Maximise Your Life with Paul Bengar - Part Eight
In Chapter Eight of his book, Twelve, Paul Benger looks at the the value of a go-getter spirit and how to add it to your teams. Be inspired...
The disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Which of us is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” Matthew 18:1 (TLB)
It has always amazed me that Jesus does not rebuke the disciples for this question. In fact he answers them clearly and precisely. Greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven comes as a result of dealing with sin and living in humility. Why would they ask this question? There’s also the incident which had the potential of causing real trouble among the twelve disciples when James and John, led by their mother, present themselves to Jesus and she asks on their behalf, “In your Kingdom will you let my two sons sit in places of honour next to you, one at your right and the other at your left?” (Matthew 20:21) Once again Jesus does not rebuke them for the question, but rather shares with them the path to greatness. This time his emphasis is serving.
In both instances the disciples were looking for a positive response. James and John were hoping that Jesus would say yes to their request for notoriety and the disciples in the group asking which one is the greatest were each hoping that Jesus would say their name. These questions are presented to Jesus because in all of us there is a desire for greatness and significance and no rebuke is forthcoming because it is God who has placed this desire within us. The disciples were therefore revealing a spirit that God loves, the “I want to be the first name on the team sheet spirit.”
Beckham or Lampard?: When Sven Göran Ericksson picks the England Team I wonder who is the first name on the team sheet. Is it Beckham or is it Lampard? There is no denying it Frank Lampard is an outstanding player, and would be in my England team every time, but then again I’m not the England manager, however, we all know it’s going to be Beckham and not Lampard who’s selected first. When it comes to the Kingdom of God, where are you? I mean are you on the team, the bench, in the squad or not even selected to play? Are you happy with where you are? I was thinking about this recently as I was praying and I began to say to God that I wasn’t happy just being on the team, I wanted my name to be the first name on his team sheet. When he looks for someone to use I want to be selected. When he looks for a church to promote and increase I want it to be my church. Do I want you and your church to be blessed? Of course! But I want to be Beckham and not Lampard. In this regard even Frank Lampard would like to be Beckham. From the time of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of God has been forcefully advancing and the violent take hold of it Matthew 11:12. This “whatever it takes” spirit is so attractive to God. I remember telling my son a story about Bobby Charlton. Nathan was about 12 years old, playing football for a local team and beginning to get noticed by some nearby professional clubs. Being keen to improve, one day he was worrying because he felt that his left foot was too poor for him to be a good player. I remember telling him that Bobby Charlton, when he was playing for Manchester United, had felt exactly the same. As a result he would stay behind following training and just kick a ball at a wall using only his left foot. My own son’s passion to improve was seen in the fact that immediately and then consistently he went outside and using only his left foot spent time kicking a football at our own wall. The desire to be the first name on the team sheet does not ignore the need for others but adopts the “Whatever it takes” stance as it pursues destiny. As you are filled with the Holy Spirit and he places visions and dreams within your heart you will need to know that there is a process involved in your progress. Many Christians are waiting for the day when God will supernaturally fulfil all the dreams and desires that they have received. I believe this is like playing spiritual lottery. It’s enticing because a few winners are held up before us who seem to have everything they ever desired and who seemingly did nothing towards it arriving in their lives. Unfortunately, this is not the whole story or common. You and I need to submit every day to the working of God’s Spirit in our lives because his work within us is moving us closer to our destiny. Is God serious about his plans and purposes? Of course he is! Does he mean it when he says that he has plans to prosper us? Of course he does! He has also provided the means by which we can progress in faith towards those plans. It’s called spiritual growth and transformation.
Spectator; Participant; Consumer; Producer:
A spectator does not spend any time improving the skill level of his left foot. Only a participant will do that. A consumer invests nothing in research in order to see a better and more efficient product emerge. Only a producer would do that. My question is, which are you? My love of sport and close involvement with football has caused me to be a spectator and to observe hundreds of other spectators. Football is such an easy game from the sidelines. At times following a game I have forgotten this and whilst driving home in the car I have gone through almost every instance that my son participated in. “You had a simple five yard pass...you should have crossed the ball...why didn’t you...” and so on. However well I can read and see a game from the sidelines the only person in that car who can make a difference is my son because all I am at the end of the day is a watcher, but he is a player, a participator. I believe that God wants to raise up an army of players. Not people who are playing at the kingdom, but people who are participating in the Kingdom of God, body, soul and spirit.
Go further:
Jesus was always teaching his disciples to go further, to give more to the cause. “Take up your cross,” “Love me more than Father, Mother, Brother or Sister,” “Sell your possessions, give to the poor and come follow me.” Jesus cannot be the spiritual accessory to our lives, he has to be Lord. A spiritual life without passion is...yuk! Living without faith, expectation and commitment is awful. This is not the life Jesus Christ has called us to but one that is full of adventure, challenge, reward and blessing. Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere. Anyone who believes and is baptised will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, they will speak in new languages...They will be able to place their hands on the sick and heal them” Mark 16-18 (NLT)
Cultural Architects:
Sports psychologists working to improve teamwork highlight the importance of a team having a shared mental model. “As a sports psychologist working with a football team, I've got 12 clients. I've got 11 individual players and I've got an 11-headed monster that I have to deal with which is called the team and the psychology of the team is very much trying to get the guys to think with a shared mental model. If you see a team with a shared mental model, things will happen almost flawlessly. To see a situation and to, in a common fashion, read that situation and then to arrive without any conversation at a solution which is the same, so every-body's pulling, if you like, in the same direction, “singing from the same hymn sheet.” (Professor Dave Collins, University of Edinburgh). Another Professor of Sports Psychology, Willi Railo from Oslo has a unique solution to the challenge of developing a shared mental model, players that he calls cultural architects.
Here’s an insight into this concept with contributions from Professor Railo, Sven Göran Eriksson, Professor Dave Collins and the programme narrator.
(Transcript)
WILLI RAILO: Cultural architects are people that are able to change the mind-set of other people. They're able to break barriers, they have visions, they are self-confident and they are able to transfer their own self-confidence to a group of people.
NARRATOR: Cultural architects are players with exceptional mental strength and a complete faith in their Manager's vision. They are Eriksson's mental clones on the pitch.
SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON: That's very important that you have one or two players out there thinking for you, doing the job on the pitch for you, and if you have that as a Manager you feel much more secure.
DAVE COLLINS: This concept of cultural architects is a good example of the shared mental model in operation. It's almost like those are the guys who've bought into that picture, or who grasp that picture the best and therefore they can act as leaders, not necessarily in the formal sense, but as the cement that pulls all these bricks together in the common style.
NARRATOR: Eriksson and Railo concluded they needed three cultural architects to spread the shared mental model through the England tam, but cultural architects are rare and you have to know what to look for.
SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON: It's difficult to find those people because all the players, they can't do it. You must have some leadership in your body.
NARRATOR: The search for cultural architects began on the training ground. Unknowingly, the players were being subjected to psychological scrutiny.
WILLI RAILO (V/O): Not more than 5-10% of people are cultural architects, so you can see that in one training session and in one match together you can spot those easily.
NARRATOR: And very quickly one player stood out.
WILLI RAILO: Let me mention just one name - Beckham. He has grown to become a cultural architect. He has today a very great influence on the attitudes of the other players and he is thinking the same line as Sven-Göran Eriksson, so it's a very good tool for Sven on the pitch.
(Taken from the BBC2 Program Horizon, “The English Patient” broadcast on 3 May 2002)
A cultural architect is one who can translate the desire of his or her coach or master into the arena of action. Jesus Christ is looking for you to be a cultural architect in the Kingdom of God, a person who can live by Christ’s agenda totally.
You are my world:
In 2001 a new song reached our church from our friends at Hillsong in Australia, it was called, “You are my world.” This song came out of a season of teaching that was encouraging the church to make HIS world their world. “God, you are not merely a part of our world, you are our world. There is no other and we choose to treasure he very same things that you treasure.” (Bobbie Houston, Heaven is in this House, 2001, p125.) When esus said, “If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine,” Matthew 10:38 (TLB) this is exactly what he meant. Spiritual warfare for you and me is the decision to refuse apathy and be a passionate follower of Jesus Christ.
Don’t be easy on yourself:
How often have you heard it said, “Go easy on yourself?” But I say, “Don’t go easy on yourself.” Christians are meant to crucify the flesh so that we can live for God. I’m not talking about having a poor self image or beating your self up all the time and feeling sorry for yourself. But I am talking about being ruthless to destroy habits and attitudes that reside in your life which may hinder the glory of God shining in you. I heard Pastor Michael Pitts of Cornerstone Church say, “As disciples we live by disciplines and not emotions. In fact, discipline turns emotion into devotion. When my emotions don’t want to do something I do it anyway because I’m devoted.” - Ozfest, Christian City Church, Oxford Falls, Sydney, 2003. In the same way that Bobbie Charlton disciplined himself to practice using his left foot for hours, we too should adopt Godly disciplines that will ensure we are able to run the race for God long term. Someone might say, “This sounds like works.” Well it is work but not a works based faith. We only have access and acceptance to our awesome God by grace through faith. However, working out our salvation is going to include embracing certain disciplines within our lives. If you want to be the first name on God’s team sheet then a good dose of service and humility will be required. A “whatever it takes spirit” will be developed in you and you will quickly find yourself with new habits. Habits like: controlling your finances; prayer; reading and applying God’s word; renewing your mind; being planted in the house of God; controlling your tongue; dealing with sin etc… Great people have great habits.
REMEMBER:
Desire to be the first name on God’s team sheet
Develop a “whatever it takes” attitude
Be a participant and producer not a consumer and a spectator
Be a cultural architect for Jesus Christ
Great people have great habits
Disciples live by discipline not emotion, discipline turns emotion into devotion