Sermon Leftovers (Decision making in the church)
Yesterday I had the pleasure of continuing our series "What is the Church" with a focused sermon on decision making in the New Testament church. Over the last few months I've gotten some feedback that sermons can sometimes be too long winded, above the heads of kids in worship, and devoid of application that is simple or straight forward. I've prayed over this and wrestled with the topic of sermon length and settled that I should be able to preach much shorter, more straight forward sermons, and then grow both as a communicator in tighter spaces of time, and to a more diverse audience.
When I preach these shorter sermons (5-10 minutes) I'll be giving some additional thoughts through "sermon leftover" posts. We all are familiar with leftovers. Whether it's leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner, or a "doggy bag" or a "box" for our extra food from a restaurant we know the concept of "there is such an abundance of food here, I'll save some of this for later". It was a Pastor and mentor Rev. Aaron Turner who first exposed me to the term "Sermon leftovers", so I thank him for the language. It was Pastor and mentor Rev. Jason Helopoulos who used to write letters to his congregation on a semi-regular basis who first discipled me in the importance of written teaching outside of the pulpit.
So, what are the leftovers from yesterdays sermon on decision making in the early church?
1. Decision makers in the church are called to lead in learning.
The apostles learned at the feet of Jesus for multiple years. They traveled with him and saw what he prioritized, how he made decisions, and who he thought he needed to serve. The apostles were taught by Jesus regarding the scriptures (which would have been the books of the Old Testament) and how they applied to his incarnation, life, resurrection, and eventual ascension.
During one particular moment of teaching and learning, the disciples and the resurrected Jesus shared a meal of fish. During their shared meal (an example of hospitality, friendship, and unity) Jesus explained and "opened" the minds of the disciples to understand.
40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence. 44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
The disciples would be early leaders in the church. They would go on to suffer beatings, imprisonment, hunger, and all manners of mistreatment for the sake of the gospel. These early leaders of the church were not imbued with some magical or mystical ability to discern the mind of God. They were taught the things of God, by God incarnate, the resurrected Jesus. They may have thought they knew the purpose and understood the meaning of the scriptures, yet they needed to be taught. These leaders would depend upon the teaching of Jesus about God's Word for the rest of their lives.
This learning wasn't a one time event, it was a lifetime of ministry that meant embodying the truth of God revealed in Christ in every situation. Learning from Jesus the apostles were chief students in the school of the resurrection. For these people who had lived with Jesus, shared meals with him, they still depended on God's Word in decision making! They did not lean on their own understanding, but sought to earnestly study the scriptures to make known the glories of Christ. While the phrase "what would Jesus do" has become popular, the phrase "what did Jesus teach us?" may have been equally popular among the apostles. The apostolic teaching and leadership that was exercised in the New Testament church was based on the apostles being sent by Jesus, who was the incarnate messiah of God, very God of very God, who perfectly fulfilled the plan of God in humble submission and obedience to God's law and will.
This truth about Jesus was the truth which informed the substance of the apostles teaching and then informed the decisions of the apostles as leaders. Any other Jesus, messiah, Christ, or gospel was considered to be a false gospel by the apostles in their correspondence with believers.
For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. (2 Corinthians 11:4)
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse! (Galatians 1:8)
The truth that was to guide the church in the New Testament was the truth of Jesus life, death, resurrection, and promised return. The early church was to live as husbands and wives in light of the love and submission of Christ (Ephesians 5:22-33), they were to serve as masters and slaves with charity towards each other (Philemon 1:17-18), they were to consider how God's forgiveness had been given to them and how they might be gracious to each other as God was gracious to them (1 John 2:9-14).
Making decisions in the early church meant leaders submitting to the Word of God, learning under the Word of God, and then leading out of the truth of God's Word (rather than a false gospel twisting God's Word).
2. Decision makers in the church are called to lead in leaning.
In addition to learning from Jesus, the apostles leaned on Jesus for wisdom, guidance, instruction, correction, encouragement, and validation. When the disciples were debating which of them was greatest, it was Jesus who settled the debate and taught the disciples who their enemy was and who their allies were (Luke 9:46-50). It was to Jesus the apostles leaned on to understand prayer:
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’” (Luke 11:1-4)
Jesus taught the disciples to pray. He demonstrated to them time and time again how he himself leaned on prayer!
After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray. (Mark 6:46)
Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, (Luke 3:21)
These are separate instances we are told of Jesus praying. He prayed during the celebration of the first Lord's Table (Matthew 26:26-27). He prayed crying out to God on the cross (Luke 23:34, 46). The prayers of Jesus are mentioned in various ways all throughout the gospels. Jesus prayed so often that Luke even gives a general summation of Jesus' habits of prayer:
But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray. (Luke 5:16)
Prayer isn't JUST the expression of words to God. It is the outpouring of our hearts through emotion, through the bending of our mind towards the heavenly realities of God's sovereign grace. Prayer is the utter dependence in our very being on our creator. Prayer is seeking to enter the courts of the Mighty Maker and become utterly amazed in the presence of the Almighty. Prayer is the act of trembling with dread in the midst of the holiness of God. Prayer is the taking our concerns, cares, and critiques and laying them before the Everlasting Judge of the universe.
The apostles leaned on prayer in their own leadership. After the ascension of Jesus into heaven the Apostles do what? They prayed together with the women who followed Jesus, Mary, and Jesus' brothers (Acts 1:14). After Pentecost's mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit the believers made it their aim, their passion, their pursuit, to be devoted to the apostle's teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer (Acts 2:42). After Peter and John were arrested, beaten, and released, the believers in Jerusalem gathered and prayed (Acts 4:24-31). When Peter was taken to prison and held there, the church prayed earnestly for him (Acts 12:5).
Beyond these historical instances of prayer, there are also numerous commands, encouragements, and petitions to pray given by the apostles. Paul begged for the church in Rome to pray for him (Romans 15:30). Paul thanked the Corinthian church for joining in helping him and his gospel team via prayer (2 Corinthians 1:11). In the book of Hebrews the work of the ascended Messiah, Christ Jesus, is the work of intercessory prayer! (Hebrews 7:25). In the book of James the leaders of the church are encouraged to visit and pray for the sick (James 5:15-18). Peter instructed husbands to love their wives with the stern warning that they do not lose out on prayer. The implication being that a husband who does not love his wife in the way commanded by the Lord will not be heard by God in prayer (1 Peter 3:7).
I don't want these leftovers to bloat, so I'll leave you with these three final thoughts today.
First, let me say boldly and soberly, ask your decision making leaders if they are, in the build up to coming to a decision seeking God's Word, and pursuing God's desire in prayer. If they are absent in these things, are they not leaning on their own understanding? What wisdom are they seeking? What intuition are they relying on? I'll be personal here, so as to avoid any accusations or appear as though I am rebuking anyone. When I make a decision I need both be held accountable and informed by God's Word and prayer. If I am making decisions apart from God's Word and apart from prayer, then whatever church I am a part of, it is not the church of Jesus, but the church of me. Ultimately even my good ideas, will still be only my earthly, human, fleshly ideas. The church was instituted by Christ to carry out his ideas, to implement his plans, to embody his purposes. The church of Jesus is not the church of good ideas, it is the church of God's ideas.
Second, decision makers must be allowed to spend time in the Word. If a church is always hounding it's decision makers to make decisions, there is a great temptation and pressure, out of love, service, and deference, to make a speedy choice. Decision makers in the church are almost always embroiled in the "ministry of the moment". Controversy, gossip, and other sin demand swift responses and that's in addition to all the other things within the body of Christ that also are crying out for responses! Decision makers must be allowed time to read, and think through what God's Word has to say regarding a particular decision. Many times long time Christians may already know God's Word well enough to be able to quickly come up with or cite biblical examples and principles. Even in these scenarios where God's Word is well known decision makers must ask the question "Are we all leading from this same understanding of God's Word, or am I pushing my interpretation onto the other decision makers?". As a member of a church, give your leaders your encouragement by praying for them, and by asking how you can help provide them with time and space to read and think through God's Word on the matter.
Third, prayer and study in the word takes time and energy. In seminary I used to come home exhausted after a day filled with classes, reading, conversations, work at a university, and work at a homeless shelter. If anyone had asked me to do anything other than spend time with my wife and new born daughter I would have not had energy or thought to be helpful. This is the position of many decision makers in the church. Some have family who they are caring for, some themselves are dealing with incredible struggles of the soul, the mind, and the body. Most churches I've been honored to serve in or hold membership in have had only a single meeting of decision makers each month and this is after a long day of work. Pursuing a godly decision requires time, and energy to be spent in prayer and study of God's Word. As a church member give encouragement to your leaders to carve out times for leaders to be in God's Word and together in prayer.
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