Instead of leading with your desire for the church to grow young, lead with the desire to make disciples across the overall church body. Jake Mulder
John 17:20-23 Jesus Prays for You~ “And I ask not only for these disciples, but also for all those who will one day believe in me through their message. 21 I pray for them all to be joined together as one even as you and I, Father, are joined together as one. I pray for them to become one with us so that the world will recognize that you sent me. 22 For the very glory you have given to me I have given them so that they will be joined together as one and experience the same unity that we enjoy. 23 You live fully in me and now I live fully in them so that they will experience perfect unity, and the world will be convinced that you have sent me, for they will see that you love each one of them with the same passionate love that you have for me. The Passion Translation
Silo: Micromanage people, systems and things to isolate them from others.
We Try To Micromanage God’s Holy Spirit:
“Most certainly I understand now that God is not one to show partiality [to people as though Gentiles were excluded from God’s blessing], 35 but in every nation the person who fears God and does what is right [by seeking Him] is acceptable and welcomed by Him. You know the message which He sent to the sons of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all— Acts 10:34-35 Amplified Bible
Note To Self: I will do everything I can to NOT micromanage other people because it is exclusive, devaluing and discourages servant leadership. PS… and it kills the spontaneity of the Holy Spirit, Who is the Only ONE who can set the atmosphere where real love, real friendship and genuine relationship is birthed.
1 Corinthians 12:6-7 There are many amazing working gifts in the church, but it is the same God who energizes them all in all who have the gifts. Paul’s description of the works of the Spirit, the Lord (Jesus), and God (the Father) links the three persons together in remarkable ways. Although Paul never articulates the doctrine of the Trinity, what he writes here about the Godhead relationship—their community of persons—becomes the raw materials used by later believers to construct the church’s teaching on the Trinity. In this chapter the apostle emphasizes the agency of the Spirit. For him the Spirit is not just an impersonal force or feeling; He is just as much a person within the Trinity as the Father and the Son. Accordingly, the Spirit chooses where to impart gifts as He works together with the Father and the Son to build up the church. 7 Each believer has received a gift that manifests the Spirit’s power and presence. That gift is given for the good of the whole community. The Voice
“Is this the body of Christ? Or is this a silo mentality where people are trying to micromanage other people, who God has gifted? Have you ever been blind-sided by the human condition of conditional acceptance? It hurts, especially when you thought you were a part of the team, only to find out it is conditional. We were not created by God to be put in a silo and micromanaged by other human beings who think they corner the market on God’s giftedness and don’t’ need or want anyone else’s input. We Are The Body Of Christ, The Bride Of Christ, Your Church” KimberlyMac
Does Jesus’ Name Need To Be “Rebranded” In Order To Market His Church?
What did Jesus do for the Body of Christ? He branded us with His name. How did Jesus set up the Body of Christ? It was not with a silo mentality. He gifted each of us to work together as a whole no matter what our race, creed, color or age, Jesus was inclusive and He uses all people. We all were created in the Image of God, and individually, we are uniquely shaped with the Gifts of God’s Holy Spirit, together that makes us equipped by God to reach everyone, to be one in Him. We were not created by God and uniquely designed by God to be put in a silo and micromanaged by people who are trying to control the flow of God’s Holy Spirit. Can you micromanage God? I think not. Can you rebrand Jesus, the name above all names, the most famous one in the universe? I think not. When you try to do this, you isolate people, you devalue them, you exclude them and you create an exclusive, closed group ministry that has people looking in from the outside, unable to connect to the inside elite group.
“Organizations are much more likely to perform well when their people work effectively as a team. This is because good teamwork creates synergy – where the combined effect of the team is greater than the sum of individual efforts. … As well as enhancing organizations’ performance good teamwork benefits individuals too. Jun 23, 2017 The importance of teams.” — Knowhow Nonprofit
1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are God’s fellow workers [His servants working together]; you are God’s cultivated field [His garden, His vineyard], God’s building. Amplified Bible
Jesus Was Inclusive
It is God’s church, His building, the one He is shaping and designing it. God’s church is marketed by His Holy Spirit, not us. Servant leadership does not isolate and silo people groups. Everyone has value no matter what their age and it is the goal of Godly leaders to mirror Jesus. Our Savior, Jesus, His servant leadership, it embraced all and celebrated the uniqueness of God giftedness in others. Jesus did not silo people, He did not micromanage people, He did not exclude people through regulations, in order to form a specific brand, to market to a specific demographic. In other words, Jesus did not silo, control, isolate or exclude any person, for Him it was all about The Body of Christ. Jesus was inclusive to young and old alike, and generous with His gifting and equipping of people. He personally shaped us, uniquely designed and gifted us and then said:
Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Micromanage: to control every part of a situation, even small details:
In business management, micromanagement is an example of poor management where the manager over-manages people unnecessarily. Instead of giving people general instructions and then allowing them to do their job, the micromanager monitors and assesses every step. The manager may be motivated by concern for details. The effect, however, may be to de-motivate employees and create resentment.- en.wikipedia.org
Say No To The Silo ~ Say YES To The Body Of Christ
A silo mentality micromanages, regulates different parts, isolates according to a specific branding effort and keeps certain people from working together with other people, who may not be desirable for their “marketing” outreach. They try to control the outcome of their marketing by creating a closed silo that excludes what they think is undesired input. Does this sound like God’s way or does this resemble people serving no power higher than self? God did not silo because He knew that the Body of Christ needed the vitality, passion and newness the young bring to the Church and needed the seasoned servant leadership of the older, tested, tried and experienced generation. We need each other. A silo isolates the young from the old and creates a shaky foundation for a Church. Jesus never excluded because of age, His heart desire was for us to function as one body.
This is God’s Way, clearly stated in His Word. There is no micromanagement, there is no silo, there is no isolation, there is no exclusion, there is no elitist attitude: Listen Up:
Romans 12:1-8 The Transforming Power of the Gospel
Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship. 2 Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes. Your Proper Role in the Body of Christ 3 God has given me grace to speak a warning about pride. I would ask each of you to be emptied of self-promotion and not create a false image of your importance. Instead, honestly assess your worth by using your God-given faith as the standard of measurement, and then you will see your true value with an appropriate self-esteem. 4 In the human body there are many parts and organs, each with a unique function. 5 And so it is in the body of Christ. For though we are many, we’ve all been mingled into one body in Christ. This means that we are all vitally joined to one another, with each contributing to the others. 6 God’s marvelous grace imparts to each one of us varying gifts and ministries that are uniquely ours. So if God has given you the grace-gift of prophecy, you must activate your gift by using the proportion of faith you have to prophesy. 7 If your grace-gift is serving, then thrive in serving others well. If you have the grace-gift of teaching, then be actively teaching and training others. 8 If you have the grace-gift of encouragement, then use it often to encourage others. If you have the grace-gift of giving to meet the needs of others, then may you prosper in your generosity without any fanfare. If you have the gift of leadership, be passionate about your leadership. And if you have the gift of showing compassion, then flourish in your cheerful display of compassion. The Passion Translation
Thanks for stopping in the Smorgasbord Table of The Bridegroom’s Café. This table has unique meals, spiced up with the new flavoring of the Holy Spirit of God. Every meal on this table is disruptive to the normal meal traditions. I hope you share this meal with other Christians and let’s change it up to Kingdom principles and precepts from person to person and church to church. God bless ya. KimberlyMac