Video Transcript: Naysayers

Henry Reyenga - Let's welcome back to our church planting class. We're having  a great discussion with Mr. Rich DeVos. And we're going to continue that  discussion. And one of the things that church planters struggle with the rich are  the naysayers. The people who like all sudden get behind their brain and start  negative talk. And they were negative talk maybe in the church they came from  and now they're negative talk. And the church planter becomes stymied. And all  of a sudden a week goes by and they're out of sync. How have you dealt with  naysayers?  

Rich DeVos - First of all, except the fact that they're all over the place. Okay. A  naysayer is not something unusual. Most people are naysayers. That's why they don't get anywhere. Okay? Most people just plug through life, they get a job,  they stay in the job, they won't change jobs unless they're fired. Their pattern is  to do what is the least, and they follow the pattern and they get a job. And  instantly, I'm gonna get a better job, I don't like this job. They just stay there. And that becomes a route. There are rut of life. So naysayers are everywhere. Paul  found them you you talk about him no matter where he went, there are people  ready to ridicule them, condemn them, and stone them. In our business. We  have governments that are naysayers, because most government employees  are not aggressive type people. And their business is to find fault. fault finding is  the biggest game in town. If somebody makes a speech, somebody's gonna  say, oh, man is too long. Or did you hear that? He'd even spell that word, right?  He didn't even pronounce that word. Right? He imagined that. And he's a  college kid and the girl. He didn't even pronounce a word, right? So that's what  we call it. Fried chicken or royal pasture or something. So what gets you get  used to the fact? I made a speech at Calvin College the other day. And now I  read in the Grand Rapids Press that I didn't do something that they thought was  theologically right. It wasn't a theological speech. It didn't deal with theology, I  dealt with a few example, well, they apparently didn't conform with what his  theology was. So he writes a letter to the public, Paul writes a DeVos faith is  weak, he doesn't understand this. And it's okay. But it doesn't matter, either.  You're all I'm talking about all how to be positive. How to encourage people. And he writes a letter telling me how bad I am, right? Oh, that's true. I'm not very  smart. When you make a speech in one subject, or you do something in one  way, doesn't mean you can't cover everything that goes in the Christian world,  until  

Henry Reyenga - one sermon is not addressed every tiopic so  

Rich DeVos - so naysayers are all over there in your church, and they're on the  streets. And so get used to it. Now, if you want to be a church builder, that you  either have to overcome this or you want to get out of the business, right? 

Because if you're gonna let your life be controlled by what they say, and you're  not a church builder, right? You better go get a job driving a truck or something,  okay? Is that's what you're, you're, you're just a follower, right? You're not a  builder, you're a follower. So  

Henry Reyenga - you're really seeing leaders can expect naysayers.  

Rich DeVos - They're gonna look out for you, they're laying on the weeds for  you. Because people don't do anything. You know, if the other guys leave a job,  and I go out, and they all have a beer, and they all know what's wrong with the  company. Okay? The other guys are still at work, the management people, are  still at work fine. It helps the business grow, figuring out what they're gonna do  tomorrow, other events, the business, but they're already home telling  everything that's bad. And so don't go there. First of all, don't hang around with  people who think like that. That's a  

Henry Reyenga - good point. You can actually you have to be very intentional  about hanging around positive people. Well,  

Rich DeVos - because the others are always with you. When I started making  speeches, I decided to do positive speeches. Because every other speech, I  hear, the speaker would have a subject. And he would develop a subject and  then he would tell us what was wrong with the subject. And then he would tell us how he would fix it. Because he was smart. So his goal was not to deliver an  effective positive speech. His goal was to show how smart he was. And most  people are speaking, always trying to show how smart they are. So be careful  who you listen to because the world is filled with these beer drinking guys who  used to hang around they go to football games, they know what's wrong, they  know every play, they know that the coach is stupid. So don't get surprised the  whole stadium is  

Henry Reyenga - full of them. Right? And if you win, they cheered. If you lose,  they're not happy. So  

Rich DeVos - what anyway, this is a part of the job, right? To deal with those are  the people you got to reach and make them joyful in the Christ in Christ. So just  practice when you hear people who are like that you guys sit. So let me talk to  you a little bit about, well,  

Henry Reyenga - you know, you brought up the theology and Calvin maybe we  should just ground Why is a naysayer and that's that total depravity that's the sin

every one of us, as I said earlier by saying that we're all kind of naysayers and  then some subjects, we all have something negative to say,  

Rich DeVos - but a pastor has the good news. Amen. And here's where the  power and you you just always come back to that yes, it's your let me tell you  the good news. All these things are true in the world. So let me say the good  news that's great Henry. Well that's what you do. You are the most consistent so when right Are you Are you okay? You find me on the street corner you find him  in on the beaches you you're and and you've been at it all your life and you  never stopped doing it. And you see most people start it and that the real  excitement and then they start getting the naysayers and then they stop. Now  the naysayers controlling your life. Fear of what somebody else says is  dominant in your life. So you're no longer a leader. You surrendered your  leadership role to being a follower.