehend. We are precious, adored children of God!!

Love you all,

Jackie Daley, Director Of LifeGroups