New Series of 2012

I have constantly prayed and thought about what kind of topics should I express to the readers of this blog called Leaders for Today, Tomorrow, and Forever.  This upcoming week on September 23, I will be starting a new series by answering the question, "What kind of man does Christ expect me to be as a leader?"  There are many answers to this question that we can discuss to one another but some of the topics I will be discussing to the readers of this blog will include A Man of Obedience, A Man of Faithfulness, A Man of Truth, A Man of Belief, A Man ready for Battle, and so many other topics that I will be discussing while answering the question to the best of my ability.  I encourage you who are readers of this blog to keep reading and see what God's Holy Word has en stored by answering the question, "What kind of man does Christ expect me to be as a leader?"  However, I also encourage the readers of this blog to share these articles to those who may not know of this blog and to those who may not know who Jesus Christ claimed to be in this world.  As you read these blogs, I pray and I hope you grow spiritual in your walk with Our Heavenly Father by being a follower of His Son, Jesus Christ.  May the Lord bless you and keep you in all that you do so that we can accomplish to do the Father's will. 

Retaliation or Forgiveness?

On Wednesday nights since the beginning of September 21, 2011 a show would appear on television that would pick up as one of the greatest drama shows of all time.  This show would be called Revenge where a young girl will seek at nothing to take revenge on those who framed her father for murdering people.  One by one she would either kill or run them out of town to narrow down the top prospect.  As the days and weeks went by of her vengeance, she would soon come to realize that this was getting out of hand and she needed to stop before someone she cared about would get hurt.  Emily knew she was a leader in her own ways of taking revenge, but she had no idea that she was unaware of being the kind of a leader that would not strike back at nothing.  Just like in this example, anybody will do something to you that you did not deserve in the first place.  They will always keeping pestering you or bullying you around until you strike back.  The people who keeping bothering you are looking how your going to respond their actions.  Do you remember what Jesus said If this kind of situation would occur in your life?  In the Sermon of the Mount, Jesus talks about retaliation in verses 38 through 40.  It says, "You have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.  But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right check, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also."  Let's break down these three verses.  In verse 38 in the bible, the phrase is italicize because the term was used in the Old Testament.  So what did this phrase mean in the Old Testament?  It meant that anybody who bulled or bothered someone, the person who was being pestered would retaliate because of what he or she was doing to them.  There was no law for anyone not to seek revenge on someone at all.  It was legal or permitted.  But then all of sudden,  Jesus comes to this earth and has brought us this new law to live under by His standards.  He says in verse 39, do not resist or take vengeance on a person who does evil on you. 


In Romans chapter 12, explains a lot more If you get into this kind of situation.  In verse 14, it says, "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse."  So what did Paul mean when he said this?  Paul was a man who persecuted the church and followers of Christ back in his day.  When he became a disciple and apostle of Christ, he is telling us this very thing because he did the exact same thing and he wants us to learn from his example.  In verse 17 through 19, Paul simplifies the whole point of retaliation.  It says, "Never pay back evil to anyone.  Respect what is right in the sight of all men.  If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.  Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.  Before you think about taking revenge on someone, remember to "leave" room for God to repay vengeance on them.  We get so got up on what he or she did to us and we just take it into our own hands.  The next time your about to take vengeance on someone, remember that "The Battle Belongs to the Lord."  Remember that this is the Lord's fight and leave it in hands of God.  Another common verse in this subject matter is found in Matthew 5:10.  It says, "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  You will be persecuted or bullied for doing what is right no matter what.  In Matthew 5:40, says if anyone slaps you on your right check, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.  So keep turning your check to them.  This is the right thing to do in this kind of situation your dealing with in your life.  Your no better than the person who is taking vengeance on you.  So keep giving your coat to them.  To finish up this thought for today, the last verse in Romans 12:21 says, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Do not retaliate of their evil actions towards you but fight their actions with forgiveness!  Your probably asking yourselves, what do you mean by that?  I mean when they do evil towards you, pray for them and ask for forgiveness on their behalf.


Did not Jesus do the same thing when he was on the cross?  When he was hanging there, he looked up towards the heavens and said, "Forgive them Father, for they do not know what they are doing."  He was right!  We were hanging and killing the Son of God who died but also saved us from our sins.  He was asking for forgiveness for what we were doing to Him.  This is how we are suppose to act when someone is either bullying us or bothering us instead of retaliating to their actions.  Jesus did not retaliate when we did not know what we were doing.  We should take Jesus' example and not retaliate on the people who do not know what they are doing.  It will come to them in their own lives when they think of the person who they bullied in their life and realized that they should not have done that at all.  So instead of retaliating back, forgive them at all costs no matter what they do!  So I will leave the question up to you.  You can either choose to retaliate or forgive the person that is doing evil towards you.  Choose your decision carefully!  I will end with this, in Luke 6:36, it says "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."  If your Heavenly Father can be so forgiving of all yours sins that you have committed in your life, can you not forgive someone If they did evil towards you?  I encourage you to make the decision to forgive and not retaliate to seek vengeance on someone.  Be a forgivable leader to those who have sinned against you so that you may lead from the inside out. 

A Honest Men of God

It is so hard to tell the truth or even to hear the truth from someone.  Somtimes we do not usually get the truth.  We usually hear a lie to cover up something that someone has done in order for them not to know.  When we hear a lie from our best friends or from our families, it makes you wonder a couple things.  It makes you think you do not have trust from this person or they are ashmad to tell you the truth because of how your going to react to his or her lie.  My question is, why do we have to tell lies to one another when the bible says that we must become honest men of God.  Jesus defines the perfect example on how to be a honest men of God.  First, let us look at how Jesus told the truth.  He told the truth to his disciples throughout his three years of ministry.  He taught them everything that they needed to know in order for them to begin the church and to be able to change the world through the teachings of Jesus.  He took it a step further by telling them illustrations or parables in order for them to better understand what Jesus was trying to get to the moral of the story.  Unlike Jesus, humans today can not tell the truth to one another.  Sometimes our minds will play tricks on ourselves thinking we can tell lies.  For instance, when someone would ask a question where were you when you got home, we usually tell them a lie because we do not want them to know where we truly were.  Then they would ask more and more questions about where you were, and you still had to keep telling lies in order to cover the before lies you just told them.  Eventually, you would end up in a hole full of lies.  In Proverbs 12:22 it says, "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal faithfully are His delight."  We need to know now that lying to one another not only hurts the person who your lying too, but also to God.  God wants a honest men to live faithfully according to His purpose.  Jesus told the truth to men in order for us to listen to what he had to say.


 We must be able to listen to the truth after hearing from the truth. Before they heard Jesus tell the truth about the last days on this earth, He told his disciples what he was going to build, a place where His people can come together every first day of the week in unity to worship the Father.  This very same place back then and called today, is the church.  Jesus said to Peter in Matthew chapter 16, starting in verse 18, "...upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven..."  When his disciples saw Jesus suffer in pain before they hanged him on the cross, dying on the cross, and rising three days after His crucifixion; his disciples knew they had listened to the truth the whole time when they finally saw the truth at hand.  After when Jesus left this earth and ascended into heaven, the twelve disciples became the twelve apostles. They had listen to Jesus speak the truth for three years and watching it all come true.  Now it was the time for the twelve apostles to speak the truth about Jesus the Son of Living God, telling each and every individual that a man came here to die on a cross for your sins so that you may have eternal life.  We need to listen on what God has to say on every subject matter in able for us to tell the truth everyday.  Read his words, learn from them, teach them, and bring it to life when you speak the truth and nothing but the truth.


After when Jesus told the truth and the disciples listen to the truth, they were finally ready to speak the truth.  On the day of Pentecost, Peter standing from the twelve (vs. 14), preached the first gospel sermon in front of three thousand people.  In verse 37, they were pierced to the heart because of what Peter had preached to them about a man named Jesus who died on a cross for your sins and telling them you crucified Him.  The people new that they had to be speaking the truth and not lies, because they were eyewitness 50 days ago.  In 2 Peter 1:16 says, "For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty."  Do you know what this verse is saying?  They did not make up a story about a man coming to earth being a savior to mankind.  All of His disciples were eyewitness of what Jesus did by telling them the truth about everything they needed to know, they followed him everywhere he went to listen to the truth day and night, and they were finally ready to speak the truth to the world because of what Jesus said to them before his last days on earth (Matt 28:18-20).  


In conclusion, we need to get a better understanding of not being able to tell a lie to our friends or even our parents. Remember the story in Acts chapter 5 about Ananias?  He had sold a piece of his property but he kept some of the money for himself.  He brought some of it back to lay it down by Peter's feet but he asked him in verse 3, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?  While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own?  And after it was sold, was it not under your control?  Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart?"  Listen careful to these next words what Peter told him, "You have not lied to men but to God."  Before we are fixing to tell a lie to someone about a situation or whatever the case may be, remember what Peter said to Ananias.  He lied not only to Peter, but lied to God!  As Christians, we can not lie to Our God!  Before Joseph was about to lay in bed with Potiphar's wife, he said to himself, "How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?"  We must ask ourselves this question every single time we are about to tell a lie but also to other sinful actions we are about to commit in our lives.  I like to leave a challenge for you after when you have read this blog.  In movie Liar Liar, a man would lie every single day to get out of every situation.  Whether it was at work or at his home, he would lie no matter what the problem was at that time. Until, his little boy wished that his dad could not tell a lie for one day at his birthday party.  The little boy's wish came true and his father could not tell a single lie that day.  My question for you is, Can you go one day without telling a lie?  This is the challenge I have for you today.  How can men of God lie to one another.  Let us be honest men of God so that we may be able to lead from the inside out. 

Importance of a First Impression

You may ask yourselves what does a first impression have to do with being a leader? Some say that it has to do with building relationships or just stepping up to meet someone for the first time.  People have different views about this kind of subject and many others today.  It takes the average person today thirty seconds to make a first impression to someone they have never met before.  I believe there is only one person who made the greatest impression of mankind and it did not take him thirty seconds.  This man was Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.  What kind of first impression did Jesus make when he was here on this earth?  If you don't remember at all, let me refresh your memory on what he was talking about to his disciples on the Sermon of the Mount.  Jesus talked about nineteen different things or life lessons that we can take and learn how to be Christ-like.  He talked about the Beatitudes, what we should be in this dark world, fulfilling the law, fixing problems against our brethren, not committing adultery, divorce, meaning what you say, not taking revenge on someone, loving your enemies, being able to give, how to pray, fasting, storing treasures in heaven, quit worrying about life, two directions in life, bearing good fruits and not bad fruits, and being a wise man instead of a foolish man. 

 But in Matthew 7:28-29, is the most important verse of all when he finished on what he said to his disciples.  The verse says, "When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law."  It wasn't because of who he was speaking to on the mountain, but on how he was speaking to them.  He was speaking to the twelve as If he had already knew that these were the men who were going to change the world.  In Matthew 4:19 it says, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  In other translations, it says I will send you out to fish for people.  The reason that Jesus used the term "fishers of men", is because he was comparing the people in the world as fish and the men were the twelve disciples who were going to "catch" other leaders to lead His church or kingdom.  There is a connection between what Jesus said in Matthew 16:18-19 and in Acts 2:14.  Jesus said to Peter, "On this rock, I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."  Pay very close attention to verse 19.  "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven..."  I believe that this verse was foreshadowing to the verse in Acts 2:14.  It says, Peter stood up with the eleven, and he raised his voice to them about what Jesus taught them and about how Jesus died for their sins. 

When you see the word standing up, that should tell you he was being a leader by stepping up from the eleven and preaching a sermon to a crowd about Jesus.  In verse 37, they were cut to the heart because it was their sins that put Him on the cross.  When they listened to all these things, three thousand souls were baptized that day and they were having fellowship of breaking the bread.  Peter made a good first impression in front of a crowd just like Jesus did from the Sermon of the Mount.  Once we see someone make a good first impression, we may think in our heads that we want to be just like him or her because of what they just did.  Jesus and Peter gives us two perfect examples of what a good first impression is and how to give a first impression.  Remember this, you must be a follower before you can be able to lead.  Once you can be able to lead, then you will be a person leading from the inside out.

A Heart for the Lost

The third and finally aspect for being a leader is having a heart for the lost.  Have you ever lost something that was so important to you in your life?  Have you ever lost a family member or a loved one that you truly miss all the time? Sometimes a family would walk into walmart or target and would shop around until they got everything on their list that they needed.  All of sudden their son or daughter would wonder off somewhere and they would be lost.  The parents would constantly be looking all around the store trying to find their own child.  If they couldn't find them on their own, they would usually get help from other people or even over the intercom saying "Alex or Rachel please come to the front of the store, your parents are looking for you."  We can all relate to this same situtation as the family representing the Church, the lost son or daughter being a lost soul in the world, and the intercom being God calling for the lost to come to him.  In Matthew 9: 35-36 it says, "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like a sheep without a shepherd."  The reason Jesus felt compassion for them is because he felt sorry because they had not heard the gospel preach to them.  Jesus was never too busy for a lost soul.  Sometimes we are always so busy or so distracted by the worldly things that is upon us and we dont even notice that their is a lost soul. We see many sheep without sheperds to guide them and to teach them the way, the truth, and the life.  As Christian leaders, we need to remember our Saviors' heart on how he acted towards the crowd.  This means we need to pray and allow our hearts to be broken over those souls who are lost.  We need to start getting out of our comfort zone and reaching out to the lost so they can be a part of God's family.  In Luke 15, we see three different stories about the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son.  All of these stories have the same theme that is hidden in each of these texts.  One of you found your lost sheep, the women found her lost silver coin, and the father found his lost son.  Everything these people lost they found what they needed and what they were searching.  When the people found what they were looking for, they rejoiced because it was lost and now it is found.  This is how we need to act when we seek a lost soul that has been found.  We need to be rejoicing with all of our hearts and lifting our voices to God. 


On June 10, 2005 there would be a missing part of our family chain that would never be repaired.  My father had sudden past away and I would never be the same.  Ever since he had past, I didnt know what to do in my life or how I was going to get past this horrible nightmare.  I was attending this church called North MacArthur church of Christ, when a guy named Steve Minor put a bible in my hands one day.  Me and my mom have been studying the word and learning what God wants from us all.  On December 16, 2008 I was baptized into Christ for the remission of my sins.  As I kept studying his word through my daily walk with God, I asked myself "Why did a loving and caring God take away my father?"  I had study this subject so much that I believe this is the reason.  The reason that God took my dad away, is because he wanted me to know who he really is and to know that he exist.  When I was living in Texas, I didnt grow up in a christian home.  I didnt know anything about the bible.  In my life I didnt know I was lost but now Im found, I was blind but now I can see, I was sick but now I am healthy, I was poor but now I'm rich, and I was dead but now I'm alive.  I was just like that lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son until my Heavenly Father found me when I needed him.  I want to challenge and encourage everyone who reads this post today to have a heart for the lost.  If Jesus can have compassion on those who have not heard the gospel yet, why can't we show them mercy?  Ask yourself this question, "What hard thing can I do today that will have an eternal impact for the sake of the gospel?"  We need leaders who have a forgiving heart, a passionate heart, and a heart for the lost so that we may be able to lead from the inside out.

A Passionate Heart

Whenever I see the word passion or passionate, I always think of the word love.  When people have passion or love for something in their lives, I believe they desire something or it has interests for them.  We all have some sort of passion that we truly desire in our lives, but first we have to make sure what is our first love.  It could be money, drugs, or even sports that can be our first love.  None of those three things or even anything can compare to the love that God has given us.  God must be our first love!  When God is no longer our first love in our lives, our leadership lives are in danger.  It is so easy for Christian leaders to allow other things to become our first love.  If we are going to be leaders in this world, then we must have passionate heart for God and for the sake of the Gospel.  In Matthew 22:36 we see a lawyer asking a question to Jesus, which he was tempting or testing him, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"  Jesus answered him and said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."  This is the first and greatest commandment.  In verse 37, Jesus says the second one is just like it, "Love your neighbor as yourself."  What is Jesus saying here?  He is saying that If you have love for the Father, you must have love for one another.  Love your brethren just as Christ loved the Church.  Love the Church just as Christ loved you.  If you want to be a leader of Christ, then you must serve him daily and faithfully in your life.  We need to make sure that God rules over our hearts so that they may beat passionately for him.  When his glory is our joy, when our hearts beat with his, when he rules with no pain, we grow healthy as leaders.

This week I had bought a book called Playing with Purpose by Mike Yorkey.  This book is about three certain quarterbacks that has already played college football.  The players in this book include Sam Bradford from Oklahoma University, Tim Tebow from the University of Florida, and Colt McCoy from the University of Texas.  Sportswriters called these three amazing quarterbacks the "Holy Trinity."  I believe the author choose the title of this book, Playing with Purpose, is because all three of these Christian athletes were playing for something during their college days.  Whether that might be a National Championship or a Heisman Trophy.  These players were always hanging out and having fellowship with one another because they had God in their lives.  They always gave back the glory to him each day they stepped on the field and they knew that without having passion for the game, they would not have the passion inside them to win the game.  Sam, Tim, and Colt are leaders off the field and on the field.  They will always be leaders inside and outside of the Church.  Just like them, we must be leaders willing to lead from the inside out.  If we are going to lead like Jesus, we must allow the dangerous power of love to fill our hearts.   I know being a leader can be hard and scary sometimes, but with a passionate heart for God we can do all things through Christ who strengthen us.  God calls us to do hard things in this world but we must live up to the hype of leading in his Church.  Ask yourself this question before you start living a life of leadership, "What hard thing can I do today that will have an eternal impact for the sake of the gospel?"  I want to challenge and encourage you to have a passionate heart so that you may lead from the inside out.  I know its hard to live a life of leadership, but it only takes one step out of your comfort zone and you will be on your way of becoming a leader.