Jesus

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.

What if it was raining cats and dogs?

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24And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,

“‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain?

26The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’—

27for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

Here’s one strange English idiom: “Its raining cats and dogs.” Meant to describe a heavy downpour it surely describes a devastating downpour.

What if life brings you a devastating downpour? What if pressure is mounting because of your faith in Christ?

The challenge under pressure is to keep our view of God large. When the church in Jerusalem experienced pressure during the arrest of John and Peter they prayed. When they celebrated their release from the authorities they prayed. They prayed not for relief but for courage. How could they do that?

They kept God large through the revelation of Jesus Christ— Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Sovereign Lord.

Creator of Heaven and earth.

Inspirer of the prophet’s message.
Promise keeper.

Messiah, Anointed one.

King.

When the downpour comes, me must remember Jesus. He shows us God’s plan that continues even through the downpour.

 

Conduct Yourselves

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13Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 1 Peter 1:13-18

I was 27, married and traveling Ireland with my wife. Yet, even when we left the house my uncle said to us, “Now you, conduct yourselves.”  He said it more than once! We laughed like kids but the exhortation stuck with us.

Peter writes, “You also be holy in all your conduct.” Holy conduct is seen in relationships.

Holiness is a condition gracefully given us through new birth in Christ Jesus and it is a response to the Gospel. Holy conduct is generated when we are in awe of the high price for our ransom – the precious blood of Christ. Holy conduct is generated when we consider our conduct in relationship to people for whom Jesus died. They are valuable to Him and we must treat them accordingly.

Holy conduct is generated by our awareness of our Kingdom citizenship. This place is not our final destination; we are passing through. Yet, what we in this life and day does matter to God. God, our Father, judges impartially. And this judge has a glorious vision of our lives — that we would live in the holiness of His Son, Jesus Christ.

So prepare your mind for action, for holy action consistent with the character of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Prepare your mind by setting it fully on the hope you have in Christ Jesus. He is present in you now and shaping you for life with Him and for His glory.

Who are you thanking?

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1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! 2Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble 3and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.  Psalm 107:1-2

 

You can watch a whole stage play and never see the director. But at the end she is brought forward, applauded and thanked. Her leadership helped make all the moving parts come together in a glorious production.

Likewise you could live your whole life without knowing the Living God until the end. For the Christian Thanksgiving is our rejection of a life lived without acknowledgement of God. In fact its our chance to say “We are not really the stars of this production; its God. God is the director and the star.”

Experiencing the rescue redemption of God brings Him to centre stage in our lives. When the church gathers as the redeemed from all walks of life and nations under the banner of Jesus, we give thanks.

We give thanks to our Lord, for He is good and His steadfast love endures forever!

If you are yelling…

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1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.  2The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly. 3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. 4 A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.  Proverbs 15:1-4

If you are yelling, you are probably not listening. And the other person isn’t able to listen either. If you are party to such I must commend to you wisdom that roots out the anxiety, folly, and perverseness.

The mouth of the wise contrasted with the mouth of a fool:

Soft answers    –    Harsh words
Knowledge     –     Folly

Gentle tongue brings life   –   Perverseness breaks the spirit

In the middle of the short discourse on speech and conflict the teacher commends awareness of God: “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.”

It reminds me of Paul’s pursuit of the Lord’s peace for a conflict among two leaders in the church of Philippi:

5Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

So next time in the midst of conflict remember: Jesus is here; anxiety ramps up irrationality disturbing the heart and mind; seek God and speak softly.