Proper Evaluation of Leaders (Part 1)

No Compromise Radio. Thanks for tuning in to No Compromise Radio with pastor and author, Dr. Mike Abendroth. 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.

The Hurricane Epistle and the Outline of First Corinthians

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. But 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 two dollars.

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. And 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 is 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 gonna do that one of these days. Two dollars. 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 first 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 first 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 still be a church. And so we're working through the book of first Corinthians chapter by chapter verse by verse.

And if you want to outline first 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. Chapter 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. Chapter 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 and 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 you 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 here 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 we. Were you baptized in the name of Paul. We need to be unified here at this church so 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 118 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 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 are not ready for it. And even now you're not yet ready verse 2. For you're still of the flesh for a while. There is jealousy and strife among you 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 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 6 considerations for this church so that you may properly evaluate and look at leaders.

We looked at 3 or 4 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 by the 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 5.

Focus on Jesus, Not on the Hired Help

Focus on Jesus not on the hired help. Focus on Jesus not on the hired help. Remember that verse 5 of 1st 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 5.

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. Tie 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's 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'm 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 five 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 you say this out loud. Then vert when I give you a blank you fill in the blank. For by grace you have been saved. Okay. Say it again. Look to your neighbor and say the word again. 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. For 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 1st Corinthians 2 2.

I decided I had a determination in my mind 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 when that be good for some of the preachers in the world.

And maybe this one to 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 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.

Jesus Christ as the Bestower of Eternal Life and Every Good Gift

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 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 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 it's a lot different than worship. God alone gives the growth. Side comment. Here we are being. We are the recipients of God's grace 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 gonna have to leave because you know we like smaller churches and you know 50 100 you know everybody by name.

And 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'll 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 you know foolish and say you know we're gonna spend more time with sociology and 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 another's. If that's what we do and the church balloons up to a thousand our shrinks down to 100. It is God causing the growth.

And if God is causing the growth then who are we to say why 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 mega church. 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 gonna 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 I'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 let's let's it's called the Mike Abendroth wing. Let's see if we go get that new building.

It's really snazzy nice and we're gonna 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 keep with without a point of time ongoingly God is causing the growth. Just like today. Where's 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 am 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 in your community. You 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 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. Say well you know what.

This is an old dry dusty book. And if you really want to have people come you 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 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 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 Avendroth 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.

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