How To Do A Hundred

Years ago, when we were leading a church planter assessment center in Green Lake, Wisconsin, I took my three boys to another major league baseball stadium; we went to Milwaukee’s Miller Park to see the Brewers play.  It was early in the season - April or May - and between innings they showed interviews of some Brewer’s returning players from the previous year.  The first player interviewed said something like, “We met all of our goals last year, so we’re looking to continue the trend.”  They met all their goals?  I asked the boys, “Did the Brewers make the playoffs last year?”  We didn’t think so—this was before smart phones.  Another inning, another interview and another player said, “We met all of our goals last year, so this year should be a good one.”  I asked the boys again, “Did Milwaukee win their division last year?”  This went on inning by inning.  “Weren’t the Brewers pretty weak last year?”  Finally, in the later innings, the interviewed the returning manager.  He said, “We met all of our goals last year—we wanted to win as many as we lost—to play .500 ball…”  Immediately all three boys and I blurted out load in unison, “What a dumb goal!” “Mediocre!”  “Stupid!” “That’s it?”

I’ve been an Angels fan since I was a kid.  Their first year as an expansion team they played .500 ball, which is great for a brand-new team.  But their initial manager, Bill Rigney, led them to play .500 ball for most of their first decade.  My dad didn’t appreciate the manager or the result.  He called it, “Rigney ball.”  He’d challenge me, “You’re not settling for Rigney ball in life, are you?”  Don’t give me Rigney ball!”

Do we really want to be mediocre?  Are we attempting to, “Just tie baby?” We’re not looking for Rigney Ball--We don’t want to be run-of -the-mill, second-rate, pedestrian, middling or average. 

The Apostle Paul said he’d strive to reach his goals.  He pressed on to reach the prize for which God had called him heavenward.  The writer of Hebrews says we were meant for better things!

In the parable of the Sower, Jesus said the seed that fell on good soil yielded a crop thirty, sixty and a hundred-fold.  We’re finishing up a goal of “Doing A Hundred.”  After all, we call ourselves, “Excel Leadership Network.”

How can we be “Doing A Hundred” people?

Two principles, environments, or values on how to do a hundred come from the Bible’s book of Acts. 

Let’s walk through the book of Acts, the entire thing.  As we do, see if you can identify the sixth question.

Acts chapter one begins this way:

“In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 1:1-2 (NLT)

Jesus then instructed his followers to wait for the Holy Spirit.  While they were waiting, they prayed, processed through Judas’ betrayal, and replaced Judas by casting lots.

In chapter two, flames or tongues of fire descended on the believers and they began speaking in languages they’d never learned.  Where was this when I was taking Greek and Hebrew in seminary?  Peter preached and three thousand people were added to the church that day.

In chapter three, Peter and John heal a lame man near the temple.  This created an uproar, the religious leaders told Peter and John not to preach anymore but they boldly said they needed to obey God rather than men. 

Chapter five is about shovels.  A couple named Ananias and Sapphira lie to the church.  Peter says to Sapphira,

“How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.”
Acts 5:9 (NLT)

The church’s growth caused some growing pains, so in chapter six the disciples told the people to pick some additional leaders.  In chapter one they flipped a coin, here they had some sort of election.  Stephen and Phillip were two of the winners.

Stephen got himself killed in chapter seven, while Phillip went for a run during chapter eight and ended up flying all over.  He had frequent flyer points even before air travel was invented!

In chapter nine, Paul was knocked off his donkey and blinded.  God sent another Ananias to him with this message:

“Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”
Acts 9:15-16 (NLT)

Chapter ten described Peter having a vision that all foods are clean—except mushrooms and pumpkin spice.  He visited a Gentile named Cornelius and the gospel spread to the Gentiles.

A Gentile church started in Antioch during chapter eleven.  The Jerusalem church heard about it and made a surprising and amazingly strategic move.  They sent Barnabas—son of encouragement—to check it out.  Instead of shutting them down because they didn’t do church the traditional way, Barnabas found Paul.  They both came on staff and that church put Christianity on the map:

It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.
Acts 11:26 (NLT)

James got killed with a sword in chapter twelve, but Peter miraculously escaped. 

While the church leaders were fasting and praying, the Holy Spirit spoke in chapter 13.  He commissioned Paul and Barnabas to go plant churches, while Simeone, Lucius and Manaen were to stay.

For the rest of chapters thirteen and fourteen, Paul and Barnabas keep leading people to Jesus, starting churches and getting run out of town.

Chapter fifteen revealed the need for some decisions about Gentiles.  So many were coming to Jesus the church, with its Jewish roots had to decide how to handle this.  Some men suggested, “Let’s circumcise them.”  “Why would you go there?”  “Well, you took that eating pork rule off the table in chapter ten…”  The church decided against circumcision.  Then Paul and Barnabas had a sharp disagreement and split up.  Barnabas took Mark, Paul chose Silas.

In the next chapter Paul found Timothy.  He wanted Tim to join his team, so he circumcised him.  Timothy must have thought, “Haven’t you read chapter fifteen?  You just lived chapter fifteen?  Why do I need to have minor surgery on my private parts?  There is no such thing as minor surgery on your private parts!”

Chapter seventeen depicted the team in Thessalonica where the Jews shouted:

“These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here.”
Acts 17:6 (NIV)

Then they went to Berea.

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Acts 17:11 (NIV)

The next stop was Athens, where Paul gave an incredible intellectual apologetics lesson.

In chapter eighteen Paul went to Corinth.  He had no success preaching in the synagogue.  So, he went next door to the house of a Gentile.  He focused on a different target and different location and God blessed it. 

The next chapter includes some men in Ephesus coming to Christ and speaking in tongues.  Then there is a riot.  Paul decided to go back to Jerusalem, but he put a trip to Rome on his bucket list.

Chapter twenty lists some of Paul’s teammates:

“He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.”
Acts 20:4 (NIV)

Paul preached so long that a man named Eutychus not only fell asleep, he fell from his third story seat and died. And you thought this article was long!  Paul hugged and resurrected the young man.

Then Paul is compelled by the Holy Spirit to go to Jerusalem.  In chapter 21 the believers plead with Paul not to go.  A prophet named Agabus even took Paul’s belt, bound himself with it and said:

“The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.”
Acts 21:11 (NIV)

But Paul pushed back.  “I’m cool with that.”

He went to Jerusalem, and he got arrested.

In chapters 22 and 23 Paul kept preaching to his captors.  There was a plot to kill him, but his nephew discovered it, and a Roman commander named Claudius saved his life.  He sent Paul to Caesarea where Paul told the governor—a cat named Felix--all about Jesus in chapters 24.

In chapter 25, Paul did the same thing to the new governor named Festus.  Festus used to be the deputy.  When they made no progress Paul appealed to Caesar.

Before the sent him to Rome, Festus brought in the king - King Agrippa - with lots of pomp and circumstance.  Paul gave his testimony all through chapters 25 and 26.  Then in chapter 27, Paul was put on a boat, with his entourage to go to Rome to appeal.

The weather started getting rough,

The tiny ship was tossed,

If not for the courage of the fearless crew

Everything would be lost, everything would be lost.

The ship set ground on the shore of this uncharted Mediterranean isle

…called Malta, where in chapter 28 Paul is bit by a snake.

The Apostle had a grand vision of going to Rome, but he was shipwrecked in Malta.  That’s like setting out for San Diego and getting stuck in Yuma.  Or setting sail for Hawaii and getting shipwrecked on the Channel Islands.

But the Malta mission trip turned miraculous.  Publius, the chief official of the island, had a sick father.  Paul’s team healed him and everyone on the island.  Luke wrote:

“As a result, we were showered with honors, and when the time came to sail, people supplied us with everything we would need for the trip.”
Acts 28:10 (NLT)

The book of Acts ends with Paul in Rome, but under house arrest:

“For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.”
Acts 28:30-31 (NLT)

Acts is an amazing book, but what does this have to do with doing a hundred?

Did you see the two principles?

1.  Creativity 

Did you notice how God deals with everyone a bit differently in this book.  Each leader’s interaction with God is unique. 

Each individual is treated individually.

Can we stop trying to be just like someone else?  What if everyone tried to be Peter and bury anyone who lied?  What if everyone sought to be Agabus and stole all the belts?  What if everyone tried to be Paul and preached until someone died? 

Let’s stop trying to be someone else and simply do what God creatively called us to do!

Here is the question to ask:  What is God calling me to do?

2. Partnering

“They were all together…”
Acts 2:1 (NIV)

Did you notice how many times they were all together in Acts?  Rarely were they alone—even in prison or on the boat.  Even when Paul and Barnabas split up, they stayed partners.  The book of 2 Timothy tells us so. 

Nineteen times in chapter 29 alone—the shipwreck story—the tern “we” or “us” is used.

Eight times, Paul starts his epistles by naming his partners.  Eight times he ends his epistles by recognizing his partners.  We are all about partnering.

Years ago, when Willie Nolte became the Mission Lead for Transformation Ministries, we had several meetings about an Excel partnership and joining the TM team as Church Planting Lead.  In every one of those meetings, Willie remarked, “Why would we not partner?”

Where would we at Excel be without partners?

So where are we going?

Here are two new goals for 2023:

1.      23andMe.

We need to make sure our creative call from God does not slip into mission drift.  So, we’re going to take some time to rediscover our DNA. 

Have you done the 23andme stuff?  I did Ancestry.com’s DNA deal.  They recently updated it.  I went from 52% Irish to 63% Irish.  I also became a bit more Jewish!

We’re going to spend some time in the next year to pause and clarify our DNA.

2.      Doing A Hundred

We just did a hundred, but my big goal is for us to sign a hundred planters every year.  We’re not there yet.  But I’d like to se a new “Doing A Hundred” goal.  Let’s see how long it would take us to get one hundred clients to and through the Discovery Center.  This is a leading indicator of everything we do, let’s do a a hundred through the DC 

The book of Acts ends with one word, “unhindered.”  The New International Version translates is as: 

“He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!”
Acts 28:31 (NIV)

We want to become “Doing a Hundred!” people.  We want to proclaim Jesus without hindrance.  When we are creative and when we are in partnership, we are better able to serve unhindered.