Good to Great in God's Eyes - Empower Great People, Part 1

Do you long to make a difference.

Would you like to leave a legacy.

Would you like to look back in 10 or 20 or 30 years and say my wife really matter if your heart resonates with that and stay with us. We learn God's game plan, leaving a legacy last welcome to this edition of living over here Chip Ingram the mission of these daily programs is to intentionally disciple Christians, the Bible were in the middle trips popular series to great in God's eyes. This program held the idea of the greatness is somehow off-limits to Christian Scripture explained that pursuing greatness by constant is something we all can achieve. So if you have a Bible turned to second Timothy chapter 2 trips message empower great people as we think about. Good to great in God's eyes were kind of moving toward the end of the series and I have a question for you.

How do you measure true greatness. I mean if your Forbes magazine you measure true greatness by big $and how much either people or a business produce right if your people magazine you measure true greatness by either how popular people are or how pretty they are correct. If you're the NBA or the NFL or the NHL.

You measure true greatness by what who makes the All-Star team or who's the MVP. I live suggests. From the moment that you can talk and walk to the moment that you die, that we in the human species have one crucial question that were always asking and the question is who's the greatest who's the greatest coming to little boys right there six years old.

My dad can beat up your dad right were always comparing about greatness.

And so it doesn't surprise us as we jump into this session that even after three years of walking with Jesus. After seeing miracles after hearing the greatest sermons in the world after having informal conversations right when we see that Jesus is about to come into his kingdom, or so they perceive were going to listen in on the conversation among his most faithful followers. His most godly followers. The people that have seen the greatest miracles and were to listen in on what's on their heart toward the very end of Jesus ministry we pick up the story in Mark chapter 10 there is a bold request. Beginning in verse 35 then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him teacher. They said we want you to do for us whatever we ask. That's that's pretty bold is that dear mom and dad. Could you just sign the bottom of the check and I'll go cash it right in the rest right nano what do you want me to do for you. He asked, they replied let one of us sit at your right and the other on your left in your glory.

Plain and simple. They wanted to be famous.

They wanted a claim they wanted respect.

They wanted glory they wanted personal exultation they had the sense that you come into your kingdom and their mindset was a political kingdom.

At this point and Rome is going to fall and you're gonna be the new king and I could have pictured in their mind. I'm on the right year on the left is a pretty bold request. This is followed by an indignant response in verse 41, when the 10 other disciples heard about this, they became indignant with James and John meet indignant the strong word. I mean this ticked off.

Can't believe you do that how the shame of that.

Why are they so indignant because those two guys asked first.

That's why write me there ticked off like you know what you got to them first course, they probably hid it behind pious, righteous, how terrible of you to and then what we have is a radical redefinition by Jesus about greatness. Jesus called them together and he said you know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you instead no notice.

This whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. And then he gives this amazing illustration using himself for even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and give his life a ransom for many. Notice very carefully. He didn't reprove John and James for wanting to be great.

Notice he didn't reprove the 10 for being indignant. He pulls them altogether and he says there's an issue and by the way, if you read the Gospels carefully.

This is not the first time this issue is come up, and as you read them very carefully you find they argue about something on the very last night, member the very last night. He's with them there still arguing about who's the greatest but what he does as he shifts the paradigm and said the desire to be great is not wrong.

It's how you get there if you want to be great in man's eyes you got a lorded over people you know you gotta be on the cover of Sports Illustrated or four of you that have power and position in prestige and beauty and all the what the world says but if you want to be a great God's eyes. You need to be the servant of all. If you want to be first, you need to be the slave you need to understand.

In fact, I love that the summary of this for me is true greatness is serving others for the glory of God. That's really what he say it was in the study for 23 years and out of the blue. I had a book sent to me this ever happened to you, so we just dropped the book in the mail and and I'm sure I I met this person because it had a little inscription enough to chip with appreciation, CJ, and so I I'm sure I kinda met them at one of those in like Christian bookseller type things or something and was a thin little book which was attract me because I can read it quickly and that but the name of the book was humility and then the subtitle was true greatness. I thought you that's on the teaching.

Maybe God sent me this book CJ Mahaney writes on page 44 of his little book humility in each of our lives. It would have any possibility of becoming truly great in God's eyes it means turning upside down. The entrenched worldly ideas of our own definition of greatness.

The difference couldn't be more Starkey rights as sinfully and culturally defined pursuing greatness looks like this individuals motivated by self-interest, self-indulgence and a false sense of self-sufficiency pursue selfish ambition for the purpose of self-glorification did anyone pick up a little common denominator if any of that contrast that with the pursuit of true greatness as biblically defined, and then I love this line of thought while I must be on track serving others for the glory of God. This is the genuine expression of humility.

This is true greatness as our Savior defines it. Conclusion then is we become great in God's eyes by helping others become greater than ourselves is not interesting we become great in God's eyes by helping others become greater than ourselves. The apostle Paul would put it this way, Timothy. Timothy's got a new assignment.

Paul's invested his life in Timothy Timothy, I want you to really become great.

And so the things that you've heard from me in the presence of many witnesses.

I want you to entrust a faithful or reliable men who can teach others also. Do you get it. Great Christians empower great people.

That's the summary you want to be great in God's eyes. It's going about life trying to figure out how can I help other people literally become greater than me if you want to put a little note just right in the corner of your notes.

John the Baptist, no one says it better than John when John meets Jesus when Jesus popularity eclipses his and his disciples are concerned about a John your market share is going down the spiritual community and member what John says I must decrease and he must increase and I don't know to have you ever kinda done a little study about what Jesus says about John the Baptist.

He says of those born among women know no one is what than John greater why because John's sole purpose was to make other people greater than himself.

True greatness in God's eyes is empowering other great Christians. And so the apostle Paul said, you want to invest wisely and you see for generations.

The apostle Paul wants to help Timothy be great in God's eyes so he serves them and teaches them and loves them Timothy.

I want you to help, reliable, faithful, a select group of people that really have a heart for God, I want you to help them become great in God's eyes so that they in turn can help other people become great in God's eyes generation for generation three generation to generation, one for spiritual generations of impact is what the apostle Paul did in the Old Testament you have some great examples of this, where Moses is.

I mean great right in Joshua's outside his tent. Moses gets the law. Joshua conquers the land even greater impact or you have Elijah and Elisha, your Elisha boldly prays for a double portion of the spirit and we see Elisha doing even greater miracles than Elijah or you have a situation where Eli is, is the one that mentor Samuel in the New Testament you have Jesus. Of course, doing what helping 12 other people, 11 of 12 and then they get a substitute.

He has an impact in this kind of a geographical area, and by the end of the first century. Those 12 multiply their life to literally reach almost the whole known world. You have Paul investing in Timothy, you have Barnabas reclaiming John Mark so that by the end of Paul's life he'll say you know John Mark is of great use for me please ask him to bring the parchments in my cloak and he was a lost cause but someone saw potential and took someone who had fallen away who had failed who would who really struggled and Barnabas found him and make him greater than himself. How in the world can we empower great people. Let me give you in terms of this whole session. I think it's the most healing anything else. If you ever open these notes up again if you ever look at this again if you ever think about you know greatness in God's eyes. The next phrase is what I want you to circle and say this is what matters most. My summary here is that good Christians live the life I'm in good Christians live the life I mean they love God.

They walk in integrity there faithful to their marriage partners update there in the Scriptures, because they want to hear from God. Their caring they discover their spiritual gifts there involved in their local church. They get the first portion of their finances and then proportionally out of the heart of love and care though the kind of parents that really could are concerned about their kids and do all they can to help their kids grow up and be men and women are single people that live pure lives. They go on short-term missions trip. Good Christians live the life and it's wonderful and you have to and you need to. God expects, but the difference between good Christians and great Christians is good. Christians really live the life great Christians leave a legacy. Great Christians leave a legacy so you can be a good Christian and you can walk with God, and you can do what God wants you to do and you can love people and you can obey him, and then when your life is over. My life is over and they take that little square of dirt and they drop you in it or they drop you and burn you and put you one of those urns.

However, work these days.

If there's a period after the end of your life instead of a � then you are good Christian if there is a � where your life because you poured it into the lives of others who poured into the lives of others who poured and live to the others. You are a great Christian great Christians leave a legacy. Great Christians don't just live the life great Christians live the life in such a way that they become like a Paul to a Timothy a Timothy to a faithful person a faithful person to others so that the impact of the grace of God in their life multiplies and multiplies and multiplies and multiplies.

When God sees that that's the difference tween good Christians in great Christians.

Great Christians empower great people and so what I would want to ask and answer is, how can you and how can I leave a legacy for God's glory.

That's what I want to talk about in our time together. First of all let me let's get very very practical and and I don't mean the sprightly but but let's let's get clear what were talking about Dawson Trotman who was the founder of the navigators amazing man high school education.

He said activity is no substitute for productivity. Productivity is no substitute for reproduction is a lot Christians are active active active active active doing a lot of things going to Lotta means the and is in a lot Christians a very productive they produce things as fruit.

There's very few Christians that are reproducing their life were a legacy of chain. A spiritual lineage is being developed and so the first thing you need to do is you you want to pray in a God God God wants this to happen it's in it's commanded. It's in his will is on his heart, Jesus model at the apostle Paul did Elijah did it. Moses did it mean the great Chris they leave a legacy and so James 15 says if any of you lack wisdom mother would you don't know how to live life skillfully. You don't know exactly how to do what God called you to do if anybody lacks wisdom, let him ask of God gives to all men generously and without reproach, and you give it to you as of the first and foremost thing is to seriously pray and say Lord yes I want to be a good Christian father. I know you want me to be a great Christian, I would like to leave a legacy so I need to be discerning. I want to help many people that want to train a few want to spread a lot of grace around a lot of people.

But I want to focus and invest my life. I want to train and build into a few as of the first thing I think is to pray. The second thing I think is very important is look under your own roof. First Timothy 34's.

It's not about who are these people out there that I ought to invest my life in autostart with who lives under my roof that I morally responsible for that I'm spiritually responsible for but there's an amazing correlation that's that's were not doing well here me how many of us have met pastors kids are missionaries kids that you go whoa right and you think to yourself. I'm not sure what they were doing that their kids didn't get it at home or they were so busy helping other people that their kids rebelled and to the other area. The group of people that only the poorest of the poor do worse with their children than executives. According to Forbes magazine what it takes to be a high-powered executive the drive.

The focus are all the kind of things makes it very difficult to be a very good pair and often people are very successful with their ladder leaning against the wrong wall. The percentage of children that are in counseling, the percentage of children that struggle with depression. The percentage of children that attempted suicide. The percentage of children who have major issues with drug and rehab you go among America's top executives and you just that they've done studies on because they have to pay insurance on all those things and only the poorest of the poor have a worse track record, and so might my thing is you know what were we to start you want to leave a legacy start on your own roof. I watch my wife in a model this in our home sheet. She is actually a good communicator. She doesn't like to get in front of people much, but she did it for about 300 women in and it was at the amazing response in and it happened to part of it got on the radio and is so pretty soon people all over the country were asking her to come and speak at their church and she said no, no, no, no, number husband gone yeah yeah I mean in all executor we can that really just if you understand she's she's really good everything that I'm not really good at. She's really good at nano I bring some strength to help her up at me like this hold focus and boundary issue. She just looked at me and she goes chip.

I can go and speak at these weekends and encourage women and sprinkle a little bit of grace here and there. She said when we get to heaven, our greatest impact will not be who we talk to and impact. The 16th of an inch thick. Our greatest impact will be the kids in our home and she said you know what if God wants me to do that when our kids are little older and their grown fine, but I'll tell what I'm gonna do, and I mean my kids watch my wife pray early in the morning she she read to them and when my kids were younger, I thought, what issues do they have in their life. And you know you know early on the very structured family time older. I had each my kids learn to spend time with God on their own that I looked at struggling areas and, yes, yes, I confess I give you 10 bucks if you read this book on worldviews or give you 15 bucks if you read mere Christianity and write me a report on it but we had a very strategic plan to build in and disciple our children knowing that that is what matters most. I wrote in my schedule when I wrote in my schedule. I wrote in personal time to spend with my kids and it wasn't just spiritual.

Some of it was just having fun, but I wanted to invest in my kids the greatest legacy will ever leave starts under her roof.

Good Christians live the life great Christians leave a legacy leaving a legacy means you help many you train a few. It starts with prayer.

Second look in your own roof and then beyond that, I psyched you look for fat people pleaser from Mott my old parachurch days and I this is not you know I'm not trying to be negative toward you know body issues.

Okay, this is an acronym FAT faithful available teachable. That's the kind of people you want to invest it faithful available teachable. Proverbs 20 says many a manner many a person proclaims his own faithfulness, but a faithful man who can find so that's why when you're helping people. You know what we people get all the hype faithful people show up when they say they're going to show up faithful people are the people in the Bible study that actually do the assignment unit. They fill out faithful people are safe, you know I'll take care that they actually take care of it.

Faithful people say I'll call you tomorrow afternoon. They actually call. See, we've gotten enamored with short people or so-and-so's got this role in this company and with they were ever really growing Christian or I've heard people and she would make a great Christian someday because I mean she has this personality and she has this position this company in this you know, maybe God is looking for faithful people man looks on the outward appearance, God looks on the heart. So I'm looking for who I want to invest in all and invest my life and people who do what they say, not who get all emotional not to get all excited and that's why always, whenever I start helping or discipling anyone I give assignments and that I don't listen to much of what people say. I watch what they do and the people that follow-up and follow through and do are the people that I would invest my life and the second is availability to some people that are faithful that men their lives are gone, you know 70 miles an hour. 46.

Directions and and you talk I want to grow. I want to crawl him out of town that week. I really want to grow in but but I wish I could.

I want to grow and and you know what it doesn't mean they're not great people into unlocking invest my life and people are not available first thing I did when I was a pastoring I did know a lot about leadership.

But what I knew was I had this little picture of equilateral triangle and we had about 800 or maybe 900 people at the time, and almost no structure and what I knew was it was fast potential in the church but no organization grows. If you want to triangle to get bigger what he could yet increase the base and and so what I know is we are to figure out where to find who the leaders are and we got invest in the leaders before we get any programs or small groups or anything else gone and so I got all the elders and the staff is only three other staff members and about five elders and we went away and we talked through philosophy and vision, and I said we need to find out who the top 50 leaders are the church.

You wrote your faithful available teachable and then we had an NFL draft and we listed all of them and I said based on relationship you choose and you know you know draft all Celtic Bob.

I know him and we went around to everyone had five or six people on their list and I told these guys.

I just thought I was nuts.

I didn't have written what I was can have them do, but I figured I'll make that up later disorder you you know that book about you know ready shoot a I was doing that way before that book came out as I found in the inner getting things going in movement and a lot of people have you seven years of plans and seven minutes of activity and psychotic air. On the other side and so so II came up with a plan about them telling about their life and and now getting Bible study and vision in the church and so I knew what I was going to figure out generally but then I told all the guys here's the only rule all these all these groups have to start before 630 in the morning 5 o'clock for 30s okay. Five. There is okay. Six is okay because here's what I know of these leaders that they got wherewithal they've got capacity net spiritual maturity.

I want to know if there really available and what I know is at 6 o'clock on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday morning. Most of them aren't doing anything now we we say different nights well I like to but I'm doing this.

I'm doing that and it's only eight weeks.

I want to ask him for eight weeks and I want to find out who's in the game or who's not 45/50 signed up with about 90% retention rate and I look back about three years later, our future elders or future staff and I mean I cannot tell you what came out of that group. People want to be challenged but you evaluate them, not just on gift, not on their career, not on their financial capacity not of what other people say you invest in people that are faithful people are available and then finally people there teachable you they want to grow they want to learn how to they respond when you have to say hard things. According to Jesus, you want to look for humility character surrender and perseverance. Those are teachable people. I think there's a real real danger of Connie evaluating people the way the world does and the people that have impacted me just tell you I think of the as I as I read through this book.

You know something God least according to first printing chapter 1 he says most of you were our knots an interesting phrase. He says there were many wise among you, and then he says you were the our knots of the world. And then he makes this list of while I mean you know former prostitutes and former homosexuals and idol worshipers and adulterers and steel hers and drunkards and aces and such were some of you say we don't want to look at people's history. We want to look at their heart, we want to look at their faithfulness. We will look at their availability. We will look at their teachability to really be who God wants him to be at any test that out, and that's who you invest your life and because those people will pass it on to the next generation so not only do you want to train a few to leave it leave a legacy but fortunately the long-term legacy we we've got to understand Jesus for full process for empowering great people mean if this is the will of God if he wants us to leave a legacy.

Doesn't it make sense that you could with like with a movie camera watched Jesus live through the gospel for four years and say to yourself, what did he do right. How did he do it because his work that he leave a legacy on as is amazing even to unbelievers and before I was a Christian, I mean I'm just chronological I thought one guy in one little town traveling less than 30 to 50 or 80 miles from his home with no media potential attracts 12 guys. You know he's 11 for 12 he's got 120 people that are loosely committed and I'm 2000 years later and every time anyone writes a check or writes a date they declared this was the most important person in the world because the demarcation of history is before Christ and then what's occurred afterwards whole concepts whole countries more but I mean the power of this one life.

Why he passed that life into the life of others who passed it into the life of others who passed it into the life of others, and there are literally billions of people with a personal relationship with Jesus because someone Howard so doesn't it make sense that we should back it up and say how did Jesus do back in just a minute as application listening to the first part of his message power great people from a series good to great in God's eyes. Are you tired of living the status quo Christian life. Are you looking to get a fresh infusion of faith and spiritual passion will join Chip in this 10 part series as he shares 10 specific practices. Every great Christian has in common and how you can put these attitudes and routines into action. If you're ready for a genuine spiritual breakthrough. Don't miss a single message. For more information about the serious oral resources go to LivingontheEdge.org chipping remap or call us at AAA 333-6003 trips with me in studio now and chip in your book good to great in God's eyes. You provide some very specific steps to help us grow in our spiritual walk day by day, one should take a few minutes if you would and unpack some of those practices because we all want our relationship with Jesus to be better while Dave absolutely I think we all know we want to be great and and maybe even more importantly for those of us that her parents or grandparents were are those involved in ministry. We want others to be great and you know the greatest joy in life of real success is not what you accomplish.

It's how you help others be successful and what I love about this book is nothing really very original. I think I'm in a Ranger, but this this talks about thinking great thoughts. Everything begins with our thinking in and then you moved to reading great books like Kelly give the top 10 or 12 different books that impacted my life and in different kinds of books and and is pursuing great people and I think a lot of people think all I want to mentor or gosh if I could just rub up next to someone I've heard that more is caught than taught, and that's really true is on the book. I help people understand. Here's how you get connected with those kind of people, and here's how you even get mentored by really really great people that you'll never get to meet and then it moves on through that to dreaming great dreams and praying, great prayers and an even later for some of the driven sort of workaholic type people how to enjoy great moments.

This isn't just about you know the few, the proud Marine type Christians. There is a rhythm.

There are practices in life that as you do them fueled by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit in the context of community, there are certain practices that by God's grace result in a kind of mom, a kind of dad, a kind of Christian, a kind of worker that receives from God.

Well done, thou good and faithful servant and receives from men. I'm so glad I got to know that person. That person really shape my life that grandparent my dad my mom and when someone asked me to mentor them.

I use this book and I go slow and I meet with them will be doing a chapter and sometimes it takes a couple even three weeks to go through a chapter because it's not about reading the chapter it's about how do we get this practice. Little by little in our life. So I'm a I'm a big fan of what I've learned from others, and good to great in God's eyes is the practices that we can pass it on to others, and that's my dream and Michael thanks Chip will to order your copy of good to great in God's eyes go to LivingontheEdge.org or call us at AAA 333-6003. This is the perfect tool to jumpstart your faith and help you live a more authentic purpose filled life during the serious chips book good to great in God's eyes is discounted so let me encourage you to order yours today. Simply go to LivingontheEdge.org or give us a call at AAA 333-6003 Listeners type special offers Chip as we wrap up, you know, this idea of investing in and empowering others is somewhat of a law start nowadays when you think that is Dave. I think it's just the instant environment of our culture of now saying make it happen.

You need to be the center of attention and end God made us to personally want to be great.

What I would say to people is you gotta define greatness more than just the moment and true greatness really is helping other people become greater than yourself. And so, let me let me give you this one view the long haul.

Ask yourself what am I doing today that really is going to make a difference not just in the next 10 or 20 or 30 years. But when I'm dead to who are the people that God for sure wants me to invest in to help them become great. And so you gotta start if you're married with two you're married to and that egotist began to think about your kids and and and you know what, it's slow, it's frustrating. You wonder if it's ever to make any difference, but we are at that stage, with four adult kids that I will say the greatest joy in my life and Teresa's is nothing that we'd ever accomplished. It is absolutely what we see them doing in and see them doing in the lives of other people. I have a story next broadcast all share with you that will really give us some spiritual ammunition to live for the long haul. Just before we close. I would think those of you who regularly give to the ministry of Living on the Edge you're making a big difference in helping Christians live like Christians if you're enjoying the benefits of Living on the Edge, but aren't yet on the team would you do that today. You can set up a recurring donation by visiting us@livingontheedge.org, or by texting the word donate to 741 41. It's that easy. Text the word donate to 741 41 or visit LivingontheEdge.org abolition or step donate. Thanks for doing whatever the Lord leads you to do well for all of us here, this is Dave Drewry saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge