How to be a Contributing Member

 A lot has been said about leadership - how to lead, how to become a leader, how to be a successful leader, and more. Everyone wants to be great, but how about being a member or a follower, or a subordinate? Is it a bad thing to be one?

I believe that just as leadership is important, so as membership. One cannot be a leader without people to lead. I am for achieving greatness and all, but really, what type of leader would not want to have members? Although there are great leaders who started standing up for what they believe even without followers, there are people who decided to follow them along their journey.

Someone once said, "A leader without followers is simply a man taking a walk."

I am not talking about twitter followers, nor any spcial media account followers. They may or may not be real followers, but in my opinion, they can be classified better as fans. (Kyle Idleman has a very interesting point on that matter in his book, "Not A Fan.") I am talking about followers who know exactly WHO they are following and what it is for them to follow.

As a follower of Jesus, I understand that He requires giving all and that sometimes it feels like more than what I can. But because I know who I am following, I know He is truthful when He said He will never let anything beyond what I can to come my way (1 Cor 10:13), and that He is with me to the ends of the age (Matthew 28:20). I know this not just by reading, but by experience. God is true to His Word.

Jesus' principle of leadership and greatness is really different from what the world teaches. 

“Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20:26-28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

He demonstrated what He meant by His life here on earth as a man.

So here are some of my humble suggestions on how to be a good follower:

1. Keep in mind that you are a follower of JESUS. This is an essential. One may never be a good follower without first deciding that he is a follower of Jesus. 

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:23-24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke‬ ‭9:23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

When this is clear from the very beginning, everything else will follow.

2. If you truly believe that your leader is your leader, let him/her lead you. This is the most basic principle. If you don't really look at him/her as your leader, then just leave. Staying under the leadership of someone you do not look up to as a leader will not only hurt the leader, but ultimately, the member. Imagine going to places you don't like with someone you don't like. Don't get me wrong, Jesus asks this at times, but that's exactly the point - because we FOLLOW Jesus and we know Him and we desire to please Him, our decision to follow him comes from Him and He enables us to do whatever He asks us to do. I let my leader lead me because God's word assures me that He places leaders in their position and that He loves me and that I should submit to authorities. Bottom line, let your leader lead you. 

“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭13:1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

3. If you really consider your leader as your leader, do not go behind his/her back planning on going against his plans. Discuss matters with your leader when you have the chance, but never go behind his back. Let there be genuine responses during discussions. Request for another meeting, if the matter has not yet been finally decided. In the end, if you are planning something against your leader, you are actually planning to hurt the entire group, which naturally includes yourself.

When Peter confronted Ananias about lying to them about their original agreement, he emphasized that he lied to the Holy Spirit, not to them.

“While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” Acts‬ ‭5:4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ (emphasis added)

4. If you want to start leading another group that has the same purpose as your current group, start from new people. Do not start by convincing members of your current group to join you in this new group. Whether they admit it or not, leaders get hurt when their followers/members leave their side for reasons or things that are also offered under their leadership. Unless of course it is a branch which will be under your current organizational structure. In that case, ask for your leader's blessing.

It's a different story when you are going to put up a new one. Maybe that works and completely acceptable in a worldly setup, but for a Christian organization, there is a God who taught us to honor authorities.

If you have made up your mind before letting your leader know about your plan of leaving, don't approach with, "I really want to stay, but..." That's a plain cowardice of admitting that you know what you're doing is wrong, because if you want to stay, and no one is stopping you from staying, then just stay. If someone convinced you to make that decision, admit it when asked. Be honest. You owe that to the God who used that leader to contribute to the kind of person you are now. If you ask me for a solution, it's honesty. It takes away pain when you're honest about your reason for your decision.

5. If you want to make a point, do it with respect. There's a lot of movies, tv shows and even short video posts that has "resistance" as its theme. The point where the current authorities are shamed, ridiculed, and humiliated are some of the highlights of these types of stories. This should not be the case for us Christians. Our goal is to always "build up one another" as stated several times by the Word of God (1 Thessalonians 5:11, Ephesians 4:12, Romans 14:19, and more). Needless to say, shaming our leaders is not the way to build up one another. I am not saying that leaders need no correction or rebuke, they do. I'm saying we can always do it with respect, building up one another, not humiliating.

Do not speak negatively of your leaders. What kind of solution will there be to a problem if it is not addressed to the proper individuals? If one of our family members has a problem with us, wouldn't we want to know it from them, not through other people outside our family? Same thing with being a good follower. There are channels that we can use to get our concerns heard. Other than that, it's called gossip. And we know how much the Bible is against gossip.

“Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down.” Proverbs‬ ‭26:20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.” ‭‭James‬ ‭4:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

6. If you request for something, be prepared for both favorable and unlikely response form your leader. They are not there to please us. They are there to please God. Sometimes, doing just that would mean deciding against what we want as members. Let us support them.

“Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13:17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

7. Pray for your leaders. What is the best way to reach out to your leader in a way that no one can stop you? Through prayer. 

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” 1 Timothy‬ ‭2:1-2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As God hears the prayers of His people, He can change the course of a leader's journey, should we ask of Him through genuine prayers. Of course we do this with pure intention, letting God's will prevail.

“In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭21:1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It is when Saul (Apostle Paul) had an actual encounter with Jesus that his ways are changed dramatically without turning back.

“Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.” Acts‬ ‭9:4-8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

To us Christians, he is a LEADER who understands how it is like to be a FOLLOWER. For himself, Paul is just a follower of Jesus, the least of all apostles.

“For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” ‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭15:9-10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

It is good to have friends in Christ, but if that's our only reason for staying in, we might want to re-evaulate our relationship with Jesus.

When all that we consider "fun" in what we do for and with Christ as new believers end, reality is revealed - genuine followers remain, non-followers keep distance to find new things to consider "fun."

Jesus said,

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”

‭‭John‬ ‭15:5-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Anything good begins and ends with God. A genuine encounter with Him is the start of a truly wonderfully blessed journey. Any great leader somehow began as a good follower. With Jesus, guidance and learning never stop, so no mater how far we may go, we will always be His follower. That's a fact. The best way to bless Him is to be a good follower - one whom He desires us to be.

No Worries

What binds happiness? I can think of some that kept me from being totally happy before I met the Lord - exams, homework, money, and more which all sum up to worry and fear.

Did you ever get that feeling that while you are so happy, you're thinking something bad is going to happen just because you're happy at the moment?

I thought it was foolish. I thought it was being unfair to oneself when one does that, until I found out it was one form of anxiety. It's not a mental health issue but a form of anxiety. It's called cherophobia. I still think it's unfair to oneself but I do understand it now.

I listed some links that has good and deeper but understandable explanation and ways to recover from it at the end of this post.

The world tells us a lot of things. It is what we choose to believe that impacts our decisions. I choose to believe that Jesus got my back. He holds my future. Nothing will He allow to come my way that I cannot go through.

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If God brings you to it, He will get you through it.

God is after His children's happiness. It may not come in the exact packaging that we like, but it will always be the best if it is from Him. We may have to go through some rough edges before getting to the actual happy part, but whatever He allows to happen are always part of His bigger plan for our sake. He warned us, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” ‭‭(John‬ ‭16:33‬ ‭NKJV)‬‬ There will be troubles, but IN HIM we may have peace.

I love how Jesus acknowledges that worrying exists, but puts it in its proper place, making His followers understand why they should not give in to worry.

“Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:27‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Whether one believes in God or not, it is true that worrying cannot add anything in one's life.  Someone said, "Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but never get you anywhere."

If you have tried things to get worry out of your life's immediate choices, and still nothing works, give Jesus a try. He never lied, He never will. He never sugarcoats just to make us feel better. So when He says, "Do not worry," He must have good reasons, and best of all, He's telling the truth.

33“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:33-34‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

So, before the worrying part comes, devote yourself to God. Pray, read His Word, meditate on it. 

Whenever you worry, pray. Ask God's Word to manifest. Claim 1 Corinthians 10:13, Philippians 4:13 (We can do all thing through Jesus) and Hebrews 13:5 (He will never leave us nor forsake us).

After praying, leave it in God's hands - where the enemy does not have any authority.

It will not be as easy as it sounds, but it is possible. I am sure because God is on our side. To Him, all things are possible.

Here are some helpful links about cherophobia:

https://www.considerable.com/health/mental-health/cherophobia-fear-happiness/

https://www.healthline.com/health/cherophobia-causes-and-treatment#symptoms

Gifts That Fit

A woman well-loved by her family, friends and community receives enough clothes good for a year on her birthday, on Christmas Day, on Mother's Day and sometimes, even on random days. 

She does not need to buy a single shirt, pants and shoes ever, If ONLY those clothes fit. It has been going on for years, that she could fill up an entire store if she decides to sell it all. Yet, no matter how badly she wants it, it's just impossible because all of those gifts are either too small or too big for her.

Why does this keep happening? Because she does not tell them. They all think she deserves gifts because they love her, but she just can't enjoy it because, again and again, it does not fit. But, how would they know if she does not tell them?

Now, imagine offering our praises, worship and service before God that He does not enjoy because that's not what He wants from us. Or, because it does not "fit."

The Bible reveals,

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.”

‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭13:1-3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Love must be in everything that we do. This is what He deserves. If we give Him anything that He does not deserve, our human efforts will come to nothing.

No matter how good our intentions are when we give our offering to our God, if it does not "fit" Him, it's useless. Offering to our God is beyond the thought of what we can or what we want to give - it's mainly about what He deserves.

At times, we keep offering sacrifices, when our obedience is what He wants.

So Samuel said: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.”

‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭15:22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ (emphasis added)

Put it this way, posting on social media and acting "godly" in public is good, but God is just as interested in our public lives as our private lives. We are sometimes so busy about our public image but we neglect our private devotion, prayer life and all things that are literally between us and God.

Remember, as His people, our role is to please God, not men.

“For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭1:10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Bible teaches us that though God's wisdom is unfathomable, He is knowable. He did not leave us clueless as to what matters and what does not when it comes to serving Him. So, if we want to offer God something, let us make sure we give Him something that "fits" Him. Let's be honest - What would He do to clothes that don't fit?

I'mPatient

Patience is defined as "the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset."

Therefore, it is developed not by moving away from things that make one impatient. (Although giving space is a wise decision when things are getting heated up because of impatience.)

Patience, among many other things, is a decision. Teaching yourself that not everything will always work your way is a good starting point to enlarge your capcity to accept or tolerate delay. 

People and/or situations do not always show up with their best side at first glance. Have you ever met someone whom you actually did not like at first? Maybe that person is loud and you don't like loud people. Later you realized that there is more to this person than just loud. Then you became good friends or best friends?

That's how patience works. If you give it time to work, you will realize you're getting what you need because of it. The Bible has a very powerful teaching about it.

“But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

‭‭James‬ ‭1:4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Now imagine having patience on all things - a teammate who is always late and causes delay in your projects, a housemate who does not participate in cleaning your house, someone you know who nags or rants about almost everything, etc. Just try to let patience have its perfect work. 

Don't get me wrong. I agree that there are things that we should let go when the time is right. Just at least extend patience, a considerable time for things to fall into the right place, without you being angry or upset.

This article posted these 4 Tips to Help You Be a More Patient Person: https://www.inc.com/rhett-power/4-tips-to-help-you-be-a-more-patient-person-science-says-you-will-be-happier.html

1. Make yourself wait
2. Stop doing things that aren't important
3. Be mindful of the things making you impatient
4. Relax and take deep breaths

Remember, the patience the Bible teaches is one that makes us happy and complete in the long run while being mindful of our christian duties. Patience is what keeps you helping even if the person you're helping is ungrateful. Patience is what makes you choose to serve in the ministry even if no one recognizes your contribution. 

Yes, passion does those, too, but passion sometimes does not care if someone gets hurt along the way. Patience involves a direct care for others, resulting in everyone involved in a situation benefit from its result. If it went your way, the benefit is satisfaction. If it produced something you don't like, the benefit is learning. Let patience have its perfect work.

Lastly, patience is real patience if it does not choose whom to give it to. In other words, patience is only real when it is not selective. The same level of patience must be shown to everyone, regardless of who or what they are. It must be consistent. Otherwise, it's not patience, it's hypocrisy.

“Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.”

‭‭I Thessalonians‬ ‭5:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ (emphasis added)

If I were to rewrite this verse, it will look like this:

to the unruly, warning;

to the fainthearted, comfort;

to the weak, uphold;

TO ALL, BE PATIENT.

Remember, it is only possible to have Christian patience if we remain in God. 

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Just The Feet

Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”

‭‭John‬ ‭13:10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

In the OT and NT time, there were no concrete roads. Everything is dusty. So walking makes one's feet dirty. In effect, if one has already taken a bath for the day, he needs only to wash his feet from the dirt it may have accumulated.

Likewise, when Jesus saved us, we have been cleaned. We have been changed. Yet, there are tines when we commit mistakes unwillingly, or at times, even knowingly. For this, we still ask God for forgiveness. It's as if our salvation is our bathe, and asking for forgiveness for those sins we may have had afterwards is our washing of feet.

Jesus made salvation possible for us. Jesus is our doorway to forgiveness, should we sin as we walk our Christian walk.

However, this should not make us deal with sin lightly (no to i-will-sin-now-anyway-i-can-always-ask-for-forgiveness attitude). It should make us all the more careful in our daily walk, because it is still possible to commit mistakes.

How do you do that?

When was the last time you asked someone, "How do you do that?" in a very honoring way?

I went home one day after a part time job, and saw how clean the house was. I mean, it's not that I'm used of seeing our house unclean. I just know how swamped my wife was with her job, her upcoming practicum and her ongoing business opening. So, I was like, "Wow! How do you do that?" She was just responded, "Well, I thought I should do some cleaning. I couldn't take it anymore."

And there it was. Sometimes we just have to decide and tell ourselves, "I've had enough of this. I am going to do something about it." 

I think it's fair to say that people are moved to do something about their situation when they are fed up or when they are threatened it will cause them something more important, or sometimes, when they are presented with a better option which they never thought possible.

The woman in Mark 14:3-9 who broke her alabaster jar of very expensive perfume and anointed Jesus with it got different reactions in the form of a question. Some thought it was a waste of money, and they were like, "Why did you do that?" (in a very disappointed way).

Jesus was like, "Why are you bothering her?" (in my opinion, He said it in a very indignant manner)

And, today, we, Bible-readers might ask, "How did she do that?" Did she really gather money to buy that perfume with that plan all along - using it to anoint Jesus?

I guess it could be answered by answering another question, "What is more important than what you consider 'most important'?" To the woman, it was easy. Jesus is more valuable than that perfume.

But then to Jesus, she did something worth remembering. He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” Mark‬ ‭14:9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ 

This woman found out there is something more valuable than her perfume - Jesus. So, naturally, she broke her alabaster jar and proclaimed Jesus as more important than her most expensive possession.

Friends, let us learn from those who did something extraordinary that caught Jesus' attention. May we decide everyday to choose Jesus over our alabaster jar.