The word ‘consider’ means to ‘take a close look at’ and ‘inspect’ it. That's a bit daunting for a leader - and that's why people say: you should not really hurry to be a teacher, because more is required of you. It says: have a look at their lifestyle.
If someone has a broken marriage, broken family, broken finances - it doesn't really matter to me what great gifting they have on their life. Something at the core is not right.
We tend to look for charisma and gifting, and get a bit overwhelmed by how gifted someone may be - without looking for: what is their marriage, family, relationships, finances, and their reputation in the community?
T the reality is of course, that the people that we connect with - no one's perfect. We would love to have someone perfect! The only one who's perfect is Jesus; so we have to find people that we can draw from, and learn how to receive - and over the years I have drawn from some people - I'll just identify them...
Neville Johnson - when I first met him, it was the first church I ever went into where there was a move of the spirit, a move of God. From him, I become aware of, and awakened to, and experienced the supernatural. I'm indebted to what that man did.
Duncan Graham - a Methodist minister, and he showed tremendous love. I learned about love; family and connection; and relationship and small groups. I learned about the prophetic; and about deliverance in that place.
Ross Davies - I was under him for two years; in connection with another man, who had a deep impact on me - and from him I learned about spiritual fathering. I learnt about praise and worship; about the value of (and love for) the word of God. I learnt about the necessity of being non-religious, and to get rid of all the junk. I learnt about strong prayer; about the prophetic gift, and how to work in the flow into it. I received immensely from his life in ministry - and it's still in me, being developed to this day.
Clark Taylor - from him I got faith; I learned what faith is, what it looks like; how people live and move in the dimension of faith. I learned about moving in the supernatural, and the gifts of word of knowledge; and developing the whole area of the power ministry. He made a huge impact in my life.
Mark Virkler gave me a clear understanding about how you hear the voice of God; how you work with God, and listen to His voice. He brought clarity to that for me, and that impacted my life, and I've carried those keys for all of my life.
John and Paula Sandford came to Hastings in 1986, brought in by a Catholic charismatic group; and I went to that ministry, and they deeply impacted me. My life changed being under, and opening my life to, that ministry.
When I look at the ministry I have, which now touches thousands upon thousands of people every year, I can trace elements of what I do back to each of those different people; what I learned, what I drew from them.
Of all their followers, I probably got the most out of every one, because I learned what to do to receive from someone, and to hold it in my life.
Was it all good? No, it wasn't - not at all! The first one I was under fell into immorality, quite extensive immorality. It was a huge shock and a great disappointment to me. A second one fell in immorality, and a total betrayal of the trust - I'd stepped out and taken up a role pastoring, pioneering a school; and the same year I did that - he left the church, abandoned the church, abandoned me, abandoned all the ministry; and went and planted another church, and concealed that the true reason he'd gone was that he was involved in adultery.
I had to face, and work through, abandonment and betrayal by two ministries. Then a third one did the same thing; and not long after we'd committed to become part of Christian Outreach Centre, I discovered that Clark Taylor had fallen in morality, and his ministry was brought into shame and reproach.
Again I faced the same experience of having to deal with the humanity of people; and the challenge that leaders are not perfect - they sometimes fail in little ways, sometimes fail in massive ways - but not one of these people that failed me, did I let it overwhelm me, and stop me going forward in God. I still drew from what they had, and carry what they have until today.