creativity

I met a very important Brazilian entrepreneur. He is the owner of the most important printing company of this nation. During the time I shared with him he left various impressions on me for which I admire him. My husband wanted to know this company of which he’d heard about, so he called and made an appointment to visit. His host, who took care of him, was Mr Carvalho the owner of this enterprise. He opened it 40 years ago with 30 employees; today it has more than 1400 workers. I loved the simplicity of this man even being someone so important, so prosperous. He is a very simple and kind person, quite a gentleman. When we look at the principles of leadership in the Word, they teach us we have to serve others to be a leader.

This man invited us to lunch in one of the most exclusive restaurants of Sao Paulo, where he shared his business’ story (how he started his it when he was 20 years old) and his vision, which took him to owning exclusive machines in the whole of South America. One of them is 3 stories high and prints 50 thousand copies of a book (up to 128 pages each) in one hour and they’re folded and ready! The other principle we learn here is everything starts small.

But we have to have clarity of our dream and the vision, which we want to achieve. Mr Carvalho has involved all his children in his business. His son is the vice-president, his right-hand man. One of his daughters has now opened her own publisher business and she publishes a magazine on everything related to brides in Brazil, as well as a magazine that covers everything on the cuisine in Sao Paulo. The principle is to manage to involve our family in the vision we have. We need to work united, with our children we’ll go on to achieve great things!

One of the commercial managers came with a research report for Mr Carvalho showing how much money they were losing a year for not printing anything immoral at the company. He responded, “I’m not interested because this is a principle that I established since I started my business and I’m not going to go back on it.” The principle of integrity is essential in life to have success. Lets never break the principles God put in our heart.

Why did Jesus choose the illustration of drinking His blood? This concept is repulsive to the old nature, and in the Book of Leviticus, it was forbidden. Jesus intentionally used this application to show that the blood in the New Testament, not only had to be applied, but taken into the body. Today, we drink ‘the blood’!

For example, when you drink alcohol, your blood-alcohol level is increased. Whatever goes into your mouth gets in your blood. In other words, your blood affects everything in your body. Your flesh is full of your blood.

Jesus knew that our problem was inside of us. This covenant has to do with Jesus getting into you and dealing with the real problem.

1.    There is something flowing through you which can not be ignored: the sinful nature

2.    The wine represents the blood of Jesus which must deal with sin

3.    Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might…”

4.    Hands speak of our work

5.    Yet, for many people, their hands are idle or the intensity of their work is poor. Our hands should be diligent in working for the Kingdom.

Because Jesus shed blood from His hands, our hands can become productive. His blood absorbed the laziness, lack of diligence, neglect, procrastination, sloppiness, and lack of follow through that was ours because of the fall of Adam. The result of that fall was, “I will do it, but not totally.”

However, Jesus was fully obedient even to death. He finished the task that was set before Him with excellence. Thank God for the blood that flowed from the hands of Jesus that enables us to complete the great commission and the work that Jesus gave us to do.

Our hands speak of giving and sharing.

In this life, we are either “givers” or “takers.” We see the difference in the lives of Cain and Abel. Abel brought an acceptable sacrifice and Cain brought a sacrifice of convenience. His heart was not in his gift.

Our lower nature is to do the least that we can. We are made from the dust of the earth and our fallen nature tends to draw us down to the lowest and least we can do. Through His blood, we are redeemed from the curse of the law that causes us to want to be “stingy and self-serving.” The nature of Christ is to give and to share.

Our hands speak of caring and embracing.

The nature of Adam is to withhold affection and isolate ourselves from those who need us the most. Adam hid himself from God because of his sin. As long as sin reigns in us, we will always want to “hide out” from the people around us. As we are transformed by comm with that blood, we can begin to be close to people and reach them through relationship and love.

Our hands speak of creativity.

The infinite creativity of God was deposited in us, His creation. We are created in His image and His likeness; therefore, we possess His ability to create. Since the fall of Adam, the whole earth is groaning for the day of redemption, waiting for the restoration of all things.

When Jesus shed the blood from His hands, all those who exercise faith towards that blood, could receive the restoration of creativity. The blood of Jesus enables us to envision and produce! We become producers in the Kingdom instead of consumers.

Today can be a new beginning for those of you who have struggled with creativity, generosity and closeness. Let the blood from the hands of Jesus infuse your nature and you will be changed from the inside out.

September is a month to build as we begin a new term. Therefore, if September is a month to build, August is the month to prepare.

When Jesus left His disciples with the great commission, He fully understood the work that was ahead of them. He equipped them, He trained them, He commissioned them and He sent them to accomplish the work. He had every confidence in their ability to get the job done. Why? The truth was that He knew His Father had already given a pattern to create and be successful in building the Kingdom of God. When we work, we must work with God, and to work with God means to work like God. What does it mean to work like God? There are Seven Steps to Working Like God. Let’s look at the first chapter of Genesis where God began His work:

1. PREPARATION - Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth.” He started with nothing and created something.

God had to prepare in His mind what He wanted to create. He is the architect and the builder- Hebrews 11:10: ‘For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God’

Leaders must be creative before they can create. This is the most important step to success. Have you taken the time to draw up the blueprint or are you making it up as you go along?

In 1 Corinthians 3:10-11: ‘By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ’.
God gave Paul the gift to become a skillful architect. This is something you must receive. Paul had the grace of God to draw up the plans and to build. The way God builds is to give you the grace to become an architect. He doesn’t do it for you.

2. INTERCESSION - Genesis 1:2 - “The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.” Once an architect plan from the Lord, you must allow the Lord to separate what is natural from what is supernatural.

Many leaders go to work on “their” plan before they have asked the Holy Spirit to separate the plans of God from their own plans. Here is a key: “Don’t ask God to anoint your thing. Find out what is already anointed and do that!”

3. COMMUNICATION - Genesis 1:3 “And God said, Let there be light; and there was light.” Leaders need constant communication. John Maxwell said, “People don’t understand until you have communicated seven different ways, seven different times.” In the Word of God, when Jesus repeated himself more than once, it is worth noting. Communicate only once you have received the rhema word from God. We create with our words what we are dreaming of.

Communicate seven different ways: preach about it, talk about it with your team and with your church, write it in a newsletter and on the website, make some personal calls, write a personal letter. Good communication is worth repeating.

4. EXECUTION - Execute your plans with excellence. Activity began when God spoke! Clear, precise execution of your plans ensures success. People won’t do until they know what to do. Once you have communicated, you are ready to execute.

5. OBSERVATION - Genesis 1:12 “And God saw that it was good (suitable, admirable) and He approved it.” You can’t expect what you don’t inspect. When creating something new, it is important to follow up on the progress. If it’s not important enough to check on, it’s not important enough to get done. People only do what they are accountable to do. Oversight and accountability help people succeed.

6. CELEBRATION - Celebrate your victories! Give words of praise!  Most people need 90% encouragement and 10% instruction to succeed. At the end of every sporting event, there is a winning team that gets to celebrate their victory. How much more should we celebrate when the Kingdom of God advances? Celebrate the small victories.  

7. MULTIPLICATION - Genesis 1:28 “And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.” Multiplication simply means that you have created a successful model that can be duplicated. It doesn’t matter what you start with; it only matters if you know how to multiply. The blessing of creativity that comes from the Lord has the seed of multiplication in it. If you can do it once, you can do it a hundred times!