INTRODUCTION

• HAVING “ONE VISION AND ONE VOICE” ENABLES US TO UNLOCK GODS LEGACY PURPOSE IN OUR LIVES FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
• GOD’S LEGACY MATTERS BECAUSE 8.2 BILLION PEOPLE’S LIVES ARE AT RISK OF ENTERING ETERNITY, WITH NO HOPE AND WITHOUT GOD.

• JESUS GAVE WE CHRISTIANS THE AUTHORITY AND COMMAND TO BRING HIS GOOD NEWS TO THE WORLD. 
• YOU CAN GO OR YOU CAN SEND. 
• DOING NOTHING IS NOT AN OPTION!

• Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭ESV‬  (18)And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth 

has been given to me. (19) Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

ZOE CENTER’S CORE VALUE OF “ONE VISION 

ONE VOICE” ALIGNS WITH JESUS’S GREAT COMMISION OF PREPARING AND SENDING BELIEVERS TO EVERY NATION AND PEOPLE GROUP WITH THE GOOD NEWS OF ETERNAL LIFE.

1. THE FIRST PEOPLE GROUP TO FOCUS ON IS OUR IMMEDIATE AND EXTENDED FAMILY AND FRIENDS

AMERICA ‬IS A HUGE MISSION FIELD IN NEED OF A MOVE OF GOD

AS A YOUNG COLLEGE STUDENT BISHOP ED SMITH TAUGHT BIBLE STUDY AT: 

1. JET PROPULSION LABORATORY IN LA CANADA, CA
2. WOMENS HOME BIBLE STUDY IN ALTADENA, CA
3. NOON BIBLE STUDY AT ARCO OIL COMPANY IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES 

BISHOP ED SMITH LEARNED TO WIN SOULS FROM JOAN WILLIAMS, WHO TAUGHT BIBLE STUDY IN THEIR UCLA DORMS, LEADING THEM IN FASTING AND PRAYER AND WITNESSING ON UCLA’S CAMPUS AND THE STREETS OF LOS ANGELES.

BEING NEWLY MARRIED, WITH 1ST CHILD ON THE WAY, A FULL TIME GRADUATE STUDENT,  LEARNING FROM MY PASTOR, APOSTLE FRED PRICE, BISHOP ED BECAME BOLD WITH HIS  FAITH.

THE LARGEST MISSION FIELD IN THE WORLD IS THE MARKETPLACE, WHERE PEOPLE SPEND MOST OF THEIR TIME:

• MAKING, BUILDING, BUYING, SELLING,TRAINING, REPAIRING, LEARNING, DELIVERING, TRAVELING DESIGNING, CREATING, ORDERING, PRESENTING, SERVING, ASSEMBLING AND ZOOMING, ETC…

GOD HAS MADE IT EASY TO REACH AND DISCIPLE OTHERS, BEGINNING WITH YOUR FAMILY, YOUR WORK AND NEIGHBORS. WE JUST NEED TO SAY YES TO JESUS AND BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY.

BISHOP ED SMITH’S BOOK: 

“FRUITFULNESS, Seven Secrets to Getting More out of Life” IS AVAILABLE AFTER SERVICE TODAY. IT WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON ONLINE WITH NEW PUBLISHER.

REMEMBER, YOU BEING FRUITFUL IN GODS KINGDOM IS NOT AN OPTION!

© Bishop Ed. Smith, 2025

Introduction

How Not to Pray

• Matthew 6:5 (NKJV): ⁵ “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
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• Matthew 6:6 (NKJV): ⁶ But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
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• Matthew 6:7 (NKJV): ⁷ And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
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• Matthew 6:8 (NKJV): ⁸ “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
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How Prayer Brings Us Together

• Matthew 6:9–13 (NKJV): ⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ¹⁰Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹Give us this day our daily bread. ¹²And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. ¹³And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

The Urgent Vs. The Important

The Pressure of Pressure

• Matthew 6:31–33 (NKJV): ³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Don’t Allow Pressure to Distort Your Prayer Life

• Matthew 18:19–20 (ESV): ¹⁹ Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Our Father

• • Prayer reflects our dependence on the Father and our deep connection to other believers.

How do you pray “Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed by Your Name?

• Ephesians 3:14-15 (ESV): ¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
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• Ephesians 3:16–19 (ESV): ¹⁶ that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
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• Romans 8:15 (ESV): ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
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• 1 John 4:18 (ESV): ¹⁸ There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
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• Ephesians 3: 20 (ESV): ²⁰ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
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• Ephesians 3: 21 (ESV): ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
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Putting the Kingdom at the Center of Your Prayer

• Matthew 6:10 (NKJV): ¹⁰ Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
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• Matthew 6:25 (ESV): ²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
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Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

• Matthew 6:11 (ESV): ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.

Forgive Us Our Debts

• Matthew 6:12 (ESV): ¹² And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.

Lead Us Not into Temptation

• Matthew 6:13 (ESV): ¹³And do not lead us into temptation. But deliver us from the evil one. . . .

For Yours is the Kingdom

• Matthew 6:13 (ESV): ^13. . . . .For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

You Are Part of Something Bigger

© Joshua D. Smith, Ph.D., 2025

 

Introduction

The First Commandment with Promise

• Ephesians 6:2-4 (ESV): ² “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise),
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  • Parent honoring is foundational because parents are the first representations of God to us.
  • Parenting communicates to us that
    • 1. We did not create ourselves
      • We have an origin.
    • 2. We are dependent on our sources of life
    • 3. Anything we do with our lives is automatically credited to who gave us life.

Once you can honor your parents, it’s natural to honor God

• It’s natural to see Him as our creator.
• It’s natural to depend on Him.
• It’s natural to credit Him with what we become and accomplish.

The Mystery of Parenting

The commandment to honor parents also becomes a much-needed gratitude outlet for what God has done for us through our parents.

Parenting is a lot like how Jesus describes the Kingdom of God

• Mark 4:26–27 (ESV): ²⁶ And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. ²⁷ He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.
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• Mark 4:26–27 (ESV): ²⁸ The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. ²⁹ But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
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The Value of Celebrating Fathers

• You will get far more out of a man with respect and affirmation than with criticism and contempt

When Fatherhood Creates Wounds

• Ephesians 6:4 (ESV): ⁴ Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
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• Father’s Day can be a day of lament about what we didn’t get or what we didn’t give.
• Don’t let the fallenness of this world rob you of the joy of honoring your father.

Reframing How We Think About Our Fathers

1. The commandment to honor your parents (it’s validity) is independent
   • The behavior of your parents
   • The status of your relationship with your parents
   • Whether you knew your parents
   • Whether your parents were honorable
2. You honor your parents for your benefit, not your parents’ benefit.
   • Ephesians 6:2-3 (ESV): ² “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), ³ “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”
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3. How you honor your parents is directly tied to how you honor God.
   • 1 John 4:20 (ESV): ²⁰ If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
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4. How you see your father affects how you see God as a Father.
   • Matthew 7:9–11 (ESV): ⁹ Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? ¹¹ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
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5. One of the ways you heal the wounds of fatherhood is to honor your father.
   • God wants to father you through the healing of your fatherhood wound, but He can’t do that while you’re dishonoring your earthly father.

How Do You Honor a Father That’s Difficult to Honor?

1. Remember that honoring your father does not require you to approve of his behavior.
2. Remember that honoring your father does not require you to like him.
3. Remember that honor is first a heart posture before it is anything else.
4. Open yourself up to God’s Fathering.
5. Ask the Lord to open up your story to you.
   • Hebrews 12:14 (ESV): ¹⁴ Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
   • There are pathways to peace that your in your power to pave
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   • Romans 12:18 (ESV): ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
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     • Not about finding pathways to peace—they exist
     • The key is in removing obstructions to peace
   • Hebrews 12:15 (ESV): ¹⁵ See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;
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   • Hebrews 12:16 (ESV): ¹⁶ that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. ¹⁷ For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.
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6. Ask the Lord to open up your father’s story to you?
   • Your story and your father’s story are connected.
   • Your father’s story is a treasure chest of context.
   • Helpful tool to learn your father’s story: Life Story Interview Kit
   • Compare your father’s story to the ideal Story
     • Key Stages of Masculine Development (Fathered by God: Learning What Your Dad Could Never Teach You by John Eldredge)
       • Beloved Son
       • Shepherd/Ranger/Cowboy
       • Warrior
       • Lover
       • King
       • Sage
7. Get creative.
8. Trust the Lord.

Charge to Men

“We aren’t meant to figure life out on our own. God wants to father us. The truth is, he has been fathering us for a long time—we just haven’t had the eyes to see it. He wants to father us much more intimately, but we have to be in a posture to receive it. What that involves is a new way of seeing, a fundamental reorientation of how we look at life, and our situation in it.”–Fathered by God, p. 8

“The reframing begins when we see that a man’s life is a process of initiation into true masculinity. It is a series of stages we soak in and progress through. And as for God, I believe that what he is primarily up to at any point in a boy’s or a man’s life is initiating him. So much of what we misinterpret as hassles or trials or screw-ups on our part are in fact God fathering us, taking us through something in order to strengthen us, or heal us, or dismantle some unholy thing in us. In other words, initiate us—a distinctly masculine venture.” —Fathered by God, p. 13

• Romans 15:1 (ESV): ¹We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
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Resources

Fathered by God: Learning What Your Dad Could Never Teach You by John Eldredge

Life Story Interview Kit – Classic Edition

Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters and What to Do About It by Richard V. Reeves

© Joshua D. Smith, Ph.D., 2025

Review

Today we’re concluding a series we started last month called “The Benefactor”

• Which is about helping to secure blessings for other people
• Benefactor: someone or something that provides help or an advantage: one that confers a benefit
• A benefactor is a minister.

A minister is someone who serves.

• Ministry is not about titles or stage talent, but about meeting people at their points of greatest need by the grace of God.
• If you are believer, you are a minister:

The whole point of a pastor and other comparable church leaders is to equip you to do ministry:

• Ephesians 4:11–12 (ESV): ¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

The Cost of Doing Ministry

But then we talked about the costs of ministry, sacrifices that Jesus Himself modeled for us:

• Philippians 2:5-6 (ESV): ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
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• Philippians 2:7 (ESV): ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
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• Philippians 2:8 (ESV): ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
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Why Would Anyone Pay Such Steep Costs to Do Ministry?

1. God exalts you:
   • Philippians 2: 9 (ESV): ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
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   • James 4:10 (ESV): ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
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   • 1 Peter 5:6 (ESV): ⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
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2. There is a joy in pleasing God that far exceeds the joy of pleasing yourself:
   • Hebrews 12:2 (ESV): ² looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
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   • Philippians 3:1 (ESV): ¹ Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
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   • Philippians 4:4 (ESV): ⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
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3. You receive credit to your heavenly account:
   • Philippians 4:16–17 (ESV): ¹⁶ Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. ¹⁷ Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.

4. The Lord finances your generosity and pays your living expenses while you work for Him:
   • Philippians 4:18-19 (ESV): ¹⁸ I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied. . . ¹⁹ And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

When the Benefits of Service Seem Far Away

• Galatians 6:6 (ESV): ⁶ Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.
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• Galatians 6:7 (ESV): ⁷ Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
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• In serving, you are sowing.
• Galatians 6:8 (ESV): ⁸ For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
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• Galatians 6:9 (ESV): ⁹ And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
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  • Weariness is a state of the mind, not a state of the body:
    • Weary: ἐγκακέω (egkakeō): become discouraged, give up, lose heart [James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).]
• Galatians 6:10 (ESV): ¹⁰ So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
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• Psalm 122:1 (ESV): ¹ I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
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Guarding Against Overextending Ourselves in Ministry

• Philippians 2:19 (ESV): ¹⁹ I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you.
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• Philippians 2:20 (ESV): ²⁰ For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. ²¹ For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.
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• Philippians 2:20 (ESV): ²² But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel.
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• Philippians 2:25 (ESV): ²⁵ I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need,
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• Philippians 2:26 (ESV): ²⁶ for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill.
  • Some people do this because they have internalized how needed they are
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1.) They develop a self-righteous attitude

2.) They become bitter

3.) They double-down on their work

• Philippians 2:27 (ESV): ²⁷ Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
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• Philippians 2:29 (ESV): ²⁹ So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, ³⁰ for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.
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  • When it was really Ministry is a 4-part responsibility:

1. God

2. Leadership

3. The people overextending themselves

4. The people who are not serving at all

• Romans 12:18 (ESV): ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

© Joshua D. Smith, Ph.D., 2025

 

Review

Earlier this month, we started a new series called “The Benefactor”

• Which is about helping to secure blessings for other people.

Review the Definition:

• Benefactor: someone or something that provides help or an advantage: one that confers a benefit.
• Literal Meaning (Latin): One who does good.
• Our Definition: Someone who is blessed to be a blessing.
• Our Definition with More Insight: Someone who does ministry.
• A benefactor is a minister.

If You Are Believer, You Are a Minister

The whole point of a pastor and other comparable church leaders is to equip you to do ministry (not to help you live your best life).

• Ephesians 4:11–12 (ESV): ¹¹ And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

Service Improves the Quality of Our Lives

Improving other people’s lives is a pathway to improving our lives.

• Proverbs 11:24–25 (ESV): ²⁴ One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. ²⁵ Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.

Addressing the Sin of Withholding

• What is withholding?
  • James 4:17 (ESV): ¹⁷ So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
  • “The sin of withholding is not giving time, praise. . .talents, service, or even resources when prompted by the Holy Spirit to do so.” — “The Sin of Withholding “by Dr. Doug Weiss (You Version Devotional)
    • God is not holding you accountable for what you can’t do. He’s holding you accountable for what you can do.
   Root Causes Behind the Sin of Withholding

• • 1.) Ignorance
  • 2.) Matters of the Heart

When Ignorance Keeps Us from Doing Ministry

• We’ve conditioned people to think that going to church makes them good Christians
  • “It fulfills my moral obligation to God.”
  • “It validates my spiritual credibility.”
  • “It inspires me to be a better person.”
  • “It encourages me though life’s challenges.”
  • “It instructs me on how to live my best life.”

The “Extra Stuff” is Required

What you’re calling “extra” is actually a bare minimum.

The reason you don’t see it that way is because of how the culture has defined ministry:

• Most people think ministry is what happens on stage or by people with special church positions.
• Ministry is not about titles or stage talent, but about meeting people at their points of greatest need by the grace of God.

When Matters of the Heart Keep us From Doing Ministry

Where you put your treasure is a reflection of the status of your heart:

• Matthew 6:19–21 (ESV): ¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
• When you are withholding your goods from heaven your heart is at odds with God.

A Mindset for Ministry

• Philippians 2:2 (ESV): ² complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
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• Philippians 2: 3-4 (ESV): ³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
  • Key Instructions:
    • 1. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride
    • 2. Count others more significantly than self
    • 3. Look at the interests of others along with your own
    • Simple Ways to Test Our Intentions:
    • How are other people benefiting from my current actions and attitudes?
    • If everyone else in the church acted and thought as I did, would the church continue to thrive?
    • Key Idea: If you are the only beneficiary, it’s selfish ambition.

• Philippians 2: 5 (ESV): ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
• Philippians 2: 6-8 (ESV):⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
  • • Key Instructions:
      • 1. Forfeit Rights (“did not count equality . . .a thing to be grasped”)
      • 2. Take the form of a servant (take the lowest status in the room—the person with the least privilege)
      • 3. Be obedient to your hurt (at the cost of your preferred life)

The Benefits of Doing Ministry with a Humble Heart

Why would someone do this?

1. God exalts you
   • Philippians 2: 9 (ESV): ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so 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.
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   • James 4:10 (ESV): ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
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   • 1 Peter 5:6 (ESV): ⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
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2. The joy of pleasing God
   • Better than the joy of pleasing yourself
   • Philippians 3:1 (ESV): ¹ Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
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   • Philippians 3:7–11 (ESV): ⁷ But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— ¹⁰ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
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   • Hebrews 12:2–3 (ESV): ² looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
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   • Philippians 4:4 (ESV): ⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
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3. Credit to your Heavenly Account
   • Philippians 4:15–19 (ESV): ¹⁵ And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. ¹⁶ Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. ¹⁷ Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. ¹⁸ I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. ¹⁹ And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
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A New “Can Do” Attitude

Philippians 4:11–13 (ESV): ¹¹ Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. ¹² I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. ¹³ I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13 (NKJV): ¹³ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

© Joshua D. Smith, Ph.D., 2025

Review

Review Definition:

• Benefactor: someone or something that provides help or an advantage: one that confers a benefit
• Literal Meaning (Latin): One who does good
• Our Definition: Someone who is blessed to be a blessing

You Are Blessed

If you are a believer, you’re blessed.

• Ephesians 1:3 (ESV): ³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
  • In Christ, God has withheld nothing from us that can benefit us.
• Ephesians 2:5-6 (ESV): ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, [consider the magnitude of mercy and love that has been extended to us] ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses [i.e. we were Zombies—that is our spiritual state apart from God], made us alive together with Christ [when Christ was resurrected, we all became alive with him—The resurrection extended life to all who would say yes to him—even before they were born]—by grace you have been saved—[This supernatural experience, this miracle is made possible by grace; grace makes up the difference between our best efforts and God’s Holy standard] ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [Christ is seated; and we’re in Him; so we’re seated—in heavenly places]
  • • • Matthew 6:19–20 (ESV): ¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
        • Ephesians 1:20-21 (ESV): ²⁰ that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹ far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 

This spiritual wealth that God has secured for us has earthly implications:

• Ephesians 1:13-14: ¹³ In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.  
• Matthew 10:8 (NKJV): ⁸ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

Challenging The Common Understanding

The Excuses of The Disadvantaged

• • 2 Corinthians 8:1–4 (ESV): ¹ We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, ² for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. ³ For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, [because of the grace that was given them—the spiritual riches they knew they already had] of their own accord, ⁴ begging us earnestly [Because they gave out of a posture of abundance, not scarity—even though they were poor in the natural] for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints—
    • Luke 21:1–4 (ESV): ¹Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, ² and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. ³ And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. ⁴ For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

The Excuses of The Advantaged

• • #1 – It’s God’s resources

• • • Psalm 24:1 (ESV): ¹ The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,
  • #2 – The Lord’s been helping you all along
    • Psalm 124:1–8 (ESV): ¹ If it had not been the Lord who was on our side— let Israel now say— ² if it had not been the Lord who was on our side when people rose up against us, ³ then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; ⁴ then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us; ⁵ then over us would have gone the raging waters. ⁶ Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth! ⁷ We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped! ⁸ Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
    • Deuteronomy 8:11–18 (ESV): ¹¹ “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, ¹² lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, ¹³ and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, ¹⁴ then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, ¹⁵ who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, ¹⁶ who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. ¹⁷ Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ ¹⁸ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
  • # 3 – God has a purpose for your prosperity that goes beyond your lifestyle interests
    • Esther 4:8–14 (ESV): ⁸ Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people. ⁹ And Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. ¹⁰ Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, ¹¹ “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.” ¹² And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. ¹³ Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. ¹⁴ For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
    • Esther 4:15–16 (ESV): ¹⁵ Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, ¹⁶ “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”

The Secret

• Philippians 4:11–13 (ESV): ¹¹ Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. ¹² I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. ¹³ I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
• Philippians 4:13 (NKJV): ¹³ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

 

Introduction

This Year’s Theme:

• One Vision, One Voice

This Year’s Scripture:

• 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NKJV): ¹⁰ Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
  • Paul is talking about the development of a culture.
  • Most culture is expressed unconsciously
  • A reflection of the culture around them.
  • Bring a different spirit.
  • You can’t contest evil people with the same spirit they’re embodying.

The Spirit of the Culture

• Every culture has a spirit
• 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NKJV): ¹⁰ Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Paul’s Call for Unity Among the Philippians

Similar advice to the Philippians, but more specific:

• Philippians 2:2 (ESV): ² complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

The Spirit of the Benefactor

• Philippians 2: 3-8 (ESV): ³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
  • Paul is talking about the spirit of a benefactor
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• Definition [Meriam-Webster Dictionary] Benefactor: someone or something that provides help or an advantage: one that confers a benefit, especially a person who makes a gift or bequest (a gift made through a will or trust)
• Literal Meaning (Latin): One who does good
  • Bene = well, good
  • Fact = to do or make
  • Or = the person who performs the action
• Conceptual Use of the Word for the Series:
  • James 1:17 (ESV): ¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights. . .
  • Bene = Good = Blessing
  • Factor = Someone or something that contributes to a result
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  • Philippians 4:11–13 (ESV): ¹¹ Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. ¹² I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. ¹³ I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
    + Click to add your own note
  • Philippians 4:13 (NKJV): ¹³ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
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The Spirit of the Beneficiary

• Philippians 2:4 (ESV): ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

You’re Not Going to Lose by Being a Blessing

• Luke 21:1–4 (ESV): ¹Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, ² and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. ³ And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. ⁴ For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
  + Click to add your own note
• 2 Corinthians 8:1–3 (ESV): ¹ We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, ² for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. ³ For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord,
  + Click to add your own note
• 2 Corinthians 8:4 (ESV): ⁴ begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints—
  + Click to add your own note
• 2 Corinthians 8:5 (ESV): ⁵ and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.
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• 2 Corinthians 9:7 (ESV): ⁷ Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
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• 2 Corinthians 9:6 (ESV): ⁶ The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
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• 2 Corinthians 9:8 (ESV): ⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
  + Click to add your own note
• 2 Corinthians 9:11 (ESV): ¹¹ You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.
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Generosity is not Just Money

© Joshua D. Smith, Ph.D., 2025

Review

• Psalm 23:1 (ESV): 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 

5 Ways the Lord Pastors

1. The Lord pastors submitted people.

 

 

2. The Lord leads you to places you would not have gone if left to your own devises.

 

 

3. The Lord pastors through representatives

 

 

• Proverbs 12:15 (ESV): 15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

 

• God pastors us through the wisdom of other people.

 

4. The Lord pastors through representatives with different gifts, callings, and contexts

 

 

5. The Lord pastors in groups through groups.

 

 

• I Peter 5:1-4 (ESV): 1So I exhort the elders [Not the senior pastor] among you, as a fellow elder [Peter class himself an elder: elder, pastor, bishop are all the same thing] and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2shepherd the flock of God [elder, pastor bishop—they’re all shepherds—and they shepherding God’s flock—ultimately, it’s not theirs] hat is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, [Chief Shepherd means senior pastor; and the only times it’s mentioned it is applied to Jesus] you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 

 

How Moses Pastored

 

• Exodus 18:13–18 (ESV): 13 The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. 14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” 15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; 16 when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.” [Moses is giving them individual sermons] 17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. [But it makes you feel good in the moment because the senior pastor is giving you personal attention] 18 You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, [We’re both going to be wore out because I’m not really helping you if I’m doing that {JJ Redick playing his starters for an entire half of a play off game—helping, not helping}] for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. [Even if I wanted to be a super pastor and fly in and rescue you every time I you called me, It’s not possible]

 

• Exodus 18:19–23 (ESV): 19 Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, 20 and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. 21 Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 22 And let them judge [Yes, other people who aren’t the senior pastor can pastor] the people at all times. [So then what are you doing pastor?] Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. [I’m handling the big stuff] So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”

 

• Jethro’s Instructions to Moses:

 

• Give the burdens of the people to God in prayers.

 

• Teach people in large gatherings.

 

• Delegate responsibility.

 

• James 5:14–15 (ESV): 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

 

• Galatians 6:1–2 (ESV): 1Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

 

• Romans 15:1 (ESV): 1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

 

• Only address the big issues.

 

• What are the big issues?

 

• Crisis Management

 

• External Factors

 

• Covid

 

• Politics

 

• Economy

 

• Internal Factors
  • Virtual Church

 

• Behavioral Change

 

• Fire

 

• Hidden Factors (Good things becoming stressors)

 

• Leadership Transition

 

• 4G

 

• Diversity

 

• The Church changes, so people change:

 

• That includes people leaving the church

 

• Some leave for healthy reasons: changes in the church help them become aware fo the changes they need to make in their lives—perhaps changes they should have made a long time ago.

 

• Some people leave for unhealthy reasons: changes in the church are emotionally triggering and the only way they know how to manage conflict is to shut down or leave.

 

• It’s a net loss of leaders.

 

• Filling Leadership Gaps

 

• Building Systems

 

• Providing Direction

 

• For the present

 

• For the future

 

• Meetings

Why Doesn’t the Pastor Quit His Day Job?

More Leadership Lessons from Moses

Numbers 11:10–15 (ESV): 10 Moses heard the people weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the Lord blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased. 11 Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? 12 Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land that you swore to give their fathers? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ 14 I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”

Numbers 11:16–17 (ESV): 16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. 17 And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.

The Pastoring of Jesus

The Crowd

• Matthew 9:36 (ESV): 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

 

The Disciples (Congregation)

• Matthew 5:1 (ESV): 1Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

 

• The 500

 

• 1 Corinthians 15:6 (ESV): 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

 

• The 72

 

• Luke 10:1 (ESV): 1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.

The Apostles (The Twelve, The Committed)

• Luke 6:12–13 (ESV): 12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles:

Peter, James & John (Core)

• Matthew 17:1 (ESV): 1And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

Jesus communicated different things to different groups:

• Matthew 13:11–12 (ESV): 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

Introduction 

At the beginning of the year, we introduced a theme for the entire year 

• One Vision, One Voice 
• I Corinthians 1:10 (ESV): 10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
• Psalm 133:1, 3 (ESV): 1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! . . .3 . . . .For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore. 

Leading with God’s Priorities 

• It’s okay to have an individual plan, an individual priority, an individual preference. 

 

• And within the grand scheme of things, there’s room for God to respond to our personal interests. 

  

• But that is not the highest priority.  

 

• In fact, what Jesus tells us directly is that within the context of all the things competing for our time, our treasure and our talent, we must first give ourselves to the priorities of the Lord: 

 

• Matthew 6:31–33 (ESV): 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ [Scarcity—-> Anxiety] 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. [Abundance—->Peace] 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 

 

• What is God communicating to us? 

 

• As we prioritize what God wants, the things we truly need will be added to us. 

 

• The question is, do you believe that? 

 

• For many of us, the concern is that if I give myself fully to that, will God really take care of me, or will I be left holding the bag? 

The Pastoring of the Lord 

 

• Psalm 23:1 (ESV): 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 

 

• Here’s another way of saying that:

• The Lord is my pastor, I shall not want. 
• And, by the way, all those words mean the same thing, which is: overseer of the flock
• If Joshua Smith is your shepherd, you shall want.

• But if the Lord is your shepherd, you won’t. 

The Seduction of Crowds 

• This was the conclusion Jesus drew as he took note of crowds that followed him: 

• Matthew 9:36 (ESV) When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  

• Notice the word crowds. 

• What Jesus is observing is characteristic of crowds in general. 

• Crowds are particularly vulnerable to harassment and helplessness. 

• Let me be more specific: when you are in the crowd, you are harassed by the enemy with no means of resistance.   

• When I say, “in the crowd,” I’m not referring to a physical state, but a mental state. 

• What I’m really talking about is a crowd mentality  

• e.g. consider all the people thronging Jesus when the woman with the issue of blood was healed. 

• There was no physical difference between her and everyone else. 

• But there was a significant mental and physical difference  

• How does a crowd support the enemy’s objectives? 

• A crowd is a fake community  

• It offers value and makes no demands. 

• Promised Value 

• Proximity 

• I can be around people, but without entanglements 

• I don’t have to be bothered and no one’s in my business 

• Affiliation 

• I can use the name of the group to validate my spiritual status 

• I can make claims of being spiritually enriched without going deep 

• I can keep all my spiritual activity at a surface level 

• Access 

• I can legitimize requests for resources 

• I don’t have to be deeply connected to the church to ask for resources—I just need an affiliation, no matter how loose it is. 

• And the beauty of it all is that it costs nothing to be in the crowd: 

• No commitment 

• No accountability  

• No sacrifice 

And that’s how the enemy get you: 

• You think you’re gaining because you’re around it all—seemingly at no cost to you. 

• But it just camouflages the fact that your connection to God is shallow. 

• And I don’t care how much you pray, read the Bible or stream, if you have no meaningful connection to God’s people, your spiritual life is shallow. 

• And meaningful connection is not church attendance and streaming. 

• Because that’s no different than your relationship with the movies. 

• Whether you go to the theater or watch the movie at home, your relationship with the other viewers is just as shallow. 

• But you think you’re connected. 

• So, Satan uses this fake community and the false security that comes with it to keep you occupied while he siphons your spiritual strength. 

• And when he knows you’re depleted, he brings a crisis into your life. 

• You’ll be like Samson after Delilah hires a barber to cut his hair. 

When You’re Ready to God from the Crowd to the Congregation 

 

• “I’m ready to go to the new member’s orientation class and become a formal member of the church.” 

• That’s great. Go do that. But that’s not it. 

• “Okay, well I’m going to start attending on a regular basis” 

• Outstanding, glad to hear it. But that’s not it. 

• “Well, I’ve been a member hear for a long time.” 

• And I’m happy about that, but that’s not it. 

 

How the Lord Pastors 

 

1. The Lord pastors submitted people.  

 

• Philippians 2:5-6 (ESV): 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [Did not claim all his rights and privileges]  

• Philippians 2:7 (ESV): 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  

• Humility and servanthood is something you have to put on. It’s not natural to the flesh 

• 1 Peter 5:5 (ESV): 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 

• Philippians 2:8 (ESV): 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself [Humbling yourself as opposed to God doing it] by becoming obedient [Obedience is not a bad word] to the point of death, even death on a cross.[Obedient to your hurt] 

• Luke 9:23 (ESV): 23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 

• Self-denial is a significant part of being pastored by the Lord  

• Christian self-denial is a daily experience. 

• We normally don’t associate this with being pastored. 

• This is vital because if you are denying yourself, Jesus can’t pastor you. 

• And if Jesus can’t past you, I can’t pastor you 

• If Jesus isn’t already pastoring you, really no one else can pastor you. 

• So, it all comes back to being a submitted person: 

• How do you know if you’re a submitted person? 

• You do things you don’t prefer for Christ’s sake (often privately) 

• You confer with God before making major decisions. 

 

1. The Lord leads you in places you would not have gone if left to your own devises 

• Psalm 23:4 (ESV): 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

• At its core, pastoring is leadership 

• A shepherd is an ancient metaphor for leadership 

• People think pastoring is about catering your felt needs 

• It involves responding to what you truly need and being aware of your perceived need – but at the end of the day, the flock follows the shepherd, not the other way around. 

• The Lord has a right to change direction without consulting with you. 

• Sometimes when you hear of something new at church, that’s the Lord changing the course of your life through the ministry. 

• And he doesn’t have to ask your permission to do it. 

1. The Lord pastors through representatives  

• Jeremiah 3:14–15 (ESV): 14 Return, O faithless children, declares the Lord; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,  and I will bring you to Zion. 15 “ ‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 

• When you submit to the Lord, He send you a pastor customized to true needs, not your felt needs 

• Or he’ll open up your eyes to the pastors who are already giving you what you need. 

• But that first part—submission to the Lord—has to happen first. 

• 1 Samuel 8:7 (ESV): 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 

• When you’re rejecting God’s representatives, you’re rejecting Him, not the representative.  

• Some of you give God a hard time, not realizing you’re actually dealing with Him, not the human leading the church. 

• Psalm 32:8–9 (ESV): 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. 

1. The Lord pastors through representatives with different gifts, callings, and contexts 

• Romans 12:6–8 (NLT): 6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. 

• Every pastor has a different collection of gifts 

• John 6:30–33 (ESV): 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 

• Don’t compare pastors 

• Founders are different than successors 

1. The Lord pastors in groups through groups 

• Titus 1:5 (ESV): 5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— 

• Acts 14:23 (ESV): 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. 

• James 5:14–15 (ESV): 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 

• People who aren’t the senior pastor can be effective at ministering to you 

• Receive them as such 

• 1 Corinthians 12:14–26 (ESV): 14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Love Connection

My actual name is not Jesus, but His Spirit lives within me – and in everyone who has devoted themselves to Him.

Out of an act of Love, He gave us His Spirit so that we can love like He loves.

Jesus’ most beloved apostle, who is also named John, said it like this: “We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19 [ESV])

And today is one of those days to remember how deeply He loves us and how far His love reached to save us.

Jesus was willing to make a connection.

 

Fully Human

That same John who wrote about love also taught us that Jesus, who is also known as “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14 [ESV])

That means that Jesus became human.

Yes, God became a man and became subject to this raggedy human experience – the ups, the downs, the joys, the pains, the haters.

Who would sign up for this when you don’t have to be bothered?

But let me tell you that He was so committed to connecting with us, really Re-connecting with us, that He took on every aspect of the human experience.

One of the First-Century church leaders said this in a letter to a local congregation: “For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God. . . [Hebrews 2:17 (NIV)]

• What’s the most important word in this verse?
  • Merciful:
    • Jesus is merciful with us because He’s become one of us.
    • Now Jesus was already merciful because He’s God.
      • And mercy is one of God’s attributes.
    • However, He wanted to demonstrate to us how committed He was
      • so that He knows that we know that He knows what it’s like to be human.

 

The Emotional Pain of Jesus

And when look at how one of His biographers characterized the extent of the suffering He endured—both physically and emotionally—as He was tortured by Roman capital punishment, we see how deeply and intimately He was connected to the human experience.

The apostle Matthew documents a signature moment in His suffering: “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” [Matthew 27:46 (ESV)]

• Bible scholars have debated the significance of this statement, as at face value, it seems like Jesus is confused.
  • Isn’t He God?
  • Has He actually been abandoned by the Father?
  • Is Jesus regretting His decision?
  • Has He lost His divinity?
• Well two things:
  • One: It was prophesied hundreds of years before this that the Messiah who is Jesus, would say these very words. So, in saying this, He’s affirming that He’s the Messiah.
  • Two: The question contains one of the music human words anyone could say: The word, “why”
• “Why” is deeply human.
  • It’s deeply human because it’s not being asked as part of a scientific study.
  • Jesus is not looking for information.
  • It’s an expression of emotion.
  • Jesus in this moment is a human being who’s trying to come to terms with his own pain.
  • When human beings ask “Why” in that context, they aren’t looking for answers,

 

• • • They’re looking for comfort.
    • They’re looking for empathy.
    • They’re looking for a connection—to another person.
• Jesus feels abandoned.
  • And some would say, “And that’s because the Father really did have to leave Him. Because Jesus was bearing the sins of the world and God cannot bear to look at sin, so for those few moments, the Father had to look away from Jesus.”
    • I understand why people say that, but that’s not it: It’s not God who can’t handle the presence of sinful people. It’s sinful people (untouched by His mercy and grace) who are undone in the presence of a holy God.
• The Father did not abandon Jesus.
  • Then what was Jesus crying about?
    • Because it felt that way.
    • He felt abandoned.
      • And His question is the emotional expression of the pain that comes from abandonment, but also the isolation of being in pain—alone.

Jesus Identifies with us at an Emotional Level

Which is what all people experience at some point in their human journeys.

If Jesus was going to human, He had to experience that.

Which is why we get this statement in the first century letter to the Hebrews:

• For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15 [ESV])
  • The word “sympathize” means sympathy compassion, pity – which speak to an emotional connection Jesus has with us.
    • Which Jesus would already have for us, as mercy is one of the attributes of God
    • But as a human, He can identify with us because He knows our pain from experience.

 

• • • When He sees you hurting, Jesus can go, I remember feeling that pain.

So out of that identification, He invites us to connect, for in the very next statement, the writer of Hebrews continues:

• Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16 [ESV])
  • Jesus invites us to draw near to Him when we are in pain—for healing, but also because he identifies with us emotionally
    • Jesus was subject to disconnection.
    • And when He was crying out the Father on the cross, He was basically saying, “I’m struggling, and I need to connect.”

And because Jesus knew He needed to connect with people during the ups and downs of His human journey, He is intimately aware of our need to do the same over the course of our human journeys:

We Connect with Each Other at an Emotional Level

• James, the brother of Jesus, in his letter to a local church, writes this:
  • Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:16 [ESV])
    • Here James speaks of the power of sharing our spiritual struggles with each other.
    • And the healing that comes from sharing our pain with other people who out of their intimate knowledge of pain—and of Jesus’ mercy and of Jesus’ grace—they pray for us and we experience healing.
      • Now connecting with other people in intimate settings is not just about sharing our pains, but also about sharing our joys.
        • As the Apostle Paul writes to the Roman church:

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15 [ESV])

We need human connection for our highest moments just as much as we need human connection for our lowest moments.

The Reality of Sin

Now to experience the fullness of that connection, we’ve got to unpack a word we just read from James.

Let me read his words again:

• Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:16 [ESV])
  • James talks about confessing our sins.
  • Now don’t be intimidated by the word sin.
  • The sins we commit are just symptoms of being broken.
  • And if you live for even just a little while, you can tell that human beings are just broke.
    • That’s why there’s so much pain in the world.
    • That’s why people get abandoned, abused, neglected, taken advantage of
    • And unfortunately, the enemy of our souls—the devil—he doesn’t play fair.
      • He will start the drama when we’re young—when we’re too young to even know what happened to us or why it’s happening.
      • And then as we suffer from the pain of this, we inflict pain on others.
• Sin is the fruit of brokenness

The Gospel Message

• But there’s an answer to this brokenness which is why we’re celebrating today.

Now that answer is a little complicated on the front end of it.

Because if you believe that Jesus is who He says He is and that the Bible is true, then you know that there’s good news about your spiritual life and that there’s bad news about your spiritual life.

Bad news first.

• And I’ve already started sharing it: We are born criminals, participating in crimes worthy of death; we are guilty of high treason, enemies of the state,
• Well you might ask “how is this possible”?
• Because by state I mean a kingdom ruled by Jesus Himself.
  • Jesus created heaven and earth;

 

• • everything that is made was made By him and for Him.
  • That means that he gets to create the rules;
    • He defines what good is;
    • He is the essence of goodness Himself.
    • He created us to live by that goodness.
• Unfortunately, our original Daddy and Mamma, Adam and Eve, broke God’s law in the worst way
  • —They thought they could be their own gods and told the true God they didn’t need Him.
  • Well that didn’t go over so well.

 

• • • Not only did they lose their citizenship in the happiest place on earth—the kingdom of God, not the magic Kingdom
    • —but they also experienced something they had never encountered before and were never supposed to: death.
• That doesn’t mean they stopped living biologically—although that would eventually happen.

 

• • God’s definition of death is different.

 

• • • What He means by death is separation from Him.
    • Death is when His Holy Spirit leaves us and we attempt to make sense of the world though the creation instead of through the Creator.

 

• • • • Death alters our spiritual DNA so that our nature rebels against God.

 

• • • • What’s worse is that this fallen state is genetically transferable.

 

• • • • • So every person born possesses the sin nature.

 

Sure, we still have a conscience, so that we can recognize the need to do good–and even pursue it.

 

There are plenty of examples of people who do really good things, some of whom don’t even believe in God.

• • • • The problem is that our best efforts to do good still fall short of God’s holy standard.

 

• • • • • One day we will all be judged by God Himself.
        • He’s going to hold us accountable for His standard of righteousness, not ours.

But here’s the good news:

• Jesus, maker of heaven and earth, ruler of the universe and God Himself, became one of us, a human—like we talked about.
• While He was still God, His humanity made it possible for Him to receive punishment on our behalf.
  • He lived a perfectly righteous life, but was capitally punished on a cross, dying like the criminals we were.
  • The power of this act is that because He was innocent, He was eventually resurrected because His goodness demanded that He come back to life.
  • In essence, He paid for our sins and then lived to tell about it.
• And His message is what I’m telling you.
  • Jesus became a new Adam.
    • The first Adam left us an inheritance of death.
    • Jesus, the final Adam, gave us an inheritance of life.
    • Through Jesus, we can be born again. Jesus puts His DNA in us.
    • The Jesus in us gives us the power to fulfill God’s standard of goodness.
    • But this is just the beginning.

 

• • • • Not only does Jesus restore our natures, but He restores our citizenship in His kingdom.
      • To follow Jesus means that you make life in His Kingdom and His standards of goodness your top priority.