Nuggets #25

An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
Empowering Spiritual Entrepreneurs
If you can affirm everything that isn't changing, while highlighting something that strategically is changing, you'll more easily gain adherence and support.

Through pilot projects, an apostolic environment can be introduced and affirmed one layer at a time.

When a particular project fails and you acknowledge its failure but don't lose hope, it does two things. It teaches your people that you are more committed to the purpose than you are to the particular project. And secondly, it demonstrates to them that you have integrity when faced with failure and successes. When you acknowledge failure for what it is, you gain the confidence of others as you speak on God's behalf.

In many situations, failure is the very thing that restrains God's people from doing great things for God. They've been taught that failure is equivalent to sin, and so they'd rather not try at all than risk failing. When you face failure with humility and hope, you teach others how to risk. When you affirm those who risk great things for God and count them as successful even if their particular endeavor has failed, you have affirmed something far deeper than any particular project or strategy could every encompass. It is not so much the experiment that is of greatest value, but the affirmation of spiritual entrepreneurialism among God's people.

This is such an important truth and I think part of it has to do with trust. When you trust an individual to do what God has called them to do and let them do it, it gives them the freedom to soar and do great things for God. They're not working under their own power anyway, they have God on their side. Any failure is just an opportunity to learn. Any success gives glory to God. It's a win-win situation.