2Chronicles 29:26 “And
the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the
trumpets.” (KJV)
Reliable Energetic Anointed Leaders
Modern
life pulls and twists us in so many directions at the same time that it feels
we are in a perpetual game of twister. You remember twister that game which was
played on a mat with colored spots, a spinner and a group of people all trying
to accomplish the task of putting their hands and feet on the colored spots
which were called without falling down. “Right hand blue, left foot red, left
hand yellow, right foot green” — well I was always the first to fall down. Life
in a bizarre turn of events resembles that game. We always seem to be chasing
some impossible dream, but as Christians we need to be reliable, trustworthy,
dependable and sure-footed. The apostle Paul instructed Timothy to avoid
worldly pursuits.
It
is that avoidance that allows us to demonstrate reliability to a lost and dying
world. Chasing success in this world leaves us empty and most often
undependable; on the other hand, chasing after God and the righteousness He
offers gives us stability. Through the attributes God brings into our lives we
become reliable witnesses of God’s glory and grace. (1Timothy 6:11-12)
In
this world there is no shortage of broken promises. Everything is unreliable.
At the most basic level of human interaction, marriage by the world’s standard,
once an unbreakable covenant, is now an optional contractual relationship.
Everything from career choice to product warranties leaves us empty, hurt, and
searching. God is inviting us to be REAL
— Reliable Energetic Anointed Leaders. God is the only one keeping
promises today. Because of His promises we are able to be reliable. The
promises become our source of energy and anointing. God supplies all that we
need according to His purposes. (2Corinthians 1:20-22)
Authentic
exercise and expression of our faith demands that we live up to the standard
set in God’s word. Our lives should reflect what we believe. One key element in
a life that is pleasing to God is reliability. The Pastoral Epistles, 1st and
2nd Timothy along with Titus, repeat the phrase, “This is a trustworthy saying”
over and over as the Apostle Paul offers practical advice on living to please
God. Today more than ever we (the church) run the risk of too close an
association with the world. Are there any REAL
Christians?
Reliable Energetic Anointed Leaders are produced by the empowerment
of the Holy Spirit. God calls men and women, boys and girls, young and old to
an encounter with Him. There is a spiritual battle going on all around us. Yet,
we with increasing regularity heed not the warnings and walk starry-eyed down
the wide road that leads to hell. Under the banner of tolerance and political
correctness we turn a blind eye to sin and fall deeper and deeper in love with
the world. Here is the warning, let it ring loud and clear in your ears and
penetrate deep into your heart: (1John 2:15)
Do
we sing “We’ve Got The Power In The Name
Of Jesus” and secretly ask ourselves where did it go? Is it any wonder the
Church has lost its ability to be the agent of change in this world? The power
of God, the truth of Hs word, the anointing that sets the captive free is
invested in the messenger with the right message. Satan has brought the battle
to us and we missed the battle cry. (1Corinthians 14:8)
It
is time to face the truth. We as a church have lost some battles. We as the
people of God have missed the mark a time or two. It is time to repent and get REAL with God. Today become the Reliable Energetic Anointed Leaders God has called us to be. We
know the power of God. We’ve walked under His anointing, but somehow we’ve been
distracted somewhere and we’ve taken our eyes off Jesus. The hope we have is
still alive. The fire of our faith has not been snuffed out. We just need some
practical advice on how to be REAL.
Recently, I
told a friend, “I’m definitely not Jesus, and I have no desire to be Moses, but
once in a while I’d still like to be Peter.” After mulling that statement over
in my mind, I understand why I admire Peter so much. He was a man who made bold
attempts because of his faith. He made a royal mess of things a time or two,
but when he finally got it right, he was a man under a tremendous anointing. He
is the one who can tell us how to get REAL. He was a Reliable
Energetic Anointed Leader and a
precious piece of his advice can be found in 1 Peter chapter 3 verses 15 and
16.
Re-establishing
the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives, securing our grasp on the hope of
heaven, as well as exercising both gentleness and respect as we deal with
others are the three actions that enable us to be REAL Christians. These three actions working together in us
strengthen our resolve to stand firm in the Lord and they will silence all the
malicious talk against the body of Christ. They (the world) will become ashamed
of their slander against the Church as we press on following the instructions
of Solomon, who teaches us to continue our work while we are living. (Ecclesiastes
9:10-11)
We do not
usually focus our attention on the second half of verse 10 but the truth is if
God holds off the coming of the Lord long enough we will all fall into the long
sleep of death. If our message is going to be Reliable we must live what we say we believe. Focusing our
attention upon what we can accomplish with the strength the Lord supplies to
us, forces us to be Energetic.
Actively exercising the authority Christ has given us, by definition makes us Anointed. Stepping out in faith,
realizing that God is in control within every situation, and offering clear
Godly alternatives in our lifestyle that people can follow makes us Leaders. Being REAL sometimes makes us a target. That is why we are given this
warning. (1Corinthians 16:13-14)
Problems in
life seem to attack us without warning, but God does not want us to be taken by
surprise. First Corinthians chapter 16
verses 13 and 14 encourage us to take five actions that prepare us for victory
in every circumstance. 1) Watch out! The enemy is real and he is looking for
any weakness or any distracted moment to strike. 2) Stand in faith. In order to
see the victory God has promised we must be able to stand in faith. Many times
belief in God’s promises is all we have. The strength of our resolve and the
force of the commitment we have made, to the cause of Christ, enable the Spirit
of God to work in our lives for His glory. 3) Be courageous! No victory has
ever been won without courage. The willingness to step, out into the unknown,
faith in the promise, and the strength to take action, each work together to
build up courage within us. If we do not lose heart, we will see victory. 4) Be
strong. There is no easy road into destiny. Beyond the point of our faith and
past our initial courage to step out into the fulfillment of our calling, our
resolve will be tested. The warning to be strong says, “This will take time!
There are no instant winners.” The final element that insures victory is love.
5) Take Action because of love! REAL
Christians, Reliable Energetic Anointed Leaders, do
what they do because of the love of God. Love is the driving force within our
faith. Without love there is no desire to take action and any action taken
lacks the power to bring about change in our lives.
Love is
both the reason for action and the power behind the anointing. The result is
preaching a life-changing message with hope and conviction. As children, most
of us played the game of hide and seek. Do you remember the last line the
seeker would say before beginning the search? “Ready or not here I come!” Ready
or not the world is coming to the Church for answers. They need to find REAL Christians, Reliable Energetic Anointed Leaders, who are not afraid to share their faith and the reasons
for the hope we have in Christ. (2Timothy 4:2)
Preaching
the Word will change lives. Being ready at all times to correct, rebuke and
encourage requires great patience. Careful instruction in righteousness is not
an easy task. The goal of our preaching is building up of the body of Christ. (Titus
3:14)
No comments:
Post a Comment