Production

This podcast explores the word production and how it relates to our spiritual journey, team dynamics and ministry effectiveness. If you stay with us, you'll discover how production is actually about connection, how God weaves spirits of teammates together, and why maximum productivity might be supernatural in nature.

There's the teaser trailer. Here we go.

I'm tired. Caveat. Dear Holy Spirit, please help me cause my body's about to fall over. Amen.

The Word of the Day: Production

The etymology, the history, and the definition. Webster's 1828 dictionary says that production is that which is produced—profound, right? Brought forth or yielded, the product. The dictionary also distinguishes when we speak of something formed by an individual artisan or a genius, we call it a production.

I'd like to infuse into the definition the concept that production is normally a team effort. When you watch the credits roll at the end of a long movie production, I guarantee you there's more than one name.

So the etymology continues in Latin: a producer, which is to lead or bring forth. Does that touch a nerve, or are we hearing it deeply? Are we resonating on the inside? We should listen with more than our mind.

The word comes from Latin "pro," which means forward, forth, progress, and "ducere," which is to bring and to lead. Mm. Many of us think that we're good at both of those. But the truth is, we need significant help from God and others.

Breaking it down: "Pro" is positive. "Duction" is induction or to induce. It suggests a positive bringing forth or creation or combining things.

God has infused into us divine purpose to be productive, to bring forth fruit that remains. Amen.

Did I see the head? Oh, it was a head nod. Okay, we'll take it. Thank you.

Biblical Perspective on Productivity

Genesis one says, "And God blessed them. God said to them, be fruitful. Do something. Get out there. Multiply. Come on, replenish the earth. Build a garden. Subdue it. Have dominion. Go to work." Anyway, sorry, I'm twisting the verse. Horrible, but you get the general idea.

Ecclesiastes. We know this famous verse: "Whatsoever thine hand findeth to do, do it with thy might."

John 15:5: "I am the vine," says Christ, "ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same is ultra productive, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me ye can do nothing."

Hence the foundational concept of teamwork: having a supply of nutrients from the vine flowing out into the branches. That's teamwork.

Wisdom from Leaders on Teamwork

John Wesley said once, "Give me 100 preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergymen or laymen. They alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven upon earth."

I think he was saying we could fulfill the Great Commission if we had 100 men on fire for God.

Henry Ford: "If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself."

I want to back up and highlight the one single word in the center: together.

Somebody once said, "I can do things you cannot do. You can do things I cannot. Together we can do great things."

The Essence of Responsive Teams

No one is an island. I do not believe that everything rises and falls on leadership, but rather I believe that Christ is the cornerstone, the foundation, and everything rises and falls upon connectivity.

See, even leaders need supporters. The success of the vision is not contingent upon the idea of the founder or his eloquence to convey such, but it is upon the support staff combined together with the captain. Without support staff, everything crumbles. Everything.

Here's a Bible model: Jesus and His disciples. Jesus said, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do, because I go to the Father." Mm.

The Apostle John lived longer than Christ. Perhaps He was talking about, "You'll have a greater opportunity of being here to serve. Quality of production over time, reaching many generations."

Maybe John lived out a full natural life and was able, in those decades, to be a blessing by writing not just the Gospel of John—filled, saturated, dripping with love—but second, third, first John and also the Revelation. He was used as an overflow to help distribute content to reach many generations. He was productive.

The Oil of the Holy Spirit

To be productive, we must also have the oil of the Holy Spirit. I'm just super thankful that God would allow any teammates to put up with me, and that we could cohesively communicate with seemingly very little friction and a significant measure of the presence of the oil—the very precious oil of the Holy Spirit—which reduces that friction and grind of natural personalities and conflict of ego.

There's no natural reason for why our gospel distribution team should have such harmony and flow. And your workplace likewise should have such liquid longevity. I mean, there should be such fluid mechanisms that the only possible explanation is certainly God is helping that team in their production.

What Is Production?

It's that connection.

The Essence of True Production

Production is connection. It's your capacity to get it outside of self, period. Everyone thinks they're good—a good communicator—just like everyone thinks they're good at breathing. But there's room for significant improvement. Significant improvement.

Productivity. The synonym for production is connection.

When we're connected, we're producing. Connected with the right people. Not just the right people, because that sounds like we're blaming someone else, like it's someone else's responsibility. No, it is God's responsibility to interweave the fabric of two spirits where maximum productivity can happen on a team.

The Power of Supportive Teams

Now let's consider afresh the power of supportive teams. I'm thinking of several scenarios where a person can be placed, possibly to be ultra productive, but only because they've retained the proper structure of talent to support their productivity.

I know of an extremely productive person that can't seem to function outside their silo. I know there are people who would be highly productive and they're very personally energetic, but they can't seem to attract and retain a good, competent cohesion with an assistant. Just one assistant, one helper, much less ten people on their team or grow to 100.

You know, a lot of visionaries and business people, they talk, but they can't connect with someone that believes like they do. It is very valuable when a person speaks that someone on the other side believes that vision and helps to carry it forward.

The Supernatural Connection

Let's use the illustration, because illustrations are like awesome containers that people carry the truth home. You'll probably not remember a whole lot of what you listen to on this episode, but you'll remember this illustration if you dig it down deep because it's a story.

Connectivity is the fiber optic cables that clearly connect the soul of the visionary with the producers.

Think about it. The miracle of fiber optics. Light travels and bounces through these tubes that stretch across the oceans—plural—transferring massive amounts of data with minimal packet loss. It's mind-bending how much information can travel through these cables spanning thousands of miles! Exclamation point. Smiley face.

First Samuel 18 says, "And it came to pass, when he, David, had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David." Knit. Interwoven. Fiber optic. Deep threads, cords, DNA knit to the soul.

One conversation and Jonathan loved David as his own soul. The supernatural soul knitting connection happened after hearing David speak uno—one time. And I want you to notice that David was talking to King Saul, who was a ballistic mess.

Maximum productivity cannot be obtained outside clear connection and supernatural cohesion of people that are in synergy, in sync, and sequentially, systematically, successfully smashing through barriers.

You know, this cohesion is deeper than glue. It's fibers woven together like David and Jonathan, Paul and Silas, Paul and Barnabas.

Production is nearly indescribable. You can't put it on paper. It's so gorgeous when it happens. You can tell when a team is fluid. Like, "Man, you guys work together. Oh, that lady can finish all your sentences. That's amazing. And you start and that guy finishes. Wow, that's great."

Real World Application

Scale of Impact Through Teams

Bezalel and Aholiab were divinely appointed craftsmen who led the building of the Tabernacle in Exodus. This massive moving tent. While the Bible doesn't specify an exact number, it's well over 10,000. They managed and taught numerous skilled workers to complete a massive divine construction project. Some historical estimates say they may have coordinated hundreds or even thousands of workers to create the intricate elements that God specified for His very attractive dwelling place.

Maybe the measure of your ministry and your impact of your future is the number of people that you can train on your team. Cohesion, production, cohesion, production, transfer, support, structure, insights.

Military Logistics

Studies show that tooth-to-tail ratio—that's combatants compared to support personnel—has changed dramatically over time, according to research. During World War One, there were two combat troops to every one support troop. But by 1991, the Gulf War, this had shifted to one combat troop on the front line to 3.3 support personnel backing him up—I mean, all the way back to headquarters.

This demonstrates the increasing importance of support systems for frontline effectiveness.

Big companies have large numbers of humans working hopefully in harmony, hopefully in concert. Cohesion, comprehension of the general direction and action steps to get there. Think McDonald's simplicity. When resources or the hive—the hive mentality. All the ants work together. All the bees work together when resources aren't the issue.

Throwing Away Your Number One Excuse

Now we're going to play a game. We're going to throw away your number one excuse. Well, number one is always fear. And faith overcomes fear. But number two, number two is "I just don't have access to resources."

Well, what if you did? If you had what you think you would need to get the job done, what job would you get done?

Just imagine. Pretend. Play sci-fi in your brain. Pretend you're a child again. If you were given an amount that was insane—a certain, I mean, a really large number—most people can blow through a million, no big deal. They can blow through 10 million. It might take them a year or two to waste it. When you get to 100 or you get to a billion, just increase the zeroes until it explodes your computer.

If resources were not the problem, at a certain point, it's not about the money anymore. It becomes about two other things: time, energy. And what compresses time is multiplication through teamwork. And what compresses energy is I get energized by being around the right people who believe in the vision and carry it forward.

You need to be around energy and you need to be around efficient time, useful people.

Closing Thoughts

Maximizing productivity is supernatural. Naturally, we run out of gas. Supernaturally, God can build a team. In the ministry, we are admonished to be of one mind, united for the cause, striving together for the faith of the Gospel.

I know there's a massive misconception that single people make companies happen, but the truth is, the cohesive fibers, the bonds, the tissues, the sinews, the ligaments, the tendons make the whole body function as one unit. Come on. Hit that baseball smash. How many muscles had to be used?

That's the secret to business success, ministry success, and family success. There's no productivity as a solo person. Join the choir.

Perhaps the great commandment to love God, then love others with 100% of everything, all factors, is a mirror of the Great Commission, which is to love God and then work with Him with all of our zeal and energy and time and intellect and our physical presence, to distribute the great news and then help people grow in spiritual maturity through discipleship, which is a team effort.

Perhaps the Great Commission is not being fulfilled across the world, primarily because people don't know how to work with teammates.

We're less than fully productive because we are functioning at a pace that is not in harmony or cadence or the flow of the new ones, the young ones, the fresh believers, the children, those who are trying to follow but are unsure of where we're going and how we're going to get there, and who's doing what. And how can I help?

What is blocking me from maximum productivity?

We should all allow ourselves to evaluate what is hindering us from reaching our maximum capacity, if we believe that maximum productivity is obviously supernatural.