The High Impact Pastor - The Secret to Jesus' Impact

I like to ask you an honest question when is the last time you prayed for your pastor, I mean deeply and intensely when the last time you gave your pastor a call or text the gift card person wanted to come over for dinner. What I want you to know is your pastor need you and how you can help them today. Welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge mission of these daily programs is to intentionally disabled persons the Bible to thanks for joining us as we continue our series. The high-impact pastor building God's church, Jesus. But before we get going if this is your first time.

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Okay, let's join Chip now for today's message.

The secret to Jesus impact I was in the East Coast of America recently and I young man that I've had the privilege of mentoring for 1214 years I he's in his mid-40s. He's a church planter is a rural pioneer and entrepreneur, and so is been involved in a church planning network and some of the hardest places to plant a church and we sat over breakfast.

As I was in his town and he looked as sad as worn out. He told me it's the worst. The hardest year I can ever remember. He said the hardest by far is he says I have four fellow pastors they got so discouraged I mean for that. I knew, and knew well the committed suicide, and then he said I can name 10 others who quit the ministry so what I want you to know is it is very very difficult. I also want you to remember that what were experiencing is so much like the first century.

Can you imagine being a pastor in the Roman Empire. Can you imagine the Jews thinking you were off your rocker, the early church and all the disciples were many of them disowned and persecuted and someone pulled back the lens and I want to remind you and me of some things that we really believe and then in this session I want to share Jesus secret to success in impact want to share what he actually did not what he said.

What he actually did, and I'm gonna I'm going to propose that if we will do what Jesus did, we will begin to see the kind of fruit that Jesus had let me just ask you to lean back and do you agree with the statements because I do with all my heart. Statement number one God's purposes cannot be thwarted right Job 42 to God's purposes. What he's going to do no pandemic, no evil, no government, no rule, no law contort that number two is God's will for the gospel to go to everyone in the world. We know that for sure. It's Matthew 28 he commanded number three. It is God's will for every child of God to grow and become spiritually mature right.

Romans 829 God does work all things together for good, not that it always comes out good in our present day. But why for those who are called in those who are left to conform us to the image of Christ.

Number for the greatest apologetic in the world is spiritually mature Christians who love each other deeply member the very last night. Jesus said to his disciples he wash their feet and he says a new commandment I give in to love one another in the same way that I love you. By this the world will know that you are my disciples. Number five God's primary agent of change in the world is the church, the body of Christ. It's us. He said we are the light of the world. We are the salt and then finally I think you know this and I know this. The key to every church is the pastor it's a lot of responsibility. It's a big stewardship that if we would think together. Have you ever gone to a great church. I mean, where there is great fruit Holy Spirit is working the word of God is preached, the people are mobilized and met a bad pastor a week pastor a lazy pastor. Every great church that I've ever been to. I find a man or woman who walks in deeply with God in the spirit of God is working through it and here's Mike here's my premise here is what I like you to consider with me. What if the reason so many of those in our church and all that we've been through.

The reason that they fainted. The reason that they were weak is that we actually grew a church and grew a ministry, but we really didn't make as many fruitful Romans 12 Christians who were surrendered to God and separate from the world's values that knew who they were in Christ to work actively serving in love and no matter what came at them. They supernaturally responded to evil with good.what I know is many of you have people in your church that are in those kind of Christians and they're making a difference. That's what we long for. But why, why are there more Christians like that. I'm going to suggest that the reason that is is the very reason that Jesus said to the Christian leaders. The spiritual leaders, the Jewish leaders, people who were listening to him from all kind of backgrounds and he said they see but they don't perceive they hear but they don't understand any sense what I would really want to do.

I want them to see and perceive and to hear and really understand so that I could heal them, because God's purposes.

His goodness is wild. He doesn't want any to perish but all to a knowledge of the truth and I've asked myself and in my own life. Why, what, what's what's missing. Of course, we've seen some good things here and there, but what's really missing and I have something for you to consider. What if Jesus not only taught and revealed the secrets of the kingdom right how it works health plan. It outgrows what promotes it. How you measure it. What if he not only taught us the secrets of the kingdom, but he actually modeled for us what we are to do in another words for much of my life is as a pastor I did what Jesus said, but did I actually do what Jesus did and scratching your head right now, here's here's why me, I will walk you through the preparation because when he sold the seed of God's word. There was power there is moral authority when he spoke. No one spoke like this man who has authority and when he spoke the word of God the Word of God when out with power in those parts that were open like the disciples to begin to grow and that it multiplied and so I want you to walk with me through this lens of a Romans 12 Christian and I want to show you through the apostle Paul Dinges pulled these thoughts out of the air go back to Luke where the baptism occurs. Are you ready go back in your vitals. Luke chapter 3 Jesus for 30 years. He's a is a carpenter and is learning to live in a culture and he he he works hard and he knows what life is like, and the father speaks to his spirit and says it's time to start your ministry.

The first thing you do.

John the Baptist has as blaze the trail he sees when you worked up the soil. He's let people know that injustice is wrong and you need to repent and there's a great need and so I want you to go I want you to let John baptize you you so often with ago.

Yes, Jesus went to new baby baptized, why, why was John baptize he was baptizing for the remission for the repentance of sins people acknowledging publicly.

I've lied I've cheated I've committed affairs up. I've charged too much money. I was a soldier. I've been abusive right. That was the message. So what you do understand that when Jesus was being baptized. I think it was next to the cross. The most important and biggest moment of surrender to the father's will. And I know my own life when people think I have done something I really haven't done it. Few things bother me as much they think I lied, or they think I did this or they think I misuse this right. We've all been accused of things Jesus is going to identify with all of us and people on the outside. What did they think he must be just like us. He's coming to repent. But it is in that moment of surrender, then what happens.

Here's the father's voice. You are my deeply love son in you. I'm well pleased and then he got the affirmation the visible affirmation of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. What I want you to get is that when Jesus said, you need to do this you need to do that. He also said follow me and I'll make you a fishermen don't follow just what I say follow me, and his baptism was as the leader who will launch God's kingdom on earth.

He surrendered his reputation, his identity, and then he began to minister, not for God's favor, but from God's favor. What's the second thing that he did and then he was letting the Holy Spirit after he's his baptism and he goes into the desert and he does battle with the enemy and Satan comes in lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life.

The three temptations and how does he overcome doesn't overcome it by saying I'm God you can't do that. He's fully man and so independence on the father.

He reaches back into the book of Deuteronomy and since it is written is written, it is written.

See the secret of Jesus ministry was in his full humanity. He wanted to please the father independency, but he did it in the power of the Holy Spirit. That's what is Malik so he surrenders and then second what's he do he's doing battle to be separate from the world's values. Satan offered him the world and he offer him a shortcut will than what they do. You can pick it up in Luke chapter 4, right after his the temptations Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the spirit news about him spread throughout the surrounding region to begin teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all and it came to Nazareth where he been brought up, and as was his custom, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read and the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him and he unrolled the scroll and found the place where it said the spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. And then he rolled the scroll up and he gave it back to the attendant and he sat down in the eyes of all the people in the synagogues were intently directed on him and he began to say today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing are you watching the path Jesus is modeling for us separate from the world's values. Now he goes to his hometown and shortly after this what happens.

His family rejects him, his hometown rejects him, and where does he get his assessment. Who am I what's his sober assessment.

He looks into the word of God and he takes the passage that says this is the Messiah. This is his role and it is the word of God in him saying to those people. This is who I am and that's the pattern God has for us.

Knowing our role knowing our calling and then it's interesting he surrendered. He's done battle he separate from the world's values. He has a sober self-assessment is experienced significant rejection and sometimes I think we over spiritualize the disciples didn't see him drop everything and then go off with him immediately.

As you read all for the Gospels you find the first six months Jesus begins to teach any goes to a wedding and then there's the first miracle and he hangs out with Peter and Andrew Nathaniel like they come together and here we are there. Just their friends in their learning and their walking and they're getting to know women getting to trust him and then they hear him teach and then they see a miracle in there hanging out, but he is not called them to full-time ministry there, part-time volunteers who really want to get to know him and so what you do when you have friends when you have a need with a friend and he can do miracles. You say Jesus let my mother know she's very sick. Did you think you can come over and so here we have the text with his friends going to be unspiritual, but the these are his buddies, neither his brothers he he he does life in community and he heals her and then word spreads and I mean that that house.

People came from everywhere and you get the picture of it being late into the evening and the text says every single one was healed and he cast out many demons and he would let the demon say who he was because they knew you are the holy one of God and so he serving in love and then it's very very interesting. He gets up a great while before Don Mark says and he went to a lonely place and there he prayed, and what he does.

He's praying to remember. Why did I come. He doesn't let success deter him from his direction so that the crowds came and said there were hundreds last night when there's thousands later.

I mean you are big stuff and he says no I must preach because that's why came to all the other villages using the pattern and then when he called the disciples and there's what demon possessed man and what is he do he speaks to the demon and he overcomes the evil with good.

Want you to see something if you were one of those disciples you would be asking yourself despite what you seen so far. It's sure seems like everything is rooted in his word he speaks the word when he speaks, things change and then after they've had this teaching time they had a big lecture the scene the sower that had parables about how the kingdom works and what the roles going to be. I believe the biggest question their mind is can we trust his word were like us.

I believe he is the Messiah, but sometimes I don't. And, can leave my family and leave my job he's asking for total commitment. I'm really in a surrender right and then what's he do, he does what God the father directs him to do to help them have confidence in who he is and so he says to them let's go to the other side in a great storm happens and you remember how he calms the storm. He speaks in the wind and the waves are called and what's their question. Who is this their coming to where who is this that speaks to nature to chaos and columns. It into member. So what's the next thing he does and he ends up on the shore and there's the demoniac and there's a legion of demons as he speaks. The demon says you know, don't torment me any sends the demons into the pagan to verify that out of his word. Those demons obey him.

He has authority over nature has authority over all demonic powers and then ate they had back over and Jerry's is not a member, the synagogue ruler of my tires dying. Please, but all the way. The woman touches him in power comes out of them.

Hesitancy stops you member what he says to her daughter, your faith has made you well. If you study these passages, each one after the parable of the seeds in the sewers.

These four episodes and then he raises Jerry's his daughter from the dead, you remember how he doesn't doesn't touch her. He says I say to you, little girl arise. This secret to Jesus impact was that he modeled for the disciples what he wanted them to become now want you to ponder.

If you come before God and said I am holy and I surrender all that I am all that I have. I'm willing to do whatever, especially during this time of chaos in world history. You need all of me and have you done battle. Have you taken some time to fast and to pray and to get a loan and ask yourself where and how is the world crept into your life where you tempted, in the areas of the flesh.

The areas of the eyes of the pride of life and allow God to do a deep inventory in you then ask yourself, do you know what your gifts are, you know what your role is we get pictures of our heroes and we want to be like them instead of a sober self-assessment to have a look into the mirror of God's word and say Lord I believe that my value isn't what I do, Lord, I believe that I wanted and loved and redeemed. I believe you've gifted me. I believe I'm unique.

I believe you have a purpose for me. I want to know what that is and then serving in love, we need one another gift to support one another look at what's happening in the world and all this chaos now light is being called darkness and what's right is being called wrong. Our world is changing.

I don't know when the Lord is returning but it certainly looks like were moving faster and faster in that direction.

It's time to come together and then to be able to overcome evil with good. You need to be what you want those in your church to become sick at the end of the day.

Jesus said it best. Luke 640 student wastefully train will be just like his teacher, and if you go on after those miraculous times what happens to the disciples they had their moments of surrender that he sent them out to buy two and he allows them to get in situations where they learn to cast out demons and they heal the way he heals and they communicate the way he does things with them struggles in their doubts.

Something else I want to say is that there's a pattern of Jesus life over and over and over different gospels played out in different ways. Matthew constantly is bringing about the fulfillment of prophecy because he is writing to Jews.

A mark is very very fast and talk about Jesus as a man of action. Luke is written to to the Greeks easement to those people don't have a lot of Jewish background and he really wants to show them the humanity of Jesus and dependence on the Holy Spirit to please the father and you will see a pattern in his life. Look at every time where it says Jesus prayed, Jesus went to a lonely place. Jesus spent time Jesus shared his heart. Here's what I want you to get is a pattern change the course at least of my ministry as a pastor I was in a new church that I told you about that was deeply deeply broken.

I tried to get them to get into a group is not trying to get them in some sort of pattern or program that the church had to disciple them. It was it was like herding cats no matter what I did I couldn't do it. As I began to study the life of Jesus like I watched a pattern emerge and watch that Jesus spent time before God get very private time with God and that's been something that I practiced all my years as a pastor first and foremost time alone with God and the second thing I noticed about Jesus. Even before he called the disciples very early on, he becomes friends he does life in community with Andrew and Nathaniel. When Peter and I think to have fun together and they shared together and have common hearts and then the third thing is he's on mission and you to the Greek word bio means life and I was struggling in this church for the first couple years in, I realized I don't think I can get these busy people to do my program that I think will help them become Romans 12 Christians.

There's a clear picture right.

Romans 12 is a picture of a mature disciple but but what's the pathway in everyday life. And so the Lord begin to speak to me and it's bio it's eye candy. That might have life, and I have it abundantly. And so I remember I was taking a walk one day and I thought you know what I really want is for everyone of the church to develop the rhythm in their life where they come before God, specifically daily, and then practice his presence and come before God and worship and I want them if they did life in community and by that I mean with other people, close relationships, even if it was in the church and then if they can discover their gift if they were on mission 24 seven so bio became a bit of the pathway.

So I said to these leaders and busy people flying all over the world. I said if you become Romans 12 Christian you have to practice you need to come be before God daily. You need to do. I weekly in community life with others from the hard and owe on mission 24 seven when I realized is the goal is to make themselves feeders, not just be in the programs of our church. I said if you can have a small group meeting and do community with business leaders. Even with members of another church.

I don't care where and how you do it, but what I want you to do is meet with God daily and hear his voice. I want you to learn to obey him and have friends that will support you and then what you discover who he made you to be be on mission and here's what I will tell you content something great. It mobilize people like they started doing life in community. They started meeting with God, and yes, we had resources and rehab programs we different ways but my goal change from how I get them to come to church how I get them to do our programs to how do I empower them to do what Jesus did come first before the father and sale want to please you and spend time in his word and hear his voice and then as they get direction say I can't do this on my own and join with other believers and then to discover how God made them in begin to be on mission to be a servant at home to be a servant as a as an employee and employee to be to be a servant where they go and how they walk and how they drive and how they speak and little by little by little by little. Now we have a picture of fruitfulness. Romans 12 Christian the secret to Jesus impact.

Remember, that's what I titled this the secret to his impact is that his life spoke louder than any of his words more is caught than taught that caught his passion when they saw his life. They said we could teach us to pray the way you pray.

They saw his heart and compassion. They saw the way he lived in what he felt they heard his prayers. When you get close to the people in your church that mustard seed of those few people that you say to them, less become Romans 12 Christians go on a journey with me what I want you to know that God is gonna do some deep stuff and you and some of it is not to be easy, but if you'll go there if you will walk the path that Jesus walked in, if you will do what Jesus did in the power of the Holy Spirit to please your heavenly father very imperfectly, like all of us, you will begin to produce the fruit that Jesus produced when that changed in my ministry I saw God do things here and around the world, but I never imagined because it wasn't about getting them to church.

It wasn't about how many showed up. It wasn't about how many buildings we had or how much money came in.

It was about measuring the ministry by the disciples that are made. I'm done it very very imperfectly got is still working very very much and me, but I will tell you this, when you walk with the Lord Jesus that way the power of the Holy Spirit living out the word of God, he will do things in you and through you exceedingly beyond what you could ever ask or think. So father that's her prayer. We don't want to just follow your teaching Lord Jesus. We want to walk in your steps. We will have a sober accurate view of ourselves. What we want to be connected deeply in relationships.

The bitter peer relationships that they give us life. We give life Lord we want to have a band of Brothers band of sisters that when were attacked when there's injustice when it's challenging the Lord we could have the strength to overcome evil with good by your grace and by your power, would you help us learn to come before you daily to do life in community on mission 24 seven.

We wrap up today's program. I like to speak to you directly rather than your pastor as you listen to this program and we talked about actually doing what Jesus did, would you be willing before God to take responsibility for your own spiritual growth. In other words, over time I hear Christians all the time and I pastored for over 35 years is like will why are we doing this and why don't you start that and if you made this available and there's not a group. During my time one of the most revolutionary things that happen in my life was.

I realized I can be a shepherd. But every individual has to own the responsibility of main F2 you're a baby Christian.

If you're not a mature believer if you're not following Jesus.

If you don't come before him daily. If you're not doing life in community. If you not on mission, discovering your gifts and making a difference. That's your responsibility that's not your pastor's.

In fact, we came up with little acronym at Living on the Edge and where I pastored we call it bio for life because Jesus came to give life before God in community on mission and if you would own that I will tell you what your church should be a different place in your pastor would be very encouraged by strip as we close if you'd like to learn more about the work Living on the Edge is doing with and for pastors all across the globe. Read through our newest ministry report LivingontheEdge.org, it highlights the specific ways we've been encouraging church leaders this past year, and if God is calling you to partner with us financially in this cause for pastors.

There's never been a better time to stand with us right now. Every dollar we receive through July 7 will be doubled for greater impact, to make a donation go to LivingontheEdge.org or give us a call at AAA 333-6003 that's AAA 333-6003 or go to LivingontheEdge.org hapless nurse stepped on it. Thanks for your support and doing whatever the Lord leads you to do will be sure to join us next time. As Jeff wraps up his series. The high-impact pastor building God's church, Jesus way to live a sustained-release thanking you for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge