They Don't Get It: people in the Bible

People in the Bible that didn't get it


I have had some feedback and some interesting conversations about this series.  Those conversations has inspired this post; People in the Bible that didn't get it.  You know the epic fails of the Bible.  I'm only going to list a few.  But please add to the list.


The purpose of this list is to remind ourselves we don't get it all the time. If some of the leaders, true servants in the Bible missed it we can too.  God puts it this way "be careful where you stand lest you fall." We can learn and grow from failures.


The list is in no particular order. 


1- Job's friends! Boy did they not get it.  Well one of them did and of course it was the youngest one. HA! Here is this really sick guy, Job, who has lost everything, family, wealth and purpose. Enough to do you in, but he was hanging in there UNTIL the friends showed up. By the time they were done Job was wishing he had never been born.   Way to encourage guys! 


2- Lot's wife really missed it.  What part of fire and brimstone falling out of the sky did she not understand.


3 - Abraham, Sara, and Hagar need I say more.


4 - Aaron made a gold calf to worship.  Aaron dude! Seriously?!!






Who do you know in the Bible that missed it?  Go ahead and leave a comment with your character that didn't get it. 

They don't get it: 3 Reasons

3 reasons your team doesn’t get it

It seems the team doesn't get it.  Relax,  don't write the resignation letter yet.   We are not alone Jesus had this problem, often.  The disciples didn’t get it.  Jesus would tell them He was going to be with the Father and they still asked “where are you going?”  His own mother and father lost him in a Jerusalem Passover crowd and took 3 days frantically searching to catch up with Him.  His own mother and father didn't get it. One time he asked his team "How long do I got to be with you?" However,  Jesus didn't quit.  Jesus didn't beat them up over coffee. He didn't fire them.  Jesus had a team that didn’t get it, so will you.  Relax, ask for wisdom, apply it and move on. 

When we know where the problem lies, or at least the root of the problem, solutions come, sometimes effortlessly. Here are some, not all, reasons why the team doesn't get it.

1- No grace

The team lacks grace.  Grace is more than receiving undeserved forgiveness at the Cross.  Grace is the undeserved ability, the empowerment, to do what God has called you to do.  When we experience this undeserved empowerment from the Throne of Heaven or from a leader, we will take more risk.  It’s pretty motivating when you step out of the comfort zone knowing full well your leadership and God is cheering you on! Lack of grace also means it’s about performance and show, and that leads to legalism and perfectionism. I'm not talking about  a lazy attitude toward excellence and integrity.  Whatever flows to us will flow through us.  A team that lives under the waterfall of grace get’s “it” and only God gets the glory!  

2- Lack of faith

Jesus asked the disciples a few times “where’s your faith?”  They didn’t get it, and Jesus went right to the point, faith in man is pointless, faith in God is world changing! The Corinthian church didn’t get it.  Paul even made a comment that it was better off if they just closed the doors to the church and how the pagans behaved better.  Yet in the beginning of the letter to the Corinthians Paul was genuinely thanking God for them!  What made Paul do that?  Because Paul’s faith was grounded in what God could do in and through them and not what they could do themselves. That kind of faith is contagious! Believe God can empower your team and your team will begin to believe it too! 

3 - Priorities are skewed

I want to go a little deeper with this idea than just  ‘keeping the main thing the main thing.”  That statement almost seems like getting on a hamster wheel.  It seems in striving to keep the main thing the main thing we can totally miss the main thing. 

Let me explain.  I lived for so long trying to keep God first, before everything.  God before family, God before ministry, God before marriage, God before even church (yeah that’s not so new huh?) It’s a battle and a life God never intended for you to live. 

My priorities were skewed.  I had a misconception about what priorities meant. That kind of thinking separates God from those areas of my life.  I didn’t get it.  I didn’t understand scriptures about loving God with all my heart and soul. I didn’t understand about the whole life and life more abundantly thing.  I didn’t get it.  Why?  Because I was delusional about God being on the top of my list.  God can’t be a priority HE IS THE PRIORITY!

Instead of putting God first then my family, I put God first in my family. Instead of putting God first then my career, I put God first in my career.   Same with the team instead of striving to keep God first then the ministry, how about God being first IN THE MINISTRY! For instance instead of striving to keep God first then evangelism, we keep God in evangelism. Instead of putting God first then the bible study, we put God in the Bible Study.  Instead of knowing about God, we get to KNOW GOD! When God shows up so does the atmosphere of Heaven.  It’s Heaven on Earth.  People GET THAT!

They Don't Get It: 3 Results

3 results from a team that doesn’t get it

When a team, or ministry is not getting it, there are results.  They could be part of the signs, but I would rather you look at them as results.  Meaning, if you don’t do something about them, this is what you get.  It’s the if and then principle.  If you do this, then expect that.  If you watch your speed, then you won’t get a ticket.  The signs are just warning you something is off.  This is a list of what happens if you don’t see and heed the signs. 

1- Tired, burned out and fatigued  

The excitement is gone.  They don’t have it in them like they used to.  Somewhere between starting and finishing (sometimes they don’t finish) they lost what the “it” was.  The lost sight of the vision.  They lost sight of the strategies.  Somewhere they got bogged down with tasks, performance or results that only the Holy Spirit could fulfill.   They might have tried to do a task outside their gifting or talents. As leaders we, on occasion, assign task outside their level of competence and now they are tired, frustrated and even exasperated with you and the ministry. They were crushed by the weight of unrealistic expectations from their leader. Their fight is gone. Their willingness to participate wavers.

2- Same ole, same ole which speaks boring! 

  If the team is afraid of stepping outside the box, then after a while the ministry will be the same ole same ole.  The attitude of “I won’t miss anything if I don’t go” will begin to rise up.  Yes it will have tradition to it, but letting tradition box in what the Holy Spirit is trying to do will have this result.  

The ministry becomes a rain cloud with no rain. 

When the Holy Spirit moves, and reveals the Kingdom of Heaven right here on Earth “IT” will be in no way considered “boring.”   There doesn’t have to be an Holy Spirit explosion every time the women gather.  The ministry needs to have signs of life.  

3- Exclusion 

Plain and simple ministry is about connecting God to people. Excluding people or people groups is a result of a team that doesn’t get it. It’s not purposefully done (well sometimes).  When the ministry gets so focused on the “do” and the “what” they forget the why.  The disciples did this to Jesus more than once.  The twins wanted to call thunder and lightening down on a town to destroy it.  They didn’t want to go back to Samaria, you know how them Samaritans are?  Peter argued about Jesus laying down His life, then chopped a guys ear off.  Jesus had this and so will you. 

They Don't Get It: 3 Signs

This week is going to be about the "doesn't get it." 


For instance, if the "it" is outreach, why aren't they reaching out? That means they didn't get it. 


Even Jesus had this going on.  His disciples sometimes just missed it. 


“Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?

Matthew 16:9

3 Signs Your Team Doesn't Get IT!  

1- Afraid to take risks, afraid to fail, afraid to make mistakes

They hesitate to do things differently.  They really struggle about getting outside their comfort zone.  It is like pulling teeth to get them to even consider doing the  secret sister differently.  There is the whole "let's pray about that one" and you know they are praying that God would say no. 

2- Waiting on God, much ado about nothing

This is waiting on God's will to just fall into place, and not doing anything until it does.  Sometimes we spend so much time and effort trying to decipher the mysteries of God's will we don't understand and we totally forget about obeying the part of God's will we do understand.  For instance: people are waiting for the perfect job to come along and never spend any time perfecting the job they do have. For ministry, the team is waiting on the perfect place and resources to go on a missions trip than just start reaching out to their own neighborhoods together.  

3-focus is on who is not there instead of who is there 

The team will focus and get frustrated at who in the church didn't come.  They will speculate at all the reasons they didn't come.  If that wasn't enough they will spend another exorbitant amount of time to stategize how to address those reasons. Then spend some more time implementing those strategies.  Which is all well in good, however they spent less time on those that did come. The people that did come really got the short end of the stick.