Video Transcript: Repetition

Well, we're back, and this one is going to be on repetition, what does that have  to do with anything? Repetition? Okay. I mean, that seems like a little bit boring.  But repetition. Okay. Joshua 1:8. Let's look at some repetition in the Bible. Keep  this book of the law. This is, this is Joshua's taking over from Moses. These are  some instructions for their MinistryBiz, and Joshua successfully becoming the  new leader. It's about ministry. Keep this book of the law, always on your lips,  meditate on it day and night. So that you may be careful to do everything written in it, then you will be prosperous, and successful. Success, is in there  prosperous. That's a pretty good looking MinistryBiz. Yeah. So if you want to be  successful at your MinistryBiz, then you need to meditate what is meditating,  meditating is going over the same ground over and over and over again, by the  way, worry, is negative meditation, right? You're going over than some negative  things, something that you're worried about, and you go over it, and over and  over again. And then it drags you further down, that the antidote to worry is  meditating on God's word, where you're looking at what God has to say about  something over and over and over again. And that's how actually things get to  us. It's repetition. We don't get things the first time. It only comes as you go over  it. And over and over again, kind of reminds us of little by little by little. Let's look  at how the church began. Okay, this is this was the greatest MinistryBiz to ever  get started, this is the beginning of the whole thing. Okay. So Acts 2, they  devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, and to fellowship, to the breaking  of bread and to prayer. Every one was filled with awe at the many wonders and  signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had  everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give anyone who  had needs. Every day, they continued to meet together in the temple courts,  they broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,  praising God and enjoying the favor of all people. And the Lord added to their  number daily, those who were being saved. Okay. Okay, so I always knew about this passage. And, you know, when I started the church, planter, planted a  church in Vancouver, I'm aware of the whole business of church and all of a  sudden, you pay attention to what you're reading little details of everything you  do. So I started and, you know, we did that phone campaign made 20,000  phone calls into the community had a grand opening all those things. But I had a neighbor, who it's funny how we met. I'm an introvert. So how am I, how in the  world am I going to get people into my new church? So my wife and I started  walking around the neighborhood. We thought, you know, if we just walked  around seven times the walls would fall down, something good will happen. So  anyway, I had made a sandwich board, you know, one of those boards that had  the name of the church. And on Sunday, I would put it in the trunk of the car, and I'd go to church, and I'd put it out on the road. And then after the service,  I'dothrow it back in the trunk. And when I came home, I just took it and propped  it on our porch. So my wife is out there gardening or doing something in the front

yard. And a neighbor walks by and she sees this sandwich board. And she says, So what's this? We're planting a church, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And they  started talking and they found out that both husbands were interested in tennis.  So they set up a tennis game with all four of us. Right? So we ended up going to their house. Anyway, they ended up coming to our, our church. And and then  over the next year, they were probably together responsible for probably 60  People coming to our church. Wow. I mean, it was incredible. She was and he  were Yeah, they were connected. They were connectors. But I reflected after a  couple of years of our relationship. And I realized that I did something with him  almost every day, you know, maybe we'd ride bikes, we played hockey together,  or we would just call we just talk, there was always a connection, that  connection, that connection, that connection and connection over a long period  of time. And then when I read Acts 2 again, and I saw the word every day, they  continued to meet together in the temple courts that word jumped out at me that  the power of changing people's lives, comes with every day, right? So you and I, when we first met, you know, we were together at a conference, and we were  together every day. But after that, we're on the phone, we're talking. I mean, we  contacted each other all the time about everything and aything. And it was  because of that constant repetition. That a friendship, the ministry, all these  things have developed out of that. We've seen each other at our highs or lows,  all those things, but we have such a history, that every day thing starts adding  up into something powerful, you know, there's a whole therapy out there called  Narrative Therapy. It's fascinating, their first mean principle, and we'll have a  class Yes, that is fascinating to talk about. They said, their stories with thin  storylines, and stories with thick storylines. And a lot of people when they have  problems in their relationship, they will make a thin storyline evaluation, they'll  pick like points on that a very thin things. And a lot of times, they miss out in the  thick because according to narrative therapy, it's the thick things that ultimately  bring healing, that remind people to forgive into move on into bless each other.  Right? So somebody offend somebody one time, and then someone goes with  that thin line, right? And, you know, ignores the 100 other good things that  happened. And now they're identifying somebody by one little thing, right and in,  let's say, do a coffee shop, you know, the more repetition the more you talk, the  deeper relation when all of a sudden the coffee is cold, because you hire  someone, and they didn't really pay attention. It's a thin relationship, that you're  doing cold coffee, we're not going through the thick relationship. You know, I  appreciate how Henry is out there doing that but a thick relationship. And I  understand that, you know, sometimes the help doesn't warm the coffee, you  know, that kind of thing. Right? Exactly. Alright, so another example of Paul in  Athens. Okay, so we've talked about this already, where Paul goes to Athens, he sees the statue, and he starts talking to these philosophers on Mars Hill. While  Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the 

city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue, with both Jews and God  fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace, day by day with those who  happened to be there. Okay, so he didn't just swing in one time. That's how I  pictured it. swings in Mars hill, Has this big discussion. I actually day by day, in  other words he kept going back, and back. And so these people all here's comes Paul again, this was not like, we don't know this guy. Well, because it happens  once in the Bible. Right? He made his trip to Mars hill on the missionary tour  was done. For all, we know how many months he did this every day, he comes.  Here's the people, here's comes Paul, we get the second installment, going over the ground, again, questions, answers, you know, challenges over and over and  over and over again. And it's interesting that, you know, what we don't see is the day by day with Paul, right? We have these short little things, right, but we don't  understand how many times he probably had to say something. Very interesting. Okay. So influence happens little by little. Okay, trust is built over many repeated positive experiences. Most people need at least seven presentations of the  same thing before they accept or adopt it. Seven. Seven, so it's, it's funny like  this. I see this with people naming their kids. Right. Everyone wants to find a  unique name. Right, right. So they name their child. Canvas. And they think you  know, I don't know any Canvases, this is so unique. But generally, if you think  you found a unique name, a unique name, just Google it, look at the top 100  names, and generally the one you pick is in the top 20. And the reason you think it's unique, you think you had never heard of it. You've already heard it seven  times from someone else. And that's why it's on your radar screen. But you're  not aware of it. You think it's unique, you think you're coming up with something  new here. But really, you're just not aware of how many times that you hit you.  You did it. By the time most of us start doing something. It's already a trend.  Right? And we don't know that it's a trend, right. And there are actually people  who know that just before it occurs. Right, you know, and and then it's like, they  people think they're brilliant, because they even predicted it, and then there are  those in most of us. Were in it in already removed. Yeah. And but we think we're  on the cutting edge, always. So that's why influence happens. Little by little by  little. And you have to keep coming back to it keep coming back to it over and  over and over again. This is the part that called the grind. Yes. The grind of  influence. Yes. I mean, it's how far veterans who sort of like, tie in for a little bit.  And that's why I think people are attracted to mission trips, right? You go down  to some country, that you do this, and you go here and you speak, and you, you  have all these experiences, and everyone there tells you, you're awesome. And  then you go home and you never see him again. And you think you change the  world and you know, pictures of the mission trip and the dramatic difference that  you made while you were there. And then you have where people adopt some  child, and they have 18 years of trying to influence this person. And it doesn't  always go that well. Right, right. I mean, so that's the real picture of influence. 

It's over the long haul, not this short little thing, you can impress somebody for a  short amount of time. But then they forget about you a year later, too. So the  real influence happens little by little over a long period of time. So when you talk  Biz, MinistryBiz about in the various classes, if you're interested in coffee, or  Bible Ministry, or a matchmaking Ministry or any other things, we offer a officiant, coaching, life coaching. So there has to be processes in place that put this into  concrete reality every day. And I think that's where many people and I noticed  that church planters are that sort of our area. And we saw many church planters  who they loved to be in the office to do the sermon. And they loved a few things.  But what they didn't love was actually meeting people. The grind. Right, right.  Right. Most pastors want to just preach. And that's it. I get out of seminary to  learn, I will fix all the problems in the half an hour speech. And, but but the real  reality of changing people's lives is in the during the week. And how are you  helping people during the week? How are you empowering people? How are  you, you know, equipping leaders and getting them motivated. And that's the  real influence. And so any business that you get you, you start, that has to be a  consistent repetition of something, right? Or it will all fall apart. I remember you'd mentioned about I took a Dutch name in the book. And I remembered at that  time in the Lord in my devotions for a passage like this. And I remember thinking that day, it was three o'clock in the afternoon. And I submitted to for the Lord that I was going to keep practicing repetition in Eugene, Oregon was extremely  difficult for the gospel in those days. I think it still is. I thought okay, 3:30 You  know, it's getting late. Just forget it. And I was thinking of just forgetting that that  day. Forget it. So it was sort of, so what can I do? And that was interesting. The  Dutch idea came there. Definitely. And it just popped in my mind. Now, I  immediately had attacked immediately had self doubt. I thought like, you know,  really working, I'm not going to do anything. So I did okay, so it popped in my  mind without thinking I went to the white pages, white pages. And I went to the  Vs Vander ,mwent to right to there and they went like this I just shut my eyes  and put it there in the Dutch and it happened to be, you know, that name. And I  just called. And the wife answered, I remember that it was a commitment to  repetition, right? You know it because I had no idea maybe nothing would have  in fact, I concluded if nothing happened, at least, went through the process of  repetition. At least tried, I at least tried. Okay. So common repetitions in life, let's  just think about this. So, number one is your devotions. Okay. Okay. So,  devotions, you want to have connection to God, that that connection to God is a  relationship and consists of talking and listening. But if you want a close  relationship to somebody, it takes that daily thing, right. Every day, they met in  the temple courts repeatedly, right? Day by day, Paul went and argued with the  people at Mars Hill. So if you want a relationship with God, it takes day by day,  it's. So what people will do. Instead, they go on retreat, and the OD on God for  three days, and then ignore them the rest of their life or like most people, they 

just go once a week on Sunday and hear someone else's experience of God.  And then that's it. They're having a surrogate of free chewed meal. Yeah, yeah,  like a bird. You know, I'm gonna chew it up for you and put it down and we're  overstating this, don't get offended. Sometimes we overstate the hyperbole,  we're trying to make a point. And we know it's not preach, right. But the point is,  for many people, that's all their walk is, right? And so we're saying, if you want a  foundation of something solid, because that's what repetition does, right builds  something. You start with your repetition with God, your devotions. Alright?  Things like dating. Okay, you, you, you know, I saw my wife for the first time at  the college I was attending. And then I instituted a means of being with her for a  few hours. And then my goal was do that again. And again, and again. And  again. And over that time, we got to know each other, and trust, and, you know,  commonality, you know, vision for our life together. So eventually, I asked her to  marry me, and we got married. And, you know, we've been in Ministry partners  ever since. But it started with that repetition of connecting with each other. I  wonder, could there be like, for today's time, a dating church, like started by  someone in early 20s, or after college, mid 20s. And the whole goal is put on  Facebook, a local community page. Hey, Christians, or people who are  interested in Christianity, you know, and want to learn more. We're starting a  dating church. And what it really is, we're getting you all together, we're going to  do activities of what we do teaching about what Christian marriage is and  Christian stuff is. And the church may only last until we all find our spouses.  Well, well, certainly you could do like, if you had a coffee shop, you could have  Friday night date situation where you're like, you know, okay, every Friday night,  this is what we're trying to do. This is our coffee shop goal on Fridays, or  whatever it is Saturday, every Friday. And we keep doing it so people count on it, see the success often is that right? If you just did it once a lot of things don't  catch on the first time. Right? It's over time that it becomes a thing, right, I know  that the biggest a big disappointment in church planting, is you starting  programming and two show up and then you count the number and that was a  failure. Yes. But if next week three show up, right? I mean, really, that is a that is  a 33% or 33% growth. If one more person if there's two and one more shows  that it's 50% Yeah. Okay, so what if two more a week later, we've got what we're  doing. Well, you know, five came so you do your Friday night at night at a coffee  shop and at first two people come but you know what, we're it takes time, high  expectations of you say to the two people. Losers were showing up are a lot of  speakers will say, Yeah, looks like we didn't have the turnout we were hoping for that's their opening line. Yeah. Never seriously. No, because you're you're  dissing the people that showed up. And remember little by little, right. So it's that type of, you know, don't get caught up in. It's gotta be big conundrum, right? No,  you start out small, keep expectations small and build. Okay, sales, sales okay  repetitions in life, we have sales. So what do you mean by sales? Well, if you're 

in a business and you're trying to sell something, it's very difficult to sell  something without repetition without seeing a person over and over and over  again. Even when you buy something online, you look and then you read  reviews, and you talk to other people. Without repetition, I think that statistic  about someone has to hear about something seven times before they'll do  anything. I think that comes from the sales world. Is that because of trust? Why  would it take seven time? Are they not trusting? Well, I think, number one, it just takes that long for us to think that this is a thing. I mean, like, like, I think just  trends, right trends, you know, all of a sudden, a certain color is in Right, right.  But the first time you see that color, you didn't like it, right? But over time, you  can getting used to that. I mean, car styles, everything. And I just think, you  know, human beings are sort of always stuck in the past. I mean, there's some  people that always gravitate, gravitate to something new, but most of us take a  long time to get to the next thing. So I think you know that in most every area of  life, get someone to do something, take several passes at it. Okay, that makes  sense. Repetition is important in sales. So that's why salesmen know that they  have to be persistent, right? And when they get rejected, they don't take it  personally. They just know that this rejection means I only have six more to go  before you say yes. Right? Well, and I can tell you over 20 years of Christian  leaders, ministries, the to get funders who would invest, and I'm not talking  vision partners or students, you have been amazing how you have participated  but some of the other donors in the kingdom. It's like 10 rejections, for one  person who actually signed up. Exactly. So next one, parenting parenting. It's  the same repetition, right? It's trying to teach your kids something. It takes a long period of time. That's true. And like your devotions in your family life. I remember when we first started to read the Bible together, I have four boys, and we  decided to read through the whole Bible. You know, the first time around, it's just a chore. But over time, as years go by, passages become more meaningful and  connections to what's happening in your life becomes more meaningful.  Consistency in terms of discipline with your kids, it's repetition. When dad and  mom say this, do they mean it, and kids will test it right? You'll follow through  once and the next time you let it go, they go, Hey, I got 50% odds that I can get  away with this. So again, it's that consistency repeating over and over again.  Okay, the next one is teaching. So again, it's the same kids need to come back  to it and come back to it and come back to it. I mean, in some ways, every grade level half of what you're doing is repeating what you did the year before.  Because it just takes us that long to catch on to things right principals in this  class have been another class was like that. But yeah, it's important to go over it again. To get we need that tradition, tradition from what movie. Fiddler on the  Roof. So what are traditions? Like your Christmas tradition, your Thanksgiving  tradition? You know, whatever holidays you have in your country, or things that  your family typically does. We used to go camping, actually right here not Spring

Lake but Grand Haven not too far. From here we are my my cousins, my uncles  and aunts at the end. of every summer, we would go for a week or two for like  maybe six years in a row. And, you know, all of us cousins, somehow that  repetition connected us into a thing. It became a thing became important  because it was repeated every year. And the reason why that works, the reason  why traditions are so powerful is that the memories start getting piled on top of  each other. So if I've been doing something for six years, and this good thing  happened that year, and that different good thing happened this year. Now,  when I go this year, I'm more emotional about whatever happens, because I'm  stealing the emotion of all the other years. Ist' stacking up right. You know, that's why Christmas carols you only sing them at Christmas time. And they've they  become memory catchers. So now when you sing that song is powerful,  because it's stealing all the memories of your past. Right? And that only  happens with repetition. Right? Right. Right. And so in a MinistryBiz, because  the more repetition, repetition you can create over time, the more people have a  positive experience, and wanting to be with you more, right? So creating sort of  traditions within the business that you start, you know, every Friday we do this,  or every this season, we do that we're always doing different, something  different every time. Right, exactly. Very interesting. All right. That's it. So there  you have it. devotions, dating, sales, parenting, teaching, traditions, just to make sure I'm sort of fast through those. And those are just examples we can go. I  mean, all of life really is about repetition. So when you think about kind of  concluding this presentation of repetition in MinistryBiz, what do you think is  probably the most important thing to remember about repetition? I think it's the  it's the trust thing, that if you're going to start some kind of MinistryBiz whether  it's Ministry slanted or business slanted, or equally, both. Consistency is what  people count on. Consistency. And consistency happens when you keep  repeating if you're going to do the copy business, and you repeatedly, you know, someone orders what they order, and it's exactly what they liked last time. Now  remember, remember what they write? Yeah. I mean, knowing people's names.  You're creating a community, with whatever MinistryBiz, you do, and being  consistent for that community, knowing who their kids are, and asking about  repeated thing, right, I asked you last time about how your wife is doing. And  she was struggling, she was going in for a test. Now, the next time I see you, if I  don't ask you about that, then I did I care. So it's repeating that it's coming back  to that same topic over and over again, or evangelism is the same thing. You  know, we're we got so far in our discussion last time. So now we're carrying the  ball. If I forget everything that we talked about, then the person gets a sense that you don't care when I was researching this, that we both research this topic,  pour into this for your benefit. And one of the things that I found is a lot of  businesses, if they were to have an epic epitaph, why did they fail? A large  percentage fail because of repetition and consistency. And repeatedly, all these 

words are were not regular. They were not consistent those words. Quality was  up and down, right. And this hurt. So you know, all the stuff we talked about.  This is now where it gets into the grind, right? In this is where are you really  committed? Is your voice strong enough to say this is what I'm here to do to  unpack that and the reason why I think people drop it is repetition is something  that pays off long term little by little that you know, you don't see it right away.  And so then you go, is it really worth it? Right? It is worth it, But the fruit of the  tree is like later, so you just have to in faith keep doing it. Thanks for listening  this time and this message, take it to heart to it. We're probably one of the things you'll look back and say I didn't like hearing all that but it sure made a difference.