I used the example of building a fire with a magnifying glass to teach a valuable lesson to the leadership of my various companies. I would take them outside and focus a tiny pinpoint of light from the sun through a magnifying glass on some kindling material and hold it steady. In a few minutes it would start smoldering and soon enough a tiny flame would erupt. I demonstrated that if I didn’t focus the beam of light with pinpoint concentration and hold it steady a fire could never be built.
I used this illustration to help them understand the importance of clearly focusing on an objective and holding steady until the goal has been achieved. If we get distracted and don’t concentrate on the focal point of the target then we cannot enjoy success.
First things first however, the initial step is to clearly identify what it is we want to achieve. If the goal becomes a series of goals instead of a singular objective and we move from one to the next and then back again, then similar to my example, the fire will never be lit, much less burn brightly.
As you might imagine this logic works with our effort to accomplish great things for God. For example in prison ministry there are many components: prayer warriors, evangelistic teams, discipleship ministers, those who assist families of those incarcerated, letter writing groups, Those dedicated to providing inmates with Bibles and faith based books and magazines, teachers of vocational and scholastic skills, reentry experts who help them get established in a local church and to gain meaningful employment.
I’m working with Inmate Encounter a Florida based prison ministry. We focus on evangelism and we are good at presenting the Gospel to inmates in such a manner that inmates receive Christ in large numbers when we conduct an event. But if we stop there, we know that the enemy will come along and tempt most of them right back into their old lifestyle devoid of Jesus. Like all new Christians, in order to succeed long term, they need to be discipled and otherwise receive support.
To combat this problem we are forging relationships with other ministries to handle those necessary functions that we are not called to do in order to help inmates make a successful transition to a useful productive life. We give the names and information for the inmates that have received Christ for the first time, or rededicated their lives at our events to church prison ministries or discipleship ministries like Kairos or Colson Prison Fellowship so they can visit them weekly. We also give the same information to other ministries that can pray for them and help them begin their walk with God in a variety of ways.
This allows Inmate Encounter to focus with pinpoint accuracy on its mission of conducting first class evangelistic events. By working together we can ignite a fire that will rage throughout the prison system with the Holy Spirit changing lives with reckless abandon. All of society will benefit and the Kingdom of God will expand.
I believe this is what Christ had in mind when he prayed for unity in John 17:21. All of these believers using their gifts and ministries working together in order to achieve far more success than we could ever achieve working in silos all alone. That is what Christ desires.
BTW – In business it’s no different. By forming a team of talented individuals with different gifts all focusing with laser accuracy on the areas in which they excel, all the while each team member keeping in mind the ultimate goal, will all but guarantee success. Experience has shown me that showboats and grandstanders that think they can succeed alone rarely achieve much of anything in spite of having loads of talent.
Have a great weekend and go to Honey Lake Church or somewhere this weekend.
John 17:21
I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one – as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
January 22, 2016 – Click here to listen