Catalyst 09 :: Chuck Swindoll

Two passions have directed the life and ministry of Chuck Swindoll; an unwavering commitment to the practical communication and  application of God’s Word and an untiring devotion to seeing lives transformed by God’s grace. Chuck has devoted more than four decades to these goals, and he models the contagious joy that springs from enthusiastically following Jesus Christ.

While on the island of Okinawa during his tour of duty in the United States Marine Corps, Chuck recognized that the Lord was calling him to devote his life to the gospel ministry. After being honorably discharged from the Marine Corps, Chuck enrolled in Dallas Theological Seminary where he graduated magna cum laude.

Chuck’s pulpit ministry has emphasized the grace of god alongside an uncompromising commitment to practical, biblical truth as its application as he has served numerous congregations. In October of 1998, Chuck founded Stonebriar Community Church where he continues to serve as senior pastor. Chuck’s congregation extends far beyond the local church body. Through the Insight for Living broadcast, Chuck’s teaching is on the air in every major Christian radio market in all fifty states and through more than 2,100 outlets worldwide. While Chuck serves as chairman of the board, his wife, Cynthia, serves as president and chief executive officer of Insight for Living.

Chuck has contributed more than seventy titles to a worldwide reading audience including Strengthening Your Grip, Improving Your Serve, Living on the Ragged Edge, and his most recent addition Jesus: The Greatest Life of All.

After serving as Dallas Theological Seminary’s fourth president for seven years, Chuck became the seminary’s chancellor in 2001. He continues to uphold the school’s motto, “Preach the Word,” as he serves in leadership at Dallas Theological Seminary, at Insight for Living, and at Stonebriar Community Church.

• It was 50 years ago this fall that Chuck was a first year student at Dallas Theological Seminary.
• “When God wants to do an impossible task, He takes an impossible person and crushes them.” – Alan Redpath
• We experience different kinds of crushing.
• “No one is surprised to be here today as much as I am…”
• “I am so proud of you and all you are dreaming about and planning for… but you need to leave room in your life for crushing”
• Crushing is part of the cirriculum people won’t tell you about.
• It’s part of the plan of God that He will do to enable you to do his work.

10 Things I’ve Learned from Nearly 50 Years in Leadership

1 – It’s lonely to lead

• Leadership involves tough decisions.
• The tougher the decisions you need to make the more lonely it is.

2 – It’s dangerous to succeed.

• “I’m concerned for the gifted, accomplished, and capable who are under 30.”
• It’s dangerous to succeed when you are young.
• It takes crushing, time, disappointments and failure.

3 – It’s hardest at home.

• It’s not hard in front of crowd; it’s hard at home.
• Nobody tells you in seminary it’s hardest at home.
• Nobody at home is applauding you.
• “Your kids don’t say, ‘how was Catalyst?’

4 – It’s essential to be real.

• If there’s one realm where phoniess is personfied, it’s in leaders.
• Be who you is, cuz if you is who you is, you ain’t who you ain’t.
• I don’t care about what you do… what I care about is that you stay real.

5 – It’s painful to obey.

• God will direct you to do things that are not your choice.
• You’ll be giving up your way for the sake of the cross.
• There are reward but its painful.

6 – Brokenness and failure are necessary.

• Experiences that are desolating and painful can be looked at with satisfaction; everything you learn has been through afflication, not through hapiness.
• If it were possible to eliminate affliction, the result would make life banal and trivial to be endurable.
• The cross, more than anything else, calls us inexhorably to Christ.
• The cross is a place of pain and in the eyes of the world, a complete failure.
• It was essential.

7 – My attitude is more important than my actions.

• Some of you are getting hard to be around.
• Your attitude covers over the great actions you do.
• Attitudes overshadow actions.

8 – Integrity eclipses image.

• We focus on polishing the image but what you’re doing is not a show.
• The best things you do are not done up front; it’s what you do behind-the-scenes that make you who you are.

9 – God’s Way is always better than my way.

• Our problem is we’re too capable.
• We can pull it off on the flesh, and we do.
• God will have His way, we have to be crushed to realize.
• God could not pour His riches into hands that are already full.
• We need to empty our hands.
• Get rid of the habit of reading your own clippings.

10 – Christ-likeness begins and ends with humility.

• “I am meek and lowly at heart…” – Jesus
• The best place to describe and define ministry is in 2 Cor 4:5-7
• We have this treasure in earthen vessels…

We must be willing to leave the familiar methods without disturbing the biblical message.

• We get that backwards sometimes.
• Methods have changed but the methods remains the same.
• Doctrine and traditions remain.
• Don’t mess with the message.
• As you alter the methods, don’t mess with or alter the message.
• There’s a difference between traditions and traditionalism.
• Paul told Timothy to stand behind the traditions… to pass them to others.
• Tradition is the living faith, handed down.
• Traditionalism is the dead faith of those still living… it’s legalism.
• You defend things that don’t need to be defended.

With every ministry, a special mercy is needed

• No matter what we do, we need different kinds of mercy.
• God will give you those mercies.  (v. 1)

In every ministry, the same things must be renounced and rejected (v. 2)

• Hiding shameful things, doing deceitful things, corrupting truthful things.
• If you are serving on a team and the leadership is leading with deception and corruption, you are on the wrong team.
• You need to expose it.
• We put those things aside.
• We refuse to wear masks and wear games… (The Message)
• We keep everything we do and say out in the open… (The Message)
• Guard against deception, corruption… stay away from shameful things that willt ake their toll and bring out the truth.

Through every ministry, a unique style should be pursued. (v 5-7)

• We don’t preach our promote ourselves
• We declare Jesus Christ as Lord.
• We see ourselves as bondservants for Jesus’ sake.
• We never forget who we are and who He is.
• We have this treasure in peanut butter jars…
• We have to fight the temptation of being self-reliant.
• We have to fight the temptation for power and control.
• As gifted and as capable as you may be, you’re not called to have power over people or to fix them.

5 Statements Worth Remembering…

1. WHATEVER you do, do more with others and less alone. (It will help you become accountable)
2. WHENEVER  you do it, emphasize quality over quantity.
3. WHEREVER you go, do it the same as if you were among those who know you best. (It will keep you from exaggerating.)
4. WHOEVER may respond, keep a level head.
5. HOWEVER long you lead, keep dripping with gratitude and grace. (It will keep you thankful)

Make me Thy fuel, flame of God!

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