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September 19, 2021 6:00 am
Just forget about this morning and I hope that you do first of December for this is week number three of study for Paul's letter to the Corinthians called cutting through the noise that's the title we've given our series. First Corinthians chapter 4 this week.
As you are turning there. We have a generation of American soup for the most part this trust authority right you will say that is because our generation inherited the legacy of Vietnam and things like Pres. Nixon in his line and resignation to Watergate. We remember things like President Clinton building an entire justification for lying to the American people based on a tortured party scene of the word is we are pretty sure that whatever institutions are powerful people tell us pretty confident that it's not the full truth and that it's been carefully spun by experts to protect their interest. We have seen how institutions that claim to represent truth and morality will use those very powers to perpetuate unjust practices that that protect the powerful and benefit only themselves… Be honest we have long since given up on objective, unbiased media, everything, everything feels. On one level like fake news because we are aware of how selective and how biased everything we hear is me. I'm sure you're like me, sometimes I just checked both sides out but in a MSNBC or CNN and then look at Fox News and it's like I think we all live in two different worlds because were reporting on the same thing but from an entirely different vantage points.
It's always funny to hear me here for me to hear news commentator speak disparagingly of the media. Now big media will try to make you think and I'm like you are big media were talking or talking about yourself. If you are in a position of authority, you will likely know the struggle to maintain credibility, distrust of authority is just it's it's in our bloodstream as America's. I mean think about our entire country is based on not trusting authority typewritten right no taxation without representation. You keep your teeth.
We are leaving when our forefathers got around to setting up our government. They created a three branch government system. It was unique at the time pretty much still is unique in the world because one branch can basically cancel out the other two, because we just don't trust any of them. Amen. My point is for both good reasons and bad, we distrust authority in this country, and of course that attitude affects our view of leadership in the church. Sadly, very sadly we see in the church a lot of the same abuses of power that we see in the world TV pastor stealing money Catholic priest abusing children church leaders covering out pastoral abuse. Most of you know that in my time but I served as the president of the of the SB so the meds committed. That was something that we had to deal with churches in our country who prioritize the reputation of the institution over the safety of a victim.
So all of that roster. All that to say that makes Paul's explanation in first Corinthians 4 of how we ought to view leadership in the church.
It makes it so incredibly important. Verse one.
The apostle Paul says this is how you should regard us us in that sentence meaning, church leaders no means be clear right up front for you okay the Bible is pro-leadership is even pro-authority, and it says that all of us ought to be submitted to leadership and authority on some level, but there is good authority and there is bad authority and in this chapter Paul is going to give us four characteristics of good authority in the church. If you are a leader. If you are a leader of any kind.
These are what you should aspire to be, is that while not a leader. Houses can apply to me this morning. Well, these are the traits that you should champion and call out and affirm and those you elevate in the church.
Evangelical churches have a tendency to elevate leaders who are high on charisma, even if low on character and so you got a look at this chapter we got up could commit ourselves to avoid that it, but even more importantly, I would say to you that everybody all of us at some point plays the role of leader in somebody else's life. Maybe you're a parent or maybe you leave a small group or maybe you teach kids or maybe you run the nursing floor in your hospital or your us to leader at a restaurant. You're just trying to be a good influence in somebody else's life, which means that that that that in some way you were leaning any of those people that I just talked about all of us play the role of leader at some point in somebody else's life, which means what Paul is going to say about himself. In the chapter applies not just a meal applies to you.
Also look at verse one. You'll see the first two characteristics of the leader Christian leader Krista leader Paul says is first a servant of Christ.
This is how one should regard us as servants of Christ. You might be a leader of others all say you might even have authority over them, but sure fundamental identity is that of servant of Christ. That means a couple things practically as a servant. It's never about your will or your desires for that person or group of people.
It's about his will. A servant does not execute his own will. He follows the will of another. Interestingly, the word Paul uses for servant here is not his typical work. Usually, the word translated servant in your Bible is the word do loss right which just means flavor servant is what he uses here is the work type rate thoughts which literally means under role like on a boat you know like everything a coxswain and you got all these these these rowers that are following to be the constables like Jesus is the captain he's the coxswain. My job is to Rome and be with him. Your see how crude teamwork.
She got one guy was facing forward in all the other guys all the other men and women are looking backwards at him. They can see where they're going and he said, drum it out a beat and they gotta keep in line with the beat and if they start data going on their own beat, even if there really really strong. The rolling faster than that and everybody else to go to mess everything up. The point is to stay as an underworld or in line with the captain of the coxswain. The mission statement of our church begins with this phrase.
Following the Holy Spirit were trying to acknowledge is that Jesus is the captain is the one who is called the beat all of our jobs, including mind is to say what is he want from this church got what you wanted to go. I thought about my agenda. It's not about what I want, not even about what these people want. It's about what the Holy Spirit intends for us.
The first being a servant means it's his will, not mine.
But second being the servant of Christ means that I or whatever leader sees the group of people that he or she is leaving as belonging to Christ not to him for me for example I know that God is the owner of this church. This church does not exist for me or my purposes.
I am quite frankly dispensable means I look at this church, not the lens of what's best for JD. I'll look at the start of the lens of what's best for Jesus and what's best for Jesus is going the opposite way. What's best for JD and were all duty-bound to go with Jesus and not dating one of the best biblical examples of this is John the Baptist. No one point in John the Baptist ministry. Jesus is cousin was starting to get more popular than John is. A lot of people asking a lot of his close buddies asked my came and did not bother you use that all this time I building a following, and in Jesus, comes a long ways.the miracles of some cool analogies in some sermons and just upstage as you and John the Baptist responded in a way that every leader should respond. He said no know he must increase, even if it means that I must decrease. John then compared his role of leadership in the church. We compared it to being the best man at a wedding. If you men have ever played the role of best man at a wedding rate. Okay, we got a passion for staffing a day told me he is been in 30 wedding parties. I was a brilliantly (summer right okay just get rid of a bunch of but traditionally the role of a best man in a Jewish wedding is to support the group is the servant of the groom.
That's all Basie what he does his job is to make sure the wedding happens as plant in our tradition here in the West on the best man always stands right behind the groom. These got a very important role, but he's doing his job should really notice him. Nobody said in the ceremony.
Talk about the best man, right if I can in the greatest moment in any way everybody agrees is one awesome moment for choice, not when I deliver the wedding sermon that's nobody remember what I say I'm very aware as I'm up there. I'm like I'm saying words but no one will ever remember because they're just focused on the bride and the groom, and that's as it should be on the greatest moment is when that back door opens abuser crescendos and there she stands right all of her resplendent glory. There is never been a bride in the history of the world but did not look amazing in that moment and everybody turns and a look at her was the next place they look always back at him is your wait to see is this in a man whose monster is he gonna crack is he going to get a tear and that's what everybody beats people exchange money. The bed missing a cry and loves and thereby loves it because this is the moment she's looking at him, he's looking at her focus is on the to a bit yet the best man but did not say you got a best managed in right rear bomb the groom I would say that at that moment. She's coming down the aisle and he canna leaves out from behind over the over the shoulder group researching alike like raising his eyes at her weedeater out whatever our release. Rhonda floor with her. What is the groom going to do in that moment you turn around and punched best man's throat right because this moment is not about you and who are you to jump into this moment and distract the bride from the bridegroom and get the attention on you and John says that is the pastor leader who is more concerned about what the church is thinking about him, then he is thinking about what the church thinking about Jesus I ought to be fine in this church and so should you be totally invisible if the whole ceremony goes off and no one ever knows money that is totally fine, because I'm a servant of Christ is a one of the ways I had to learn to apply. This was what God really started to put on the heart of this church church planting and sending out missionaries if you know this with the kinds of people. Bats that volunteered to go on church plants are not sidelined people. We had 1500 or so people up there last of the church to block one of our church by the Dean's all of them had one thing in common.
They were superimposed.
I am church plants. They don't benefit our church a lot either. I may not always a church planter like teenagers only want is your money and your affirmation and then for you to leave them alone. That's all they want to. It doesn't benefit us as as a church and I remember we really started to do this and we were giving our church planters permission to recruit some of our best leaders is that one first years we did this, I was meeting with these planters that were recruiting people from our church on my right you know I was around tell me who you recruited from the table and no I am not a was a devout multicolored panic attack, but it was it was panic and I was assuming the names of like friends and worship leaders and elders and big givers. Not that I know who gives what, but big givers and I was like you know the good or not. Not hit on her and Anna.
Remember this moment with the Holy Spirit was like. This is not your church under I lived alive those of why we had put my hands on the table is of little moment what they're all talking nobody knew about it, I have this moment wants to take my hands and open them out, stretch them out underneath the table and said this is not my church and if God you're going to grow your kingdom by taking out some of the very best people from our church that that's how it has to be because you must increase and I must decrease that I read about a really famous pastor in the 1800s named Charles Simeon I Simeon I got the Simeon had built this big church similar. I guess the arson in the midst of it in that stubborn he God raises up a younger guy in the ministry who could really really preach better than Charles Simeon.
Good on the problem was that the Charles Simeon didn't like it was quite ready to retire after praying about it. Consulting with his leaders. The he knew that it was better for the church and for the city for him to step aside and let this other leader lead is that was one of the hardest things that he had ever had to do reading that in a biography and thinking. I hope that when that day comes for me. I hope I will have the same attitude because I understand I am a servant of Christ and his church doesn't exist for me. We all exist for him. The question for you is this. If you are assigned to a leadership position. Do you see that leadership position, a service do you see your leadership role as a place of power over others where you see it as a place position that you can give service to others on behalf of Christ, if your boss you see that as a place from which you can lift up your employees on behalf of Christ to help them to help develop them and bless their lives were the cards in your machine. If you manage a company is your goal is your goal. The whole company to produce something that blesses society and helps makes people's lives better. If your parents do you see yourself is just Christ rule to grow your kids for his purposes. You get a temporary window to absorb all mutable on him. You get a temporary window and you are ready to open your hands and let them go where ever he wants them to go with him so obvious I cannot say how many parents we have kids in this church that grow up in this church, God begins to put his hand on the kid and tell them he wants them to be a part of want to be a missionary website now as if they were the ones that own the kid in there to tell God what to do with his job. The point is any leadership position has to be seen first and foremost is an act of service to Christ.
You see yourself is just a tool just to let his hands that ties in the polls next day.
Number two. A Christian leader. He says, is a steward. This is how one should regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God and the mysteries of God. The polls referred to here is not whether Adam had had a bellybutton or if there's an area 51, of the Bible or anything like that. The mysteries of God here that Paul refers to our gospel.
That's what he's made clear in chapters 1 to 3 the mysterious thing that God has been doing all along. History and sending his son to die across the reconcile the world to himself all.
Says I didn't like there's mysteries.
I didn't come up with them.did, I'm just passing along.
I'm just the mailman bolt, but use the analogy mailman uses a similar one that is steward word here in Greek is what you know most literally means household servant household manager.
It might be my favorite one word description of a pastor is in those days.
Big families often had a steward that oversaw the affairs of the house that steward manage the kids he or she taught the kids eat took care of the property. But even though he was hyper involved with the kids in the property they want his kids and it wasn't his property. His job was to execute the master or the father's will is what that means for me as a preacher I don't decide what God's kids eat the father and the mother choose that my job is just to prepare it into a meal.
This book this book right here. This is what our father has said we should eat spiritual.
My job is just to deliver it to you right if you don't like some of it will take it up with dad. Okay no I want my preacher to serve about Twinkies and hot pockets all.too bad. Dad knows that we need to be healthy and sometimes he prescribes vegetables for us little hate on me again just store that's all I servant and steward by the way next three verses Paul to show you published first two words address something help you address something that every leader faces and that his criticism. Believe me, if you are a leader of anytime you were going to get lots of it good and bad.
Paul got Paul says look I first processed criticism but alter the lens of servant and steward.
Check it out to a number's birth repulses because I am a servant of Christ because of his steward, he says, verse three with me. It's a very small thing that I should be judged by you, by any human court. Why is the Lord you judge me not you at the end of the data will answer you answered him by the way through really a Christian leader you should be surprised by criticism right.
I mean we are charged to represent Christ in a world that murdered him in Jesus that what they did to me. You can expect in the duty you develop such a better version of you anyway so they did it to me that I don't used to expect criticism when it comes when it comes to your eyes on me because you answer only to meet your my servant by steward now, not theirs. No need to be very clear and this is a very important caveat. I think what you know I welcome a lot of criticism because I know that are not infallible, sometimes, often, God uses other people. Sometimes friends, sometimes even adversaries to point out inconsistencies of shortcomings in my life the best things that happened to me in terms of shaping me a new I am a map and through people who were critical of me so I want to remain open to that over the years countless people I've spoken into my life and make Satan into the leader and the man that I am today.
One of the things I've tried to lead our team in here at the summit church is being opened the credit that's open, but to seek it out because Proverbs. For example, says things like Proverbs 2612 book, the one who is wise in their own eyes. There's more hope for a fool than for him. I don't ever want to get the point where I felt like going on. I don't take criticism because I know what I'm supposed to do. That's more hope for a full benefit. I got I need the eyes of others. But the point is at the end of the day is a servant and as a steward, my soul answers, only to people say to me sometimes like telnet.
When I look at you online. You seem to get a lot of criticism. How do you handle that first.
I don't pay attention to it to stop pointing it out to me. Okay, but truthfully, I mean yes criticism bothers me look at what anybody else now more people like me.
If I come a people pleaser. I like people to like me and so yes, when I get bothers me but here's what dry wiffleball say it I get this vision invite used up a lot when I was preaching early on, not as much anymore but I get really nervous if I decide to go over well, but like us will say I would get this image in my mind of like basically think God the father in heaven watching me preach he stayed there the edge heaven. He is looking down on earth is watching all the goes digital beings years ago, look what's watch this does not go well for JD but he's trying to reach again and is way too long was he always does, but that's my boy. He's doing what I told him to do and I'm proud of him and not vision that thought of God the father being pleased with me taking me the strength to just not be devastated by other people disapproving with me, of me.I gave up long ago when the greatest things I ever gave away I gave away trying to manage everybody else's opinions of me. It's exhausting. I just miss worried about him. I performed for an audience of one. Paul says I am servant. I am a steward is number three. A Christian leader is only a surrogate is verse 6% of applied all these things myself into Apollo's for your benefit that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written about any of us, but none of you may be puffed up in favor or against one another dormant regret member. This whole section chapter 24 told you all is dealing with the problem of divisions of the church both said that a lot of these divisions ultimately came from the Corinthians, being overly dependent on some earthly leader Paul says you gotta cut that out. My goal here he says is for you not to think more highly of any of us than what you really should earthly leaders there just temporary broken faulty stand-in for Jesus. Even better think of them like instruments in his hand. Ultimately he and he alone is responsible for your salvation. Yes, God uses different people at different times in our lives, and it is this for time they are like the voice of God to us, but God is always the one working in them and through them. Think of it like a hand in a glove. If a doctor puts on a pair of latex gloves and performs a life-changing surgery on you. The miracle is not in the glove. The miracle is in the hand that fills the glove. The same is true with God.
It's like I said the first week there will always be famous people in the church. There will always be people to God uses mightily there were in the early church. Peter and Paul Apollo's were evidently types of celebrities at court.
People knew they were and I told you there is nothing wrong with you feeling connected to one of those people, or even feeling indebted to Dan because how God views them or uses them in your life. The problem here me. The problem is when you don't eventually transfer the roots of your identity also of them and onto Jesus, and you never transfer your dependence off of them and onto Christ being overly devoted to or overly dependent on an earthly leader is a sign of immaturity, not devotion real quick look at how Paul even starts a section back in chapter 3 the but one chapter as we start this but I brothers and sisters. I could not address you as spiritual people. I thought you had people to flesh like babies in Christ infants you are still the flesh. While there is jealousy and strife among you. You not of the flesh, behaving only in a human way for when one says. I follow Paul and others that I follow below so you not really being human read that I have been childish pulses your dependence on earthly leaders is not your spiritual death but your spiritual immaturity to document all books written by one guy was in everything a single thing that is preached is not a sign of maturity.
I would like the analogy here with parenting is great for a while parents. We parents.
We stand in the place of God with our kids right when my kids were toddlers everything they learned about the authority of the care and the love of God, all of it came to me and her mother that's that's by design. We are supposed to learn to love and trust and obey God by learning to love and trust and obey your parents ugly.
That's why you do this right.
That's why the command to honor your father mother comes right in the middle of the 10 Commandments. The first four commandments about you and God don't know worshiping of the guys on graven images member Sabbath of the thing that all you got last five all that you and your neighbor horizontal relationship will murder till still adultery. All that's not a lie. In between those there's a hinge commandment that hinge commandment.
The fifth one is on your father, mother, and it kinda bridges the two relationships. It's about your relationship to God is also about your relationship horizontally because the way that you learn to obey and worship God, at least for the first 40 licensed by learning to obey and submitting to your parents got it right. That's all well and good but over time. Every parent knows every good parent knows you want your child to ween their faith off of you and put it on the God and if your child is not doing that they're not growing up.
If your child is 18, 19, 20 years old and still depends on you for everything and still obeys you like your God, and it never actually grown up. I better not even honoring your time with the by the Bible talking about but I know a lot of parents who seem to want this protect perpetual continual relationship does not appoint a parent appointed parenting is for you to transfer their obedience gradually off of you and transfer their obedience off in the dependence off of you and put it on the God when you just totally release them to God and trust him with him because they never blown you in the first place process. That's how we leaders of the church are to be reviewed by did you read this chapter, you see Paul is actually refer to himself as a spiritual father you look at verse 14 of 50 pieces I'm writing to you is children. I'm your father, I am your spiritual father and that's how I see myself right. I'm not here I'm not here to be your leader, your Savior, or foundational you want.I'm just here to get you to him. I asked you the first week of the series a set if I died tomorrow, you awake a bit. Would you leave this church would you stay I said if you think I probably say this for you.
That is awesome. You have grown up your allegiance is to this body, your allegiance is to our shared mission. Yeah, I love you will go to bed mod Bobby Arbuckle, week or two and I probably met a different church while Jessee humbly ventures are still a child, spiritually because your allegiance is to me and that's a huge problem is nothing wrong. There's nothing on it though did. Another moment, to a church because the preaching connects with you, or because the worst really engages your you or your kids love student ministries up and wrong with coming for that reason, but over time you've got to put your roots into Christ. You've got to put them into his church and not into a particular earthly personality will output off on all these things to myself in a policy or benefit that I wanted you learn not to go beyond what is written in trust as the bank should be looking to Jesus for who is Paul, who is JD and die for you.
You are baptized in our name. It's not our spirit that fills you.
The Lord is your shepherd and the rest of us are just temporary and dispensable standards that Paul uses the phrase in Christ over and over and over these verses in Christ and Christ as your identity in Christ is your hope God wore me like a glove for a while but the saving hand was always his human leaders come and go. Some of them will disappoint you.
Some of them will disappoint you bitterly hear me okay this church will disappoint you.
I will disappoint you. Bodnar never disappointed you sisters you don't know me that well yet the people that I'm closest to were the ones who are the most disappointed with me, not the least but Christ will never leave you or forsake you support your roots and him. I'm glad I can be here for time to be a I help in that put your region and not me. There's two kinds of failures to kind of authority in the church by this bad authority. That's where leaders use their power and privilege in position to direct attention to themselves and their good authority.
Leaders use their power privilege in position to direct people to at least be the last one, number four, a Christian leader, Paul says is a spectacle of suffering spectacle of suffering that you come about his essence, but is very amenable about what is not rising to God as exhibit us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death. As we become a spectacle to the world, but the Angels and the men to the present hour we hunger and thirst were poorly dressed, closed all mats and fit right into holes in them, buffeted number fade, buffeted and homeless. We labor working with our own hands. We had two jobs to support ourselves administer.
I know I lost salary policy. I work over here is another thing to make money from preach to you. When reviled with less time in persecutor we endure, when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and still are like the scum of the world.
Refuse, of all things process.
Christian leaders, you should expect to suffer that you should even expect to be a spectacle of suffering. While leaders will start or scandalized when they suffer. I got to somehow let down his end of the bargain a.I did my part right.
I was thinking I do. It also stated I did what you asked me to do. And now this just called to we follow in the footsteps of Jesus. We live perfectly and suffered and died.
The Corinthians had bought into something that Martin Luther would later call the theology of glory is every generation of every Christians in every culture buys into this. The theology of glory sounds good right eligible or it's about the theology of glory is where you assume that God's presence on earth will always be accompanied by earthly indications of success.
We all think that the New Testament teaches. However, Winterset is not a theology of glory teaches the theology of the cross theology of the cross teaches us that the one on earth who was most endowed with the spirit of God was the one who suffer the most.
And so those who follow in the footsteps of that one should also expect something like eat it.
By the way, don't miss the brilliant example of apostolic sarcasm with the birthdate got it, Paul says, already you have become rich without us. You become teens we apostles are fools for Christ sake you are lies and rights.
We are weak you. You are strong you are held in honor we in disrepute. I wanted that sarcasm will remember how he described the Corinthians in chapter 1 and disappoint us out balls. I hate not a lot of you are wise or noble or amazing put out like this is lecture an actual group of people is that you set up your bill I killed around is not many of you out there that we would call good looking right, not that smart. Nobody really hears that impressive. You look around and talking about pulses that the Caribbean starts.
I hate not a wife of noble says but we apostles suffer more than anybody.
That should disabuse you of this idea that closeness with God equals earthly success. A Christian leader is called to suffer and should not be surprised when it comes a few years ago very successful businessman in our church is wife there to teenage kids felt called to go serve God in a Muslim unreached people group across the world. So he resigned his high-paying executive job in corporate America a great company here left is very comfortable home in Chapel Hill to get trained go live overseas, a Muslim, unreached people group, as he did he follow through with that he resigned his job. They sold the house he was getting trained go right middle of this there son develops pretty significant medical medical condition and in his journal that he shared with me. He wrote this he said wait Lord. This is not what was supposed to happen.
We submitted to you.
We submitted your will for our life. We stole just about everything we have for disassembling the American dream piece by piece, leaving everything and everyone familiar moving our family on the medical capital of the SE. Will Pl. with little to no healthcare in a place that is hostile to the gospel to be your witnesses in obedience to you and then you do this, so all these feelings of its unfair God of you forgotten us. Later he said he learned that this is all part of the process through the suffering through the unfair treatment through the criticism of the slander the difficulty the hardship Christ was revealed in them, then made better known through them. There was some you love this quote by AW toes are. It is doubtful it is doubtful whether God can use a man greatly before his first hurt him very deeply. Oracle balls version of that. I want to know Christ 10 Christ yes I want to know the power of his resurrection in my ministry, but that only calls Paul says that the participation of his sufferings. I do gotta become like him in his death. If I wanted taste of the power of his resurrection.
The fellowship of his suffering is the only way the power of his resurrection. Get that business. A famous story about St. Dominic 12th-century church later. Think of them like an early reformer of the church until he goes. He's visiting the Pope. The Pope you know medieval Roma surrounded by all this wealth and splendor, and even military might in the Pope kind of jokes for the condescendingly this poor monkeys like yeah I guess I guess Peter can no longer say what Peter said Max three silver and gold about Anna my right story is a St. Dominic would back at him and said you neither can Peter say anymore. Rise up and walk this with the increase of silver and gold, but it sounds with that comes with the cost of the decrease in the resurrection power of Jesus, and she so wrong by your kids forearm by your kids part process for the process of God, bringing salvation into the lives suffer well suffer well suffer patiently like Christ the vehicle for the power of the resurrection in their lives is often the suffering of the parent getting unfair treatment didn't push back from friends are trying to help. I will tell you the longest I have ever been treated in my life is by people friends. I was trying to help. Try to encourage to do the right thing, that happening to you right now. Suffer well suffer well this is part of the planning process, you Christian leader, your pastor may be a missionary in your soliciting end of this podcast, wondering why people are treating you so unfairly suffer. Well, my friend suffer well power. The resurrection only comes in the fellowship of the sufferings of the cross for a lot of pastors return ministry leaders, return ministry and what I don't great place to get big power big bulb a big notoriety God cannot bless God cannot bless people being in ministry who are not servants of stewards at least you won't bless a long-term delay that down on the altar. Your sample be a servant to storable expect suffer with them is your ministry going to have power only when you take what's most precious to you put it down on the altar got picks back up and he anoints her there's a famous Christian singer mentee screen emotional member and he died in a plane wreck in 1982, but was hippie that saved 40 great musicians are started to sing for Jesus did well me. It was successful, so to speak. What is new is that it's not just not as IEEE said music was always my idle ministry became idle so he said I become a more related down Nesta got mama to pick up an instrument again. I walk away from that of destroying the server say God let me be like that for about a year your house said that about a year your house. Later he communicated me very clearly accumulated down outside and piggyback up set a pick back up and from that point on people who knew him and listen to him will tell you that there was a it was in anoints Tina resurrection power that filled his music that had not been there before is because God only resurrects things that you let die. So whatever that position is a leadership gotta let die, get laid.
I've only been missing still with resurrection power delegate help all ends. All this for 16. I urge you are should be imitators of me since you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child of the Lord. I wanted to remind you of my weights in Christ, but to teach them everywhere in every church all what you not only to observe these things about his leadership.
Once you to become these things in your leadership with others as well as others are just what Paul means what you hate what I we want every leader at the summit church on every level to be characterized others for things. By the way I love how Paul emphasizes right it's different and you as apostle I'm not I'm not on a different planet called to sit in positions of privilege and power. What you are called to serve and sacrifice and suffer. I will even older things to do what I do know for years ago I heard this mega pastor said the pastors of large churches should not really work voice raised his mission work in the church they should work on the church. What he meant by that was was you become a passable large churches. You know it's not really helpful for you to serve the live and accountable relationships good people to still understand you going to do the hard work of relationship building and in your hands dirty or sharing Christ store sacrificial generosity. My greatest service is to be an effective CEO of an organization that helps you do the things that the greatest way that I can start.
I just want you to know that we fundamentally reject that view of leadership near the summit church.
We want our team to model all of these things I've mentioned, servant hood, sacrifice, generosity woman to be accountable and small group sharing Christ with others so that we pick and save you.
I can say they can say just what I do just what I serve HER chair like I should be generous like I'm trying to be generous. I want to stain the beer until you give your money so that I can enjoy it. It is, they follow me as I sacrifice it gives bundling tragically the pastor that made that statement was one who would end up abusing his power and volleyed for ministry.
God did not design leaders for the stage design anybody for the spotlight.
He designed us for the towel" washbasin to serve others in wash their feet like he did the only place it survived resurrection power. It's the only place their spiritual health summit list of what's champion that cultural leadership here. Let's raise up a generation of leaders in the church in the business place in the home want to leave like this, typo on this with one very special and very important word lesson. Some of you in the church have been hurt in the past by a spiritual authority as will save you as a spiritual leader. I am sorry because for a person to abuse their spiritual authority. That is a horrible sent. I want you to hear this from a pastor you should always feel free. Always feel free to flee from spiritual abuse. We would love to hear be a help to you in this. If you can if you need to heal right we try to be very countable. We try to have the opposite of that, leadership culture, we want to be here for you if we can, and you are comfortable when the service is over. Some of our team will be down front Harold of the men and women staff members and volunteers at every campus.
Come tell us, please tell us if you suffered want to pray with you want to help bring healing where there's been pain so to be able to walk walk through this chapter with you because that is what they see that it's not what God intended for leaders as you bow your heads all campuses by your heads in the Asheville question. If your leader you seeking leave like this and you seem to have a few moments to repent God to be the heart of a servant.megastore just a surrogate to suffer well match. Others of you this question, you put yourself under spiritual leadership. Are you under the spiritual leadership of somebody else. If the answer that is I don't think so. That's a huge problem. Listen to me.
Men, especially Proverbs 18 one says a man who isolates himself will end up seeking his own desire and will rage against all sound judgment like we often say right here. Things are growing secret garden wall was reviewed. God wants you to be under godly leadership. You want you to be under godly authority want you to surround yourself with people who will push back on you and call out things in your life you put yourself under leadership like that on the best ways you do that is doing the search they finally maybe to start out this whole process knew I will. I'm ready to learn more about Jesus greatest let us know that text were ready are you anybody. 33933 sword ready.
The 33933 right now, or the end of service come talk want prayer counsel down front of the services originalist are the conversations that I pray would be a place where you would leave the leaders that you put in place would resemble you how to surf out of sacrifice against Frank Christ thing