Welcome to another Thursday UNFILTERED blog post, the only blog that has a favorite verse in the Old Testament: “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth” – written by Moses (Numbers 12:3).
In last week’s Thursday article, I shared the very first excerpt from my upcoming book. And the response was combustible. I will share more excerpts in the coming days.
Now for today’s article. This is the second installment on the subject. And just like part 1, it’s not only for content-creators, ministers, and business people.
It’s for everyone who breathes oxygen. Including you.
Discipline, consistency, and impact affect every aspect of our lives, especially if we are Jesus followers.
Here are some further principles I’ve learned about the subject:
* Focus on quality over quantity in whatever you do. If you produce any kind of work, who engages it is more important than how many people engage it.
If a small dedicated group finds value in what you do and what you create, that can have far more impact than reaching a larger but indifferent audience.
* Focus on authenticity. Authenticity does not mean transparency, spilling your guts, making people uncomfortable by sharing too much information (“TMI”), etc.
Authenticity means being yourself and sharing genuine experiences and authentic insights that have helped you. If they helped you, they will help others.
* Focus on problem solving. If you are in ministry or business, or you simply want to help others, focus on solving their problems.
This is the focus of all my work. My articles, books, and podcasts all seek to solve common problems that Christians face with solutions that are rarely discussed.
If God has used an experience or insight to solve a problem in your own life, it will surely help someone else. But you have to share it for that to happen.
* Consistency is king. Consistency is what builds trust and recognition over time. I started my blog in 2008 and my first podcast in 2009. Because I’ve been consistent with both, when many of my peers have thrown in the towel and quit, God has used the the blog and podcasts to reach thousands of people all over the world with the gospel of the kingdom and the message of the eternal purpose.
In whatever you do, strive for consistency. That means doing the work even when you don’t feel like it and trusting the Lord to give you the grace to follow through.
* Find joy in the process. It is vital that you enjoy whatever you are doing in work, life, ministry, or business. If you’re doing something you hate or despise, look for something else to put your hand to.
Personal confession: Right now, there are over 1,000 articles on my blog. I would probably still write these articles if only ten people read them. The same with my books. I find joy in the process. Beyond seeking to help God’s people, I do it as an offering to the Lord by using the gifts He has given me.
* Build up – never tear down. The desire to tear others down reveals a serious character flaw. So make sure that whatever you do or create is edifying, encouraging, and doesn’t bring others down. Tearing apart others is the path to self-explosion. It also violates Matthew 7:12, which sums up the entire Law of God.
In this connection, before we retire to sleep, Mrs. V. and I have been reading ten verses from the book of Proverbs. One thing that stands out is all the warnings for those who seek to harm others by their words. Such people will end up falling on their own swords.
Warnings against hurting others by our speech can be found in Proverbs 10:18; 11:13; 12:18; 22-23; 16:28; 19:5; 20:19; 25:18; 26:20; 18:8; 26:22; 19:9; 24:28; 18:7; 11:9; 18:2; 21:23; 15:2; 15:4; 16:24; 15:28.
There’s also something I call “the boomerang effect” which I’ve watched play out all my life. Jesus put it this way:
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
~ Matthew 7:1-4
* Do work that matters. How do you know what matters? If it matters to you, it will matter to others and resonate with those you are seeking to reach. This can begin with family members to friends and extend to those you’ve never met.
* Be patient and persistent. It takes time to make an impact, but showing up consistently is an essential ingredient.
* Leave the outcome to God. Put the results in His capable hands and allow them to rest with Him. Your job is to be faithful. His job is to handle the outcome as He so chooses.
* Strive to be remarkable. Offer something distinctive that sets what you do or create apart from others in the same field. If something is remarkable, it means it’s worthy of being remarked on.
The motive here is not to gain attention, but to provide value. Personally, status quo is of no interest to me. If it’s already been said or done before, why bother to expend time and energy in repeating it?
I’ve often said that I write the book that I want to read but doesn’t exist. The same with my podcast episodes. For instance, I had wanted to read a detailed commentary on every reference to the kingdom of God in the New Testament chronologically.
Since that doesn’t exist, I created The Insurgence Podcast where we are doing that very work right now.
Since no one has ever written a book that tells the entire story of the New Testament – Matthew through Revelation – in chronological order with all the details from first-century history and is documented with the most recent scholarship, I chose to write the upcoming book, The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: Revised and Expanded.
After reading the manuscript, at least two renowned scholars commented, “There is no book like this,” which was a pleasant confirmation for me. It was also a humbling honor.
(If you missed previous articles, do NOT pre-order the book. I’ll be giving seven bonuses to those who purchase it release week — early March. Stay tuned for the details.)
I have more to say about this subject, but we’ll leave it there for now.
Until next Thursday,
Your brother,
fv
Reaching the Skeptics (Excerpt from the New Book)