By Cary Schmidt (published by permission)
The final message of Spiritual Leadership Conference 2010 was brought by Dr. Don Sisk and entitled “He Must Increase, I Must Decrease.” It was awesome! It profoundly impacted me, and I wanted to share a synopsis of it here. Perhaps it will encourage you.
Taken from the statement of John the Baptist in John 3:30, Dr. Sisk challenged us with this question: Who is growing (or increasing) in your life? A servant leader will always seek to decrease that Christ might increase. And when Christ increases, many things will reveal that increase—Dr. Sisk gave six evidences:
When Christ increases in my life, the following six things will happen:
1. I will think less of self and more about others. Every day that I live, I am more and more challenged by this thought. It’s so easy to think of me first. Isn’t it great that the Holy Spirit offers to fill us and help us overcome such a demanding flesh!
2. I will be less interested in material possessions and more interested in eternal values. This one heaps more conviction upon the first! With culture constantly calling us to the discontented life, a Christ-dominant life will rest in contentment only found in Him, and will seek His kingdom first.
3. I will be less competitive with others and more cooperative with others. Whether it’s between siblings in the same family, members in the same church, staff members on the same team, or pastors in the same city, this one is tough to hide! Everyone benefits when you choose to humble yourself and cooperate with those that God has placed in your life—regardless of who gets the credit.
4. I will be less concerned about drawing a crowd and more concerned about making disciples. It’s not about the size of a church, it’s about the magnitude of our awesome Saviour and His work in transforming even one life! My life was changed in a small church, and chances are so was yours.
5. I will be less consumed with what I want to do and more consumed with what God wants me to do. It’s amazing how we can impose our good intentions upon God. We can dictate how we desire to serve Him. But when Christ increases, what I want becomes irrelevant. Obeying Him becomes life’s primary focus.
6. I will be less consumed with keeping everyone together and more concerned about getting people out to the lost. A challenge to parents regarding their children, to Christians living in their own personal comfort zone, and to pastors, this point calls us to go where God leads us, even when it means saying goodbye to those we love.
In conclusion, Dr. Sisk asked: Who is growing in my life? If I am getting bigger, then Jesus is getting smaller. If I am getting smaller, then Jesus is getting bigger.
May God give us a desire to decrease that He might increase and fulfill all of His will in us and through us!
Note: I encourage you to listen to the message. You will find it in audio form here... http://www.caryschmidt.com/
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