Leadership

The Great Struggle

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1For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.   Colossians 2:1-3


All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ Jesus.

Let this truth become truth for you.

 

All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ Jesus.

Dear follower of Jesus, its going to be a struggle to fully comprehend and enjoy the wealth of God’s riches you posses through Him. This world and our old nature conspire to diminish Jesus and draw us away from Him… to anything else… but Him.

 

All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ Jesus.

Christian leaders, disciple-makers, like the Apostle Paul, struggle, strive, contend for the people of Jesus to see Jesus, cherish Jesus, value Jesus, admire Jesus, delight in Jesus, and worship Jesus.

 

All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ Jesus.

Your quiet times are meant to be a daily appraisal of the incredible and immense worth of Jesus. Its a time for digging and uncovering the beauty of Jesus in the Word of God. It is a time for asking the Spirit of God to blow back the fog of lies clouding your mind from comprehending and celebrating Jesus.

 

All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ Jesus.

Jesus is your greatest treasure.

Obedience and Christian Leaders

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1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, Romans 1:1-6

A healthy church is not out to control you. But it has received grace and calling from Jesus to bring about

“the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations.”

Obedience is a response to Jesus Christ, our resurrected Lord. Obedience flows from faith. Obedience flows from the dynamic relationship you have with Jesus. The most life-giving call to obedience flows from the experience of grace.

The church is at its best when it remains a voluntary association of people graced by Jesus Christ and following Him together with an agreed upon vision of the constraints and freedoms of His holiness.

Christian leadership under the grace of Jesus is not about getting people to do what the leader imagines for his or her benefit. Christian leadership is creates the environment where people get to know Jesus, understand what Jesus wants, and gain the courage to make adjustments to be obedient to Him. That’s the obedience of faith.

Avoid Meaning Less

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Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.
Psalm 111:2

When I hear UBC students talking with passion about their studies I get excited. They are delighting in the works of the Lord!

When I hear followers of Jesus talking with passion about their study of God’s Word and the Gospel, I get really excited.They are delighting in the redemptive works of the Lord! The redemptive works are the Lord are on the song-writer’s mind in Psalm 111.

“He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name! 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.

His praise endures forever!” (Psalm 111:9-10)

When you delight in God and in His restoring work through Jesus Christ, you can become a participant in His redemptive work through your studies and ultimately in your career. Your study and your work has meaning. Do it with Jesus.

Commit Your Way to the Lord

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1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!

2For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.

6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

9 For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

10In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.

11But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

 

Have you ever had the moment where you look around and think everybody else is so strong; I am not able to prevail. The powerful appear to be invincible. But they are not. The anxiety that accompanies new starts, or conflict, or struggle can leave us thinking small, and looking for short cuts.

David’s prayer in Psalm 37 ushers us into the presence of God. These words redirect us to not look upon others or even those who do evil as if they are going to last forever. But instead to delight in and wait on, and commit our way to Lord who lasts. He shall cause the meek to inherit the earth. Such controlled strength is a gift of the Spirit of God and it can be exercised as we enlarge our view of God.

Me?! Are you kidding?

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9And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” 13Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’”   Exodus 3:9-14

No doubt Moses believed something needed to be done to rescue the children of Israel from slavery. No doubt he thought it was awful. But he also knew this would be no easy task. He knew getting a hearing from the people of Israel and Pharaoh would be difficult.

He was not sure he was God’s go-to-guy.

In order to lead, leaders have to believe they can make a difference. Whether you are leading a work team with a project or a discipleship group with a vision of life change, you must believe you can make a difference. Moses was not sure he could make the difference. But if he was sent by one who could then perhaps he could lead.

Moses did not need the power to make a difference to be fully located in him. But he did need to know that The Power to make a difference was really sending him. The task — bring the people of Israel out of Egypt was bigger than Moses could have imagined. Because once “out of Egypt” Moses had to lead them into a life with God that would get the “Egypt” out of them. But now, Moses had to know he had access to God and so he asks, “Who do I say is sending me.”

God’s answer blows the doors off small and regional mentality of power. He says, “I AM — I Who was, Who is, and Who will be” is sending you.

Jesus calls His followers into a life of difference making. It flows first from knowing Him and being changed by Him. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” He’s got the power. “All authority!”

Is it possible that our resistance to leading, giving, and serving may really be a product of our perpetually small view of God and not of ourselves?