It (preaching) is a privilege wrapped up with a HUGE (ALL CAPS) responsibility.

Charles H. Spurgeon puts it this way…

“I have preached the gospel now these 30 years and more, and … often, in coming down to this pulpit, have I felt my knees knock together, not that I am afraid of anyone of my hearers, but I am thinking of that account which I must render to God, whether I speak his Word faithfully or not.”

Powerful words from a powerful preacher.

The motive for preaching?  You can preach for 2 reasons.  Either because ‘you have to’ or because ‘you have to’.

Listen to what Mark Batterson has to say about this…

The first “have to” is because you are on the schedule. The second “have to” is because you have fire shut up in your bones, you have a word from the Lord, you have something conceived by the Holy Spirit that you cannot keep inside. Nothing is worse that the first “have to.” Nothing is greater than the second “have to.”

It’s unfortunate sometimes that the leader is the only one that gets the credit when none of the achievements can really be realized without the team.

I got the chance to catch the last 2 quarters of game 4 of the PBA finals (Alaska vs. Purefoods).  Tim Cone is now a legend.  He has won 12 championship rings for Alaska and that’s such a difficult feat to achieve.  An awesome coach but this past championship series was a disappointment for him, I’m sure.

On the other hand, the young mentor of Purefoods, Ryan Gregorio looked really, really good.  How come?  Not only because they won the championship, but his whole team pitched in and stepped up… as in everyone.  From Caneleta to Kerby, J.Yap to R.Yap, Maierhofer to MarcPing, Artadi to Allado.  His team made him look good.

At the end of the day, it really isn’t JUST about the coach.  In fact, the coach is only as good as his team.

We have too many leaders with “messianic complex” and with an “all-star attitude.”

There’s no “I” in the word team.  Remember, it takes five to complete your starting line up.

Leadership lesson moment with Keith – “You’re only as good as your team.”

But what makes it more fun is when you have someone cracks a joke, someone buys pizza, someone tells a story about their week that makes us bust out laughing, manny makes a comment, miko gets lost in outer space, ganns gives a witty remark with his evil laugh, bernard chides and blows us away with a story… stuff like these make staff meetings fun.  Now include LA MUMAR’s clapping invention when we celebrate a win.  Ask him about it when you see him.

Mark Batterson said, “I cannot cite a verse or a study, but I honestly believe that the healthiest churches are churches that laugh the most. I’d also add cry the most to that. They are churches that feel deeply, feel freely. The gospel isn’t just in their heads. It’s in their hearts.”

I believe that.

I’m just so glad I serve with a team of fun people.  We have every reason to rejoice – we have JESUS.  That’s more than enough.