Category: Discipleship Foundations

Chapter 95: More about Five-fold Ministry

Five-fold or ascension gift ministries are appointed by our Lord Jesus to equip the church to fulfill its calling and function.

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.  Ephesians 4:11–16 (NKJV)

Jesus appoints men, and sometimes women, to carry some portion of his unlimited ministry. A person may function in more than one category, but usually one is dominant. In other words, an apostle may also teach and evangelize, but his or her main gifting will be apostolic.

through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;  Romans 1:5–6 (NASB95)

for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher.  2 Timothy 1:11 (NASB95)

Five-fold or ascension gift ministers are not called to do all the work of ministry or be considered as “clergy.”  Rather, our job is to pass on to others what God has given to us. These ministers impart to the church what they have received. For example, apostles will not only mentor other apostles, but they will also equip and inspire the church to fulfill its apostolic calling to go and make disciples.

Five-fold ministers are first and foremost servants to the church, not some sort of ministerial hierarchy.

Anyone who uses the gift to carve out some sort of niche or position for himself is suspect of misusing the gift and falsely representing Christ.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Mark 10:45 (NLT)
Apostles

The first people called apostles were the twelve our Lord chose to be closest to him.

Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; 6 but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’  Matthew 10:1–7 (NASB95)

The Greek word apostolos as used here means a messenger or delegate, one sent forth with orders.

Jesus gave them authority to heal and cast out evil spirits and to announce the coming of God’s kingdom. When Jesus chose this word to describe his sent ones, it was not a religious term.

During the time of the ancient Greek orator Demosthenes (384-322 BC), the word apostolos was a naval term that described an admiral, the fleet of ships that traveled with him, and the specialized crew who accompanied and assisted the admiral. The fleet would be sent out to sea on a mission to locate territories where civilization was nonexistent. Once an uncivilized region was identified, the admiral (called the apostolos) — along with his specialized crew and all their cargo and belongings — would disembark, settle down, and work as a team to establish a new community. Then they would begin the process of transforming a strange land into a replica of life as they believed it should be. Their purpose was total colonization of the uncivilized territory. Within this special fleet of ships were both the personnel and the cargo required to establish a new culture, a new life, and a new community. When that fleet pulled up to shore, it contained workers trained to build roads, construct buildings, and teach uncivilized natives how to read, write, and function in a new kind of social order. Thus, the admiral became the team leader for the construction of a new society…

The word “apostle” also described a person who had the authority to act much the same way an ambassador represents his government to another government. This classical and secular meaning of the word apostolos meant an envoy sent to do business on behalf of the one who sent him. Thus, a governmental apostle served as a personal representative, emissary, messenger, agent, diplomat, ambassador, or charge d’affaires. This person officially possessed the clout and influence to speak and act in the place of the one who sent him on his assignment. So when the ambassador — apostolos — spoke, his words were counted as the words of his sender. When the apostolos acted, his actions were interpreted as those of his sender. The connection between the sender and the person who was sent was almost inseparable.

This reveals the New Testament apostle’s position to speak and act on behalf of the Lord. This is a governmental position within the Body of Christ, and as such, an apostolic ministry gift should be received as one with great spiritual clout and the backing of Heaven. (The Historical Meaning of the Word “Apostle” by Rick Renner)

Jesus gave his apostles this kind of authority to represent him and his kingdom. He told them that they were his representatives, and their acceptance would be the same as accepting him and God in heaven.

He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  Matthew 10:40 (NASB95)

Paul understood and embraced this concept of apostleship, too. He and his team ventured into unreached areas of the earth to preach the gospel and install kingdom of God communities called the church wherever he went, thus extending Christ’s rule.

Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.  Romans 1:5 (NLT)

One of the main functions of the apostle is to preach the gospel and then establish God’s oversight in the resultant churches in the form of ordaining elders to govern and oversee things.

After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” 23 When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Acts 14:21–23 (NASB95)

Apostles help establish churches in sound doctrine, too.

According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. 11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  1 Corinthians 3:10–11 (NASB95)

Since they have authority derived from spiritually planting or “fathering” the churches launched through their preaching ministry, God uses them to bring correction when needed.

Apostles have what might be called “spheres” of authority based on their involvement and acceptance in local churches. Paul believed that he had such authority in the churches he planted.

I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. 15 For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.  1 Corinthians 4:14–16 (NASB95)

If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.  1 Corinthians 9:2 (NASB95)

In summary, apostles are delegates sent by God to evangelize through preaching the gospel and to establish sound doctrine and governmental oversight in those churches raised up under their ministry. They have authority to bring correction as needed, provided the local elders receive the apostolic ministry and authority.

Paul indicated that true apostles can be identified by the supernatural ministry of the Holy Spirit in their lives, too.

The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.  2 Corinthians 12:12 (NASB95)

Today, we often use the term apostle to describe anyone who has oversight over a network of churches. This is more akin to the idea of a bishop or overseer. Those who seem to carry apostolic anointing and authority today usually have a heavy emphasis on world missions and travel extensively, strengthening and encouraging God’s people. This aspect of the apostolic ministry was fulfilled by Paul when he revisited the churches he had previously planted.

But Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. 41 And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.  Acts 15:40–41 (NASB95)

The New Testament records that there were other apostles besides the original twelve, Matthias, and Paul. James the Lord’s brother, who became the lead elder in Jerusalem, was also numbered among the apostles. (Galatians 1:19) In Romans, Paul lists other apostles. (Romans 16:7) There is no reason for us to believe that God no longer calls and appoints men to be apostles. The need is great for such people.

We must be called by our Lord Jesus to be an apostle.

Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead),  Galatians 1:1 (NASB95)

We should never try to self-appoint ourselves but should wait for others to confirm this calling in our lives. Churches should be aware that some who claim to be apostles are not.

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.  2 Corinthians 11:13–15 (NASB95)

It is our responsibility to identify these people and call them out to protect the church from their destructive influence.

Prophets

Prophets are uniquely called by God to be his spokespeople and deliver a rhema word of God at the appropriate time. God uses them in a foundational way to help establish churches in cooperation with apostolic ministry.

Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.  Ephesians 2:20–22 (NLT)

Apostles, prophets, and teachers are instrumental in establishing the church in God’s truth.

A prophet is most concerned with God’s will being done more than anything else.

A prophet is not someone who merely prophesies. Rather, it is someone called by God to operate on a higher level of authority and maturity to be God’s spokesperson. Like other five-fold ministries, the person who carries this unique calling and grace is Christ’s gift to his church. It often takes years to properly prepare and “season” prophets. A mature prophet is God-called and God-trained. The prophet belongs first to God, then to the church, and lastly to him or herself. In other words, like other ministries, prophets are servants.

And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers...  1 Corinthians 12:28a (NASB95)

Prophets often call the church to a deeper level of consecration to the Lord, which begins with repentance.

They sometimes warn the church about what may be coming, as Agabus did about a coming famine in the New Testament. (Acts 11:27-28)

They can also help identify those God calls to ministry.

Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for

John the Baptist was called the greatest of prophets by our Lord. (Luke 7:28) His greatest accomplishment or privilege was to identify our Lord as Israel’s Messiah and to describe his four-fold ministry as the Lamb of God (John 1:29), the Lord (v.26), the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16), and the coming judge (Luke 3:17).

They also can show the church what God is doing or going to do so that the people can properly understand and cooperate.

Surely the Lord God does nothing Unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets.  Amos 3:7 (NASB95)

In the Old Testament, prophets were called seers. (1 Samuel 9:9) This was because “seeing” in the Spirit is integral to the prophetic ministry, whether we are called as a five-fold prophet or simply operate in the spiritual gift of prophecy. When God called Jeremiah, he gave him a “crash course” in how to properly interpret what the Spirit of God enabled him to see. (Jeremiah Chapter 1.)

Unless we can interpret what we see, it is relatively worthless, like wheat compared to the outer husk or chaff that contains it.

Prophets can see in the Spirit and hear God’s words spoken either audibly or in their hearts and know how to properly interpret them, as required.

As with apostles, prophets receive their commission directly from the Lord. (Jeremiah 1:5) If we receive such a calling, others will be able to recognize and confirm it. Also, as with apostles, there is no reason for us to assume that God no longer appoints people to this ministry. There is as much need today as ever.

Being a prophet is no light thing. Even though the normal New Testament function of a prophet is to build up the church, exhort her, and offer comfort or consolation (1 Corinthians 14:3), quite often prophets see things before others do and go “against the grain” by challenging people in areas in which they may be resistant.  More mature prophets may be used by God to deliver predictive, directive, or corrective messages.

Prophets must have a high degree of courage which comes from fearing God more than men. (Jeremiah 1:17-19)

Jesus warned us that we must be prepared for disapproval and even persecution at the hands of our hearers.

Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets.  Luke 6:26 (NKJV)

Some prophets are called to the nations, as was Jeremiah.

“See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, To pluck up and to break down, To destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant.”  Jeremiah 1:10 (NASB95)

This is a much larger sphere of authority and responsibility. Most prophets will be used in the context of local churches.

One essential characteristic for New Testament prophets is that they love the church.

Prophets in general are held in high regard, since their ministry is somewhat sensational to the average person who is not so gifted. As such, they must be careful to speak words that will properly communicate God’s heart to the church at large and to the individuals to whom they minister. They will also bring words of correction and repentance, but there should never be any tinge of harshness or condemnation.

In the local church, prophets will develop others in the same ministry, giving away what they received from God. The church will grow in its prophetic capacity as a result.

Prophets should make room for others to prophecy by choosing to recede as appropriate.

Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment. 30 But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted;  1 Corinthians 14:29–31 (NASB95)

This passage addresses the difference between prophets and those who operate in the gift of prophecy. Prophets should make room for less gifted individuals to operate in the gift of prophecy, rather than hog the show, so to speak, through the strength of their gifting. When it comes to developing the overall prophetic ministry of the local church, prophets should probably adopt the attitude of John the Baptist, who said his ministry should decrease for our Lord’s to increase. (John 3:30) The average person will probably be somewhat intimidated by the strength of a prophet’s gift, unless the prophet makes it clear that his or her desire is for others to grow in their personal gifting.

Prophecy, and hence, prophets, are both one of the most desirable and powerful forces for good, while at the same time being fraught with danger.

Good results when prophecy is used properly. The danger arises when prophecy does not adhere to the Bible or if the prophet is not submitted to the government of the local church.

Mature prophets gladly submit to and work in harmony with the authority in the local church.

Prophets are meant to work in collaboration with the government of the church – apostles and elders. When the two operate in harmony and complementarity, things usually move forward at a wonderful pace. Problems arise when this is not the case, as I covered in the previous lesson.

Prophets are not a law unto themselves.

All prophecies should be judged since no one is perfect in our delivery of God’s message. Those who judge are other prophets (1 Corinthians 14:29), elders, and God’s people in general. Prophecies should be judged based on content, source, and effect.

The content must not contradict the Bible. The vocabulary of the Spirit is the Scripture. The source may be God, our own minds, or an evil spirit. It is rare that we will hear a demonically-inspired prophecy, such as happened to Paul in Phillipi. (Acts 16:16-18) The woman in question said correct things about Paul, but the apostle detected a wrong spirit of “python,” which operated in the oracle of Delphi. The effect a prophecy has upon the hearer is another test. It should direct the hearer toward Christ and minister peace. In the case of a corrective prophecy, the long-term effect will be peace; although, in the short run it may cause tension.

Lastly, it takes maturity to know what to do with what God shows us. Sometimes we are to pray about the revelation, waiting on God to show us what to do with it. At other times, we should share it openly. Sometimes, we may wish to have a more private setting, but always in the presence of trusted witnesses who can serve to judge the prophecy. We should beware of prophets who are outside of proper oversight. This can lead to manipulation.

Evangelists

The main motivation of the evangelist is to preach the gospel and see people born again into the kingdom of God.

They seem to have an intense understanding on the peril of those who are not born again. His or her heart may ache for the lost. They usually display great boldness when preaching the gospel.

Evangelists usually do not carry the burden to make disciples, plant churches, or provide pastoral care.

Evangelists need to work in cooperation with apostles, pastors, and teachers so that the people won to the Lord through their preaching can be properly discipled.

Evangelists have a responsibility not only to reach the lost but also to develop other evangelists and help the church in general grow in its evangelistic ministry.

Philip is a good example of the ministry of the evangelist. We see him preaching in Samaria (Acts 8:4-8) and to the eunuch (Acts 8:26 ff.) and promptly moving on to the next place. In the case of Samaria, God sent apostles on the heels of Philip’s ministry to lay hands on the new converts so that they received the baptism in the Spirit. (Acts 8:14-17)

Power gifts, such as healing, miracles, and casting out evil spirits usually accompany the ministry of the evangelist, corroborating the truthfulness of his message.

And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city.  Acts 8:6–8 (NKJV)

The evangelist may be gifted to preach to large crowds or to smaller groups or maybe one-on-one. The anointing on their lives causes people to respond to the message. If an evangelist is the lead elder in a local church, the gospel will be continually preached with a heavy emphasis on people responding each week to be saved. In such a church, others on the team will need to provide pastoral care and in-depth teaching.

Pastor

The pastor or shepherd is anointed by God to care for God’s people through feeding (teaching God’s Word), leading, and protecting them from danger (false doctrine, sin and false brethren).

Pastors, following the example of Jesus, lay down their lives for the sheep.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  John 10:11 (NKJV)

They are gentle toward the sheep, but fearless toward anything or anyone which threatens them.

When a true pastor is the lead elder in a local church, the people will be well loved and protected. They will be well taught, too, but probably with exhortation and practicality in view.

The Greek word poimen is only translated into the English word pastor once in Ephesians 4:11. The other 17 times it is used it is translated as shepherd. Over the years it has come to mean the one person who has overall responsibility for the welfare of a local church.

Pastors usually love and identify with the people. They often have a strong mercy orientation and may care more about people than issues.

The character of the pastor should match the qualifications of any elder. People in the congregation normally will grow to love and trust the pastor; so, it is vital that we do not betray that confidence and perhaps alienate them from the church and the Lord.

Today the ministry and responsibilities are often too great. He may be expected to preach the word, counsel hurting and troubled people, visit the sick, manage church business affairs and politics, and act as a type of CEO. The Bible ministry of shepherd does not require all these things. It is important that pastors assemble a team of ministers who can share these responsibilities. Five-fold ministers are not supposed to do all the ministry but to equip the church to do it.

Teacher

Teachers have no greater joy than searching out God’s Word and sharing what they discover with others.

Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.  Jeremiah 15:16 (NASB95)

The teacher receives revelation from the Holy Spirit which gives him understanding and knowledge.

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.  John 16:13–15 (NASB95)

For example, knowledge is knowing that turning the key in the ignition of a car starts it. Understanding provides us with how and why this works.

Jesus was and is the greatest teacher. He has a way of taking complex subjects and making them simple, without eradicating depth of meaning. A teacher imparts life to his hearers and communicates truth in such a way that sets people free.

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.  John 6:63 (NASB95)

They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?”  Luke 24:32 (NASB95)

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  John 8:31–32 (NKJV)

Teachers find fulfillment is studying the Bible, receiving revelation, and sharing content. They may sometimes lack in practically applying the Word of God and usually team well with other five-fold ministers who can effectively apply the concepts taught. When a teacher is the lead elder in a local church, the people will be well taught but perhaps need extra pastoral care and missional fervency, which can be supplied by others on the team.

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Chapter 94: Leadership in the Local Church

The government of the local church derives from the authority of our Lord Jesus.

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV)

God appoints certain individuals to serve as “under-leaders” in the church. To these persons Jesus gives authority that corresponds to their responsibility to shepherd the flock of God.

 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.  1 Peter 5:2–4 (NKJV)
Elders

When Paul established new churches, one of the foundational things he did was appoint elders to govern them.

So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.  Acts 14:23 (NKJV)

Elders, which generally are older mature brethren who have godly character and wisdom, serve God by caring for God’s flock, the church, and are under the direction of the Great Shepherd, our Lord Jesus, and represent him.

Elders deserve our respect and honor as they fulfill their calling to care for God’s people.

Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.  1 Timothy 5:17 (NKJV)

Elders are to be selected from men who have solid character. These qualifications are listed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and describe what should be the character of every disciple.

The anointing and authority given to elders and other ministers of the gospel cannot long endure if we are lacking the character to sustain them.

The anointing will destroy us if we do not have adequate strength of character.

It is important to keep in mind that governmental leadership is not the same as ministry excellence. Some people have both, but many of us have only one.

Elders are given governmental responsibility to oversee the local church. These men may not be proficient in pulpit ministry or spiritual gifts but they have a call to oversee and govern the church.

Those who are gifted teachers, prophets, and evangelists may not have governmental oversight responsibilities.

First Among Equals

Among the elders, God usually appoints or brings to the forefront one person to lead the group, a kind of first among equals.

Moses recognized the need for such a leader.

Then Moses spoke to the Lord, saying: 16 “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, 17 who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.”  Numbers 27:15–17 (NKJV)

God heard Moses’ request and appointed Joshua to fill Moses soon the be vacant responsibility of leading Israel. Moses ordained or commissioned Joshua for this task, thus communicating his authority to him.

You shall put some of your authority on him, in order that all the congregation of the sons of Israel may obey him.  Numbers 27:20 (NASB95)

Without leadership, there often is confusion and perhaps even strife as leaders vie for influence. This leader is often called the “pastor” but may have another primary gifting, such as apostle, prophet, evangelist, or teacher.

Churches led by apostles will often have a world-wide missionary vision. When prophets pastor churches, there is a strong emphasis on holiness and obeying God’s current word to the church. When evangelists “pastor,” the church will have a heavy emphasis on evangelism and outreach. When teachers are the leaders, the church will be well-taught. Pastors will preside over churches in which the people are well-cared for.

Five-fold or ascension gift ministries – apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher – function at both the local level and translocally.

In other words, whereas elders on govern in their own local church, the five-fold ministry can function anywhere.

This leadership team should strive to maintain unity among themselves. This means that ideally there will be consensus in decisions, but we know this is not always possible.

A general rule might be for elders to follow the lead of the “pastor” unless one has a “check” or “red flag” about it.

In those cases, if possible, time should be set aside for seeking the Lord in the hope of reaching consensus. When this is not possible, the lead elder must make a decision, which the others should support.

The Nature of Godly Authority

Elders or under-shepherds carry an authority to build up God’s people rather than “lord it over” them.

I may seem to be boasting too much about the authority given to us by the Lord. But our authority builds you up; it doesn’t tear you down. So I will not be ashamed of using my authority.  2 Corinthians 10:8 (NLT)

God gives his under-leaders “spheres” or areas of authority.

It is important that we stay within these limits and not presume to have authority where God has not given us responsibility.

We will not boast about things done outside our area of authority. We will boast only about what has happened within the boundaries of the work God has given us, which includes our working with you. 14 We are not reaching beyond these boundaries when we claim authority over you, as if we had never visited you. For we were the first to travel all the way to Corinth with the Good News of Christ. 15 Nor do we boast and claim credit for the work someone else has done. Instead, we hope that your faith will grow so that the boundaries of our work among you will be extended.  2 Corinthians 10:13–15 (NLT)

For example, church planters have authority in the churches they plant. Elders have authority in the churches where they reside, but not elsewhere. Husbands have authority in their own families, but not in other men’s families.

In the church, we cannot demand people submit to our authority.

Authority from God must be first recognized and then received by the people, if it is to be effective. Leaders are not supposed to be “heavy handed” in how we handle the flock.

As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but instead we were like children among you. Or we were like a mother feeding and caring for her own children. 8 We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.  1 Thessalonians 2:7–8 (NLT)

Such godly leaders exercise their authority to protect, lead, feed, and watch over God’s people as a shepherd cares for his sheep.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  John 10:11 (NKJV)
Mentoring New Leaders

Leaders should make it a priority to develop those in the church who show potential to lead.

This means that those already in leadership will be willing to delegate responsibilities. Delegation means we still have overall responsibility, but we allow those to whom we delegate to devise their own methods to accomplish the task, under whatever level of supervision is appropriate. The greater the proven faithfulness of those to whom we delegate, the greater freedom we can give them. The goal is to develop the people around us to lead.

If we are unwilling for there to be any drop in the kind of excellence we might bring if we were to handle things ourselves, we probably will not be good at delegation. Training leaders requires us to allow those we are developing to grow into their roles over time.

When people in the church understand that making disciples is a priority, it will help them not only to tolerate the drop in excellence when people are first learning, but to cheer on those who are being mentored.

Calling, Vision, or the Burden to Lead

Those who are called and gifted to lead will have a “calling,” “burden,” or “vision” that comes from the Lord that motivates and sustains them.

Nehemiah is a great example of such a leader in the Bible. His heart was gripped by the plight of Jerusalem, whose lack of a protective wall made her defenseless against her enemies. His burden for Jerusalem’s welfare prompted him to ask the king for permission to return to his homeland to reconstruct the wall, which was granted. His single-minded devotion to this purpose gave him determination to see the reconstruction through to the end, despite continuous opposition, harassment, and threats from enemies. He clearly laid out the vision and influenced the people to accept the plan, worked hard to see it implemented, rallied the people when their courage and strength grew weak, rebuked internal enemies, and had the sense to avoid the traps set by external opposition.

Godly leadership, according to Jesus, assumes the role of a servant.

But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.  Matthew 20:25–27 (NLT)

This creates tension between our understanding of how to fulfill the responsibilities of leading people set against the need to serve them.

The former asks the leader to step to the front and assume command. The latter instructs him or her to get behind or beneath people to push them upward or forward to become all they can be in the Lord. Tension is created between the leader’s courage and responsibility to tell people what God wants them to do and their need to have the humility to listen and help those who are hurting and stumbling along the path.

Perhaps the shepherd best describes this sort of leader.

It is no wonder that most who lead churches today are called pastor, another word for shepherd. Jesus was and is the greatest leader of all time. He is the Lord of lords, but he also humbled himself to serve all the way to dying on the cross.

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  Philippians 2:6–11 (NLT)

Leadership is listed as one of the motivational gifts, meaning that it is placed in us by God.

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.  Romans 12:6–8 (NKJV)

Some people with dominant personalities are what might be called “born leaders.” Others, who are less dominant by nature, are also called by God and must learn how to lead along the way.

No matter which type we may be, if we are called to lead, we all need the Lord’s help because God’s way of leading differs dramatically from the world’s.

Dominant leaders must learn to serve and lead with humility, while deferring to the Holy Spirit. Those with less dominant personalities must learn how to step forward when they might rather stay in the background.

Moses is a great example of the latter sort of personality. He argued with God that he was not a fit leader to the point that God became angry with him. Before his time as leader of Israel was complete, however, he had become too self-confident, which cost him dearly. King David had a more dominant personality. He learned to submit decisions to God. When he did not, it usually got him into trouble.

God wants us to replace self-confidence, or the lack thereof, with God-confidence.

Some Desired Character Qualities of Leaders

Paul wrote that leaders must be diligent. (Romans 12:8) The Greek word spoude means to be earnest in promoting, accomplishing, or striving after something. God does not want anyone to be lazy or apathetic and certainly does not want leaders to behave like this.

Courage is another asset that leaders need. Sometimes we must stand for truth and God’s will when it is unpopular. We will also have to stand firm against those who resist or undermine our leadership or seek to manipulate us into following them instead of God.

Patience is another key character quality that good leaders need. Moses lost patience with the Israelites, and, in his anger, he misrepresented God to the people. This cost him by keeping him out of the promised land. (By the way, Moses represented the Law, which can never lead us into the promises. Only Jesus, (Joshua) can do that.)

Every leader needs keen discernment from God’s Spirit, which is an aspect of wisdom. Wisdom is knowing what to do and when. God wants every disciple to continue to develop the fruit of the Spirit, especially leaders who are out in front for everyone to see.

A Table Has Four Legs

Those who have leadership responsibility must rely on their God-given ability to lead, believing that God will show them what to do, the right way to do it, using the right people, at the right time.

God’s will might be thought of as a table with four legs.

Each leg is important to keep the table upright. These legs are God’s right thing, his right way, his right people, and his right timing. If one is missing, everything can be messed up.

For example, God told Abraham that his right thing was for him to have a natural born son. Abraham got tired of waiting and supposed that God wanted to have this son through Sarah’s servant, which led to the birth of Ishmael, whose descendants have been age old enemies of Israel. God’s right way was to use the right person, Sarah, at the perfect time, which came later. Isaac was the result of all four legs of the table being in place.

The Relationship between Government and Prophetic Ministry

Many local churches have prophetic people who are able to discern God’s will, which is the right thing. Often, they see what God wants to do far ahead of when he plans to do it so that prayer can be made to usher it in. If the prophet sees or announces God’s plan, it might be assumed that it is also the right time, which may not be the case at all.

God will not usually tell leaders the plan until it is the time for it to happen because they would probably mess it up by trying to make it happen too soon.

Prophetic people may become disgruntled with those in leadership because they do not think that they are adequately “hearing the Lord.” Leadership may become frustrated or intimidated by prophetic people because they do not seem to be hearing from God as do the prophets. If they dismiss or surrender their leadership responsibility to the prophetic, it will hurt teamwork. Both must appreciate what the other has to offer. The leaders should listen to the prophetic and then take it to God for his instruction and guidance. Prophetic people should communicate with leaders and leave things in God’s and the leaders’ hands.

The Role of Translocal Ministry in the Local Church

Local churches can benefit from trusted outside input or oversight. As mentioned before, the five-fold ministry can be thought of as being a gift to local churches to help them get started, mature, and handle serious situations that may arise. A wise eldership will invite translocal ministries to speak and interact with the leadership and people. It is a rare thing for a local church to have all five of these ministries present, but all are needed to help an assembly grow to maturity.

Over time, it is hoped that trust can be built between these ministries and the local eldership. Such trust will allow the eldership to turn to them for help on any serious issue that may arise.

Translocal ministries have an authority from Christ to minister and act governmentally, but their authority should always be submitted to the overseeing eldership of a local assembly.

If the eldership is fractured, this presents a more serious problem that might require five-fold ministers to exercise greater authority until the situation is rectified.

On a more positive note, we sheep are admonished to obey those whose responsibility it is to govern us.

Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.  Hebrews 13:17 (NKJV)

 

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Chapter 93: The Spirit-Led Church

Teaching disciples how to partner with the Holy Spirit in ministry is one of the most important parts of the disciple-making process.

During the forty days after his resurrection, Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promised outpouring of his Spirit.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NLT)

After Jesus ascended to heaven, he poured out his Spirit upon the church on Pentecost to launch the church age, initiate the Great Commission, and to fulfill his promise to empower his disciples to be his witnesses.

This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.  Acts 2:32–33 (NKJV)

Jesus, the Word of God in human form, God’s own Son, partnered with the Holy Spirit to carry out his ministry.

The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, Luke 4:18 (NLT)

Jesus demonstrated what it looks like to work in harmony with God’s Spirit.

So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. John 5:19 (NLT)

If God’s only begotten Son depended on the Spirit to carry out his assignment, how much more do we need the Holy Spirit’s guidance and power to represent Christ and fulfill the Great Commission!

The Bible teaches that all believers live or abide in God’s Spirit.

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?  1 Corinthians 3:16 (NKJV)

However, it is one thing to live in the Spirit and quite another to “walk” in step with the Spirit.

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.  Galatians 5:25 (NLT)

The Holy Spirit lives inside every born-again person. It is important that we gain confidence in this enormous truth, which will enable us to trust in God’s transforming power within. When it comes to ministry, however, we must learn how to partner with him. Many people call this having God’s “anointing,” which simply means that the Holy Spirit is “upon” us in a tangible way.

The baptism in the Spirit is a gateway to effective empowerment for ministry.

(I cover this in other lessons in this series.) Once we receive the baptism in the Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues, we need a daily refilling of the Spirit, because, as someone once said, we leak.

Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19  singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20  And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:18-20 (NLT)

This refilling is available to us via a daily engagement with the Spirit in worship, thanksgiving, and prayer, which ideally should include times of simply listening. The Bible calls this “waiting on God.”

Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!  Psalm 27:14 (NKJV)

The Bible and the Spirit always agree. They speak with one voice. The Spirit wants us to be continually alert. We never know when and how he will speak to us. Sometimes it happens as we worship, read the Bible, and pray. It could happen in our sleep through a dream, or as we contemplate. It takes practice to discern his voice. He wants us to get very good at it.

Jesus promised us that his “sheep” can and do hear his voice.

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  John 10:27 (NKJV)

He wants us to believe this is the truth, even if we have not been able to properly hear him speak yet.

The Holy Spirit is our interface with God.

All followers of Christ can hear and communicate with God, but many do not know how or even believe they can. The Spirit will speak to us as we read and meditate on the scriptures. We can “hear” him in our own thoughts and heart, too. Sometimes his voice is so “quiet” that we must get quiet to discern it.

And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  1 Kings 19:12–13 (NLT)

At other times he breaks through unmistakably with a clear message.

When we are first learning how to detect his voice, we will probably need help from more seasoned disciples who can act as a “sounding board” for us to ask feedback on what we think God is telling us.

God is willing to work with us to give us more confidence that what we discern is indeed his voice. This happens when we are willing to “take a chance” and step out in faith.

He can and does speak to us through other people in sermons, counseling, and simple conversation, but it always takes practice to discern God’s will.

There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. 12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. 13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. 14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.  Hebrews 5:11–14 (NLT)

Lastly, circumstances can indicate what God is saying, but this too must be properly discerned. Sometimes we must press forward despite adverse circumstances. At other times, we should realize that God is closing a door. Once again, we may need to ask for help in discerning what God is saying. We can trust the Lord to make it plain to us and others.

Once we begin to discern what the Holy Spirit is saying to us, the next step is to gain confidence so that we can routinely and instantly obey his gentle promptings.

When we hear God, but disobey, it hinders our ability to hear, at least in the short run. As Henry Blackaby taught in his groundbreaking series, Experiencing God, when God speaks, it places us in a crisis of belief. Are we willing to make the necessary adjustments to overcome our fear and resistance to obey him?

Once we gain faith and experience in hearing and obeying the Holy Spirit, God wants us to develop proficiency in how to operate in the gifts of the Spirit.

Jesus’ ministry would have been very different had he not done this on a regular basis.

The gifts of the Spirit are provided to bless others and open their hearts to the Jesus and the gospel. For the uninitiated, operating in the gifts can be daunting, but it is not much different from learning to hear his voice. Once we discern God’s voice, it seamlessly transitions to operating in the gifts of the Spirit. In fact, we may discover that the Spirit of God has long been prompting us in the prophetic realm without our being aware. Once we become active partners, we might be surprised how fast he can develop us, but it requires faith and courage.

In conclusion, a huge part of the disciple-making process is to teach followers of Christ how to hear, obey, and partner with the Holy Spirit in every aspect of life, including ministry and the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

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What do we do when we are unsure of our next move?

One of the most difficult and challenging times is when we are not sure of what to do next.

Because of Adam’s sin of partaking from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we have an almost insatiable desire for knowledge. When confronted with an important choice in life, we want to know what to do. Not knowing creates a sense of angst inside us. Some turn to illicit means of gaining such knowledge, such as the occult. Because God was silent, King Saul turned to a medium on the eve of an important battle with the Philistine army to try to find out information God was hiding from him (1 Samuel 28). What should we do is such a situation?

God created us to rely him for everything. He is our Creator and Sustainer. Every breath we take is a gift. Without his continual upholding of our lives, we would fall dead.

And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power... Hebrews 1:3a (NASB95)

This does not mean that he wishes to keep us in an immature state, like a baby needing help all the time. Rather, God wants us to learn to trust him in an ever greater way to accomplish what would otherwise be impossible for us.

The devil tries to make us feel stupid and incomplete because we do not know everything. He tempts us to pridefully rebel against our God-given need to rely on the Lord. He used this successfully against Adam and Eve in the garden; so, we should not take this temptation lightly.

God did not create us as stupid beings, but he did limit our ability to know. Not knowing is part of the reason we are so dependent upon him.

The quest to be and act independently from God is a root behind all sin.

Jesus gave us the perfect example of God-dependent living.

He only did what he saw the Father doing (John 5:19) and spoke what he heard the Father saying (John 12:50). As a result of his perfect obedience to God, Jesus was completely free. Freedom is not doing what we please. Rather, it is pleasing God. Sin enslaves; whereas, God’s Spirit liberates.

Eve disobeyed God in a quest to know forbidden things. God asks us to trust him without having have all the information that we might desire. The Lord simply wants us to trust and obey. God tells us what we need to know at just the right time. Otherwise, we rest in the confidence that God knows all things and sovereignly oversees our destinies.

In God’s economy, faith in God’s faithfulness is more important than having knowledge.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)

As the old hymn says,

Many Things About Tomorrow,
I Don’t Seem To Understand;
But I Know Who Holds Tomorrow,
And I Know Who Holds My Hand.

Everyone lives by faith in something, even if it is faith that there is nothing worth believing. Faith is based on believing what is unprovable using scientific methodology. The great mysteries of life must be accepted by faith.

  • Is there a God?
  • What is the purpose of life?
  • What happens after death?
  • What do I do next?

Those who say that faith is blind, do not know God.

When we take a step of faith, it should be based on something rock solid. God has given us his written Word in the Bible, and he has provided us with the Holy Spirit. It can still be “scary” to take God at his Word and act upon it, but such fear comes from a lack of experience of the faithfulness of God. The more we take such faith “leaps,” the greater our confidence in God.

The Spirit of God reveals God’s secrets to us.

But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. 1 Corinthians 2:10 (NLT)

He speaks to our hearts and opens our minds to understand the scriptures. This is the kind of knowledge that God permits and encourages. Revelation from the scriptures and from the Spirit are gifts from God and minister life to us, just the opposite of what happened in the garden when the wrong kind of knowledge was pursued and brought death.

But sometimes God withholds what we might consider to be key information, leaving us feeling very unsure of ourselves and what to do next. Such a time is an opportunity for us to demonstrate our faith that God will reveal to us whatever we need to know and handle the unknowns for us.

If the Lord withholds information, it is because we do not need to know. Knowing that God knows all things and is faithful to keep his promises is enough.

God is good and trustworthy, and we can trust in him even when nothing else makes sense. We do not have to know everything. We just need to rely on the one who does.

To the uninitiated, living by faith without any knowledge of what is happening or going to happen can be disconcerting. But when we learn to live by faith, it produces a deep sense of joy and peace. God is more trustworthy than what we can see with our eyes or understand with our minds.

For we live by believing and not by seeing. 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NLT)

When we put our faith in him, he gives us a peace that passes understanding.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)

So, when we are confused and unsure what to do next, it is time to find shelter in the “secret place” of God’s presence until he chooses to reveal what is the next thing we need to know. Until then we can choose to be content in knowing him.

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Overcoming Obstacles to Following Jesus

Followers of Jesus will face many obstacles on their discipleship journey.

Jesus warned that being his disciple is only for those who are willing to pay a price.

You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.Matthew 7:13-14 (NLT)

Because we are born with a sin nature and are inherently self-centered, we all tend to take the easy way, just as water seeks the path of least resistance. Very few embrace the difficult path by choice, but that is exactly what following Jesus requires. Is it any wonder that many of his would be disciples turn back from following him then and now? Let’s look at some of the obstacles to following Jesus that are listed in Luke’s gospel and see how we might overcome them.

Pressures from Family
If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26 (NLT)

One of the first hurdles every follower of Christ likely will face is the conflict between following Jesus and pleasing his or her family. Being a disciple is not something we do in our spare time. It is not something we add to our lives without fundamentally altering everything else.

Following Jesus is more like gutting a home and totally remodeling it than simply rearranging the furniture.

Following Jesus means that we choose to love him more than any other person or thing. Our relatives may misinterpret our dedication to Christ as hatred toward them. Jealousy and resentment may lead some in our families to demand that we choose between them and the Lord. Making this choice is a painful test which some fail to pass.

If we cannot put Jesus ahead of family, we may get mired into compromise and disobedience, which can dilute the power of our testimony.

We can only walk with those who agree to follow the path of obedience to Christ.

Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction? Amos 3:3 (NLT)

A good way to overcome this obstacle is to ask God to protect our hearts from the pain of  rejection and trust the Holy Spirit to give us the strength to put God ahead of everything else, even family, if necessary.

Putting Our Own Interests First
And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:27 (NLT)

A cross was an horrible instrument of torture and death that served to remind people not to rebel against Rome. Everyone who heard our Lord’s words must have inwardly cringed. No one ever wanted to be crucified. Why would Jesus link following him with such a horrid death? Today, we use this term metaphorically, but to his early disciples, this was a real possibility. Many of his followers died painful deaths for maintaining ther allegiance to Jesus.

We are naturally motivated to preserve our lives. The second obstacle to discipleship is overcoming the impulse or habit to put ourselves first without regard for God’s will or the best interests of others. Being a disciple means we follow Jesus wherever he may lead. Evangelism is potentially a dangerous business, especially in countries that prohibit sharing the gospel. But even here in the USA people may suffer for their declared allegiance to Christ and his teachings. Following Christ means we choose to embrace our Lord and the gospel, no matter what the personal cost. God has a vested interest in enlarging his family, which happens when the gospel is shared and believed.

People who do not yet know Christ have a desperate need to hear the gospel, which trumps our desire for self-preservation. Jesus calls his followers to put their self interests behind his and those they serve, trusting that God will take care of them. Following Jesus may require us to make choices that may not always seem to be in our own best interests. In these cases we must choose Christ’s interests over our own.

These choices can involve to whom we relate , where we live, whom we marry, what job we take, how we spend our money and time, and possibly even whether we live or die. Martyrs make the choice to remain steadfast to Jesus at the cost of their own lives. This is the ultimate form of death to self, but the smaller day to day choices are usually what challenge most of us.

The ability to put others first and trust God to take care of us is a true test of faith. Overcoming the barrier of self-interest can be done with God’s help. We must trust the Holy Spirit to do this deep work in our hearts.

Paying the Cost

The third hurdle for every disciple is the financial cost of following Jesus, who is Lord of all, even our money.

But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29  Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30  They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’ 31  “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? 32  And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. 33  So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own. Luke 14:28-33 (NLT)

The rich young man chose to walk away from following Jesus because he was unwilling to part with his wealth. Money represents different things to different people. It can be our ticket to comfort and material things. For others it provides security. Still others imagine that it provides power, recognition, and esteem.

Parting with our money means we are willing to let go of what it can provide for us and choose to trust God to provide everything we need instead.

The rich young ruler (Luke 18:18-24) did not realize he loved money more than God. He was surprised that Jesus’ offer of a place in his discipleship band carried such a heavy price tag – giving away all his wealth. When faced with having to make a choice between keeping his money or following Christ, he chose the former, to his own detriment and sadness. Jesus does not want us to be caught by surprise as was the young ruler, but to wisely consider the cost of discipleship prior to launching out on our journey with him.

Jesus claims the right to all we have because he is our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. If he demands that we give it all away to please him, we must do that. The cost of discipleship is more than monetary, however. Following Jesus will cost us our time, energy, freedom, family relationships, and may even impinge on our health. We are called to be willing to pay any and every price in order to follow Jesus. (Read Acts 4:34-37.) Overcoming this barrier requires that we honestly face our relationship with money and choose to put God first, trusting the Holy Spirit to develop faith in us that God is our ultimate Provider.

The Willingness to Endure Conflict

Anyone who chooses to follow Jesus will experience resistance and conflict. Spiritual warfare comes from the devil and from people who have a worldly perspective and are thus, perhaps unwittingly, aligned with Satan. Our enemy seeks to harass, intimidate, demoralize, and stop the work of God.

The more important our call and role is in God’s kingdom, the more intense the warfare we should expect.

God does not want us to be surprised by this, nor does he want us to surrender. God has made his children more than conquerors, but it takes courage and perseverance to overcome the enemy.

Spiritual warfare does not always show up the way we might expect. Suddenly everything may seem to start “going wrong.” Appliances or automobiles break. Loved ones get sick. Strife erupts. Discouragement pays a visit. Unless we are alert, we may be well on our way to losing the battle without even knowing that we are under attack. Disciples need to be alert and determined to acknowledge and praise God in all things because we truly believe Romans 8:28. Once we understand that we are in warfare, it actually gets easier to make a stand.

We cannot afford to be ignorant or oblivious to the devil’s tactics. (Read Ephesians 6:10-18.) What was the most costly conflict you have endured thus far that came as a result of being a disciple of Jesus? Were you surprised when it confronted you? Had you already made up your mind to push through it, or did you have to regroup? Have any loved ones suffered as a result of your commitment to Jesus? How is this different from personal suffering?

If we want to overcome this obstacle to discipleship, we should ask the Holy Spirit in advance to prepare and strengthen us to keep going when we encounter conflict and resistance. Retreat and surrender are not an option for a true disciple.

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13 (NLT)
Giving Up Everything

The last instruction Jesus gave to his followers was to renounce everything they owned. When we declare allegiance to Christ at water baptism, we sign a blank check and give it to the Lord. He gets to choose when, where, and how much will be the amount he asks us to pay, up to everything we have.

It is one thing to agree in principle that Jesus owns everything, but it is quite another to give up  all that we own.

Renunciation makes it official. All we have belongs to Jesus and every good gift comes from God. He allows us to use it as he sees fit, and we should be ready to dispose of it at a moment’s notice. I assure you that this is not my idea, but the Lord’s.

God is generous and wants us to enjoy what God has put in our hands, but he does not want anything to “own” us but God.

This is not necessarily a one and done proposition. We will probably need to continually disentangle ourselves from the pull of what we have until the day we let go of it all at death. He does not require the same things at the same time from everyone. We cannot compare ourselves to others in this matter. Ours is to faithfully follow the Lord on the particular path he has for us.

Prayer

Jesus, I choose to be your disciple and, with your help, I embrace the cost. I put my relationship with you over all my other relationships. I am prepared to be rejected by people who may misunderstand or hate my loyalty to you. My desire is for my family and friends to walk together with me on this journey of faith, but, if need be, I will choose to put you ahead of them, no matter how much it hurts. Lord, forgive me for loving myself more than I love you. I purpose to put you first from now on. Help me to boldly embrace any persecution or suffering which may accompany boldly witnessing to others and sharing the gospel. I ask you to help me choose to put your will over mine whenever there is a conflict. Lord, I give you my finances. All I have came from you and belongs to you, and I give it back to you. Help me to never back away from any cost associated with following you, even if it means death. Help me never to retreat or surrender to the attacks from Satan and those who serve him. I renounce everything I have – my relationships, my choices, my money, my right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, my comfort, my time, my peace – so that I can please you. I know that you will give me back more than I can ever give you. I totally depend on your grace and Holy Spirit to enable me to follow you as a disciple. Allow me to be an encourager to all those who call on your name. Amen.

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How Can We Discern What God Is Telling Us?

Is it possible to accurately discern what God is telling us? Jesus promised us that his sheep will hear and recognize his voice.

"But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. 3  "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4  "When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5  "A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers." John 10:2-5 (NASB)

Every born again follower of Christ has the ability to “hear God.”

Many people who believe in Jesus may say that they cannot “hear” his voice. The inability to hear and recognize Jesus’ voice to us may be due to our not being born again. If you are in doubt about this, please refer to the article connected to this link. If we are convinced that we have experienced the new birth but do not know how to hear God, this could be the result of not understanding how God speaks to us. This article will show you some of the ways God communicates with his people. It also covers the prerequisite heart attitudes for being able to discern God’s voice.

God is perfectly able and willing to communicate to us everything we need to know at precisely the right time.

God is not a vending machine ready to dispense “words” to us at our bidding. Instead, he is worthy to be pursued and waited upon.

But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)

It is brings him honor when we seek him and simply listen, even when he doesn’t seem to be speaking. That being said, if we are not hearing the Lord at all, the problem almost always lies on our side.

It may surprise you to hear that many people receive communications from God without being aware. We may not be paying no attention or not recognize them as coming from God. Once we learn how the Lord speaks, it enables us to more accurately discern his voice and grow in confidence regarding what we hear. Note: When I use “hear” and “voice,” I do not necessarily mean that we hear with our ears an audible voice. That is rare. Rather, we hear in our hearts, in our spirits, and in our minds. It is a real hearing, but different from using the physical sense of hearing.

Prerequisites for Hearing God

The greatest requirement, perhaps the only requirement, for being able to understand what God is communicating to us is to have a proper heart attitude toward him and other people. The scariest threat to each one of us is what the Bible calls a “hardened” heart.

FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.' Matthew 13:15 (NASB)

A hardened heart is one that is closed to God. It does not have the ability to perceive what God’s Spirit is saying nor experiences conviction regarding sin.

Jesus is more than willing to deliver us from this condition, but we must come to him in humility, repentance, and the fear of the Lord.

These are three heart attitudes that increase our receptivity to God. These are qualities found in those who have surrendered their lives to our Lord Jesus and in whom the Holy Spirit is working.

Perhaps the greatest reason people’s hearts become hard is our refusal to acknowledge, honor, and worship God. Paul graphically illustrated what happens to those who make this choice.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19  because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21  For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Romans 1:18-21 (NASB)

One of the most telltale signs of having such a darkened heart condition, even among professed Christians, is murmuring and complaining about our circumstances and lot in life.

One of God’s most important attributes is his sovereign power and rule over all things he created. Even though he does not originate evil, whenever we encounter difficulties, tests, or even terrible things, it has to be acknowledged that God allows it. This is a huge snare for many.

The devil attempts to get us to accuse God of evil and injustice than surrender to his loving sovereignty.

One of the most important verses in the Bible is the following.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (NASB)

When we stop fighting God and begin worshiping him in the midst of our most trying circumstances, we will be able to hear God’s voice on a whole new level.

We praise him not because we like what is going on or because we confuse evil for good. We worship him because we know that he will transform every single thing in our lives, even the difficult or terrible things, into something good. If we want to add a beautiful finishing touch to our praise, we can ask God to work our circumstances and our responses in such a way that they will bring him glory. That is a prayer centered in God’s will and will surely be answered. To summarize, if we want to hear God in a greater way, stop complaining. Start worshiping and declaring that we believe God is sovereignly working all things together for our good and his glory.

Another huge hindrance to being able to know what God is communicating is when we harbor resentment and bitterness.

I have found that, until we forgive, we will usually hear nothing at all from him except to repent. If we want to hear God clearly, ask the Holy Spirit to show us if you need to forgive anyone. To forgive, biblically speaking, means to release from a debt. When we forgive, we tell ourselves, God, and perhaps the other person that he or she no longer owes us anything at all. They are “off the hook” as far as we are concerned. They still must reckon with God. We can safely leave justice to him. If we clear our hearts of every offense, we will surely hear God’s voice.

How God Communicates with Us

God is a Spirit and communicates via the Holy Spirit.

The ways of God are different from ours. If we are expecting God to only communicate as another human being does, we will be disappointed and miss much of what he is telling us. Humans are unique beings. We have bodies, souls, and spirits (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

God made us to be able to interface in the natural world and the spiritual one.

When Adam and Eve sinned, it severely damaged our connection to God and the realm of the Spirit. When we surrender to Christ’s lordship, the Holy Spirit comes into our lives and unites with our spirits (1 Corinthians 6:17), reestablishing our communication line with God. In fact, it is much better than that. In the Old Testament, God spoke externally, from afar. Now he speaks from within us.

The Bible says we have the “mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16), which means we are able to think his thoughts.

This does not mean that all our thoughts are from God, but many are. In other words, quite often God communicates seamlessly with his people. If we are expecting an external voice to speak to us, we may miss God altogether. In fact, such expectations are Old Covenant in nature when God was with his people but not residing in them. Now Christ lives inside each of us.

To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27 (ESV)

There are four main ways that the Holy Spirit uses to communicate with us: the scriptures, the inner voice or prompting of the Spirit, other people, and circumstances. Often he uses all four in harmony. Let’s examine each.

The Scriptures

The Bible is the gold standard for God’s will. If what we think is God’s voice does not agree with the clear teachings of Scripture, we should reject it.

The only caveat is that sometimes our understanding of the Bible is defective, as when Peter was told by the Spirit to violate his religious tradition to go to the Gentile Cornelius’ house. We can rest assured that the Spirit will never instruct us to violate God’s moral law, however.

If we accept the Bible as authoritative, the next challenge is how to properly interpret it. Although Scripture clearly speaks to many issues and situations, it does not cover everything we will face in life. Generally, we can depend on the broad outlines shown in the Bible. When it come to what job to take, we may have a choice between working for a company that has integrity and one that does not. Generally speaking, the Bible indicates that we should choose the former. But what about when the Bible does not specifically address our situation? There have been many times in my life when this has been the case; nevertheless, God spoke to me clearly from the scriptures. While reading the Bible, specific verses seemed to “jump” off the pages. I had an inner conviction that the Holy Spirit spoke directly to me, that the verses I read were specifically for me in my situation. We cannot make this happen. I do not advise simply opening the Bible and putting your finger on a random verse, trusting that it will be a specific word for you; although God can even do that.

We can ask God to speak to us as we read the Bible. We should be alert to the Holy Spirit providing such revelation. 

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. John 16:13 (NASB)

Some call this receiving a “rhema” word from God. The “logos” is the written word, but “rhema” is when God makes the Bible come alive personally to us and our situation. I have had this happen many times. God is no respecter of persons. He will do it for any one of us, too.

The Inner Voice or Prompting of the Spirit

The rhema word of God can be considered an inner prompting of the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit also communicates messages that are not strictly Scripture, but will never violate or contradict Scripture. God’s Spirit communicates via what we might call an inner “voice”, dreams, visions, and the gifts of the Spirit, as listed in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11. Once again, we cannot manufacture these communications. Our responsibility is to try to be alert to God in expectation that he may speak. I will not go into more detail about this at this time, but, if you are interested, you can read more about it in my book, Promise of the Father, which goes into greater detail about the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

This kind of communication is very real, but sadly many followers of Christ are almost totally ignorant and out of touch with the amazing way God shows us things. I have heard clear words, not audible, but extremely clear from the Holy Spirit. I do not know how I knew it was God’s Spirit. We just know by the Spirit when God speaks to us.

As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. 1 John 2:27 (NASB)

Intuition is a function of the Spirit. It is how Jesus knew things outside the realm of human senses and reasoning.

The same Holy Spirit indwells and empowers us. God’s gifts are very much alive and well. The Spirit will open our hearts and minds to him if we seek him.

Because what we hear from the Spirit is often very subjective and open to interpretation, it is crucial that we submit what we hear to the Bible’s teachings and to other mature believers who can help us judge what we hear. If we neglect or reject this safeguard, we may err. If God speaks to us, other mature believers will almost always be able to corroborate or correct us on the matter. This is one reason why it is so important to be in a local church under trusted oversight and have strong peer relationships with other mature believers.

Other People

As just mentioned, God uses others to speak into our lives. This can be in the form of teaching and preaching, counseling, or casual conversation.

Leadership in the local church has a profound responsibility to speak into the lives of the people it oversees.

Paul wrote Timothy the following.

preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 2 Timothy 4:2 (NASB)

We should pay close attention to what our leaders tell us. They are given to us by God to watch over, protect, guide, and feed God’s people. No godly leader should try to direct the small details of your life or lord over your faith and walk with God. Instead, good leaders help their people grow to spiritual maturity and to learn how to hear and follow God for themselves, just as a proper parent does for his or her child. Nevertheless, sometimes our parents and leaders must speak very directly to us in the form of a command or correction, and we should be open to their warnings and counsel, as long as it agrees with the Bible and does not violate our consciences. We submit to them as to the Lord. This means that we acknowledge God in their lives. We are never to simply mindlessly submit to authority. This can lead to bondage.

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. Hebrews 13:17 (NASB)

In addition, we have a responsibility to speak into the lives of the other people in our local church and to those we are discipling.

Every person has this responsibility. God makes us all competent counselors, as long as we are feeding on the Word of God, listening to the Spirit, and are properly related in a local church.

Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. 5  Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 6  who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 (NASB)

God wants to speak through his people when we gather as disciples, too. Each of us can be used by God’s Spirit to encourage, comfort, and build up our brothers and sisters.

What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 1 Corinthians 14:26 (NASB)

To summarize, we should listen for God to speak to us through other people, but never allow this method to preempt our responsibility to hear God speak directly to us through the scriptures and by the inner voice of the Spirit. Generally, what others tell us should confirm what we think God is showing us through the first two methods. One obvious exception is when we are following a sinful course of action. In that case, we are not listening to God or his Word and need to be rebuked.

Circumstances

God often uses circumstances as a way to direct our paths, but being directed this way requires a lot of maturity and discernment. We dare not simply “go with the flow” of our circumstances. Sometimes God wants us to push against adversity by faith. At other times God uses circumstances to correct our course.

Circumstances always have to be interpreted by the Word of God, the Spirit’s voice, and often with the help of other counselors.

If our circumstances are difficult, we may improperly read them as an evidence of God’s being unhappy with us. Conversely, if things are going well from our perspective, we may falsely assume that God is well pleased with us. God blesses those who are not obedient quite often and allows his beloved children to endure suffering and hardship at times. In fact, God uses suffering to shape Christ’s character in us.

Wisdom always asks God to help us interpret our circumstances. God will be sure to help us understand, if we seek him and are open to input from trusted brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Conclusion

It is our responsibility and privilege to contend for what God has given to us, just as Israel contended for the promised land. God’s goal is for us to become so attuned to the Spirit that we more perfectly represent Christ and his kingdom. If we apply ourselves, we can grow to maturity and be able to tell others what we hear God speaking (John 8:28) and do what we see him doing (John 5:19). This is what it means to walk in step with God’s Spirit.

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5:25 (NLT)
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How Do We Show Loyalty to Jesus against Competing Loyalties?

Following Christ means we choose him above every other competing loyalty. Semper fi (semper fidelis) is the Marine Corps motto. It is Latin for “always faithful” or “loyal.” I have known a few Marines, and they take this seriously. Marines pledge allegiance to the U.S. flag, Constitution, and nation and are willing to defend her in times of war at the cost of their lives. Semper fi could easily be the motto for disciples of Christ, too.

A follower of Christ, above all else, is loyal to Jesus the Lord.

But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15 (NLT)

Just as Joshua called Israel to choose whom they would serve, Jesus told his followers that we will have to choose between him and every other competing allegiance. The early disciples understood this very well.

The devil seeks to deceive us into thinking that we can maintain allegiance to Jesus and serve competing ideologies and kingdoms, without grasping that devotion to one is the betrayal of the other. Jesus put it well regarding our relationship with the kingdom of Mammon.

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24 (NLT)

Money is not the only master that craves our allegiance. In this article, we will take a look at what it means to be loyal to the Lord Jesus against competing ideologies and kingdoms.

Allegiance to Christ

In his exceptional book, Salvation by Allegiance Alone, Matthew Bates shows conclusively that one major aspect of faith is allegiance. You can read my book summary by clicking on the above link. To summarize his thinking, not only is faith trusting in the efficacy of Christ’s atoning work on the cross and the power and authority that resides in him as the risen lord, it includes showing allegiance or loyalty to him as a person.

Christ’s death on the cross invites us to receive the benefits of his atoning sacrifice. The proper response to his resurrection is to surrender to his lordship and show continuing loyalty to him thereafter.

Bates writes:

When the full gospel is presented, the call to action is organically embedded in the story. Jesus the enthroned king has summoned everyone, including you and me, to turn away from all other allegiances and to give him exclusive loyalty. (p. 202)

Jesus clearly taught this truth.

So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.Matthew 10:32-39 (ESV)

A danger for us lies in trying to harmonize opposing loyalties, thinking that it is possible to maintain peace between warring kingdoms.

James clearly states the necessity for us to choose sides.

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4 (ESV)

If we fail to take Christ’s side, we may find ourselves opposing the Lord and commit a form of spiritual adultery, a very sobering thought.

He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters. Luke 11:23 (NASB)

 

Jesus vs. The Kingdom of Self

God created us to live in a participatory dependence upon the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Imagine a flock of birds wheeling in the sky, seemingly being conducted by God himself as they veer seemingly on cue in unison. This is a great picture of what it means to live in harmony with the Spirit, which is the normal Christian life. (I recommend that you read Watchman Nee’s book, The Normal Christian Life. See my summary by clicking here. )

Humans have a spirit, soul, and a body (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

God designed us so that our spirits would be in sync with the Holy Spirit, with our souls (mind, will, and emotions) and bodies following seamlessly.

The spirit is where we connect with God. It is the innermost part of our being that is unified with God’s Spirit when we are born again (1 Corinthians 6:17). When Adam and Eve elected to disobey God and eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they forsook their spiritual union and dependence upon God, choosing to live self-directed lives. Their sinful choice resulted in spiritual and physical death and destruction and created in us, their descendants, an inborn propensity to experience life on our terms without reference to God. Jesus came to restore us to the Father’s original plan at great cost to himself. He chose to lay aside his own natural desire for self-preservation in order to please the Father by dying as our substitute, the Lamb of God.

Jesus’ willingness to lay down his own soul and physical life is the only reason we have been given the opportunity to lay down ours. Disciples are called to follow Jesus’ example by willingly dying to the kingdom of self in order to show full allegiance to God.

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? Matthew 16:24-26 (ESV)

The essence of discipleship is renouncing our sinful allegiance to self and declaring full allegiance to Christ.

This is the part of the significance of water baptism, which is a public declaration of loyalty to our Lord. The symbolism of going down into the water and rising up out of it reflects that we died to our old way of life and now seek to live exclusively for him.

Death to self is all inclusive, yet Jesus usually collects in small payments over a lifetime. Some of us quickly yield large chunks of our soul to his lordship. For others it is a long, tedious, and painful process. Becoming a disciple is comparable to signing a blank check, knowing that Jesus will fill in the amount later, whenever he pleases and for whatever amount he desires.

The kingdom of self prefers a personal Savior to a Lord. A personal Savior will rescue me from hell without intruding on my day-to-day life, but a Lord requires everything from me.

Jesus vs. the Kingdom of Family

The Bible is full of examples of God’s people being more loyal to their loved ones than to him, and it always has bad results. The first person who comes to mind is Adam. He decided to support Eve in her rebellion rather than obey of God. Abraham listened to Sarah’s unbelief, had a baby through her servant Hagar, and now we have huge international problems as a result. Eli the priest did not call his rebellious sons on the carpet, preferring them over God. (This is God’s account of the matter, as related to the young Samuel – 1 Samuel 3:12-14). David failed to properly discipline his son, Amnon, for raping his half-sister Tamar. His failure to administer some level of justice regarding this matter set the stage for a seed of bitterness to grow  in Absalom’s heart, which turned to hatred and murderous rebellion. The kingdom experienced civil war because David loved Amnon more than God. David was a man after God’s own heart, but even he failed in this instance by choosing family over God.

God wants us to love our families dearly, but without allowing that love to hinder our devotion to him.

There may be times when allegiance to Jesus forces us to choose sides between loved ones and God.

This is easily seen when a new believer has to elect between following Jesus and retaining a good standing with the family. In Islamic countries, the seriousness of this choice might be increased by the threat of death. It is somewhat less clear, perhaps, when one spouse wants to fully follow Jesus, but the other does not. Or when children resist their parents and don’t want to attend church meetings with them. Sometimes disciples get weary of standing against the resistance offered by non-compliant family members and decide to scale back their devotion and obedience to God. All of these situations test our loyalty to God.

Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30  who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31  But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Mark 10:29-31 (ESV)

Allegiance to Christ is never an excuse or pretext to ignore, abandon, or neglect our loved ones, however.

Faithfulness to family is an earmark of a true disciple (1 Timothy 5:8), as long as it does not pull us away from our primary loyalty to God.

Jesus vs. the Kingdom of Mammon

Mammon is one of the most insidious masters of all which desires to water down our allegiance to Christ.

In America we consider the pursuit of wealth part of our birthright. Such thinking has even invaded the church in the form of what some call the “prosperity gospel.” While having money is certainly not in itself a bad thing, money is a root of all sorts of evil, according to the Bible.

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 (ESV)

The average Christian does not understand the pernicious pull money exerts against the things of God. When the cost of things is our first consideration when deciding on a course of action, it is possible that money rather than God is at the helm in our lives. When we choose to hoard what we have rather than tithe or otherwise be generous, we may be serving the wrong god. The love of money can exist in the hearts of poor people as well as the rich. It is an attitude of the heart. Likewise, it is possible to have great wealth but not be owned by it.

Ownership is the central issue. Does God own our money, for which we act as his stewards, or do we imagine it belongs to us?

Jesus made it clear that our possessions can end up owning us if we are not careful.

But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21  So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:20-21 (ESV)

Disciples are willing to sacrifice their money on the altar in order to serve Jesus.

Jesus vs. the Kingdoms of This World

Before Jesus entered into public ministry, the devil tempted him to pursue the acquisition of power and authority over the kingdoms of this world illegitimately by bowing down to him.

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9  And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Matthew 4:8-9 (ESV)

This was a clear cut case of choosing between competing allegiances.

The kingdom of God is an “imperium.” It is the most glorious and powerful kingdom of all that will eventually destroy and replace all competing kingdoms. (Daniel 7:13-14)

The devil and earthly authorities and kingdoms also seek our unqualified allegiance, just as Satan asked from Jesus. Worldly kingdoms want us to bow down to them, in the same way as Nebuchadnezzar demanded that all his subjects bow down to the golden image of himself or suffer death. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused and were thrown into the fiery furnace for their courageous allegiance to God. Jesus or an angel (“one like a son of the gods”) met them there in the fire of testing, keeping them alive to the great astonishment of the Babylonian king, which resulted in his conversion of a sort.

Allegiance to God’s kingdom may carry a large price tag, but loyalty lived out actually can change the course of history.

There is a great clash between worldly kingdoms and our Lord’s. It is not always apparent, which is especially the case in the U.S., where our republic enlists and depends upon the participation of its citizens, involving us in politics and government to some degree. It is our civic and religious duty to be good citizens. In Paul’s day, it was much different. The governments of Israel and Rome were not republics and were hostile to the faith, persecuting Christians even to death at times. Believers, for the most part, were not able to participate in the government, but kept a safe distance from it by necessity. Today, if believers in Christ forsake participating in our republic, we will be governed by the ungodly. How to remain loyal to Jesus while involving ourselves in government matters is a challenge.

Governments seek our unqualified allegiance. Our own republic claims ownership of our land and other property, which we rent back by paying our taxes. It claims jurisdiction over our children, which we can retain if we follow its rules. It licenses nearly everything and even tries to impose limits on what churches can teach. This is not the government envisioned by our Founding Fathers, but it is what we have today.

As long as governments stay within their divinely sanctioned limits of providing order, justice, and protection, things can work pretty well.

It is when government exalts itself and takes what belongs properly to God that our allegiances are tested.

Jesus taught that we must give to government what properly belongs to it – honor, taxes, and limited allegiance, but we must give ultimate allegiance to God alone. (Mark 12:17)

When government demands that we disobey God or otherwise violate our consciences, we are required to disobey, while still maintaining a proper respect for authority.

Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28  "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood." 29  Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men! Acts 5:27-29 (NIV)

Today we face potential threats from government when it tells us what stance we take regarding homosexuality, transgenderism, and abortion. If things continue to spiral downward, disciples of our Lord may have to choose between obedience to God and obedience to the state, between freedom and imprisonment. In China, believers are routinely imprisoned for not bowing to the State. In Islamic nations, martyrdom is often the consequence. But this is all part of God’s wise plan. Whereas governments often choose to use people to further their ambitions, Jesus asks us to voluntarily offer our lives as part of his plan to bring into line godless powers and authorities. Instead of using the force of arms, God uses the power of martyrdom.

They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Revelation 12:11 (NIV)

Martyrdom is perhaps the highest form of declaring allegiance to the Lord Jesus. Islam asks its martyrs to die in the pursuit of forcing others to bow to Allah. Christ asks his followers to offer their lives to him as part of his plan to release divine power on the earth to save many souls and bring down every rival kingdom. As the church father, Tertullian, wrote: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Truly God’s ways are not ours!

Conclusion

A disciple lives by faith, which is a combination of showing allegiance to the Lord Jesus and complete trust in God’s love, power, and faithfulness.

The secret of the New Covenant is that God not only forgives and reconciles us to himself, but he also lives his life through us.

Jesus told his followers:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

Serving such a God is more of a joy than a requirement and more of an adventure than a duty.

Choosing sides in a world of competing allegiances is fairly straightforward, once we understand who Jesus is and what is at stake. Living up to our declared allegiance is impossible on our own, but it is completely doable with God’s help.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13  for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Philippians 2:12-13 (ESV)

 

Prayer

Jesus, I confess that you alone are Lord. I give you my heart, my hopes, my dreams, my past, my present, and my future – my life itself. Help me to be loyal to you above all other competing allegiances. Help me to love you more than my own life, my family, money, my country… everything. Holy Spirit I depend on you to live Christ’s life through me. I am not up to doing this on my own, and you never intended me to do so. I dedicate myself to your Kingdom and mission and know that you will never ever leave or forsake me. Amen.

Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! 4  I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. 5  You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy. Psalm 63:3-5 (NLT)
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How Do We Align Ourselves with God’s Purposes?

Aligning ourselves with God’s purpose for our lives is extremely important. When we come to Christ, he reveals himself as our savior and our Lord. For the rest of our time here on earth he will teach us how to surrender more and more of our lives to him. He wants us to be fully aligned with his plan and purposes and to walk in step with the Holy Spirit.

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5:25 (NLT)

At work, if we understand the purpose of our employer, it helps us to get in line with company goals and focus on what is important to our boss.  It is no different with Jesus and the kingdom of God. Our Lord told his disciples to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness, not our own success or comfort. (Matthew 6:33) After the resurrection, the first apostles began to more fully understand what this means. Today we followers of Christ can also be slow to grasp what are God’s purpose for us and the church.

Many suppose that the gospel is primarily for us, but actually it is first and foremost for God. We live in a consumer culture in which we are trained to evaluate people, things, and groups in terms of how it benefits us.

Repentance essentially involves changing how we think.

Replacing society’s “me first” focus with prioritizing God and his desires is a big part of what it means to be transformed by the Spirit into a disciple.

Jesus died on the cross for us who believe, but that was not the main thing on his mind as he approached and endured that horrible agony. He was most concerned about pleasing his Father in heaven. His prayer in the garden of Gethsemane is the supreme example of embracing God’s will, no matter what the personal cost.

Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” Matthew 26:42 (NLT)

For us to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives, we, too, must surrender to God’s will for our lives.

Love

I love Bible verses that capture the simplicity of what it means to be a follower of Christ. One such is found in Paul’s First Letter to Timothy.

The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. 1 Timothy 1:5 (NLT)

Paul’s admonition to Timothy and to all who would later be privileged to read his letter is to allow God to develop in us a heart motivated by God’s love.

God’s love is selfless and sacrificial, as evidenced by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. It is also focused on God’s glory. Jesus kept his focus on pleasing his Father while holding on to the promise of glory which awaited him on the other side of the cross.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT)

Jesus told us that love sums up all of God’s commands. Love is not a feeling. It is a motivation to faith and good works. Our ability to trust God hinges on how trustworthy we think he is.

If we are convinced that the Lord loves us more than we love ourselves, we will be able to follow him to the cross.

If we are going to be used by God’s Spirit for ministry to others, he desires for love to be the basis for that, too. Jesus healed and set people free because his compassion motivated him.

A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. 41  Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!”Mark 1:40-41 (NLT)

God’s love will never be content to simply feel empathy. It takes action.

The aim of the gospel is to produce in followers of Christ the kind of love that acts as God would.

It will reveal itself in love for God and our neighbor. It will be heartfelt and practical. It will be compassionate and selfless.

Purity of Heart

Where this love resides is also very important. Paul tells us that a pure heart is essential. In this he is in complete agreement with our Lord, who blessed the pure of heart.

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8 (NLT)

Purity of heart comes when our motives are clean and our devotion to God is real. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, we are selfish beings. The essence of sin is when we self-direct our lives without reference to God and others. We refuse to be dependent on his Spirit. It usually takes a prolonged work of God’s Spirit to change us on the inside so that we begin to put God and others first. All of us followers of Christ are works in progress, but hopefully we are going forward. Really, only God knows the condition of our hearts, and we can be sure he is at work there continually. Only he can measure our progress.

Paul wrote in his First Letter to the Corinthians that all our works of faith and sacrifice are worthless in God’s sight unless they are motivated by love. (1 Cor. 13:1-3)

If we want to align with God’s purposes in the gospel, we will cooperate with God’s Spirit as he purifies our hearts to properly love God and people.

A Good Conscience

Secondly, our love should come from heart that is devoid of offense toward God and men. Jesus wants us to have clean consciences. This does not mean we are perfect, but it does require us to come into the light when we sin through confession and repentance toward God. It means that we are not covering our faults and sins with a layer of hypocrisy, pretending to be what we are not. It means we are working toward being more and more transparent and honest. This requires us to allow the Holy Spirit to work humility into our lives in an ever greater way, which is never easy.

A Sincere Faith

Thirdly, God wants our love to be motivated by a sincere faith. Such faith is free of self-promotion. It does not pretend to be something it is not. Its motives are pure.

Many people understand the concept of faith, which combines loyalty to Jesus with taking God at his word and acting on it, trusting that he will come through as promised.

Sadly, some of us use faith to obtain what we want instead of what God wants.

Although God loves to bless us, he is not primarily interested in making us wealthy and comfortable. He is much more concerned with developing our hearts to be like his.

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:29 (NKJV)

This process normally requires us to endure suffering from time to time, and, in some cases, extensively.

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2–4 (NLT)

A sincere faith focuses on what God wants, which includes personal transformation and the furtherance of his gospel and kingdom, not necessarily on what we may want for our personal comfort and ease.

When the gospel accomplishes its purpose in us, it brings glory to our Lord and a sense of peace and contentment to us, while it furthers the advance of God’s kingdom.

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How Do I Know if I Am Called by God?

Anyone who aspires to what some call “full-time” ministry is well aware of the idea of receiving a “calling” from God. What this means is that such a person knows, senses, or believes that God uniquely chose him or her for some ministry responsibility. It may be a general sense of calling or very specific. Having a strong sense of calling can be very important when, not if, things get rough. One missionary who lost his wife and family on a foreign field told me that the only thing that kept him going then was his “calling.” How do I know if God has called or is calling me to some leadership or ministry responsibility in the local church or the wider kingdom of God? This article is my attempt to answer that question.

A good place to start is with the general call which every child of God receives and to which we respond. Paul wrote about this call in his letter to the church in Rome.

For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30  And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. Romans 8:29-30 (NLT)

How does this call come to us? Usually it is through reading or hearing the gospel message. It might even come via a dream or vision, as is the case in many Islamic countries. This might be labeled the “outward” call, which many people hear without ever responding in faith. When the outward call comes our way, if it is going to make an eternal impact on us, it must be accompanied by what some have designated the “inward” call, which is the hidden or invisible work of the Holy Spirit in our lives drawing us to Christ. Jesus spoke of this.

For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. John 6:44 (NLT)

Everyone who has put his or her faith in Christ did so after receiving an outward call combined with an inward call from God. Some were aware of the process. Others were not. Some who are born into a family with parents who are disciples and hear the gospel from infancy often quite seamlessly start believing in Christ at a young age without any apparent critical moment of decision. Others of us, who never really heard or understand the gospel until later in life, have a decisive born-again experience, which enables us to compare our “before Christ” experience with our lives after being saved.

Here is my first point: every genuine disciple of our Lord has been called by God.

We can divide this general call into three parts, about which I have written previously: the call to belong, the call to allegiance, and the call to mission. The call to belong to God’s family is the first one each of us receive. This corresponds to knowing Jesus as Savior. The call to allegiance draws us to surrender our lives as best we can to Jesus the Lord. Water baptism is our outward declaration of allegiance to him. The call to mission challenges us to consciously enlist in God’s Great Commission army of disciple-makers. We receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit to empower and embolden us for this task.

In other words, every single follower of Christ is called to serve in the completion of the Great Commission and to minister in some fashion or another, and this ministry is “full time.” There is no clergy-laity divide in the kingdom of God, no elite status of people who are “above” the rest. We are all servant or ministers of the Lord.

Jesus said that he only did what he saw his Father doing. (John 5:19)

Our heavenly Father has great interest in our lives and shows his children what he wants us to do.

This is what it means to be led by the Spirit. Following the Spirit takes faith because the invisible Spirit of God often communicates in subtle ways. We must learn and be open to the ways God communicates to us, which is another subject about which I have written.

In short, the Holy Spirit speaks to us through the words of the Bible, through his indwelling Holy Spirit, through other people, and circumstances.

The most reliable way for us to hear God is through the words of the Bible, but even then we need the indwelling Spirit of God to help us properly understand and interpret those words. The impressions we get from God’s Spirit are also very reliable, but it takes practice to discern and properly interpret them. This is why we need to turn to the Bible and other people to help us. God often uses people to communicate his will to us. The prophetic ministry is a great example of this. When this happens, it should always be confirmed internally by what God is speaking or has spoken to us and be in agreement with the Bible. Circumstances are the least reliable source of information, and it is important for us to interpret their meaning, too. Sometimes circumstances are against us because God is allowing our faith and resolve to be tested. At other times, contrary circumstances may suggest God is warning us away from a particular venture. Likewise, when things are easy, it not always clear what that means either from a guidance perspective.

The takeaway is this: God does not leave us to our own devices.

“God with us,” Emmanuel, is well able to communicate his will to us; although, sometimes it can be a challenge for us to understand it.

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:27 (NKJV)

We have this promise, however: if we seek him, we will find him. If we ask for his help and wisdom, it will be given to us.

This brings us to the topic of this article. Are some of us called to a level of leadership or ministry that is beyond the general call on all disciples to serve? If so, what is the nature of this ministry and how can we know if we are called?

There are various kinds of ministry found in most local churches. The first person that probably comes to mind is usually called the pastor or shepherd. This person usually is looked to as the spiritual leader of the church under Christ. Other leaders and ministers (servants) function in harmony, hopefully, with the pastor, such as elders, deacons, worship leaders, Sunday School teachers, small group leaders, etc. In addition to that, we have the leadership God places in each family. Fathers and husbands are the “heads,” and mothers and wives function alongside and in harmony with their spouses. Does every one of these ministry “positions” have to receive a unique call from God, or just the pastor?

Men become the spiritual heads of their homes when they marry. It automatically happens, whether or not we are aware of it or embrace it. Husbands and fathers have a responsibility from God to provide, lead, teach, protect, and model Christ to their families.

Leadership and ministry always include responsibility.

We receive grace from God to carry the weight of whatever responsibility he assigns to us.

If God asks us to take more responsibility in his kingdom, we want to make sure it is something that he wants, or we will not have the grace to do it.

Usually, if not always, we have a desire to do what we think that God is calling us to do, even if it is layered over with fear and doubt at first. For example, Moses took upon himself to be a leader of Israel before God called him to do it. He failed miserably because he got ahead of God’s timing, which drained him of all self-confidence. When God appeared to him in the burning bush many years later and called him to lead his people, Moses protested to the point of disobedience because of his fear and doubts, not because he did not want to lead. He was a “natural” leader, but God had broken him of all self-confidence. Now he needed to replace self-doubt with God confidence.

If we have a desire to lead or minister in God’s kingdom, this could be an indication that we are called. Most people do not have this inclination. But this is not a foolproof indicator. Sometimes we may misunderstand what God wants, or we may simply have a form of unholy ambition.

John the apostle wrote about such a person named Diotrephes, who loved to be the leader, but in whom something was not right. (3 John 1:9) He had not been appointed by God, or if he had, he did not have the character required.

Character usually determines whether we will succeed in fulfilling what God calls us to do.

Anointing is a gift that can be undone by a lack of godly character.

Combining calling, character, and anointing will produce great results.

For example, Moses was denied the privilege of leading Israel into the Promised Land because of a character defect. His anger provoked him to disobey and misrepresent God to the people. Joshua, who represents Jesus, did take them in. He had no disabling defects of character of which the Bible speaks. On a deeper level, Moses represented the Law; therefore, he could never lead them into God’s rest. Only God’s grace through Jesus (Joshua) can do that.

So, if we have a desire to lead or minister, what is next? Paul tells us that such a desire is good, as long as it is submitted to God.

This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be an elder, he desires an honorable position.” 1 Timothy 3:1 (NLT)

If a person is called by the Holy Spirit to be an elder, it will be recognized and confirmed by others in the church. When this happens, elders are “installed” or “ordained” by other recognized leaders in the church, usually accompanied by the laying on of hands, which is symbolic of the anointing or grace for leadership being conferred to them. Elders have a greater responsibility in the church and receive greater grace.

A general principle is that we should only lay hands on those who have good character and which we recognize that God has singled out, called, or given them grace and ability for ministry or leadership.

In other words, if we are called, other leaders and the people will see it.

Those who are truly called by God to leadership and ministry in the church will have the grace, character, ability, humility, faith, and courage to accept the call and fulfill its responsibilities – all the while very much depending on God’s ongoing help and support. None of us is truly adequate to the task.

Whereas elders are called by the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:28), other important ministries, called by some “five-fold ministries” and by others “ascension gift ministries,” are appointed by Christ himself. These include apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. (Ephesians 4:11-12)

Five-fold ministers have the responsibility of leading and equipping the church to fulfill its ministry.

Those who end up leading or “pastoring” local churches are usually called by Jesus to be part of the five-fold ministry. They will also be part of the eldership and sometimes called the “lead” elder, at least in churches that follow the New Testament model of church government by elders. How do I know if I am called to this kind of ministry and leadership?

Moses received a unique call to leadership which was unmistakable and directly from God himself. He was also given the very great responsibility of leading Israel out of captivity in Egypt, through the desert, and up to the border of the promised land of Canaan. Moses did not have the privilege of being surrounded by other godly leaders who could confirm his calling. He had to get it all from God directly. This is one way men and women are called to ministry.

Another way we enter this level of leadership and ministry was modeled by Joshua, Moses’ understudy, apprentice, or servant. Joshua served Moses for years and spent large amounts of time with him and in the presence of God. He was privy to much of the interactions Moses had with God. When it became time for Moses to turn over leadership due to his impending death, God told him to lay hands on Joshua and transfer his leadership anointing to him.

O LORD, you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Please appoint a new man as leader for the community. 17  Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go and will lead them into battle, so the community of the LORD will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” 18  The LORD replied, “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. 19  Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him to lead the people. 20  Transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him. Numbers 27:16-20 (NLT)

We have no record of Joshua receiving a direct message from God calling him to replace Moses. Instead, the Lord chose to use his mentor to relay that instruction. The same dynamic took place between Elijah and Elisha. Elisha apparently was the son of a well-to-do farmer who was out supervising the plowing of their fields when Elijah called him to prophetic ministry.

So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field. There were twelve teams of oxen in the field, and Elisha was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away. 20  Elisha left the oxen standing there, ran after Elijah, and said to him, “First let me go and kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you!” Elijah replied, “Go on back, but think about what I have done to you.” 21  So Elisha returned to his oxen and slaughtered them. He used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the townspeople, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant. 1 Kings 19:19-21 (NLT)

Eventually Elisha, as was the case with Joshua, had his own personal encounter with God that confirmed that he was indeed called by God himself, not just his mentor. I give examples of both below.

After the death of Moses the LORD’s servant, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2  “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3  I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— 4  from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5  No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. Joshua 1:1-5 (NLT) 

As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven. 12  Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!” And as they disappeared from sight, Elisha tore his clothes in distress. 13  Elisha picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen when he was taken up. Then Elisha returned to the bank of the Jordan River. 14  He struck the water with Elijah’s cloak and cried out, “Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” Then the river divided, and Elisha went across. 2 Kings 2:11-14 (NLT)

Serving a leader can lead to being the leader eventually. One of the most important qualities of any true leader is a willingness to serve the Lord, those who lead us, and the people one leads.

But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26  But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27  and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28 (NLT)

Servants are willing to devote themselves to helping another person be successful and to be called to greater responsibility by the one they serve.

We all serve the Lord, but in the church he distributes his authority among various leaders and ministers.

The ability to see the Lord’s delegated authority in others who lead is a mark of a true servant.

This is the reason behind why wives are asked to submit to their husbands as to the Lord. (Ephesian 5:22) It is not because their husbands are superior in some way; rather, it is because God has chosen to distribute his authority through husbands and fathers. Any woman who properly submits to her husband’s authority does so because she understands that in so doing she is indirectly submitting to God. This gives her safety because she knows that, if her husband misuses that authority, he will answer to God, not her.

It takes great faith to lead and to be led.

This brings us back to the question with which we began. How do we know if we are called by God to some ministry or leadership responsibility? Let me summarize what I believe are some key points to remember.

  1. God calls some of us directly and some indirectly through the one we serve.
  2. Normally those who have a calling also have a desire or an aspiration to have ministry or leadership responsibility, but this in itself is not proof of their calling. However, it is a good indicator. (E.g. If someone tells me they feel called to pastor, I take that very seriously because it is not “normal.”)
  3. If God calls us directly, other people should be able to recognize and confirm this calling. If we believe we are called, but no one else sees it, we should wait until others do. Timing in God’s kingdom is crucial. We can really foul things up if we get ahead of God or try to go where God is not leading.
  4. If we are given the opportunity to serve a leader, realize that it may or may not lead to taking the leader’s place one day. If it does, God will confirm our role as leader when the time comes. Until then, or perhaps always, we should be content to serve another.
  5. Whether we are called directly by God or indirectly through men, God will give grace to us to fulfill our leadership and ministry responsibilities. He will also confirm that calling to us and others. This grace often comes at the point of ordination, when hands are laid on us and we are commissioned to the work. No matter when and how the grace comes to us, it is vital for our success in serving God. We do not have the resources within ourselves to be successful. We all depend on the Lord, whether we are leading or following.
  6. All of us are servants of the Lord and one another. Whether we lead or follow, we are servants. Leaders serve those they lead, just as surely as those who follow serve the Lord and his delegated leaders. No one ever stops being a servant.

We should all make it our goal to serve to the best of our ability, whether it be as a follower or a leader. This is a key way we serve and glorify the Lord.

Prayer

Lord, I am willing to serve or lead in your kingdom. I consecrate myself to your will. Use me as you see fit. I trust that you will make clear to me and others what my role is to be now and in the future. I trust you to provide the grace for me to be faithful in whatever you ask me to do. Amen.

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Understanding How the Spirit Works in the New Birth

The New Birth Is a Sovereign Work of God’s Spirit

There are reasons that Jesus chose the term “born again” to describe what happens to us in the salvation process. One is that it parallels natural birth in significant ways. Think about it: what part did we play in our natural birth? Did we decide to become human beings? Did we conceive ourselves? Did we exert the effort to be born? The answer is “no” in every case.

If we think we can birth ourselves spiritually, it is because we fail to understand the depths to which sin dragged us and still think that we are in charge of our lives.

Jesus deliberately left Nicodemus (and us?) in a frustrating and confusing state of mind, which was revealed by the religious leader’s next question.

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” John 3:9 (NASB)

Perhaps we are asking the same sort of question. “Does this mean that I have no choice in the matter!? Don’t I need to at least say a prayer or something?”

Let’s go back to our natural births. We had no choice or direct participation in our conception and gestation, but, by the time we were born, we were alive and kicking, having a nascent will of our own. If we are alive today, it is because we endured the birthing process, which propelled us into this precarious thing called life outside the womb. At first we were absolutely dependent on our mother and father, or on whomever cared for us. Later, as we grew and matured, we learned to fend more and more for ourselves. The long term goal was for us to become self-governing, responsible adults. (Did we make it?)

Yet, even as adults, we never become truly independent, especially not from God. He created us to rely upon him and partner with him from cradle to eternity.

God is our Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. He has always been and will always be that to us. (Hebrews 1:3)

"Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, You who have been borne by Me from birth And have been carried from the womb; 4  Even to your old age I will be the same, And even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; And I will bear you and I will deliver you. Isaiah 46:3-4 (NASB)

Every breath we take ultimately depends on God. We do not choose the day of our birth, our gender, race, nationality, DNA, personality, parents, height, body build, hair color, or anything else that fundamentally defines our being. God did all that for us. Are we okay with that? Some people are not. That is why we have so many who resort to body mutilations to try to change how God made them. That is we sometimes try to be different from who God created us to be. Being able to accept God’s choice in the matter takes the humility of understanding who we are – created beings, not gods.

Receiving the new birth requires us humbly to acknowledge our dependence upon God.

That in itself can be a big hurdle for some of us whose pride and self-sufficiency wants to get some credit for our salvation. Otherwise why would we balk at needing God’s help? Hopefully by now we have come to realize that we cannot do this thing called life on our own.

The Bible teaches us that God the Father chose us before he created the world, which was definitely before we could have been part of the process. (Ephesians 1:4-5) Similarly, Jesus died for us before we were naturally conceived, born, or drew a breath. When we finally showed up in history, at the exactly proper time, the Holy Spirit, acting as God’s agent and administrator, connected us in time with God’s eternal plan and work. He began his secret work in our hearts before we were aware of it or even wanted it, when we were still his enemies. (Romans 5:8-10) We were born into the world naturally with a built in hostility toward God, because we were spiritually dead. (Ephesians 2:1-5) If the Spirit had not intervened, we would have had no ability to positively respond to Christ or his gospel. All of this is very humbling, isn’t it?

For us to become a born-again follower of Christ, we desperately need to have the Spirit at work in our lives. When we heard about Jesus and his fabulous offer of forgiveness and eternal life,  if we were intrigued and drawn, it was because of the Spirit’s inner work. Not everyone is able to hear and respond to the gospel – only those in whom the Spirit is working.

If we are drawn toward Christ, it is evidence of the Spirit’s work in our lives.

Jesus said:

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:44 (NASB)

That being the case, if you still are reading this article, it is an indicator that the Spirit may be at work in you.

Jesus understood perfectly this sovereign aspect of the new birth. He knew that only those whom the Father chose and drew would respond to him and his message, and he was okay with that. In fact, he rejoiced in it.

At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. 26  “Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 27  “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Matthew 11:25-27 (NASB)

One good sign that a person is born again is her or his ability to acknowledge the miracle of the Holy Spirit’s work in his or her life.

I remember reading the following words recorded in John’s gospel after my own new birth experience, which caused me to wonder thankfully at the mystery of the Spirit’s work.

Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:7-8 (ESV)

I realized that the Spirit had sovereignly and mysteriously touched my life and opened my spiritual eyes to see and comprehend the reality of Jesus’ risen lordship. I could not have done that for myself.  If the Spirit had not graciously opened my spiritual eyes, I would still be a slave of the prince of darkness! What a horrible thought!

God took the initiative, but I did have a part to play.

Our Participation in the Work of the Spirit

Before having my eyes opened in a flash on that very special evening so long ago, the Spirit had been secretly at work in my life. He had been drawing me toward Christ for years. I just did not comprehend that it was he. When my girlfriend, now my wife, told me of her conversion experience, the Spirit was setting me up. After talking and arguing with her, I was further drawn down the path to becoming a follower of Christ. I remember saying to my best friend that I thought I was going to try out this Christian thing. He warned me of the dangers, as he saw it. Nevertheless, I made the decision to pray a sincere prayer to a God I wasn’t sure was really there. It went something like this.

Jesus, if you are real, please come into my heart. I cannot pretend that I believe in you. Show me that you are real. Amen.

No one forced me to pray like this. It was my choice; yet, knowing what I know now from Scripture, I realize that the Spirit was at work in my making that choice.

This is part of the mystery of how God works. God chooses us, draws us, and sets us up with the Gospel message… and we have a responsibility to choose him over every competing god or allegiance. Don’t ask me to explain how God is sovereign and we are responsible, but both are true.

And that is how we relate to God’s Spirit from then on. After we become God’s child, he is our invisible partner in a mysterious “dance of life.” He indwells us, thinks his thoughts through us, empowers us, convicts us, comforts us, encourages us, strengthens us… He is the best forever friend we will ever have, and he will never, ever leave or forsake us.

Paul perfectly describes this mysterious partnership in his letter to the church in Galatia.

I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (NET1)
Conclusion

I wrote this this third part of this series to emphasize the Spirit’s role in the new birth. Why is this important in our being able to know if we have been born again? I believe if we have really been born again, we will know that God did it. We will realize that without the Spirit we would be forever lost. May God open our eyes to the reality of the Spirit’s work more and more!

Prayer

Jesus, I want to know you in the way I read about in the Bible. Please come into my life and be my lord and savior. I give myself to you. Please forgive my sins and the way I have lived independently from you all these years. From now on, I belong to you. Holy Spirit, open my spiritual eyes, unstop my ears, and heal my hardened heart so I can see, hear, and believe God’s words. Reveal Jesus to me, so that I can behold him and be born again. I depend on you to do this for me. I will not give up until you answer my prayer, which I know you will. Thank you. Amen.

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