Leading a Healthy Church Culture - Lesson 17

This is a summary version of the Christ-Centered Leadership class in the Certificates section that includes a study guide and additional resources.

Dr. Rick Sessoms
Leading a Healthy Church Culture
mc610-17
The Example of Jesus
Lesson Transcript

[00:00:02] Well, let's look at these a little bit more one by one. Now, we talked about the fact that these five handles are descriptive. There is nothing. In other words, whatever you do about these five will determine the values of of the organization, the church. But what what we have done in and made an effort to do is to take a look at these handles that that aggression has given us as graciously provided for us through his research. And we've looked to ask the question, how did Jesus deal with these handles? Now, the reason we asked that question again in a little book that we've written called Culture Craft is because the fact is, is that Jesus was preparing these 12 to establish the church. Right. That was one of his primary roles. It was to it was to give his life a ransom for many, but it was also to build a church. He said, I will build my church. And and his focus on these 12 was to prepare them for the inauguration, the church shortly after his resurrection, ascension. And so the question that comes to us is if that's to be if that so if these disciples were following him, if they were watching his every move, they were watching his demonstrated leadership, if they were listening to his teaching, then what values was he incorporated and instilling in their lives during those years that would prepare them to perpetuate that kind of culture in the church into which you and I have been swept up these 20th centuries later. You understand that? QUESTION That's a critical question, and I'm not sure that question has been asked a lot. And but but it seems that it's so obvious, as you look at the gospels, that these guys went on to be the fathers of the church that we're part of today.

[00:02:10] So whatever Jesus did in preparing them and laying the groundwork and establishing the values that would become part of the early church was incredibly powerful. And so let's look at how Jesus dealt with these five handles. And our little book is a simple book that that gives you example after example after example after example. And I've just chosen a few of these as starting points, but and we'll go through these rather quickly. But as we think about what leaders model and teach. Perhaps you can remember the story of the demon possessed man and the jersey. And remember remember the guy that was running around in the in the among the tombs and he would they would chain him up. And he would break the chains and he would run through the village like a wild man. He was a wild man because he was possessed. And I'm sure that he scared all the kids to death. And I'm sure that the parents said, no, kids, don't you go near that graveyard. There's a crazy man in the graveyard. Well, Jesus shows up. And he, of course, delivered the man. There was. And do you remember the reaction? What was the reaction of the townspeople? Well, Luke tells us that it says that they were filled with fear. That's the first statement, which is an interesting thing, because it seems that they were they should have been afraid of the of the men in it, in the in the tombs and among the tombs. Right. But but the principle there is it seems that sometimes we're less afraid of that evil that we can control than we are of the power and the wonder of God that we can't control. Right. So there's there's a principle there.

[00:04:05] But. But then, Jim, to your point, what was their action? They responded. By law, they ask you to leave. Why did they ask him to leave? What happened after the demons left The man. The when God shows up, somebody has to pay for the pigs, right? That's a tough one. You know, we can control the evil and the nonsense that goes on, but when God shows up, it's a mass. It's a fiasco. But what did Jesus model and teach? To his disciples. They're watching this thing, right? The people are more important than pigs. That one being possessed man, was the value, of course, investing in. And sometimes your possessions are collateral damage. What do you think? I mean, that seems to be an obvious principle, isn't it? We're talking 2000 pigs. This was that whole society's livelihood. What else might even have been teaching here? And demonstrating to his disciples what values was he instilling within them? I mean, I don't have a ready answer for these things. So let's explore together what think with me. I think he's actually found the course. That demon man is cured. He wants to follow Jesus, and Jesus says, Go back to your own people. So not only did Jesus have any vision of not creating a follower, you know, powerful, powerful, but to pass it on, it's like love your path. It's meant to pass on the demand of Baynham and anybody. Yeah, ideas blows my mind. I want to be at this this Jesus, this feeling right I'm not close to that capable. But some Lord pass something to him that he took it and played it for. Great point. So it wasn't about amassing this great following. It was about. Empowering people to go power forward.

[00:06:28] Great example. Anything else that comes to your mind? Now imagine A your disciples sitting there watching this. This is over among the Gentiles, right? This is among the people that are godless people. And a demon possessed man to boot. Can you imagine the value that he placed on one person in that context? It's amazing. Total outcast and things get messy. We can't always control. We sometimes try to control everything is going on. As you're saying, we go through such sometimes gets messy, we're comfortable, we're getting messy and being somewhat out of control, but under God's control. Questions I have. So let's look at a little bit. A little bit tougher one. Jesus. Clearing the temple. Somebody recount the story for us. What happened? Just look at the temple and. They were selling. So that there could be monetary conversion for an animal for sacrifice. They were cheaper people, basically. So that going on, plus just bringing it into the temple area because they were. Right. And Jesus did what? So he overturned the tables and messed all the accounting. So we say the measure of things and. Disruptive that. So it would be a house of prayer. Yeah. The whip began the whip. But the focus was. So now you're this sniper watching this. What are you thinking? Not worried about what they think about him, but worry about his ego or bad. I mean, I think in there he's got real passion. I think if there goes bingo on Friday night, God, I would be questioning why doesn't Jesus talk to whoever is in charge of these people here in the first place rather than just demonstrating in anger? What's going on here? Why don't we go to someone who who could ask these people to leave rather than go directly and start overturning tales? That would be one touching on one.

[00:09:29] So you're suggesting that rather than take the political approach, you took the prophetic approach. Understood it was a church approved activity. That's right. But he might have you know, if that would've been the diplomatic way, we'd like to know how wouldn't change this and suggest that they talk about a new policy and they would have a hard time, you know, debating it and all this stuff. And then they might come to a conclusion that may or may not be the one he wanted. But he I mean, Vegas is if this guy comes in there with a whip and turns all the tables over and I mean, if I were one of those guys, you'd be in line change. I mean, I'm like, man, I don't know if I want to go back. You know, it's kind of a if you didn't I mean, if you weren't scared of them, you were like, maybe you were convicted about what he was saying. But if it was like they'd changed the rule and like, Oh, we can't do it anymore. They changed the rule. And it's it's a completely different sort of change. Of course, you know, instead of kind of being thrown out and convicted of it. This is not like, you know, my father's house was meant to be like then it's just like, oh, well, they changed the type of policy now in the cell outside the gates now. And it's so it's a different kind of thing. It's a different change. So Jesus had the insight and the ability to see what we can't see. But this was really the way to cure or to address it. So a strong value on the proper use of what belongs to God. Is, is the value that that was coming through the very least in that in that scenario.

[00:11:05] So it wasn't politicized. It was a demonstration of God's heart for that which belongs to him. I think observing his behavior, you'd say Jesus really values prayer because that's what he was protesting, that the house was no longer a house of prayer. And he's really jealous for God's. Property, not a building, but the temple concept. This is a place of worship is really jealous for God. The civil process really doesn't. I mean, maybe there's a time and place for that, but this isn't this isn't the place for it. Yeah. Good point. Well, as we look at how we allocate scarce resources, we talked about how JI has prioritized its time because that was a precious commodity that he had. What is the when Jesus the night when when his feet were anointed with perfume and there was the response of the religious leaders in that text. And Luke, what was Jesus teaching about the scarce use of resources in that text? You remember the story about the sentencing of a woman that came and washed his feet with her tears and drying with her hair and then anointed his feet with costly perfume. And there was a backlash from the religious leaders. What was he teaching? He was also, I think, wanted them to realize it was not about just the here and now, but the spiritual life that we had and refused to have prepared for a greater. Well, one of the things I think he was showing them is that she could see him as the son of God because she recognized her sin within that they could not see him as the son of God because they did not recognize their own sin. And so the the cost was irrelevant to her.

[00:13:20] It it was not something she she thought about because it became. An expression of gratitude. I think Jesus as is rewarding by paying a compliment to this woman. He is rewarding someone who values him. You know, he said, I came in here for dinner and you guys didn't even wash my feet. You clearly don't value me. But this woman has not ceased to wash. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. You know, he's. He's. He's rewarding that. That value that she has valued Jesus is focuses on her heart and her faith, not her actions. Her actions are demonstrating that contrast with the actions of others. What? Here? Let's be more practical in her heart was focused on her savior. And that costly perfume is an expression of how much she values. Well, I think the I think what I see here is a lavish giving out of extreme gratitude. That he's teaching. That value is a core value of what? What you see Paul taught in Corinthians about and he conceptualize. But you see that coming through in terms of the values that he was incorporating in those that he led. Let's go on behaviors we reward. We could spend a lot of time here. Again, we've gone through many, many pastors and you could do this just for a long, long time, is go to go through the scriptures and look what and ask the question, what was Jesus teaching? What values was he instilling within these disciples? And of course, the examples that I've just a couple of them that I put here are the Beatitudes. What what is he rewarding? What what behaviors is are those behaviors that Jesus wants to highlight, the peacemaking, the poor in spirit, the make, and those that are persecuted for righteousness sake.

[00:15:30] Those kinds of things. Clearly, Jesus is is is saying these I want to champion the wise and foolish builders. That that kind of motif is something that as we work through. What does that mean for the values of the church and how did that impact that? The early church is is is powerful study what we measure and interesting that that that Jesus was was kind of all over the page on this the parable the saw of course is that I heard William Willimon, who used to be over here at Duke, speak about the parable of the saws one time, and he said, at the very least, it was an agricultural fiasco. If you know anything about farming, that's no way to farm. You know, you just throw this seed wherever it lands, it lands, and most of it lands in these places that it can't possibly grow. But somehow it does happen to land on good soil and it grows to, you know, so many times what it what it originally was intended to grow. So there doesn't seem to be that that are a wise sort of appropriate, you know, proportionate ROI, as Jesus is outlining it within this text. And it's about the fact that that God is the is the is the one who brings about the fruit and the church is a mass. And you could go all the way through those kingdom parables if if the farmer didn't know about sowing seeds, didn't know much about, about weeding either. You know when you get to the to the one about why should we tear out the tares and so that the weak and growing he said, now just leave them all till September. We'll wait it out. We'll we'll sort it out then.

[00:17:20] You know we will. And says what in the world kind of way is that to farm? But the fact is, is that there's there's not this this close and careful. Now how we do that in terms of measurement is is a very fascinating scenario but but there it is and I just lay it before you on the other side. The parable, the Mina and Luke chapter was at 19 was was dealing with with with a very clear scenario that that the when the king went away to receive the kingdom, he left these servants each with a manna and said, put it into business and and make a profit. And when the the king returned he rewarded people according to what they had done with what they've been given. And the interesting thing about that rendition and Luke, 19, is age was given the same. So it wasn't about how much you have, but it's about what you've done with what you've been given is the emphasis there. So there is there is a measurement there that's pretty clear within within that. But the emphasis on responsibility with what I've been entrusted, that's the key point in that text. So again, I just want to encourage you that as we think about these handles, think about how Jesus incorporated these handles to teach and train and and prepare his disciples for this church that they were going to be responsible to grow and lead in the future. One of the most fascinating studies is how Jews respond to crisis. One of my favorite stories is John Chapter six. When Jesus is pursued to be king, you know, he had fed the thousands and with the fish and the loaves and and Amelie went to the other side of the lake, and they followed him there because they wanted free lunch forever.

[00:19:20] They wanted a good welfare program. So they wanted to crown him to be king. And he really offended their Jewish sensibilities when he said, look, what is going to cost you is if you eat my flesh and drink my blood. That'll do it. And eventually most of them left him at that point to the extent that he turned to his disciples. What about you? And they said, well, where else are we going to go? And so the text there is in a in a crisis moment when Jesus could have become the political leader of thousands, maybe tens of thousands, perhaps heads of thousands. He chose instead to follow the father's way and actually to reduce his, quote, influence over the masses at that point. So that response in crisis is critical for us to see what he valued. And as we as we play that against the bigger is better motif that we talked about last week. It can be very instructive to our lives and to our leadership. And of course, the woman car and adultery. What's happening there? Let's talk about that for just a moment. When the woman was called adultery, we all know the story. You know, Jesus writes in the sand something we don't know what he wrote. Let him, who is without sin, cast the first stone. But once he teaching what in that, in that moment of crisis, what is Jesus communicating? What value is he instilling within those that are watching this happening? Perhaps mercy. A huge amount of mercy for sure. Repentance and forgiveness. Trump along. Forgiveness trumps the law. Would you take a personal entry? Personal injury. Making a decision is a. Would you say that that was a critical moment? It was a life and death, wasn't it? That's pretty critical.

[00:21:51] Not only for a woman, but for Jesus. I mean, he's in a crisis situation there, too, but he's what's he going to do and how are people going to respond to him?