Saturday, August 19, 2006
The Hypocrisy Trap
Introduction:
When you read the New Testament, have you stopped to notice what topic brings out Jesus’ righteous anger more than any other? Well, we should notice, so that we can live lives that please the Lord, and avoid stepping in the same trap as those who drew His harshest words. The topic is hypocrisy, and the reason it is such a big deal is because it pushes people away from the Kingdom of God. Being a hypocrite is the opposite of being “salt and light” – sometimes I call it “pepper and darkness.” It is the opposite of having a real, personal, love relationship with God through Jesus. It is the opposite of outreach, because hypocrisy gives Christ and Christians a bad name. It is a horrible advertisement for what it means to be a Christian. Yet despite knowing all this, so many ‘Christians’ are content to settle for a lukewarm life of hypocrisy and spiritual mediocrity (or worse) – basically “religious pretense” (playing church) – instead of depending on God’s strength to strive to live obedient lives that please Him and fulfill His highest purposes. Why would so many people settle for “fool’s gold” when the real thing is ready accessible and available? NEVER SETTLE! This morning we are going to examine the words of Jesus for answers, and hopefully some insights on how to avoid falling into the hypocrisy trap that is plaguing the body of Christ. We must constantly check ourselves in the mirror of God’s Word…
(Read Matthew 23:23-28)
Jesus said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat, but swallow a camel. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will also be clean. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
Hard words – but important words of Jesus to examine and take seriously. You know, no one ever sets out intentionally to become a hypocrite – so how does this happen so frequently? Today we’ll examine 4 key reasons that many Christians choose to settle for Hypocrisy… so we can check our own hearts and strive for better… we were created and designed and taught to be better than that!
1) It’s easier to change your image than to let God change your heart.
In our image-obsessed society, we grow up often confusing image with reality. Public relations firms know that the real truth doesn’t matter, as long as outward appearances can convince people of something. A presidential candidate doesn’t really have to be honest, they just have to be framed to look that way. A rapper doesn’t really have to be tough or have been born in South Central LA, the public just needs to believe that they are. Image is often seen as everything in the world – but definitely not so in the Kingdom of God! Often when we come to Jesus, we bring the worldly image-obsessed approach with us instead of letting God change us from the inside out. We clean up the outward part of our lives, we learn to look holy and pious, say and do the right things when others are around – but we never deal with the deeper issues of sin and selfishness that lurk on the inside. It’s like pulling the tops off of weeds in your yard – sure it looks good and gets the job done faster, but the results are not real or lasting. It is much easier to “appear” to be something than to really “be” something (we all know this from everyday life!). We learn how to look good, sit in church and listen to sermons, smile and nod – and then go home and keep living the same old selfish way that we always have. There has been no real change in the heart – only a superficial conforming to appearances. That’s why it is essential that we not only attend church and hear God’s Word, but APPLY it to our daily lives. That’s how the changes take place!
The Pharisees were very publicly giving money and spices to God, but not their hearts – the important thing to give. As Jesus said, when you take care of the inside, the outside will follow naturally – but if you just take care of the outside, all you have is a false man-made religion that is hollow and sinful to the core. You might fool people, but you can’t fool God. The good news is, when you let the Word of God break through your outer shell and truly give Jesus your EVERYTHING including your heart, you don’t have to play church anymore, because the changes that manifest on the outside will be real and lasting. That is something only God can do – PR firms can only change the outer image, and we should never settle for that. Taking care of the inside is God’s top priority, and should be ours too. It’s time to stop playing games, get real with God, expose your vulnerabilities and let God inside to begin transforming you. God has called us to go beyond “playing church” and to develop a real, personal, living, growing relationship with Him! What a privilege…
One of the reasons hypocrisy is so dangerous is because it lulls you into thinking you’re doing fine spiritually – since you look good on the outside, no one is concerned about your spiritual life or thinks anything is wrong. . We substitute what is superficial for what is real. Don’t ever settle for a cheap substitute. It is a dangerous thing when we become satisfied with having the “image” without the relationship. We should only be satisfied with the real thing.
2) Hypocrisy requires much less time and commitment.
“Commitment” today is a scary word in any arena – just look at the statistics of delayed marriages, and marriages that end in divorce. Look at the percentage of church members who actually obey God be actively using their gift to serve in the local church body. Hypocrisy is much easier on our schedules. Just like an actor who plays a role and then goes home to their normal life, hypocrisy only requires us to play a role for a few hours, a couple times a week (if even that), and then we can live according to our own priorities and our own, comfortable, selfish human nature the rest of the week without God “interfering” with our schedule, goals or dreams. We think we’ve given God a great sacrifice when we give Him an hour on Sunday and two hours on Wednesday night (we feel self-justified, like we’ve “done our duty” for the week), when really that should only be the start of our devotion to Him. Hypocrisy is so much easier and more comfortable, than a total transformation that would put God at the center of our heart and the top of our priorities (that would require us to rearrange a lot of things in our lives and to seriously question our current way of living – which is not always comfortable).
Being a hypocrite is easier – but you also miss out on the peace, joy, and power that comes from making a true commitment and having a genuine relationship with God. You get to do things your own way, but you also have to carry your own burdens and operate out of your own strength and your own limitations. You will never get the real results without having the real relationship with God! There are no shortcuts.
Being a Christian means giving control of your life to God. Being a hypocrite does not require such a yielding of control. When you are a hypocrite, you are your own “god.” You depend on yourself instead of Him. You pick and choose what you want to do and what you don’t feel like doing. You can be a hypocrite and still run your own life and do your own thing – just so when people are watching you conform to the outward image of a Christian. The problem is, this gives people a very false idea of what it means to be a follower of Christ. There is serious damage done to others by hypocritical examples.
(Read Matthew 23:15)
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of Hell as you are!”
If we are hypocrites, we can actually do spiritual damage to those we reach out to, by being such a poor example. Hypocrisy is like the opposite of being “salt and light.” We are “poisoning” instead of witnessing, because when we set a hypocritical example we are passing along our own twisted notion of Christianity instead of how it’s really supposed to be according to the Truth of God’s Word. We must live obediently according to the Truth if we want to sincerely guide others to the Truth. It’s so tempting though to be a hypocrite because it’s so much easier – narrow is the way to righteousness, wide is the path to destruction.
3) Judgment Day seems so far away.
Sometimes it’s easy to settle for hypocrisy because we feel like Judgment Day is never really going to come. We start feeling immortal and forget that one day we will die and come face to face with Jesus. Or, that He might even come back before our natural death. So, we just keep living apathetic spiritual lives (since it’s easier) thinking we have all the time in the world to fix things up and to “really” turn to God and get things right. It is true that He gives us many, many second chances, but we shouldn’t abuse that – and we need to remember that inevitably one day, all of those second chances will run out.
(Read Matthew 24:42-51)
Jesus said, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
We must maintain a sense of urgency in our relationship with God, and a sense of urgency in obeying Him, to avoid falling into the all-too-easy hypocrisy trap! There is a reward for being a true and faithful servant of God, and make no mistake, there is a punishment for hypocrites. Stay urgent – He’s coming back!
4) Serving Jesus seems so intangible.
In this world we like things we can touch and see. If we could actually see Jesus, we would probably have an easier time turning away from the hypocrisy trap and serving Him face-to-face. Well, guess what? Jesus Himself told us in His Word that we do have opportunities to see Him and serve Him directly every day…
(Read Matthew 25:34-40)
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”
Remember that whatever we do for others, we are doing for Jesus. We get these opportunities daily if we are looking for them – and by taking these opportunities it will help keep our relationship with God real and personal, rather than settling into a pattern of superficiality and hypocrisy. When you encourage someone, show hospitality or use your gift to help someone in this ministry, you are encouraging and helping Jesus Himself. Remember that! Be active in serving… we need it, and you do too!
Conclusion: If any of these characteristics of hypocrisy describe you, today is the day to examine your heart and truly give EVERYTHING to Jesus. Make Him Lord, not just a Sunday hobby. Clean up the inside, not just the parts that show. Dig out the roots, not just the tops of the “weeds.” Today is the day to get things right with God… don’t settle for the deceptive “comfort” of hypocrisy!
When you read the New Testament, have you stopped to notice what topic brings out Jesus’ righteous anger more than any other? Well, we should notice, so that we can live lives that please the Lord, and avoid stepping in the same trap as those who drew His harshest words. The topic is hypocrisy, and the reason it is such a big deal is because it pushes people away from the Kingdom of God. Being a hypocrite is the opposite of being “salt and light” – sometimes I call it “pepper and darkness.” It is the opposite of having a real, personal, love relationship with God through Jesus. It is the opposite of outreach, because hypocrisy gives Christ and Christians a bad name. It is a horrible advertisement for what it means to be a Christian. Yet despite knowing all this, so many ‘Christians’ are content to settle for a lukewarm life of hypocrisy and spiritual mediocrity (or worse) – basically “religious pretense” (playing church) – instead of depending on God’s strength to strive to live obedient lives that please Him and fulfill His highest purposes. Why would so many people settle for “fool’s gold” when the real thing is ready accessible and available? NEVER SETTLE! This morning we are going to examine the words of Jesus for answers, and hopefully some insights on how to avoid falling into the hypocrisy trap that is plaguing the body of Christ. We must constantly check ourselves in the mirror of God’s Word…
(Read Matthew 23:23-28)
Jesus said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat, but swallow a camel. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will also be clean. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
Hard words – but important words of Jesus to examine and take seriously. You know, no one ever sets out intentionally to become a hypocrite – so how does this happen so frequently? Today we’ll examine 4 key reasons that many Christians choose to settle for Hypocrisy… so we can check our own hearts and strive for better… we were created and designed and taught to be better than that!
1) It’s easier to change your image than to let God change your heart.
In our image-obsessed society, we grow up often confusing image with reality. Public relations firms know that the real truth doesn’t matter, as long as outward appearances can convince people of something. A presidential candidate doesn’t really have to be honest, they just have to be framed to look that way. A rapper doesn’t really have to be tough or have been born in South Central LA, the public just needs to believe that they are. Image is often seen as everything in the world – but definitely not so in the Kingdom of God! Often when we come to Jesus, we bring the worldly image-obsessed approach with us instead of letting God change us from the inside out. We clean up the outward part of our lives, we learn to look holy and pious, say and do the right things when others are around – but we never deal with the deeper issues of sin and selfishness that lurk on the inside. It’s like pulling the tops off of weeds in your yard – sure it looks good and gets the job done faster, but the results are not real or lasting. It is much easier to “appear” to be something than to really “be” something (we all know this from everyday life!). We learn how to look good, sit in church and listen to sermons, smile and nod – and then go home and keep living the same old selfish way that we always have. There has been no real change in the heart – only a superficial conforming to appearances. That’s why it is essential that we not only attend church and hear God’s Word, but APPLY it to our daily lives. That’s how the changes take place!
The Pharisees were very publicly giving money and spices to God, but not their hearts – the important thing to give. As Jesus said, when you take care of the inside, the outside will follow naturally – but if you just take care of the outside, all you have is a false man-made religion that is hollow and sinful to the core. You might fool people, but you can’t fool God. The good news is, when you let the Word of God break through your outer shell and truly give Jesus your EVERYTHING including your heart, you don’t have to play church anymore, because the changes that manifest on the outside will be real and lasting. That is something only God can do – PR firms can only change the outer image, and we should never settle for that. Taking care of the inside is God’s top priority, and should be ours too. It’s time to stop playing games, get real with God, expose your vulnerabilities and let God inside to begin transforming you. God has called us to go beyond “playing church” and to develop a real, personal, living, growing relationship with Him! What a privilege…
One of the reasons hypocrisy is so dangerous is because it lulls you into thinking you’re doing fine spiritually – since you look good on the outside, no one is concerned about your spiritual life or thinks anything is wrong. . We substitute what is superficial for what is real. Don’t ever settle for a cheap substitute. It is a dangerous thing when we become satisfied with having the “image” without the relationship. We should only be satisfied with the real thing.
2) Hypocrisy requires much less time and commitment.
“Commitment” today is a scary word in any arena – just look at the statistics of delayed marriages, and marriages that end in divorce. Look at the percentage of church members who actually obey God be actively using their gift to serve in the local church body. Hypocrisy is much easier on our schedules. Just like an actor who plays a role and then goes home to their normal life, hypocrisy only requires us to play a role for a few hours, a couple times a week (if even that), and then we can live according to our own priorities and our own, comfortable, selfish human nature the rest of the week without God “interfering” with our schedule, goals or dreams. We think we’ve given God a great sacrifice when we give Him an hour on Sunday and two hours on Wednesday night (we feel self-justified, like we’ve “done our duty” for the week), when really that should only be the start of our devotion to Him. Hypocrisy is so much easier and more comfortable, than a total transformation that would put God at the center of our heart and the top of our priorities (that would require us to rearrange a lot of things in our lives and to seriously question our current way of living – which is not always comfortable).
Being a hypocrite is easier – but you also miss out on the peace, joy, and power that comes from making a true commitment and having a genuine relationship with God. You get to do things your own way, but you also have to carry your own burdens and operate out of your own strength and your own limitations. You will never get the real results without having the real relationship with God! There are no shortcuts.
Being a Christian means giving control of your life to God. Being a hypocrite does not require such a yielding of control. When you are a hypocrite, you are your own “god.” You depend on yourself instead of Him. You pick and choose what you want to do and what you don’t feel like doing. You can be a hypocrite and still run your own life and do your own thing – just so when people are watching you conform to the outward image of a Christian. The problem is, this gives people a very false idea of what it means to be a follower of Christ. There is serious damage done to others by hypocritical examples.
(Read Matthew 23:15)
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of Hell as you are!”
If we are hypocrites, we can actually do spiritual damage to those we reach out to, by being such a poor example. Hypocrisy is like the opposite of being “salt and light.” We are “poisoning” instead of witnessing, because when we set a hypocritical example we are passing along our own twisted notion of Christianity instead of how it’s really supposed to be according to the Truth of God’s Word. We must live obediently according to the Truth if we want to sincerely guide others to the Truth. It’s so tempting though to be a hypocrite because it’s so much easier – narrow is the way to righteousness, wide is the path to destruction.
3) Judgment Day seems so far away.
Sometimes it’s easy to settle for hypocrisy because we feel like Judgment Day is never really going to come. We start feeling immortal and forget that one day we will die and come face to face with Jesus. Or, that He might even come back before our natural death. So, we just keep living apathetic spiritual lives (since it’s easier) thinking we have all the time in the world to fix things up and to “really” turn to God and get things right. It is true that He gives us many, many second chances, but we shouldn’t abuse that – and we need to remember that inevitably one day, all of those second chances will run out.
(Read Matthew 24:42-51)
Jesus said, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
We must maintain a sense of urgency in our relationship with God, and a sense of urgency in obeying Him, to avoid falling into the all-too-easy hypocrisy trap! There is a reward for being a true and faithful servant of God, and make no mistake, there is a punishment for hypocrites. Stay urgent – He’s coming back!
4) Serving Jesus seems so intangible.
In this world we like things we can touch and see. If we could actually see Jesus, we would probably have an easier time turning away from the hypocrisy trap and serving Him face-to-face. Well, guess what? Jesus Himself told us in His Word that we do have opportunities to see Him and serve Him directly every day…
(Read Matthew 25:34-40)
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”
Remember that whatever we do for others, we are doing for Jesus. We get these opportunities daily if we are looking for them – and by taking these opportunities it will help keep our relationship with God real and personal, rather than settling into a pattern of superficiality and hypocrisy. When you encourage someone, show hospitality or use your gift to help someone in this ministry, you are encouraging and helping Jesus Himself. Remember that! Be active in serving… we need it, and you do too!
Conclusion: If any of these characteristics of hypocrisy describe you, today is the day to examine your heart and truly give EVERYTHING to Jesus. Make Him Lord, not just a Sunday hobby. Clean up the inside, not just the parts that show. Dig out the roots, not just the tops of the “weeds.” Today is the day to get things right with God… don’t settle for the deceptive “comfort” of hypocrisy!
Monday, August 07, 2006
Spiritual Leadership 101
Introduction:
This summer we have talked a lot about Romans 12, and how every Christian is called to be a living sacrifice who makes it a priority to use their gifts to serve others and build up God’s kingdom here on earth. Being an active Christian is a command, not an option. That means that everyone who accepts Christ becomes a spiritual leader to someone in some aspect of the ministry, like it or not, whether you have a formal position or not. (Remember, there are actually no high or low positions in the body of Christ – every job is equally important, because God has given us different gifts and different callings—thus we can’t compare ourselves to each other). As long as you are using your gifts, playing your part in the church body, representing God, you become a spiritual leader to somebody. And it is very important to understand how crucial it is to exercise this spiritual leadership in the proper, biblical way. Thus, this sermon is applicable to everyone – and if you don’t think it is, then I would ask you, why aren’t you actively using your gifts to serve in the body of Christ? I realize the title sounds a little academic, but don’t worry, this sermon won’t be a dry analysis of organizational structure. We are going to examine some fundamental principles of spiritual leadership -- some basic things that all of us should know and practice if we want to please God and grow as spiritual leaders while serving Him.
1) VISION
(Read Habakkuk 2:2-3)
Write down the [vision] and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the [vision] awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.
One of the most important aspects of spiritual leadership is to understand God’s vision for the church, and to constantly help point people towards it. God blesses each church with different talents, ministries, and areas of emphasis, to reach the people that He is calling them to reach. For us, He has given us the vision of reaching out to make an impact in the Fresno community by being a multicultural, Bible-centered ministry that stresses applying God’s Word to everyday life, equipping and encouraging each other (“iron sharpening iron”) to spread God’s Word and live obedient lives with the eternal perspective in mind. It is essential that we never forget the big picture of what we are here for – and it is the job of spiritual leaders to articulate that vision and help encourage people to strive towards it, and when distractions come, to help the members re-focus on it. Vision reminds us that we’re not just here to gather together, have fun, feel good, and go home. We should always be thinking about how our purpose is to be used by God to make an eternal difference in the lives of others, and everything we do should be connected to that.
The Bible says that without a vision, the people perish. Although we may not die physically, we definitely risk dying spiritually by lacking the sense of direction that comes from God’s vision. Without staying focused on the big picture, it’s easy to forget why we do what we do – to get caught up in the tasks themselves without remembering Who we are doing it for, or how it is contributing to building God’s kingdom. A spiritual leader must constantly ask themselves how each activity contributes to the overall mission, and make sure that valuable time and resources are not spent on things that don’t connect (for example, ask: “How does this event/activity help people apply God’s Word to their daily lives or encourage them to have a closer personal relationship with God?”). The vision for a church, is like the thesis statement of an essay (all the body paragraphs must connect to it, or else you risk getting off-topic) – all actions, events, and activities should advance the vision. The spiritual leader must constantly help others understand the vision, and encourage others to stay focused on it. Without a vision and leaders to reinforce and illustrate it, the church ends up doing random things that lead nowhere in particular, instead of following God’s pathway towards His highest purposes.
Let me back up a minute and talk about where this vision comes from – it must come from God, or else you are just chasing after human goals and dreams (and His plans are so much better than ours – the Bible says “His ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts”). God must be the author of the vision, and you can check that by matching it up against the Bible. The vision will always be consistent with Biblical principles, or else it is not from God. God and prayer should be at the center of everything a church or a spiritual leader does. It is not up to us to dream dreams for God and call our own plans His plans – we must constantly pray and seek God’s guidance in everything we do to make sure we are using our time and resources in ways that please Him and further His kingdom, and that fulfill the calling He has given us. That is why it is essential that spiritual leaders take plenty of time to have a quality prayer life. God often guides, directs, instills, and reaffirms the vision through prayer.
2) SERVANTHOOD
(Read Matthew 20:25-28)
Jesus said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
This is what Jesus reminded His disciples, when they speculated about power and position. Remember that we are called to live sacrificially for the sake of others, and to follow the selfless example of Christ (washing the disciples’ feet, etc.). Out in the world, leaders are measured by how many people they rule over. In God’s kingdom, leaders are measured by how many people they serve. If you want to talk about true leadership, don’t show me how many people run around serving you – show me how many people you serve, and then we can see how much of a leader you are. Spiritual leadership is not based on power, prestige, and authority – it is based on service, sacrifice, and humility. A spiritual leader is motivated by love, not power. It is our love for God, and our compassion for our fellow man, which gives us the strength and motivation to have a servant’s heart as we carry out our God-given assignment.
God is the master of His house and we are the servants. We have to remember that we are not in charge, God is. We don’t even control the guest list – the servant’s job is to humbly serve whoever the Master invites to His house.
3) EXCELLENCE
(Read Colossians 3:17)
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
A spiritual leader is called to set an example of excellence – to do everything in a way that brings honor and glory to God, because like it or not, we represent Him in everything that we do. Thus, spiritual leaders should not do things half-heartedly, carelessly, or with no attention to detail. Even something like the way you set up a room for Bible Study is a reflection on God, and shows how important we consider His work (or not). We should do everything as if we are doing it for God Himself. A spiritual leader striving for excellence will be diligent, hard-working, organized, punctual – not lazy, late, slothful, and quick to give up on a difficult task. A spiritual leader will make sure things are neat, orderly, and well-organized. It is sad when Christians put in more time, effort, and quality into their work at school or their job than they do when they are doing eternally-important tasks for Christ. We should give God our best efforts and our best talents, not just the leftovers after giving your best to the world all week. Remember that being called to serve God is a privilege, not a duty, and we should treat it that way. As a spiritual leader you are doing eternally-important work, which means we should treat it even more carefully than worldly tasks. When serving God, it’s not for pride or money, it’s for the sake of saving lost souls and building God’s kingdom. It is literally a matter of life and death, and when we remember that it should motivate us to strive for excellence in how we serve the Lord. Don’t cut corners on eternally-meaningful jobs.
4) COMMUNICATION
I Corinthians 14:40 tells us that everything in church should be done “in an orderly way.” Communication is crucial to eliminating confusion and chaos, and coordinating the various parts of the church body as we pursue God’s vision together. Just like in the human body, the various parts communicate through nerve impulses and signals from the brain. In the church body the leaders must constantly facilitate communication to keep the body moving in the same direction, to encourage the various parts, and for one part of the body to let the other parts know what it’s doing. Clear communication helps coordinate planning and action towards the vision, so that we don’t lose our sense of purpose as a church body. It is important that spiritual leaders take ample time to discuss important issues with each other, pray with and for each other, and keep each other fully informed of what’s going on in their area of leadership. (Speaking of prayer, remember that it’s important that we communicate frequently with God, not just our fellow human members.) The early church in the Book of Acts set a great example of communication – they gathered together daily to eat, talk, pray, and do God’s work together. In today’s society it may not be feasible to be physically together on a daily basis, but with technology like cellphones and the Internet there is no excuse not to stay connected and communicate.
Another big part of communication involves encouragement. We can obey Hebrews 10:24-25 and encourage each other daily through communication. (This is a great passage about spiritual leadership…) Part of leadership is helping bring out the best in others, and spur others on to action…
(Read Hebrews 10:24-25)
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage each other – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Communication for the sake of encouragement is especially important in the realm of spiritual leadership, because leadership is not an easy road to travel (in fact, it paints a target on your back for Satan!). As a leader in the church, it is very encouraging to me to hear frequent reports from other leaders in the church about what they’ve been doing for God, and how God has been moving in their area of ministry. For me personally, it reminds me that I’m not alone on this journey towards God’s vision. Leaders must take initiative in constantly reminding their fellow leaders, as well as all of the members, that we are all in this together. It brings a sense of spiritual camaraderie that would otherwise be lacking without regular communication (Satan wants to make us feel isolated and discouraged).
As you can imagine, one of the fruits of good communication is unity. And I’m not just talking about unity for the sake of unity, to just feel good and enjoy each other’s company (we could do that out in the world, just having a pizza party together or something!). If the only thing our unity accomplishes is a warm fuzzy feeling or just having a good time together, then we’ve become no better than a social club – we might as well just start a bowling league or a fraternity instead of a church. What sets us apart as followers of Christ, and spiritual leaders, is that when we come together it’s to accomplish eternally-meaningful objectives. I’m talking about a sense of unity for a purpose – unity that is harnessed and channeled into collective, cooperative action to fulfill God’s mission/vision for the church. Communication leads to unity but it should not stop there – the unity built is spiritually pointless unless it leads towards people getting more actively involved in doing God’s work together and thus moving towards the ultimate vision. It is essential that spiritual leaders use communication to develop not just the church body’s enjoyment of simply spending time together, but to develop the enjoyment of DOING GOD’S WORK AND ACHIEVING GOD’S PURPOSES TOGETHER. That is how the church body is set apart from a social club – and it’s imperative that spiritual leaders play a strong role in clearly communicating the purpose of each activity to members, to keep us all on one accord working diligently towards God’s vision for us.
Conclusion:
You know, the harvest is ripe and the laborers are few. We are on an exciting path towards God’s vision – to do God’s work, God’s way, and achieve God’s results. There are so many opportunities in this ministry to step up and exercise spiritual leadership to help build this ministry and thus spread God’s kingdom here on Earth. I hope and pray that each member will commit and dedicate themselves to developing these biblical leadership qualities, and to influence others to get more involved as well. We each have unique gifts, and thus unique aspects of ministry for us to step up and be a leader in that area. You may not have some high formal position in the church body, but just know that God sees you as a leader (the “light of the world” – if that’s not a leader then what is?) and you need to start seeing yourself as a leader and realizing what a difference you can make for God here on Earth (and in our church body).
This summer we have talked a lot about Romans 12, and how every Christian is called to be a living sacrifice who makes it a priority to use their gifts to serve others and build up God’s kingdom here on earth. Being an active Christian is a command, not an option. That means that everyone who accepts Christ becomes a spiritual leader to someone in some aspect of the ministry, like it or not, whether you have a formal position or not. (Remember, there are actually no high or low positions in the body of Christ – every job is equally important, because God has given us different gifts and different callings—thus we can’t compare ourselves to each other). As long as you are using your gifts, playing your part in the church body, representing God, you become a spiritual leader to somebody. And it is very important to understand how crucial it is to exercise this spiritual leadership in the proper, biblical way. Thus, this sermon is applicable to everyone – and if you don’t think it is, then I would ask you, why aren’t you actively using your gifts to serve in the body of Christ? I realize the title sounds a little academic, but don’t worry, this sermon won’t be a dry analysis of organizational structure. We are going to examine some fundamental principles of spiritual leadership -- some basic things that all of us should know and practice if we want to please God and grow as spiritual leaders while serving Him.
1) VISION
(Read Habakkuk 2:2-3)
Write down the [vision] and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the [vision] awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.
One of the most important aspects of spiritual leadership is to understand God’s vision for the church, and to constantly help point people towards it. God blesses each church with different talents, ministries, and areas of emphasis, to reach the people that He is calling them to reach. For us, He has given us the vision of reaching out to make an impact in the Fresno community by being a multicultural, Bible-centered ministry that stresses applying God’s Word to everyday life, equipping and encouraging each other (“iron sharpening iron”) to spread God’s Word and live obedient lives with the eternal perspective in mind. It is essential that we never forget the big picture of what we are here for – and it is the job of spiritual leaders to articulate that vision and help encourage people to strive towards it, and when distractions come, to help the members re-focus on it. Vision reminds us that we’re not just here to gather together, have fun, feel good, and go home. We should always be thinking about how our purpose is to be used by God to make an eternal difference in the lives of others, and everything we do should be connected to that.
The Bible says that without a vision, the people perish. Although we may not die physically, we definitely risk dying spiritually by lacking the sense of direction that comes from God’s vision. Without staying focused on the big picture, it’s easy to forget why we do what we do – to get caught up in the tasks themselves without remembering Who we are doing it for, or how it is contributing to building God’s kingdom. A spiritual leader must constantly ask themselves how each activity contributes to the overall mission, and make sure that valuable time and resources are not spent on things that don’t connect (for example, ask: “How does this event/activity help people apply God’s Word to their daily lives or encourage them to have a closer personal relationship with God?”). The vision for a church, is like the thesis statement of an essay (all the body paragraphs must connect to it, or else you risk getting off-topic) – all actions, events, and activities should advance the vision. The spiritual leader must constantly help others understand the vision, and encourage others to stay focused on it. Without a vision and leaders to reinforce and illustrate it, the church ends up doing random things that lead nowhere in particular, instead of following God’s pathway towards His highest purposes.
Let me back up a minute and talk about where this vision comes from – it must come from God, or else you are just chasing after human goals and dreams (and His plans are so much better than ours – the Bible says “His ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts”). God must be the author of the vision, and you can check that by matching it up against the Bible. The vision will always be consistent with Biblical principles, or else it is not from God. God and prayer should be at the center of everything a church or a spiritual leader does. It is not up to us to dream dreams for God and call our own plans His plans – we must constantly pray and seek God’s guidance in everything we do to make sure we are using our time and resources in ways that please Him and further His kingdom, and that fulfill the calling He has given us. That is why it is essential that spiritual leaders take plenty of time to have a quality prayer life. God often guides, directs, instills, and reaffirms the vision through prayer.
2) SERVANTHOOD
(Read Matthew 20:25-28)
Jesus said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
This is what Jesus reminded His disciples, when they speculated about power and position. Remember that we are called to live sacrificially for the sake of others, and to follow the selfless example of Christ (washing the disciples’ feet, etc.). Out in the world, leaders are measured by how many people they rule over. In God’s kingdom, leaders are measured by how many people they serve. If you want to talk about true leadership, don’t show me how many people run around serving you – show me how many people you serve, and then we can see how much of a leader you are. Spiritual leadership is not based on power, prestige, and authority – it is based on service, sacrifice, and humility. A spiritual leader is motivated by love, not power. It is our love for God, and our compassion for our fellow man, which gives us the strength and motivation to have a servant’s heart as we carry out our God-given assignment.
God is the master of His house and we are the servants. We have to remember that we are not in charge, God is. We don’t even control the guest list – the servant’s job is to humbly serve whoever the Master invites to His house.
3) EXCELLENCE
(Read Colossians 3:17)
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
A spiritual leader is called to set an example of excellence – to do everything in a way that brings honor and glory to God, because like it or not, we represent Him in everything that we do. Thus, spiritual leaders should not do things half-heartedly, carelessly, or with no attention to detail. Even something like the way you set up a room for Bible Study is a reflection on God, and shows how important we consider His work (or not). We should do everything as if we are doing it for God Himself. A spiritual leader striving for excellence will be diligent, hard-working, organized, punctual – not lazy, late, slothful, and quick to give up on a difficult task. A spiritual leader will make sure things are neat, orderly, and well-organized. It is sad when Christians put in more time, effort, and quality into their work at school or their job than they do when they are doing eternally-important tasks for Christ. We should give God our best efforts and our best talents, not just the leftovers after giving your best to the world all week. Remember that being called to serve God is a privilege, not a duty, and we should treat it that way. As a spiritual leader you are doing eternally-important work, which means we should treat it even more carefully than worldly tasks. When serving God, it’s not for pride or money, it’s for the sake of saving lost souls and building God’s kingdom. It is literally a matter of life and death, and when we remember that it should motivate us to strive for excellence in how we serve the Lord. Don’t cut corners on eternally-meaningful jobs.
4) COMMUNICATION
I Corinthians 14:40 tells us that everything in church should be done “in an orderly way.” Communication is crucial to eliminating confusion and chaos, and coordinating the various parts of the church body as we pursue God’s vision together. Just like in the human body, the various parts communicate through nerve impulses and signals from the brain. In the church body the leaders must constantly facilitate communication to keep the body moving in the same direction, to encourage the various parts, and for one part of the body to let the other parts know what it’s doing. Clear communication helps coordinate planning and action towards the vision, so that we don’t lose our sense of purpose as a church body. It is important that spiritual leaders take ample time to discuss important issues with each other, pray with and for each other, and keep each other fully informed of what’s going on in their area of leadership. (Speaking of prayer, remember that it’s important that we communicate frequently with God, not just our fellow human members.) The early church in the Book of Acts set a great example of communication – they gathered together daily to eat, talk, pray, and do God’s work together. In today’s society it may not be feasible to be physically together on a daily basis, but with technology like cellphones and the Internet there is no excuse not to stay connected and communicate.
Another big part of communication involves encouragement. We can obey Hebrews 10:24-25 and encourage each other daily through communication. (This is a great passage about spiritual leadership…) Part of leadership is helping bring out the best in others, and spur others on to action…
(Read Hebrews 10:24-25)
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage each other – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Communication for the sake of encouragement is especially important in the realm of spiritual leadership, because leadership is not an easy road to travel (in fact, it paints a target on your back for Satan!). As a leader in the church, it is very encouraging to me to hear frequent reports from other leaders in the church about what they’ve been doing for God, and how God has been moving in their area of ministry. For me personally, it reminds me that I’m not alone on this journey towards God’s vision. Leaders must take initiative in constantly reminding their fellow leaders, as well as all of the members, that we are all in this together. It brings a sense of spiritual camaraderie that would otherwise be lacking without regular communication (Satan wants to make us feel isolated and discouraged).
As you can imagine, one of the fruits of good communication is unity. And I’m not just talking about unity for the sake of unity, to just feel good and enjoy each other’s company (we could do that out in the world, just having a pizza party together or something!). If the only thing our unity accomplishes is a warm fuzzy feeling or just having a good time together, then we’ve become no better than a social club – we might as well just start a bowling league or a fraternity instead of a church. What sets us apart as followers of Christ, and spiritual leaders, is that when we come together it’s to accomplish eternally-meaningful objectives. I’m talking about a sense of unity for a purpose – unity that is harnessed and channeled into collective, cooperative action to fulfill God’s mission/vision for the church. Communication leads to unity but it should not stop there – the unity built is spiritually pointless unless it leads towards people getting more actively involved in doing God’s work together and thus moving towards the ultimate vision. It is essential that spiritual leaders use communication to develop not just the church body’s enjoyment of simply spending time together, but to develop the enjoyment of DOING GOD’S WORK AND ACHIEVING GOD’S PURPOSES TOGETHER. That is how the church body is set apart from a social club – and it’s imperative that spiritual leaders play a strong role in clearly communicating the purpose of each activity to members, to keep us all on one accord working diligently towards God’s vision for us.
Conclusion:
You know, the harvest is ripe and the laborers are few. We are on an exciting path towards God’s vision – to do God’s work, God’s way, and achieve God’s results. There are so many opportunities in this ministry to step up and exercise spiritual leadership to help build this ministry and thus spread God’s kingdom here on Earth. I hope and pray that each member will commit and dedicate themselves to developing these biblical leadership qualities, and to influence others to get more involved as well. We each have unique gifts, and thus unique aspects of ministry for us to step up and be a leader in that area. You may not have some high formal position in the church body, but just know that God sees you as a leader (the “light of the world” – if that’s not a leader then what is?) and you need to start seeing yourself as a leader and realizing what a difference you can make for God here on Earth (and in our church body).
