Origins Week 3

Origins Week 3

“For the Leaders”

(based on the notes, thoughts, and outline of Erwin McManus' New Origin's Project. Many thanks to the folks at Mosaic for helping push the Christ's dream for the church.)

When I was around 15 years old I got in an argument with one of my teaching Pastor’s. He crushed my argument and at the end of the argument he said, “Is there anything else that you can do and be happy?”

For me? No.

Tonight is about recognizing who we are as a nation and who could be as a people.

Lack of responsibility… maybe church doesn’t always feel “right” to us, because we are missing the idea of God’s dream. And we’re missing the dream because we are too caught up with our own thoughts of what “right” is.

• We have a culture of Christians wanting to be fed.

The “We’re not being fed here” statement.

Question: “What kind of human beings need to be fed? Babies, and people who are mentally incapable of feeding themselves.

1 Corinthians 3:1-4

1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly--mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? 4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?

Question: Is it always the job of the parents to feed their kids for the rest of their lives? Of course not! Only at first. But at some point and time the child needs to learn how to feed themselves.

At some point the Child can become a parent on their own and feed others.

The ancient church would grow, and then someday they would leave to plant another church somewhere else. They did that, because they had grown in their faith to a point where they didn’t need the Apostles to tell them everything.

Some Christians never want to take that responsibility.

• My job is not to feed Christians, but make them hungry.
• We don't need to eat, we need to exercise.
• It’s the practice of our faith that grows us, not believing of our faith.
• We teach the Bible on Sunday, but people don't live it out on Monday.
• I’ve been asked a lot about fake Christians. And usually a fake Christian isn’t somebody who simply talks one way and then acts another way.

To me a fake Christian is somebody who has no desire to grow, but they never feel any kind of conviction in their lives, and they base their decisions on the world and not on the word.

We Need Mature Leaders

• Maturity is the gap of time between learning and obedience.

Who’s doing it right? (church bashing)

Anti-catholic, anti-anybody who doesn’t do it how I think it should be done. (pastor needs more jokes, etc)

• Don't beat up on anyone reaching people for Jesus.

Leaders lead with the end in mind, not just the “here” in mind.

The wise recognize that the “here” determines the end and the accept responsibility for themselves… a leader never acts like a victim (just because I was abused, doesn’t mean that I have the excuse to treat others harshly. I know not to do that.)

• I want to be indispensable when I'm here and dispensable when I'm gone.

A Leader has nothing to prove

( and everything to give. And sometimes giving is by supporting others even if I think I could do it better or more efficiently. )

• The power of community is being willing to be led when someone's gifts are stronger than yours in a particular area. At some times, we all need to be a follower.

How can I succeed at my dreams or as a leader?

• The only limit to your effectiveness is the depth of your humility.

If you think you’re the most impressive person in the room, then others will be less impressed with you. It’s those that make others more confident and powerful that make the deepest impact.

(when Bill Clinton walked in to a room everybody was always drawn to them, because no matter how powerful he ever became, he always made his focus about talking about and to others.)

Phil. 2:5-11

5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Phil 2:12-13

12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Just like people who are over-weight know how to lose it, so do we know how to follow Christ. It's by living out His way of life.