WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:03.140 Hebrews 13 is where we are going to be. 00:00:03.920 --> 00:00:07.340 This is the last message that we're going to go through together in the series of Hebrews. 00:00:07.860 --> 00:00:12.780 We're going to start a new series called Planted in just a couple of weeks going through the book of Titus. 00:00:13.720 --> 00:00:20.940 We're going to use this as an opportunity not only to look through the book of Titus, which is an important book in the New Testament, but to also talk about where 00:00:20.940 --> 00:00:28.000 our church fits into the picture of what God desires to do in His community throughout the ages, 00:00:28.220 --> 00:00:28.520 really. 00:00:28.580 --> 00:00:34.240 But Paul wrote the letter to Titus about establishing and planting a church in Crete. 00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:37.260 A lot of it relates to where we are in the history of our church. 00:00:37.380 --> 00:00:44.420 So we're going to look at the foundation of our church family as we go through a series together in the book of Titus called 00:00:44.420 --> 00:00:45.020 Planted. 00:00:45.160 --> 00:00:46.440 So just so you can anticipate that. 00:00:46.760 --> 00:00:49.960 We'll be talking about healthy church and what healthy church should look like. 00:00:50.800 --> 00:00:52.800 Today, we're going to talk about an interesting topic. 00:00:52.840 --> 00:01:00.380 I'm going to tell you, today makes me uncomfortable, because we're going to talk about Godly community lived 00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:03.580 internally and Godly community lived externally. 00:01:03.660 --> 00:01:05.550 That's not the part that makes me feel uncomfortable. 00:01:05.720 --> 00:01:12.140 We're going to talk about what a Godly community looks like here, and then we're going to talk about what a Godly community looks like beyond these walls. 00:01:12.700 --> 00:01:20.080 What makes me uncomfortable is that we're going to talk about leadership, as it relates to church leadership in the context 00:01:20.080 --> 00:01:21.970 of Godly community together. 00:01:22.420 --> 00:01:29.680 Leadership should be a good, honorable thing to talk about, but it's weird to know that you're in a position like that and then you're sort of talking about something that relates 00:01:29.680 --> 00:01:30.480 to you. 00:01:30.940 --> 00:01:33.240 So that's where we're going today. 00:01:33.460 --> 00:01:38.140 In the history of our church, we haven't talked a lot about leadership on Sunday morning. 00:01:38.660 --> 00:01:43.190 We've cautiously and carefully, I think, worked to help shape that here at our church. 00:01:43.600 --> 00:01:50.580 But I think it's something that we take seriously in how we qualify leaders here at ABC and what we want that to look like. 00:01:51.360 --> 00:01:55.740 It's something that the foundation that we're going to be laying more so here in the future. 00:01:56.440 --> 00:01:59.980 Some of you may not be aware of this, but we're considered a church plant. 00:02:00.860 --> 00:02:07.880 We're not a fully independent church yet because other resources from outside of the state of Utah is funneled 00:02:07.880 --> 00:02:10.699 here to ABC for us to be able to sustain as a ministry. 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:13.980 So we started this church in a living room. 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:15.620 We've moved about six different times. 00:02:15.620 --> 00:02:18.080 We've done a few projects here as well. 00:02:18.160 --> 00:02:24.720 So we've beginning from the baby stage to the crawling and now walking. 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:30.560 It's been beautiful to see how God has grown our community here that makes a difference in the area in which we are living. 00:02:30.900 --> 00:02:37.900 So leadership is a part of that, something that we want to put out for us, understand how that looks for ABC and the health 00:02:37.900 --> 00:02:38.740 of our church. 00:02:39.860 --> 00:02:46.920 In discussing some thoughts on leadership today, I want you to know this isn't going to be this comprehensive idea of everything related 00:02:46.920 --> 00:02:48.280 to leadership. 00:02:49.100 --> 00:02:51.690 Nor is it going to specifically focus just on our church. 00:02:52.860 --> 00:03:00.060 I think we'll talk a little bit about our church in today's message, but this is going to carry thoughts related to leadership, no matter where 00:03:00.060 --> 00:03:00.880 you are in life. 00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:04.760 You can apply this to leadership in the business world. 00:03:04.760 --> 00:03:08.870 You can apply this to any other church context in which you are a part of. 00:03:09.100 --> 00:03:13.200 This is just some important things to talk about as it relates to leadership. 00:03:14.140 --> 00:03:20.880 As I consider this topic today, there's so many things I would want to touch on that necessarily this text doesn't talk about. 00:03:21.600 --> 00:03:29.000 When it comes to leadership, I think it is rare to go through life and not 00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:32.060 be exposed to unhealthy leadership at some point. 00:03:33.820 --> 00:03:40.840 If we're truthful, at some point we've probably not only experienced unhealthy leadership, but not always led in the 00:03:40.840 --> 00:03:43.010 most healthy ways in our own lives. 00:03:44.950 --> 00:03:51.850 We're going to have ups and downs as it relates to people in their leadership, but bad leadership should not prohibit any of us from following Jesus. 00:03:52.240 --> 00:03:59.420 If a bad leader is the reason we stop following Jesus, I think it's worth posing the question, "Were we ever 00:03:59.420 --> 00:04:06.620 really following Jesus to begin with?" I know that's a very stark statement to make, and 00:04:06.620 --> 00:04:10.670 I know sometimes when you're exposed to bad leadership, sometimes that send you reeling. 00:04:10.980 --> 00:04:13.000 Sometimes there's some questioning in your heart. 00:04:13.260 --> 00:04:19.740 But at the end of all of that, our heart needs to come back to the place of my pursuit in life is for Christ and Christ alone. 00:04:20.899 --> 00:04:24.300 There's going to be ups and down when you experience people in this world. 00:04:24.360 --> 00:04:25.920 People are people no matter where you go. 00:04:25.980 --> 00:04:30.680 The joy of ministry is people and the struggle of ministry is people. 00:04:30.860 --> 00:04:38.100 The challenges that we find in our relationships with one another, I think those become the place that really try our own hearts to examine 00:04:38.100 --> 00:04:40.120 what it is that we're really pursuing. 00:04:40.980 --> 00:04:42.800 Anybody can love when it's easy to love. 00:04:42.820 --> 00:04:44.670 Anyone can have patience when it's easy to have patience. 00:04:44.760 --> 00:04:48.280 Anyone can reflect Godly character when it's easy to reflect Godly character. 00:04:49.240 --> 00:04:54.230 But it's God's people that rise above those circumstances and chose to follow after the Lord in the midst of adversity. 00:04:55.280 --> 00:04:59.570 So while I know there's difficulty in leadership, it's not always perfect... 00:05:00.220 --> 00:05:03.060 And I don't think we always have to submit to leadership. 00:05:04.280 --> 00:05:06.720 I think The Bible talks about definitely honoring. 00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:07.500 Don't throw mud. 00:05:08.640 --> 00:05:13.780 When someone acts nasty, ugly, ungodly, that's not our excuse to ever throw mud back. 00:05:13.780 --> 00:05:15.530 That's not what we're about in God's community. 00:05:16.380 --> 00:05:19.840 It's not good, because someone else is dishonoring to then dishonor them. 00:05:20.360 --> 00:05:23.400 We wallow around in the same pit that they wallow in when that happens. 00:05:24.460 --> 00:05:27.000 So I think it's always good to honor people in general. 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:29.690 If you can't honor the person, honor the position. 00:05:30.440 --> 00:05:33.400 But it doesn't necessarily mean you have to put yourself under that authority. 00:05:33.760 --> 00:05:34.060 Does that make sense? 00:05:35.620 --> 00:05:40.100 Sometimes people get so toxic and unhealthy, that it's good to distance yourself from that. 00:05:41.370 --> 00:05:45.340 When we think about this passage, I want us to know this passage isn't necessarily talking about that. 00:05:45.680 --> 00:05:51.400 There's passages of scripture that relate to how to interact when leadership goes to a bad place. 00:05:52.540 --> 00:05:59.620 But I just want us to know that it doesn't mean you always have to submit if someone gets to the place where they've become so toxic it's unhealthy for the body 00:05:59.980 --> 00:06:00.560 of Christ. 00:06:01.140 --> 00:06:05.980 With that being said, let me talk about Godly community lived internally. 00:06:06.080 --> 00:06:13.180 These first few words are exactly why I start off this saying it's the one that you necessarily want to pick as the verse 00:06:13.180 --> 00:06:14.080 for Sunday. 00:06:14.080 --> 00:06:19.520 Like if I just had to go through scripture, I'd pick the warm and fluffy, make everybody happy and let's go home and smile kind of thing. 00:06:19.560 --> 00:06:26.680 But then it says these words, "Obey your leaders and submit to them." I know submit is a six letter word, but 00:06:26.780 --> 00:06:29.150 it almost is like we treat it like a four letter word sometimes. 00:06:30.330 --> 00:06:32.730 What does it mean when you read this in scripture? 00:06:33.020 --> 00:06:40.900 Obey your leaders and submit to them.Submit is a scary thing, especially 00:06:40.900 --> 00:06:42.900 if leadership isn't that great. 00:06:44.020 --> 00:06:46.340 What if leaders are unhealthy? 00:06:47.960 --> 00:06:55.020 When you think about the biblical idea of submission, though, as it relates to this passage, submission in 00:06:55.020 --> 00:06:58.190 scripture really builds beautiful community. 00:06:58.940 --> 00:07:06.240 When you read about, let's say for instance, Ephesians 5:21, Paul starts in verse 20 of Ephesians 5, 00:07:06.360 --> 00:07:07.710 starting to talk about the marital relationship. 00:07:08.560 --> 00:07:15.920 The first thing that he says in bringing up the marital relationship is, "Submit to one another as in Christ." Then he starts to build this picture, "Wives 00:07:15.920 --> 00:07:23.240 submit to your husbands." Then on the other side of that, he says, "Husbands, die for your wives." There's this picture 00:07:23.240 --> 00:07:27.780 in both instances, this laying down their life for the benefit of the other. 00:07:28.780 --> 00:07:34.040 When we look at this word "submission" as it's described in scripture, it's the same picture in the body of Christ. 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:42.000 There's certain positions within scripture, but what we're going to see in this passage of Hebrews is this idea of submission, not 00:07:42.000 --> 00:07:43.320 a one-sided picture. 00:07:44.780 --> 00:07:51.500 But the biblical picture of submission is God's people laying their lives down for the benefit of others. 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:56.850 Now I know when we talk about this word "submit", it gets a little uncomfortable, I think for everybody. 00:07:57.960 --> 00:08:02.300 Because there becomes with position, the opportunity to abuse. 00:08:03.240 --> 00:08:07.940 So you think of creatures God's made in this world. 00:08:07.940 --> 00:08:09.970 When God makes a mouse, God makes a horse. 00:08:10.780 --> 00:08:16.820 Mice, I'm sure, are good for something, but when you think about a horse, you can do a lot of productive things with a horse. 00:08:18.340 --> 00:08:24.540 But when that horse doesn't live in the boundaries for which it was created to do productive things, it can also be very damaging. 00:08:26.300 --> 00:08:27.380 Same thing is true with position. 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:35.370 Sometimes there is position that comes with more power because of the authority given, and it can become very damaging. 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:43.480 So when you talk about submission, and you look at leadership and things of that nature, 00:08:43.520 --> 00:08:47.720 sometimes within us there's this idea of being skeptical and defensive over that. 00:08:47.880 --> 00:08:52.170 I think that it's worthy to vet anyone over any position in life. 00:08:52.460 --> 00:08:59.540 The higher the position is, the more we should focus on vetting the individual as it relates to the area in which they lead 00:08:59.540 --> 00:08:59.920 in life. 00:09:01.060 --> 00:09:08.280 So when it comes to the biblical picture of leadership, I think it's important to just get an idea, when scripture talks about 00:09:08.280 --> 00:09:09.840 leading, what that looks like. 00:09:10.440 --> 00:09:17.660 Because in your own life, there are positions in your life where you wear the hat of leader, and there are positions of your life where you're under maybe 00:09:17.660 --> 00:09:18.820 someone that is a leader. 00:09:19.400 --> 00:09:20.840 So what does that look like? 00:09:20.900 --> 00:09:26.020 God has got us in a place in life to be influencers in some area in some way. 00:09:26.020 --> 00:09:27.820 This morning, the way you encourage one another. 00:09:28.160 --> 00:09:32.460 You have the ability to influence, to speak life or to speak death into the hearts of people around you. 00:09:33.300 --> 00:09:36.700 To use your lips to express praise to God or destruction. 00:09:38.440 --> 00:09:40.180 So we all have the ability to lead in some way. 00:09:40.260 --> 00:09:43.700 What is the biblical picture of leadership? 00:09:44.180 --> 00:09:51.360 In society, it's sort of this top down approach, where it just rolls downhill onto the people, that you want to be the top dog to sort of tell everyone else 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:52.100 what to do. 00:09:52.560 --> 00:09:59.520 In scripture, there's a different structure than the common worldly perspective that we would see in our society today. 00:10:00.160 --> 00:10:05.020 In fact, if I just gave you a few sections of scripture that I like related to leadership... 00:10:05.060 --> 00:10:11.020 I don't have time to dive into all of these, but I just want you to see the way The Bible paints the picture of what leadership is about. 00:10:11.280 --> 00:10:15.350 So Philippians 2, one of my favorite sections of scripture. 00:10:15.800 --> 00:10:22.250 This section of scripture was actually an early creed the church sang within in the first couple of years after Jesus's crucifixion. 00:10:22.800 --> 00:10:29.900 Paul included this hymnal creedal statement in the book of Philippians 2 in describing leadership. 00:10:29.920 --> 00:10:36.960 He says this, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:37.820 than yourselves. 00:10:38.920 --> 00:10:42.840 Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interest of others. 00:10:43.520 --> 00:10:50.680 Have this attitude in yourselves which is also in Christ Jesus, who though He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as 00:10:50.680 --> 00:10:57.750 a thing to be grasped." The way I always interpret this for us is just to say, look, Jesus was the most important person in the room, and he'd have to go in the room and say, 00:10:58.020 --> 00:11:02.020 "Hey guys, I'm the most important person in the room." Jesus was a servant. 00:11:03.520 --> 00:11:10.560 But He emptied Himself for seven, taking the form of a bondservant and being made in the likeness of men, being found in the appearance of a man. 00:11:10.560 --> 00:11:14.740 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. 00:11:16.180 --> 00:11:21.900 So see, this servant mentality with Jesus and His perspective in this world. 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:27.460 He came as leader of all, king of kings, Lord of lords, but He subjected Himself the servant of all. 00:11:29.000 --> 00:11:36.260 In Matthew 20, Jesus's disciples are actually debating who's going to be the second greatest person 00:11:36.260 --> 00:11:37.120 underneath Jesus. 00:11:38.100 --> 00:11:41.020 In fact, James and John get their momma involved. 00:11:41.320 --> 00:11:48.440 They're like, "Will you talk to Jesus and tell Him to make us number two and three?" So Mom goes to Jesus like, "James and John 00:11:48.440 --> 00:11:49.080 are the best. 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:52.490 They're the prettiest, they're the smartest, they're the strongest." She just shares with Jesus. 00:11:52.680 --> 00:11:53.560 Then Jesus is like... 00:11:53.560 --> 00:12:00.300 "Okay, let's just have a conversation of leadership here, because your perspective is skewed." So Jesus teaches on leadership. 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:07.360 He says in verse 25, "Jesus called them to Himself and said, 'You know that the rulers, the Gentiles lord it over them, and 00:12:07.380 --> 00:12:09.400 their great men exercise authority over them. 00:12:10.200 --> 00:12:11.480 It's not this way among you. 00:12:12.700 --> 00:12:19.700 Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall 00:12:19.700 --> 00:12:20.560 be your slave. 00:12:21.760 --> 00:12:29.340 Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many." So 00:12:29.340 --> 00:12:32.170 Jesus talks about leadership and the servant mentality. 00:12:32.520 --> 00:12:37.830 Just so they understood exactly how that picture looked like, He's like, "It looks like this. 00:12:38.200 --> 00:12:41.220 My example for you is Me, and I die. 00:12:41.220 --> 00:12:48.490 So you die." In 1 Peter 5, I would say these first four verses of 1 Peter, 00:12:48.580 --> 00:12:51.980 if you want to go look at the full context, he's describing church leadership here. 00:12:52.320 --> 00:12:59.580 In verse 3 it says this, "Nor yet is lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock." 00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:02.220 Then he goes on in verse 4 and he compares it to shepherding. 00:13:03.660 --> 00:13:05.700 I love that scripture does that. 00:13:05.720 --> 00:13:12.880 It compares leadership to shepherding, because when you look in the history of shepherding in 00:13:12.880 --> 00:13:17.920 scripture, shepherding wasn't a glamorous position in The Bible. 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:25.360 I know for us, it's become sort of a biblical romantic thing to think about, because David was a little shepherd boy that became a king, and he wrote beautiful 00:13:25.360 --> 00:13:27.650 psalms, and he played the little ukulele in the fields. 00:13:27.760 --> 00:13:30.880 It's such a nostalgic thing to consider. 00:13:30.880 --> 00:13:34.040 But when you think about the position of shepherd in scripture, it was not a glamorous position. 00:13:34.460 --> 00:13:38.960 In fact, it was kind of the job that you got when you weren't good for any other job in David's day. 00:13:41.500 --> 00:13:42.500 "Ah, send them out to the fields. 00:13:43.060 --> 00:13:45.960 They're worthless." That was kind of the perspective of the people. 00:13:47.900 --> 00:13:50.180 So shepherding wasn't this glamorous position. 00:13:50.300 --> 00:13:55.100 I love that, because God compares leading to shepherding. 00:13:55.100 --> 00:13:58.680 It's not this glamorous thing where it's about climbing the ladder and being at the top. 00:13:58.800 --> 00:14:02.940 It's about taking the lower road and serving people to help them become all that God's called them to be. 00:14:04.980 --> 00:14:07.380 It's about dying to self for the sake of others. 00:14:09.560 --> 00:14:12.240 So 1 Peter paints this picture. 00:14:12.240 --> 00:14:13.730 You see that Matthew, you see in Philippians. 00:14:14.140 --> 00:14:21.160 When you think about what God's led you to be in this world, and the image is Jesus, and the image is about getting beneath people to help them become 00:14:21.220 --> 00:14:23.530 all that God has called them to be. 00:14:24.820 --> 00:14:31.800 But when you look at this passage in Hebrews 13:17, "Obey your leaders and submit to them", a couple things I just want to point out to us as we think about texts like this. 00:14:33.340 --> 00:14:36.040 God calls the church to appoint Godly leaders. 00:14:37.720 --> 00:14:39.830 That's the way it can be assumed from this passage of scripture. 00:14:39.940 --> 00:14:43.290 You take all of Hebrews, all the way through 13 chapters. 00:14:43.780 --> 00:14:50.710 Really interesting that I'm taking one verse and fixating on it this morning, because in 13 other chapters, we never really talk much about leadership. 00:14:50.800 --> 00:14:53.800 Everything has been about Jesus and our pursuit of Him as God's community. 00:14:54.040 --> 00:14:56.700 Then he pauses in this one section and talks about leadership. 00:14:56.980 --> 00:15:04.080 So I don't want this override the whole point of this book that we've seen together, but nonetheless, the point's made here 00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:09.460 in this section of scripture in a very simplistic way that God calls the church to appoint Godly leaders. 00:15:11.140 --> 00:15:17.740 That necessarily not making submission any easier, but nonetheless, leadership becomes important. 00:15:17.900 --> 00:15:25.120 If I just gave some crazy examples, sometimes it's fun to leave the church office unlocked and just 00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:26.920 sit in here and see who comes in off the streets. 00:15:27.360 --> 00:15:30.280 Because you get people that come in every once in a while... 00:15:31.200 --> 00:15:34.170 Like I'll have a guy that comes in, pronounces that they're here to lead the church. 00:15:34.780 --> 00:15:41.900 Sometimes I get the wonderful position of saying, "That's crazy, and we're not following that crazy train anywhere." Like, I'm glad you think God's told you to come 00:15:41.900 --> 00:15:46.080 in here and tell you that you should be leading this church, but that's not how this works. 00:15:46.120 --> 00:15:51.060 So there's a sense that leadership's necessary to guard the gate. 00:15:52.140 --> 00:15:54.870 Sometimes you'll think, "We're a community, we're a church. 00:15:54.940 --> 00:16:00.000 Therefore being a church, it means we have an identity." In the identity, there's a particular truth that we want to hold to. 00:16:01.540 --> 00:16:05.280 Sometimes you get people that come in that think that we're about whatever you want to believe. 00:16:05.480 --> 00:16:10.040 Like your God is whoever you want your God to be, which is really not God at all. 00:16:10.680 --> 00:16:17.720 I think we've said as a church if your image of God agrees with everything that you agree with, then what you're following 00:16:17.720 --> 00:16:18.580 is not God. 00:16:19.140 --> 00:16:20.380 It's an idol that you made in your image. 00:16:21.400 --> 00:16:22.500 God challenges us every day. 00:16:22.540 --> 00:16:27.510 The reason we walk in this door is because we know we're not perfect and we want to align our hearts with the God who is. 00:16:28.880 --> 00:16:30.520 God is God, we're not. 00:16:30.560 --> 00:16:33.200 And God doesn't agree with everything that agree with, because I'm a fallible man. 00:16:34.740 --> 00:16:42.040 So there's a need to hold to biblical truth and to be able to stand for that and not bend when people think 00:16:42.040 --> 00:16:44.140 that belief is just whatever you want it to be. 00:16:46.480 --> 00:16:50.760 God is who He says He is, not who I make Him to be. 00:16:52.340 --> 00:16:53.700 So that becomes important. 00:16:53.800 --> 00:16:56.230 The scary thing in leadership... 00:16:56.800 --> 00:17:02.920 And I don't really want to freak you out today, but in those two examples, that's really not where you have to be concerned. 00:17:04.500 --> 00:17:08.400 The concern is what Jesus calls in Matthew 7:15 is with wolves. 00:17:09.500 --> 00:17:12.220 Now I'll tell you in ministry, I like to play offense way more than defense. 00:17:12.260 --> 00:17:16.530 I like to live in the way God has called me, not so much worry about everything that can go wrong. 00:17:17.700 --> 00:17:21.619 But Jesus talks about Matthew 7:15, he talks about wolves. 00:17:24.520 --> 00:17:26.060 The interesting thing about a wolf... 00:17:26.339 --> 00:17:28.280 And Jesus describes it as a wolf in sheep's clothes. 00:17:29.500 --> 00:17:32.620 The interesting thing about a wolf is that a wolf never thinks they're a wolf. 00:17:33.880 --> 00:17:36.170 They always just think that they're simply a misunderstood sheep. 00:17:37.980 --> 00:17:40.600 So if you just kind of get their perspective, then you'll agree with them. 00:17:40.620 --> 00:17:42.700 So they kind of try to win people to their side. 00:17:43.020 --> 00:17:45.840 Those are the people that need to be maybe more concerning. 00:17:46.300 --> 00:17:50.350 We're going to end this series by looking at Ignatius, here at the end of the sermon. 00:17:50.540 --> 00:17:54.520 But last night I was going through the history of Ignatius. 00:17:54.600 --> 00:18:00.620 He was martyred in 108 A.D. 00:18:00.660 --> 00:18:04.400 His martyrdom date would actually be Wednesday of this coming week. 00:18:05.260 --> 00:18:10.480 Ignatius, right before he got martyred, he was eaten by animals in the Roman coliseum. 00:18:11.480 --> 00:18:12.310 They tore him to shreds. 00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:16.220 Right before he was martyred, he started writing letters out. 00:18:17.580 --> 00:18:21.920 Ignatius was discipled by the Apostle John. 00:18:23.860 --> 00:18:27.220 So when you go back in church history, you can see the disciples of the disciples. 00:18:27.520 --> 00:18:30.850 It's incredible how church history communicates itself. 00:18:31.240 --> 00:18:33.820 But Ignatius, when he wrote his letters, he wrote seven letters. 00:18:33.820 --> 00:18:35.780 But he really focused on three things. 00:18:35.880 --> 00:18:42.680 One, he talked about his martyrdom being happy to lay down his life for Jesus, the way Jesus laid down his life for him. 00:18:43.380 --> 00:18:48.560 He encouraged the church in unity, to work together, to serve one another for the benefit of Christ. 00:18:49.560 --> 00:18:56.880 The last focus of his letters was to be concerned about the message that they shared, because the purity of what that message is what 00:18:56.880 --> 00:18:57.800 sets people free. 00:18:58.720 --> 00:18:59.600 Don't compromise that. 00:19:01.160 --> 00:19:02.260 Jesus died for a reason. 00:19:03.300 --> 00:19:06.200 The world may not always accept it, but that's okay. 00:19:07.500 --> 00:19:08.380 You live for Jesus. 00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:10.460 That was his messages to the church. 00:19:10.680 --> 00:19:11.760 Don't give it over to the wolves. 00:19:13.420 --> 00:19:19.400 Leadership has the opportunity to do that, so Godly leadership becomes important. 00:19:20.940 --> 00:19:23.360 The author then begins to explain why... 00:19:23.860 --> 00:19:27.060 In the rest of Matthew, just highlighted these verses to us. 00:19:27.120 --> 00:19:32.150 Remember I said to us, when The Bible talks about submission, it doesn't really ever just say it to one person. 00:19:32.260 --> 00:19:34.900 It always talks about both sides of the fence. 00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:41.550 So when it comes to leadership, it says, "Obey your leaders and submit to them, and this is why, for they keep watch over you. 00:19:42.260 --> 00:19:45.450 They keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. 00:19:45.900 --> 00:19:53.120 Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you." Don't worry, at the end of this, I'm not going to say, "And I'm going to tell you 17 things to 00:19:53.120 --> 00:19:55.500 do." I'm not interested in that. 00:19:55.820 --> 00:19:57.510 But this is what it's saying about leadership. 00:19:58.140 --> 00:19:59.280 They keep watch over you. 00:19:59.380 --> 00:20:01.130 This literally means that they're sleepless. 00:20:02.440 --> 00:20:05.290 I don't know if you guys think about this, but I lose sleep over you. 00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:13.040 Or church leadership in general, they're called to give their lives to the extent that they're restless or sleepless over what God has 00:20:13.040 --> 00:20:13.980 entrusted them. 00:20:14.600 --> 00:20:16.060 At least, good leaders should be. 00:20:16.060 --> 00:20:20.620 Then it says, "As those who will give an account." You guys can relate to this. 00:20:20.660 --> 00:20:27.760 Anything that you're responsible for in life, when it stresses you out, sometimes it weighs on your heart, you think about it, you lift it up in prayer before God. 00:20:28.560 --> 00:20:29.550 Keep watch over them. 00:20:30.500 --> 00:20:32.340 Then they will give an account. 00:20:32.360 --> 00:20:34.910 I love this scare the snot out of you statement. 00:20:36.340 --> 00:20:38.780 There's extra responsibility that comes with this. 00:20:38.840 --> 00:20:45.940 That's a thought that I consider very soberly when pursuing God and life, and 00:20:45.940 --> 00:20:47.840 anything you do in speaking for God. 00:20:47.860 --> 00:20:49.530 There is an account to that. 00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:53.540 You want to do it with precision, you want to do it with care, you want to do it in love. 00:20:55.720 --> 00:20:56.390 So we give an account. 00:20:56.860 --> 00:21:06.080 The last statement, "This would be unprofitable for you." So it's saying when you think about leadership, this thoughts 00:21:06.080 --> 00:21:11.840 here with leaders, that they're giving their lives restlessly or without sleep here. 00:21:12.600 --> 00:21:17.720 They're going to give an account in this, and they're doing it for your profit. 00:21:18.400 --> 00:21:25.620 So as they're laying their lives down for this, for the benefit of someone else, so you lay your life down for the benefit as 00:21:25.620 --> 00:21:31.940 in service for one another for what God has called that body of Christ to be. 00:21:33.220 --> 00:21:35.180 So this last statement is saying about leaders... 00:21:35.280 --> 00:21:36.320 So you see these three thoughts. 00:21:36.700 --> 00:21:41.740 Keep watch over you, they will give an account, and then they're doing this for your profit. 00:21:43.720 --> 00:21:50.000 I'll talk a little bit about this in just a few moments as it relates to what is the whole point of leadership. 00:21:51.080 --> 00:21:57.660 But the idea is it's not about their gain, but about the profit of God's community. 00:21:59.540 --> 00:22:06.620 So it encourages the body of Christ that when people do things for the Lord, to allow 00:22:06.620 --> 00:22:11.420 them to do this with joy, not to be a thorn but a blessing. 00:22:13.140 --> 00:22:15.280 I think that should be true with anything that we do in life. 00:22:15.380 --> 00:22:20.730 By the way, when we talk about leaders in this verse, I don't think it just means elders in the church, or pastors in the church. 00:22:21.080 --> 00:22:24.360 I think it's people that just step up to lead for the cause for the cause of Christ. 00:22:26.020 --> 00:22:27.940 We want to encourage them, want to exhort them. 00:22:27.980 --> 00:22:30.260 We want to affirm them, we want to commission them. 00:22:30.500 --> 00:22:37.580 We want to recognize their gift in this, and declare where we see God working in their lives, so they can run the race that God 00:22:37.580 --> 00:22:38.640 has called them to run. 00:22:40.760 --> 00:22:46.540 Truthfully, if I'm being completely frank with this, God's called us all to lead, guys. 00:22:46.640 --> 00:22:52.700 There's a statement, I think it was by Charles Spurgeon that said there are two types of Christians. 00:22:53.020 --> 00:22:56.190 One that lives their lives as missionaries for the Lord, and there are impostors. 00:22:57.720 --> 00:22:58.040 That's it. 00:23:00.120 --> 00:23:02.060 So what he's saying is God's called us all to lead. 00:23:04.440 --> 00:23:10.780 So there's a certain characteristic when you start thinking about your influence as you live in light of God, and you start gaining wisdom. 00:23:11.080 --> 00:23:14.780 I think God expands your opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people around you. 00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:26.120 You think as an adult, and you first step out on your own and living on your own, you're 00:23:26.120 --> 00:23:30.220 happy to have the bean bag all duct-taped, and maybe the television with the rabbit ears. 00:23:30.300 --> 00:23:33.020 But as you go on in life, you start accumulating some things. 00:23:33.020 --> 00:23:35.420 The more you live your life, the more you become responsible for. 00:23:39.420 --> 00:23:45.440 With the things that you're responsible for, what kind of leader do you demonstrate being? 00:23:49.260 --> 00:23:56.280 You think about in verse 17, he says, "Leaders laying themselves down for the benefit of the other." If you look at the rest of 00:23:56.280 --> 00:24:00.960 the context of this passage, Paul starts talking about himself and Timothy in verse... 00:24:01.040 --> 00:24:03.360 Or excuse me, the writer of Hebrews, which is Paul. 00:24:03.740 --> 00:24:10.980 Verse 19 and verse 23, look what he says, "And I urge you all the more to do this so that I may be restored to you the sooner." He's 00:24:11.160 --> 00:24:15.410 asking them to pray for him in verse 18, so that he can be restored to them. 00:24:15.560 --> 00:24:16.420 Because he's looking to serve again. 00:24:17.380 --> 00:24:20.330 I want to be out of prison to better serve. 00:24:20.340 --> 00:24:27.860 Then verse 23, "Take notice that our brother Timothy has also been released, with whom if he comes soon, I will see you." He's saying, "Timothy, 00:24:28.020 --> 00:24:29.060 he's in jail. 00:24:29.080 --> 00:24:34.020 He's about to get taken back out of jail." He's given his life to the point he's gone to jail for this. 00:24:34.160 --> 00:24:39.880 He could've been martyred for this, but he's just wanting to get back to just bless and serve the body of Christ. 00:24:40.860 --> 00:24:45.540 If leaders are only leading for the position they receive, then it's not Godly. 00:24:45.540 --> 00:24:48.060 Leaders don't need titles, they don't need position. 00:24:50.630 --> 00:24:55.240 They're given place of influence, and they just seize the opportunity for the benefit of others. 00:24:56.100 --> 00:25:00.500 Yeah, titles might happen along the way, positions may be clarified. 00:25:02.040 --> 00:25:09.240 Really the driving force behind it all is, "How can I bless the people around me?" What 00:25:09.240 --> 00:25:15.480 has God given me the opportunity to do and leverage in the privilege in living for Him? 00:25:17.820 --> 00:25:25.660 I would point out to us as well in this section that when it talks about leaders, that the church in 00:25:25.660 --> 00:25:27.780 reference to this, it's saying it in the plural form. 00:25:29.100 --> 00:25:29.800 I think that's important. 00:25:30.920 --> 00:25:38.320 It's not just saying, "Obey a leader", but it's saying leaders, meaning in our lives we should have multiple 00:25:38.340 --> 00:25:43.590 leaders influencing us, speaking into us, sharing things with us that are even difficult. 00:25:43.920 --> 00:25:46.030 When I first became a Christian, one of the things that I loved... 00:25:46.220 --> 00:25:53.280 And I didn't realize that this was not normal in Christianity until a little later, but I was immediately discipled by the 00:25:53.280 --> 00:25:54.700 church leaders where I was at. 00:25:55.660 --> 00:25:57.960 They said hard things to me all the time. 00:25:58.920 --> 00:26:06.020 We were very transparent and candid with each other, learning to expose ourselves in the difficulties that we faced in 00:26:06.020 --> 00:26:07.630 life, the areas where we were weak. 00:26:07.740 --> 00:26:09.300 Sometimes we did stupid stuff. 00:26:09.920 --> 00:26:17.020 All of that, it was just, we could just speak candidly into one another's life because our goal wasn't so much just about 00:26:17.020 --> 00:26:20.100 ourselves, but it's about helping self become what God has called us to be. 00:26:20.220 --> 00:26:21.700 It's about Jesus and His glory. 00:26:22.560 --> 00:26:29.560 That was more important to us than our own personal preference and our own pride that we wanted to hide behind by in our hurt feelings. 00:26:29.840 --> 00:26:30.840 By the way, I... 00:26:31.140 --> 00:26:31.400 Unbuttoned button. 00:26:31.640 --> 00:26:32.400 Tell me when that happens. 00:26:33.780 --> 00:26:37.770 I'm talking about being transparent and saying things to each other and my shirt's not even on all the way. 00:26:39.140 --> 00:26:45.400 But this is saying in this passage that not in singularity but in the plurality leaders. 00:26:45.520 --> 00:26:52.700 I think this is important for churches to think about, that a church shouldn't function in just this CEO model, where top dog 00:26:52.700 --> 00:26:53.790 leads it all. 00:26:54.680 --> 00:27:02.540 but Godly individuals speaking in the lives of one another for the benefit of the body, for 00:27:02.540 --> 00:27:04.750 the benefit of what God's called us to be. 00:27:06.320 --> 00:27:13.460 I've seen churches function in the idea of CEO model, where one guy sits on the throne and rules it over. 00:27:13.580 --> 00:27:15.090 I've seen them go very well. 00:27:15.200 --> 00:27:18.710 I think if you've got a Godly guy in that position, then it can happen. 00:27:19.960 --> 00:27:23.190 But if not, it can become unsafe and abusive. 00:27:26.020 --> 00:27:33.340 When you look in verse 17, one of the things that's happening in Hebrews here, is that they're assuming that healthy leadership 00:27:33.420 --> 00:27:34.280 is already in place. 00:27:34.300 --> 00:27:39.140 So this passage isn't saying, "This is what you do with unhealthy leadership", but rather assuming that it's there. 00:27:39.220 --> 00:27:46.260 So it's taking all of the 13 chapters of Hebrews and saying, "Now, let's make the application so the church can run." 00:27:46.320 --> 00:27:48.520 Remember we started this idea in chapter 12. 00:27:48.980 --> 00:27:50.380 Run the race that's set before you. 00:27:50.380 --> 00:27:57.520 So he's used these two verses talking about how a church can run this race, and live in light of what God has called us to do. 00:27:59.180 --> 00:28:06.380 When you think about healthy leadership, not so much specific to this verse, accountability with the degree of position is 00:28:06.380 --> 00:28:06.860 important. 00:28:08.580 --> 00:28:15.360 You think in secular jobs in this world, work at a fast food place, get the order together. 00:28:15.360 --> 00:28:22.400 We're not checking all of the credentials of someone, but we want to know, "Do you have the ability to get the order together and get it out?" But if you go to the doctor to get 00:28:22.400 --> 00:28:26.950 an operation, you want to make sure they didn't pick him up at the veterinarian clinic on the way. 00:28:27.500 --> 00:28:31.170 Like, okay, it's a little more serious here than just getting my burger and fries. 00:28:31.560 --> 00:28:33.220 What kind of doctor are you? 00:28:33.220 --> 00:28:34.360 How many times have you done this surgery? 00:28:34.360 --> 00:28:35.250 Am I your first one? 00:28:35.460 --> 00:28:37.620 Is this the guinea pig here before you? 00:28:37.960 --> 00:28:42.700 You want to make sure that with the position, there's been the proper accountability and vetting. 00:28:45.190 --> 00:28:46.440 Is it trustworthy? 00:28:48.780 --> 00:28:51.180 Is there rigor to the leadership? 00:28:52.300 --> 00:28:54.330 Are they quick to just appoint someone there? 00:28:56.160 --> 00:28:57.500 Do they possess Godly character? 00:28:58.740 --> 00:29:01.500 Are they transparent, approachable, accountable? 00:29:01.500 --> 00:29:04.760 Do they have people of equal position speaking into their lives? 00:29:06.240 --> 00:29:12.340 One of the reasons we're going to go through Titus together is because Paul lays out how to qualify leadership. 00:29:14.060 --> 00:29:16.960 Being as a church plant, we have a plurality here. 00:29:16.960 --> 00:29:23.700 We have a board and our constitutional bylaws that we operate by for decision-making, but we're part of a church plan organization. 00:29:25.100 --> 00:29:29.520 When we leave that organization, which we're pretty close to doing, we'll be officially planted. 00:29:30.700 --> 00:29:36.620 We will bring leadership in front of the church to demonstrate the process of how we appoint leaders here. 00:29:37.900 --> 00:29:44.820 We'll give the congregation a place to vet the people that we want to appoint in official leadership positions, as a plant the church. 00:29:47.060 --> 00:29:53.760 Because we want to have this place to see whether or not someone is trustworthy in submission and leadership. 00:29:55.320 --> 00:29:58.330 Then Paul goes on from here. 00:30:00.340 --> 00:30:07.540 In verse 18, he says this, "Pray for us, for we are sure that 00:30:07.540 --> 00:30:14.880 we have a good conscience, desire to conduct ourselves honorably in all things." Reality 00:30:14.880 --> 00:30:21.980 is, no matter how hard you try to be Godly, as verse 17 describes, we're sinful. 00:30:25.290 --> 00:30:30.600 What anyone needs in order to walk with Jesus, I think, in this world is a sense of humility. 00:30:32.420 --> 00:30:33.160 None of us have arrived. 00:30:33.580 --> 00:30:36.220 I remember one time being in a church and watching this guy get up. 00:30:36.220 --> 00:30:38.880 He was a guest speaker and he did not know his bible. 00:30:39.800 --> 00:30:46.880 He got up and spoke and he said, "I've gotten so holy, I don't sin anymore." It's like I'm glad someone's 00:30:46.960 --> 00:30:47.500 made it. 00:30:47.640 --> 00:30:50.100 Let's everybody stand up and give him a round of applause! 00:30:50.480 --> 00:30:54.380 But instantly in my mind I'm thinking, "Man, if you would just read... 00:30:54.400 --> 00:31:01.660 When you go home tonight, read 1 John 1 please." Because it says in verse 8, "If we say we have not sinned, then we deceive ourselves 00:31:01.660 --> 00:31:02.900 and the truth is not in us. 00:31:04.260 --> 00:31:11.560 But if we confess our sins, He's faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." If we say we have not sinned, 00:31:11.920 --> 00:31:12.700 we deceive ourselves. 00:31:14.540 --> 00:31:15.060 No one's perfect. 00:31:17.340 --> 00:31:20.290 Even the Apostle Paul in this verse, "Pray for me. 00:31:21.040 --> 00:31:29.880 We have a good conscience, but I'm thinking about old dude over here that's watching my prison cell and I'm about to go crazy on him." Don't 00:31:29.880 --> 00:31:35.850 do this in your mind right now, but maybe in your life at some point, you've thought of someone that when they get in your presence, all of a sudden you start getting that tick. 00:31:36.160 --> 00:31:43.200 You're like, "I'm going to blow up!" But when it comes to pursuing Jesus, you have 00:31:43.200 --> 00:31:50.380 way more to lose by responding by throwing mud as they've done that towards you, because you're in a position to speak 00:31:50.540 --> 00:31:52.610 life into their life, to represent Christ. 00:31:53.680 --> 00:31:57.240 By dishonoring them, you could also dishonor Christ in their lives. 00:31:58.820 --> 00:32:02.360 So Paul's saying, "Look, the struggle is real." People are hard. 00:32:03.320 --> 00:32:06.940 Sometimes I just want to open my mouth and let them know how hard they are. 00:32:09.240 --> 00:32:13.420 But I live for a king, and He's called me in this world. 00:32:15.280 --> 00:32:17.720 What He's in transforming my heart has been so incredible. 00:32:17.740 --> 00:32:22.390 You think Paul's been a murderer, and what He's done in my heart has been so incredible. 00:32:22.560 --> 00:32:23.860 I know He can transform that heart. 00:32:25.160 --> 00:32:31.290 I don't want to lose the place in this person's life to speak truth and not death, to see how God can transform. 00:32:33.560 --> 00:32:40.780 So here's this leader that many would look at as, "Man, this is the most Godly Christian to ever live!" He's saying, 00:32:40.800 --> 00:32:48.200 "Pray for me." I walk in this world with humility, because 00:32:48.200 --> 00:32:50.020 I work in this world in the flesh. 00:32:52.080 --> 00:32:53.560 But I want to live for God. 00:32:56.460 --> 00:33:04.100 So no matter much you splice this, no matter how much you try to find the most perfect scenario, I don't think it exists apart 00:33:04.100 --> 00:33:07.060 from God's people just learning to walk in humility. 00:33:07.060 --> 00:33:11.140 So this is how Godly community lives internally. 00:33:11.980 --> 00:33:17.840 But can I tall you guys, our idea in this isn't to get fixated on some hierarchy in the church, because that's not what ultimately God called us to. 00:33:19.280 --> 00:33:25.400 The church isn't an organization that lives for itself, the church is an organization or an organism that lives for outside of itself. 00:33:27.000 --> 00:33:30.940 If all Jesus was interested in was your salvation, as soon as you're saved, man He'd take you out of the world. 00:33:32.260 --> 00:33:34.960 But He's called you in this world to be a light in the midst of darkness. 00:33:36.340 --> 00:33:43.360 So that's why when we look at all of Hebrews, the first 13 chapters, when it talks about leadership, he only talks about it in one verse, because he understands that this 00:33:43.360 --> 00:33:48.640 is here for just a reason, and then we've got to get beyond this reason so we can do what God has called us to do. 00:33:49.280 --> 00:33:51.310 So you ask the question, "Well, why does leadership exist? 00:33:51.400 --> 00:33:54.040 It's not to get focused on climbing some corporate ladder. 00:33:55.000 --> 00:34:02.140 He says it like this in Ephesians 4, he says, "And God gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as 00:34:02.140 --> 00:34:07.690 pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the service, for the building up of the body of Christ. 00:34:08.000 --> 00:34:13.400 So we all attain to the unity of the faith." Why does God establish any leadership? 00:34:13.400 --> 00:34:14.940 He tells us in verse 11. 00:34:15.000 --> 00:34:15.960 The answer is in verse 12. 00:34:17.940 --> 00:34:21.280 For the equipping of all of us to do what God has called us to do in Him. 00:34:22.360 --> 00:34:29.420 It's to get underneath people to leverage whatever gifts that you have to serve the body of Christ so that we can become all that God has called 00:34:29.420 --> 00:34:30.270 us to be. 00:34:31.120 --> 00:34:31.440 That's it. 00:34:35.520 --> 00:34:41.060 It's not about butts in the seats, but God's people in the streets. 00:34:41.100 --> 00:34:44.000 It's not about our seating capacity, but our sinning capacity. 00:34:44.000 --> 00:34:45.960 It's about discipleship, that's what he's saying. 00:34:47.780 --> 00:34:52.020 It's about helping us learn and grown in God's word so we can leverage that outside the world. 00:34:52.020 --> 00:34:56.650 It's not about being ingrown, but about externally thinking how God has called us to multiply. 00:34:57.420 --> 00:35:04.700 For our church, our vision for this church when we started, we picked this area because it was the highest concentration of a 00:35:04.740 --> 00:35:07.600 population that didn't have an established church in a city. 00:35:09.020 --> 00:35:11.920 We wanted to see a church established here that could grow. 00:35:11.980 --> 00:35:13.040 We're not about building a kingdom. 00:35:13.120 --> 00:35:17.100 We have no grandiose plans of building an auditorium that seats thousands of people. 00:35:17.140 --> 00:35:20.160 That's not the concept of what we think scripture shares. 00:35:20.160 --> 00:35:20.780 Now, that could happen. 00:35:22.140 --> 00:35:24.710 We can have a large church one day, who knows? 00:35:24.820 --> 00:35:26.520 But our desire is to multiply. 00:35:26.540 --> 00:35:28.600 That's what discipleship is about, multiplication. 00:35:28.620 --> 00:35:35.920 So our dream is to have built a facility that can accommodate about 300 to 400 people and just keep growing, because we see cities around 00:35:35.920 --> 00:35:39.740 us within this county that have never had a mainstream Christian church at all. 00:35:41.000 --> 00:35:48.220 How do you have a country where people left from another country of persecution to go to a land, to establish a place in Christ to still 00:35:48.220 --> 00:35:50.820 have entire cities being built without churches? 00:35:51.680 --> 00:35:52.500 It makes no sense! 00:35:53.700 --> 00:36:00.620 If God's community has a message that's that freeing, that delivering, then we should do something with that. 00:36:01.880 --> 00:36:04.470 It's not this ingrown process of a hierarchal structure. 00:36:06.240 --> 00:36:13.440 It's about multiplying and leveraging all that underneath of us so that we can become disciples capable in Jesus of declaring what Jesus has 00:36:13.440 --> 00:36:14.240 done in our lives. 00:36:16.500 --> 00:36:21.830 Okay, for the equipping of the saints. 00:36:22.100 --> 00:36:22.720 Now look at this. 00:36:22.800 --> 00:36:24.160 If we go back to Hebrews for just a moment. 00:36:25.980 --> 00:36:33.180 "The God of peace who brought us from the dead, the great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant", the eternal covenant, by the way is the New Covenant, "Even Jesus 00:36:33.180 --> 00:36:35.340 our Lord, equipping you in every good work. 00:36:35.340 --> 00:36:42.400 This is to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight." So look what he 00:36:42.400 --> 00:36:43.220 says in verse 21. 00:36:43.540 --> 00:36:44.280 Very first word, look. 00:36:45.200 --> 00:36:47.840 To equip you in every good thing. 00:36:48.440 --> 00:36:55.540 That's exactly what we read in Ephesians 4:12, "Equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us which is pleasing in His sight, 00:36:55.620 --> 00:36:56.460 through Jesus Christ. 00:36:56.540 --> 00:37:03.820 To Him be glory forever and ever, Amen." I've got to say this quick, but we're talking about church planting 00:37:03.820 --> 00:37:04.780 in the series ahead. 00:37:05.180 --> 00:37:07.160 Do you know, we don't really plant the church? 00:37:08.700 --> 00:37:13.880 Jesus says in Matthew 16:18, "I will build My church and the gates of hell will not prevail." Jesus builds the church. 00:37:15.320 --> 00:37:16.720 What God calls us to is to make disciples. 00:37:17.740 --> 00:37:18.220 Matthew 28:19. 00:37:19.300 --> 00:37:21.160 When you make disciples, Jesus builds His church. 00:37:22.340 --> 00:37:24.680 Our goal really isn't to build church, not a building. 00:37:25.160 --> 00:37:25.760 It's to make disciples. 00:37:27.260 --> 00:37:34.500 What it's saying in this passage is when we think about doing this in this world is the same God that resurrects Jesus by 00:37:34.500 --> 00:37:37.120 that power from the dead is the God that's at work in you. 00:37:38.680 --> 00:37:39.880 This is not foreign to us. 00:37:39.880 --> 00:37:41.340 This is not a power second to us. 00:37:41.680 --> 00:37:45.460 This is the same God moving in this way, working in His people. 00:37:45.480 --> 00:37:49.780 So you think about, "God, how can we do this?" Well, there's resurrection power within God's people. 00:37:50.720 --> 00:37:58.040 So the message that we share and the things that we declare in this world become significant because the same power that raised Jesus from the grave in order to make disciples 00:37:58.040 --> 00:38:01.160 for Christ is working in His people so that we can make disciples for Christ. 00:38:03.160 --> 00:38:05.300 Okay, verse 20-25. 00:38:05.360 --> 00:38:06.220 I'm going to share this and be done. 00:38:07.380 --> 00:38:07.960 "I urge you, brother. 00:38:10.280 --> 00:38:17.400 Bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly." So he's saying all of Hebrews was 00:38:17.400 --> 00:38:18.000 really a sermon. 00:38:19.480 --> 00:38:23.060 The author is just laying his heart out there on the significance of who Jesus should be in our lives. 00:38:24.160 --> 00:38:31.140 So take this message, these 13 chapters and I urge you, bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. 00:38:32.640 --> 00:38:38.120 Verse 23, "Take notice that our brother Timothy has been released with whom if he comes soon, I will see you. 00:38:39.340 --> 00:38:43.760 Greet all of your leaders and all the saints, those from Italy greet you. 00:38:43.760 --> 00:38:51.060 Grace be with you all." I love the end of this, because it's saying kingdom folk isn't just about your church, 00:38:51.860 --> 00:38:52.870 but it's about the church. 00:38:54.000 --> 00:38:55.400 Look what God's doing around the world. 00:38:57.680 --> 00:39:01.480 When I think about the history of Christianity. 00:39:03.740 --> 00:39:05.030 I told you about Ignatius. 00:39:08.180 --> 00:39:12.640 I think of the early disciples, the 11 that Jesus had. 00:39:12.640 --> 00:39:19.660 Judas was taken out before Jesus's crucifixion, or right around 00:39:19.660 --> 00:39:21.360 the time of Jesus's crucifixion I should say. 00:39:21.480 --> 00:39:23.470 But the other 11, 10 of them go on to by martyrs. 00:39:23.700 --> 00:39:29.600 One of them lives a long life, but he suffered tremendously for Christ, was the Apostle John. 00:39:29.760 --> 00:39:32.670 Apostle John went on and discipled church leader. 00:39:33.580 --> 00:39:35.280 Ignatius and Polycarp were two of them. 00:39:35.680 --> 00:39:37.390 You can still their writings today. 00:39:38.000 --> 00:39:38.910 How did they live their lives? 00:39:39.020 --> 00:39:40.500 How did they see Rome transformed? 00:39:41.560 --> 00:39:42.640 What kind of leaders were they? 00:39:44.740 --> 00:39:51.800 You see the life of Ignatius, so much believing in the life to come that he willingly gives his earthly life 00:39:52.160 --> 00:39:52.960 for his heavenly life. 00:39:55.520 --> 00:39:59.700 It's that kind of leadership that makes a difference. 00:40:01.180 --> 00:40:03.660 It's that kind of leadership that impacts the world around them. 00:40:05.200 --> 00:40:08.900 So when we talk about leaders, guys, truth is God calls us all to be them. 00:40:08.980 --> 00:40:14.420 I know there's different degrees of leading, but God calls us all to lead for Him in some capacity, in some way. 00:40:16.190 --> 00:40:17.600 What kind of difference do you make? 00:40:19.260 --> 00:40:20.910 You've seen the demeanor of what a leader is. 00:40:21.260 --> 00:40:22.150 We've looked at those passages. 00:40:23.240 --> 00:40:31.520 But I can tell you the driving force behind it all, the humility and sacrifice of His people because of what Christ has done and 00:40:31.620 --> 00:40:39.300 emulating Him in our lives, the transforming Jesus power that resurrected Jesus from the grave works 00:40:39.300 --> 00:40:41.600 through us and in His people as well.