WORDS THAT HAVE SHAPED MY LIFE (96 – 100)

Rod Denton Induction at Elizabeth Church of Christ_2012 - Copy (2)
(96) “THE POWER OF REPETITION”

The Argentinian pastor Juan Carlos Ortiz stood up to preach one Sunday and read three words of Jesus, “Love one another.” Then he sat down. After a few minutes Ortiz got up and again said, “Love one another” and sat down. The congregation began to stir nervously. So, Ortiz got up a third time and said, “Love one another” and sat down.

A man in the front row leaned over to the next man and said, “Is there anything I can do for you?” Gradually people from across the congregation began to reach out to one another to share and pray and cry and give to one another’s needs. They were loving one another.
For the next six months, Ortiz preached on the one theme: Love One Another, until they not only understood it but were doing it. Juan Carlos Ortiz believed in the POWER OF REPETITION.
Interestingly, so important were these three words, ‘Love one another’, that Jesus repeated them to His disciples on three occasions during His last supper. He didn’t want them just to be hearers of the word, but doers of the word as well. He said it was “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me.” John14:21

Jesus was aware of the forgetfulness of those who would follow Him and to remind them of the cross He instituted the Lord’s Supper to be celebrated “in remembrance of Me.” 1 Corinthians 11:25 Jesus was aware of the POWER OF REPETITION.

One of Jesus’ disciples, Peter, learned the lesson of the power of repetition with his words in his second letter. “Therefore, I WILL ALWAYS REMIND YOU about these things – even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught.” 2 Peter 1:12
“This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and REFRESH YOUR MEMORY.” 2 Peter 3:1  Peter was aware of the POWER OF REPETITION.

All through the Bible we find that one of the main problems God has had with His people is that they were forgetful. Time and time again we read, “My people have forgotten me.” Jeremiah 18:13 They continually needed to be reminded of all that God had spoken to them.

Having said all this, beware of the following assumptions:

  • Just because people have heard it, don’t automatically assume that they are doing it.
  • Just because people have been doing it, don’t automatically assume that they will always continue doing it.
  • Just because people are teaching it, don’t automatically assume that they are modelling it.

Twenty-two years ago, I had the privilege of listening to Pastor Wayne Cordeiro teach the four step SOAP Bible Study method – Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer. By following this plan, I have been able to study God’s Word each subsequent year – once through the Old Testament and twice through the New Testament. Each day I receive fresh insight from God’s living word. I too, am thankful for the POWER OF REPETITION.

Be reminded of Moses’ warning to the people of Israel who had seen God’s great acts of judgement exercised against Egypt and God’s great deliverance of them through the Red Sea and God’s great provision for them of food and water: “But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.” Deuteronomy 4:9
Moses too, was aware of the POWER OF REPETITION.

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(97) “HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH GREAT MINDS”

One of the most important books I have read on leadership is Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders. I not only read the book but was motivated to go out of my way to spend time with Mr. Sanders whenever he came to the city in which I was living. In the process, he came to my home and spent time teaching my leaders.

J Oswald Sanders 1983 - Copy (3)

The main reason I was motivated to connect with Mr. Sanders was because of a line in his book that urged leaders to have “fellowship with great minds” in their desire to grow to their maximum potential. One way of doing this was to read books that help us to have “communion with the greatest spiritual leaders of the ages…… If a person is known by the company they keep, so also their character is reflected in the books they read.”

The desire to have fellowship with great minds became more and more of a passion for me with the passing of time. In the process, it has caused me to take unusual initiatives to get with great minds of my choosing to be inspired and mentored and to go to new levels of impact in my life. And seldom have I been denied the opportunity to meet with the leaders I have reached out to. To do this, every day I set aside time to have fellowship with great minds. Early in the morning while riding my exercise bike, I immerse myself in daily devotionals by Henry Blackaby (Experiencing God) and William Booth (The Founder of The Salvation Army), and John Maxwell (21 Laws of Leadership), and Streams In The Desert, with daily writings from great teachers from a different era.

Following this, I move on into my daily Bible study programme that takes me through the Bible every year. It is impossible to tell you the extent of the impact this daily time of fellowship with great minds has had upon me. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit I gain new insights, timely perspective, personal guidance and teaching resources to use in my ministry.
But that’s not all. I have had fellowship with great minds in the books I have read (Hudson Taylor’s biography inspired me to go to new levels of discipline in my life of service for the Lord.)

The sermons of great preachers I have taken in have shaped my preaching and teaching. (I was mentored by Jack Hayford’s preaching every morning on the radio for 2 years whilst studying in America) and for many years I received printed (now downloaded) sermons from Ray Stedman.
The possibilities of having fellowship with great minds are endless. The benefits of having fellowship with great minds are beyond measure. The price of having fellowship with great minds is costly. The people who choose to discipline themselves to have fellowship with great minds are few.
J.Oswald Sanders wrote,
“John Wesley had a passion for reading and he did so mostly on horseback, such was his passion. His habit was to ride a horse fifty (80 kilometres) or sometimes ninety miles (140 kilometres) in a day. His habit was to ride with a volume of science or history or medicine, propped in the pommel of his saddle, and thus he consumed thousands of books. Wesley told the younger Ministers of the Methodist societies to read or get out of the ministry!”

In other words, if you aren’t cultivating the discipline of having fellowship with great minds, why not?
P.S.
Two key words that have shaped my life are NEVER ASSUME. I went out of my way to connect with Mr. Sanders because I never assumed he wouldn’t meet with me. Another belief of mine is START AT THE TOP AND WORK YOUR WAY DOWN, THEY MIGHT SAY NO, BUT THEY COULD SAY YES.      Mr. Sanders said yes.

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(98) “A CERTAIN FRIEND IN UNCERTAIN TIMES”
……..not for the faint hearted

In the third century BC the Greek philosopher Ennuis penned the words, Amicus certus in re incerta, which translated means, A certain friend in uncertain times.
Some years ago when I left school, I went to work for an insurance company that was founded in 1849 with it’s motto, in Latin, Amicus certus in re incerta, which let people know that they would be a certain friend in uncertain times. amp_society_building_oamaru_new_zealand - Copy (2)

With this in mind, I have had more than a passing interest to discover that a number of leaders I have observed in the Bible were people who needed and were blessed with a certain friend in uncertain times.

The friendship of Jonathon and David was one of the most amazing friendships ever told. Jonathon’s very life was threatened because of his loyalty to David 1 Samuel 20:33; he went out of his way to help David find strength in God 1 Samuel 23:16.
Another great example of what it means to be a certain friend in uncertain times is that of Onesiphorus, with his frequent visits to Paul in a Roman jail.
“As you know, everyone from the province of Asia has deserted me – even Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord show special kindness to Onesiphorus and all his family because he often visited me and encouraged me. He was never ashamed of me because I was in chains. When he came to Rome, he searched everywhere until he found me. May the Lord show him special kindness on the day of Christ’s return. And then you will know very well how helpful he was in Ephesus.” 2 Timothy 1:15-18

What an amazing impact a certain friend can have in the life of a leader in uncertain times. Jonathon helped David find strength in God when David’s life was in danger and Onesiphorus often encouraged and refreshed Paul when he was in jail facing execution, knowing his departure was near. 2 Timothy 4:6
Both Jonathon and Onesiphorus are good examples of Solomon’s words that “a brother (or sister) is born for a time of adversity.”  Proverbs 17:17
Interestingly, the Greek meaning for Onesiphorus is “bringing profit” or “useful”. No wonder he received such a commendation from Paul.

I am writing this paper with the hope that the Lord may prompt certain people to respond to the demanding calling of being a source of strength and encouragement to a leader who is in a challenging and endangered situation. I also write to thank those who have been a certain friend in uncertain times to me in my life of leadership. This being the case, I list some of the qualities that were displayed by Jonathon and Onesiphorus as they paid the price to come alongside David and Paul.

A certain friend in uncertain times is :-

  • A CALLED PERSON : To come alongside of David and Paul was not a task for the faint hearted and not one to be taken with just a casual interest. I think of a personal prayer partner that served alongside of me through a critical season in my life. He came to me one day and shared how God had spoken to him about this calling and that he was willing to be available to pray for me 24/7 which he willingly fulfilled.
  • A COURAGEOUS PERSON : Jonathon was prepared to risk his life for David in uncertain times. Onesiphorus was not ashamed of Paul’s chains, and in a time of great persecution of Christians in Rome, searched for Paul until he found him. Their loyalty to David and Paul was never in question as they courageously stood alongside of them in the most threatening of situations.
  • AN AVAILABLE PERSON : A calling such as this is a high priority and not just a casual interest. A certain friend in uncertain times never knows when they may be required to help. I remember calling my prayer partner to prayer on occasions in the early hours of the morning and to pray until I called him back. In my article The Power and Priority of Prayer for Leaders, I list 6 reasons why leaders are in need of prayer. The Power and Priority of Prayer for Leaders | Rod Denton (roddentoneng.com.au)
  • A GIFTED PERSON : As I think of the lives of Jonathon and Onesiphorus, certain giftings come to mind, including the gifts of intercession, encouragement, helps, giving and faith. These are some of the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit that are given to Christians to be able to be a blessing to the lives of leaders living in uncertain times.
  • A SECURE PERSON : Jonathon and Onesiphorus had a heart to serve key leaders in uncertain times because they had learnt to find their deepest needs met in their relationship with God. That is why we can read that “Saul’s son Jonathon went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.” 1 Samuel 23:16
    A secure person is able to serve without recognition knowing that they will always have a heavenly audience watching and an eternal reward awaiting them.
  • A FAITHFUL PERSON : Jonathon and Onesiphorus were reliable friends who could be depended upon, no matter when a need arose. Paul said of Onesiphorus that “he often visited me and encouraged me” even though he had to “search everywhere until he found me.” Faithful people never let difficult obstacles get in the way of the calling that has been entrusted to them.
  • A LOYAL PERSON : A loyal person is a person who can be relied upon to defend you in your absence as well as in your presence. Jonathon was loyal to David even to the point of death when Saul, Jonathon’s father, was trying to kill him, he didn’t make David’s whereabouts known to him to protect him.

A PRAYER FOR LEADERS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
Heavenly Father, I pray for leaders who live in uncertain times like David and Paul, that You will call certain friends like Jonathon and Onesiphorus to come alongside of them to selflessly and courageously serve them, to encourage them and help them find strength in God. Thank You for such people who recognise that they have been born for a time of adversity and bless them as they stand alone that they may be a blessing to those they serve. And Lord, speak to those who read this article that many may be prepared by Your Spirit to be a certain friend to a leader living in uncertain times.

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(99)   “OPPORTUNITIES…….God’s open doors.”

As I have reflected on my life, I have concluded that life consists of a series of unfolding opportunities that God sovereignly initiates for the purpose of fulfilling His great plans. Many of these opportunities have come unannounced, some have been disguised as intrusions and some have required me to take steps of faith that have involved ‘burning my bridges’ and walking away from the world in which I was living. Opportunities usually involve paying a price, as Jesus’ disciples found out when they responded to His invitation to follow Him. They had to leave everything. Luke 5:11,28.

The Apostle Paul used the term “open doors” to describe the opportunities that he embraced in his travels. At the end of his first missionary journey, he returned to Antioch where he “gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had OPENED A DOOR of faith to the Gentiles.” Acts 14:27.
Paul wrote to the church at Colossae asking them to “Pray that God may OPEN A DOOR for our message….and make the most of every OPPORTUNITY.” Colossians 4:3,5.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians to report of the breakthroughs he was having in preaching the gospel at Ephesus with amazing results. “But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a GREAT DOOR for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.” 1 Corinthians 16:8-9

Jesus’ life and ministry was full of opportunities to teach and heal and make disciples. On one occasion, Jesus was criticised for healing a paralysed man on the Sabbath and replied to the Jewish leaders, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does.”
John 5:19-20. Even Jesus attributed His ministry to the opportunities that came to Him by way of open doors that the Father had prepared for Him.
Henry Blackaby explained this important principle of Opportunities….God’s open doors when he wrote, “The most dramatic changes in your life will come from God’s initiatives, not yours. The people God used mightily in Scripture were all ordinary people to whom He gave divine assignments that they never could have initiated. When the Lord tells you what His plans are, trust Him and walk closely with Him. Don’t let the busyness of your present activity keep you from experiencing all that God has in store for you. You will see Him accomplish things through your life that you never dreamed were possible.”

My own life has consisted of 5 major open-door opportunities that have come in unexpected ways and unexpected times that have clearly been initiated by the Father and led to numerous minor open doors of opportunity (divine appointments) along the way. In a recent article, My Story: From Fear to Faith to an unFolding Future, I have recalled my journey that is still a work in progress today.
http://roddentoneng.com.au/my-story-from-fear-to-faith-to-an-unfolding-future/

Paul’s life consisted of a series of opportunities that can help us to live our lives in accord with God’s open doors. To the Ephesians he wrote, “Be very careful then how you live – not as unwise but as wise, MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” Ephesians 5:15-17 It is quite clear that Paul is inferring that it is possible to miss God’s open-door opportunities that come our way, hence his admonition to be very careful, to live wisely and not be foolish, so that we don’t miss God’s plan for our lives.

To summarise, God’s open door opportunities:-

  • ARE INITIATED BY GOD

We can only understand God’s unfolding will when we live a life of intimacy with Him. We can trust Him just as Solomon wisely wrote, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

  • ARE OFTEN UNEXPECTED
    The first major open door from God that Sue and I experienced came most unexpectedly just six months after we were married. We received a phone call from the pastor of the largest Baptist Church in Australia in another state, unknown to us, asking us to resign our jobs, sell our house and join his ministry team to lead the ministry to youth and young adults. I initially declined his request, but after some months of waiting on God, Sue and I came to the conclusion that this unexpected request was actually an open door from God and it would be the beginning of a radical new lifetime career for us both.
  • ARE OFTEN INCONVENIENT
    In Acts chapter 8 we read of the amazing work of revival that Philip initiated in a city in Samaria that included signs and miracles which resulted in great joy in the city. But in the midst of this amazing story, an angel of the Lord intervened and told Philip to leave the city and walk along a desert road. In some ways it seemed to defy all logic but it led Philip to speak to a high ranking person who was in charge of the treasury of Ethiopia and who would provide an open door to take the good news of Jesus to another nation. Open doors are not always obvious and neither are they always convenient. They can come with a price.
  • REQUIRE US TO TAKE FAITH STEPS
    God will not lead us through open doors without promising to provide all of our needs. In fact, faith steps are one of the keys that open the door of opportunity and the necessary provisions required. Many an opportunity has been missed because we evaluated them in the light of our own limited resources. Sue and I needed to take a faith step when we took leave without pay from our church to go through an open door for the purpose of studying in America. The most important subject I studied whilst there was, ‘Walking By Faith In God’s Provision’ as time and time again we experienced God’s timely supply of finances and accommodation to meet our needs. I never received credit for this ‘subject’ but it was the most important one I would undertake.
  • REQUIRE A RESPONSE
    There are many things that can hold us back when opportunities come knocking; fear has been one that I have battled with, less than perfect circumstances is another, inconvenient timing can be another and inadequate resources that require a faith step has been another. Charles Swindoll said, “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” In 1266, the great explorer and adventurer Marco Polo met with Kubla Khan in his capital city. This fierce warrior’s heart was deeply touched by the news of Jesus Christ’s death for the world. So he sent Marco Polo back to Europe with this request to the leaders of Christianity, “Send me one hundred men skilled in your religion……and so I shall be baptised and then all my barons and great men, and then my subjects. And there shall be more Christians here than in your parts.”
    And in this opportune moment, the Christian church had been provided with an open door to reap an extraordinary harvest that was possibly unprecedented. However, history records that after some years only two missionaries came forward who were willing to endure the hardships necessary to take the Christian message to the great Mongolian empire. But even they turned back after travelling only halfway to their destiny. They left behind what some would say was the greatest missed opportunity in the history of the church. The church in the thirteenth century did not respond to this open door and Kubla Khan turned to Tibetan Buddhists and invited them to spread their religion throughout his empire. At one point, more than half the men in the nation were Buddhist monks.
    Whether we accept an opportunity or ignore an opportunity, we will always be left with the consequences of our decision which will either carry with it regrets or the opportunity to participate in God’s great kingdom purposes.
  • REQUIRE US TO RETAIN A RELATIONSHIP OF INTIMACY WITH GOD
    “One day as these men (prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch) were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Dedicate Barnabus and Saul for the special work for which I have called them.’ So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.” Acts 13:2-3
    Communication flows out of a relationship of intimacy and as we maintain a relationship of intimacy with our heavenly Father, we place ourselves in a position of being able to follow the prompts of the Holy Spirit that lead us to the open doors of opportunity that the Father has prepared for us. It might be a prompt to talk to the neighbour next door, or to speak to the person seated behind us after a church service, or to travel through an open door of opportunity to a faraway country like Mongolia.

To maintain a relationship of intimacy with the Father and to live with attitudes of availability and expectancy and obedience are our responsibility; to provide the open doors of opportunity is the Father’s responsibility. There is never a place where the Father isn’t at work and there is always a possibility where you might receive a prompt from the Holy Spirit to walk through an open door that “no one can close.”
Revelation 3:7

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(100) “IMMEASURABLY MORE”

“Now to Him who is able to do IMMEASURABLY MORE than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”     Ephesians 3:20-21

In January 2020, I purposely spent time in prayer regarding the unfolding season of life that was ahead of me. And as I prayed, a word kept coming back to me with increasing clarity, the word “WRITE”. Little did I know then that my comings and goings would soon be severely restricted by the emerging Covid crisis and by the deterioration in health of my eldest daughter which would require my wife and I to make priority time available to care for her on a daily basis for the last 4 years without a break.

In this season of writing, one of the goals that emerged involved a series of articles entitled, WORDS THAT HAVE SHAPED MY LIFE. My initial goal was that I might write 30 articles, but as I followed the unfolding prompts of God, I find it amazing that this article you are reading is number 100 in the series. I have entitled it IMMEASURABLY MORE. I based it on the words of Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, “Now to Him who is able to do IMMEASURABLY MORE than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work in us.”
Writing these 100 articles has been a good reminder that when we partner with the father who is already at work and follow the prompts of the Holy Spirit, we find ourselves achieving IMMEASURABLY MORE things that we could have ever imagined. Jesus said, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.” Luke 16:10. God’s IMMEASURABLY MORE has much to do with us living lives of faithfulness. I have no idea as to how many more articles I will write and how many more people I will impact in this series of WORDS THAT HAVE SHAPED MY LIFE, but even though I have already written IMMEASURABLY MORE articles than I could have imagined, I am not intending to call a halt just yet.

And as I write, I will keep in mind the words of Erwin McManus from his book, The Last Arrow, regarding the fact that we live with choices throughout our lives. He said, “When you get to the end of your life, will you be able to say, ‘I gave everything I had,’ or will you have a hollow feeling inside of your soul that you quit too soon, that you expected too little, that you did not strike the last arrow.’”
Perhaps this is another way of encouraging us to live with the IMMEASURABLY MORE that God created us for.

And as I continue to write, I will surely recall other IMMEASURABLY MORE experiences that have shaped my life since leaving the business world in 1980 to begin a life with my wife, Sue, in full time ministry that has taken us all over the world through the open doors that God has led us.
So, on the occasion of this 100th WORDS THAT HAVE SHAPED MY LIFE, I commend to you our God of IMMEASURABLY MORE and trust that maybe one day you might find yourself in a season where you too pass on your own words that have shaped your life to a waiting generation.
(Written on my 78th birthday)

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