Proper Evaluation of Leaders (Part 1)

No Compromise Radio Thanks for tuning in to No Compromise Radio with pastor and author,

Dr. Mike Ebendroth. Today on No Compromise Radio, we'll be hearing Pastor Mike open the

Word of God in a recent message he preached at Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston, Massachusetts.

Now let's join Pastor Mike in progress as he preaches through the Scriptures verse -by -verse with no compromise.

Kim and I went out for a coffee yesterday morning, and then we went into the lovely and Art Deco -filled

Searstown Mall. And needed to get a couple things, and we walked in, and you know, the very center of the malls, they have small kiosks, trying to get some extra revenue.

Maybe it's a jewelry store, maybe it's piercing ears or something like that,

AT &T. I saw something yesterday I've never seen before. It was a small little booth, and it had a glass door, and you could get into the booth, two or three people, and you pay $2.

How many people have seen these booths? And it's a replica of being in a hurricane on the inside with winds up to 78 miles per hour.

So they got in. I thought it was kind of apropos with hurricane season and all that. So these two kids got in, and Kim and I were watching, and in the back there's this little display.

It tells you how fast the wind is inside. And the hair's kind of going up, and 15, 25, 45, then the kids start howling when the wind starts howling, 50 miles an hour, 65, 75, 78, and the wind is just blowing everything around.

I'm going to do that one of these days. $2. I'm just too prideful to go in in front of my wife.

I'll take the youth group out there. I thought to myself, from now on in my mind, 1

Corinthians is going to be known as the hurricane epistle. Gale force winds blowing away all kinds of chaff and sin and anything that distracts from Jesus Christ.

That's what happens in 1 Corinthians. So turn your Bibles to the hurricane epistle.

I don't think we're a Corinthian church in general, but this is good for us to go through this book so we never become the church of Corinth.

Just in a few months, I'll be in Corinth, and there won't be a church there. And if they would have heeded the advice generation after generation from Paul, the inspired apostle, there'd still be a church.

And so we're working through the book of 1 Corinthians, chapter by chapter, verse by verse.

And if you want to outline 1 Corinthians, it's really easy. The first six chapters, Paul reproves them for their sin.

Chapters 1 through 6, it's a reproof for their sin. Chapters 7 through 16,

Paul replies to their questions. So 1 to 6, reproof. 7 to 16, reply.

There's some issues morally going on in the church. Paul deals with those, and then he answers questions that they had, chapters 7 through 16.

And where we are now is in chapters 1 through 4 that deal with divisions in the local church.

Paul does not want there to be divisions in people following Paul, people following Apollos, somehow fawning over the leadership that they have, because Jesus is the leader.

He wants no kind of fan club. Jesus is the one who has died for them. He's raised from the dead.

And as much as we like to follow people, Paul is going to say, don't do it. And you see early on, just for a quick review, we're in chapter 3, but right now look at 1 .10.

Chapter 1, verse 10. See, early on, Paul says, just with this loving appeal,

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name, who God is, by the name of our

Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same judgment.

For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there's a quarreling among you. Hear the tender pastoral heart, my brothers.

I follow Paul, people say, verse 12. I follow Apollos. I follow Cephas. I follow

Christ. And then with a shock kind of value, this is a lot of voltage here in this verse, verse 13.

Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

We need to be unified here at this church to have the right view of wisdom and have the right view of leaders.

Follow the world's wisdom. Don't worship that kind of false wisdom. And you see what he does in chapter 1, verse 18 and following.

This is a different kind of wisdom. This is divine wisdom. For the word of the cross, 1 .18, is folly, is moronic, it's stupidity to those who are perishing.

But to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. You want real wisdom?

Look down at verse 23. Here's wisdom. We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the

Jews and folly to the Gentiles. Paul says don't buy into the world's wisdom that you would exalt wisdom, exalt humans, exalt wrong things, when

Jesus Christ is the crucified Savior. And then in chapter 3, he swings it over and kind of gives him four verses that I would hate to have the

Lord ever write to us. It almost sounds like Revelation chapter 2 and 3, some of the letters from Jesus to churches where he really disciplines them, he spanks them.

Chapter 3, verse 1, but I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people. Can you imagine if I got up and said that on Sunday?

I have a sermon today for Bethlehem Bible Church, but the first thing I want you to know is I could not address you this morning as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh.

Can you imagine if I said this to you as infants in Christ? I have a sermon for you this morning, BBC, but you're babies, and you can't really listen because you've got the bottle in your mouth.

I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you're not yet ready, verse 2, for you are still of the flesh.

For while there is jealousy and strife among you, it doesn't matter how much you know, how good your theology is, what doctrines you've been taught, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?

When one says, and he changes up the order here, I follow Paul, and another, I follow Apollos, are you not being merely human?

And now he swings into this very direct approach to the church so that they don't follow leaders.

Last week we said we would look at six considerations for this church so that you may properly evaluate and look at leaders.

We looked at three or four last week. Let's just catch up. Proper evaluation of leadership.

And I said last week, and I really meant it, I think the people here esteem the leaders too highly.

Now, there's a right kind of respect, a right kind of obedience, and a right kind of submission that Hebrews 13 talks about.

It's a good office, a pastor, a preacher. There should be respect there. But sometimes, built into our system because of the fall, we worship people.

You don't have to go very far to find that out. Look at the world and you go, there are people worshipers. Look at the magazines.

It starts off in chronological order. Life, people, us.

What's the next one I'm going to say? Self. And we just love to worship people.

You've got fanzines, fan clubs. I'm going to try not to do any sports things right now.

It's a little different than what the writer of Hebrews would say. Since we have such a greater cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us.

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Fill in the blank out loud. Fixing our eyes on Jesus.

Not Paul, not Apollos, not Abendroth. The author and perfecter of faith for the joy set before Jesus, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

For consider him. So let me give you six considerations this morning so that we'll think properly about leadership.

If you're a visitor, so you think properly about your pastors. This will apply to leaders, apply to pastors, apply to congregants.

Maybe you have a favorite radio ministry you listen to. This is just right thinking for the right kind of church.

Number one, found in verse five. Focus on Jesus, not on the hired help.

Focus on Jesus, not on the hired help. Remember that? Verse five of 1 Corinthians. Laser lock your eyes on Jesus who died for you, not on people.

Matter of fact, Paul doesn't even give the who. You see that in ESV? Verse five, what then is

Apollos? Mind off of the person and the who. They're a worker. They have a function.

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Answer, servants through whom you believed.

How can you have a personality cult for farm help? That would not be good. They're servants.

People say, I want a pastor today and I want him to be my friend. I want him to be a buddy. I want him to be a CEO, life coach, mentor.

Paul says, we're just servants. And he's saying, I'm an apostle, yes, a sent one.

I'm a delegate sent by Jesus with apostolic authority. But compared to Christ, I am a servant.

I think I asked last week, if Paul is a servant, what must I be?

I'm a servant as well. Nothing higher. The greatest man who was ever born on this earth next to Jesus Christ said, when looking at Christ, I can't even stoop down to his own sandal.

By the way, this all smacks in the face of leaders at any level who want to use their position of Bible teacher for honor, for glory, for adoration.

Listen to Jesus' words in Matthew 20. And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, you know that the rulers of the

Gentiles lorded over them and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be among you.

But whoever would be great among you must be your servant. And whoever would be first among you must be your slave.

Even as the son of man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

So we don't want to be divided ranking leaders, comparing the four leaders here at the church, comparing outside leaders with these leaders.

Frankly, I'll just tell you right now, I'm just glad to be on the team. It's just a dream come true that I would be allowed to be a preacher of the gospel.

And if my ranking in the world is 1 ,999 ,002, I am glad to be on the team.

I'll gladly take that. Number two, the second consideration, so that we might boast only in the cross of our

Lord Jesus, Galatians 6, not be unified because we follow a certain leader.

They're just servants, number one. Number two, focus on Jesus Christ because he himself gave you eternal life.

And for that matter, every other good thing. How do you evaluate leadership rightly? You focus on Jesus, not the hired help.

And you focus on Jesus who's the bestower of all the great gifts. Take a look at verse 5 again, servants through whom you believed.

Not because of. Nobody believed here because of me. It's a crude analogy, but maybe

I could use it. If you're parched and dry in the middle of a desert and you stumble on an oasis that's real and you have to go up to some kind of big

PVC pipe and the water comes down the pipe and comes out into your mouth,

I guarantee you, you're going to be focused on the water that comes through, not on the plastic PVC.

We're just instruments. Let's see how good you are with the Bible. Ephesians chapter 2.

Don't turn there, but say this out loud. When I give you a blank, you fill in the blank. For by grace you have been saved.

Say it again. Look to your neighbor and say the word again. No, I'm just kidding. You've been saved by grace through faith.

It doesn't say because of. You're not saved because of your faith. Well, God had to save me because I came up with my faith.

You're saved through the instrumentality, the non -saving procuring instrument of faith.

Why are you saved? Because of his great love, Ephesians 2 .4. Because of what

Christ did. You're saved by grace through faith. Similarly, you're not saved because of me.

You're saved through the message that I preach. Not because of me, not on account of me.

Faith is not a quality that saves. Pastors aren't saviors either.

That's why if you look back in chapter 2, verse 2. Don't you love this? For I decided, Paul says, 1

Corinthians 2 .2. I decided, I had a determination in my mind.

It was fixed, and I wasn't going to just open my mouth and let the Lord lead me. I determined what to say ahead of time.

And I determined to speak less than what I know. Wouldn't that be good for some of the preachers in the world?

And maybe this one too. Tell the people less than what they know. I determined to know nothing among you except Paul the great apostle.

No, except Jesus Christ. Paul didn't do this by accident. He didn't do it haphazardly.

It wasn't random, slapdash, messy. It was purposeful. Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Woe to the preacher who gets up and says, it's all about me. Look at me. Paul says,

I'm focused on Jesus. Why look any farther? He didn't say, you know what?

If you'd like to have your sins forgiven and then really still be cool and really be successful and have the world still kind of love you, just follow me.

Paul said to the church in Galatia, it was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.

That's what I did is I just kept showing you Jesus Christ, that God, man, the only Savior, dying on behalf of sinners like you and being raised from the dead.

Number three, third consideration. Focus on Jesus who sovereignly places pastors into his local churches, not on the pastors.

Verse five, as the Lord assigned to each. I'm here, as I said last week, by sovereign decision of God.

Number four, focus on Jesus who alone causes all church growth.

This is so good. Chapter three, verse six and seven. I planted,

Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So what's the conclusion? Verse seven. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anyone.

He does the same thing again. They're not anything. But only

God who gives the growth. What are the implications? Bethlehem Bible Church.

If God alone gives church growth, God alone causes all church growth.

We might work. We might plow. We might fertilize. We might water. We might irrigate.

But God alone causes the growth. We're not anything.

By the way, I have to just tell you this. This is not really related in any way, shape, or form except what someone said.

The whole part there, Apollos watered in verse six, some traditions say that is an allusion to baptism.

It has nothing to do with baptism. It has to do with this. We might be the instruments who water, plant, fertilize, weed, but God causes that seed to grow.

I guess I thought that was more funny or interesting than you did. Carry on. What's absent in verse seven?

Names. Personal names. It's like he's trying to get the names away because he knows we have a built -in tendency to just revere leaders more than we should.

It's a high calling. It's a holy calling. As I imitate Christ, you must imitate me.

But imitation is a lot different than worship. God alone gives the growth.

Side comment here. We are the recipients of growth in the local church, maturation of the saints, and more people.

So I have a question for you. I've met some people who I think are even here today. I've forgotten exactly who said this to me, but I've heard it.

If this church gets too big, we're going to have to leave. We like smaller churches, 50, 100, and you know everybody by name.

If it gets too big, then we just can't stay any longer. I want to challenge you. We're only one sermon away from getting back down to 50 or 100, so you never know what will happen.

But if God is causing the growth through biblical means, that is, we're not trying to mess around, and we're not trying to be foolish and say we're going to spend more time with sociology, and Dewey is our man for church growth.

Pragmatics is what we do. Consumerism is what we do. But if we're back to the God -ordained means for growth, prayer, preaching, evangelism, the one and others, if that's what we do and the church balloons up to 1 ,000 or shrinks down to 100, it is

God causing the growth. And if God is causing the growth, then who are we to say, well, this is getting too big for me?

Well, that may be true, but it's not getting too big or too small for God. So I just want to try to challenge you.

Listen, I'm not trying to make this into a megachurch. I'm just trying to be faithful to preach, and whether we have a parched time of 10 years ago or an exciting, growing time now, they're both ordained by God.

And so, God, if you're going to give us a lot of people, then we'll minister to the people. And you who have been here for a long time have enough maturity that you'll be able to minister to those people.

I'm not trying to build a church. Jesus is going to build a church, and why would I want to compete with him, as MacArthur said?

That'd be dumb. By the way, when I die, I don't know when I'll die, but don't put some kind of, you know, it's called the

Mike Abendroth wing. Let's say we go get that new building, and it's really snazzy and nice, and we're going to call this the

Abendroth wing. Please! Just put a little tombstone, by the grace of God, he preached the word, and he was a good servant, faithful to the end, by the grace of God.

That's all we want. I'm not trying to build some kind of dynasty. And if I was, woe is me.

This is what we have after 13 years. No, just kidding. But you understand my point.

God causing the growth. The Greek tense is, point in time,

Paul did something. Point in time, Apollos did something. Without a point in time, ongoingly,

God is causing the growth, just like today. Where is he causing all the growth? Maybe not north of the equator, but lots of growth south of the equator.

He's building his church no matter what the world says. I'm glad to be indispensable.

I'm glad to be insignificant. And I'm glad to be replaceable. If this church falls apart when

I die, or move, or get kicked out, I will grieve, and grieve, and grieve.

I like church growth that says, through preaching, through evangelism, through prayer, God grows a church.

New people getting saved, and we hear the testimonies in baptism. Don't you like that? When you go to the

Worcester Common and preach the gospel, and you preach the gospel to your kids, or you preach the gospel to your friends at work, and they get saved, and they come to the church.

I like that church growth. But there's another kind of church growth that I don't want to have anything to do with.

And that is church growth that says, the Bible's good, plus. Just mark it in your mind.

Whenever you hear the Bible's pretty good, but we need some kind of social and behavior sciences to help us grow the church, it's always a recipe for trouble.

When I drive by a church, or I look in the Yellow Pages, I looked in the Yellow Pages the other day, and the church says, all are welcome, come as you are.

One in California said, contemporary music and the youth group won't be boring.

Sermons are short. I just don't know what to do with that. I just feel like I'm some kind of old computer, some

IBM computer, just like, will not compute, smoke coming out. Of course, come as you are.

Of course, you're welcome. But definitionally, boring and God.

See if you could fit those two words in one sentence. With God as a subject. I said to myself,

I'm not going to mention names today, so I won't, but I will quote to you one of the number one church growth gurus.

I mean church growth, not ordained by God growth, but sociological growth.

The music you use positions your church and your community. It will determine the kind of people you attract, the kind of people you keep, and the kind of people you lose.

If you were to tell me the kind of music you're currently using in your services, I could describe the kind of people you're reaching without even visiting your church.

I could also tell you the kind of people your church will never reach. Call me old -fashioned, but I just want to know, what does it mean when it says

God causes the growth? How about we had no music? People say, well, you know what?

This is an old, dry, dusty book, and if you really want to have people come, you've got to have some drama. I like drama, too.

How about Acts 5 drama? That'd be good drama. Ananias and Sapphira steal a little bit, they're killed on the spot.

I call that pretty dramatic. Let's see, drama. Let's see,

Jesus is going to come back and melt away the entire earth. There'll really be a day of global warming, and they'll set up everything rightly.

Most drama isn't even any good. It's second -rate. And the Bible says at a worship service, you preach, you pray, you sing,

Lord's Supper, baptism, and the next week you do it all over again, and God, through that, causes the growth.

You know what I say? I say, yes, sir. No Compromise Radio, with Pastor Mike Abendroth, is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston.

Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible -teaching church, firmly committed to unleashing the life -transforming power of God's Word through verse -by -verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 1015 and in the evening at 6. We're right on Route 110 in West Boylston.

You can check us out online at bbcchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.

The thoughts and opinions expressed on No Compromise Radio do not necessarily reflect those of WVNE, its staff or management.