Moses on leadership (the prerequisite of brokenness)

A friend (Ken) and I met for lunch last week and decided to begin reading the book of Exodus together and to keep one another accountable for a few things:

1. Daily Bible reading (one chapter a day)
2. Exercise
3. Sexual purity
4. Our witness to those outside of relationship with Jesus

So, a few days in I read the familiar story of Moses' encounter with God at the burning bush.  However, it felt like I was reading it for the first time as God spoke afresh to me.  

Here is an excerpt from my journal:

Exodus 3 - July 8, 2017

1. Moses spent 40 years tending flocks - a very lowly job for a Hebrew, especially one born a prince of Egypt.
2. The angel of the Lord appears to Moses in flames of fire from within a bush.  What caught Moses’ attention was that even though the bush was on fire, it was not consumed.
3. God gets Moses’ attention, and once he comes over to look God calls him by name.
4. Moses is warned to not come any closer and to remove his sandals as God reveals himself as holy and the God of his fathers.
5. God says that he has come down to rescue Israel from their oppression in Egypt and to bring them into a good and spacious land flowing with milk and honey AND that he is sending Moses to Pharaoh to bring them out.
6. Moses first objection, “who am I?”  God’s response, “I will be with you”.
7. Moses second objection, “what if they ask me your name?”.  God’s response, “Tell the Israelites ‘I AM' has sent you.  Also say ‘The LORD’ has sent you."
8. God tells Moses that when Pharaoh does let them go (after he compels him) they are to ask for silver and gold on their way out and “plunder the Egyptians”.

Humility comes before honor.  In his arrogance Moses attempts to rescue the Israelites through his own wisdom and power.  He fails utterly and is cast out - defeated and dejected.  God works on Moses for the following 40 years as he tends his father-in-law’s sheep (not even his own sheep) on the far side of the desert.  By the time God calls Moses and commissions him to lead Israel out of slavery into freedom, he doesn’t believe he can lead.  His dreams have died.  He has accepted his life as an ordinary man who once had a big dream but now doesn’t have much to offer.  He allowed fear to push out faith.

In the early days of Lighthouse (the church Sandi and I planted in the late 90s) I was that young Moses.  The dream was huge - we were going to plant a church of global impact.  The influence our church exerted for the gospel locally and beyond was literally going to start a ripple effect that changed the world.  Within 3 years that dream was dead in my heart, and soon after the church started a decline it would never fully recover from.  Like Moses, I didn't want to lead again...ever.  Leadership, especially church leadership, was a painful reminder of not only my own failures, but worse yet, the ways I suspected God had failed me.  God’s goodness and greatness lingered under a cloud of suspicion in my heart as I limped away from personal and professional burn out and tried to pick up the pieces.  

My first ever encounter with Mike Breen (founder of 3DM) was a smoldering bush.  When I heard him say in 2011, “If you build churches you may get disciples, but if you make disciples you will always get the church" it was like God saying to me, “take off your shoes, this is holy ground”.  Once again, God called me by name.  Once again, God sent me and promised to go with me.  And, like Moses, I wavered.  Fear had pushed faith aside; I didn’t believe I could truly lead.  

It wasn’t enough for me to know that God would go with me.  Like Moses I wanted a partner, someone to share the load, the heartaches, and the joys.  By this time I was all too aware of my weaknesses and limitations.  Deep down I wanted to go for it - but there was one person I needed with me heart and soul - Sandi.  If God was honestly going to rekindle the dream of deeply penetrating gospel impact, he would first have to heal and restore both our relationship and our partnership.  And that is exactly what he began doing in 2012, and the reason we moved to Pawleys Island, SC in 2013.  We are 5 years into that journey - and God has revealed afresh his goodness and greatness to my heart.  It hasn’t been easy, far from it.  But, it has been good.  My 15 years in the wideness (which felt a lot like exile) has changed me.  I trust God has built enough humility and security into my heart as I move toward his calling to enable me to lead others toward freedom and identity in Christ - with Sandi at my side bringing the tools, gifts, and insights I lack.

And now, with our newly formed partnership with GiANT Worldwide, we believe God is opening doors that we have been knocking on for years.  God used 3DM to help get us unstuck, but he is now using GiANT to provide the training, the community, the strategic partnerships, and the opportunities to gain traction.  

So, with the staff of personal testimony in hand, and with Sandi as my Aaron walking with me, we press in to this new journey, this new season.

How about you?

Here are a few questions to ponder and an action step to take:

1. As a young leader what was the dream I believed God placed in my heart?  What are the vital signs of that dream today?
2. If it feels like that dream has died, is it because it didn't play out according to my expectations (timing and methodology) or because it really wasn't a God-dream in the first place?  Is it possible that it really was a God-dream but required God shaping my character and capacity before it could be realized?
3. If you relate to the fear that flooded through Moses when God wanted to send him to Pharaoh, could it be that you need a partner?  What steps could you take this week to begin that conversation with you spouse or friend?

Action step:

Look over your responses to these questions (I encourage you to either write them out or talk them out with a safe person).  What stands out to you?  How is God getting your attention?  What do you believe he is pointing out or saying to you?

Now, take that through the CORE process (slide 8):

1. Call it (What is my learning opportunity?)
2. Own it (Why is this important?  What area of my life needs to change in some way?)
3. Response (What am I going to do?  How can I know myself better to lead myself better?)
4. Execute (When am I going to take this action step?  Who is going to encourage me and hold me accountable?)