"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." (Matthew 10:16)

That's pretty intriguing language Jesus uses to prepare His disciples for their first independent ministry efforts. The Scriptures don't record the disciples' response to those intriguing words but somehow I don't think they were surprised by the metaphor. These were, after all, men who had lived rather daunting lives. Consider, for example, how often in crossing the Sea of Galilee storms threatened disaster. Matthew was a tax collector, employed by the Romans to take money from his fellow country men. And Simon Zealotes was connected to an organization that was not exactly the safest of occupations.

Life in ancient Palestine was often dangerous and never easy, but this new task of preaching the kingdom of God would multiply the difficulty quotient by a factor of ten. Now to the list of daily challenges would be added the threats of unhappy religious and political leaders, as well as the personal abuse of skeptical citizens. The day would come when a rough night on the water would be a welcome respite from kingdom work.

Two thousand years have passed and little has changed. We too live in turbulent times. Our culture is being transformed in fundamental ways inconceivable just a few years ago. We need to be wise and decisive but as we are overwhelmed by daily details, responding well isn't easy. So what can we do? Let me suggest three things:

Keep your reservoir full.
At eighty-six, Michelangelo remarked, "And still I learn." Good advice, which Proverbs 18:15 also gives: "The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge." If your pool of knowledge is not continuously being refreshed you will find it difficult, if not impossible to respond when confronted with impending crisis, persistent problems, or remarkable opportunity.

Anticipate, don't react.
Jesus was never caught by surprise. Every step of His ministry was well planned and executed. Neither the timing nor manner of His death was unexpected. Creativity, organization, and foresight are woven into the very fabric of God's nature and character. As beings created in His image we possess those same qualities. If our desire is to represent Him well before a watching world, then we must act in a manner consistent with those qualities in all areas of life. To do that we need to spend more time asking "What if?" and less time asking, "What was that?"

Seek wise counsel.
Blind spots are an occupational hazard for anyone in leadership. Human nature makes objective evaluation nearly impossible to achieve. That is why God's Word in Proverbs 20:18 and Proverbs 15:22 tells us that we can benefit from wise counsel. That remarkably sound advice is, however, systematically ignored by far too many people who somehow believe that infallibility is a spiritual gift given by God to those in ministry leadership. Trust me. None of us is infallible. None of us knows all we need to know to do our jobs with the kind of excellence that represents our Lord well. This is how The Barnabas Group can make a significant contribution to the ministry you lead, by giving you sound advice.

The church at Thessalonica was well known for its good works. Paul commends them for their love, integrity, moral purity, and industrious lives. Having done that, however, he encourages them to "increase more and more." (1 Thessalonians 4:10) In other words, don't rest on past performance; keep growing in grace and wisdom; keep moving ahead because the journey is not yet complete and there is much of importance yet to be done.

That is the model we've adopted for The Barnabas Group. Our goal is simple and singular. We want to help ministries better become what God has called them to be. To fulfill that goal we come along side ministry leadership teams to equip and encourage them with the skills and insights they need to solve persistent problems, to take advantage of God-given opportunities, or to figure out how they can do more.

Often, however, ministries which could benefit from the experience and expertise of a capable, objective consultant simply do not have the financial resources to access that help. As a non-profit organization The Barnabas Group is committed to providing quality counsel to any ministry regardless of their financial situation.

If you are interested in knowing more about how the ministry of The Barnabas Group can help you better become what God has called you to be, check out our website at www.thebarnabasconnection.org.