Significant Leadership Summit '14 - Sunday AM

There are only few moments in life, and I wanted to stress this to each and every one of you. No matter what age you are, there's only a few moments in your life when we are given opportunity to become someone new. There's only a few moments. I want you to take a look at something with me that means so much to me and will mean to you as well, I'm certain. Take a look at this. In approximately 1977, Peter Daniels made a decision that what he was going to do is he was going to begin to travel the world in gratitude for all that God had done for them and done for the nation of Australia. From that time on, over a thousand churches have been spoken at for no cost to them at all. And these are just some of the few people that have experienced the goodness and the servanthood that my dad has displayed. But what people say about Peter Daniels, a person of dignity, integrity, character, ethics, the stories that they give, the pictures that they paint out of the words which are inside their hearts are almost insurmountable and really defy words to that point. But I just want to introduce all the rest of these that are so grateful as I for all that my dad has ever done. Take a look at this.

So, Dr. Daniels, I want to thank you. I want you to know you absolutely changed my life. You changed the trajectory of my life. And I am so thankful and blessed that God allowed me the opportunity to meet you and your wife. And I can't wait to see this amazing future that's still to come.

The Bible teaches that the future of every king is in the hands of his counselor. That means the wisdom that a man allows to come into his life determines what his future is going to be like. Rob Thompson, my dear friend who I know is there, often says, if you want to know what a man's future is like, just look at his friends. Peter Daniels, I am so glad you've been my friend. I'm so glad you've been a friend to the Gate Church, to the Destiny Network International, the church, the network of pastors that I oversee. Thank you for making the investment. Thank you for giving your time, your wisdom, and so generously investing your life in America and in our churches, many.

Lives that have been impacted through your ministry. You coming to Mobile has been a phenomenal moment in our lives and it continues to evolve. Of the messages that you deposit in Living Word Christian center in Mobile, Alabama, our lives have never been the same ever since you've been there. And like you said, in 48 hours, the whole church is being changed and literally it has taken on a whole new dimension at Lemore Christensen, think about.

How you've influenced me. The greatest thing that touches my heart is that you have the accurate worldview for we who are in the business place, how we ought to conduct ourselves, how we ought to live our lives, especially willing to bear the pain to bring what the desired end is. So thanks for all of your love, thanks for the great three weeks together and what you've said to us will resonate for the rest, rest of our lives.

We are so pleased to say how thankful and grateful that we are to you. You know, the scripture says that you can have many teachers, many instructors, but not many fathers. And we consider you a real father to the body of Christ. How you have exemplified even the family values and the local church. And we are pastors right here in the inner city of Chicago. And we so appreciate your conviction and your stand and the word of God that you have shared with us, not down through the years, but up through the years. Thank you so much for being a part of our teaching life and training life. Congratulations, Peter Daniels. I am so excited for this celebration and. And of course, you have made an impact on the world, no question, but I believe your best days are ahead.

Dr. Daniels, Mrs. Daniels, from Evan and Sarah Connor out of Arlington, Texas, we love you all. We'll be continuing to pray for you and your family. Thank you for the impact that you've made on our church, our lives and our country. Blessings.

It was 33 years ago when I met Peter Daniels. He was on the board of directors of Robert Schuler Ministries. Peter Daniels has taken me to 14 countries across the world singing the gospel and being with him, preaching the gospel. He and his wife Regina. I've stayed in their home several times in my life. I've been truly blessed to have been in the life of this man who has been the joy of my life. He has slept in my home, so we've been very close, like a clingy spirit. I recall the first time in St. Paul, Minnesota, he had, and it was the first book. And he did good, he did well, and I thank God for him.

Many years ago, I came out of a board meeting at Oral Roberts University into a huge, huge matey center filled with preachers everywhere. I sat there and I listened to Peter J. Daniels speak. I didn't listen five minutes until I pulled out my credit card, turned to my assistant, said, go by everything he has ever said, everything he has ever done. I never heard such incredible grace on inspiration, power, facts, intellect at a level I had never known in my life. Not only was I incredibly inspired, but I wanted everything that was in him to be in me. Mr. Peter J. Daniels, we love you. We're inspired by you. I can't say enough how much the friendship with you has meant to me. More than one time my cell phone has rung and you said, brother Mike, please. Peter J. Daniels, I was thinking about you. Thank you, my precious brother, for the greatness of your life. Every person who connects with you catapults to a new level of integrity and greatness. We love you. We love you. We love you.

Well, praise the Lord. Brother Daniel, first thing I want to tell you is that I enjoy your ministry. It had blessed Lisa and I to the place to where we're able to have a ministry that's a multi million dollar ministry that's being able to touch lives all around the world. And it's because of your influence have helped us. And we just want to thank you. Take this moment to thank you for standing by us in the Word, teaching us the word, showing us the things to do in order for us to be successful. And because of your words have changed our lives.

There is a mood around today that dulls the mind and spirit. It fools the heart and kills the will and makes you feel not with it. Have you been duped into being less than what you ought to be. Then stay alert, my friend, lest the mood take hold of thee. It is a cloud of gloom and doom that directs a hopeless course. Course the road of tragedy and doubt and evil is its source. But it can be sent to flight with good thoughts tried and true, with dreams fulfilled, with action and performance claimed by you. Or you can beat the best. Any mountain you can climb, any obstacle you will overcome with persistence and with time. And in the end you burst right through. Because the spirit is within. Because you know deep in your heart you really want to win. And then towards life's journey's end, around about sunset time, you look up, quite glad to go. With the master beckoning on, you beat the mood. You did perform the race of life. You won't. And now you stand with heroes, conquerors and kings. And the winds of destiny sound on.

Well done, my friends. You beat the moon.

May God expand your lives until your destiny is fulfilled.

Sa.

Thank you.

Listen intently. This is the last time you'll ever hear him. Father, thank you so much. Thank you for this time. Thank you for being so kind to us. Gracious may these words that will be spoken, may they be words of his heart that he has never been able to say before. Father, we receive this voice as a voice from you and not the voice of a man. In Jesus name, Amen. You may be seated. Thank you.

I am overwhelmed with what is taking place. And my mind goes back to when I was on a scaffolding, way up on a building, building a chimney, as a bricklayer. And a voice called out from the ground, come down. And there I was, illiterate, limey boots, suntanned face, 26 years of age. It was just before that that we came to Christ at a Billy Graham crusade. My friend said I walked in one person and marched out another person. During the next couple of years, I was pointing to dictionaries and asking people to tell me what they meant. And God gave me two dreams. The rest is history. It was so difficult to be able to articulate words to comprehend. And many nights I wept at the side of my bed because I just could not understand. But somehow, not being able to go through formal education, I was able to create systems and formulas that were unique in history. And this morning, I just want to give a simple message, a message about a man called Job. I know this will be my last message here, but I particularly want to talk about this man. And in preface to doing that, I want to thank Robin, Linda and all the people that have come together for this great act and thankfulness. I'm just overwhelmed, the people that have traveled many miles to come and greet me. But have you ever noticed how difficult it is to speak to a real, live human being on the telephone? When you go into a store or a bank, you're herded in like animals and given a number as if you've just been convicted of a crime. While you're waiting to be served, all you do is anxious to get your credit card out and pay. Pay your bill. Even at the supermarket, there's no human interaction anymore. You must serve yourself. And yet I'm sure that the television advertisement said, we're here to serve you. And you obediently serve yourself. And you feel guilty if you don't go to that gadget with all the buttons on it that looks like a poker machine and put your money in and get the change. And all the time you know you're under security, surveillance, maybe. Churches may soon get into the act and give you a ticket for seating and schedule the times and days to pray for the sick and limit how often you can come out the front for a blessing. Thankfully, I don't see it happening in this church. Many of you now learn to live with voicemail as a necessary part of your life. But have you ever wondered if God decided to install voicemail? Imagine praying and hearing the following. Thank you for calling heaven. For English, press 1. For Spanish, press 2. For all other languages, press. Please select one of the following options, press 1. For requests, press 2. For Thanksgiving, press 3. For complaints, press 4. For all other inquiries. And then the voice on the recording says, I'm sorry, but all our saints are busy helping other sinners right now. However, your prayer is very important to us and we will answer it in the order it was received. Please stay on the line. Now, if you'd like to speak to God, press 1. Did Jesus press 2. But the Holy Spirit, press 3 now. If you want to find a loved one that has been assigned to heaven, press 5. Then put your security number followed by the pound sign. And if you receive a negative result, please hang up and dial area code 666. For reservations of heaven, please enter the word John followed by the number 316. And for answers to nagging questions about dinosaurs, life on other planets, please wait until you arrive in heaven for specifics. Now, I'm sorry to inform you, but your computers have shown you've already been prayed for today. Please hang up and call again tomorrow because this office is closed to observe a religious holiday. And if you're calling after hours and need emergency assistance, please contact your local pastor and thank you. Have a heavenly day. Now, I know there are people here that were not in attendance yesterday for many reasons, but I'm assuming that most of you know that I have Parkinson's disease. And at the moment, I'm under a certain amount of medication. But let me warn you, if the treatment stops, I'll break dances. If I'm on steroids. And people are still asking me the question, how long can you keep working at this pace? And I have to remind them that it's not the pace that bothers me. It's a sudden stop at the end. Now, let's get serious and look back and reflect on the past 12 months, wondering where it all went. Well, if any comfort to you, I feel the same way. And I guess the bad news is, and we all know it, the time flies. But there's also some good news, and it's this. You're sitting in the pilot's seat, so it's up to you to set the agenda. So we ask ourselves the question, why didn't I get more done in the last 12 months? It's all gone and now appears to be so vague that some of the time at least, we probably felt as though we spent most of our time in a drama called Life. And yet we're still unable to identify the script or classify the part we're supposed to have played. And we really cannot say, can we, with any certainty that we have in any way improved or uplifted the life of a human being during that period of time. Now it all fades in the background. We're all trying to focus on what the future holds. And this morning, I want to do something different. I want to look at the Old Testament. I revel in the Old Testament. I look at the saints of old and wonder about their faith. But they were just ordinary, ordinary people that God used in an extraordinary way. And we're looking at it this morning through the telescope of biblical history. We're going to see if we can learn some important lessons that could prepare us for the years we still have before us on the subjects of family, faith, quality of life, perseverance, relationships, disappointments, and most important, God's goodness and restoration. And because time moves swiftly, it won't be long before we'll be back dealing with the things of the immediate moment, trying to cope with the challenges of every day. And subconsciously, we feel a disturbing uneasiness towards the future. In attempt to do that, I want to refer you back to my old time favorite, this man called Job. Interesting character. A man that God was obviously pleased with. A person who honored God. It's a testament to all of us. It's a long time since I've heard anyone preach on Job, and I'm sure all of us here have read or at least heard something about this man's incredible patience. We keep repeating it to people, and in the first chapter of Job, it describes in graphic detail the horrendous events that took place in his life and how he responded to them. Let me read it to you. There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. And that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. Also his possession was 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very large household. This man was the greatest of all the people of the East. Great man and his sons would go and feast in their houses, and each one on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. So it was when the Days of feasting had run their course that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their heart. Thus Job did regularly. Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, from where do you come? So Satan answered the Lord and said, from going to and fro on the earth and walking back and forth on it. And the Lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant Job? There is none like him on the earth. Blameless and upright, one who fears God and shuns evil. So Satan answered the Lord and said, does Job fear God for nothing? Have you made a hedge around him, around his household and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hand and his possessions and have increased the land. But now stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse you to your face. The Lord said to Satan, behold, all that he has is in your power. But do not lay a hand on his person. There's an incredible story here. So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. Now, there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their older brother's house. And a messenger came to Job and said, the oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them when the Sabeans raided them and took them away. Indeed, they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword. And I alone have escaped to ted you. While he was still speaking, another came and said, the fire of God fell from heaven and burnt the sheep and the servants and consumed them. And I alone have escaped. And tell you. While he was still speaking, another also came and said, the Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels, took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword. And I alone have escaped to tell you. And while he was still speaking, another also came and said, you sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their older brother's house. And suddenly a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are all dead. And I alone have escaped to tell you. Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said, naked I came from my mother's womb, naked shall I return there? The Lord gave The Lord taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with any wrong. I wonder how we would react to that situation. Now I suppose we must ask the question, what kind of a man was Job that he could handle this? And why was he so favored by God? Well, I guess the first thing we see that Job had a God compass. What does that mean in simple terms? It meant that he believed the supernatural God of the Bible. When things get tough, when nothing makes any sense anymore, is your belief still strong? You see, Job did not have a policy of moral neutrality. He understood that if you make a choice between the lesser of two evils, it's still an evil choice. Even with his family, he recognized that they had certain rights, but they were all glued to God given responsibilities. And I like to think that he understood that accepting responsibility was accepting reality. The Bible also tells us that he was very successful and a man of great character. We look at this man called Job. He did not have a copycat or a secondhand identity of mindless conformity. He was an individual. He must have been a man with a clear conscience. And I don't believe it was a result of a short memory. I'm sure that Job found out early in his life it was much easier to keep his character than repair it. I think we could learn a lot from this man called Job. He was also respected by the community he lived in. And all in all, it would appear that he was transparent of nature. Yes, Job was a good man. And some people would say, well, why wouldn't he be? He had everything going for him. He was easy to look up to. He was a role model. And I know that we can be too. Because there are people out there in day to day living that are watching us. And we need to come to the realization that the way we live our lives may be the only Bible that some people get the opportunity to read. And the standard of our life as Bible. Believing Christians could impact more people than a profound explanation or sermons on biblical truths. But according to the Bible, Job also had great wealth. Many Years ago, Professor A.E. phillips did an interesting study on power and wealth. And in his study he placed all the desires of man under seven simple categories. And this is how he classified them. The first one was self preservation. The second was property. Thirdly, power. Fourthly, reputation. Fifth, appreciation. Sixth was sentiment. And the seventh were defined as taste or as some would put it, choice. And it would certainly appear that this man called Job had all of these assets and possibly more. But there's something different about this man called Job. And what was it? He recognized that the ownership of the source of his great wealth and blessing was God given, not self attained. I meet a lot of Christians that have done well and somehow they forget that it was God's goodness, not them. And in the modern vernacular we would have to express about Job, he had a gratitude attitude. And it seems he understood that silent gratitude showed no respect or honor to anyone. And he acknowledged that when he said the Lord gave, the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. We must look into our own lives from time to time and ask this question, do we have a gratitude attitude? Now at 81 years of age, I'm beginning to understand life can be understood by looking backwards. You seem to understand it better looking back in your life, but it has to be lived and experienced moving forward. Let me share an experience I had many years ago. I was preparing to speak to a group of business people in a very luxurious hotel in a foreign country. And I was being assisted by a very handsome young black man who fled war torn Africa. He was a porter in his hotel and as he moved some of the luggage, my book called how to Be Happy Though Rich fell out on the floor. And when he saw it me on the front cover sitting on my Rolls Royce, he gasped and he says, I wish I was rich. And I said to him, but you are. He shook his head and said, no sir. And then I went on to explain to him that I could easily transfer him back to where he came from in war torn Africa and let someone else take his place. And immediately, with a big smile, his face lit up and he said, I guess I was rich. What about you? Are you on the threshold of fulfillment and so close to the big picture you can't even see it? Let me tell you this. The future is a promise. It's not a threat. So what about you and me? Are we grateful in respect to God's goodness in our lives? And when our children and our friends think of fairness and caring and generosity and integrity, do they automatically think of us? Are we treating people not as they are, but rather what they were meant to be? See, Job was no different. He had both friends and critics. And Job said to one of them, at one time, I've heard many such things. Miserable comforters, are you. So he was very much like us. And don't we all feel that sometimes we need someone who believes that we have value and we're worth inspiring. And aren't we thankful that the mirror only reflects our face and not some of the thoughts we have. In many ways, it seems to me we've lost the essence of real Christian fellowship. And somehow we've developed a kind of premature senility of the spirit that always places the obligation on the other person to relate to us first. And yet there are those observing us, seeking answers for their own lives and interested in the way that we live, which speaks much louder than the words that we say. You know, we find it easy to be brave. From a distance, we make these comments about what should be done. But courage and action needs to be seen to be effective. As an example, another experience I had was in Hong Kong. Now, you'll notice me following the pages because as you get older, you speak and say things several times over and over again. I mean, you speak and say things over and over again. I'm just making sure I keep on the track. But I was in Hong Kong and I had an experience that was quite confronting. It was an all day seminar and there was a Chinese man standing on a chair at the back trying to get my attention all day. At the end of the day, I asked the crowd to be quiet and let him speak. And he told me a fascinating story. He said he's an evangelist and he preaches in the province of China and tells people that God loves them and Jesus died on a cross for them and God would prosper them. So I said to him, what's your problem? He said, I have no examples. I have no examples. And here we are right now, living in a mental climate, unaware that today is God's gift to each of us. That's why today is called the presentation. Did you get it? The way we live our lives could affect the lives of future generations. And the world needs to see our examples. Dailies in our home, in our relationship.