What follows are the supplements to Frank Viola’s book 48 Laws of Spiritual Power.
1. The supplemental chapters (Codas) appear first.
2. After the Codas, the audio messages appear.
SUPPLEMENTAL CHAPTERS
Coda VI
TOSS OUT YOUR NOTES
Those who’ve heard me speak live are aware that I rarely use notes.
Even on those occasions where I’ve used them, I delivered the bulk of those messages without looking at them.
The reason is simple.
In my experience, the people who have spoken most powerfully in the Lord, holding people spellbound with a breathtaking sighting of Christ, typically don’t use notes.
And those who use notes are often a chore to listen to.
There are exceptions to this, but notes handicap most speakers.
So here’s my challenge: Toss out your notes, only using them on rare occasions.
(Tossing them out means literally not having them on your lectern or anywhere near your body when you speak.)
You don’t have to be like Brennan Manning (who had a photographic memory) to pull this off.
I certainly don’t have that gift, though I wish I did.
For those of you who would dare accept the challenge, here’s my practical advice:
- Write or type out the message that’s on your heart. Someone once said, “Thoughts disentangle themselves passing over the lips and through pencil tips.” The process of writing helps you to clarify and organize your thoughts. In other words, write yourself clear.
- Don’t try to memorize what you’ve written, but go over it repeatedly.
- Become super familiar with the content and the themes. (That’s more important than trying to remember every word verbatim.)
- The day before you speak, turn what you’ve written into a short outline of points. Review the outline. Memorize it if you can.
- The day you speak, toss out your notes and the outline. Trust the Lord. Trust your memory. Trust the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
In my personal judgment, relying on notes while ministering often depletes spiritual power.
Tossing them out and relying on the Lord increases it.
By the way, I never practice delivering my messages beforehand.
Consequently, if you’ve ever heard me speak, it’s always unrehearsed.[1]
Of course, if you wish to be perfectly polished like Joel Osteen, then you may want to rehearse your talk.
But I believe that rehearsing a message that is God-given minimizes it in more ways than one.
That’s because I view speaking from the Lord under His anointing differently from giving a public speech.
The former draws on the Holy Spirit, the latter relies on natural gifting.
While we’re on the subject, here’s another tip about spoken ministry.
He who is not brief will not be invited back. Or as one of my old friends once put it, “Shadrach, Meshach, and to bed we go.”
With few exceptions, most messages require anywhere from 35 to 55 minutes to deliver.
If you go beyond that, there’s an excellent chance you’re adding too much padding and your voice will become audio wallpaper for many.
Step out into that ocean and rely on the Lord to carry you through.
The Lord responds when we step out of the boat and place our foot on the water.
You may be surprised to see what He does.
In fact, you may find yourself speaking some powerful thoughts that didn’t even prepare for.
Coda VII
LEARN RADICAL GENEROSITY
Rick Warren once said the following:
There is a direct relationship between how I use money and the spiritual power that I enjoy. When I loosen my grip and give resources away while trusting God to provide, He blesses my life.[2]
I agree with Warren’s assessment.
Radical generosity is one of the gateways to spiritual power. Greed depletes it.
Sadly, many Christians don’t recognize greed when it’s active in their lives.
Both Jesus and Paul talked a great deal about the perils of acquiring wealth and storing up treasures on earth.
John the Baptist preached that if a person has two items, they should give one away to the person in need (Luke 3:11).
Jesus commended Zacchaeus when he vowed to give half his possessions away to the poor (Luke 19:8-9).
He also called His followers to forsake all and follow Him (Luke 14:33).
As I argued in Insurgence: Reclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, the greatest forms of idolatry in the West are nationalism and capitalism.
Love of country and love of money have caused many to kill other mortals.
But the kingdom of God knows no such allegiance.
It only knows allegiance to Jesus Christ, the world’s true King.
Those who are at the forefront of God’s kingdom are called to exemplify this allegiance in their own lives.
And that includes their detachment from money and possessions.
The Gospel and Greed
Regrettably, much of today’s ministry has become corrupt and contaminated by greed.
Much like in the world of politics.
A.W. Tozer bemoaned this very thing during his own day saying,
The active leadership of the gospel wing of the Church in America has in recent years largely passed out of the hands of men of solid Christian character, and has gone over into the control of young men who are remarkable neither for their learning nor their godliness, but who possess a fair talent for successful promotion. Gravity has been pushed aside to make place for cleverness, and the novice is now in the saddle in direct violation of the solemn warning of the Apostle Paul.[3]
If Tozer were alive today, I think he’d be shocked to see that the problem he identified above has only worsened.
One of the demands of the explosive gospel of the kingdom is to root out any vestiges of greed in our hearts.[4]
This is primary for the one who is called to God’s work as we are to be examples in this arena.
Here’s a two-part exercise:
- Make a specific, concrete plan to be radically generous with your finances and your possessions. Begin by looking at your bank accounts and prayerfully considering how much to give away to those in need.
- Take an inventory of your possessions (room by room) and give away that which you don’t really need or use.
This is a first step in breaking the back of greed and exhibiting generosity.
Coda VIII:
DISCOURAGED BY BETTER PREACHERS
Someone once asked me the following question: “I’m a young preacher and I feel inadequate whenever I hear a powerful, creative, glorious message preached, especially without using any notes. How can I be encouraged?”
Here is my reply:
Let it inspire you to be the best you can be with the unique gifting God has given you.
The story of when Eric Clapton first heard Jimi Hendrix play guitar is instructive.
At the time, Clapton was regarded to be the greatest guitarist on the planet.
But when Clapton saw Hendrix (who was unknown at the time), he dropped his guitar and went backstage.
When his manager checked on Clapton, he was trying to light a cigarette and his hands were shaking.
Clapton looked at his manager and said, “Is he really that good!?”
And indeed Mr. Hendrix was.
Clapton was great, but Hendrix was a force of nature.
Instead of turning green with envy and bad-mouthing Hendrix (which is what men do when they are jealous), he befriended Hendrix.
He showed his admiration for Jimi and accepted the fact that he would never be on his level.
He was content being second best.
When Rolling Stone did their survey of the greatest guitarists of all time, Hendrix was ranked #1. Clapton was #2. Jimmy Page #3. Jeff Beck #5. Eddie Van Halen #8. Duane Allman #9.
There’s a point here.
Resist both discouragement and jealousy.
Settle for aspiring to be #2, #3, shoot, even #10.
By this I simply mean to allow those who are better than you to motivate you to be the best you can possibly be with the gifts God has given you.
And learn all you can from them.
Ministry is not a beauty contest.
Whenever you speak, keep God’s glory foremost in your mind as well as the needs of God’s people.
Strive to impress people with Christ, not yourself.
Forget about yourself.
Self-consciousness is a trait of egotism.
That’s really all I can say about this.
I hope it helps.
Coda IX
STEALING, BORROWING, AND INSPIRING
In recent years, there have been numerous conversations about what constitutes “stealing” a sermon.
Some of these conversations have descended into full-blown arguments among pastors.
But the issue raises some important questions.
For example, what constitutes stealing a sermon vs. being inspired by one?
When is it proper – or necessary – to credit someone else? And … don’t all pastors steal?
Here’s my take on the issue.
I draw a distinction between stealing, borrowing, and inspiring (that is, being inspired by someone else’s work).
First, I’ve never met a preacher who didn’t borrow from others.
Preachers and teachers borrow from my work all the time.
Alas, some even steal from it.
And many never give credit.
This doesn’t bother me since I resolved long ago to take Paul’s attitude in Philippians 1:15-18.
I also view it as a back-handed (though unethical) compliment.
It does bother me, however, when the said preacher who has stolen has no interest in having a relationship with me.
That’s a greater problem in my view, and it represents a character flaw.
Also, those who have studied creativity know that what makes something “creative” is that it combines novelty with value.
It’s not uncommon to stare slack jawed at those we deem to be “creative geniuses.”
But the truth is, there’s nothing actually new in what they are doing.
Great artists, great speakers, and great writers understand that creativity is reinvention and remixture.
Creativity isn’t about producing something that never existed before.
It’s about making connections and combinations of existing items in novel ways.
Every “new” song uses the same musical notes, every “new” painting uses the same colors, and every new piece of writing – or speaking – uses the same dictionary from which to draw.
Creativity, then, is a skill.
And it’s hard work to be creative.
With that thought, here’s my distinction between stealing, borrowing, and inspiring:
Stealing – this is when a preacher lifts an entire talk – virtually verbatim – from someone else.
And they never give the source credit.
An example of this from the music world is Vanilla Ice’s song Ice, Ice Baby.
The baseline is a direct lift from Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie.
Compare the two songs and you’ll see what I mean.
One way to resolve this is for the preacher to say something like this in the opening: “The talk I’m about to give came from (state source). I can’t improve upon it, so I’m giving it just as he/she delivered it.”
Borrowing – this is when a preacher takes the basic ideas and points from someone else, lives them out in his/her own life, rearranges them, reworks them, repurposes them in his/her own language, employs his/her own personal examples and spins out a fresh sounding message.
It could also include borrowing certain phrases or word connections and rearranging them.
An example of this from the music world would be Led Zeppelin’s song How Many More Times.
That song was borrowed from Howlin’ Wolf’s How Many More Years.
If you listen to the two songs side by side, you will detect the similarities, but Zep’s song is distinct enough to be considered theirs.
That’s what borrowing looks like.
It’s similar, but not identical.
Inspiring – this is when a preacher is inspired by another person’s work, but creates something completely different out of it.
However, there are still some similarities present, which point to the inspiration.
An example of inspiring would be Led Zeppelin’s song Black Dog.
This song was inspired by Fleetwood Mac’s Oh Well.
If you listen to them both, you’ll see that they are two completely different songs.
But they both share similar elements.
Another example is Led Zeppelin’s epic masterpiece Stairway to Heaven, which parts of it appear to be inspired by a song called Spirit by Taurus.
Taurus sued Zeppelin for plagiarism, but the court ruled in Zeppelin’s favor.
(Apparently, there’s a countersuit in motion at the time I’m writing this.)
Listen to both tracks and you will see the inspiration, but as one person put it, if Jimmy Page was influenced by the chords in Spirit, “what he did with them was the equivalent of taking the wood from a garden shed and building it into a cathedral.”
Sometimes the line between borrowing and inspiring gets blurred.
Oftentimes artists will borrow, and even steal, from other artists without realizing it.
I once watched a YouTube video called “10 Beatles Hits That ‘Rip Off’ Other Songs.”
You can check to see if the video is still available.
If it is, it’s worth watching.
Sometimes The Beatles unwittingly stole from other artists.
Other times they borrowed from them.
The same is true with Led Zeppelin. (And you guessed it, there are videos where comparisons are made between their songs and the artists from whom they borrowed.)
I hope this helps.
Coda X
THREE LAWS OF THE HARVEST
Here are the three laws of the harvest.
All of them are applicable for both life and ministry.
- You reap whatever you sow.
- The more you sow, the more you reap.
- You reap later than you sow.
Think over your life and ministry and think of examples of how these three laws have been operative.
Coda XI
FIVE MUST-READ BOOKS
Beyond 48 Laws of Spiritual Power, here are five must-read books I recommend for every person who is called to the Lord’s work.
Their messages are unique, especially for our time.
The Character of God’s Workman by Watchman Nee
The Release of the Spirit by Watchman Nee
Prophetic Ministry by T. Austin-Sparks
The School of Christ by T. Austin-Sparks
You Are My Friends by Frank Laubach
[1] If you are interested in hearing some of these messages, you can check out the “Conference Messages” playlist on The Deeper Journey YouTube Channel at authorfrankviola.org.
[2] Rick Warren, “The Best Way to Have a Ministry That Pleases God,” Pastors.com, August 18, 2014.
[3] A.W. Tozer, “The Decline in Godly Leadership,” Alliance Weekly, May 11, 1946.
[4] See episode 23 of the Insurgence podcast, “A Clash Between Kingdoms.”
STRAIGHT TALK TO CHRISTIAN LEADERS
The following seminar and conference talks go beyond the 48 laws mentioned in Frank’s book 48 Laws of Spiritual Power.
You can listen to the audio sessions by clicking on the title (“streaming”).
If you’re listening from a smart phone, make sure you have the close screen turned off so the audio doesn’t pause while listening.
To download, right click the title and “Save” to your computer or tablet.
(Just click on the title and the audios should begin to play.)
Serving in the Newness of the Spirit
My 5 Best Pieces of Advice for Those in Ministry (Plus a Bonus Piece)
Ministry to Young People and Reframing Scripture
Q & A on Leadership and Ministry 1
Q & A on Leadership and Ministry 2
3 Things You Must Pay Attention To
Examples of Law #27 – Unveiling Christ (Conference Messages)
Candid Q & A about Church and Ministry
My Vision for a Ministry Dream Team (PDF)
WORK DIRECTLY WITH FRANK
Check out The Insurgence Experience – Frank’s mentoring mastermind for those who preach and/or teach.
Here is a video made by some of the leaders who went through it.
Go to TheInsurgence.org/ixp for details and fill out the application form at the bottom.
