Fail-Proof Spiritual Leadership

Why was Paul's ministry so dynamic in Thessalonica because one he was confident in God's power to he was committed to God's truth. Three. He was commissioned by God's will was compelled by God's knowledge and five was consumed with God's affect each other and we can't escape each other know those words certainly magnify the need for strong biblically-based leadership in the church, but that doesn't mean the call for spiritual leadership is just for pastors or Sunday school teachers people in official roles. The fact is every Christian needs to embrace the responsibility for biblical leadership because at the very least, you need to be able to influence your family and those around you today. John MacArthur looks to the apostle Paul for the definition of spiritual leadership were continuing John study on the New Testament beginning to end, and now here's John, I invite you to turn your Bible to first Thessalonians chapter 2 first Thessalonians chapter 2 verses one through six. If I were to title. These six verses. I would title them fail proof spiritual leadership fail proof spiritual leadership. Everybody knows there is a great premium on leadership and everybody realizes that there are fewer leaders than are needed fewer faithful leaders then are expected.

We also know the leadership is very difficult even in the world. When the team doesn't win, they fire the coach and when the employees don't produce. They fire the president. The question that comes to mind. That is how can spiritual leaders be effective.

How can spiritual leaders be successful spiritually. How can they have a genuine and lasting impact on their charge. Is there a path to genuine spiritual effectiveness for the leader but God has identified in his church. For in these marvelous six verses Paul shares with us the principles for effective ministry. What are the ingredients that made for effective spiritual leadership. Why was because ministry so dynamic in Thessalonica because one he was confident in God's power to he was committed to God's truth. Three. He was commissioned by God's will for he was compelled by God's knowledge and five he was consumed with God's glory.

All of us live lives that reflect our view of God not look at these five number one. He was confident in God's power and that gave him tenacity .2 he was committed to God's truth. He was not only confident in God's power. But he was committed to God's truth and that gave him integrity that gave him integrity third essential element of effective ministry is brought out in verse four, first party was commissioned by God's will and that gave him authority not only tenacity and integrity. But he had authority was commissioned by God's will. Verse four. But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. So we speak, stop at that point, but I love that state. Why do you speak all why you doing this because you been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. So we speak.

Women commissioned by God's will. I'm under divine authority, and yet I have divine authority delegated authority. He didn't teacher know exactly talk truth and it was the truth that God entrusted to him. God entrusted him with the good news, so he moves from commitment to the truth to the commission of God by which he had that commitment.

Look at the phrase just as we have been approved by God's the Greek verb ducky module which means to be tested and found valid found good to be approved after testing the perfect tense verb which means it indicates a lasting approval. We have been and continue to be approved by God. God tested us. We passed and we are the authorized ministers of the gospel. Paul is saying I'm not self-appointed I'm not doing this on my own. I was called by God and of course we all remember his calling, don't we. In acts chapter 9 on the Damascus Road as he proceeded to try to execute Christians, God slammed him in the dirt made him blind in made him bow the knee to Jesus Christ and then put them in the ministry brought along Ananias. He was baptized. It was sent on his way preaching Jesus Christ to me at once persecuted. He had been entrusted with the gospel.

That particular phrase he likes to use and uses it on a number of occasions.

First Corinthians 725 concerning versions I have no command of the Lord, but I give an opinion as one who, by the mercy of the Lord is trustworthy.

He says God trust me. I love that God trust me, trust me with his truth. He trust me to be his agent. He trust me to be his emissary trusted me to be as minister Ephesians 3 verse eight. To me the very least of all Saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles. God gave me the grace to do it. It isn't that I am worthy.

Apart from grace. But I am worthy in his grace so he says I'm not self-appointed I'm divinely commissioned that puts authority in my life when I speak I speak in the place of Christ. When I speak I put I speak in the place of God.

I've been entrusted with the gospel. We can get so far afield from that, the primary calling.

We have, we will preach the word of God is to dispense that which we have been entrusted with the good news in all of its ramifications and implications.

Paul says God called me God set me apart. He says even in Galatians, that he didn't even consult with men. Yet such a unique training time. God trained him personally and set them apart for this ministry in first Timothy 111. He says the glorious gospel of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted and I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me because he considered me faithful, putting me into service before was a blasphemer and so we if we are in the ministry rightly have been put there by Christ. Titus 13 at the proper time manifested, even his word and the proclamation mission with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior. So here you have a man who is under command under authority and yet has delegated authority and I believe that we have authority in our ministry when we speak we speak as those who have been chosen, approved and placed by God in this world to preach his truth, so we speak. I love that literally are speaking presentations. We speak with the authority of God who approved us for ministry. In fact the end of verse six he says, as I read earlier we have a right to assert our authority because it is the authority of God, and I don't believe that any of us can be effective without that authority and what gives authority to your ministry, speaking the word of God, powerfully and clearly your authority doesn't go beyond the Scripture. But boy, when you come you better come with the message entrusted to you and know that when you preach it with power and conviction. You carry the authority of God. That's what makes an effective ministry as 1/4 element in this it was compelled by God's knowledge.

He was compelled by God's knowledge, which gave him accountability. He not only had a ministry marked by tenacity. He had a ministry marked by integrity and he had a ministry marked by authority. He also had a ministry marked by accountability and that's the balancing point to authority in many ways was again verse four the middle of the verse picking up that little statement so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts, but we never came with flattering speech.

As you know, with a pretext for greed. Why God is witness.

What you say I am compelled by God's knowledge what you mean by that I mean God knows everything. What motivates me is his omniscience, he examines my heart.

He witnesses everything about me that is a great measure of accountability is verse four.

He says I don't Thomas pleasing men. I wasn't commissioned by men. I don't preach the gospel of men. I was commissioned by God.

I preach the gospel of God. I do not preach it to please men know where does he make that more clear than in Galatians 110 after he is just blistered the Galatians up one side and down the other. He says for am I now seeking the favor of men or of God, am I striving to please men.

If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ, currently Summit accused Paul of being a men placer and after he laced them a few times. He then says does that sound like a men placer. He was no men. Placer. He spoke the truth, not to please men but to please God. There is one exception to that of great interest to us and I would just brought your attention was to be confused.

First Corinthians 1033 in first Corinthians 1033 Paul says, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many that they may be saved. What he is here saying is quite different when he says I do not please men he means I do not preach a message for the purpose of pleasing men what he means when he says I do please men in first Corinthians 1033 is that I will gladly sacrifice my own profit and all my own benefits in order that they might be saved. That's what he doesn't mean I will send a message that'll make them happy. He means I will give my life to get them saved.

I will please all men and all things in the sense that I will reach to them and try to touch them and embrace them with the gospel at any costs, but apart from that intent, which is much like what he said also in Corinthians, when he said I become all things to all men that by any means I might win some is simply saying in this context I want to please them in the sense that I want them to know that I would give my life for them that they might know Christ.

But I do not want to please them back to first Thessalonians, to the extent that I sacrificed truths purity for true motives. So he says back to our text, not as pleasing men, but God why Paul why are you so consumed with pleasing God because God examines our hearts. God examines our hearts is referring here by the word heart to the inner self, the real you were thought and feeling and will motive all meet. He says God scrutinizes my deepest self. God scrutinizes my motives. God scrutinizes my intentions. God knows those deep things. And he knows so much that I am very aware that he will know whether I am seeking to please men or him and I am compelled by that knowledge turned back to first Corinthians chapter 4 for a moment in verse one. He says let a man regard us in this manner as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God mother was let let it be known that we are slaves. We are who bear a case under rowers third level galley slaves. The lowest kind of slaves of Christ. We gladly take the most abject role of servant hood under Christ, and we are stewards their guardians of the treasurer of the mysteries of God, the new covenant and with stewards.

One thing is needful that they be found. What trustworthy, faithful you've been entrusted with guarded you to be trustworthy.

Then he says this.

Now let's talk about evaluation. To me it's a very small thing that I should be examined by you or by any human court, it doesn't really matter to me what you think or what any human tribunal thinks. In fact I don't even examine myself. First of all, I doesn't matter what you think because you don't know my and you not to judge.

Secondly, it doesn't even matter what I think, because verse four.

I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted. Why, because I'm not omniscient, even when I don't know anything against myself. God might know a lot of things against me so you can judge me and I can't judge me you don't know me and your biased against me. I know me and I'm biased for me, so neither of us are valid. Furthermore, neither of us are omniscient, and neither of us can really know all that needs to be known by the way, beloved that will put you in touch with the fact that you don't need to be all the time all the time all the time fussing over your motivation, because even when you don't know something against yourself. God might know something again, shoot points to the fact that you're not even a totally valid critic of your own life. So you just have to yield out what you don't know to God and ask him to make you what you want to be and that's what he says universe for the one who examines me is the Lord.

He lived under the he says luck we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ to receive for the things done in the body, whether they be good or phallus, under that I'm under the realization that someday I will stand at the bema seat judgment of the Lord is going to reward me for what he knows. Verse five. Therefore, do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes, you will both bring to light the hidden things in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts and then each man's praise will come to him from God.

That's accountability. Beloved, my accountability is not to the church and I've said this. Sometimes people say well you know John you need to have more accountability to men, because you might fall in the sand.

Listen, I could have accountability to 100 men, and you can't build none of those men can guard my thoughts. None of those men can guard the intentions of my heart. No one can police that my own heart and that knowledge in my heart that God sees everything that is the highest level of accountability that is the point of accountability. First Chronicles 28, nine, says the Lord searches the heart, Revelation 223 Christ as I am he that searches the heart, then in verse five he says look we we never came with flattering speech.

As you know now with a pretext for greed.

God is witness and he applies it to God knows God knows we didn't do that because God knows everything about us, you, you might be used to people who flatter you and you might be used to people who are greedy and they come with a pretext for pretension and they want gain. They want physical sexual favors. They want money they want power. They want prestige. We didn't come that way. God is witness. We live under the scrutiny of God. Your typical verbal hucksters may be hypocrites. Those liars with demon theology spawned by the pit may be hypocrites.

We never came with flattering speech not flatter is the form of exploitation flattery is based on the fact that everybody's ego loves to hear good things about themselves right when they are good things about ourselves.

Now if you say a good thing about a person. You have no intent other than to say good about them. That's not flattery if you say good thing about a person and have in your mind.

Some purpose for that which will come to your benefit. That's flattery. So you say something good to someone as a ploy to win them to yourself for self-interest and personal gain. You set them up for your own deceptive purposes. Proverbs 29 five says Amanda flatters his neighbor is spreading Annette for his steps. Proverbs 26, 28 says a flattering mouth works ruin and because people are so egotistical when people say nice things about them. They get sucked in a very vivid illustration of God's attitude toward flattery. In Psalm 12 three.

May the Lord cut off flattering lips. The purpose of flattery to gain power over people, employee among religious charlatans pulses.

We didn't do that because God's watch and secondly wouldn't come with a pretext for greed.

Not only do they want power, but they want possessions. This is the gain possessions. The pretext means they hide the real intent.

The word pretext is cloak. It's an older cloak covering the real intent win, putting a cone over our greed retired. False teachers all the same and want sexual favors. They want money, they were cloak there flatter you to gain you and then they'll strip you naked. Paul says I have not put a spiritual robe over my greed. I'm not in the ministry for money. I'm not in the ministry to get you remember what he said and asked 25 covered annulments over a no man's what goal and I have worked with my hands so that I don't make the gospel chargeable to anybody. God sees my motives. God sees my heart have tremendous accountability.

Finally in the last verse. He was consumed with God's glory. That gave them humility. He was consumed with God's glory. That gave them humility, verse six, nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ. We might've asserted our authority. We look for a steam when you look for honor when you want praise. We are geography's words a tell here seek it means to habitually seek when you are habitually seeking honor, habitually seeking the Lord's and laurels and stroking and appreciation dinners and attention and accolades and applause and plaudits and prestige only glory Paula result was eternal right certain gradients for five but he never sought what belong to God. First Corinthians 916 he said, look, 16, 18. He says don't don't commit me don't honor me wall was under me. If I present the gospel, I'm not worthy of any reward I didn't asked to be in the ministry. God placed me in a ministry. Don't commend me, even though as apostles, we could've asserted our authority. We were too preoccupied with all the glory going to him. We were specially called messenger as an apostle here means in a very technical sense.

Paula was one of the apostles and in a less specific sense. Silas and Timothy who were apostles not apostles of Christ is chosen by him, but apostles of the church, chosen by the church.

Apostles can stretch beyond the 12 and Paul to embrace others, such as a pair for Dido's choice that we had some delegated authority but we never asserted ourselves whenever satire prestige whenever sought. The chief seeds whatever shots ought to be the big shot. We knew our authority had to stop and be balanced with accountability and humility, three-legged stool, but you sit on. If you have a throne. It has three legs authority. Yes, delegated from Christ to speak his word boldly and powerfully accountability.

Yes, you better know the God knows everything you're doing and every thought and intent of your heart and humility. Yes you better be sure you seek not the praise of men. But did you give all the glory to God. Paul never said it better than he said it in the glorious doxology of Romans 11 for from him and through him and to him are all things to him be the glory forever. Amen. Humility what makes an effective ministry tenacity because you trust totally in the power of God, integrity because you're fully committed to the truth of God authority because you know you have on your life, the commission of God. Accountability because of the knowledge of God.

He knows everything. Humility because you are consumed with the glory of God. We asked some questions, particularly to those of you who serve in spiritual leadership.

Ask yourself this will you am I willing to be bold no matter what the opposition. Confident in God's power. Am I willing to be a pure vessel with a pure message of the pure motive committed to God's truth am I willing to wield the sword of spiritual authority. The word without compromise commissioned by God's will. My willing to guard my heart motives should be utterly unselfish, compelled by God's omniscience. My willing to seek only his honor and humble myself consumed by his glory. If yes to these my ministry will not be in vain. That's John MacArthur, Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary with a look at the qualities of effective spiritual leadership. It's part of a unique series here on grace to you a collection of landmark sermons from John's half century Bible teaching. We titled the series. The New Testament beginning to end.

No John, I imagine that plenty of people listening right now don't have an official title or leadership role in the church but still you'd say they are spiritual leaders.

Why is that it's pretty simple really think about our Lord said this. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven.

He wasn't talking to pastors or preachers or leaders.

As such, with official titles is talking to every believer.

If you have the light, you let the light shine later. The apostle Paul talked about the fact that we are all lights in the world. We are all in the world, dispelling the darkness. In that sense, every one of us has a spiritual responsibility to lead to lead people in the direction of the truth of the Scripture of God, the Lord Jesus Christ of the gospel and and with that the virtues that honor God and lead people away from sin and death and judgment and hell were all called to lead and along that line. Some years ago I wrote a book which is by that very title called to lead every Christian man, woman, young person is called to lead at some level, at some level, this is a very practical book.

It looks that matter. Organize your life how to pull the loose ends in on your life so that you can make a consistent testimony how to use your time wisely. How to find ways to be edified, rather than merely entertained how to pay attention to small things except extra responsibility finish what you start, keep your commitments maintain self-control.

Those are all things that really all of us need to be working on. So the book called to lead is focused concentrated teaching on what God wants you to do in the world as a spiritual leader.

It's ideal for a church board to work through pastoral staff, teachers, coaches, parents, coworkers, but really all of us need to be spiritual leaders.

By the way, the book called to lead is reasonably priced.

Love it if you'd order one today and I use it to be part of your leadership yes and friend.

This book is not only a helpful tool for developing your own leadership ability will also show you how to recognize godly leadership when you see it to pick up a copy of John's book titled called to lead get in touch today. You can visit our website Jide TY.org or call our customer service line at 855 grace requests the title called to lead to order it in English or Spanish. Call 855 grace or stop by our website Jide TY.and while you're at the website Jide TY.org.

I would encourage you to listen to all of the messages from our recent truth matters conference John and other speakers spoke on the theme of recovering a biblical worldview.

You will hear clear teaching on issues that many churches aren't sure how to deal with like gender and sexuality and critical race theory, social justice, other timely topics. You also appreciate some practical queuing days on those subjects to listen to those messages or any of John's sermons from his five decades ministry go to our website Jide TY.org now for John MacArthur and the staff.

I'm Phil Johnson.

Thanks for tuning in today.

Join us tomorrow when John continues his overview of the New Testament beginning to end with a look at our God breathed Bible. That's the title of lesson that comes your way with another half hour of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on the next great