'Shortcuts' by Arno De Bruyn

Arno De Bruyn

Arno De Bruyn and his lovely wife were part of the team that P.J Smyth came with from South Africa. Arno spoke about leaders taking shortcuts and it's one of those messages that will be remembered for a long time to come.........

Some pointers from his message:

1. How the gospel frees us as leaders from taking shortcuts
2. Second to Suffering is Waiting......  
3. Leaders want to achieve success.
4. Leaders, do people follow you because you are worth following? Do you have integrity?
5. In Africa, it seems like we like to take shortcuts. If we can cut across something to get to a destination quicker, then we'll do it BUT, shortcuts is actually the longest distance between point A and point B.
6. As leaders, we get tempted to take shortcuts to achieve success e.g. Abram and Sarai in Genesis 16: 1 - 5 etc "Now Sarai, Abram's wife had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram. 'The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.' Abram agreed to what Sarai said.................................................................................. he slept with Hagar and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. Then sarai said to Abram, 'You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering..........'" It was Sarai's suggestion for Abram to sleep with her Egyptian slave and yet she blames Abram when the slave is pregnant.
7. Emerging leaders, shortcuts will be radically offered to us as a quick way to reach success. Even Jesus was tempted by the enemy. After Jesus had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry. The enemy led jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
8. Success can be like a drug, once you have tasted it, you want to maintain it and the enemy offers shortcuts. 
9. Emerging leaders - it's difficult to be a leader without integrity. You can be gifted and yet have no integrity. People want to follow leaders with integrity.
10. As leaders, you don't have to keep quiet in order to keep people. Your integrity will cause some people to leave but others will come. 
11. When you've tasted success, it was sweet and good. The enemy will tempt you with a shortcut. Be careful of chasing the 'dragon'.

How do I be a leader that people will follow?
Hebrews 2:7 - 8 "You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honour and put everything under their feet."

Jesus knows what it's like to be offered the shortcut.

1 Peter 5:6- 7 "Humble yourselves therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

• If you are chasing the 'dragon', people will watch you and see where you are going. Jesus never confused Who He was with What He was.
• Be content in your calling, with who you are married to, who we lead etc. Don't compare yourself with others.
• Jesus temptation came when He was at his most spiritual.
• You know what your 'poison or your dragon' is. Be content with who you are.
• What does being successful mean to you? What does it look like when you achieve that success? We need to look at ourselves soberly. 

Summarised by Molly Manhanga