Good Leader

People who listen to me teach are used to hearing me teach about leadership.  Leadership in God's Church is not about power, position, or politics.  It's about walking with God and helping others do the same.  When we look for teachers, counselors, or mentors, then, we should be looking closely.

"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. (Matthew 7:15 NIV)

Ironically, though, we are not told to listen to their teaching to compare it to Scripture.  Instead, Scripture tells us to look at their lives to see if they are good.

By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. (Matthew 7:16-18 NIV)

We shouldn't be listening to to their teaching before we look at their lives.  Before we trust people to lead us, its important to see if they are walking together with God themselves.  Otherwise, we could find ourselves following someone down the wrong path.  That could be quite bad.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. (Matthew 7:19-20 NIV)

So, how about you?  What do you look for in a preacher, teacher, or leader in the Church?  Do you follow people whose lives reflect a walk together with God?

Good Teacher

A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 18:18 NIV)

Many of you know that I am currently going back to school to work on my Doctor of Ministry degree.  This week, I am actually in school going through what they call a "one week intensive" class.  We meet all day long, five days this week.  We are all praying, reading, discussing, and working hard to understand God's next steps for our lives and ministries.  This class in particular is about helping people find and walk together with God - a topic that is near and dear to my heart.

Today, I am supposed to share a sermon that I've prepared for the class.  I don't normally do this, but I would like to ask for your prayers today as it is presented to my classmates.  Ask God to work through His Word and Spirit to lead us all where He wants us to go next with our ministries, so we will bring this learning home with us to lead well in our local churches.  We want to be bearers of the Good News that only comes from God.

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone. (Luke 18:19 NIV)

Thank you for your prayers.

Pete

Good Service

"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. (Matthew 25:14-15 NIV)

There's a part of goodness that crosses over into an area of our walk together with God that gets challenging.  Up until now, God's Spirit-fruit gives us something that benefits us.  Love, joy, peace, and patience all give me "good feelings" when I experience them.  Kindness even feels good because when I am "nice" to somebody I get a good feeling inside.

The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. (Matthew 25:16-18 NIV)

Patience can be a struggle because when I am self-centered, I don't want to be patient.  Kindness can also be a struggle, too, because some people make it difficult to be kind.  Goodness, though, takes things much further than just waiting for someone or being nice.  Goodness is tied to doing our part in God's Plan.  Goodness has to do with working and using our gifts for God's glory.  Goodness has to do with work.

"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.' "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' (Matthew 25:19-21 NIV)

You see, goodness isn't about putting up with the shortcomings of other people.  Goodness has to do with living out our design.  It has to do with participating in God's plan.  It has to do with the specific, beautiful way we are designed, knit together, and held together.  God designed and created us to be good.  It's not about putting up with somebody else's sin.  It's about living our design so we won't sin.

"The man with two bags of gold also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.' "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' (Matthew 25:22-23 NIV)

When Jesus was baptized, for example, it wasn't for the forgiveness of his sins.  He had never sinned.  He was unique in this way.  When Jesus was baptized, it was to fulfill all righteousness.  In other words, he did it because it was the Father's will for Jesus' life.  To not get baptized that day, Jesus would have sinned.  That's because it was the specific will of God for Jesus that day.  For Jesus, that was good.

"Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. (Matthew 25:24-27 NIV)

Goodness is the first place where we start to see "doing nothing" as potentially being rebellion against God.  We rebel against God wen we go against God's will for our lives.  When God calls us to do good and we don't, we are rebelling against God.  It is sin.  We need to do the good we are designed and called to do.

"'So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' (Matthew 25:28-30 NIV)

So, how about you?  Do you do the good you are called to do?  Will God say to you, "Well done good and faithful servant?"  Do you do good?

Goodness and Us

Jesus didn't leave things at saying only "God is good." He spent most of his ministry proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. As he taught, he also started to paint a picture for us. He started telling us to be good, too.

But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown." (Matthew 13:23 NIV)

He describes a person who receives the word of God and understands it is a person with "good soil" ready to receive God's word (the seed). With this same picture, Jesus goes further to point out that we have control over our hearts. Our hearts are the "soil" that can be "good," receiving the word of God.

But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. (Luke 8:15 NIV)

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Luke 6:45 NIV)

Jesus didn't just want us to see that God is good. He also didn't stop at us connecting Jesus to God through Jesus' good works. He wanted us to see that we reflect God in our lives when we are good, whether doing what is good or storing away good in our hearts for another day. When we think, store away, and act upon what is good, we are walking together with God. It doesn't stop there, though. When we are good, we reflect God to others and draw them near to God, too.

"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16 NIV)

So, how about you? Do you see how thinking, storing away, and doing good brings you close to God? Do you see how doing good reflects God in your life? Have you ever seen your good deeds prompt someone else to "glorify your Father in heaven?"

Goodness

It may seem strange that "goodness" would be listed as a fruit of God's Spirit - especially when Jesus, himself, said that no one is really good.

A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone. (Luke 18:18-19 NIV)

The more we follow the life and teachings of Jesus, though, we find out that he was making a point there. There was a head-fake in the direction that he wanted his audience to go: only God is good + Jesus is good = Jesus is God. More than that, though, goodness was at the center of his preaching and teaching. After all, what he had to share was considered "good news."

But he said, "I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea. (Luke 4:43-44 NIV)

Jesus was good and brought good news to you and me.

How about you? Do you see goodness at the center of Jesus' teachings? Do you see it at the center of his life? Is goodness at the center of yours?