Leadership Training Seminar II, Exercising Spiritual Authority

With another phase of that, if you missed two weeks ago, you need to know the value of spiritual authority and understanding it. We talked at length about the nature of authority. I came across a good definition, or at least I think it's sort of an enlargement on what the principle is of authority. And I want to read it to you out of finds dictionary. Exousia, that's ex o u s I a e x o u s I a exousia denotes authority. The Latin, by the way, is it is lawful. Lawful. And here's what the dictionary says from the meaning of leave or permission to give leave or permission or liberty of doing as one pleases. It passed on to that meaning which connotes this, the ability or strength with which one is endued. And then that went on farther to say this that it included the power of the authority or the right to exercise power. So if you take your King James Bible and look up the references, there's something in the neighborhood of 65 or so references. You'll see power many times and authority many times. And they are both translating the same word, exousia. So literally, the idea of the power to do what one says they are pleased to do is where is the essence of the nature of authority? Authority has also the power to accomplish that which it is commanding or setting out to do. So when Jesus said all power on heaven and earth, or all authority on heaven and earth is given to me, he also meant that he had the power given to him to bring to pass what he said was to come to pass. And that's an important dimension, as we'll see. So there is a power. Now, just before we share some of our insights that we gleaned as we studied Philemon, I want to just give you an illustration of why, again, why are we spending these valuable evenings together? And I know they're valuable. We all have to shift our lives around to come out for a couple of hours. Why are we spending them on this subject, which may be. May seem to some as just so much, I don't know, spiritual gobbledygook? So much highfalutin spiritual talk with no real practical application. I think it's very important that you know why we're studying this. Who can think of an illustration. Here's a question for you. Who can think of an illustration in the Scriptures of what happens to a church that does not understand spiritual authority and does not exercise spiritual authority in proper channels and ways? The church at Corinth. Write down these five obvious. These are just off the top of my head kind of characteristics of a church that does not understand spiritual authority. Number one, it's racked with division. First Corinthians the first chapter. Number two, It is struggling with carnality. I don't call you spiritual, I call you carnal. First Corinthians the third chapter. It is plagued with abuses. In other words, there was overindulgence of drinking and of things that are, quote, lawful but not quote, helpful or expedient. 1 Corinthians the 8th chapter and the 11th chapter. It is busy but without fruit. A lot of activity, a lot of things happening, but not the kind of abiding fruitfulness that the Bible promises. And the whole second book of Corinthians seems to point to the fact that there was so much happening here, but there was not real maturing and growth going on along with 1 Corinthians chapter 4. And finally sin. 1st Corinthians 5 blessings, blatant, obvious, gross sin. Was tolerated. Now these are not. How many would like to have these be the marks of your spirit filled church, right division, carnality, abuses, fruitlessness and sin. But beloved, I submit to you without a proper understanding of spiritual authority, this will be the mark listen of our personal lives and then ultimately, of course, the corporate life of the church without a proper understanding of spiritual authority and how to function. Now we're going to look today at not at just what spiritual authority is, but we're going to look at how one exercises this power to do what God commands be done. Paul says something that I think is very important. I want to highlight this before we have an exercise here. He clearly saw that the spiritual authority that he was given as an apostle was for one very strong and specific purpose. Would you all turn to second Corinthians chapter 10. And here is the function. Here is the purpose of spiritual authority in the local body. Look at it first Corinthians, chapter 10. You all there. Let me begin at verse 8. For even if I boast a little too much of our authority which the Lord gave for building up, building you up and not for destroying you, I shall not be put to shame. For even if I boast a little too much of our exousia authority which the Lord gave for building you up, edification, building up, that is the purpose for which authority is given. Turn over just to reaffirm that in 2nd Corinthians 13 and look at the 10th verse, would you. I write this while I am away from you, in order that when I come I may not have to Be severe in my use of the authority which the Lord has given me. For what? Building up and not for tearing down. So how did Paul want to use his spiritual authority? He wanted to edify and build up and encourage. But what was he prepared to do if he had to do it? He was prepared to confront and to tear down that which was not of God. And we'll see even today what can happen if we allow things to take place that God would not permit and thereby condone the kinds of things that lead to a demising of God's plans and purposes. Now. Let me just mention that in dealing with the exercise of spiritual authority, we're trying to talk about this fine line between the two kinds of exercising the two kinds of authority that there are. Number one, how many of you know that all authority is of God? Alright? And there's. It is. Some of you weren't sure, but it is. And when we talk about spiritual authority in our lives, there's two kinds to deal with, alright? Number one, there's the authority that only God has over our lives. This covers things like our piety, okay? Fred has no right, no authority from God to come and say to me, Jay, you need to be praying two hours a day. God alone has the authority to help deal in my life with my. Now Fred can come and say, jay, I really feel that it would be beneficial to you to pray two hours a day. He can suggest and he can even give reasons why, but God has that kind of authority. It's the kind of thing that God alone knows our hearts and he has the authority to arrange and set in order. Now the kind of manifestations that we see when people do not submit to God's authority in their life are individualism, rebellion, sort of a self fashioned piety. People who have become their own God. How many people do you know that say, well, I don't really go to church because I think you can worship God anywhere you want. And they've designed for themselves a neat little package under which they now have become their own authority. Greatest point of accountability for many people, beloved, when you're in a discussion about the Lord is what is your authority? What authority do you have for making a statement like I can worship anywhere I please? You'll find that you can almost always confront someone with what is your authority for saying that? And they'll generally say, well, that's just how I feel about it. And until you can bring people around to agreeing that this book is the authority by which matters have to be decided, you're really, generally on a treadmill. How many of you found that right? Because as long as a person has defined their own authority or themselves as their own authority, they can feel any way they want and be right. But when they say, this is the authority, then you can objectively sit down and say, no. The word of God says, do not forbid or forsake the assembly of saints. And you can begin to work on this basis. This, you see, is God's objective rule for faith and practice. And this is why always endeavor to bring discussions around the word of God. What is your authority? Well, I don't really. That's just my ideas. Well, there's no authority to that idea. But this is God's eternal and abiding word, and this is the revelation of God's authority alone. Number two, and what we're mainly concerned with here in our series of studies is the authority that God has delegated from one man or woman to another. The authority that God has delegated from one man or woman to another. Now, those who get into abuses of authority of one man or woman over another develop these characteristics. They are inert. I can't do anything unless I have your covering, Pastor Fred. They are fearful, Pastor Fred, if I do that, are you still going to love me? And most often, even when they do get in motion, they are very bound up. A person who is functioning in an imbalance of authority, person to person, is generally very bound up. And you can tell that they are afraid of making mistake for fear of getting out from underneath something. Now, both of those authorities must be present in each of our lives. Our submission to God alone and our submission horizontally to one another, as God has ordained in the body of Christ. How many people affirm that? That is very important. Beloved, we are not going to argue in any way, shape or form here tonight or any other time that to deal with spiritual authority means we just submit our lives to brother and let him tell us what to do. We're never going to do that. Someone asked me at music ministry last Sunday, a week ago, a question of how do we order things and do things? Oh, I know what the question specifically was. What if we have a choice to make about a personal interest versus coming to a music ministry rehearsal? And this person was kind of fishing to see if I would say, these are the rules whereby you will come, you see? And I said to them, brother, and I don't think he was doing it antagonistically. I said, as long as I'm pastoring here at North Way, we will never put down a List of rules to people and say, this is what you must do under these circumstances all the time. But rather, we trust the Holy Spirit in you quickens to what your responsibility is. And you are your own disciplinarian. Now, clearly, we can encourage and we can set guidelines that are hopefully helpful to you, but we will not be that authority in your life. God will be that authority alone. Okay, Ultimately then, how do we exercise this authority horizontally? We're going to focus tonight just on number two there, the horizontal exercise of authority. Let me give you the summation of what I've discovered as I've studied the scriptures on this subject. I'm going on a little bit farther than I thought I would, but I think I'll do that, and then I'll have you do this exercise. If I could sum up what I believe to be the goal of the proper exercise of spiritual authority, it would be this. Disciplined care. Would you put that on, Paul? You have a pen? To exercise spiritual authority, we learn to move in disciplined care. Now, care is love in action. That's my definition. Care is love in action. When one cares, one is sensitive enough to meet the needs of another. This wasn't on an overhead, so she's just going to be filling in what I'm saying. Loving in action, knowing what someone needs and moving to meet that need. Care is not something that you just pray for somebody. You know what I'm saying? Don't ever pray, say someone. I'm praying to care for you. You care by doing it, being there, providing, giving, sacrificing. Another definition. Care is the commitment to help another grow. Say that again. Commitment to help another grow. That's the definition of care. Now, that can be, obviously, something as practical as teaching them to study the Bible or as unspiritual and yet practical as helping them wash their car on a Saturday afternoon and freeing them up to do something else or whatever it might be. But care is helping them to grow. Love in action. Sensitive enough to meet another's needs. But, beloved, listen, we could go on and on and on about what it means to care. I read a whole book two weeks ago about what it means to care. The bottom line simply meant that you're sensitive to what they need if you care about somebody. It was so encouraging. As Fred mentioned on Sunday, the Lord just directed Carol and I, through a lot of your encouragement to go away for the weekend. It's great when people say, hey, you need to get away from here for a while, okay? But, you know, it was really a blessing to have someone say, and I'll watch the kids. That was care. That was a sensitivity to help us be able to do what we needed to do. And several people offered to do that. Care goes beyond just saying, well, I'm praying for you to get better, brother. I'm praying for you to get more spiritual, brother. Helping another love in action. But it has to be disciplined. Disciplined, Because whether we like it or not, we all would have to look at our lives and say, we are up and down characters. Turn to someone and say, you're an up and down character. Especially. Did I get any amens from somebody there? Especially if you're next to your spouses. It's true, isn't it? Whether we like to admit it or not, we are at best sporadic in our care. At best we are sensitive sometimes and not other times. At best, we'll call when it gets to be Barbara's birthday, but we'll Forget the other 11 months. How many of you get a letter from Bill Goffard once a year? Well, Bill remembers me once a year, right around April. He sends. That's his express. Now that's neat. All right. And there's a measure of that which I appreciate, but beloved, how many times do you long for someone to demonstrate care more than just in a passing kind of a way? How many people have I talked to in the last six weeks who have said they're hurting because they really haven't been able to find people who care consistently and with discipline? Now, they didn't use those words, but what they meant was more than just when someone kicked them in the back and said, hey, go invite them over for dinner, as the teaching did a few weeks ago. You see, and this is so prophetic for us because it's God saying to us, you want to exercise spiritual authority, then you move in discipline, caring. Because if you do that, what did he promise by his prophecy? If you respond and learn to care in discipline for those around you, what is he going to do? He's going to send more and more and more. You know, I've tried to push that prophecy out of my. I just said a lot of them would be bound by that. And I believe with all my heart that is still one of the clearest words we've ever received from God for this body. We've missed the Lord in some and we've all had to. But I believe that was from the Lord. You would be amazed if you talk to someone who visits here. I hope, you know, go visit a church. Would you some week go Visit a church and see what it's like for no one to talk to you, for no one to ask you what your need is that day. That's what we did on Sunday. And even at that, this church was trying. I don't want to digress, but it was. They had visitors cards. And we fill out the card, and it was a neat little church. It was meeting in a Marriott, you know, just kind of like we were just whatever was available. And we only been together maybe not even a year. And they've been growing. And the pastor was neat. He loved the Lord. He's spirit filled. Former United Methodist, redeemed and set free. And he. They collected the visitors cards, and ours was the only one. And so after the announcements and some choruses and so on, he holds up this card and he said, are Jay and Carol passive aunt here? He said, I'm used to this, so it's not a big deal. And Abby said, that is stand up. Okay. Well, he stood up. And from Pittsburgh, members of North Way Christian Community and telling a little bit of our story. And I'm glad I didn't put on there, you know, please pray for marital problems or something. There was a place on the back that said, you know, prayer requests. But he's going through this card and he said, we really love our visitors, and let's turn around and greet our visitors. And I had 120 people come and say, welcome. Glad you're here, you know, and they just all descended on us. And it was just a bit overwhelming all at once. But, you know, I told Fred the irony of it was we sat there for five or six minutes before the service started and looked at the back of people's heads and nobody slipped over. And obviously we were visiting. It just really prompted me. You don't know what that does to sit out there. Maybe you do and not have anybody. If there's someone sitting in front of you, you don't recognize them. Just let them know that you're going to care for them. How are you today? Just let them know that little bit of care is so important. But discipline, caring over the long haul, beloved, that's what it means to exercise spiritual authority. Now, I hope that in your mind right now it's not real clear that is the link between spiritual authority and disciplined care. But before we're done tonight, I pray that it will be. What I'd like you to do is to fashion yourselves any way you can. This is really awkward. We're thinking about bringing band saws for these pews. Oh yeah, just turn around, block some of them at a time. And I'd like you. How many of you took the time? You don't put your hand up, embarrass yourself, but you came up with some principles of the exercise of spiritual authority from Philemon. I asked you to do that. I pray that you did. And what I'd like you to do is to share with each other in groups, small groups, not your ministry groups, small groups. Three or four is ideal. If you get five or six, you won't get a chance to talk Three or four. These characteristics from Philemon of what Paul demonstrated in his exercise of spiritual authority. Now if you did not do this and you turn in a group and everyone says, well, I didn't do it and I didn't do it and I didn't do it, would you just mix yourselves up and make a new group? We want to have at least 3 of the people in each group say yes, I did it, so we can have something to talk about. I want you to take the next 15 minutes and teach each other things that you came up with that describe properly, exercise spiritual authority and then at 8:30 we'll come back together and we'll run through them and that'll be it for tonight, alright? Any questions? Groups of how many? Three or four. Write them down, make note of them, Then we'll get back together, turn around and find somebody to share with. Do you know that the Book of Philemon is Paul's most personal epistle of all of his epistles? You'll find out more. There's a more personal tone to this than any other word that he wrote that's a significant thing. It's almost like we're reading something that he signed on a little notepad and scribbled off and sent. Right. It's just that kind of a thing. Just for the sake of time and wanting to honor your time commitments, I'll go ahead and go through the 10 items that I had and then you fill in as we go. If what you discovered or shared in your groups relates to that point, is that okay? I'd rather do that than just take free for all comments because it'll, I think, take an awful lot longer that way but along the way, if you have one that will elucidate one of these points, let's do that. 10 characteristics for the exercise of spiritual authority. Ok, now if you don't have these, you're in trouble. All right? No, you can add these to your list is what you can do. All right? I'm sure when we're done, we may have 20 different ones. But let's start with these. The first thing that we need to see about the proper exercise of spiritual authority is this. It is communal in nature. It happens in the context of community. And don't miss that. How many of you didn't have that? Oh, Lord, I knew it. I knew we'd get him on one of them, Lord. All right. No, it's true, beloved, isn't it? How many of you have been damaged by someone flying by that said they had spiritual authority in your life? You see, look at the scriptures. Let's go right with the scriptures. Let's just say Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy, our what, brother? Use your sheet. All right, here's. Now look, that's Paul is writing with Timothy there to side. And look to whom it's addressed, folks. Okay, everybody, let's all look there to Philemon, our beloved fellow worker. Now, who's Paul? Whose attention is he trying to get? Who, Philemon? But look, does he stop there? Now he goes on and to Apphia, our sister, and Archippus, our fellow soldier. And if I had time, I'd tell you a little bit about each one of those folks. Interesting what we know about him, but he doesn't just stop there and say to Philemon and to Apphia and Archippus, what does he say? And the church? Beloved, do you see that Paul is about to exercise his spiritual authority and he addresses the whole church that meets in his house. Don't miss that. The exercise of spiritual authority is done in the context of the community. Oh, and does that give us a sense of security? That means that nobody is going to come and just say, mike Pirana, you do this because I'm in authority over you. But rather appeal is made in the context of the community in which Mike moves. And you see that's a great security to him. And beloved, if there's any reason why you should be tied into a local body of Christ, it's for your own protection. How many poor souls are out there writing checks off the television ministries because they somehow come under the authority of that preacher on tv and they see that's their line of authority. And they're all, I mean, beloved, it's in the context of community. Number two. It flows or it is of grace. It flows from grace or it is of grace. Look at verse three. Grace to you and peace from God. I think we need to see that the government of God can only be exercised in the grace of God. Let me say that again, that the government of God can only be exercised in the grace of God. Let me say to you that this matter of exercising disciplined care will become very frustrating. If you try to do it in the strength of your flesh, you will find yourself unable to submit. How many of you have found yourself unable to submit from time to time? Why, largely, if it was done appropriately, is because you weren't drawing on the grace of God. And neither in some cases. There are people who seek to exercise discipline outside of the grace of God. And rather than imparting grace as they seek to move, they're imparting legalism and law. Woman, submit to me. The Bible says the man is the head of the household. Is that flowing in grace? So true grace, I mean true spiritual authority is exercised through grace. You also notice it. What's his last thing that he says? Verse 25. Turn over and look at it. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with your spirit. I like that, don't you? That means it's possible. Remember, grace is God's power to do. Alright. Number three. True spiritual authority is exercised prayerfully. It is an exercise of prayer. Now this may you say, well, you said, gee, this. You said that discipline caring wasn't just praying. Well, it isn't just praying, but I will submit to you that you can't care for someone in a disciplined way unless you do pray for them. You won't have the heart of God for them. You might have your own impressions of what they may need. And look at the Scripture. Look at verse four. Isn't it significant that when he's about to move in this exercise of spiritual authority, he says, I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers. Let me ask you something. Do you thank God for the people over whom you are exercising spiritual authority? Do you thank God for the fact that he's given you? Those that are looking to you for oversight, whether it be your children or your wife, your home group, your ministry group, do you thank God for them? I find thankfulness is one of the most freeing things to help me get past a bad attitude. How about you? Well, I thank you for that person. I just thank you for what I know you are accomplishing. I get really uptight inside when I find myself not walking in thanksgiving for a situation or a person because I'm cutting myself off. But notice he doesn't just stop there. Here's why he's thankful. Because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and all the Saints and I pray. Notice he moves from thanksgiving to intercession that the sharing of your faith may promote the knowledge of all the good that is ours in Christ. I'm praying for you and your faith. And so it's wise us to exercise our authority only after we have prayed. Thankfully. And in terms of intercession, you don't have any right to go to somebody and speak to them or even to try to be involved in their life, as we'll see here a little bit later, without having prayed for them. Spiritual authority is received from prayer because it identifies you with the source of all authority. Who's that? The Father, God himself. I'd also say that spiritual authority is very wisely exercised in prayer with a person. It is a very powerful experience to agree with someone in prayer. Ever found that does much to knit you with that person. Number four. Spiritual authority properly exercised is based on appeal. I bet most of you got this one, didn't you? Alright, verse 9, 10, 14 and 17. Let's look carefully at this. I think it's very significant. Verse 8. Accordingly. In other words, Paul says, because I've heard of all the love, previous verses, and the joy that you are sharing with all the saints, I can appeal to you. In other words, they had listen. They had demonstrated that they should be dealt with in such a way that appealed to them. Now, Paul didn't appeal to the leadership in Corinth to be dealing with those that were living in incest, did he? Because they hadn't demonstrated that they were worthy of that kind of treatment. Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do as required, yet for love's sake, I prefer to appeal to you. You know what the word appeal is in the Greek? Write this down. Appeal is directly derived from the word parakaleo. P A R A K A L E, O. From which we get the word paraclete, which is the word for Holy Spirit. Parakaleo is the verb form which means to come alongside. Isn't that precious? So Paul is saying, I appeal, I come alongside of you. I am here at your side, inquiring of you. It's the picture of what the Holy Spirit is to do. You know, that word often is. When we think of encouragement, that's the word that should come to our mind. Parakaleo, coming alongside, standing side by side with you. I don't know about you, but is it one thing for someone to say, brother, I really want to encourage you in discovering your spiritual gift. Isn't that neat? And you say, well, gee, thanks. I'm glad that you have that concern. Is that as valuable to you as someone who will come alongside and say, brother, I'd like to get before the Lord and fast with you and share the word and I want us to go to this seminar together and I just wanted to see if we can help to fashion and sense what God has poured into you in terms of a spiritual gift. I'll never forget a guy that invited me to go to a meeting that was for my benefit, but he wanted to go and take me there. And that said to me he not only cared that I profited, but he was willing to sacrifice, come alongside of me, drive me to the meeting, because he cared that this thing in my life get worked through. That was parakleto, that was appealing, that was coming alongside sacrificing. That's opposed to commanding. Which we see in 1st Corinthians 5 where Paul says, I have already rendered judgment. I have already spoken it to be. So command, do it. It's done. Now Paul says, look at that. He said, there's the word in verse eight, I am bold enough. He's saying, hey, I could do this. I could say, philemon, do this. Do you all see that? How do you feel about that? Let's talk about that a second feedback to me. What right did Paul have to say, philemon, you accept back your one or a slave, that's his personal property. That'd be like, well, for some of us, what would be a modern day analogy? You know, Let's say that I'll use brother Gene here as working for me. And he steals my car, same thing. And he goes away and he's gone for a year or two. He meets the Lord and then a person who I know calls and says, jay, take Gene back. What right would he have to tell me that? That's what we're talking about. It's that kind of a personal thing. Talk about that. How could he say, I am bold enough to command you? He felt Perlamian would be submissive under his spiritual authority and being an apostle and maybe having a lot to do as fellowship in the spirit together, one to another, maybe having a lot of influence and leading him to the Lord in the past. That's right. He felt that he could command that authority over Philemon, direct pressure to him, but he didn't want to go that route. In regards to what you just said. It'S interesting, isn't it, that we know that there was a history here that Paul and Philemon had gone back a ways. They were brothers. In fact, Paul was also Philemon's spiritual father. And so he said, I have the right to say to you do this in Jesus name. But I don't want to do that. I prefer to appeal to you for love's sake. I prefer to parakaleo to come alongside and appeal. Now, beloved, let me ask you a question. This is a tough question. Who do you feel has the right in Christ to speak boldly to you? Dennis, If they've demonstrated the kind of consistent, disciplined caring in your life that you know that they're there for your spiritual best interest? Is that what you're saying? Anybody else? Bill? Pardon? Our parents are God given authorities, aren't they? Interesting. We can really get off on that and have a long discussion about the extent of that authority. Okay, go ahead. Well, the pastor as the leader of the flock is the under shepherd of God. All right. Pastors in the local church elders with a sense of authority. All right, go ahead. That's right. It's got to go hand in hand with what Dennis is saying, isn't it? You have to know again, I'll refer to Paul Yonggi Cho and say, why do 450,000 people call him their pastor and do what he says? Because they believe that he's demonstrated the same kind of spiritual concern. Now obviously he doesn't know what 450,000 people are doing in their personal lives, but somehow he has convinced them through his love that he would never do anything contrary to their spiritual best interest. That's right. I can command. I could say Doug. I could say Doug, in Jesus name I say do this. And if you haven't submitted to that, if you haven't given me that authority, I'll just say, hey, you're wasting your time there. Right? You've got to give that. Because you're a pastor doesn't give you the right to speak. Unless you've acknowledged that this is where God's placed you. You see? I don't say you don't understand. What we're seeing here is that again, Lord willing, the, the appeal is what we prefer to use. But there are times when because of God's order that care. I'm still talking about care, that discipline, caring is going to mean that we command. Don't you think too that it's a responsibility on our part to know them that labor among us? Sure, that's our responsibility. So that when the pastor dies or the teacher, the apostles, the apostles that we know, those that labored Paul, they had no problem obeying Paul because They knew him. That's right. That's right. Bill. No. Anybody else? Yep. You're reading my notes, aren't you, Jerry? Okay, we're going to get to that one. Okay, but that's important. That's right. That's very true. I appreciate that. And we're going to get down to what that means also in the Greek, because that really fills that word in Jack. There's a lot of analogies there. We could draw. You know, Let me say, those of you who are parents, I think this same principle applies as your child grows up. It's far better to appeal in love than to command and require by virtue of the fact, even though you have the rightful authority to say, do this, so much better to learn the wisdom of appealing and love. A lot of parents, authoritarian parents, get in trouble that way and stifle a kid's spirit. Right. Okay. All right, let's go on. We can come. It. Look