The Leadership Challenge P IV

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Biblical Guy

Leaders with Responsibility

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees”. Psalm 119:9-12 NIV

Never forget who you are and what Christ has called you to. The leadership position is not a place of power and control over other peoples’ lives. It is a place to be humble before our Holy God and to respond to His grace with the best of our gifts, abilities, and time to further His Kingdom. Leadership is not about the personality of the leader, it is about being surrendered to our Lord and being a humble example of His character.

It has been my experience and observations over the years that the most qualified and best leaders are the ones who are hard to get. That is they are not usually seeking the position, you have to go after them. They do not want to be in the ‘limelight’, and they feel they are not qualified and able. The ‘what to be’ leader who pursues the position with lust, tend to be the worst leaders, because they tend to have distorted motives. Now these are just broad observations, make sure you and whoever is the leader has the right motives.

We are to act as examples of the Lord first before we can ask others to do so.

There are few things worse in the church than bully leaders who put others down and do not follow their own teaching. We cannot be in leadership with the focus of power and control over others, this is not the call and example of our Lord! Read the life of David and how God blessed him when his heart was in tune with His. And then take careful note of how and when David was not in tune with God, but was engulfed in his pride and lust, and the consequences of his actions.

The committee is not the ministry, but a huddle to plan the ministry!

Too many churches think that being on a committee is a ministry and the buck stops there for the ministry of the church. So what is the point in that? I cannot tell you how frustrating it is from a pastor’s perspective to be on a committee, such as Youth or Christian Education, where its board members do nothing to help the ministry. Their view is to only “oversee it,” but never see it for themselves or attend, let alone help out. It is not the call of the Lord to be a Christian supervisor, God does not need anybody to sit in a room to critique and manage His servants, who themselves are separated from the ministry. Do you see the absurdity in that? It is funny when you read it in a “Dilbert” comic strip of an incompetent boss, clueless to their task and duties, only to supervise their employees out of ignorance and apathy. I do not see the humor when Christ’s church is the example!

The church needs leaders who are involved in the ministry they are supposed to lead,…

…and if they refuse, they are the incompetent fools “Dilbert” makes fun of. We do not need this in the church! People are the feet to the mission and vision of the church, the leader will lead by example, and not from a chair or bully pulpit. The vision and mission statement are the instructions to build the model. If we try to build a model and don’t use the instructions, we will have a lot of pieces left over, and it will not look like the picture on the box. And if we spend all of our time reading the directions and never reach for the pieces and glue, what good would that be? Yet this is what a lot of leaders in the church do and then feel good about it. Our Lord does not feel good about His children sitting in rooms talking in circles and coming up with excuses when there is work to be done, and His message to be spread.

Meetings are important and necessary to do His work. They are the planning and springboard for action that needs to take place.

We need to see the committee as a football huddle, the strategy planning for the game, to plan the next play of action. As our coach, the Lord instructs us from His Word and prayer.

Do not lower your standards or compromise key theological points or Scripture for personal gain or to please some politically correct whim. Churches that compromise with Scripture and with moral and value judgments will be very surprised at the end of the game when they are called home for Judgment! We must take our task and call seriously, and take God’s Word seriously too.

Remember all the aspects of leadership require the practice of care and love.

This is the fuel to the call and attitude we are to model. This is what God calls us to do, to have the attitude of love and caring. This is what people need, and what makes a compatible church that people want to attend versus a church we go to out of obligation or flee from!

Leadership, as with all things with our Lord, has grace to it.

I have seen churches so picky with its leader selection that they pass up a lot of good people. And I have seen total boneheads brought in and the mess that occurs under their leadership. We must take careful heed to the responsibility of being leaders, and the awesome power that is at our hand, and the people under our care. With the knowledge of discipleship and growth in our Lord will come more responsibility, we must acknowledge this importance and essential element of the Christian walk. When we turn our backs to the essentials of the call and replace it with the quintessence of our own self-focus, we are spitting in the face of the sovereign Lord of the universe and the Redeemer of our soul; not a good thing to do.

So we must strive to be our best for His glory, always learning and growing.

We may never be perfect, and we will make mistakes, but the grace and the love of the Lord will allow us to persevere. The key element is to be our best for His glory, not to our whims, then we will be the great leaders that Christ calls us to. Then we will have churches that are healthy, are reaching their neighborhoods, and are filled with people growing in Christ who want to be there!

© 1994, 2001, Richard J. Krejcir, Ph.D. Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership, www.churchleadership.org

More here http://www.churchleadership.org/pages.asp?pageid=66919

Filed under: Leadership Issues | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

The Leadership Challenge P III

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Biblical Guy

 

The Training and Discipling of your Leaders must be a Priory!

Are your leaders effectively trained? Do they know what they are doing? If not why not?

Perhaps there has been no person in history who has had more influence on and instruction to the body of believers since the close of Scripture than Augustine. Augustine was the bishop of Hippo, who fought the decline of the Roman Empire and its lust towards self-destruction, and called Christians to an early reformation. He has had considerable influence on both Luther, who was an Augustinian Monk, and Calvin who quoted Augustine more than any other source, except Scripture. His “Confessions” is a must read for any serious Bible student and essential for pastors and leaders of the church!

Augustine knew human nature and the holiness of God well. He called God’s people to experience the Christian life with passion and the realization of our responsibility in the face of sin. He called leaders and pastors to “self watch,” that is to examine their spiritual condition, abilities, and sin. We must be intently aware of who we are in Christ and where we are in our walk with Christ to be effective leaders. If not, we will fail. It was true in Augustine’s time and is still true today. Because of our sinful nature, we require accountability to each other. We need to have people who know us, ask us about our prayer life, whether we’ve sinned, have been in Scripture and what we’ve learned.

Being accountable will incite us to grow further and not hide behind our natural laziness.

Accountability gives us the perimeters to be effective Christians because it forces us out of our self-desires and ourselves and into relationships with others, “as iron sharpens iron.” If the leaders of the church spend all their energies preparing themselves for their vocation, and virtually zero in preparation to be a Christian and a leader, how good and influential will they be? The disciplines of the faith will lead us to personal holiness and closer to our Lord. Time spent in Scripture and prayer, along with accountability, will hone the skill to be an effective force for our Lord and to further His Kingdom!

We must realize the responsibility we have as leaders and step up to the plate of challenge, with a surrendered will and passion to serve our Lord. Let our Lord reveal Himself to you in your devotions so it impacts who you are and how you are.

We will be effective leaders if we follow Augustine’s example. Augustine knows life well, as he spent the first 32 years of his life as the ultimate “partyer,” and then, at his conversion and realization of his sinful nature, devoted the rest of his life to show us the true way, not the self-centered party approach! The people we minister to will benefit greatly from us getting to know Augustine’s “Confessions!”

The best training is our realization of our dependence on God and each other. And the growth of our devotional life, coupled with our accountability, will make us the disciple that our Lord will greatly use. Is this not what the purpose and call of leadership is about, to serve our Lord and His people? We cannot serve Him unless we are His people and are His example in society.

The capable leader will be in tune to his gifts and abilities and will truly desire to grow in them. We need to read resources and attend seminars to further encourage and challenge us. I was asked at a recent youth pastors’ convention why I was there attending and not leading or speaking. My response was that I need to be learning too. If I spend all my time teaching, then I will not be learning effectively from other talented and capable people. Do not be the pastor or leader who sits in their office thinking they are better and do not need any training! We all need training and further education, and we cannot do this by being selfish with our minds and unwilling to yield from our pride.

 

Filed under: Leadership Issues | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Barbie’s Dream Church, Jesus, answer is found in Matthew 23…

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Biblical Guy

Barbie’s Dream Church, Jesus, answer is found in Matthew 23…

Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

The Leadership Challenge P II

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Biblical Guy

Be a good leader who points to Christ and not to yourself!

All that it takes is a few wrong decisions where sin and desire have taken over the responsibility of our call. It will cause a ripple effect that will cost and keep costing until the church is distorted and destroyed, unless repentance and forgiveness places a firewall to end the shame. The leader has to ask themselves what will my decisions cost? Pride and immorality, and placing our desires over His has a price that can never be paid. We may think a quick prayer will be the cure all, after all God is love and my decisions really do not matter in the grand scope of the universe. This thinking is dead wrong! (Yes God is love, and then what do we respond to love with?) That cost will keep escalating with compound interest that only Christ can stop.

Clean strong leadership with a focus on Christ will bring riches. Sin will bring a cost that will foreclose on the ministry and joy of what we could have had. When we defy God, then all those around us for generations to come will suffer. Let us put a stop to this insanity with the firewall of who Christ is.

So how do we do this? Let God’s Word be the mirror to show your true character and response to His call and grace. This will allow us to see our own true selves and the areas we need to grow in and listen. Because the result of these characteristics is the care, nurture and the passion to grow in Christ, this is for the listener and the hearer. Our relationship with Christ gives us the motivation to be the “Lover of the Call.” Caring by listening gives us the motivation to be the “Energizer,” that leads to being an effective leader all stemming from “Following” and “Vision.” All these characteristics are synergistically combined to build the character and leadership “right stuff” that it takes to be a leader. If we leave out one of these characteristics then we will not be as effective as we can be and as we are called to be.

Do you make it easy for people to follow you, or do you make it difficult for them?

Ministry is not an easy task, nor should we expect it to be. However this does not mean we are to put obstacles in each other’s path for spite, no are we to put others down in fear they may be better than us. We are to create the path of least resistance, while challenging them to take ownership of their task and most importantly our Lord.

It is not always realistic to find people who manifest all of these characteristics equally and effectively. That is why a team mentality is necessary in leadership. Because there will be people who are weak in some areas that others are strong in. It is essential for the leader to be sensitive to their abilities and those of others so they know their weak areas and strengths. Therefore, an effective leadership team will have a combination of all these characteristics and be a synergistic powerhouse for our Lord!

It has been said recently by a prominent church growth guru that if the pastor is not a visionary, they should not be in the pulpit. To a degree this is true when vision is from the revelation of His Word. If the pastor, or any leader, is not capable of seeing the goal and call that the Lord has, what are they going to accomplish anyway? Not much. If the pastor and leader do not know where they are going or what to do, then they cannot possibly lead others. If vision is just a plan and mission statement to push ahead with what the latest polls say, or what the large church down the street is doing, then that statement from the church growth guru is harsh because that is not leadership. Mission and purpose are very important, but is no substitute for the pastor’s heart and the shepherd’s call.

Filed under: Leadership Issues | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Be Good to your Volunteers!

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Biblical Guy

As leaders in the church for the most part we are leading volunteers. Volunteers are there out of a wiliness to serve and are not there for compensation. Thus they have different attitudes and expectations from professional staff that we must be aware of. Volunteers may also have a stronger sense of ownership to their church, and may see it as ‘my church’ and not our church. So we are to walk a path that is difficult, but not impossible. Just like managing professionals, leadership takes commitment to stay the course in a consistent course in the mist of frustration and conflict. Staying a constant course with the characteristics we will discuss is paramount. Because if we deter the ship away from the storm the waves will buffet on our sides where we are not protected or able to withstand, we will then capsize.

A ship must go into the waves head on, to be able to go through them safely. True leadership is the ability to keep the helm steady.

Most people can manage when things go well, this is not success, it is how we are with people and crises when the seas are tossed. Strong characters that are poured out to the Lord are essential. This will be the ability to move people from distrust and frustration in to a godly centered path. We are to move people past conflicts past the storm and into the waters, into the place that the church is for.

Filed under: Leadership Issues | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

The Leadership Challenge P I

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Biblical Guy

Is it about our expectations or God’s characteristics? The answer is summed up on what is the purpose of your church? Is it painful, prideful and dysfunctional as to satisfy one’s ego and plans or is it Biblical and effectual, to glorify our Living Loving LORD?

Leadership expectations of pastors and elders are often unrealistic and not centered on what leadership is really about. Too often people confuse a strong-willed personality as an effective leader, leadership is not being strong-willed, rather having a strong sense of purpose that’s centered upon God.

The church of our Lord needs leaders, not petty instigators. There are too many churches that substitute a petty person for a godly person and see no distinction, because the people who put them in power do not know the difference. People who like to quote man’s ideas and not quote God, who like the social and psychological trends not God’s Biblical precepts, people who like to be in the spotlight and not be the light to point to the blood of Christ!

What are the Biblical Characteristics of a real called of Christ Leader?

The 11 Principle Leadership Characteristics: Vision, Knowledge, Energizer, Learning, Perseverance, Maturity, Love their Call, Spunk, No Fear of Failure, Followers and Listening:

  • Vision: A vision will have your primary call from Scripture, to hear and obey His Word!
  • Knowledge is being assured that what Christ did is relevant and impacting, and is a reality that must be accepted and committed to.
  • Love their Call is Passion, it means there is nothing better you would rather do than…
  • Energizer is the importance of influence, and being attractive with Christ who gets excited and is joyful for Him!
  • Learning is to learn and grow from the experience the Lord gives us so we are an example for His work!
  • Maturity is to know that our need is to be in Christ, and not to be to ourselves!
  • Perseverance is to continue in our state of grace so we live it out in our lives and walk with Christ to the end for our eternal reward!
  • Spunk is the willingness to take a risk and go beyond ourselves, our experience and knowledge and into what is best for the body of Christ!
  • No Fear of Failure is the ability to take a risk and keep the focus and attention on our call and obedience!
  • Followers is knowing that you cannot lead where you have not been, unless the leader is a good follower of the Lord they cannot lead others effectively!
  • Listening knows to be an effectual leader, you must know how to listen, all its takes is the will to turn it on and let it work.

None of the characteristics will work unless a foundation of maturity and Godliness is the foundation of the leader. Without a growing love relationship with Christ, you will have conflict and strife, and be running a nursery for adults instead of the church for Christ. If we choose not to grow and live for our Lord, then we are choosing to live for ourselves. So prepare yourself to be a baby-sitter in a nursery, who constantly puts out fires of hurt feelings and misdirected expectations causing all kinds of problems, all leading away from the call of Christ. You will not able to function as a leader, but will be functioning as a bitter, frustrated, unfulfilled, immature individual. And I do mean individual, because you will be going it alone without the support of the Holy Spirit and of our Lord because you will be acting contrary to His call and moving forward in the direction of your own will.

 

Filed under: Leadership Issues | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Handling Traditions in the Church P 8

Posted on August 6, 2011 by Biblical Guy

Dealing with Bad Traditions 

Jesus does not attack a tradition as being intrinsically bad within itself; He attacks the religious leaders’ inconsistency, insincerity, and their practice of hypocritical legalism. For the most part, I like traditions in the church. I look forward to them and if they work, I try to do them again, even better. Evangelism campaigns, Easter celebrations, and such are sometimes sacred cows in our churches, and, more often than not, for good reason. However, when the traditions become the focus, such as when the Easter service becomes more important than Whom and what the service is about, or the evangelism campaign becomes more about the mobilizing and rallying than the focus of reaching our neighbor, we have missed the point, and have become “Pharisees.” I have been a “Pharisee (they are not fair you see)” with traditions in the past. I had to learn not to be a Sadducee (they are sad you see), but to wake up and see His glory rather than what I wanted to do or redo. If you still are not sure you have a good or bad tradition, look at it this way: a good tradition glorifies our Lord; a bad tradition glorifies its founders, leaders, and/or participants. These are replete with power struggles, gossip, bickering, and the point is often missed in the chaos of dissention. 

What can your church do to prevent, or at least inhibit, hypocrisy?  Why can external rituals not replace the inward condition of the heart? 

As far as the “sacred cows” go (programs that people cling to so much they are unwilling to review or improve them), remember that we are to honor the past and embrace the future! “Sacred cows” are best tipped by encouraging their founders and leaders that their time and energies can be better spent in a more useful direction, one they may not have considered. Allow them to brainstorm and help you do the “tipping.” Share the vision; let them visit other programs. Never follow a suggestion or do anything without their input, for “cows” may come at and crush you!   

Jesus told His disciples not to worry about the Pharisee’s power. How can this truth maintain our focus so we do not worry? 

If you are struggling with this, sit down with the leaders and powerbrokers, be in prayer, be encouraging, and restate with love the purpose of your church. (This is another reason why a good, God-honoring purpose and vision is so important—what we are about and what we are doing about it, affects everything that is done in a church.) It gets people on the same page and should be all to God’s glory!  

Look over the tradition or program and evaluate it. Meet with the parties involved, and with encouragement, start and end with prayer. (for more help, see How to Start, Develop, and Evaluate Programs)                                                                                                                                                                        

1.     Ask how can you/we get this lined up better so it glorifies Christ and not just please personalities? Pick their brains for ideas.

2.     What has currently been working well? What has not? (Get them to see the big picture; What do you all need to do?)

 3.     What should you have avoided?

 4.     What were the past successes and failures? How can things be made better?

 5.     Now, map out the successes and failures during the past year. If no evaluation has been done before, go back five years, regardless of leadership changes.

 6.     Do not put people down; rather, use this time to lift up and encourage! Make it a comfortable time. Be open, listen, support the idea or premise of the program, and encourage the people being evaluated to do the same. Condescending attitudes of the leadership will cause more destruction that not having a program at all!

 7.     Now, brainstorm ideas for changes. Be honest and do not feel you have to make changes if nothing is wrong. If it works, don’t fix it! Investigate small things that can be done to make improvements. If it is in shambles, at worst, you may have to start over or even “can” it. At best, it might just need some tinkering and encouragement or new leadership! If so, have a banquet or do something to honor the ones who have served, and make sure they are not out of the loop. (Keep it open for their return when they are ready.) It is easier to sew on a patch than to buy a new coat!

 8.     List the steps toward achieving the goals you came up with. 

 9.     Make sure you honor the people who have worked hard, and encourage them to seek to be better by mutual faith and cooperation. If they refuse, then you have a fight on your hands. (At that point, handle it in prayer and as conflict, and follow our steps on our conflict channel.)

 10.  Write this all down so you have a record to go back to, and keep in mind any good program or tradition must have benefits for the church and community and must glorify our Lord!

  

Filed under: Church Traditions | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

John Stott is with the Lord!

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Biblical Guy

I lost a good friend and mentor to me and my uncle…may the
Lord truly open His loving arms to one of the few who truly honored and served
the Lord with such distinction and reverence, I miss you John, receive you
reward!

“The Christian Church has lost one of its greatest leaders: John Stott. Uncle John, as many called him,
went to be with his Lord on Wednesday, July 27th at 3:15 in London. He was 90
years old.

John Stott
pictured in the English Lake District during the famous Keswick Convention
where he was a regular featured speaker

His life will be missed. But
his wisdom and love of God lives on through his books and teachings.

Several years back I wrote an
article on Mr. Stott’s influence in my life when I heard the news of his
retirement. I release it again in his honor. The article was entitled, Heroes.

Heroes

Ok, I admit it! I am a fan.
But not in the traditional sense – one akin to rock stars, actors and sports
figures. Rather, I am a fan of people the Lord has used: intelligent,
God-saturated, and Christ-haunted; a life consumed by the radical
transformation of the Holy Sprit.

I remember as a teenager
hanging up pictures of Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., and passages from
the Bible all over my wall. Growing up in a Presbyterian church, but, later,
attending the Church of the Brethren, the folks I looked up to were the
“radicals.”

Then I began to read.

It was in my late teenage
years that I began to soak myself in Francis Schaeffer, C.S. Lewis, and John
Stott, along with a long list of poets. Instead of putting posters on the wall
of these new fellows (why aren’t there any good posters of them out there
anyway?) I became a fan of their lives and ideas.

In a sense, these men became
my heroes.

Heroes are hard to come by
these days. People who are admired for noble qualities, exceptional
achievements, and courage- in word and deed- truly are a thing to behold.

So when I hear that one of my
heroes is to retire, my world stands silenced. I begin to ponder the beauty of
what the Lord has accomplished in their life. I sit grateful that I had the
opportunity to watch this hero interact with humanity; learning from his or her
integrity, listening to his or her voice, and pondering his or her life.

The hero I am referring to is
John Stott, British pastor, author, ornithologist, and Christian statesman. And
though he is retiring from full time ministry in July 2007 at age 86, this
champion of the Christian faith will remain as God made him to be – a humble,
hero, impacting lives through his many books, sermons, and interaction with
people and God’s creation throughout the world.

I must ask myself, what it is
that makes John Stott a hero of mine? Though I can rattle off a list of things,
one attributes come to mind: Knowing and Doing! John Stott not only taught us
what to “know,” but encouraged us to “do” what we know!

A Life

John Stott with Billy Graham

Born in 1921, educated at Rugby
and Cambridge, pastoring All Souls Church in London, and spending the remainder
of his life as iterant preacher, pastor, bird-watcher, and author, John Stott
has become one of the most influential and impacting men in the Christian world
today (even in the “secular” media he has garnered some attention –
Time Magazine and The New York Times).

In a day when the
celebrity-pastor is the norm, John Stott is a gentle reminder that the mark of
a man is not his fame or fortune, but the makeup of his character and the
quality of his life and work, stemming from an unwavering trust in the One he
serves- Jesus Christ.

True Stott has written over
50 books, many of them best sellers, but instead of buying the large house on
the hill and retiring, he has elected to use the resources to build a
Foundation (Langham Partnership) and promote missions throughout the world
through pastor training and support.

True John Stott has framed
some of the most important evangelical documents of the 20th century (Lausanne
Covenant, and Evangelical Truth), written commentaries, theological works, and
analysis of contemporary issues, yet what I marvel at is that his life never
became just about knowing things (though important knowing is). Rather, his
life has been balanced between the two worlds of ideas and action- knowing the
Christian life and living the Christian life. John Stott has showed us that
knowing and doing, understanding and living-out, are the two major components
of the Christian life; two sides to the same coin. His life is a reflection of
this balance (see the fine biography by Dudley-Smith to see how this balance
has fully played out).

Personal Reflections

Through most of my early
Christian life John Stott’s presence was through his books: The Cross of
Christ, Basic Christianity, and his commentaries.

But in 2005 that all changed.
After reading Evangelical Truth, I decided to reach out to one of my heroes-
thanking him for the book.

To my surprise he contacted
me back, via email. He had one of his assistants type up the email, but I was
thrilled to receive it nonetheless.

As one who served at Calvary
Chapel of Costa Mesa (along with another wonderful Christian leader, Chuck
Smith), I wanted to let him know that his books and witness for Christ are
appreciated.

I Thank You, John Stott

So, as you wrap up your full
time ministry this month, Mr. Stott, I, and millions of others, would like to
say, “thank you” for being a faithful man of God, being obedient to
the call Christ placed on your life, and teaching others to do the same.

May the Lord richly bless you
in your retirement!

Reward

And now, three years after I
wrote this article, I say, God bless you, John, for your life and ministry, our
loss is heaven’s gain.

Billy Graham

I close with a moving
statement just issued by evangelist Billy Graham on the passing of John Stott:

“The evangelical world
has lost one of its greatest spokesmen, and I have lost one of my close
personal friends and advisors. I look forward to seeing him again when I go to
Heaven,” he said from his home in Montreat, North Carolina.

I echo Mr.
Graham’s words.”

From ASSIST News Service (ANS) – PO Box 609, Lake
Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA

Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net
and Brian Nixon
is a writer, musician, minister, and family man. You may contact him at www.briannixon.com

Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: | Leave a comment »

Dogmatics in action!

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Biblical Guy

Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment »

Handling Traditions in the Church P 7

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Biblical Guy

How do we go before God?

Jesus asks, hear and understand; so do we? Jesus is not talking about the biochemistry of bacteria and disease with this hand washing custom or any specifics or whys of a tradition. Rather, He is indicating the spiritual. How do we go before God? How is He honored? How does this benefit the faith of the people in the church or show Christ outside of it? Do we use repetitive, meaningless traditions that have no foundation? Or, do we seek Him in truth, worship, and devotion for His glory, and not ours? The key question to ask about any program, outreach, ritual, or tradition that your church does or may do is this: How is Christ honored and displayed?

How can traditions be a good way to honor our Lord? Is this possible?

When Jesus tells them, the Pharisees were offended—oh really? Perhaps it was as many of us are when we are challenged with truth or better ideas. We might say, “oh well, too bad,” but consider that it would be like offending your top denominational leaders and your top government leaders all at once today! The Pharisees had no real political power under Roman occupation, but they had considerable influence amongst the people, so the Romans used the Pharisees to keep the people under control. Just as many of the power brokers and workers—good and bad—in a church may not be in official leadership, but they wield influence. When we challenge the bad sacred cow, they may take their ball (money) and go home. We must allow them to do so, as honoring God is more important than pleasing petty people and the risk of losing capital. You have to know this and respect the people, but at the same time be “peace makers” and keep the Truth as truth.

You have to care enough to confront, to model the Christ to whom we lead others. Jesus was not afraid of confrontation because His focus was God’s Truth. Because Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, He frees us from the bondage of legalism and false doctrines into the freedom of hope and rest (Col. 2:16-17). Jesus also frees us from the bondage that misguided, evil people place on others for personal gain. But, we must remove our attention and Will from such wrong paths, and place our focus upon Him. We must not see our traditions as a yoke to keep our eyes off His wonders and call.

What would happen to you if you offended your top church elders, denominational leaders, and your top city and state government leaders all at once? What kind of boldness and confidence would this take? How do we get such confidence? Remember, there is a line between boldness and recklessness!

In a healthy church, we are to honor the past, but we are not to live in the past. We are to live in the present and embrace the future with our call and gifts, and take hold of His opportunities, serving and trusting in our Lord. We are to be in His freedom and rest, as He is the God of love and delight, not the God who burdens needlessly. And, we are to embrace the future and the wonders still to come (Heb. 4:9). Bad traditions and bad personalities are forms of legalism, and this is a yoke that will distract us from His wonders and call. We will not see Christ; we will only see the yoke and its stranglehold upon us. Lest we put it on others to distract them, we must take it off and embrace our real Lord. As the last passage in Matthew 11:29 tells us, we need to take off our old, heavy burden, and place ourselves in His strength. Allow Christ to be your strength—not your thoughts, ideas, aspirations, or Will—as they will lead you astray. He will lead you to rest (Psalm. 55:22; Neh. 8:10; Isa. 40:29)!

What can you do to prevent robbing yourself of the opportunities God gives you?

Jesus told His disciples not to worry about the Pharisee’s power; He placed the focus on Truth and away from falsehoods (Matt. 3:10). External rituals cannot replace the inward condition of the heart because what we are to do is all about aligning oneself either with Him or with self and other false belief systems and sin. This includes bad programming and bad traditions, as they represent bad stewardship of His precepts and call. Even be a good program, or social gathering can be bad if it takes the place of and draws our attention, especially away from our worship and devotion to Christ. The heart is purified by our faith and obedience, not by our service; our service is a Fruit of our love and obedience to God (Isa. 1: 10-20; 29:13; 59:13; John 10:34; Acts 15:9; Rom. 8:14; 1 Cor. 10:33; 2 Thess. 3:6).

How do we come before God? Is it with repetitive, meaningless traditions that have no foundation, or do we seek Him in truth, worship, and devotion for His glory and not ours? Why is this so hard for some?

 

Filed under: Church Traditions | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

« Previous Page — Next Page »