Leadership (1 Cor. 11:1)

Recently I’ve been going through a book by John MacArthur on leadership. Actually, it’s called The Book on Leadership. Go figure. In this book he goes through 26 characteristics that he came up with for the ideal leader and examines Paul as he fulfils all of them. So far he’s strayed once to take a look at Nehemiah, but other than that it’s been all focused on Paul. I have much enjoyed the exciting stories, especially in the first few chapters, where MacArthur outlined Paul’s situation on the ship during his trip to Rome. Paul started out as the lowest slave on the boat, but he ended up with the influence to tell the Roman centurion, who was in charge, to cut off the lifeboat so that no one would try to escape! That’s crazy. Now, I haven’t read the entire book, but I peeked at the list of 26 characteristics and noticed that the last one was: “A leader is Christlike.” This connected perfectly with the first verse of 1 Corinthians 11. Apparently, Paul knew he was a leader. He knew where his heart was and he knew what his goal was. He was confident, but not arrogant. In verse 1 Paul says: “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” That seems to me to be an extremely bold statement, but that’s what leaders are supposed to be. We are supposed to be examples for others to follow, and the best example to imitate is Christ.

Last year I ran for the new King’s Academy Student Council. I was very excited about having a designated position in which to lead, a place I imagined would be filled with a person who’s character everyone in the school could admire and desire. I did get accepted into the list of candidates that people could vote on, meaning that I was considered a qualified leader of respectable character. Apparently I didn’t advertise myself enough, though, and ended up being one of the 10 that had to hear the “sad” news that God had plans for us elsewhere (sad is in quotes because of this verse: Romans 8:28 – “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose”). Looking back at it I realize that perhaps it would have just added to the stress of my already overly busy summer. Perhaps God was saving me from that, or perhaps God was freeing up my time so that I could be open to serve with something else later this year. Either way, reading John MacArthur’s book reminded me of something: effective leadership doesn’t spawn from an impressive title. I can still be just as much a leader at school (or anywhere) without having the title of “The King’s Academy Student Body President.”

I was also reminded of this when I had the privilege of meeting the new head wrestling coach for this year’s wrestling team. I had an excellent first impression: a humble, yet confident God-fearing man who put being a champion into perspective and had high soaring goals for our small team this year. He reminded Stephen Thalin and me that this year we are seniors and therefore have certain responsibilities to lead the team, whether it’s sweeping off the mats or making sure the freshman aren’t messing around. He was inspiring, encouraging, and God-fearing. He always brought Him into the picture and I just thought it was so great – exactly the kind of coach I could ever have wanted. He is a good leader, and hopefully his example will encourage me to be a good leader too.

We can be leaders anywhere, from any position. It doesn’t take an impressive title or job description for us to be godly leaders. If we follow Christ’s example, we can be leaders for anyone anywhere, revealing to people the glory of God.

Ephesians 1:1-10

I must admit I was wrong when I said that I was doing three verses at a time on Ephesians. I check back now and the first section allotted is 10 verses long, and the rest of them are like that, having anywhere between 3 and 12 verses assigned to journal on. I’m going to just assume that these are grouped logically, based on more factors than simply how many verses there are in the section compared to the others. That behind us, I’m going to say something about the format that Mr. Starke requested we use for this project. It has three parts. The first part is labeled INTO. In this section we just explain who is writing what and to whom. The second part is labeled THROUGH. In this section we simply summarize what Paul has said in our own words. I’m not sure whether he wants this from Paul’s perspective or from ours, so I’m going to write it from mine, because it’s supposed to be a personal journal. The last part is called BEYOND. This is the fun part where I get to apply it to my life and give specific examples of how the passage affects me personally. So in we go!

INTO
The book of Ephesians was most definitely written by the apostle Paul. The intended recipient is in question, though, as some scholars believe it might have just been written to the entire church is Asia Minor, being sent to the capital first, which just so happened to be Ephesus. This, of course, is of no consequence. Paul addresses theological doctrine and the Christian life in this epistle.

THROUGH
Paul begins his letters the same way he normally does: by introducing himself (v.1) and his audience (v.1) and giving them a greeting (v.2). The first thing he does after introducing his letter is praise God for blessing us (v.3). He then goes on to cite predestination as a specific example of how he has blessed us (v.4), explaining what this blessing entails (vv.4-5), and telling us why God chose to bless us. (vv.5-6). He switches gears a little bit coming into the next paragraph, speaking about our present salvation rather than salvation as foreordained. Throughout the next 3 verses he emphasizes the role of God in saving people: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ” (vv.7-9). The last verse explains what God’s ultimate goal is, saying that at the end of times God wants to unite everything in heaven or on earth that is in Christ.

BEYOND
It seems like many people have a problem with the idea of predestination. However, I’m not sure how any Bible-believing Christian can read that passage and think otherwise! It seems pretty clear that God predestined us to be holy; we didn’t choose that path on our own. This is a great comfort to me, actually. It may have been painful to make the big leap from a path toward indulgence in sin when I was seven to a true desire to seek Christ and serve Him after a missions trip I went on after 9th grade, but since that was his decision to form the relationship, it cannot be my decision to sever it however much I decide I hate it (God forbid) at whatever low point in my life. I do not have to be afraid of seeking the truth wherever it leads me, because on top of the fact that the truth has nothing to hide, nothing new I discover can destroy my relationship with Christ (Rom. 8:38-39). He will always be my Father; there’s no way out of it, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The First Day of School

Today was the first day of school, and a good day it was indeed. I was able to read my Bible for a few moments this morning and remind myself what I was committed to - serving the Lord and being uncompromising. I must admit that before that I felt tired and grumpy, but after reading that I felt somewhat refreshed, and by the time I got in the car I felt completely ready to go to school. I find the first day of class to be somewhat amusing. It seems like I make a big deal in my head about every rule, later on forgetting they even exist. We read the Bible in a lot of my classes, and not just Senior Seminar (essentially our Bible class), so that was exciting! The great thing about Monday's is that I get that class first thing in the morning! That's sweetness.

Well, there's so much I could say about the first day of school. I'm getting homework already, some classes are really laid back like Spanish 5, where I'm confident we will have a great time, and some are a little less so like Physics, taught by Dr. Parker. I still really want to learn a lot in Spanish class, though. It'll be the last chance I have before we go to Mexico for the last time :(. What I wanted to just mention was our little homework assignments for Senior Seminar. We are going through the book of Ephesians this year (semester, actually, but we have only 1 semester, so I wont be doing any other books of the Bible for school this year), and we are supposed to do a journal about twice a week on about 3 or 4 verses for each journal! So... I was like, haha I totally do that already! (Except with a chapter of 1 Corinthians) So I thought, once I'm done with those, I might as well post them for all of you to benefit from! The great part is that it's only going to be about three verses, so it should be a lot shorter and more enjoyable for all you people who probably don't have all the time in the world! Just wanted to announce that pretty much. We also have memory verse(s) every two weeks I think, so I'll probably be writing on those.

I thought of a passage that came to mind while writing this. I was reminded of it because as soon as I arrived at school and sat in the midst of all my classmates:

James 1:22-25 - "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does."

Another awesome encouragement for us to strive to make the faith real in our hearts and lives. It even says we'll be blessed, and if anyone knows anything about the blessings of God, they knows it's worth any hardship we might face! Well, I must go now, I've got quite a few more responsibilities now that I'm back in school!

Undefiled

Today Bobby talked about Daniel chapter one and Daniel’s adventures in going back to school. The crux of his teaching was about the beginning of verse 8: “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself…” This was the perfect exhortation in going back to school, and I think it is necessary to be reminded of it often, because being humans we forget. For this blog I would like to just post as many pieces of Scripture as I can find that have to do with the perfection and holiness commanded of us. This is the impossible thing that the name of my blog calls you to, but I hope these verses will encourage you to strive for it nonetheless.

Here are the verses I’ve found in the order they appear in the Bible:

Genesis 17:1 - “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.”
Exodus 19:6 - “…And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
Leviticus 11:44 - “For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves…”
Leviticus 11:45 - “…You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”
Leviticus 19:2 - “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.”
Leviticus 20:7 - “Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.”
Leviticus 20:26 - “And you shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.”
Deuteronomy 7:6, 14:2 - “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.”
Deuteronomy 14:21 - “…you are a holy people to the Lord your God…”
Deuteronomy 18:13 - “You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. ”
Deuteronomy 26:19 - “…be a holy people to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken.”
Deuteronomy 28:9 - “The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways.”
Matthew 5:48 - “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
Luke 1:74-75 - “we…serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.”
Romans 12:1 - “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”
Romans 12:2 - “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Romans 12:9 - “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.”
1 Corinthians 1:8 - “[Christ] will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 3:17 - “For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are”
2 Corinthians 7:1 - “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
Galatians 1:4 - “[Christ] gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father”
Ephesians 1:4 - “…He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love”
Ephesians 4:24 - “…put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
Ephesians 5:1 - “…be imitators of God...”
Colossians 1:28 - “…we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus”
Colossians 3:10 - “…put on the new man… according to the image of Him who created him”
Colossians 4:12 - “…you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.”
1 Thessalonians 4:7 - “For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.”
1 Thessalonians 5:22 - “Abstain from every form of evil.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 - “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”
Hebrews 12:14 - “Pursue… holiness, without which no one will see the Lord”
James 1:4 - “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
1 Peter 1:15-16 - “but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’”
1 Peter 2:5 - “you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood…”
1 Peter 2:9 - “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people”
Jude 24 - “[He] is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy”

On top of these I found countless references to the “mature,” “holy,” “righteous,” “blameless,” “perfect,” “pure in heart,” “new creation,” and those “being renewed” and “walking in newness of life” or “Spirit”, along numerous promises that God will be faithful to fulfill this righteousness. Examples of people who are called righteous in the Bible (holy, blameless, etc.) are: Abel, Abraham, Daniel, David, Jacob, Job, John the Baptist, Lot, the Prophets, Paul, and Zacharias among others.

Additionally, Ephesians 5:27 says Christ’s goal is “that He might present [the church] to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” and (Col 1:22) “present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight,” (1 Thess 3:13) “so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.”

I think God is clear on this topic. Just remember what Christ said in Matthew 19:26: "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Trust

I won’t complain. Today was actually quite enjoyable. I am very excited to go back to school, if solely for the social aspect. Meeting up with old friends, getting to know them again, hanging out. I like newness (is that a word?). I enjoy having a fresh start, doesn’t everyone? It’s always good to be able to start with a clean slate, and then if you manage to keep it that way, that’s even better! For those unaware, today was the King’s Back-To-School Extravaganza where they serve free lunch with drinks and ice cream, take school pictures – that was really funny (I had Ty’s jacket thrown over my shoulder, an umbrella in the other hand, and a radish on my head… We’ll see how it turns out!), and falsely advertise that a certain band will be playing (apparently there was some misunderstanding – I thought Star 51 was going to play for us, but they never showed. Maybe my mom misinformed me?). Well, it was great getting together with people: Baxter, Young, Shawn (who actually is going off to college, but it was still nice to see him again), “Gun Show” Gregg, and others. Our Senior Seminar (i.e. Bible) teacher this year is Mr. Starke. He’s an awesome guy to say the least.

Well, last week was camp college, and during that time I signed up to meet with my parents and Mrs. Threewitt, a college counselor, in the College and Career Center at 3 o’clock when the barbeque was over. She brought up some colleges that I thought I’d left behind me, reminded me of a phase of the college searching that also I thought I’d left behind me, and frowned on a few schools that I thought I’d be looking forward to applying to. Needless to say at the end of this less-than-one-hour session I was a bit discouraged, but she did hand me a little nugget to chew on that was encouraging and inspiring: “You know the best part about this, Evan? God already knows where you’re gonna go… But he’s not gonna make it easy for you to find out.” Thank you, Mrs. Threewitt.

This was so great, because it took out the worry and left the work. At the end of that session I felt like I was practically starting over, but then I was reminded of the sovereignty of God. He has a plan for my life, and if I let Him, He will guide me. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). This verse is extremely exciting to me. It reminds me of Bobby’s talks about “Waiting on the Lord.” That it doesn’t mean sitting around waiting for God to make your life better, but rather actively pursuing God and expecting Him to show you where to go. This is exactly the same way. The passage doesn’t say to stop living life and wait for the Spirit to start moving your limbs for you. That’s not waiting on the Lord. That’s laziness! The passage says “in all your ways.” We have ways. We’re doing things. God wants us to start walking. He wants us to take the first step and truly lean on His understanding before He will bless us with a path. If those two jobs are reversed, there isn’t any trust! We don’t grow closer to God. It reminds me of Pastor Randy’s sermon about the Israelites as they were going through the Red Sea. He communicated that God’s plan for them went something like this: “If you want to walk on dry land, you gotta get your feet wet.”

Like I said: Inspiring. Revolutionary. Definitely nothing I would have come up with. Not a God who caters to our every desire and whim.

You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Get your hands dirty. Get your feet wet. I dare you.