{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"289. Raise Your Activity Level, Don't Lower Your Standards","description":"How to Support the Rob Skinner Podcast.  If you would like to help support my mission to multiply disciples, leaders and churches, click here:  https:\/\/www.buymeacoffee.com\/robskinner   Transcript for "Raise your activity level, don\u2019t lower your goals"   I was looking forward to the final message of the evangelism conference.  Christians from all over the world were gathered for a conference meant to inspire and unify our family of churches.  The final speaker was someone I\u2019ve always respected and is one of my favorite preachers.  I was waiting for a massive call to action.  A dream casting lesson that set our vision on winning this lost world.  In past seminars and conferences, the final lesson is usually one of the best and is typically preached by one of the most gifted leaders.  That slot summarizes the primary points from all the classes and channels them into a call for massive action on the part of the participants.  As the speaker began, I was waiting for that call.  Instead, I heard a lot of stories about family and parenting.  It was a long, meandering lesson and what I heard from it was that we are not going to win the world in one generation, therefore let\u2019s pass the torch on to our kids and let them do it.  I left deflated.  Instead of getting pumped up to return to my home church ready to change my city, I had seen a hero of my faith pull out the white flag of surrender and slowly wave it in front of the gathering of over ten thousand followers of Jesus.  Looking back, I understand what he meant.  We do need to pass on what we\u2019ve learned, our convictions and passion for God and the lost people of this world.  I recognize that there will be millions of lost people long after I\u2019m past.  I know that the work will continue on until Jesus returns.  However, the tone of the lesson was, \u201cIt\u2019s never gonna happen so let\u2019s not stress about it and let\u2019s just focus on the next generation.\u201d  It felt very much like a call to lower expectations and to get satisfied with maintaining what we had rather than multiply what God had given us.  As people filed out on their way home, I sat there thinking to myself, \u201cI\u2019m not ready to surrender, settle or be satisfied yet.  I\u2019m not dead yet.  Yes, I want to pass my faith on to my children, but as long as I have breath, I want to advance the Kingdom as far as I can.\u201d Every generation has to decide how they will face the challenges God has placed before them.  During the Exodus, Moses called the Israelites to explore the land they would enter and see what they were facing, both good and bad.  In Numbers 13:17 it is written,  17 When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, \u201cGo up through the Negev and on into the hill country. 18 See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. 19 What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? 20 How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.\u201d (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)  Twelve tribal leaders led the scouting expedition.  Their evaluation is found in Numbers 13:26, \u201c26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They gave Moses this account: \u201cWe went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.\u201d 30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, \u201cWe should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.\u201d 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, \u201cWe can\u2019t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.\u201d  Ten leaders saw the land and said, \u201cWe can\u2019t.\u201d  Two leaders, Joshua and Caleb, said \u201cWe can.\u201d  Those two men were some of the few who made it into the promised land.  The other ten were put to death by God for their lack of faith.  The Israelites were condemned to wander for forty years for their lack of trust in God.  All the leaders saw the same thing.  The same land, the same fruit, the same enemies and the same challenges.  The facts were identical, but the faith couldn\u2019t have been more different.  Every generation has the same command to obey, \u201cGo and make disciples of all nations.\u201d (Matthew 28:19).  We face open fields, difficult fields, persecution and blessings.  This lost world has both opportunities and challenges for us individually and as a Christian family.  However, we have to decide how we will respond.  Will we say with Caleb, \u201cWe can!\u201d or with the forgotten and doomed ten leaders, \u201cWe can\u2019t.\u201d  If you want to be a multiplying Christian, you have to consciously decide that you will be a \u201cWe can!\u201d Christian.  It may be difficult, and there will be giants and fortresses to face down, but with God, we can.  One of the biggest traps many Christians fall into is lowering their expectations to when faced with spiritual challenges.  Instead of increasing activity, faith, intensity, focus, they begin to spout the language of those who say, \u201cwe can\u2019t.\u201d  You can recognize it by: \u00b7         Being satisfied with only a few people becoming Christians \u00b7         Shifting focus from saving the lost to satisfying the saved \u00b7         A critical spirit toward those bent on conquest \u00b7         Jealousy and envy toward those who are making spiritual progress \u00b7         Negative talk, gossip and slander toward those whose passion for the lost is still strong \u00b7         A change of emphasis from building God\u2019s kingdom to padding our retirement \u00b7         Faithless language like: o   \u201cPeople aren\u2019t open\u201d o   \u201cTimes have changed\u201d o   \u201cI\u2019ve tried but\u2026\u201d o   \u201cWe don\u2019t have the right song service, enough money, the right people, etc.\u201d I was reading a book by Grant Cardone called \u201cThe 10x Rule.\u201d  He points out that so often when we don\u2019t hit our goals, we lower our expectations and our efforts.  We don\u2019t want to experience the emotional pain of failing.  Instead, he counsels people to increase your efforts ten times, or \u201c10x.\u201d  This principle is applicable to the world of finance, business, relationships, family or spirituality.  We all have a choice when faced with not achieving our ambitions, we can settle or we can set our minds on God and accept that our current level of faith, activity and love will need to grow to meet the challenge before us.  The difference between the man who returned with 10 minas versus the one who simply returned the mina given him by his master (Luke 19:11-27) is that the multiplying servant raised his expectations and efforts to meet the challenge and multiply what God had given him.  The wicked servant settled and became critical of the master and his expectations.  \u201c21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.\u201d (Luke 11:21)  He justified his inactivity by blaming his master for being hard and having too-high expectations. The apostle Paul faced difficulties in his ministry in Ephesus.  Take a look at Acts 19:8-10, \u201c8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.\u201d  When he faced opposition and a lack of openness, he didn\u2019t lower expectations, he changed locations and raised his level of activity.  He held daily discussions in a public location.  The result was that he was able to multiply disciples, leaders and churches in western Asia Minor.  I was reading this passage recently and challenged myself to increase my level of effort this fall.  My goal is to hold 90 \u201cdiscussions in 90 days.  Anytime I am using a Bible with a non-Christian present I\u2019m counting it as a \u201cdiscussion.\u201d  Sermons, group discussions or personal Bible studies all count.  If I\u2019m going to reach the metropolitan area I live in, it has to start with greater activity on my part.  Yesterday, I went sharing on campus and we shared with over 100 people. Then I led three Bible studies in the afternoon and evening.  The last person I had a discussion with said he wants to get baptized right away.  I was energized and fired up at the end of the day even though it was a packed day.  I\u2019d rather raise my intensity than lower my standards. I appreciate people like Kevin Miller, church leader from Boston.  He has a passion to reach the lost in the Boston metro area.  He could sit there and say that the church is too old, it\u2019s been this size for too long or the membership is too old or set in their ways.  Instead, he has a can-do attitude that won\u2019t settle for survival. He wants to see the church grow, multiply and do better than it ever has.  I love what Shawn Wooten is doing in Eastern Europe.  He could call it a day and retire on all the inspiring experiences and stories he\u2019s accumulated over the years.  Instead, he\u2019s driving on toward expansion of the gospel. Dr. John Oakes lifts my spirits.  Like Caleb, he is an older man.  He\u2019s retired from teaching.  However, he\u2019s determined to advance the kingdom in central California.  He planted a church in Merced, California in his late sixties.  Instead of lowering expectations, he raised his levels of effort.  He goes out on campus twice weekly to reach out and has grown his church of three Christians to over 25 in a little over a year.  He is a \u201cWe can!\u201d disciple. Take a look at yourself.  Are you listening to the excuses and rationalizations that Satan and even well-meaning Christians are placing in your head?  Satan\u2019s lie is that when faced with difficult challenges, just lower your expectations, back off and don\u2019t try so that you won\u2019t experience disappointment, failure or defeat.  For example, if you haven\u2019t saved a soul in a while, you might be tempted to think, \u201cI\u2019m too old, too unrelatable, too isolated or too something\u2026\u201d  Take captive that thought and instead raise your activity level.  Start sharing your faith actively.  Keep a prayer list of people you can pray for, serve, show hospitality to and invite to church.  Increase your efforts ten times.  If you raise your energy, efforts and faith, you will see things begin to change.  Jesus said in Matthew 9:29, \u201cAccording to your faith will it be done to you.\u201d Just like with the exploration of the land, for every two faithful followers there will probably be ten cynical and faithless people.  Don\u2019t allow other people\u2019s negativity or spiritual issues drag you down.  If you want to do great things for God, you will get heat and reasons why it can\u2019t be or shouldn\u2019t be done.  People will say your too \u201cold school.\u201d  This often happens because the person is simply trying to justify their lives and low expectations.  Ignore it and do God\u2019s will.  Become a multiplying disciple.      Application: \u00b7         In what areas have you surrendered or lowered your expectations? o   Relationships o   Evangelism o   Finances o   Purity \u00b7         What could you do starting today to raise your level of faith and activity to see God work in that area? ","author_name":"The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count","author_url":"https:\/\/robskinner.com\/","html":"