Latest / INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living / Leading as Paul Led │ Msg 1522

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Leading as Paul Led │ Msg 1522 · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

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  Speaker 1: For obvious reasons, last Sunday we pulled away from our
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  Speaker 1: study of the life and times of Paul and addressed
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  Speaker 1: where we are as a country. And we return today
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  Speaker 1: to our continued series on Paul. And I'd like for
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  Speaker 1: you to turn with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2.
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  Speaker 1: I want to read for you the first 12 verses
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  Speaker 1: of this second chapter of Paul's first letter to the
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  Speaker 1: people of Thessalonica. Here we will find some helpful negatives
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  Speaker 1: and positives as related to leading like Paul led. We'll
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  Speaker 1: begin at 1 Thessalonians 2, 1. For you yourselves know, brethren,
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  Speaker 1: that our coming to you was not in vain. But
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  Speaker 1: after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi,
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  Speaker 1: as you know, we had the boldness in our God
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  Speaker 1: to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition.
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  Speaker 1: For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity
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  Speaker 1: or by way of deceit. But just as we have
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  Speaker 1: been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel,
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  Speaker 1: so we speak. not as pleasing men, but God who
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  Speaker 1: examines our hearts. For we never came with flattering speech,
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  Speaker 1: as you know, nor with a pretext for greed. God
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  Speaker 1: is witness. Nor did we seek glory from men, either
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  Speaker 1: from you or from others, even though, as apostles of Christ,
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  Speaker 1: we might have asserted our authority. But we proved to
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  Speaker 1: be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares
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  Speaker 1: for her own children. Having so fond an affection for you,
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  Speaker 1: we were well pleased to impart to you not only
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  Speaker 1: the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because
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  Speaker 1: you had become very dear to us. For you recall, brethren,
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  Speaker 1: our labor and hardship, how working night and day so
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  Speaker 1: as not to be a burden to any of you,
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  Speaker 1: we proclaim to you the gospel of God. You are
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  Speaker 1: witnesses and so is God. How devoutly and uprightly and
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  Speaker 1: blamelessly we behaved toward you believers. Just as you know
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  Speaker 1: how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one
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  Speaker 1: of you as a father would his own children so
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  Speaker 1: that you would walk in a manner worthy of the
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  Speaker 1: God Who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
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  Speaker 1: Isn't that a magnificent section of scripture? So candid. So
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  Speaker 1: pertinent to the subject of leadership. In a few moments
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  Speaker 1: we are going to pray together. And following that we
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  Speaker 1: are going to give to the work of God. One
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  Speaker 1: of my mentors used to say that. If you want
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  Speaker 1: a surprise, check the cornerstones of many of the great
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  Speaker 1: cathedrals and churches in our nation. You will find they
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  Speaker 1: bear the date 1929 or 1930 or 31 or 32
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  Speaker 1: in an era of time known to my father and
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  Speaker 1: mother as the days of the Great Depression. Times of
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  Speaker 1: crisis rather than pushing us from God draw us to him.
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  Speaker 1: And I have found that also times of great need
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  Speaker 1: result in times of great generosity. Isn't it interesting how
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  Speaker 1: that works? Knowing this to be true and knowing that
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  Speaker 1: these last months of this year could truly be days
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  Speaker 1: of great trial and need, we're believing in our church
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  Speaker 1: that these will also be days of great generosity. God
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  Speaker 1: will wonderfully meet our needs as he has since our
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  Speaker 1: inception and as he will do when you and I
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  Speaker 1: are distant and forgotten memories. Join with me in prayer
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  Speaker 1: for a few moments, will you? You came with your
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  Speaker 1: own needs and burdens and faces in your mind that
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  Speaker 1: concern you. This is your time to remember those things.
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  Speaker 1: While the world around you is preoccupied with the war,
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  Speaker 1: and oh, so many things about it, you may be
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  Speaker 1: facing an illness that has really grabbed your attention. You
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  Speaker 1: may be seriously ill, or someone you love may be.
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  Speaker 1: You may be a quiet sufferer going through a time
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  Speaker 1: of a desperate situation that very few, if any, may
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  Speaker 1: know about. You may have some great concern on your
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  Speaker 1: heart that only your closest friends know about. Admittedly, you
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  Speaker 1: may have a son or daughter on their way to
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  Speaker 1: the war. You may know someone who grieves over the
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  Speaker 1: loss of someone recently taken, snuffed out because of the tragedy.
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  Speaker 1: That's your prayer today. For a few moments, may I
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  Speaker 1: lead you? We may tremble on the rock, but the
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  Speaker 1: rock never trembles under us. And how grateful we are
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  Speaker 1: that it's solid. That our hope is built on nothing
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  Speaker 1: less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. And we don't trust
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  Speaker 1: the sweetest frame. We wholly lean on Jesus' name. His oath,
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  Speaker 1: his covenant, his blood supports us in the whelming flood.
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  Speaker 1: When all around our soul gives way, you're still our
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  Speaker 1: hope and stay. Dear rock-like Father and solid stone Savior,
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  Speaker 1: living and abiding within your people today, we call upon
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  Speaker 1: you as our only refuge of very present help in
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  Speaker 1: this time of need. You've heard the prayers of your
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  Speaker 1: people and the needs are as many as each one
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  Speaker 1: filling this room of worship. Some are in grief. Some
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  Speaker 1: are in fear. Some are confused. Some seriously, seriously concerned
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  Speaker 1: about a loved one. And we often feel so helpless, Father,
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  Speaker 1: like today. The enemy of our nation has no name,
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  Speaker 1: only a characteristic. Terrorist. There's no flag, no boundaries, no
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  Speaker 1: single country. We're told that the enemy is among us
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  Speaker 1: within these United States and is multiplied around us in
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  Speaker 1: some 50 to 60 other countries. This overwhelms us in
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  Speaker 1: our own flesh. But with you, it is as nothing.
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  Speaker 1: You're the solid rock. on whom we stand. Now, Father,
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  Speaker 1: I pray that as you use the teaching of your
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  Speaker 1: word today to meet certain needs, that you will also
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  Speaker 1: minister deeply and communicate personally to those who aren't necessarily
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  Speaker 1: addressed in this sermon. You might choose to use this song.
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  Speaker 1: You might use this moment of giving as a special
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  Speaker 1: ministry to many. We began in kneeling and leaning on you,
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  Speaker 1: our Father, and we continue in that same way. We
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  Speaker 1: trust you to meet our every need as a church.
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  Speaker 1: For the children, for the youth, for the adults, right
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  Speaker 1: now engaged in ministry and learning and growing together, we
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  Speaker 1: pray that you would enrich those who teach and those
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  Speaker 1: who have taught. Those who are learning and growing, And
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  Speaker 1: now we commit to you this offering. We ask that
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  Speaker 1: you would watch over it with careful surveillance, that every
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  Speaker 1: bit of it would be used with integrity and spent
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  Speaker 1: with care. We take none of it for granted. Meet
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  Speaker 1: needs through these gifts that are given, Father. I ask
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  Speaker 1: this in the fair name of of our fairest Lord
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  Speaker 1: Jesus and for his sake alone. And everyone said, Amen.
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  Speaker 1: We call it Black Tuesday around our house, 11th of September, 2001.
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  Speaker 1: There will never be another morning like that. God's grace
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  Speaker 1: it rocked us back on our heels we weren't ready
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  Speaker 1: for it we never expected it but what we did
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  Speaker 1: expect shortly after it was in one word leadership if
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  Speaker 1: there was ever a time that our national leaders needed
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  Speaker 1: to step up and provide what we would call a
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  Speaker 1: command performance it was then It was then. We need
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  Speaker 1: clear and absolutely certain words brought about by a sense
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  Speaker 1: of responsibility and vision. It was no time to sit
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  Speaker 1: and stare, paralyzed in confusion and fear. The savage acts
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  Speaker 1: of aggression called for words and actions that would bring
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  Speaker 1: confidence and reassurance and strength to go on, and certainly hope.
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  Speaker 1: Remaining silent and neutral at a time of crisis, those
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  Speaker 1: were not options. Nor was it time for political rhetoric
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  Speaker 1: or screams of rage, or for that matter, feelings of panic.
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  Speaker 1: And it all hung on leadership. Certainly, our president needed
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  Speaker 1: to rise to the occasion. I am pleased to say,
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  Speaker 1: in my opinion, he has done that. Matter of fact,
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  Speaker 1: that speech he delivered on that Thursday night was one
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  Speaker 1: of the finest speeches I have ever heard in my life.
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  Speaker 1: Cynthia and I were cheering and applauding and giving thumbs up.
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  Speaker 1: You know you're getting old when you talk to the television.
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  Speaker 1: And we were walking around the room and we were
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  Speaker 1: shouting and we were affirming and I thought whoever helped
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  Speaker 1: him write that speech needs a serious raise. To the
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  Speaker 1: surprise of some within the Beltway, he stepped up and
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  Speaker 1: showed himself to be the leader that many of us
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  Speaker 1: already knew he was. I appreciated the words that appeared
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  Speaker 1: in a special edition of Newsweek magazine that told me
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  Speaker 1: a lot more about the man than I had known before.
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  Speaker 1: It was the result of a meeting that was held
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  Speaker 1: in his office where several had gathered, each one with
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  Speaker 1: his or her own agenda, and they came expecting to
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  Speaker 1: be disappointed, but they surprised. The article reads, they all
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  Speaker 1: got more than they bargained for. The meeting didn't last minutes,
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  Speaker 1: but half an hour. The president was relaxed and in control.
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  Speaker 1: As for their aid request, I'm with you. The president
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  Speaker 1: responded eagerly. And it was approved by Congress the next day.
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  Speaker 1: The Virginians got their promises of aid too. And the
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  Speaker 1: warlike words that all of them yearned for, they heard.
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  Speaker 1: For example, listen, when I take action, I'm not going
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  Speaker 1: to fire a $ 2 million missile into a $ 10 empty
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  Speaker 1: tent and hit a camel in the butt. That's a
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  Speaker 1: great line. That is my kind of leader. He added,
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  Speaker 1: it's going to be decisive. The Newsweek reporter added the
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  Speaker 1: sentence following, Winston Churchill might not have used those words.
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  Speaker 1: But he would have loved the sentiment and admired the
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  Speaker 1: maturation of the man who uttered them. Most people of
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  Speaker 1: my generation would have to name Winston Churchill as one
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  Speaker 1: of the leaders of the past and other war heroes.
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  Speaker 1: Who doesn't remember the qualities that Churchill not only wrote
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  Speaker 1: about but emulated in the life of a leader? Optimism, kindness, magnanimity, gratitude,
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  Speaker 1: independent judgment, and self-criticism, loyalty to the team, Rest, relaxation,
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  Speaker 1: and a change of pace. Calmness under stress. The ability
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  Speaker 1: to face and communicate bad news squarely, to name only
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  Speaker 1: a few. But I'll tell you, having studied the life
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  Speaker 1: of the man we're looking at in the scriptures, I
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  Speaker 1: have to confess to you, I am more impressed with
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  Speaker 1: Paul than I am of any leader I've ever studied.
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  Speaker 1: As great as the other men and women we could
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  Speaker 1: name from other generations and this generation, none, none could
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  Speaker 1: stand alongside Paul, in my opinion. Woven through the texture
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  Speaker 1: of his life like gold and silver threads in a
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  Speaker 1: priceless garment are qualities of leadership that deserve our special
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  Speaker 1: time and attention. My problem today is not What should
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  Speaker 1: I emphasize, but what can I leave out? Because the
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  Speaker 1: material is enormous. And so to keep from overloading you
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  Speaker 1: with a truckload of things that you'll never remember, I'm
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  Speaker 1: going to deliberately limit my remarks to Paul's own words
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  Speaker 1: from a little letter he wrote early on in his
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  Speaker 1: missionary travels from the city of Corinth. He wrote to
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  Speaker 1: the Thessalonians and he was remembering back to the days
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  Speaker 1: when he was with them. And from the memory of
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  Speaker 1: days gone by, he draws to our attention, and I
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  Speaker 1: think not necessarily meaning to do so, some of the
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  Speaker 1: qualities of leadership, four of them negative, four of them positive.
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  Speaker 1: But before we get into those eight qualities, let me
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  Speaker 1: say something by way of a general observation And let
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  Speaker 1: me draw a couple of impressions from the observation. The
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  Speaker 1: observation I make is that they knew Paul. He was
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  Speaker 1: no distant celebrity. He was no penthouse dwelling prima donna
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  Speaker 1: who lived away from them and above them. He walked
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  Speaker 1: with them and worked alongside them. The reason I say
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  Speaker 1: that is because of the seven references in a very
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  Speaker 1: few verses to his comment, you know. You know. You
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  Speaker 1: are witnesses. Let me show you. Chapter 1, verse 5.
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  Speaker 1: For our gospel did not come to you in word only,
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  Speaker 1: but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and
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  Speaker 1: with full conviction, just as you know. I've got that
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  Speaker 1: underlined in my Bible. Just as you know what kind
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  Speaker 1: of men we prove to be among you. Look at
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  Speaker 1: chapter 2, verse 1. For you yourselves know, brethren. Second
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  Speaker 1: time he mentions. The second verse continues. After we had
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  Speaker 1: already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know.
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  Speaker 1: So they knew of his suffering and mistreatment. Third time.
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  Speaker 1: Verse 5. We never came with flattering speech, as you know.
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  Speaker 1: Fourth time. Verse 9. For you recall. Fifth time. Verse 10,
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  Speaker 1: you are witnesses. Sixth time. Verse 11, just as you know.
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  Speaker 1: Seven times he says, when you look back to my
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  Speaker 1: years of ministry or my weeks of ministry with you,
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  Speaker 1: you remember, you know, you were witnesses. You were there.
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  Speaker 1: You saw it in action. So I draw a couple
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  Speaker 1: of things from that. First, these are not theoretical ideals.
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  Speaker 1: Paul isn't writing a textbook that offers theories. He's writing
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  Speaker 1: of what they remember that they saw modeled in his life.
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  Speaker 1: So understand when I share these several thoughts with you,
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  Speaker 1: I'm not giving you theoretical ideals. These are attainable and
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  Speaker 1: these are worth the time to cultivate. Second thing I
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  Speaker 1: want to say by way of impressions. He was neither
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  Speaker 1: aloof nor secretive. He was among them. They knew where
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  Speaker 1: he lived. He talked to them. He doesn't speak one
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  Speaker 1: day and then absent himself from the whole world around
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  Speaker 1: him and then come back a week later and bring
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  Speaker 1: another talk. He lived among them. He worked among them.
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  Speaker 1: He sweated alongside them. And as a result, he wasn't
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  Speaker 1: afraid to be candid when he wrote them. We would
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  Speaker 1: say today his life was an open book. And isn't
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  Speaker 1: it refreshing to find that? people you admire today whom
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  Speaker 1: you are comfortable being around? Isn't it enjoyable to know
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  Speaker 1: that individuals that you would confess represent the kind of
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  Speaker 1: leadership that you would wish to emulate are people who
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  Speaker 1: are accessible. They're believable. John Stott writes, Paul's ministry in
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  Speaker 1: Thessalonica had been public. It was exercised in the open
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  Speaker 1: before God and human beings for he had nothing whatever
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  Speaker 1: to hide. A person lives a life out in the
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  Speaker 1: open when that person has nothing to hide. But if
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  Speaker 1: they're always on the move, if they are forever hiding
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  Speaker 1: behind locked doors and drawn blinds, you have reason to
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  Speaker 1: suspect there's something more going on. And I would caution
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  Speaker 1: you about following leaders like that. Now then, Paul gets
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  Speaker 1: extremely personal in the 12 verses of chapter 2. The
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  Speaker 1: first 12 verses, he's thinking back. And when he thinks back,
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  Speaker 1: his initial response, verse 1, you yourselves know that our
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  Speaker 1: coming to you was not in vain. Isn't that encouraging?
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  Speaker 1: You may not know a number of them, but I
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  Speaker 1: know many pastors who look back on former churches and
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  Speaker 1: say as they shake their head, that was a ministry
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  Speaker 1: in vain. That was a disappointment. That has a hollow
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  Speaker 1: ring to it. Paul is saying just the opposite. Whether
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  Speaker 1: in public or private, whether busy or still, when I
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  Speaker 1: look back and I remember that short period of time
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  Speaker 1: that you and I shared lives together, I know this,
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  Speaker 1: it was not in vain. It was not in vain.
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  Speaker 1: It's a wonderful thing to be able to say that
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  Speaker 1: looking back. However, he did come from a time of
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  Speaker 1: great suffering. You may have forgotten that. Before he got
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  Speaker 1: to Thessalonica, He had been at Philippi. You remember what
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  Speaker 1: happened there? They beat him. Both Paul and Silas were beaten.
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  Speaker 1: You know what that means? One authority says it had
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  Speaker 1: not only been an extremely painful experience, but humiliating since
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  Speaker 1: they were flogged naked in public without trial and in
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  Speaker 1: spite of their Roman citizenship. I've never seen such a beating.
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  Speaker 1: And thankfully, I've never had to endure one like that.
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  Speaker 1: Paul had, which makes us admire him all the more.
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  Speaker 1: After we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi,
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  Speaker 1: as you know, we had the boldness and our God
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  Speaker 1: to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition.
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  Speaker 1: You got to take your hats off to people like that.
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  Speaker 1: I think when he got to Thessalonica, he still had
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  Speaker 1: the scabs over the wounds on his back and buttocks
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  Speaker 1: and legs. Where they had thrashed him. Dropped him in
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  Speaker 1: a prison. Carelessly unconcerned about who they were dealing with.
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  Speaker 1: And you think he quit? Why, as soon as the
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  Speaker 1: Lord freed him, he was on his way to Thessalonica.
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  Speaker 1: And wouldn't you know it, he met opposition even there.
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  Speaker 1: So this is a leader who led in the midst
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  Speaker 1: of a very unpopular public. There was a handful of
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  Speaker 1: folks who really did believe him. But he had been
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  Speaker 1: beaten in Philippi and he came to Thessalonica. And he
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  Speaker 1: brought with him the gospel of God amid much opposition.
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  Speaker 1: Keep that in mind. As we look at these qualities.
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  Speaker 1: I find four negatives. In verses 3 through 6. And
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  Speaker 1: then I find four positives. In verses 7 through 12.
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  Speaker 1: First the negatives. The reason I say they are negative.
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  Speaker 1: Is because of the repeated use. Of the word not.
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  Speaker 1: Or nor. Or never. Verse 3. Our exhortation does not.
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  Speaker 1: Verse 4.
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  Speaker 2: Not.
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  Speaker 1: Not. as pleasing men. Verse 5, nor with a pretext
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  Speaker 1: for greed. Verse 6, nor did we seek glory. Those
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  Speaker 1: are little signs along the way as you read your
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  Speaker 1: Bible that should cause you to perk up your ears
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  Speaker 1: and take notice. This is a series of negatives. In
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  Speaker 1: other words, they are things that good leaders are not
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  Speaker 1: or do not do. The first of the four Good
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  Speaker 1: leaders are not deceptive. Verse 3. Our exhortation does not
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  Speaker 1: come from error or impurity or by way of deceit.
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  Speaker 1: Look at those three words. Error. The original Greek term
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  Speaker 1: means wandering. And interestingly, it's used for planetary motion as
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  Speaker 1: they seem to wander. through the sky. We know they don't,
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  Speaker 1: but it seems as though they are on a wandering path.
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  Speaker 1: And it came to be used with reference to people
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  Speaker 1: or relationships as delusional. Our leadership does not come from delusion.
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  Speaker 1: See the word impurity? It is frequently used for sexual impurity.
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  Speaker 1: We didn't have several women on the side to put
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  Speaker 1: it straight. We weren't living a so-called godly life in
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  Speaker 1: front of you, but a shameful life behind closed doors.
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  Speaker 1: It wasn't impure. And the word deceit or by way
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  Speaker 1: of deceit simply means nothing devious in method or motive.
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  Speaker 1: Paul didn't conceal the cost of discipleship. He told them
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  Speaker 1: it was a rugged journey. Neither did he hold out
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  Speaker 1: a promise of fraudulent blessings and benefits such as name
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  Speaker 1: it and claim it. Or if you really want something
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  Speaker 1: great from God, you really have to give a lot
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  Speaker 1: more to God. And when you give a lot more
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  Speaker 1: to God, he is obligated to give you even more
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  Speaker 1: in return. Nonsense. Some people give their lives in places
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  Speaker 1: of obscurity. You never know such a bargain. Paul never
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  Speaker 1: did that to his people. He never manipulated them. It
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  Speaker 1: wasn't from error, delusion, or impurity, hidden immorality, or deception
• 27:12
  Speaker 1: that is nothing devious. He had no guilty conscience. There
• 27:21
  Speaker 1: were no tricks. There were no hidden motives. General Dwight
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: Eisenhower wrote, to have followers, one must have their confidence. Hence,
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: the supreme quality for a leader is unquestionable integrity. If
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: one's associates find him or her guilty of phoniness, if
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: they find that he lacks forthright integrity, he will fail.
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: His teachings and actions must square with each other. That's
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: what Paul is saying. A good leader is not deceptive. Second,
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: good leaders are not people pleasers. That's in verse 4.
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: But just as we have been approved by God to
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak. Here's the negative.
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: Not as pleasing men. Not as pleasing men, but God.
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: A sure sign of personal insecurity is wanting to be
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: liked by everyone, peace at any price. Remaining neutral lest
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: someone be offended. Or someone in the group feel alienated.
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: Telling people what they want to hear rather than what
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: they need to hear. Paul said as you look back
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: over those weeks I was with you. You can't name
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: a time that what I did was prompted by wanting
• 29:05
  Speaker 1: to be liked. I wanted to be right. I'll tell
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: you an experience of my own life that I refer
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: back to on a number of occasions. And maybe have
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: mentioned before. I was serving another church and I was
• 29:22
  Speaker 1: caught in the middle, we say in Texas, between a
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: rock and a hard place. There were seven of us
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: on the elder board. Three were voting in one direction.
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: Three were voting in another. And they reminded me that
• 29:35
  Speaker 1: whenever there was a tie, the pastor cast the deciding vote.
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: and um uh i was caught there i would not
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: win and i remember we took a 24-hour break so
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: that i could screw up the courage to do what
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: i ought to do as i look back i think
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: that was what probably what prompted to do that I
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: went home and said to Cynthia, I'm going to spend
• 30:02
  Speaker 1: some time alone. I'm going to spend the night at
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: such and such a place. And I had a good
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: friend who was a pharmaceutical salesman. And I knew where
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: he was on the road. And he was an awfully
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: wise individual. And I thought I would spend some time
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: in prayer with him and some counsel. But on the
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: way there, I was reading my Bible. We drove a
• 30:22
  Speaker 1: little Volkswagen at the time. I remember propping my Bible
• 30:26
  Speaker 1: up on the windshield. I mean on the steering wheel,
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: not the. not the windshield, on the steering wheel. People
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: love it when they hear that story that I'm driving
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: along reading from the Bible in Galatians. And I got
• 30:41
  Speaker 1: to Galatians 1 and verse 10, you got to turn
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: to it. And I pulled off the road, pulled off
• 30:47
  Speaker 1: the shoulder of the road, and I read it aloud
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: about five times. And I thought, if this isn't a
• 30:52
  Speaker 1: direct answer from God, I don't know what is. Listen
• 30:56
  Speaker 1: to 110 of Galatians. Am I now seeking the favor
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: of men or of God? Or am I striving to
• 31:04
  Speaker 1: please men? If I were still trying to please men,
• 31:08
  Speaker 1: I would not be a bondservant of Christ. By the way,
• 31:12
  Speaker 1: Paul used to be a man pleaser. That's why he
• 31:15
  Speaker 1: says still. If I were still trying to please men,
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: I would not be a bondservant. You cannot be a
• 31:23
  Speaker 1: faithful bondservant of Christ. And spend your life making people happy.
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: Telling people what they want to hear. Now back to
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: 1 Thessalonians. I turned around. I never went to my
• 31:38
  Speaker 1: planned destination. I drove into the driveway and Cynthia met
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: me at the door and was surprised. I said, I
• 31:44
  Speaker 1: know exactly what I need to do. I know what
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: my heart's telling me. And I just didn't want three
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: of the men not to like me. And I was told,
• 31:55
  Speaker 1: by the way, by the board, that I could easily
• 31:58
  Speaker 1: split the church, depending on how I voted. That's always
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: encouraging when you hear that from one of your friends.
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: Not only did we not split the church, our church
• 32:10
  Speaker 1: doubled in about the next two, two and a half years.
• 32:16
  Speaker 1: I realized that I needed to please God. That sounds
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: pretty pious. I don't mean it that way. By the way,
• 32:24
  Speaker 1: it's a good time for me to say, this is
• 32:26
  Speaker 1: not a word of encouragement to you who are abrasive thinking.
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: Hot dog, now I've got a biblical reason for offending
• 32:33
  Speaker 1: as many people as I possibly can, because I'm not
• 32:36
  Speaker 1: supposed to please people. That's an extreme reaction, please. See
• 32:43
  Speaker 1: the word flattering in the next verse? We never came
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: with flattering speech. Only time in the Greek New Testament
• 32:49
  Speaker 1: where that Greek term is used, translated flattering. Flattering. Well,
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: how do I keep a balance between pleasing God, flattering
• 32:59
  Speaker 1: people or pleasing people and flattering them and pleasing the Lord?
• 33:04
  Speaker 1: Look at the end of verse four. You spend your
• 33:07
  Speaker 1: time focused on what God would have you do. And
• 33:09
  Speaker 1: he's the one that examines your heart. You listen closely
• 33:13
  Speaker 1: to him. If you don't know, you say, I don't know.
• 33:17
  Speaker 1: If you feel certain that, you know, you say it
• 33:19
  Speaker 1: like you believe it. And you blind yourself to the
• 33:23
  Speaker 1: fact that some may not want to hear it. Some
• 33:25
  Speaker 1: may get up and walk out. Rarely have I preached
• 33:28
  Speaker 1: a sermon where nobody walked out on me. And I
• 33:31
  Speaker 1: see anger on some people's faces at times. I see
• 33:34
  Speaker 1: disapproval and disagreement. And I've gotten to the place where
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: when I don't see it, I'm a little surprised. I
• 33:41
  Speaker 1: don't mean that to be funny. Invariably, when you come
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: down on certain areas pretty strongly, you'll have some who
• 33:47
  Speaker 1: won't like it. They'll leave. And adios. Adios. That's my response.
• 33:53
  Speaker 1: Because I am not here to get my way. I
• 33:56
  Speaker 1: am here to help us find God's way. And if
• 34:00
  Speaker 1: it works against what I would have wanted, so be it.
• 34:03
  Speaker 1: Or what you don't want to hear, so be it.
• 34:07
  Speaker 1: Good leaders are not people pleasers. He is the one
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: who examines the heart and not one of you can
• 34:14
  Speaker 1: examine my heart. That's why I don't answer. To any
• 34:18
  Speaker 1: one of you in the sense of getting your approval
• 34:21
  Speaker 1: before I say what I believe should be said. There's
• 34:25
  Speaker 1: a third one. Good leaders are not greedy. Look at
• 34:30
  Speaker 1: verse 5. We never came with flattering speech, as you know,
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: nor with a pretext for greed. Eugene Peterson in the
• 34:42
  Speaker 1: message paraphrases that we never used words as a smoke
• 34:45
  Speaker 1: screen to take advantage of you. Isn't that a good rendering?
• 34:50
  Speaker 1: Preachers can do that. People who deal with spiritual things
• 34:54
  Speaker 1: are fairly good with words, and they can manipulate people.
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: And they can often say things that come back to
• 35:01
  Speaker 1: their own advantage. Greed is a vicious master. And it's
• 35:06
  Speaker 1: not always related to money, though it often is. You
• 35:11
  Speaker 1: can be greedy for desire. You can be greedy for
• 35:14
  Speaker 1: a dream. You'd be greedy with a hidden motive in
• 35:19
  Speaker 1: mind and you manipulate things to bring it back into
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: your favor. Really, it comes from discontentment. When one is
• 35:29
  Speaker 1: discontented with things and he's under pressure or she's under
• 35:33
  Speaker 1: pressure about it, greed can prompt the wrong kind of action.
• 35:39
  Speaker 1: Sometimes it backfires on you. I read a huge story
• 35:43
  Speaker 1: a couple of weeks ago that illustrates that. a couple
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: was having a double celebration, both of them celebrating not
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: only their 60th birthday, but their 40th wedding anniversary. During
• 35:57
  Speaker 1: their quiet evening of celebration together, a fairy appeared to
• 36:02
  Speaker 1: them and said, because you have been such a loving
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: couple all these 40 years, I want to give each
• 36:09
  Speaker 1: one of you a wish, whatever you may ask. Being
• 36:13
  Speaker 1: the faithful, loving spouse that she was, The wife wished
• 36:16
  Speaker 1: that she and her husband could have the most memorable
• 36:19
  Speaker 1: and romantic vacation they've ever had together. She wished for
• 36:23
  Speaker 1: a cruise around the world. And whoosh, the tickets appeared
• 36:28
  Speaker 1: in her hand, paid for with their names on it.
• 36:31
  Speaker 1: And she had that to look forward to. Next, the
• 36:35
  Speaker 1: fairy turned to the husband and said it's his turn
• 36:38
  Speaker 1: to ask for whatever he wished. And whatever is his
• 36:42
  Speaker 1: heart's desire, the fairy would do. He pulled the fairy
• 36:46
  Speaker 1: aside and whispered, in all honesty, I'd love to have
• 36:51
  Speaker 1: a wife 30 years younger than I. The fairy picked
• 36:56
  Speaker 1: up her magic wand and whoosh, he was suddenly 90
• 36:59
  Speaker 1: years old. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
• 37:14
  Speaker 1: Got to watch out for greed, folks. A good leader
• 37:24
  Speaker 1: is not deceitful. A good leader is not a people pleaser.
• 37:28
  Speaker 1: A good leader is not greedy. And good leaders are
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: not self-serving. Verse 6. Nor did we seek glory from men,
• 37:39
  Speaker 1: either from you or from others. But don't miss the
• 37:43
  Speaker 1: last part of the verse. Even though as apostles of Christ,
• 37:47
  Speaker 1: we might have asserted our authority. I wish to shout. Apostles,
• 37:55
  Speaker 1: you've never met one nor I. Apostles were rare breed.
• 38:02
  Speaker 1: They literally had seen the resurrected Christ. They literally could
• 38:06
  Speaker 1: perform miracles. They literally founded churches. They had incredible discernment
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: and gifts of words of wisdom. They were like the
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: Lord's right-hand men at crucial and critical times. Paul was
• 38:22
  Speaker 1: one of them. One of them. The apostle Paul stepped in,
• 38:29
  Speaker 1: proved himself a worthy apostle at With that comes a
• 38:32
  Speaker 1: sense of recognition and respect. Why? The thought of being
• 38:39
  Speaker 1: mentored by or taught by an apostle? Who wouldn't stand
• 38:45
  Speaker 1: in line for that? They could speak ex cathedra. Remarkable,
• 38:53
  Speaker 1: remarkable individuals. But even though As an apostle of Christ,
• 38:59
  Speaker 1: we might have asserted our authority. We refuse to throw
• 39:04
  Speaker 1: our weight around. One of the most obvious marks of
• 39:12
  Speaker 1: genuine humility is the restraint of those who have great authority.
• 39:20
  Speaker 1: It's not what they display, it's what they hold back
• 39:24
  Speaker 1: that reveals true leadership. They don't care their weight around.
• 39:30
  Speaker 1: They don't try to impress other people. They don't take
• 39:35
  Speaker 1: unfair advantage. Speaking of that, it was almost 50 years ago,
• 39:41
  Speaker 1: it was 1952, when Elton Trueblood wrote a fine book
• 39:47
  Speaker 1: called Your Other Vocations. If you're a professional, listen to
• 39:51
  Speaker 1: this statement from Trueblood. It's hard to think of any
• 39:55
  Speaker 1: job in which the moral element is lacking. The skill
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: of the dentist is wholly irrelevant if he is unprincipled
• 40:05
  Speaker 1: and irresponsible. There is little in that case to keep
• 40:09
  Speaker 1: him from withdrawing teeth unnecessarily because the patient is usually
• 40:14
  Speaker 1: in a helpless situation. It is easy to see the
• 40:17
  Speaker 1: harm that can be done by an unprincipled lawyer. Indeed,
• 40:22
  Speaker 1: such a person is far more dangerous if he is
• 40:25
  Speaker 1: skilled than if he is unskilled. Every one of us
• 40:31
  Speaker 1: engaged in a profession has an enormous opportunity to take
• 40:36
  Speaker 1: advantage of and to seek the glory from others. Just
• 40:42
  Speaker 1: the very calling of our role and just the education
• 40:46
  Speaker 1: and just the command of it causes people just naturally
• 40:52
  Speaker 1: to listen to us and to be willing to cooperate
• 40:56
  Speaker 1: with us. The apostle says, we never once sought the
• 41:02
  Speaker 1: glory of men. It's a remarkable statement. Good leaders are
• 41:08
  Speaker 1: not self-serving. So much for the things that are not
• 41:14
  Speaker 1: to take place. Did you get them? Deception, people pleasing, greed,
• 41:21
  Speaker 1: conceit or arrogance. It's time for the positive. See the
• 41:27
  Speaker 1: word but in verse 7. But it's a very sharp
• 41:32
  Speaker 1: and strong adversative conjunction. Doesn't that thrill you? Adversative conjunction,
• 41:39
  Speaker 1: meaning at this point he says, on the contrary, exclamation point.
• 41:45
  Speaker 1: Rather than these four qualities, let me tell you, and
• 41:50
  Speaker 1: you know it to be true because you and I
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: lived among one another during those weeks I ministered to you,
• 41:56
  Speaker 1: but we proved alike that. The first quality that's true
• 42:02
  Speaker 1: of good leaders is that they are sensitive to needs.
• 42:07
  Speaker 1: That's in verse 7. We prove to be gentle among
• 42:10
  Speaker 1: you as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children.
• 42:17
  Speaker 1: I love that word picture. I have lived long enough
• 42:23
  Speaker 1: not only to see my own wife and the mother
• 42:26
  Speaker 1: of our children nursing our little babies, but I have
• 42:30
  Speaker 1: now lived to see our daughters do that. It is
• 42:34
  Speaker 1: the most I rarely use the word as a man,
• 42:38
  Speaker 1: but I got to use it. It's the most precious sight.
• 42:43
  Speaker 1: It's the most tender moment as either with their own
• 42:46
  Speaker 1: breast or with a bottle. They're cradling this helpless infant.
• 42:52
  Speaker 1: And they're holding that child's life in their hands. And
• 42:56
  Speaker 1: they are tenderly caring for that little baby. Paul says,
• 43:03
  Speaker 1: I was like a mother. nursing a child. I was
• 43:08
  Speaker 1: that gentle among you. You see what I mean about
• 43:14
  Speaker 1: the greatness of this man? May I urge you who
• 43:19
  Speaker 1: are in places of unique leadership responsibilities, don't lose your gentleness.
• 43:27
  Speaker 1: Your tenderness will work. I loved it that various leaders
• 43:35
  Speaker 1: in our nation came to the site of destruction and cried.
• 43:44
  Speaker 1: I loved it when the mayor of New York stood
• 43:46
  Speaker 1: before the people and regularly gave his report till you
• 43:50
  Speaker 1: know it was just those words stung in his throat
• 43:54
  Speaker 1: and he often had tears that ran down his face.
• 44:01
  Speaker 1: I love it when leaders treat me with tenderness and gentleness.
• 44:09
  Speaker 1: So do you. We prove to be gentle as a
• 44:14
  Speaker 1: nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. Sensitivity to needs.
• 44:22
  Speaker 1: Good leaders have that. They also have affection for people.
• 44:29
  Speaker 1: Having so fond an affection for you. And look how
• 44:32
  Speaker 1: the verse ends, verse 8, because you had become very
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: dear to us. Isn't that great? Here is this strong man,
• 44:41
  Speaker 1: an apostle of Christ, looking back on the Thessalonians and said, oh,
• 44:47
  Speaker 1: what an affection I had for you. How dear you
• 44:50
  Speaker 1: were to me. He used intimate terms to keep this
• 44:57
  Speaker 1: simple and easily remembered passage I want to suggest that
• 45:01
  Speaker 1: people affection boils down to two qualities. Number one, small
• 45:06
  Speaker 1: yet frequent acts of kindness. And second, stated or written
• 45:13
  Speaker 1: words of appreciation. Those you lead should have a few
• 45:19
  Speaker 1: notes from you by now where you are saying thank you.
• 45:23
  Speaker 1: Or where you have said, I appreciate such and such.
• 45:28
  Speaker 1: Or I noticed so and so. Along with that, the
• 45:32
  Speaker 1: people affection includes small yet frequent acts of kindness. We're
• 45:38
  Speaker 1: never above kindness. And to do that, one must have
• 45:46
  Speaker 1: courage himself and security. I came across a little couplet
• 45:51
  Speaker 1: that says, life is mostly froth and bubble. Two things
• 45:55
  Speaker 1: stand in stone. Kindness in another's trouble. Courage in your own.
• 46:05
  Speaker 1: It always troubles me when I witness a strong leader
• 46:08
  Speaker 1: walking over people. It always bothers me. I know they can,
• 46:14
  Speaker 1: and I know they can get away with it as
• 46:17
  Speaker 1: they are whisked off in their limousines. I understand that.
• 46:23
  Speaker 1: It just troubles me. And just an extra piece of
• 46:28
  Speaker 1: advice for no extra charge. If you don't enjoy people,
• 46:33
  Speaker 1: please do us a favor. Don't go into leadership. Say
• 46:39
  Speaker 1: no when you're offered an opportunity to lead. Love does
• 46:44
  Speaker 1: an enormous amount of motivation when words fail and times
• 46:52
  Speaker 1: are hard. If they know you love them, they'll go
• 46:56
  Speaker 1: to the wire for you. He told them he loved them.
• 47:01
  Speaker 1: Not only sensitivity to needs and affection for people, but third,
• 47:05
  Speaker 1: there was an authenticity of life. I left out the
• 47:10
  Speaker 1: middle of verse 8 on purpose until now, having so
• 47:12
  Speaker 1: fond an affection for you. Now look at this authenticity
• 47:16
  Speaker 1: of life. We were well pleased to impart to you
• 47:19
  Speaker 1: not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives. Chuck,
• 47:27
  Speaker 1: are you telling me that the gospel... The gospel isn't important?
• 47:33
  Speaker 1: I'm not saying that. Well then, what are you saying?
• 47:38
  Speaker 1: The gospel alone isn't enough. Just giving people gospel truth
• 47:45
  Speaker 1: isn't enough if you hope to be an effective leader.
• 47:51
  Speaker 1: This man says, I had such an affection for you
• 47:54
  Speaker 1: that when it came time to serving, I decided I
• 47:58
  Speaker 1: would just give you my whole life. Isn't that wonderful?
• 48:03
  Speaker 1: In fact, look at 9. You recall our labor and hardship,
• 48:08
  Speaker 1: working night and day so as not to be a
• 48:10
  Speaker 1: burden to any of you. Hey, this is in Macedonia.
• 48:12
  Speaker 1: Times were hard. It wasn't as rich as Corinth. And
• 48:17
  Speaker 1: he said, knowing that it was hard for you, I
• 48:19
  Speaker 1: didn't expect not only not expect to raise, I wouldn't
• 48:23
  Speaker 1: accept anything. I earned my own living. So as not
• 48:27
  Speaker 1: to be a burden, we proclaim to you the gospel
• 48:30
  Speaker 1: of God, your witnesses, and so is God. How devoutly
• 48:33
  Speaker 1: and uprightly and blamelessly we behave toward you believers. Wow.
• 48:39
  Speaker 1: He's not bragging. He's just saying, remember the diligence and
• 48:42
  Speaker 1: the thoughtfulness and the devotion and the purity. We behave
• 48:45
  Speaker 1: like that. And call me into question if I'm wrong,
• 48:48
  Speaker 1: he's implying. Lou Holtz addresses rights and privileges in one
• 48:54
  Speaker 1: of his comments to a reporter. Holtz was the head
• 48:58
  Speaker 1: coach for Notre Dame for 11 years and led them
• 49:00
  Speaker 1: to over 100 victories. Remarkable achievement. Tough schedule. Tough school.
• 49:06
  Speaker 1: Then he went to a smaller school and was interviewed
• 49:08
  Speaker 1: by a reporter who was interested in the difference between
• 49:13
  Speaker 1: 25 years ago when he began to coach and now
• 49:16
  Speaker 1: as he continues to coach. His answer is profound. He
• 49:21
  Speaker 1: said today, everybody is talking about their own rights and privileges.
• 49:24
  Speaker 1: 25 years ago, they talked about obligations and responsibilities. You
• 49:31
  Speaker 1: have to lead people like that. And most of us
• 49:35
  Speaker 1: are selfish. Most of us look out for our own
• 49:38
  Speaker 1: rights and want our own privileges. And that becomes tough
• 49:42
  Speaker 1: for a leader if there isn't an authenticity of life.
• 49:51
  Speaker 1: There's one more. And that's enthusiastic in affirmation. Verse 11.
• 49:59
  Speaker 1: As you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and
• 50:02
  Speaker 1: imploring each one of you as a father would his
• 50:06
  Speaker 1: own children That's great, isn't it? Starts with a mother,
• 50:09
  Speaker 1: tenderly caring, nursing. We see a father. What are the words?
• 50:14
  Speaker 1: Does this sound like a dad? Encouraging and exhorting and imploring.
• 50:19
  Speaker 1: You ever been around or sat in front of the
• 50:21
  Speaker 1: father of the high school quarterback who was on the field?
• 50:25
  Speaker 1: Go after him, go after him, Frank. No, no, no, Frank, Frank,
• 50:29
  Speaker 1: you've got to do it. And you go, what in
• 50:31
  Speaker 1: the world? Good job, Frank.
• 50:35
  Speaker 2: Good.
• 50:35
  Speaker 1: That's great. That's great. Let's go for it. Let's go
• 50:37
  Speaker 1: for it. Go all the way, Frank. You think, give
• 50:39
  Speaker 1: me a break. What's the problem? He's a dad. You
• 50:46
  Speaker 1: see the high school kid in the field going, dad,
• 50:48
  Speaker 1: come on, knock it off. But he's loving it. Wouldn't
• 50:53
  Speaker 1: you have enjoyed more affirmation from your father? And wouldn't I?
• 51:01
  Speaker 1: Encouraging and exhorting and empowering. No one should be getting
• 51:06
  Speaker 1: more encouragement from us, more encouragement than our own children. Convicting,
• 51:19
  Speaker 1: isn't it? Good leadership has a balance between the tenderness
• 51:24
  Speaker 1: of a nursing mother and the affirmation of a caring father.
• 51:29
  Speaker 1: I read somewhere that encouragement is oxygen for the soul.
• 51:34
  Speaker 1: It is an oasis in the desert of daily living.
• 51:38
  Speaker 1: What's the desert? Well, it's the pressures that bear down
• 51:41
  Speaker 1: on us, the criticism from those who don't often understand.
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  Speaker 1: It's failure when we tried so hard to achieve or
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  Speaker 1: to succeed. It's a lack of progress when we just
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  Speaker 1: wanted it to happen. It's the breakdown in relationships, and
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  Speaker 1: it's a thousand other things. It's the desert. It's the desert.
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  Speaker 1: It's the desert. And you long for an oasis to
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  Speaker 1: get a cool drink of water. And that comes from
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  Speaker 1: the affirmation of the leader. Who dips his ladle in
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  Speaker 1: ice water and brings it out and splashes it all
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  Speaker 1: over you. And it cools you off. Why concern ourselves
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  Speaker 1: with these qualities as leaders? Verse 12. I love this.
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  Speaker 1: Here's the whole goal. So that you would walk in
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  Speaker 1: a manner worthy of the God who calls you into
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  Speaker 1: his own kingdom and glory. So that you would walk
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  Speaker 1: in a worthy manner. So that you would walk in
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  Speaker 1: a worthy manner. We lead like this so others will
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  Speaker 1: live like that. That's it. We lead like this so
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  Speaker 1: others will live like that. So that we would walk
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  Speaker 1: worthy of the God who calls you into his kingdom
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  Speaker 1: and glory. Question. Where did Paul learn that? The Saul
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  Speaker 1: of Tarsus we've studied about and that I've read about
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  Speaker 1: was the most arrogant Pharisee on the face of the earth.
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  Speaker 1: He was a vicious. Savage. Savage. around Christians when he
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  Speaker 1: was lost. What happened? What happened to his pride? What
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  Speaker 1: happened that caused him to say all those things that
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  Speaker 1: I had, I counted as nothing compared to? That's where
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  Speaker 1: he learned it, Christ Jesus. I had walked life's way
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  Speaker 1: into an easy tread. I'd traveled where pleasures and comfort
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  Speaker 1: led until one day in a quiet place, I met
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  Speaker 1: the master face to face. With station and rank and
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  Speaker 1: wealth for my goal, much thought for my body but
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  Speaker 1: none for my soul, I'd entered to win this life's
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  Speaker 1: mad race when I met the master face to face.
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  Speaker 1: I'd built my castles and reared them high till their
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  Speaker 1: towers had pierced the blue of the sky. I'd sworn
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  Speaker 1: to rule with an iron mace when I met the
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  Speaker 1: master face to face. I met him and I knew
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  Speaker 1: him and I blushed to see that his eyes full
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  Speaker 1: of sorrow were fixed upon me. I faltered and fell
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  Speaker 1: at his feet that day. Oh my Castles melted and
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  Speaker 1: vanished away. Melted and vanished and in their place. Nothing
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  Speaker 1: else could I see but the master's face. My thoughts
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  Speaker 1: are now for the souls of men. I've lost my life.
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  Speaker 1: To find it again. Ever since that day in a
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  Speaker 1: quiet place. When I met the master. Face to face.
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  Speaker 1: Somewhere between the Damascus Road and the visit from Ananias.
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  Speaker 1: a transformation took place that continued to be revealed in
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  Speaker 1: the life of Paul because Christ came to live as
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  Speaker 1: a master in his life. I want you to bow
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  Speaker 1: your heads. I want you to close your eyes. I
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  Speaker 1: want you to forget how this talk has been appropriate
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  Speaker 1: for so-and-so or somebody else or how you wish somebody
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  Speaker 1: could have heard this This is for you. This is
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  Speaker 1: for me. If you've never met the master, this is
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  Speaker 1: your moment right now. You won't be struck down and
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  Speaker 1: stricken blind. You won't be in the midst of some
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  Speaker 1: hidden spot for three days waiting for somebody to come
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  Speaker 1: and tell you what it's about. That was Paul's experience.
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  Speaker 1: But you know how strong-willed and Proud you are. You
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  Speaker 1: know how slow you are to encourage and how reluctant
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  Speaker 1: you are to affirm. You know if you're greedy. You
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  Speaker 1: know if you're self-serving. This is your moment to have
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  Speaker 1: the Lord turn you into a nursing mother and a
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  Speaker 1: gentle father who encourages and exhorts and affirms. Who can
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  Speaker 1: bring about integrity where there has been deception. And error
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  Speaker 1: and self-will. I invite you right where you're sitting. To
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  Speaker 1: turn your life over to Christ. Don't even think about waiting.
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  Speaker 1: This is your moment. We have a staff of very
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  Speaker 1: qualified people who would love to talk with you. They'll
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  Speaker 1: help you find your way. To what real leadership and
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  Speaker 1: living is all about. Thank you Father for never giving
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  Speaker 1: up on us. For working with us. And amazingly by
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  Speaker 1: your grace working through us. Thank you for the part
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  Speaker 1: of this talk that has been most appropriate for each
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  Speaker 1: one of us. You've pierced through and you've penetrated down
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  Speaker 1: to where we live. And we're grateful. We feel convicted.
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  Speaker 1: I know I do. And I thank you for your
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  Speaker 1: patience with me. I thank you for putting up with
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  Speaker 1: me and all of my impatience and strong will. Thank you,
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  Speaker 1: dear Father, for speaking in such a way that each
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  Speaker 1: one of us knows What the next step needs to be.
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  Speaker 1: Be with us as we take it. Let us never
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  Speaker 1: return to the way we were. Thank you for Christ.
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  Speaker 1: Who not only comes to transform us. But enables it
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  Speaker 1: and energizes it. Meek and humble of heart. The son
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  Speaker 1: of God. Who could have blasted this earth with a
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  Speaker 1: thousand self-serving miracles. Tenderly walked and worked among the people
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  Speaker 1: of his time. And some were never the same again.
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  Speaker 1: Do that now, Lord. At this place. And in our midst.
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  Speaker 1: For Jesus' sake. For Jesus' sake.
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  Speaker 2: Amen. The preceding message, Leading as Paul Led, was copyrighted
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  Speaker 2: in 2001, 2003, and 2024, and the sound recording was
• 59:13
  Speaker 2: copyrighted in 2024 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights
• 59:19
  Speaker 2: are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use
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  Speaker 2: is strictly prohibited.