Patience With All Men

“And we urge you, brethren . . . be patient with all men .”

1 Thessalonians 5:14

As a spiritual leader God gives you all kinds of people whom you are to serve. Paul mentions three kinds of people in the above referenced verse: the unruly, fainthearted, and weak and gives directives as to how to minister to each. After urging admonishment, encouragement, and help, Paul gives a primary filter, patience, to be applied with each person.

Some speak of patience as though it were a discipline needing to be learned, a skill which is hard to come by, something requiring practice and extreme effort. Patience with all men is physically impossible for any man, woman, or child. No amount of effort, practice, or skill will give one the ability to deal with ALL patiently. No, it just isn’t in the nature of man to be patient with all men.

Is that not a point of having life in Christ, that in Him we can do ALL things (Philippians 4:13)? It is not about one’s physical characteristics, self control, or intestinal fortitude, but about one’s relationship with Christ that makes it possible to be patient with all men. One cannot admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, or help the weak without spiritual discernment, nor can one be patient with all men without spiritual understanding.

Patience with all men requires a number of things. First, you must deny yourself and be grafted as a branch into Christ. (Luke 9:23, John 15:5) Filled with The Holy Spirit you must have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16) In Christ, under the tutorship of The Holy Spirit, you have both the means and the opportunity to fulfill the command in 1 Thessalonians 5:14 to minister to all who God brings across your path with an attitude of patience.

Patience requires the ability to see beyond the obvious and discern the truth about those God brings to you. Each of us is unruly, fainthearted, and weak in different aspects and at different times in our life. At the root of each of these attitudes is our separation from God and the brokenness of our life. Ministry to others comes from an understanding of this truth and the ability to look beyond the obvious fallen nature and minister to the spiritual need of each individual person.

Patience is the reflection of Christ through you onto the lives of those He brings across your path. That patience is poured “onto” lives because the recipient can accept or reject what is offered. If His patience through you is accepted it will enter their life and impact their spirit. If His patience through you is rejected it becomes for them a tool they can pick up and apply at another time or just another experience, a gift from God, which they reject.

As the world becomes more narcissistic, responding patiently with all men becomes more and more an anomaly and thus more and more a clear witness of Christ in your life.  “…be patient with all men.” Look at those God brings to you with the eyes of Christ.  See them for who they really are, children whom He loves and for whom He sacrificed His Son. Recognize that those He brings across your path are no different than you are. They may be “acting out” differently than you do/have but at the core we are all the same fallen children needing ministry. Reflect Christ – be patient with all men as He is patient with you.

© Written by Dr. Richard L. Roberts, Founder/Director of Life Focus Ministries. 

You can reach him at Richard@GrowLeaders.org or (423) 790-4994.

God Cares for You

God Cares for You

“. . . casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.”

1 Peter 5:7

How do you point one to God when the events of life seem to indicate that God doesn’t care? Personal issues of broken relationships, abandonment, abuse, shattered dreams, financial collapse, and depression often take ones’ eyes off of the Word of God and directly onto the temporal world.  Focusing on the temporal world, the evidence seems to be there that God just doesn’t care.

How do you explain those who are tormented daily by diseases, suffering leading only to death; miscarriages and the death of infants and children; the murder of a loved one in a drive by shooting, at the hands of an irate former employee, or by a drunk driver?  Beyond death, how do you explain a caring God in light of the trauma of rape, sexual assault, spousal/child abuse, child molestation, the sex-slave trade, and starvation around the world?  What is the answer to the devastation of tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, famine or disease?  Tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of people, already with few worldly possessions, are killed, injured or homeless in an instant.  Each of these cases of disaster, death, injury, and illness make it difficult to see that God cares, unless we turn to The Word of God to learn the truth.

The truth is there is no grief deeper than that of God’s in all of life.  This world is His – He made it, every item and every person has been made for His glory.  Where He made light, beauty and peace to be, darkness and evil have encroached.  Each of those impacted by the darkness are known by Him intimately, some He literally indwells with His Spirit, feeling what they feel as they feel it.  He knows the fullness in Him each participant was made to experience.  He knows fully that which has and is being stolen from them by Satan, and He grieves, deeply.

The words of Jesus as He looked over Jerusalem gives us a glimpse into the heart of God as He looks upon the world: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.” Matthew 23:37  God desires to protect His children as a mother hen protects her chicks.  He wants them close to Him, under His wings. But we are tempted to judge Him as we do others because we don’t understand.

Jesus knows the temptation to accuse God of not caring. “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15  Jesus sympathizes with us as we wrestle with the evidence of a fallen world, as we wrestle with a wrong focus.

Finally, God feels the price He has paid for the redemption of each individual person.  He sacrificed His Son, poured out His blood and is actively involved in the redemption plan each moment of each day.  There is no doubt He cries with those who cry, He feels their pain and has given them the indwelling of His Holy Spirit to bring comfort, peace and meaning to life (John 14:16). 

How do you point one to God when the events of life seem to indicate that God doesn’t care? You acknowledge their pain, affirm their compassion, and refocus them on the truth.  Focusing on God, realizing who you are in Him, acknowledging His presence, power, and provision will not take away the pain or allow tragedies to make sense in human terms.  Indeed, it might even make you more sensitive to the pain around you.  Yet such a focus will keep you rooted in the knowledge that God cares, He feels more deeply your pain than you can comprehend, He can bear all your anxiety.  He Cares for You!

© Written by Dr. Richard L. Roberts, Founder/Director of Life Focus Ministries. 

You can reach him at Richard@GrowLeaders.org or (423) 790-4994.

Five Characteristics of Spiritual Leaders

Five Characteristics of Spiritual Leaders

“Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.”

1 Corinthians 11:1

Character is “the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing.”[1]  It is the core of who you are, the building blocks, if you will, upon which every other aspect of your life flows. (Proverbs 23:7)  As a spiritual leader it is vital that your character be rooted in Christ and your relationship in Christ.  How are these five foundational characteristics revealed in you?

1.    As a spiritual leader you must deny yourself and follow Jesus. (Luke 9:23)  This is the most basic of the characteristics needed to lead others in Christ.  Until you begin to live apart from yourself and for Christ you will stand between those God has given you to lead and Christ.  Taking up your cross is part of the denial process if you are to be a spiritual leader. 

2.    Abiding in Christ is a must. (John 15:4-5)  Who you are, what you do, how you think and your desires all flow from Christ when you abide in Him.  Energy, direction, strength, and wisdom come through Christ into you when you abide in Him.  It is from this relationship that discipling flows.  Without this relationship the best you can offer is sound theology.

3.    You are drawn to that which has your attention.  As a spiritual leader you must have your eyes fixed on Jesus. (Hebrews 12:2)  Jesus is the author and perfecter of your faith.  Jesus is the perfect example for you of life and godliness.  When your eyes are fixed on Jesus you know how to point others to Him in every situation and circumstance.

4.    When your eyes are fixed on Jesus you are also able to view others humbly, as more important than yourself, and serve them as Christ serves you. (Philippians 2:3-4)  Freedom from selfishness and empty conceit gives great clarity of mind in the service of others.

5.    Christ’s model and command is for leaders to be servants to those whom God gives to them (Matthew 20:25-28).  You are able to be a servant leader only when you have emptied yourself, you are abiding in Christ, your eyes are fixed on Jesus and you have a proper view of yourself and others.           

The unique thing about these characteristics is that they are commanded of every Christian, not just spiritual leaders.  At the very least, these characteristics should be foundational to spiritual leaders and growing in their disciples.

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© Written by Dr. Richard L. Roberts, Founder/Director of Life Focus Ministries. 

You can reach him at Richard@GrowLeaders.org or (423) 790-4994.

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[1]   Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Denying Christ

Denying Christ

“Peter answered and said to Him,

‘Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.’

‘Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.’”

Matthew 26:33 & 35

Peter is famous for his denial of Christ and often gets criticized as a result.  Yes, he was impetuous.  His insecurities seemed to be revealed by his talking without thinking, and he may have had a chronic case of foot-in-mouth disease. 

To be fair, while condemning Peter for his actions, one must also condemn the rest of the disciples.  Peter was not the only disciple that night claiming allegiance to Christ to the point of death, “All the disciples said the same thing too.” (Matthew 26:35). The brave assertions of allegiance by the disciples vaporized when faced with a great multitude carrying swords and clubs (Matthew 26:47).  ALL the disciples fled (Matthew 26:56). By running away, the disciples denied Jesus, any desire to be recognized as His followers, or as having been associated with Him.

Historically it is easy to criticize Peter, the individual.  Peter is a good example of how not to be when faced with the pressures of being a Christian in a hostile environment.  While Peter is often singled out, the whole Truth is that he was not alone in his denial.

Everyone abandoned Jesus at the time of His arrest.  No one stood by His side, no one was willing to be identified with Him, bearing the same consequences He faced.  That Truth broadens the application of this passage.  It is easy for one to say, “I would never be like Peter, I would never deny Jesus.”  It is more difficult to say, “I will not be like the rest of fallen mankind.”  It would be arrogant to say, “I am better than the rest of mankind.  I would never deny Jesus.”

The drive for self preservation can work against one’s witness.  One will not easily volunteer to be placed in the lion’s den, to step into a blazing furnace, to be ridiculed by one’s peers for taking a stand for the disenfranchised, or jailed for teaching the inerrant, unchanging Truth of the Scripture.  It is not easy to be a Bible-driven spiritual leader in the midst of a culture antagonistic to the Truth of the Scripture.  It is difficult to tell the Truth about divorce, abortion, fornication, deceit and manipulation, independence, and servanthood in a culture violently hostile to the Truth.  It is easier to “fudge”, to skirt around the hard issues, not preaching the whole gospel, denying Christ.

Each day, as a spiritual leader, you face spiritual challenges affording you the opportunity of witness or denial.  You do not speak a witness in all of those challenging situations, sometimes you flee.  This is a part of your fallen nature.  As a spiritual leader, it is vital for you to acknowledge your fallen nature and the times you fail to be the witness Christ offers you to be.  It is important for those God has given you to address the fallen nature which will, when threatened, at times deny Christ.

As a spiritual leader, Truth is the most important filter to teach to those God has given you.  The Truth is each of us is fallen.  The natural response when threatened is to self-protect, believing self preservation is our personal responsibility.  It is also True that in Christ that natural response can be overcome.  Like every other sin, the sin of denial can be overcome as the Holy Spirit transforms our mind to the mind of Christ (Romans 12:2, 1 Corinthians 2:16).  When a witness is given and denial is avoided, God, your Father, will preserve and protect you even as He has His children in the past.

© Written by Dr. Richard L. Roberts, Director of Life Focus Ministries.

 

Do You Not Care Jesus?

Do you not care!

“. . . do You not care that we are perishing?”

Mark 4:38

“Do you not care!” was the accusation the disciples made to Jesus. Their conclusion came from the circumstances around them. Calamity and fear overtook them as the storm tossed the boat around with the wind and the waves. They feared for their lives, they were sure to sink and drown! There was no way out!

And what was Jesus doing? He was asleep in the stern, on a cushion. To the disciples, that kind of peace in the midst of the storm reflected a lack of care. That is an interesting conclusion. What did they think would happen to Him if the boat were to sink? Why was caring about them more important than caring for Himself? This indeed was a sharp accusation against Jesus.
Like most calamitous situations the disciples focus was on the wrong thing. They were focused on the circumstances and their interpretation of the circumstances. They were arrogant enough to deem their interpretation as True and to come with an accusation to Jesus.

Jesus, before coming to earth in the form of a man, deemed the plan of salvation, His becoming man and bearing the sins of the world on Himself, as more important than His position of equality with God (Philippians 2:6[1]). He took on the form of a lowly man, a bond servant, limiting Himself in time and space, limiting His knowledge and power, to fulfill this plan. He even submitted Himself in obedience to His Father, God, to die an accursed death on a cross (Philippians 2:8[2]). The facts show that Jesus indeed cared, very much, and was in the process of paying a steep price for their salvation. Jesus was, even then, paying the price for their souls so that they would not perish for eternity.

Perhaps they did not know these things. They did not have the book of Philippians to state clearly His purpose and plan. Let us not be too lenient on them. They had the very presence of Jesus, the Son of God. By this time the disciples had seen Jesus perform miracles including the raising of the dead. Were the minds and the hearts of the disciples properly focused they would already know the love Jesus had for them. Were their minds and hearts properly focused they would have loved Jesus enough to warn Him of what appeared to be impending doom rather than waking Him with an accusation.

“Do you not care!” is still today an accusation too easily flung at God. Circumstances crowd in and calamity seems to rule around us. Things just aren’t going “right.” Apparently the end result will be death. All of this goes to show that God doesn’t care.

Part of the blessing of being a spiritual leader is that you can bring calm to the lives of those ruled by circumstances and chaos. You know the Truth. You know the price Jesus paid because of God’s love for them and you know the presence of God in your life. The broken hearted, the abused and the weary can be soothed through you by your sharing the many ways in which God has and is showing His love for the very people hurling accusations against Him. Time and again you can point out how appearances are false by pointing to the reality of who God is and who they can be in Him.

Jesus indeed cares!

© Written by Richard L. Roberts, director of Life Focus Ministries.
You can reach him at Richard@GrowLeaders.org or (423) 790-4994.

[1] Philippians 2:5-6 Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped NASB
[2] Philippians 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. NASB

Do You Not Care Spiritual Leader?

Do you not care spiritual leader!
“. . . do You not care that we are perishing?”
Mark 4:38

“Do you not care!?” As a spiritual leader you have heard this cry or one similar from those God has given you to lead. It is often a cry of desperation and frustration. Without realizing it, it is a cry for help.
There are several reasons you will be accused of not caring. Perhaps the primary reason is because you live by a different set of standards than most. Your “caring” looks different than most people in the world today. Your caring comes with immovable principles and expectations of those God has given you to disciple. Your caring comes with a love that is unshakable. Often none of these things are understood by those making the accusation. All they know is that they are hurting and they think you should help them, in a way they approve, to relieve that pain.
It is precisely because you love them and care for them beyond the current moment that you don’t give into them and give them what they want. You are committed to giving them only what they need, that which builds them up, that which is good for them. You are just as committed to keep from them those things which are harmful to them and those they love. As such, you correct the unruly and set boundaries in which they can live a life under control; you encourage those who fearful to do for themselves what they can; and those who can’t help themselves you provide a safe haven in which they can live (1 Thessalonians 5:14[1]).
Those accusing you of not caring have the wrong focus. They are looking at the here and now, the quick fix. They are blinded by the thought, “If I can just get through this everything will be okay.” This focus blinds them to the depth of your caring and the long-term help you are offering. All they see is that they aren’t escaping their current circumstance.
God knew that spiritual leaders would get bombarded by those living in the temporal world with only temporal sight. He has left for you this encouragement: “And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.” Galatians 6:9 So, as the accusations against you fly, let this word be of encouragement and keep on caring!


© Written by Richard L. Roberts, director of Life Focus Ministries.
You can reach him at Richard@GrowLeaders.org or (423) 790-4994.

[1] 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 And we urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all men. NASB

We do not break the law of God written into the nature of things. We break ourselves on them. Those laws are color-blind, class-blind, religion-blind. Break them, and you’ll get broken. If you leap from a tenth-story window you will not break the law of gravitation, you will only illustrate it.
The Way, page 10
E. Stanley Jones