Hybels is the founding and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, IL, and the chairman of the board for the Willow Creek Association. He convened The Leadership Summit in 1995, following a God-given prompting to help raise and develop the spiritual gift of leadership for the local church. Both visionary and passionate about seeing every local church reach its full God-given potential, he speaks around the world on strategic issues to Christian leaders and is a best-selling author of more than 20 books, including Courageous Leadership and Axiom: The Language of Leadership.
Story of Naaman
- The OT book of 2 Kings tells the story of a military leader from Syria.
- They went from one military conquest to the next.
- He was the rock star military leader of the day.
- He got a certain death sentence: leprosy.
- He goes to a prophet to seek help and got instructions to dip into the water of the Jordan River seven times.
- He was offended.
- His soldiers reminded him that if the prophet had asked him to do something great that would have required great effort and achievement, he would have done it.
- He was a great man who had done great things in great ways.
- The prophet had asked him to do something very simple.
- He was told to do something simple and to see what God would do.
- When he did it, he was healed… perfectly healthy, perfectly whole.
- He said: “There’s no other God but the God of Israel.”
- The great temptation for some of us is to think that we have to set our minds to go out and do some great thing.
- Launch some new idea.
- Double or triple our size.
- Go global with our local thing.
- But we should do simple things, every day.
Simple Things We Should Consider Doing…
1 – Consider establishing a time and place where you will meet personally with God every day.
- So often what gets compromised in our doing great things for God is our meeting with God.
- In Ephesians 6, Paul asked for prayer to fearlessly proclaim what he needed to proclaim while he was doing what he was supposed to be doing.
- Leaders need something fresh from God every day.
- When you establish a meeting time and place, there’s some days the fireworks won’t happen, and day when the words will seem just like word on a page.
- But if you are in the routine of it, God will speak to you.
- It’s a simple thing, really.
2 – Commit to reading good books at least 30 minutes a day.
- Steve Sample said, “I challenge you leaders to read something substantial 30 minutes a day for the rest of your life.”
- It’s a very simple thing.
- Bill has read hundreds of books since that have helped him along the way.
3 – Review your replenishment strategy
- Romans 8:6 – if you are filled with the Spirit you will be filled with peace.
- Is your “bucket” too depleted?
- Instead of doing something big, maybe you should do something simple
- Are you on a net gain or in depletion mode?
- God will show you what to do.
4 – Decide to say “yes” to God every time His Spirit prompts you to do something.
- This is advance decision making.
- It means you saying “yes,” then asking God what the question is.
- You don’t have to understand it, just test it against the Gospel… and just say yes.
- “Some of the most fruit-bearing events I’ve ever been a part of came out of saying yes to God even I had no idea where they are going.”
Other Decisions…
- Maybe it’s deciding what your key seats are.
- Maybe it’s forgiving someone.
- Maybe it’s reconciliation.
- Maybe it’s time to stop complaining about the lack of resources and equipping people with what you have.
- Maybe it’s time be innovative.
- Maybe it’s time to consider a simple way to serve the poor.
The Simple Things
- It’s often in the doing of the certain number of simple things that leaders build into their lives that often, over the years, compounds and increases their effectiveness, influence, and impact as a leader.
- These simple things are the building blocks of God doing the “great thing” through us some day.
- When we do the simple things, God takes responsbiilty for the big things.
Your Life Matters
- Your life matters.
- This isn’t the pre-game, this is THE game.
- You have one life to live full-on for God.
- You have one life to develop your leadership to the fullest potential.
- You have this life to do something that will last for eternity.
- “I only have today to fight for God and for His plan and purposes.”
- I will fight hard.
- It’s a personal decision we all have to arrive at.
- What are you going ot live for?
- What will you lay it down for?
- What race are you running?
- The curious thing God does when we all gather together and submit ourselves to the One, true Leader, Jesus Christ, and the combustible energy that happens when we are together is unlike anything else.
- There’s a challenge we, as leaders, offer to each other.
- We are building His church, for His glory through His power.
Do some simple things that will compound over the weeks and months ahead… who knows what God will do.
