Have you ever considered the basic convictions that motivate a soulwinner to be faithful? Convictions are the spark plugs that keep the engine of faith going forward. And biblical convictions regarding the eternal souls of men and women move us forward in reaching the lost for Christ. (more…)

This past Sunday I was privileged to preach the 50^th anniversary services of the Grace Baptist Church in Columbia, South Carolina. What an honor it was for me to stand in the pulpit of the great men of God who started and have pastored this church—Moody Roberts, Marshall Godfrey, Floyd Paschall, Dr. Clayton Shumpert, and, my good friend and mentor, Dr. Bob Kelley. Brother Bill Egerdahal currently serves this church as pastor. (more…)

If you were to advertise in the classified section of a newspaper in search of a  leader, what qualifications would you ask for? Knowledge? People skills? Ability to assume and maintain control?

One person suggested the following classifieds ad:

HELP WANTED: SERVANT—Someone to do the often undesirable work for the sake of others. Needs strong sense of [worth] in God’s eyes and true compassion for others. Must be personally acquainted with the greatest Servant of all in order to continue his training. Work requires being on call 24 hours a day to meet needs of family, friends, and even strangers. Must be willing to give up his rights—no experience necessary—job begins today, right where you are.

Yes, leaders must continually grow in a wide variety of skills, but the baseline of spiritual leadership is a servant’s heart. Without it, no other skills will produce eternal fruit.

Our tendency is to want to be served far more than wanting to serve others. Yet Jesus Himself said, “…the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

Could you answer an ad for a servant?

With a living room full of cheerleaders, my grandson Camden achieved his first crawl this week. For the past several weeks, he’s enjoyed partial mobility by scooting himself along army-style. But with lots of motivating encouragement, he finally learned to tuck his leg under and mustered the strength to push himself forward. And he is currently the family hero.

As I watched him work on that first crawl with obvious enjoyment for the praise, I wondered—what if every new Christian had a group of godly cheerleaders rooting for his spiritual progress? (more…)

What a joy it was during Spiritual Leadership Conference to be able to serve the many pastors, missionaries, and churches who attended. Many have expressed the services and workshops were a monumental help to them, and they are already letting us know how they are implementing the truths they learned this week in their home ministries. (more…)