Welcome to another Thursday UNFILTERED blog post, the only blog that has a favorite proverb: “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and suddenly the sermon was over.”
Update: There are about 40 days left until my new book The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: Revised and Expanded releases. Please mark your calendars for March 4. We are giving away some fantastic bonuses to all who get it during – not before – launch week.
This is the third installment on the subject of discipline, consistency, and impact. And just like parts 1 and 2, it’s not only for content-creators, ministers, or 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.
(Consult my website to see the previous articles in this series – put FrankViola DOT org in your browser. Check the “Articles” page from the menu.)
Here are some further principles I’ve learned about the subject, beyond what I’ve already shared:
* Serve a specific audience. Never try to appeal to everyone. It is a mistake to focus on the masses. If you do that, your work — whatever it is you do — will be mediocre.
I’ve talked about this previously in the podcast episode entitled “The Religious Industrial Complex” on the Christ is All podcast.
Chasing mass appeal is vain, and there are spiritual dangers that go with it.
Vance Havner rightly said, “Popularity has slain more prophets than persecution ever did.”
Chasing popularity is a sucker’s game. It’s like volunteering for a never-ending parade of Internet drama and emotional vampires.
Personally, I’m after something way more meaningful (with far less drama). And that is, connecting with the specific humans who actually resonate with my message. The ones I’m genuinely meant to help.
Everyone else? Not my circus or my monkeys.
* Focus on a niche group. Seek the smallest viable audience that God has called you to reach, and focus on them.
Some people think that my work on the deeper life and the Insurgence is for all Christians. It’s not. It’s specifically for those who know in their bones, “There has to be more to the Lord Jesus, the Bible, and the Christian life than this.”
There are plenty of authors and speakers today who tailor their message to the masses. I’m not one of them. And I encourage you not to be either.
* Work for the right reasons. Motivation is important. Do what you do and create what you create because you believe it’s valuable.
Do it to serve people and to glorify God. Those are two connected goals — to serve and to glorify the Lord.
* Seek to build connections. Obviously, you cannot build connections with every person. But you can build connections when opportunity arises, and you can deepen your connections with your family and friends.
The Insurgence Experience Mastermind I hold each year is designed to not only equip leaders. It also exists to build strong connections.
In addition, whenever I’m invited to speak at a conference, church, or Bible school, I seek to build connections.
* Redefine success. Never focus on metrics like followers, views, clicks, subscribers, attendance, etc. Focus on the impact you are having on those who actually engage with your work.
I have spoken in very large conferences over the years, and my feeling is that if only five people in the conference had a life-changing encounter with the Lord as a result of what I shared, it was well worth it.
(Um, I didn’t say that only five people have been impacted by my conference messages. I’m speaking of a mindset that I believe is crucial.)
* Be generous. Generosity doesn’t mean giving everything you create away without charge. It means creating things that are worth more than they cost.
You are being generous when you continue to improve your craft and share the gifts that God has given you to the world, despite the fear of rejection.
When you hide due to fear, you are depriving others of a blessing.
For instance, suppose that you are an EMT. And you are charged to resuscitate someone who is a block away from your location.
However, you know other EMTs who are far better at administering CPR than you are, but none of them are in close proximity.
If you say, “I won’t do it because I’m not as good as Joey and Toby at giving CPR,” your patient will die.
Never deprive your gifts to the world, even though others may be better at the craft.
I have more to say about making an impact, but I will leave it for another time.
And this is all coming from a person who is NOT naturally disciplined (though I wish I were).
Until next Thursday.
Your brother,
fv
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