Fortress Church - Part 3

So, guys, last time we were talking about the Fortress Church and about shepherd rulers,

and so today we do part two. The reason I've written it down is so that we just quickly

recap what we spoke of last time so that we can get on with part two.

So here's what we said last week. We said that the nature of God—we take after the

nature of God because we are made in the image of God. We can't be made leaders and followers.

We are made in the nature of God. So what His nature is, is what His creation takes

on. So the nature of God is that of a son and a servant because Christ was a son and

a servant. The nature of God was that of a shepherd and a ruler, and so our nature

will be that of a shepherd and a ruler. And the nature of God is that of a priest and

a king, and so ours will be the same too because you have to take after the one who made you

because you are made in His image. And nowhere in the Bible do we see follower and leader.

We see son and servant, priest and king, shepherd and ruler. It is we who have decided

that some will be leaders and some will be followers, and we even give out surveys to

begin to figure out who are leadership material and who are follower material. And that doesn't

exist in Christ because we are made after His image. That's a business model of the

taken into Babylon. And Daniel defied the odds through faithfulness and through just

staying faithful to what God had asked him to. So that's one of the things we talked

about. The next thing we talked about is some of the abilities that we as believers possess.

Some of the abilities that we as believers possess. Everybody here has the ability to

assemble people around them. It will be on different topics perhaps, but some have it

very naturally, some can do it really easily, but all of us must understand that those five

things are abilities we possess. When we speak about things that really matter to us, which

then begs the question, what in the kingdom matters to you? We have the ability to assemble

people. We have the ability to enable them. If you're a parent, you're already seeing

it. And at the end of the day, a shepherd ruler is a parent who knows how to shepherd

his children while at the same time rule his children. Not rule in a harsh way, but rule

in a way tethered to the nature of Christ. The third ability was if we begin to know

God and know his word, he will reveal to us what we need for the people around us. Crazy.

He will reveal to us what we need for the people around us. Ever since Derek put those

questions from perplexity yesterday in the baby shower, I've been going through different

chat things. I've found Claudette. I've found perplexity. I've found Grok. I have found

Gemini. I have found ChatGPD. And as you go with them, it's fascinating how they collect

knowledge and from that they produce something. And so abilities. The third one, the fourth

one is commissioning. These are things that we possess. We have to grow into them. This

doesn't come naturally. We grow into them. The ability to commission someone saying,

hey, you are good at this. Let me in the authority that I have release you into what you are

meant to flower in or grow in. And then the last one is governmental. We spent a whole

teaching on it, but it comes from Isaiah 9.6 where it says, unto us a child is born, unto

us a son is given, and the government, as in the ability to conduct the affairs of the

kingdom here on earth, in nations and cities, in families, in lives, how does it play out?

Office, government, there shall be no end. So it keeps increasing. We said we possess

those abilities. And then we go to spiritual gifts. These are things that all of us hold

in common. I'm rushing through it because we did it last time. But these are things

that all of us hold in common because we have the common spirit of God. Everybody has these

abilities. You know what covers this? Stuff like fear, stuff like inferiority, stuff like

the background we came from, stuff like the complexes we have, stuff like sin, stuff like

introversion. Jesus did not make a single person introverted. But he didn't make us

extroverted either. He made us normal, to be quiet when needed, to be loud when needed.

Look at Jesus. Of him it was said that he will not snuff out a small ring wick. He shall

not break a reed. And it says he shall not shout and scream in the marketplace. It was

said of him that he was a gentlest of men. Moses was gentle. Jesus was even more gentle.

Jesus wasn't loud. And yet there were times when he needed to take a whip and chase money

out of the temple precinct. Sometimes we need to defy the typology that is being constructed by the world and imported into the kingdom through sophisticated means so that we get pit and hole into certain things. It's not fair. Because this is common to everybody. Because you're loud does not make you a leader.

It perhaps makes you an insecure leader who really has to shout. I might be shouting but that's not because I'm insecure. I could see mine's computing. Ah, so he's insecure. I am but you wouldn't know in the areas that I'm insecure in because over 60 years I've learned how to mask them. There are some things that come with age.

Spiritual gifts. Go to 1 Corinthians 12 and you'll see these spiritual gifts are common to all of us. 1 Corinthians 12. Reading from the message from verse 4 onwards. Listen to it. This is common to all of us. God's various gifts are handed out everywhere but they all originate in God's spirit.

God's various ministries are carried out everywhere but they all originate in God's spirit. God's various expressions of power are in action everywhere but God himself is behind it all.

Each person, each person is given something to do that shows who God is. Everyone, everyone gets in on it. Everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the spirit. And to the extent that God is giving us something to do, we need to give it to God.

And to the extent that God is giving us something to do, we need to give it to God.

And to the extent that God is giving us something to do, we need to give it to God.

And to the extent that God is giving us something to do, we need to give it to God.

And to the extent that God is giving us something to do, we need to give it to God.

And to the extent that God is giving us something to do, we need to give it to God.

And to the extent that God is giving us something to do, we need to give it to God.

And to the extent that God is giving us something to do, we need to give it to God.

And to the extent that God is giving us something to do, we need to give it to God.

And to the extent that God is giving us something to do, we need to give it to God.

So, we need to be given a pair of shears.

If you're a doctor, it's dangerous to give you shears.

You must be given a stethoscope.

Depending on the role, so is the gift.

Some gifts are more prominent than the others.

But because the Spirit dwells in us, we have all the gifts.

So, these were things we held in common.

Romans 12, 8 also has gifts.

We really don't realize that there's another chapter that has gifts in it.

So, if you go to Romans 12, it talks about six onwards, five onwards.

So, we though many are one body in Christ and individually members one of another,

having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.

Let us use them. If prophecy, in proportion to our faith.

If service, in our serving.

The one who teaches, in his teaching.

The one who exhorts in his exhortation.

The one who contributes in generosity.

The one who leads with zeal.

The one who does acts of mercy with fearfulness.

There are gifts there too.

Then we talked about qualifications.

What does the Bible state is our qualification for leadership.

And here are the four qualifications that Paul puts down in letter after letter after letter that he writes.

The first one, purity.

The second one, a passion for king and kingdom.

The third one, managing your home well.

As in, how do you steward the things in your life and the people appointed to you?

Your wife, your dog, your husband, your property, your cat, whatever it be.

How do you manage it if you're single or married?

And the fourth one, if you're taught a truth, can you convey it accurately without adding masala to it?

Yeah? Can you convey it accurately?

Or does it get warped by the time it gets to someone?

Those were the only qualifications that Paul has for leadership.

And trust the men who can convey these truths accurately.

Be like a vessel that your master will not be ashamed of.

So that Christ can use you for his very best.

It's fascinating how standard the bar is so that everyone can aspire to what Paul is calling him for.

There's nobody in this room who then gets left out.

The next thing we talked about is there's this hunger for leadership.

The question is, where is the hunger?

Do you want to be a leader or are you an eager, inadequate burden bearer?

All three are super important.

You've got to be eager, as in you know you're ridiculously inadequate, but you're eager.

And you know that you're not aspiring to be a leader.

You know that you're not aspiring to be a leader.

You're aspiring to break your back carrying others.

Crazy, eh?

When people want to become leaders, sure, they'll become leaders, but they'll think they're adequate.

Their eagerness will depend on the task, and they will not be able to carry the weight.

The next thing we talked about is, is your ear pierced?

As in, do you do what you are given responsibility for or when you're set free after a day's work,

you come running back saying, nail my ear to the wall because I don't want my freedom, I want to serve?

Is your ear pierced? Is your altar bloody?

As in, what have you sacrificed on your altar this month?

Is it an Isaac? Is it a job? Is it your time? Is it your money?

What are you sacrificing on your altar?

This is a requirement.

So on one hand, there are so many things common to us.

On the other hand, there are things we need to grow into.

Christ was like this.

His ear was pierced, his altar was bloody, and his heart was overwhelmed.

You see it in Gethsemane.

He knew what he had to carry, and he also knew that his father was adequate, but he was not.

A leader that is not overwhelmed is not a leader.

One must be overwhelmed so that one can find rest.

If you're not overwhelmed, you will not look for rest.

Every time I meet with you and you ask me a question, I must be overwhelmed because of two reasons.

One, that answer may turn your life around, and that answer better be from God so that it turns in the right direction.

Next one, has your personal vision died?

Has your personal vision died?

We all come with personal visions based on sometimes prophetic words spoken over us, promises given to us.

But can I kill my personal vision so that I can serve, one, the corporate vision, and the Joshua's, and the Elijah's, and the Moses's placed in my life?

And if I do that, God has the ability to take the vision that I have killed and resurrect it, multiply it, and give me double.

This is one of the hardest things to do, eh?

Especially in North America because we are highly individualistic.

Our Christianity is individualized. It's not corporate. It's not body.

Next one. This is the last thing, and then we'll go on to what we want to talk about today, which is part two.

I don't follow people or follow a church or go with a church because I find them relatable.

Relatability is not how this works.

It is based on intentionality where I intentionally choose to follow, not based on relatability.

Because you might come on a day when I'm at my worst, and you may find me highly unrelatable.

But that doesn't matter. What is it that is in me?

Do you want the grace or do you want the outer form?

The reason they rejected Christ was because he was not relatable because they were expecting a king.

So intentionality leads to relationship. Relationship leads to intimacy.

Intimacy then leads to imitation or formation.

Whereas you become intimate with someone, you begin to associate with them.

Association then leads to intimacy.

And then leads to imitation or formation.

Whereas you become intimate with someone, you begin to associate with them.

Association then leads to imitation.

Imitation leads to the formation of whatever Christ wants to form in your life.

That's where we kind of stopped last week.

There was one other brilliant sentence which was,

can you stop aspiring for equality as leaders or in churches?

Because equality was one of the first sins both in heaven's backyard and in Eden.

Satan wanted equality with God, he got chucked out of there.

Adam wanted equality with God, he got chucked out of Eden.

Every time someone aspires for equality, I want to be the same as.

It's the same thing that happened with Israel.

Israel had judges. They had God as their king.

And they said, we want a king like every other nation.

The moment a church begins to think that equality is some kind of kingdom value,

that church will suffer.

And so we don't want equality.

We are equal before God, but our functions are different.

And we shouldn't aspire to be equal.

Nor should I hand out token equal things that make you feel better.

Discourage people from seeking equality.

Your approach should be,

I don't want a seat at a...

It's okay if I don't have a seat at the table,

as long as I follow God and exert influence in the room.

What do you want?

Do you want a seat at the table or do you want influence in the room?

The seat at the table will get you the applause of men.

Influence in the room will get God what he wants in the room.

So that's what we talked about last time.

So today we go on with the next part.

So one of the things that we didn't touch on last time is

there are spiritual functions or positions

that are persons and not gifts.

And you find them in Ephesians 4, 11.

These are not gifts, these are persons.

And they are given by the risen Christ.

They are given by the risen Christ.

And Christ appoints some.

So just like in Luke 6, 13,

he called out 12 from his followers.

So the risen Christ appoints some to be apostles, prophets,

teachers, evangelists, and pastors.

And even this is fluid.

What would you call Paul?

Would you call him an apostle?

Oh really, but he said that he is a prophet.

What do you call Paul when he says he's a prophet?

But he starts his letter saying, but I'm an apostle.

What do you call Paul when he teaches?

What do you call when he says that I evangelized you and gave birth to you?

What do you call Paul when he says I shepherded you?

So even that is fluid.

What do you do with Barnabas?

Barnabas was one of the prophets and teachers at the church in Antioch in Acts chapter 13.

Acts 13 · chapter mention

And by Acts chapter 13, verse 3, he's called an apostle.

Acts 13:3

So even that is fluid.

But these are men or women.

When I say man, I always mean it in a gender-free term when I'm teaching,

unless I very specifically say otherwise.

Christ appointed some.

And these men or women are supposed to be foundation layers.

That's what they are, foundation layers.

They lay foundations so that the rest of the building can be equipped.

So where will you find them?

You will find them at the bottom.

It is we who have taken them and put them on the top.

Someone showed me this picture some time ago of a building.

And this is how the world sees it.

This is how present-day Christianity has taken what is mentioned in Ephesians 4.11

and put apostles on the top, prophets, teachers, pastors as pillars, evangelists a little lower,

and then finally the saints have to bear the weight.

This is completely opposite of what Christ wanted.

Here's what Christ wanted.

This is what Ephesians 4.11 talks about.

Build up the saints.

1 Corinthians 12.28 says, and this is strange,

is that it's one of the few places where there's ranking.

And it actually ranks these positions or these functions.

It says apostles come first, prophets come second, teachers come third,

and then it gives a list of the others.

There are quite a few.

And then in 1 Corinthians 12.29, it actually asks the question,

are all the saints? No.

Some are appointed for this.

So why does it rank them?

Because that ranking has caused this hierarchy to be established in the church.

The reason it is ranked is that when a building is built,

the apostles and the prophets are foundation layers,

and they take precedence in the first ones who come to lay the foundation.

They're not ranked in terms of hierarchy.

They're ranked in terms of function.

We are the ones who made them hierarchical.

This church believes that all five offices exist today,

just as this church believes that science, miracles, wonders, and healings happen today.

Cessationist churches do not believe that,

and they don't believe that these offices exist.

They conveniently think that only pastors and evangelists exist

and teachers in Bible schools.

It's a falsehood.

You can't take away whatever you want because it doesn't fit your theology.

This is how it actually is.

And so when the ranking happens,

the ranking is not in terms of one being more important than the other,

nor is it the order of authority.

It's just precedence over the other in the founding and the building.

So if you were to look at apostles and prophets,

they are the first stones that are laid.

They're the first stones that are laid in a building.

And we'll talk about all five another time.

Any questions on this?

Any questions on this?

And if you want a definition or description of what apostles and prophets are,

what apostles and prophets are like,

Ephesians 2.20 says they are the foundation layers.

But if you want to find out more about what apostles are like,

read what Paul says about them.

He calls them the scum of the earth.

The scum of the earth.

So anyone who aspires to be one,

before you print your business card saying apostle or prophet,

try writing scum of the earth.

And go on from there.

Those are biblical words.

Reverent is not, but scum of the earth is.

Any questions on these before we move on?

Go ahead.

Yeah, scum of the earth.

Let's go to scum of the earth in the Bible.

First Corinthians 4.

First Corinthians 4.

Verse 9 onwards.

First Corinthians 4, verse 9 onwards.

1 Corinthians 4:9

Anyone here who aspires to be an apostle or a prophet,

please come and meet me after I read this out.

Yeah?

And I will help you with everything I've got.

Yeah?

Okay, here goes.

First Corinthians 4.9.

Powerfully.

And now an honest invite.

Sincerer.

If you think this is what God wants,

if you think this is what God has called you for,

please sign up because this church will benefit like crazy,

and I'll help you to benefit this church.

Can you say it louder?

The fan's too loud, man.

Sorry?

Okay.

Did I say aspire to be this?

I did?

Okay, I take that back.

Christ appoints these offices,

and if he does, aspire to them.

He appoints.

He appoints these offices either by speaking to a person directly

or having someone come and prophesy over you,

or you having a sense of it,

or sometimes none of those.

You just start functioning that way,

and as you function, the church begins to recognize it.

Here's the process that's always followed in the Bible.

Christ speaks to someone.

That someone usually keeps it quiet.

A person comes along and prophesies over the person quietly

in one-to-one individual prophecies in front of people.

Next, someone comes along and begins to share it in front of the church.

Next, the church begins to find this person functioning

in what has been spoken or what has not been spoken,

and the church begins to scratch its head, saying,

boy, this guy functions so well in this particular role.

Now the church begins to recognize it

and create opportunity for the person to begin to flourish

and function in this role.

At some point, the church calls the person out and says,

we see you as this.

The Holy Spirit is saying it, so we send you out as this.

And then once they are called out and sent,

they go and function outside the church in what they're supposed to do.

You see that with Paul. You see that with Barnabas.

You see that with Philip.

I'm not discouraging you from this.

I'm just saying, if you're building a fortress church,

there are two things that have to go hand in hand, guys,

when we build church.

On one hand, there's the idea of the family.

On the other hand, there's the idea of an army.

Both have to go hand in hand.

They are held together in tension.

You build only a family, own work.

You build only an army, own work.

It's both.

Any questions?

Let's go back to...

We said everyone can be someone who takes on the role of a shepherd ruler

because that is the nature of God.

Over 20 or 200, you can still be one who is a shepherd

to the ones under the Himalayas rule, and it's a combination of both.

So here are some more things about shepherd rulers.

One, how do you measure their maturity?

How do you measure maturity?

You can't measure maturity on the basis of how well they teach

or signs, miracles, and wonders.

Those are good. Those are important.

But you can't measure it in that.

You can only measure maturity of a shepherd ruler

or someone who is placed over by John 15, 9,

which is fruitfulness.

So go to John 15, 9.

John 15.

Verse 9.

Sorry, 15, 7 to 9.

If you abide in me and my words abide in you,

ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.

By this is my Father glorified that you bear much fruit

and so prove to be my disciples.

What's the fruit here?

We think the fruit is disciples,

but the fruit is actually the nature of Christ,

which then causes you to produce disciples.

And this nature of Christ must be exhibited

in your responses under pressure.

How would I measure leaders in this church?

Not by how well they speak or how many people they have

or a sign or a wonder they did.

I would measure them by when Mae was under pressure,

when Mae was being accused, when Mae was in lack,

when Mae was sick, when Mae had done a day's full of work

and I call her or Chava calls her or someone calls her and says,

I need help, how will Mae respond?

Will the nature of Christ still come out through Mae

or will it be something else that comes out?

That's how you measure the maturity of shepherd rulers.

What happens when you're under stress, under pressure, under attack,

then how do you respond?

On a Sunday with worship and stuff like that, it's an easy thing.

How do you labor under it Monday to Saturday

when things are not going well?

You have your own personal problems

and you've got to carry the weight of others.

Which is her responsibility?

Then how does she respond?

Any thoughts, any questions, any pushback on that?

That's how we measure maturity, guys.

Christ was always Christ under all circumstances.

And you know when you're not reacting well.

I know every time.

I know the thoughts of my head and the feelings in my heart,

which I'm wise enough or smart enough now not to express.

But I know them and I know how I'm reacting.

I know that I'm not reacting.

I know the thoughts of my head and the feelings in my heart,

which I'm wise enough not to express.

But I know them and I know how I'm reacting.

And sometimes it has nothing to do with Christ's likeness.

It has to do with Jacob's self-obsession with himself.

Next one.

When it comes to shepherd leaders or shepherd rulers,

the hands must match the voice.

That's a story from Genesis 21, verse 22,

Genesis 21:22

where Isaac is lying in bed sick and he says,

the hands are the hands of Esau, but the voice is the voice of Jacob.

Sometimes as people show tremendous ability

and leadership like qualities,

Paul was aware of this and he said,

be careful, don't lay your hands too hastily on someone

till they have a proven track record.

Because very often you can voice what the church is saying,

voice what other leaders are saying.

You can sound like the rest of the leaders because you know the jargon.

But do your hands really do the work that you're supposed to do?

When nobody is around,

what do you say about your leaders and about the church?

Does it match?

The voice must match the hands.

When it doesn't, there's a problem.

It's like Isaac saying, yeah, you seem to say all the right things.

You are able to say the right words.

You stand up and share things and it sounds correct.

But my God, it's different when no one's around

and no one's watching, it's very different.

How come?

Any questions on that?

No way.

I'm deliberately saying questions on that

because these are not easy points to listen to, right?

They are strong points.

They're not hard.

They're strong.

Otherwise, you can come into a place of imitation

and even sacrifice and even outward obedience.

But when you're out of sight, how you function

doesn't carry the DNA of the ones that are leading you

nor of the church that you belong to.

You look so enthusiastic listening to this teaching.

I feel like I must go on.

Thank you.

So, next one.

And this is for all of us guys.

Remember, shepherd rulers, we said in the last Sunday,

we said this applies to everybody.

We said, we're going to teach you how to be a shepherd.

We're going to teach you how to be a shepherd.

We're going to teach you how to be a shepherd.

We're going to teach you how to be a shepherd.

We're going to teach you how to be a shepherd.

Last Sunday, we said this applies to everybody.

All of us have the potential to be this.

Next thing, shepherd rulers do not try.

Do not try.

They train.

Shepherd rulers do not try.

They train.

Trying ain't good enough.

You train.

Jesus called 12 to himself so that he could train them

to send them.

The entry is a low bar.

The expectation is a high bar.

They train.

They train with diligence, meaning it's with effort.

They train with discipline, as in it's consistent and it's

strenuous, and they train under demand.

You cannot train if a demand is not placed on you.

You cannot train if a demand is not placed on you.

Hey, if your apple watch can place a demand on you, why

can't someone else?

10,000 steps.

I've hit it four times in the last 400 days.

In the end, you've got just 300 steps left, and you're doing

stuff like this because you're so tired of having 10,000

steps.

You just want to get to that round circle thingy four times,

and then my phone just bursts into stars.

Maybe yours doesn't.

Mine is happy.

But a demand must be placed.

So it's impossible to train without diligence, discipline,

and a demand.

A demand is placed on you by someone else who has flesh and

blood, not God.

Any questions?

Nice shirt, Don.

Any questions?

Okay, next one.

Shepherd rulers, any of us who one day will walk in this, and

I pray, God, that everybody sitting here gets to.

Shepherd rulers decide to leave everything.

The operative word here is decide.

They decide to leave everything.

They decide.

Even before you enter this game, you must make that decision.

You must decide.

So that should a moment of decision come, there is no

struggle because the decision was made.

That's how you guys jumped into marriage.

You don't know a thing about it.

It didn't turn out how you thought it was.

It's better.

But what did you think I was going to say?

It's better.

But you didn't have a clue.

But you decided.

Shepherd rulers are guys who decide even before they enter

in that I will leave everything.

This is how we build fortress churches.

I mean, talking about wave after wave of leaders that keep

coming up.

But this is hard.

So it may take four or five years before we have a wave.

My God, you get that first wave and you'll have it coming in

like the ocean and the waves that come crashing on the shore

wave after wave.

They decide to leave everything.

Mark 1028.

You want to turn to it?

Mark 1028.

These are not demands being made by this church or by some

theologians.

These are demands being made by Jesus.

Mark 1028.

Peter said to him, we have left everything to follow you.

I tell you the truth, Jesus replied.

No one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother

or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will

fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present day

homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields and

with them persecutions in the age and in the age to come

eternal life.

But many who are first will be last and the last first.

These are demands that Jesus makes.

And you can't delay this.

You can't delay this.

When my kids grow up, okay, that takes away 20 years of your

life.

When I'm retired, that takes away 40 years of your life.

When my job is stable, if I was the devil, all I have to do is

touch your job and I can keep you locked in.

When I have enough money, now I know what to touch.

Let you have your job, but I'll touch your money.

When I have a house and a car and a wife, then remember with

that will come a kid and a dog.

It's endless, guys.

You cannot delay.

You cannot delay.

The decision has to be made before everything else.

Any questions?

For the sake of the gospel and for the sake of the kingdom,

this decision has to be made.

Everything must be reprioritized based on a singular thing that

I believe everything I decide today.

I have decided to follow Jesus.

Everything else is up for grabs so that there is no struggle.

And it applies to all of us because all of us have the ability to

become shepherd rulers who can raise others.

But if you're not like this, what will you raise?

Any questions?

Yeah, good question.

If one of the attributes of the leader is that you manage your home

well, wouldn't leaving everything be like a counter to that?

I mean, I think that's a good question.

I think that's a good question.

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I think that's a good question.

He never pays taxes again and he marries a king's daughter.

So when it talks about managing your home well, it doesn't mean that you don't take

care of those that are with you because Jesus said, he who doesn't take care of his own

is worse than an infidel.

Because people would say, I'm just sacrificing all of this to God and he called him a kaffir

or an infidel.

And so the intent is, how do I take care of these while I follow Christ and it's held

in tension?

When my mom was sick and dying, I'd make multiple trips down there but I also knew that I'd

have to be back here and I wouldn't leave the church for more than two Sundays.

So it cost me a whole lot to travel up and down.

Oh my God, I wouldn't give up this for that and I wouldn't give that for this.

You hold it in tension.

But when you decide you will postpone things because these things are more important, it's

a replacing or an undoing of the priorities that Christ wants for you.

Let's go to Luke 9, 52-59.

And one man came and said, Jesus, I want to follow you.

And Jesus said to him, foxes have holes and birds have nests to dwell in.

The son of man has nowhere to rest.

Do you still want to follow me?

The man walked away.

Another man came and said, Jesus, I will follow you once my dad dies.

You know why he said that?

Because once the dad dies, the property will be divided and he will get his inheritance.

And he replies saying, anyone who does not follow me and is waiting for his dad to die,

it's not worthy of following me.

The third man comes and says, let me bury my dad and then I will come.

Jesus said, follow me right now or don't follow me.

Because once you put your hands to the plow, you can't keep looking back.

These are the demands of Jesus.

And there must be the demand on the church, on you, on me, even today.

The decision must be made.

Jesus took care of his mother and his brothers and sisters for more than 20 years.

Joseph died early.

At least that's what historical records seem to indicate.

But a time came where he said, when his mother Mary came to take him home because she thought

he was behaving and speaking crazy, Jesus said, who are my mother and who are my brothers?

But those that do the will of the father.

And he didn't meet them.

I love the demands this God places on us.

So decide, guys, don't make excuses.

Don't compare yourself with others saying, I'm the only one doing this or nobody else is doing this.

I'm better than. Stop it.

It's delay.

Next one.

Maturity is a stewarding.

Maturity is stewarding.

Shepherd ruler of maturity is stewarding what you've been given.

Like a mother bear.

As in, you don't hold it loosely.

You are pretty intense.

And yet you are willing to let a policy and see first or say first.

Come and help you.

In areas.

That you're not good at.

To me might be good at worship.

But what if there are areas in worship that he's not good at?

Is he so full of himself now that he doesn't want anyone else to touch his worship team?

Or will he call someone who has half the skills he has cannot sing but is willing to let them mentor some of the guys in the worship team, though he's the one in charge, because in those areas he cannot.

Sometimes in the process of building church, we've become so acutely protective of our fiefdoms.

That it becomes difficult for anybody with any other skill to come and help us.

We've got to become a little more open than that.

And yet you guard what is yours fiercely.

Next one.

Shepherd rulers must have the ability to get past prejudices and biases that they have.

That come because of your cultural background.

Come because of your family upbringing.

Come because of your theological background.

Come because of your family upbringing.

Come because of your family upbringing.

Come because of your family upbringing.

Come because of your family upbringing.

Come because of your family upbringing.

Come because of your family upbringing.

Come because of your family upbringing.

Come because of your family upbringing.

Come because of your family upbringing.

Come because of your family upbringing.

Come because of your family upbringing.

Next one.

You have to overcome your theological background.

There are biases and prejudices that develop.

And that aside, you also have to overcome the bias that comes from only listening to a closed group of confidants who have earned your trust.

And now you're not open to anybody else saying anything else.

And this happens in the Bible.

David had to turn to his trusted three or 30 that brought him water at the risk of their own lives when they said,

Here is Saul lying at your feet.

Cut his head off because you are appointed to be king.

And he actually cut a slice of the garment of Saul.

And he realized that he had sinned in listening to their advice.

Do I have to be a king?

Do I have the ability to listen to what a closed circle of friends may say and then go to God and say,

Is this really true or are they so for me that their eyes are blinded and they're blinding my eyes too?

We wrestle through this.

Why?

Because we want to be like Jesus.

We don't even want to be leaders.

We want to be eager, inadequate burden bearers.

Christ was one of them.

We want to be like Jesus.

Any questions on that one?

Separate rulers must have the ability to war.

Are you skilled against spiritual predators?

Can you war against spiritual predators?

Here's a question.

Can you be in a service like this and suddenly realize that there is someone who may be struggling with demonic oppression?

That there is someone who might be actually being used by spiritual forces to do things?

And then why, if that is happening, do you have the ability to deal with it?

Sometimes in a public setting, sometimes in a private setting.

Can you counter what is happening by saying in the name of Jesus Christ, I block this attack on the church.

All right?

Keep the flock that is gathered under my wings because Christ has given me the responsibility to protect that which is under my wings.

Can you push out what is yours so that you can save what is not yours?

Lot did that.

Jesus did that.

Derek is protective about Brielle, right?

Can Derek be as protective about John or Prosper?

Worse, I mean, he never had this choice.

Would he trade one for the other?

That's the ultimate Christ-like picture.

Gosh, man, what standards, eh?

What if I became like this?

Can you imagine what would happen to your life?

You'd operate at another level.

But this is what we are being called to.

Any questions?

I can't hear what these fans are.

How does testing happen?

How does testing happen in these areas?

Question is, where is it coming from?

So there are tests that God brings into your life, and those tests are to either show you where you're at or to promote you to the next place.

And then there are tests from the devil which are more temptation-like so that you fall, and in your falling, those that are under you get affected.

Strike the shepherd and the sheep are scattered.

So the question is, where is the testing coming from?

So what if after I preach this today a situation happens where someone comes to me and I have a bias or prejudice against you?

And so when you come and speak to me because of my bias and prejudice, what comes out is annoyance.

Sometimes annoyance comes out because Paul has to deal with the spirit of divination in a woman.

That's different.

What if the annoyance comes out because of a bias?

Two things happen then.

Because in every test, there is a temptation.

Always remember that.

In every test, there is a temptation.

The test is, Jacob, show me who you are.

I have given you my nature.

You have the ability to interact with this person without bias, without prejudice.

You can show them my gentleness and love, regardless of how annoyed they are, because you are not defined by what loves you.

You are defined by how you love them.

It is yours to give.

Nobody can take it away.

Show me how you can love.

That's one.

And I can pass or fail that, depending on whether I want to follow God or follow my flesh.

And then there is a temptation in it.

The temptation is, what if I can get Jacob to be so annoyed and irritated that he says words that will crush the person's heart?

And in the process, you destroy a person's heart?

Security, life, ability to function.

Have I done it?

There are people sitting here.

To who I have done that?

That's how the test works.

In the test that Abraham was subjected to, there was also a temptation to choose Ishmael, choose Hagar.

Okay.

Last point, if you believe it.

Shepherd rulers must fight those that lay cheap foundations or distort vision.

Or destabilize the people given to you.

If you are someone who is a shepherd ruler, who is in charge of something placed in your hand, you must fight.

These are people we are talking about.

We are not talking about spiritual forces.

The spiritual forces is what I was talking about earlier.

Spiritual predators.

These are people who either because of their own self or because of being used by the enemy, come and lay cheap foundations.

As in foundations that are not solid, that are not lived out, that are not true.

Or they distort the vision that is given to the church.

Or they destabilize the people that are in your charge.

If you are a shepherd ruler, just as you would for your son or your daughter, so you should take a stance and say, you will not.

None of this is possible if you care for church membership too much.

None of this is possible if you care for church membership too much or care for your job too much.

None of this is possible.

Because if you have a contrary vision or a contrary doctrine to the one that this church has or I have, then go build your contrary community somewhere else.

Don't destabilize this one.

I must fight what is given to me to protect.

I remember meeting a guy in North America who actually came to Vancouver too and who was under a different leadership.

And he would come and come for all our meetings when we would go to the US.

Little did I know that he belonged to another organization.

One day I get a call from the leader of that organization.

And that leader tore a strip of me, man.

He called me all the names he could.

Why?

Because he felt that I was going and building a foundation into the guy's life that was contrary to what they had taught him.

And I'm just listening stunned.

And finally I said, I'm going to put the phone down because if you continue, I'll have to save things back.

And I'm waiting for this guy to say, Jacob didn't do any of this.

I went to his meetings.

But the guy kept quiet and then texted me later saying, thank you for being gentle and not throwing me under the bus.

And I thought to myself, man, you should see my face right now.

The bus ran over it.

But in a way, the way the guy stood up for the one he was raising was credible.

You must fight that which comes and tries to destabilize what God has asked you to build, distort the vision that God has given you, or try to lay cheap foundations.

You must fight against it.

If you don't, you're an irresponsible shepherd that will end up muddying the water so that neither the healthy sheep nor the weak sheep can drink from it.

So what's our response?

Read these two scriptures.

First one, Hebrews 13, 17.

Can the guys I told two weeks ago to stand, stand again?

Nice shirt, Don.

Can the guys who I asked to stand, stand again?

Was there anybody else?

There might be some that are out, like Iris and Jillian.

Acts 20, verse 29.

Acts 20:29

I'll read three scriptures.

Acts 20, verse 29.

Acts 20:29

These are your leaders.

These are some of your leaders.

There are other leaders that I would add to this.

But these are some of your leaders that work strenuously amongst you that really match up to some of these qualifications I've written on the board.

And if I say that and your heart chastens and you feel resentful towards it, deal with it.

Don't let it fester because if it festers, it gets really ugly.

It's only a matter of time before your mouth will speak or your feet will move.

And as you look at them, don't look at me.

I've got enough faults.

But as you look at them, if your heart isn't happy about them, if your heart feels resentful, if your heart chasts, then deal with it.

How do you deal with it?

First, figure out why.

Write it down.

Second, come and talk to me and trust that I'll be on your side and not theirs.

That I'll be really fair.

Third, after that, you can go and talk to them.

But sort it out.

Yeah?

So, tell your leaders.

And here's what...these are the three scriptures.

I'll read one to the leaders and two to the rest of us.

Acts 20, verse 29 says,

Acts 20:29

I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you.

I will not spare the flock.

Even from your own number, men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.

So be on your guard.

Remember that for three years, I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

That's your responsibility.

Guard what is placed in your hand.

Be overwhelmed.

Be overburdened.

Rest in God.

You've got no other option.

Here's to the rest of us.

Hebrews 13, 17.

Hebrews 13, 17.

Obey your leaders.

It doesn't say listen to them.

It says obey them.

But Jacob, what if they are saying things that I don't agree with?

If it's scriptural, obey them.

But what if it's not scriptural?

Then show me and we'll talk about it.

Hebrews 13, verse 17.

Hebrews 13:17

Obey your leaders.

Next one, it gets worse.

Submit to their authority.

Not my fault, all Jesus.

Obey your leaders.

Submit to their authority.

Next line.

They keep watch over you as men who must give an account.

Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.

I'll read it from the message in case that was way too difficult.

Usually the message only makes it worse.

Let's just see.

Remember your leaders.

Those who spoke to you the word of God.

Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

Jesus Christ is the same.

I like the NIV more.

Next one.

First Thessalonians 5, verse 12.

1 Thessalonians 5:12

Now we ask you, brothers, I'm going to throw in sisters too, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you.

Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.

Let me read that again.

And as we read it, may it convict us the way Christ wants us to be convicted.

Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to respect.

So the first question is, do I respect them?

Those who work hard among you.

I guarantee you they work hard.

Who are over you?

Do I see them as over me?

Who are over you in the Lord?

And who admonish you, as in rebuke you, correct you?

Then it says, hold them in the highest regard.

Gosh, where do they measure up in my regard scale?

Hold them in highest regard, then worse.

Hold them in highest regard in love because of their work.

Let's pray.

Man, oh God, you don't mince words.

There's a way you want the church to be.

You call it the pillar of truth, the foundation.

We are talking about this church becoming like a fortress.

But how can we be a fortress unless we follow the instruction manual?

This is how you want to build up a people.

Wave after wave.

Every person sitting here who's a believer has the ability to rise to be like this for the sake of another.

And so once again we bless these men and women who are standing.

Once again, I'm grateful for this church.

Once again, we thank you for the freedom you give us to talk about these things.

We bless you, oh God, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Alrighty, guys, if you need prayer...

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