Leadership: Continued

Last week, we started on a road of exploration as we looked at the beginning of the topic of Church Leadership. As hard as I tried, some personal feeling will drift into our study.  I do not apologize for that. I feel that we all might be challenged as we continue this study.

Who’s in Charge?  With the situation in Northern Africa and the Middle East, that question could take a long while.  The spread of the challenge of Change is everywhere. Even in the USA, people are screaming for change.  Sometimes, people want change without any thought of what changes are needed to be made. Change for change sake may not be the best result but the masses are still crying for change.

In some countries, any change that is taken, the government has a way to find control.  Sometimes, heavy-handed measures are taken to suppress the people’s wishes—whether they are good or bad—it doesn’t seem to matter.  We hear cries for People’s Rights.  We see the marching crowds.  Some feel threatened.  Some go into prayer.  Some take to the streets in open rebellion. Others go to the rooftops to get a better position and shoot the public with sniper rounds.  People are scared in the world today.  Unrest is everywhere. Leaders are trying to secure a better situation.  Some leaders are trying to bribe their way back into the hearts of the people by giving them some money as a way to make them liked again.

In a country just three hours away from us, even the treat of a protest brings out the police and military in force.  People were arrested just because there is a possible protest.

And what is our response to these world-wide changes?  For the most part, we are unmoved.  We might be concerned when the gas prices go up to 200Y per liter but if you don’t use a car, that will not affect you.

What about changes within the Church? We have seen, depending on your age, all sorts of changes.  From the mid-1900’s, there was the ‘God is Dead’ movement.  The ‘God Is Not Here’ movement.  ‘God Is Everywhere’ movement.  The ‘God Is In You’ movement. Leaders of some churches have changed their stand of morality.  In some cases, the morality of the Church looks like the world the Church is supposed to help lead.  Some endorse Gay marriages. Some allow open rebellion.  ‘Jesus is a Rebel’, they cry!  Che Guevare and Jesus are after the same things in life.  Some teach that the Power of the Church is based on false teaching and needs to be cleansed.  The interpretations of the Scriptures were questioned and then denied.  People looked to science and education once again for meaning.  A newer Age of Enlightenment took center stage.  God would be made in Man’s Image.  Man became the Authority in ALL matters.  But, yet, people were empty.  Why?  Because the heart of man was already turned from Truth and from God’s heart. 

Romans 1:18-23  ^“But God's angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn't treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.” ~ from The Message.

So, here we are today, looking to the Word of God for answers.  The questions may not even be on your lips but we do need answers that will direct our hearts.  Keep your eyes open to see just what it is that the Lord of the Bible wants you to know of His plan for all of us.  His authority in our lives will be the cause of great joy.  We are made to please Him.  We are made in His image.  Romans 1:6 states: “And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.”  (NIV) We do best when we reflect His heart in this cold and changing world.

This next Sunday, we will be looking at the different offices that is found in Church Leadership.  Keep in mind that Jesus is THE Authority over all the Church.