THE POWER OF URGENCY

DEFINITION OF TERM(S):

URGENT:  Very important and needing immediate attention showing that something is very important and needs immediate attention.

This is synonymous with such words as PRESSING, BURNING, COMPELLING, IMPERATIVE, INSTANT.

INTRODUCTION:

The background to our text has to do with refusal of the three Hebrew men to bow down to the golden image made by King Nebuchadnezzar.

God was with them because they stood their ground for the Most High God.  They refused to BOW yet they were not BURNT.

Our focus however bothers on the URGENCY of the directives of the King.  Today we as privileged members of the standing committee in AVMCC must carry out the instruction of THE KING OF KINGS with the URGENCY it requires vs 22.

1. POINTS  TO NOTE
2. More often than not, the difference between organisation that THRIVE and those that STRUGGLE is the sense of URGENCY they bring into their operations.
3. Holding meetings endlessly to generate IDEAS without a commensurate level of EXECUTION amounts to lack of URGENCY which leads to STAGNATION.
4. The effectiveness of any meeting is determined by the action generated. One either MEETS or WORKS. Both are not realistic at the same time.
5. Urgency is the activation of action and acceleration of process. Urgency is factoring time into actions and operations of organisations.  It has to do with being conscious of time in delivering on targets.
6. Great ideas occur from time to time. The ones that profit from such ideas are the ones that activate same and do not spend more time than necessary discussing them.  It is action taken on the IDEAS generated that brings about positive changes in the life of an organisation.
7. Goals are achieved by those who waste no time in acting while those who keep discussing the ideas stay on the same spot.

SOME DANGERS OF NOT BEING URGENT (CASE STUDY NIGERIA CIVIL SERVICE)

• Corruption is imminent where a sense of urgency is lacking.
• Resources are mishandled, misapplied and eventually misappropriated.
• Time is wasted. What could be done in five minutes takes five days , months, years or more.
• Resources are squandered
• Stagnation sets in

1. FACTORS BREEDING LACK OF URGENCY
2. Complacency arising from a sense of success.
3. Frustration arising from a sense of failure
4. Apathy arising from absence of DIRECTION
5. LACK OF GOAL, PURPOSE and PASSION.
6. Sentiments, Nepotism, Tribalism, Favouritisim, Politization of the sacerdotal etc

NB:        At this level there is a need for a DEVELOPMETAL PLAN FOR AVMCC. A proactive, realistic and visionary projections into the future if Jesus tarries.

1. URGENCY STARTS WITH LEADERSHIP – ACTS 6:3, 1 Thess. 4:11
2. We must be business like as members of the Standing Committee – Luke 2:49, Rom. 12:11.
3. We must eschew the attitude of IT CAN WAIT TILL TOMORROW.
4. Knowing is not sufficient for success.
5. We must not take thinking as talking as far as action is concerned.
6. We must go beyond planning and making decision and go on to take action.
7. We must paint pictures of opportunities.
8. We must be guided by the inherent benefits in our actions.
9. We must set deadliness (Developmental plans)
10. We must reward compliance and vice versa.
11. The greatest gap in the world is that gap between WHAT WE KNOW and WHAT WE DO knowledge that does not produce action is worthless. When you activate your knowledge you give your life a lift.  (John Maxwell)

1. CONCLUSION:

We need to reactivate the sense of URGENCY in the running of AVMCC.

A church blessed with a conglomeration of expertise, professionals highly connected, highly influential divinely endowed men and women,  must be seen as doing better that what we are doing now.  AVMCC in glory must not become a BYWARD, A PROVERB or a DESOLATE.  LET US BE URGENT, LET US BE MORE BUSINESS LIKE in all our endeavours.  Living everyday and every year just as it comes is not the purpose of God for His church.  We are to OCCUPY TILL HE COMES.