Vision4Living

Leadership is not always what we expect. It is much more than having a position or a title. As one man aptly put it: “Leadership is influence; nothing more, nothing less.” Many people aspire to lead, but never seem to get anywhere. Others seem unaffected by the lure of leadership positions, but their influence is obvious and effective.

So how does one lead where he is regardless of position or situation. We find some interesting leadership concepts from the life of Joseph in the Old Testament book of Genesis. Joseph illustrates the vision of leadership while exemplifying the willingness to serve and wait on God’s timing to bring His purposes to pass. Learn with me from the leadership of Joseph to lead where you are.

I. The Vision of Leadership

The truth is that none of us goes anywhere without vision. Vision is the guiding star for achievement. Vision is the purpose for living. Vision is the reason for getting up in the morning. A father or mother may have a vision for Godly descendants. The Apostle Paul had a vision for Godly Christian leaders and saw Timothy as part of that vision. He also had a vision for the salvation of the Gentile nations. David envisioned a temple of worship for the true and living God. Vision begets energy, determination, and focus.

Joseph had a vision. It began as two dreams (Gen.37). And to those closest to him, Joseph seemed precocious and his dreams presumptuous. That may be because youthful immaturity led Joseph to speak too soon and go off half cocked. After all, how many siblings want to hear that they will one day bow before their brother?

Nevertheless, Joseph’s God-given dreams told him that life held more than just carrying food to his big brothers. The future God had for him held something significant in the plan of God.

I encourage you who know Christ to look beyond yourself, beyond the present, to a vision of your place in the Kingdom of God. Ask yourself; “How can I be effective in the work of God’s Kingdom? How can I count for eternity?”

II. The Frustration of Leadership

Seldom does the pursuit of a vision come without a struggle and even frustration. It may come because of the misunderstanding and rejection of others. It may come because of one’s own character flaws and failure. In Joseph’s case, it was both. As a youth, perhaps spoiled by his father’s favoritism, Joseph lacked discretion, a sense of timing, and even the respect he should have had for the older members of his family. Yes, his brothers were marked by some rather obvious flaws themselves. But their position in the family permitted them rank above that of Joseph. Deference would have been wise on his part and discretion the better part of valor. Even these qualities are important to spiritual leadership. The rivalry, pettiness, and resentment among Jacob’s sons led not just to division but ultimately to hatred and murderous attitudes. Joseph’s brothers not only rejected his vision, they rejected him, selling him into slavery and hoping to be done with him forever. Pretty frustrating since Joseph’s vision included his brothers.

And what was Joseph to think? His dream of his family recognizing his potential in the will of God seemed hopelessly lost and his vision for the future dashed. Perhaps he was just a youthful dreamer after all.

There are few better times for spiritual growth and character development than during the time when our dreams and visions crash on the rocks of circumstances. All that seemed possible is lost. And we discover what all who would lead and have influence for Christ must discover. Without Him we can do nothing. Spiritual leadership is not built on youthful zeal by self-made and untested men. It is built on the foundation of Christ like character that is formed in the furnace of affliction and a vital walk with God. As one wise man put it: “Remember, you cannot lead anyone higher than you yourself have gone; you cannot enrich anyone beyond your own actual experience of God.” D. Martin Lloyd Jones said; “The worst thing that can happen to a man is for him to succeed before he is ready.” Everything in life is preparation. God is up to things we often cannot imagine, and our cooperation with Him in these things is of utmost importance.

How long do we have to “wait around” for God to “get on the program”? What are we to make of God’s delays and the vision that is burning in our hearts? If you are thinking and asking such questions, remember you are not the first to have to wait and wade through uncertain and even frustrating circumstances. Moses spent forty years on the backside of the desert. Jacob served his conniving uncle Laben for more than fourteen years. David tended sheep for his father while his brothers were off doing more important and exciting things. Even the Apostle Paul spent three years in quiet preparation in Arabia while his vision for Christ’s church burned in his heart. Waiting is an integral part of God’s preparatory school and is part of  the process by which God molds the leader into a holy vessel. Remember, the process is as important as the product, and with God, “timing is more important than time” (Ron Dunn).

Ponder these things, and the next time we will see how God vindicates those who have a vision for Him.

Charles Cavanaugh

Vision4Living Ministries

We have just posted the information for the 2010 Passion4Christ Summit! Check out whats new with this years Summit. Registration will begin on May 1. Space will be limited so be sure get your registration in soon. Hope to see you there.

Vision4Living Ministries

http://vision4living.org/events/passion4christ-summit/

Dear Friends,

Below you will find the audio messages of the 2009 Passion4Christ Summit free for you to download. All you need to do is click on the link and you have the option to listen from the website or download for the future. Please note that there are three messages from the Summit that are not available. Due to technical difficulties, we were not able to make these available. We do regret this but hope you enjoy all the same. Thanks and may your heart be encouraged whether you are listening for the first time or revisiting these messages.

In Christ,

Daniel Cavanaugh

Vision4Living Ministries

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Biblical Thinking – Daniel Cavanaugh

Finding & Pursuing Purpose – Charles Cavanaugh

I Choose Suffering: A Superior Mission – Charles Cavanaugh

Mind of Christ – David Sunday

United we Stand – David Sunday

Piercing the Darkness – Steve Cavanaugh

Riches Indeed – Steve Cavanaugh

School of Contentment – Dewey Novotny

Serving with Grace – Dewey Novotny

Dear Faithful Readers,

Today your received a blog update from us that was totally bogus and unnecessary. There was a glitch in our system which caused the mistake of sending a blog to our readers that had nothing that pertained to you. Please do forgive us and know that we only want to send out content that is interesting and encouraging to you as our readers. It is in no way our desire to fill you inbox with unwanted emails. Thanks you for your patient and understanding in this matter. Lord bless you and we thank you for your interest in our blog.

Daniel Cavanaugh

Vision4Living Ministries

Last time we looked at two qualities of Abraham’s leadership that were crucial to leading into the unknown. First: he was a man of firm commitment. Second: he was a man with feet of clay. There are two other qualities illustrated by Abrahams leadership.

Third: he was a man of fervent communion. Fellowship with God can never be taken for granted. Abraham obviously walked with God, for God spoke with him, and he spoke with God regularly. In fact, in Isaiah 41:8 God refers to Abraham as “My friend”. Nowhere is Abraham’s communion with God more vividly illustrated than in his intercession for his nephew Lot in Genesis 18. There he passionately pleads for the deliverance of his backslidden nephew, interceding based on his knowledge of God’s nature. This is perhaps the most crucial aspect of Abraham’s leadership, and no person can lead well without this vital component. Fervent communion with God may or may not be noticeable to others, but it is indispensable to spiritual leadership. Abraham’s close communion with his Lord would develop in him a strong faith that would ultimately be tested in the most personal way. God’s command for Abraham to sacrifice his only son, in whom was deposited all of God’s promises to him, would require the trust God had built in Abraham through their close communion.

Fourth; He was a man of fearless conduct. We often hear people speak of the importance of putting “feet” to our prayers. It may be a cliché but Abraham lived it. Perhaps we cannot appreciate the danger into which Abraham (then Abram) rode when he took his small band of servants and went to deliver Lot from the warriors of the four kings in Genesis. Abram was no trained warrior, but his faith in God armed him with a confidence to go and deliver Lot and his family from unspeakable danger and proved the God he so faithfully trusted. Abram’s actions are reminiscent of Paul’s words in 1Cor.16:13: “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be men, be strong.” Life brings challenges that are opportunities to trust and prove our great God, and such a life is not for the weak and timid. Spiritual leadership requires the courage to go against the flow, to be different, to stand for the truth of God for the glory of God. Like Abram’s, these opportunities may be unexpected and require resources we are not aware we have. The close of chapter 14 has Abram worshiping God and laying everything at His altar. Such is the disposition of the true spiritual leader.

We began by looking at Abraham as an example of our leading into the unknown. The writer of Hebrews tells us; “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed: and he went out, not knowing where he went” (Hebrews 11:8). But the truth is, none of us knows what the future holds. Following Christ and leading others by our Godly influence into the future requires the same qualities. We all have feet of clay. “A just man falls seven times and rises up again;” (Proverbs 24:16). So each of us must ask God to build in us firm commitment, fervent communion, and fearless conduct. May the Lord help us to be such leaders.

Charles Cavanaugh

Vision4Living Ministries

Thanks to all of you who prayed for Daniel Cavanaugh, John Fechtel and I during the Teleios Conference. We had a challenging yet good time of encouraging the young men in their relationship with Jesus Christ. All of the speakers shared from their life experiences about what God has been teaching them. I opened it with the theme passage from Rom. 12:2 and what we need to be doing with our lives. Daniel gave a challenge about the problem of being lukewarm and asked straight up for the guys to raise their hands if they thought they were hot, cold, or lukewarm. Most of which raised their hands for lukewarm. We attempted to have a fireside chat but due to the weather the wood was wet and wouldn’t stay burning. So instead we all went back to the bunk house and had a casual discussion time. I spoke on idols of the heart and what I have struggled with in my life as well as things that deaden our spiritual senses and cause us to not have a hunger for God. There was definitely spiritual warfare going on (as expected). Not long after we had all gone to bed, one of the young men got sick and threw up all night; from 1am to 8am. This not only deprived him of sleep but the rest of us as well. He unfortunately had to be sent home due to the sickness, and one of the other guys also went home early for fear of getting sick. Weary and living on subpar camp food, John Fechtel started our Saturday with a challenge to the guys that if we call ourselves Christians why isn’t living for Christ our main priority. He challenged us to live like we mean it! Daniel shared two messages back to back on the need for ‘Biblical Thinking’ and on walking in ‘The Spirit of Life’. I spoke on honoring parents; especially the Father/son relationship. In between sessions many of the guys would hit the volleyball around or throw the Frisbee to get the blood flowing. Many of the young men were receptive to the message and challenges that they heard. Some shared (to the point of tears) very deep personal issues which they struggle with while some seemed indifferent and uninterested. It was a tough group to talk to because you couldn’t tell if you were getting through to them. I believe, though some ‘seemed’ uninterested, God is doing a work in their hearts and seeds were planted that will bring forth fruit in due season. This whole conference was something I felt God was leading me to do. While I didn’t feel this was something I would be good at, I knew He would have me to do it, and in my weakness He would be strong. I thank God for the guys who came alongside me and helped to encourage the men and for the young men whom God brought to the conference. I also thank God for all of you who prayed for us because I know your prayers made a difference in the lives of the young men.

God Bless,
Steven Curry

It is hard to believe that a whole month and half has come and gone since the Summit and Christmas is upon us. It truly is the “Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, a time with family and friends and remembering who Christ is and represents in our lives. We also want, at this time of the year, to update you on a gift that is coming your way from Vision4Living Ministries. Lord willing we will have the 2009 P4C messages uploaded on our website for you to download in mp3 format and share with others at the first of the year. We know that many of you have expressed interested in these and so we are responding to that request. Merry Christmas and may you have a Happy New Year!

In Christ,
Vision4Living Ministries

Imagine leaving the comforts of home and the security of friends and family you have known for a lifetime to go somewhere unknown. Imagine going on the promise that a great opportunity awaits you. Imagine taking your wife into such an unknown “opportunity”. That is what the Old Testament patriarch Abram (later Abraham) did. He led his wife and his nephew into an unknown future. What are the qualities of leadership we can learn from Abraham?

First: He was a man of firm commitment. You can almost since the resolve of Abram in Genesis 12:4. “So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him…” This was no light thing. Abram’s background, family, and environment were entirely pagan. But it was all he knew. To be snatched out of such familiar and comfortable surroundings by Jehovah was, to say the least, a life – changing experience. It took a lot of grace which resulted in firm commitment to the revealed will of God.

So it must be with every spiritual leader. We must have an unshakable reliance on the grace of God that results in a firm commitment to His revealed will. We have what Peter calls “a more sure word of prophecy” in the completed cannon of scripture (see 2 Peter 1:19). Everything we need to be wise spiritual leaders is contained there, and we would do well to saturate ourselves with it.

Second: He was a man with feet of clay. The Bible is quite frank about the weaknesses and failures of Old Testament saints. They were men and women “subject to like passions as we are” (James 5:17). In other words, they were human. They sometimes blew it. And Abram was no exception. There is some disagreement among serious students of scripture whether Abram was right in leaving Canaan during the famine and going to Egypt (see Genesis 12, 10ff). I tend to see it as a lapse in faith. But there is no doubt that he should never have put his wife in harm’s way by passing her off as only his sister and allowing her to be taken into Pharaoh’s house with all that could have entailed. God, in His mercy, worked providentially to deliver Abram and Sarah from a potentially destructive situation. There is both an encouragement and a warning found in this episode. It is encouraging to know that our heavenly Father can and does supersede our weakness and folly. If it were not so, we would fall into all kinds of harm and destruction. We can depend on His covenant mercies. “For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust” (Ps. 103:14). The warning, however, is this. We must not presume upon our Father’s grace. That is a dangerous path to tread. While it is true that God can restore the years the locusts have eaten, we should try to avoid feeding the locusts of life. “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” But we are not to sin in order that grace may abound (See Rom. 5:20-6:2).

Abraham’s firm commitment was an excellent starting point for a man who was called to lead into an unknown future. The fact that he had feet of clay should remind us that we too are weak and sinful and in need of the resources that are ours in Christ in order to lead to His glory. And our weakness makes the next quality of leadership Abraham exhibited all the more indispensable. We will take that quality and one other up the next time.

In Christ,

Charles Cavanaugh

Dear Friends,

‘Teleios’ Life Conference, which is hosted by Lakeshore Bible Church in Tampa, FL, is designed for young men to pull away for the weekend and just seek the Lord and hear His word. Please be praying for Daniel Cavanaugh, Steven Curry, & John Fechtel as they will be the speakers presenting the word to these young men. The conference will be starting at 4:30 PM EST tomorrow and ends Saturday afternoon. Thank you for praying, and we look forward to sharing what the Lord is going to do!

In Christ,
Vision4Living Ministries

The end of October brings anticipation of gules and goblins for many, but for a group of Christian young adults it brought the opportunity to renew and strengthen their passion for Christ. Pleasant Hill Outdoor Center near Perrysville, OH was the setting for leaving the world behind  and focusing our attention on “Approving the Excellent” at the 2009 Passion4Christ Summit. Five days of practical exposition along with volleyball, wall climbing, hiking, canoeing, camp fire & story-telling, and just plain “chilling out” offered a fellowship in Christ that was both encouraging and challenging. Eighty attendees were served by an entirely volunteer staff of seventeen who graciously gave of their time, resources, and energy for the sake of Christ and His Gospel.

Every message emphasized the importance of commitment to a life which leads to the approval of and a choosing of that which is excellent. Pastor David Sunday, Pastor Steve Cavanaugh, Dewey Novotny, Charles and Daniel Cavanaugh urged everyone to embrace suffering for Christ, exercise the mind of Christ, rejoice in God’s saving and sanctifying work, serve with grace, think biblically, and learn to be content within the circumference of Christ’s work in our lives. Amy Vest and Pam Cavanaugh challenged the women to submit to Christ’s work of making them beautiful by conforming them to the image of Christ. All those things were seen as the backdrop for a life of Biblical purpose and direction.

God used all that might have been a distraction to enhance the experience and draw the group together into a corporate pursuit of a greater passion for our Savior. The Lord is to be praised for His evident blessing on “the Summit”, His protection of the staff and attendees in their travels and activities, and His gracious provision for the needs of P4C ’09. Was it worth it? Without a doubt! One attendee put it this way. “Was it just me, or does anyone else feel like they just went to heaven?”

Next year’s Passion4Christ Summit will be on October 27-31. Perhaps your will want to give prayerful consideration to being there with us, keeping in mind that space is limited. Registration opens May 2010.

To God Alone Be Glory,

Charles Cavanaugh

President of Vision4Living Ministries

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