PART 9

 

LIFESTYLE LEADERSHIP

Inner Lifestyle I

In previous sessions we have found in God's Word that each of us,

as members of the ekklesia are "called out" to be leaders in the areas

of our lives that we are presently in. We have investigated the

calling of several of the people used by God in mighty ways, and have

discovered that they, too, felt insufficient for the task that God

called them for. The most important discovery seems to be the very

fact that it was BECAUSE of this insufficiency that God chose them.

Only through the use of persons who would not, under ordinary

conditions, accomplish what God called them to be could God prove His

existence. Only when God made His plan come through individuals that

were not, to the world, capable of performing in such a manner was God

able to impress the FACT of his existence and interaction with

mankind.

We then discovered that God is not a respecter of persons, that

is, God does not look at what a person is doing, He looks at what they

are.

It is important that we take note of the FACT that God did not

give to Moses, Peter or Paul anything that He has not, or is not,

willing to give to each one of us. What is the difference, then,

between those individuals and us?

COMMITMENT

What makes our fellow Christians look at us and call us

'fanatics'? What is it that makes one Christian move through trials

with joy and others seem crushed at the smallest tribulation? Why do

some persons attend a church and not join the membership? The answer

is always COMMITMENT. The commitment of the believer is the lacking

factor in America. Why? Let's look at what Exodus can teach us.

In Exodus we read that it took God working through Moses only a

few days to get the people out of Egypt and on the road to the

promised land, but it took over 40 years to get Egypt out of the

people. The testimony of CHRISTIANS should be exclusively of CHRIST.

When we look around us, what do we see? Egypt. We see our Egypt in

the riches that have been bestowed on us to such a degree that we

begin to feel we have been worthy of these blessings. We take on the

love of money rather than the love of God. We not only love the

world, we want to "own a piece of the rock" and forsake the "rock" of

Jesus Christ. We become like the young ruler in the Gospels who truly

wanted to know how to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. When our Lord

informed him that he must sell everything and follow Him, we see the

young ruler backing off, just as we do so often.

In I John 2:16 we find the 'trinity' that Satan has developed as

a barrier to the life that God intends for us. This 'trinity' is:

Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes and Pride of Life. It can be

better expresses by stating LUST OF THE FLESH as a consuming passion

TO DO, LUST OF THE EYES as a compelling urge TO HAVE and the PRIDE OF

LIFE as an overpowering demand TO BE.

Passions, possessions and pride sum up in three words the way ALL

temptations throughout the ages have been handled by the prince of

darkness. In a subtle way, we can state that with these three items

of temptation, the devil literally has "something for everyone!" When

the lust of the flesh does not appeal, then maybe the lust of the eyes

or the desire for possessions will be the method Satan chooses. If

these two fail, the next could be the "pride" that comes from not

falling into the snares of the other two! Temptation is not sin.

Jesus, our Lord, was tempted. Sin is defined in Romans 14:23 where we

are told, "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin."

The difference between a "natural man" and a Disciple of Christ

is that the natural man claims independence from God. The five "I

WILL" statements of Satan in Isaiah show that Satan still tries to

negate our leadership by trying to tempt us with anything that will

get us to fall into his sin - trying to walk in independence of God.

Even Jesus shows that it is total dependence upon Him that makes the

difference, regardless of the "goodness" of our actions when, in

Matthew 7:21-23 we find some leaders of religion that, on the surface,

must look like great men of God. Read this section and see that the

outside of a man is not what Jesus looks at. Does our heart know Him?

Our work will never introduce us to Jesus, but an introduction and

reception of Jesus into our heart introduces us to works that are

eternal in nature.

The inner life, the "real" life inside the skin of a leader is

the "proof of the pudding" that God has called us and that Christ is

working through us. The best example of this is in the life of

Daniel.

Daniel was only a child when chosen by the king of the most

powerful and most pagan nation on earth to be trained for leadership

due to certain qualities. Daniel 1:4 gives us the qualifications of

an elite group of youths from the captive Hebrew nation. Read this

section.

Now, God found one of the group to be used by this pagan nation

in the highest appointive office of the land, and in so doing made

Daniel the only one that He made the spiritual leader of Israel. We

need to look into the important qualities of Daniel that God found and

was able to build upon.

PURITY OF LIFE

"Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself."

(Daniel 1:8)

Daniel chose not to sit on the fence. He probably noted that God

divided the light from the dark and from that date on there were only

the two - light and darkness, and Daniel chose the light.

The Apostle Paul further elaborated on this in II Corinthians

6:14-16. "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for

what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what

communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with

Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And

what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the

temple of the living God."

Let's look carefully at the five areas that Paul uses to draw the

line between God and Satan:

CHRIST SATAN

Righteousness Lawlessness

Light Darkness

Satan Christ

Faith Unbelief

House of God False Worship

You MUST CHOOSE to live on one side or the other. By not making

a direct choice for Christ, you make a choice to remain on the side of

Satan. Even though this choice is obvious, our tendency is to

compromise the Word of God to the world. A leader must set the

example and a standard that Paul tells Timothy, "A Bishop then must be

blameless" (I Timothy 3:2).

Let's turn to I Samuel 16:7 and see what God sets as the basis

for considering a leader. "Look not on his countenance, or the height

of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as

man seeth; for a man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord

looketh on the heart."

So it is with many of us. If we attempt to put on an outward

show for the people, we do not fool God. God sees the heart and will

permit trials to be brought to a leader that will show that the heart

is not as the outside. One day a test will reveal a leader's true

nature and character. A leader MUST live a pure life. Paul further

explains: "Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from

iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and

of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some

to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be

a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the Master's use, and

prepared unto every good work."

The very criteria that God uses to decide whom He will use for

His eternal purpose is found in this verse of II Timothy 2:19-21.

Those who purge themselves of dishonorable characteristics will be

vessels of honor. Pay attention to the term "Sanctified." God

promises to show Himself to others THROUGH the leader who is

SANCTIFIED: "And I will sanctify My great name, which was profaned

among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and

the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, 'saith the Lord God,' when

I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes." (Ezekiel 36:23)

In the study of God's Word, I have been approached many times by

people asking me whether something is right or wrong. The Bible has

specific teachings on lying, stealing and other areas - but what of

those areas where there is no specific teaching? I then discovered

some principles to place any such issue. Corinthian Principles of

Purity is what I have labeled the principles found in I Corinthians

6:12, 8:12-13, 10:31.

DOES IT HELP? "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are

not expedient; all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought

under the power of any." Does it help me physically, mentally or

spiritually? Does it draw my being, mind or spirit toward God, or

toward sin? This led me to evaluate my TV viewing and book reading.

Does it help me grow in the Lord or hinder my progress in His Kingdom?

WHO CONTROLS WHOM? Do I have a habit that I cannot break? Am I

in the grip of anything except the Lord?

WILL I CAUSE MY BROTHER TO STUMBLE? "But when ye sin so against

the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.

Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh

while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend." (I

Corinthians 8:12-13) If I do this could I POSSIBLY cause another to

stumble? Maybe I can handle it and have no problems, but can anyone

else see me and handle it? I must acknowledge that I am the ONLY

example some have of Christians - my life must support my beliefs.

IS IT GLORIFYING TO GOD? "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or

whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of god" (I Corinthians 10:31).

Is what I want to do going to bring glory to God? Simple question,

but one that many people will answer, "Well, not everything I do

brings glory to God!" This is probably true, but our chief purpose

for being created is to bring Glory to God and for His good pleasure.

A leader MUST lead a pure life. I am not saying a sinless life.

A human will sin. A Christian leader will sin. It is not that we are

sinless, but as Christians we are to sin less. A leader makes

continual reference and use of I John 1:9: "If we confess our sins He

is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all

unrighteousness."

A leader does not need to go outside his home or his job, his

country or his community. A leader only has to go outside of himself.

Computers for Christ - Chicago


Index of Preacher's Help and Notes

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