“Getting Back to Basics”

Attack on the Family

Jeremiah 29:4-6

⁴ “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, ⁵ ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. ⁶ Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. 

In Jeremiah 29, God instructed His people to marry and to reproduce while in captivity.  He also instructed them to find wives for their sons and to give their daughters away in marriage.  He gave this instruction to ensure that their numbers would not diminish while in captivity.  God wanted to make certain that there would be people to recoup when He came to set them free from their captors.  Marriage and reproduction would be the main component to ensure Israel’s success.  Today, however, the value of marriage and producing children has been devalued by many. 

As our nation continues to lower its standards, people increasingly place more value on careers, positions, wealth, and possessions rather than creating a family.  We are warned in 1 Timothy 4 that in the last days, many would be deceived and discourage others from getting married.  Unfortunately, as society is abandoning the institution of marriage, the church is slowly being indoctrinated to adopt this mindset as well.  However, God is still looking for His people to marry and create families because He does not expect our numbers to diminish.

God’s expectation for fathers is to be a tangible representation of God in the home.  When fathers discipline their children, it develops structure in them and provides an understanding that God has also created a standard for us to live by.  When fathers provide for the family, it illustrates that God is not only able to provide but He WILL provide for His children.  As a father protects his family, it establishes the foundation for the trust that is needed to rely on God to protect his own.

When the family is in order, the church will return to order.  When the church returns to order, it has enough power and influence to cause society to function in an orderly manner.  The devil has attacked the family relentlessly because he understands that if the structure of the family is unstable, everything else will become unstable.  God has created husbands, wives and children as a symbol of strength and in order to create destruction in society, the enemy of humanity must destroy the family.  Getting back to basics is essential to restoring order to society.   

 

“Getting Back to Basics”

Wives

Genesis 3:16

¹⁶ To the woman He said:

“I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;
In pain you shall bring forth children;
Your desire shall be for your husband,
And he shall rule over you.”

1 Peter 3:1-4

In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, ² as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. ³ Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; ⁴ but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.

God created man to bring Him glory and as a gift to man, God created woman.  Satan, however, has desired from the beginning, to sever the unification between husbands and wives and one ideology that was used to disrupt their union is feminism. 

Many women were unable to discern the hidden trap that feminism was setting for them.  The system of feminism is so strong that even some of the women who rejected the movement, unknowingly accepted the tenets of feminism.  God has placed an innate desire within women to marry and bear children.  Feminism contests this desire by encouraging independence in women.  Unfortunately for some, by the time they realize that they have been deceived, their window for marriage and conception has closed. 

Women, who have been fortunate enough to marry, were given a blueprint for obtaining success in their marriages.  The Bible has instructed wives to be submissive to their OWN husbands.  It is their submissiveness that provides the atmosphere for a husband who has veered away from the right path, to find his way back. 

Submission is a benefit to the subordinate in any relationship.  The responsibility for oversight belongs to the head.  Duties can be delegated but the leader is ultimately obliged to accept blame or for anything that goes wrong.  Society has presented such a negative image of submission that many wives and single women reject the idea of submission.  As a result, the number of weddings has declined to the degree that some wedding boutiques have gone out of business. 

As time progresses, more women are growing older alone and are becoming responsible for providing the care for themselves that a husband was previously responsible for providing.  The further we stray from abiding by biblical teaching and instruction; the worse the outcome will be.  In order to avoid some of the negative consequences in life, it is necessary for us to get back to the basics.           

 

“Getting Back to Basics”

Husbands

Genesis 2:24

²⁴ For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

1 Peter 3:7

⁷ You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

In preparation for marriage, the couple should develop the mindset that the SPOUSE is the number one person in every relationship that they have.  Parents, siblings, children, friends and other family members do not come before the spouse.  Husbands were charged with giving honor to their wives and there are numerous scriptures that instruct husbands to love their wives.  The original text uses agape as the specific form of love that husbands are required to have for their wives.  In order to give a simple definition of agape, it could be explained as having a person’s best interest at heart; regardless of how you may feel about them at any given time. 

Ephesians 5:25 reveals that a husband has a responsibility to sacrifice for his wife spiritually as well as physically.  As the head of the family, the husband is admonished by Colossians 3:19 to avoid dealing with his wife in a harsh manner.  Proverbs 18:22 indicates that if a man is able to find a wife he has found something of value and once he marries her, he receives favor from the Lord.    

A husband’s role should mirror the role that Christ displayed with His disciples.  One characteristic that He exhibited was proper correction.  Jesus lived by a standard and He never allowed his feelings for His followers to prevent Him from correcting them when they were in error.  When James and John desired to call down fire from heaven on the Samaritans who refused to welcome Jesus into their village, Jesus quickly addressed and corrected their improper thinking (Luke 9:54). 

Another characteristic that Jesus displayed was that of a protector.  When the Roman soldiers came to arrest Jesus, He allowed Himself to be taken into their custody and instructed them to allow His disciples to freely leave (John 18:3-11). 

American culture has attempted to redefine the role and responsibility of a husband.  God designed men to be the providers for the family.  He never intended for husbands to be stay at home dads while the wife went to work to provide for the family.  Husbands were created and commissioned to be the leaders of the family and the head of household.  As leaders, husbands may delegate certain responsibilities to their wives, but they are never to abdicate their role as leader.  A husband who desires to lead his home in a godly manner will have to violate current day social norms.  He will have to declare, as Joshua did, “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”     

 

“Getting Back to Basics”

Introduction

In the game of basketball, Tim Duncan was one of the most notable power forwards of all time.  There are people who have averaged more points per game than him and there are people who have averaged more rebounds per game than him.  Although these individuals may have had superstar moments, all of these people have experienced dry periods in their careers.  Tim Duncan, however, maintained consistency throughout his career.  You never saw him come down the court and do a 360 dunk and you never saw him displaying fancy dribble skills.  What you did observe was him putting the ball in the basket; CONSISTENTLY.  He was even nicknamed the Big Fundamental.  But his continued grip on the basics is what earned him the continued success that he had year after year.  Tim is in a class by himself because he never strayed away from the basics.  He was even teased because he didn’t do ANYTHING fancy, but his record is still undeniable. 

As Christians, it is necessary for us to focus on the basics.  The basics never appear to be flashy but the basics brings success.  We discover what the basics are by studying the word of God.  The world is in the state that it is specifically because of the abandonment of the basics.  The Church is responsible for introducing and teaching people right relationship with God.  We are also responsible for defining the roles of men and women according to the Word of God. 

Many do not believe that men and women should have specific roles nor do they desire to follow any predetermined role that God has established for us.  However, abandoning the roles that God has defined for us have placed men and women in competition with one another.  But, at the end of the day, it is impossible for men and women to be competitors because our roles are vastly different from one another.  The purpose of the differences in roles is to create balance and structure within the family and society.  God did not only create specific roles for us to follow, He also created our bodies to comply with these roles and He created chemicals and hormones to keep us on track with these roles. 

In the upcoming weeks, we will review what the Bible has to teach us concerning the roles and responsibilities of the husband and wife within the family and the effect that those roles have on society at large.

Genesis 1:26-28

²⁶ Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. ²⁸ God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

 

“Hypnotic Influence”

Devices of Influence

The brain is a very intricate part of the body but it is also very fragile.  It has the ability to process data at incredible speeds.  However, it is vulnerable to outside manipulation.  Television, computers, and smartphones are mediums that allow us to view digital images and videos that have a hypnotic effect on our brains.

When we watch television, the images that we view are not solid images.  They are really images that are flashing or refreshing too rapidly for our eyes to detect.  But our brain is affected by what our eyes see.  As we view these images, the left hemisphere of our brain which is our cognitive and analytical side becomes more dormant.  Our left brain is the side that processes information and determines which information to allow in and which information to disregard.  The right side of our brain is more emotional and non-critical.  According to research conducted by Dr. Herbert Krugman, former president of the American Psychological Association, as we watch television, the left hemisphere of our brain decreases in operation and the right hemisphere of our brain doubles its activity rate.  This is considered an extreme neurological anomaly. 

Psycho physiologist Thomas Mulholland has shown thru research that after 30 seconds of watching television, your brain will go into an almost comatose state.  The neo-cortex, which is the midbrain, controls sensory perception, motor commands, spatial reasoning, conscious thought and language.  This part of the brain is shut down and brain activity is transferred to the limbic system, which is our lower brain.  This part of the brain controls emotion, behavior, motivation, long term memory, and olfaction.  Television causes our cognitive thinking to dissipate and allows our emotional thinking to take control.  Longitudinal studies have shown that extended use of our lower brain leads to higher brain atrophy.  Our brain can absorb 1800 pictures a minute and 40,000 pictures while watching a 30 minute program. 

Subliminal messages are messages that are hidden within video files or desktop backgrounds that have the purpose of programming people’s minds.  These messages have the ability to bypass the conscious mind and go directly to the subconscious.

Many times, we are witnesses of crass behavior exhibited by others.  While we may be baffled by the behavior, in many cases, what we are experiencing is a demonstration of what occurs when the left side of your brain or your cognitive side has been disengaged for an extended period of time.  When we do not exercise caution or restraint with the information we allow into our spirits, we open ourselves up to concepts and ideologies that go against the mindset that the Bible teaches us to have.  

In one experiment, 182 West Germans agreed to avoid television for a year with the promise of receiving payment for successfully doing so.  None of them lasted longer than six months.  Each of them exhibited increased anxiety, frustration and depression.  These are the same symptoms of heroin withdrawal.  

Even though certain devices may appear to be innocent or harmless, they can have a deleterious effect on us.  As born again believers in Christ, we have a responsibility to display a changed and different lifestyle than unrepentant individuals.  However, some of our favorite entertainments may interfere with our ability to do so.

Romans 12:2

² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

 

“Hypnotic Influence”

Introduction

The term hypnosis is defined as inducing a high state of suggestibility, often thinly disguised as relaxation or meditation.  Three methods of introducing hypnosis are repetitive music, voice roll, and room feel.  Here’s a brief description of each one:

In the case of “repetitive music” (most likely with a beat close to the human heart of 45-72 beats per minute), the rhythm along with harmonic progressions relaxes the subconscious mind and opens it up for manipulation.  

A “voice roll” is a patterned, paced style used by hypnotist when inducing a trance.  It is also used by many lawyers, several of whom are highly trained hypnotist, when they desire to entrench a point firmly in the minds of the jurors.  A voice roll can sound as if the speaker was talking to the beat of a metronome or it may sound as though they were emphasizing every word in a monotonous, patterned style.  The words will usually be delivered at the rate of 45-60 beats per minute, maximizing the hypnotic effect.

Lastly, the way a “room feels” is essential to hypnotizing unknowing subjects.  It requires special lighting.  Florescent lights are the best because they aren’t too dim, but aren’t too harsh.  The temperature of the room also plays a role in the process of introducing hypnosis.  It helps to have the room a little cooler than room temperature.  You need to have the unknowing subjects very relaxed, perhaps even close to falling asleep.

People have associated hypnosis with a hypnotist standing on stage swinging a pendulum back and forth repeating the words, “You’re Getting Sleepy.”  The hypnotist then commands the individual to bark like a dog or cluck like a chicken.  This image of hypnosis is given in order to mask the demonic effect of true hypnosis.  Hypnosis is used to enter the subconscious and affect the thinking or actions of an individual. 

The Bible does not support the manipulation of a person’s thinking.  God forbids deception of any kind.  Second Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 14 warns us that even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.  God makes us aware of certain practices that go on so that we can use wisdom by avoiding situations that places us in physical or spiritual danger.

2 Corinthians 4:1-4

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. ² But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. ³ But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, ⁴ whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

 

“Positional Servitude”

Part 2

Ephesians 4:11-16

¹¹ And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴ that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Being licensed and ordained is not an automatic qualification of service for an individual who leaves one ministry and joins another.  When a person resigns their membership at one church and joins another, they still need to be tested and approved of before they are placed in a position to serve in a leadership capacity.  Some pastors have discovered the hard way that certain people were not qualified for the positions that they had acquired.  One question that needs to be answered is how did they leave their last church?  Did they formally inform the leader of that ministry that they were resigning from their position there to attend another ministry?  Were they subject to authority while attending the previous ministry or did they leave because they could not get their way?  Do they exhibit arrogance and believe that they are greater than they actually are? 

Many pastors have inherited people problems from other ministries.  It’s important to know whether a ministry actually requires a person to PRODUCE in order to serve in a particular position.  Unfortunately, in some instances, a person may be considered qualified for a position because they have contributed large offerings or have been long time members.

In some cases, pastors may require that their ministers obtain a letter of request if another ministry invites the minister to preach.  The pastor has this stipulation in place in order for the minister to receive permission to preach outside of their local church.  Some may view this as being an unnecessary process because the pastor should not hinder the person from doing the “Lord’s” work.  However, many pastors are experienced in ministry and possess knowledge that can provide protection from unpleasant and negative experiences.  If a ministry or a particular leader is unscrupulous, the minister’s pastor may be aware of this information and intervene so that the minister is not taken advantage of.  But the greatest thing that this process will reveal is whether the minister is accountable to anyone or not.  God doesn’t use A-N-Y-O-N-E who is not accountable to someone else.  God does not expect for members of the body of Christ to function without accountability.  Some people have gotten angry with their pastor because the pastor would not “recognize” their gift and place them in a position, but the pastor recognized that the person lacked humility and their lack of humility disqualified them from being of any service to God.  Every position that God has provided to benefit the body of Christ should be filled by individuals who are humble and possess a good work ethic.  

 

“Positional Servitude”

Part 1

Ephesians 4:11-16

¹¹ And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴ that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Many ministry leaders are impotent in their service to God because there are individuals serving in positions they have not been qualified to possess.  Some pastors have become overwhelmed because they have become a one man army instead of an army of one body.  God never intended for one person to do EVERYTHING!

In Exodus 18, Moses’ father-in-law observed as Moses was judging Israel.  After he saw how Moses conducted business, he told Moses, Man you’re going to kill yourself!  Then he wisely instructed Moses to choose capable leaders to judge the small issues and to bring the most difficult issues to Moses.  Some pastors are expected to visit people in the hospital, bury the dead, counsel everyone, conduct weddings, feed the hungry, etc.  One person cannot do E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!  Do you know why deacons were chosen? The deacons were selected to fulfill the day to day responsibilities that would prohibit the Apostles from spending adequate time studying and preaching the word of God.  Many churches have deacons and ministers who are unfruitful and lazy.  The position of deacon and minister are not given so that certain individuals may have specialized seating.  If the person is not functioning in the capacity that the positions require, capable people should be replacing them.  I know that it can be a difficult choice to remove people from leadership positions.  However, if they are not a benefit to the people, they need to be replaced.  One way to determine if an individual is mature in the faith is to observe their response to correction.  If they are not mature in the faith, they may leave.  If they do, that will be one less problem to deal with.

No one obtains spiritual maturity overnight and we ALL need time and opportunity to grow, but there should be a certain amount of growth BEFORE people assume positions.  The Bible teaches us that there should be a testing phase BEFORE people step into various positions.  In Matthew 19, a young man came to Jesus wanting to know how he could obtain eternal life.  Jesus’ response was for him to keep the commandments.  The young man acknowledged that he had observed the commandments all of his life.  Jesus then instructed him to sell all of his possessions and give the money to the poor.  The young man had no desire to comply with these instructions and he left.  Guess what Jesus did?  HE LET HIM GO!  Jesus didn’t run after him and try to convince him to stay and He did not change the requirements in order to appease him.  Jesus gave him a choice and the young man chose his possessions. 

Many people in our current culture would call Jesus’ actions hardcore and unloving, but God has standards and He requires us to live up to them.  God is also a just God and the only reason He would require us to relinquish anything is because it doesn’t benefit us in our relationship with Him.  He will replace whatever we have given up with the things He wants us to have. But He wants to be our FIRST choice.  Jesus did not cater to people’s expectations and He doesn’t expect us to compromise His principles either.  If a person cannot support a ministry or pastor without having a title or position, they are not a benefit to that ministry or the kingdom of God, and if they desire to leave, so be it.  Leaders who serve under the leader of a ministry are required by God to support the vision of the leader as they have received it from God.  God expects those who have been chosen for support to do just that:  support.  If a person is unable to support what the leader has instituted, they are no longer qualified to serve in that capacity or they need to relocate to a ministry that they can support.  God will not approve of mutiny or disorder.

 

“Giving Respect to Leaders”

Part 2

Many assume that when a leader is in error, they are within their rights to offer the harshest correction possible.  However, this viewpoint is wrong.  God has LEADERS who are qualified to correct His leaders. 

When David committed adultery with Bathsheba, people who were in the palace were probably aware of it.  However, God sent Nathan the prophet to tell David of his sin.  David was willing to receive a rebuke from someone that was selected by God to bring correction.  Do you know who didn’t tell David about his sin?  The chef.  Even though the cook may have been aware of the act that took place and would have been fully correct in calling David’s actions sin, if he had done so, there would have been a vacancy for a chef.  It is not likely that David would have been willing to receive correction from someone who was not in a position to properly correct him. 

God is a God of order and He has His way of handling everything.  Even if a leader is in error or has not been chosen by God to be a leader, they are still a REPRESENTATION of God and should be handled with caution when addressing them.  When David was anointed to be Saul’s successor to the throne and Saul tried to take his life, David simply fled.  He did not duel it out with Saul and kill him even though Saul was in the wrong, and David did not allow anyone else to harm Saul either.  If a leader is in error, and is not living in accordance to God’s Word, we have the option to leave that church and allow God to deal with that leader.  If we stay and disrespect them, God will deal with them and He will deal with us.  His rules are THE rules.  There have been times when two different people have committed similar crimes and the one who committed the smaller crime received a harsher penalty than the one who committed the greater crime.  While that may not seem fair, each individual is being punished for the fact that they have committed a crime.  God is about order.  The reason that we cannot simply break protocol and deal with the issue the way we would prefer is because God only functions in ORDER and a lack of order leads to ANARCHY. 

In the military, many people have worn the rank of Colonel.  Every person did not deserve to wear the rank but each one had to be respected because the person will not always be in a position of leadership but the RANK will always carry AUTHORITY and the AUTHORITY of the position must not be COMPROMISED.  We cannot disrespect leaders because most people lack the ability to distinguish the difference between the PERSON and the POSITION and God does not want us to cause others to diminish the authority of the positions He has created.   There is a difference between Eli the priest and Samuel.

Many of the issues that we face originate from a lack of submission to authority.  A lack of submission to authority is a lack of order in the eyes of God.  God will NEVER dwell where there is a lack of order.  Even though we’re children of God, He will distance Himself from us when we live without order.  He has a standard that He requires us to live by in order for us to please Him and be in right alignment with Him.  It doesn’t matter what place or position we hold in God, we are not exempt from living by His standard.  We will suffer the consequences of our actions until we get in order and do things God’s way! The reason God is such a stickler concerning our respect for leadership is because unless we can properly honor a human leader, we can NEVER properly honor God’s position.  First John 4:20 teaches that we cannot love God in lieu of loving another human. 

1 John 4:20-21

²⁰ If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? ²¹ And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

 

“Giving Respect to Leaders”

Part 1

Numbers 12:1-15

Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. ² So they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it. ³ (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.)

⁴ Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!” So the three came out. ⁵ Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. ⁶ Then He said,

“Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision;
I speak to him in a dream.
⁷ Not so with My servant Moses;
He is faithful in all My house.
⁸ I speak with him face to face,
Even plainly, and not in dark sayings;
And he sees the form of the Lord.
Why then were you not afraid
To speak against My servant Moses?”

⁹ So the anger of the Lord was aroused against them, and He departed. ¹⁰ And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. ¹¹ So Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. ¹² Please do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb!”

¹³ So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “Please heal her, O God, I pray!”

¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again.” ¹⁵ So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again.

The pastor may be your parent, sibling, relative, or friend but often times, we do not know how to properly separate the roles.  If the pastor is your close friend, it’s fine to call him “Mike” when the two you are alone or with a small intimate group.  But you should not address him in an informal manner in front of the whole church just to show everyone that the two of you are close enough to refer to one another on a first name basis. 

When people become familiar with a leader they sometimes speak to them or about them in a disrespectful manner because they do not realize how God views the position.  People do not fully understand how God views leadership.  Even if a leader is completely wrong, God never SUPPORTS or PERMITS the disrespect of leaders.  In Acts 23:1-5, Paul mistakenly disrespects the high priest but when it is brought to his attention who the man is, Paul IMMEDIATELY acknowledges his error.  Although this man does not acknowledge Jesus as God and he was completely wrong for instructing someone to assault Paul, God still doesn’t authorize Paul to speak against someone in his position.  God requires that the position of leadership be respected.

 

“The Character of a Godly Leader”

Conclusion

Titus 1:9 explains that a godly leader will hold fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.

Normally, the closer we get to one another, the more leniency we tend to have with each other. But what I have discovered is the closer we get to God, the more accountable He holds us.  On one occasion, God commanded Moses to take his rod and his brother and gather the Israelites and SPEAK to the rock in their mist and command water to come out.  Moses, out of anger, struck the rock instead.  When we study Exodus thru Deuteronomy, we observe that Moses spent a lot of time with God and as a result, kept his errors down to a minimum.  And by minimum, I mean almost nonexistent.  In comparison to the other Israelites, Moses was flawless.  But God does not calculate as we do.  He doesn’t measure our actions in percentages and He doesn’t determine our goodness by comparing us to others.  He decides whether we are OBEDIENT or DISOBEDIENT.  For his disobedience and lack of belief, God declared that Moses would not accompany the Israelites to the end of the journey.  God expects total obedience from His leaders.  He holds His leaders completely accountable.

 

“The Character of a Godly Leader”

Part 2

Men have to be qualified for leadership in order to lead God’s people properly.  The following qualities of a godly leader can be found in Titus 1:7-9 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7 (Continuation from blog on May 7)

1.       Holy:  We are expected to live lives that are pleasing to God.  While we may error at times, we are supposed to make every effort to live according to God’s standard.  We should never glorify or showcase our sin as a means of displaying our humanity.  Some have taught that it is necessary to stand in front of the church and confess our sins.  However, the Word of God does not support this concept.  In Romans 7:19 Paul says, “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.”   No one knows the specific evil that Paul is referring to because he never reveals it.  The gospel is what wins people to Christ, not the demonstration or knowledge of our flaws.

2.      Self-controlled:  Exercising temperance allows people to visually witness God’s standard in action.  Where there is a lack of self-control, anarchy and mayhem are welcomed.  Self-control displays the presence of God because God only exists where there is order.  No order, no God. 

3.      Good Behavior:  A leader should display good and orderly behavior when others can see him AND when they cannot.

4.      Able to Teach:  He should be properly prepared and well learned in order to give knowledge to those who are uninformed. 

5.      Not violent:  A leader should not be easily vexed and should display a measure of self-control.

6.      Not covetous:  There should never be a desire to confiscate anything that belongs to someone else.

7.      Rules his house well:  This is a huge one because it places the spotlight on leaders who have neglected their homes for the sake of ministry.  Some have declared that if you take care of God’s house, He will take care of your house.  But the Bible teaches that a leader has to take care of their house BEFORE they can be qualified to take care of God’s house.  If they cannot discipline their own children, how can they maintain order among God’s people?

8.      Not a novice:  There are modern day examples where talent or status were viewed as a qualification for leadership, but the individuals ended up walking away from the position when the going got tough or a more desirable offer presented itself.

9.      Must have a good testimony within society:  A leader should display one life.  While everyone has flaws, a leader’s life OUTSIDE the church should mirror the life that he displays INSIDE the church.

 

“The Character of a Godly Leader”

Part 1

The character of a godly leader plays a key role in their effectiveness in leadership.  They may say all the right things but their lives may contradict the message that they teach.  In Matthew 23:2-3 Jesus says, “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses. ³ Therefore, whatever they tell you, do and comply with it all, but do not do as they do; for they say things and do not do them.” 

Men have to be qualified for leadership in order to lead God’s people properly.  The following qualities of a godly leader can be found in Titus 1:7-9 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7

1. Not self-willed:  Leaders should be prayerful in regard to God’s will being done; not their own will.  As individuals, we may come up with plans for how we desire for things to go but we need to seek God to determine what He desires to occur. 
2. Not quick tempered:  Proverbs 14:17 says that “a quick tempered man acts foolishly.”  James 1:20 reveals that “the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”  God requires us to make sound decisions.  A leader cannot lead or function in ministry properly if his actions are constantly governed by his emotions.
3. Not given to wine:  The use of alcohol impairs our judgment when we consume too much, and it has the ability to kill our brain cells even when we consume small amounts of it. 
4. Not violent:  If a leader is throwing temper tantrums when he doesn’t get his way, something is wrong.  That is called immaturity and immaturity is a disqualification of leadership.
5. Not greedy for money:  The gospel of prosperity was pushed so hard that many people do not believe that they are blessed unless they have an exorbitant amount of money.  When we are money hungry, we can easily be bought and led astray.
6.  Hospitable:  This word means to be friendly or welcoming to strangers or guests.  Displaying hospitality is a key attribute of a leader because it keeps his role as servant in its proper perspective. 
7. Lover of what is good:  Isaiah 1:17 says “Learn to do good;
   Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor, Obtain justice for the orphan,
   Plead for the widow’s case.”  A godly leader should be an advocate of righteousness.
8. Sober-minded:  It is important to be sober-minded for 2 reasons:  1) we make better decisions when we are not emotionally driven and 2) it is not likely that we will be open to fallacious ideas or concepts.  Timothy and Titus are two books in the bible that specifically address sound doctrine.  They teach us God’s perspective on living our lives as Christians.  Sober, in this context points toward exercising discretion. 
9. Just:  If a friend and another person are in a heated argument and the other person is in the right, can we support the individual who is right, rather than taking the side our friend?  The act of being just is being able to identify and correct wrong in spite of what we may personally feel about the behavior.

 

“The Character of a Godly Leader”

Numbers 12:3

Now the man Moses was very humble,

more than all men who were on the face of the earth.

Introduction

The single most important quality for a godly leader to possess is humility.  Humility has been open to many people’s personal explanation, but the simplest definition that I have heard to describe humility is that it is not when you think too little of yourself; humility is not thinking of yourself at all.  Having humility does not mean that we do not care about our well-being; it means that, we “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3)

Moses was God’s number one man for one simple reason:  he was the most humble man on the face of the earth.  In addition to having humility, God gave him great authority to lead the nation of Israel.  Godly leaders focus on God’s agenda, not their own.  Godly leaders are stewards, not dictators or monarchs.  A pastor has the authority to determine that a leader in the church cannot serve in leadership if he is having sex outside of marriage.  A pastor can also determine that a leader in the church cannot serve in leadership while being involved in a homosexual relationship.  These are acceptable restrictions because church leaders do not represent themselves only; they represent the ministry that they are a part of, and they represent God. 

In his book, A Burden Shared, David Roper says this concerning authority in leadership:  “It means leading by persuasion, reason, and proclamation of the Word of God, rather than by personal mandate and ultimatum.  We cannot dictate or demand.  We can only declare.” 

The moment that anyone in the kingdom of God is forced to do anything beyond their own volition, God is no longer involved.

“Church Structure”

A church that focuses on and administers sound teaching is a structurally sound church.  Some of the requirements that God has for His people to follow do not come with specific instructions on how to implement them.  In these cases, we have a certain level of liberality in how we choose to carry out these requirements.  Unfortunately, many will disagree with the method that others may use to apply God’s directives. 

One command that some differ on is the instruction that believers should meet together.  Some people believe in lengthy church services while others are more comfortable with time regulated services.  Hebrews 10:25 encourages us to be sure that we assemble ourselves together so that we may worship together and fulfill God’s purpose in our lives.  But, we are not given instructions in regard to how LONG we should meet.  This means that the length of a church service is to be determined by the leadership at that location without the influence of anyone OUTSIDE of that assembly. 

Another area of dispute is in regard to the appropriate apparel to be worn for church attendance.  Two scriptures that address the appropriate attire for us to wear are: Deuteronomy 22:5, which instructs us that men are not permitted to wear women’s clothes and women are not allowed to wear men’s clothes, and 1 Timothy 2:9, which acknowledges that clothes should be worn in moderation.  The Bible does not determine that it is essential to wear suits nor does it mention that we are restricted from wearing jeans.  Moderation does mean, however, that it is inappropriate to expose the parts of your body that were meant to be covered.  It also means that wearing clothes with profanity etched on them, clothes that promote the use of drugs, or clothes with explicit messages are inappropriate to wear.

In conclusion, some of the battles that we fight can and should be avoided.  Galatians 5:15 warns that if we bite and devour one another, we will be consumed by one another.

Colossians 2:16-19

¹⁶ Therefore, no one is to act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath day— ¹⁷ things which are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. ¹⁸ Take care that no one keeps defrauding you of your prize by delighting in humility and the worship of the angels,  taking his stand on visions he has seen,  inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, ¹⁹ and not holding firmly to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.

 

“Living a Life of Balance”

Many times as a body of believers, a lack of balance causes us to error.  Balance is essential to living the abundant life that Christ came to bring us.  Unfortunately, when we live our lives with extremes, it can cause Godly success to slip through our fingers. 

Some people are legalist and they believe that they can earn their Salvation by keeping the law or by performing good works.  However, Ephesians 2:8-9 states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works; lest anyone should boast.” 

On the other hand, there are those that subscribe to the other extreme:  antinomianism.  Antinomianism is a rejection of laws and is against moral, religious, or social norms.  These people believe that not only is Salvation not obtained by keeping the law, but they are also under no obligation to refrain from sin.  However, Romans 6:1-2 asks, “What do we say then? Will we continue in sin so that grace may increase?  May it never be!  How can we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

Being balanced in our faith allows us to recognize that even though we may practice behavior that the Bible encourages, the act alone does not redeem us.  In addition, receiving salvation does not mean that we are absolved of any responsibility for living in an honorable manner.

Romans 12:2

² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

 

“Doctrines of Demons”

Doctrines of demons are not necessarily teachings that orally promote Satan or demons.  Doctrines of demons can be any subject that overshadows the Gospel of Christ.  There are some teachings that may be acceptable to teach or learn.  But if they become dominant teachings and remove the focus from Christ, they become doctrines of demons.

One such example of a potentially damaging doctrine is the promotion of social justice among God’s people.  While the Bible compels us to live at peace with all men (Rom. 12:18) and to seek justice (Isaiah 1:17), social justice, as it is communicated in many instances, is not a biblical solution.  Social justice, according to the Oxford Reference is defined as “The objective of creating a fair and equal society in which each individual matters, their rights are recognized and protected, and decisions are made in ways that are fair and honest.”  However, social justice, in many cases, is promoted to push for the redistribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges. 

Acts chapter 6 gives us an example of the unfair treatment of one group of individuals and how it was resolved by the Apostles of Christ.  The Hellenistic Jews were Jews who spoke Greek and did not previously live in Judea.  As Jews were being converted to Christ, many relocated to Jerusalem to live.  Unfortunately, the Hellenistic widows found themselves being discriminated against by the native Hebrews.  When this matter was brought to the attention of the twelve, they resolved the conflict by having the congregation to select qualified men to take over the responsibility of distributing the daily allotment of food.  The qualifications that these men needed to possess were, they had to be full of the Spirit and wisdom and they had to have a good reputation. 

The subject of discrimination was properly addressed and corrected without supplanting the gospel of Christ. 

  1 Timothy 4:1-5

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, ² by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, ³ who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. ⁴ For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; ⁵ for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.