Audio： Attitudes of a Christian Leader

Being strong in the grace of God next on the road to reality with brother kp yohannan Welcome to the road to reality with brother kp yohannan the ministry of gospel for asia Today we're going to bring you a message in second timothy on the attitudes of the christian leader We'll learn the outlook of the christian leader on the work of the lord and how to be strong in the grace of god And brother kp wants to draw a distinction between outer habits and inner attitudes So join us as we turn to second timothy for today's broadcast of the road to reality So when we come to chapter two in this marvelous Letter paul wrote to a young man named timothy Explaining about being a godly christian leader a servant of the lord in this He deals with the attitude of a christian leader The two words we can keep in mind one is habits Then attitude Habits is something that If you have a habit That is something that you can imitate and copy You know like people join the army and navy or military or whatever Um, you know, the guy has long spring hair And he wears all the colorful check shirts and all whatever else is but the moment he joins the army the same day He goes and sit on the high chair. The barber comes with this clipper and His whole fabulous movie star hair is gone Then the next thing your fellow go and put your uniform. So what happened? Immediately he falls in line with the rest of the thousand soldiers It is Something that you can copy Habit always has to the behavior behavior has to do with your input you are Exerting yourself to make a choice to be certain thing for a certain time or circumstances or entity So you can copy behavior Habit in the long run is permanent But even then it can be mixed up but attitude is more of a second nature Of the individual it is part of their life. It has become internal. It's it's working out of the reality and values and principles that one has so in chapter one paul talks about the inner stable Reality of being a follower of christ a servant of the lord and leader the basic deep root character But now how does it work out? How do you project it? What is your attitude? The attitude is the living out of what is In you the part of your makeup you're thinking it is not just copying behavior and being like anybody else Because that monkey is doing it. This monkey is doing it. You know, there's a saying monkey see monkey do That is not what it is. It is you are always having this fixed response to people situations good or bad whatever your attitude is sober a good attitude now It also has to do with our outlook to things We see the world Not as it is, but as we are You see you look at somebody and you make evaluations based on not what that person is thinking Here is a person who has hippie long hair and unwashed face and wearing some dirty clothes And the first thing you think first thing I think my goodness. What is wrong with this fellow? He's a hippie or what drug addict or what? But the truth of matter the guy May have gone to university and got his phd and was a professor He gave up all those things because he was tired of this phony plastic materialistic living and he took on himself the form of a beggar wearing these clothes and Don't care about his body, but he spent five six hours in prayer before jesus He's a devout follower of jesus fallen in love with jesus every day and he cares about nobody nothing in the whole world But why did I think about him? a drug addict What is wrong with this rascal, how did he come to this meeting? because I interpreted his life the way I see it my value my understanding my Evaluation I used to explain it's like if i'm wearing a a glass that is now colored with Yellow or red or pink I look I see you pink, you know the story about The man who had this cow that he tried his best for the cow to eat Dry grass hay and the cow would eat it because the cow always ate Green grass in the end the farmer was smart. So he got a pair of glass for the cow And put green lens on it and the cow looked at the Dried up grass the hay and so it to be green grass And the cow ate it So we see others Through Through what we are wearing and what we are wearing our cultural background our upbringing our teaching from the apostles or our family or our specific rigid or liberated background You see this how it is And we judge and make conclusions But when you talk about attitude It is not just we live with any paradigm any attitude and say well It's my attitude No Your attitude and your paradigm may not be correct a good attitude is one that investigates and studies and research And say I want to make sure that my paradigm my perception my understanding is correct So, how do you do that you take into you? principles values Glasses colors that help you to neutralize the extremes and come into balance with god's truth, which is always accurate That is what here paul is trying to do with timothy we will begin with verse one notice He simply says you then my son be strong in the grace that is in christ jesus Is If you are looking at the niv bible, I don't know what translation he got i'm sure it's all the same you then my son literally That verse reads more or less like this you therefore Because of this my son New american standard version has a better explanation of that You therefore my son Be strong again Let me remind you of the four Places where paul uses these two monosyllabus two tiny words in the greek language Yes, timothy the whole world may go astray all these different things but but for you you be different Let others do whatever but you for you be different That is still the call of the lord. So what must be our attitude? Our perception when you look at god's work, how do we Respond to it with what we must respond to it. What color of glass I must wear what nature of outlook I must have To the work The one who is involved with it my responsibility. How do I do it? and for our work As gospel fascia and the movement what god is doing today I think it is so crucial that we get a better understanding of how this thing work first of all Dependence on the lord and him alone that god is our source That's the first thing Timothy must keep in mind as a christian leader young or old May this be the first attitude we have no matter what My dependence the source of information the source of strength the source of evaluation the source by which I judge other people Evaluate their life and ministry and good and bad. Whatever else is not based on my culture Somebody else views some commentary some magazine. No, it is the lord who Continually gives me the input to understand his thinking his ways his strength to handle it very simple But profound if we understand it be strong in the grace That is in christ jesus in jesus His grace his strength So And our natural tendency is to try and solve our problems in our own strength and wisdom but That only leads to trouble we must depend upon god and him alone as we travel through life This is the road to reality and we're addressing the attitudes of a christian leader as described in second timothy Before we dive back into kp. Yohanan's message. I'd like to draw your attention to a book that ties in quite nicely It's called against the wind Kp will challenge you to consider how well you're running the race and wouldn't it be nice to say along with the apostle paul? I have fought the good fight. I've finished the race and have kept the faith You know, there are sure to be a few obstacles, but this book will help you get over them and finish strong Order online at winasia.org Again, you can go to winasia.org Against the wind by kp. Yohanan or in canada visit gospel for asia.ca As we return to brother kp He reminds us that we are engaged in spiritual warfare and rely on the strength and grace that the lord will give Paul How many times declared this for himself? When i'm weak Then i am strong I can do all things through christ who Continually pour his strength into me paul said The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can understand it? Jeremiah chapter 17 verse 9 Cursed be the individual who leaned on the arm of the flesh Naturally You and I We have the tendency first response the first foremost response to anything From me from you is always How I can do it what I must do with it. I get a headache the first thing where is aspirin? You get sick the first thought where is the nearest doctor? When somebody offend you first thing Why did he do that? He didn't understand me It's me. I what I can do. It is not I got a headache I need to talk to the lord first. The lord is my healer. No Need money the lord is my source. No, no, no, we don't think about it That is the way humans work You and I are living not in peace time it is war Who is warring against us demons not one or two but millions and billions as a matter of fact when you took the train a whole bunch of demons traveled with you Because satan is not omniscient satan cannot be everywhere. His hierarchy cannot be everywhere Only god can be everywhere at the same time. So he has agents Because they're very eager to hear what's going on here. Really? The unseen world is more real than the seen world because it is unseen world that created the seen world the bible says We think tangible is less important than abstract but abstract is more important than tangible because it was created by the unseen world that's the bible says So demons are not just illusions. They are very powerful intelligent beings So who is warring against you? Jesus heard the voice from peter. Jesus. Please don't even think about don't let it happen to you and jesus said Get behind me satan You seek not the things of god but of man So when you think about quitting the ministry You think you just cooked it up because you ate too much rice last night or chapati a bad dream No, no It's demons When you think about cursing your wife and you don't you don't love her and you don't want to live with her who is doing it No, it is the devil who is doing it When you have problems in the family in the right the ministry things are going on You have problems sickness and headache and bitterness and anguish and all kind of problems who is doing it It's not your neighbors. It's a devil doing it. The devil is behind all this nonsense We don't understand this So we start taking the flesh and Angry and upset and we fight this is the way humans work a christian leader Always is tempted to use his money power his influence His connections his power and authority Hey, listen, I am the leader in charge You better keep your mouth shut and do what I tell you to do If not, I will report on you and i'll kick you out. See that is bit of hell He's borrowing strength from the position god gave to him and attacking god's work. You see that's what the devil does it He never thinks about going to fast for a day for the brother or the family to solve the problem He now uses his title. I am the state coordinator. I am the principal. I am the leader You better do I tell you what if I find out one person like that We should get him out of the ministry and leadership right away Because this is actually nothing to do with god or anything of the kingdom So you are a leader in god's work i'm a leader in god's work what kind of leaders are we Are we always falling back on the arm of the flesh energy and things we can do? I tell you serving god is more than Being clever and crafty and smart As a matter of fact when i'm a prayer to god god, please Please never let me be so clever in doing your work. I want to be dumb little child Mistakes will be made but I don't want to be clever I am so afraid of people who are clever because I know in the end they will destroy everything God has no place in their life in their ministry So what am I saying? Timothy 30 years long. I ran the race and fought this fight. I don't want to be clever I want to remain innocent little childlike depending on the lord and on no one else You know that scripture in chronicles some trust in chariots and some in horses But we trust In the name of the lord, I think there's in psalm somewhere also. I know sure See our attitude to money our infrastructure our accomplishment kind of tells Where is our dependence? Paul talked about this treasure in earthen vessel It is not gold and silver and bronze and steel. No, this vessel is made of clay It is made from the most worthless Dust and in this vessel is the wonderful treasure so that the glory may not be Of the earthen vessel but of the lord paul says Do you recognize that the responsibility god gave you? The leadership the teaching opportunity to be helpful to other brothers to serve. Do you understand? You are not the gold vessel in it. You have nothing it is a earthen vessel and what belonged to That vessel in it is not yours. It is the lord who committed that to you all from him For him through him and for his glory not for you not for me. Sometimes we are saying, you know, I did it I am the one who you know One of the funniest thing my wife ever said about me in one of the large christian leaders meeting pastors meeting 1500 people She was giving a testimony and about god's grace and glory and all that and she right in the middle Said if the lord didn't call my husband to be a missionary a preacher. He would have been taking care of buffaloes but absolute truth If it was not the lord who called me to serve him from a tiny village 14 kilometers from here Half the year the whole village underwater No road, no electricity. No gas. No car. Nothing ever come to that village during those days And the lord should pick me out of that village take me to north india and call me to serve him So now what I must say Oh I did it this and that you know what it is easy to preach and teach but i'm telling you It takes god's grace to live with humility he cannot create it and buy it In the work of god one of the danger christian workers face Is when god does something through them all of a sudden they begin to take glory. I did it. I am gifted I am talented. It is my position. It is my decisions. It is my cleverness. It is my ingenuity It is my talents. The lord should make you sick and lay you There somewhere in the hospital for a few months to find out how great you are so timothy You are young. You are sick. You are weak. You got a messed up family background a jew and a gentile father and mother timothy You are a low caste. That's what it is all about. He was a rejected caste Did you know that? That The greeks the gentiles said you are a betrayer the jewish people said You are a dog That is what timothy was from the least and the lowest Class in the society the rejected the outcast that is what timothy's family is from If you didn't know that you study it Timothy you are so full of complex It is good. It is wonderful Paul what is wrong with you being the least and the lowest and the outcast and the the worst And then No qualities in him to be doing anything. Yes Paul says it is wonderful. Why? So that god will bring all the glory to himself through the wonders. He will do through this weak Lesson Timothy i am the one who was born to a millionaire Timothy i am the one who got the phd From the best university timothy. I am the one Who was one of the member of the sanhedrin the ruling council in the nation timothy? I am the one with sanguine pragmatic temperament and ability timothy I am the one with type a personality born leader timothy. I am the philosopher the thinker the theologian but timothy It didn't work For three years alone. I was sitting wondering what to do with my life And then the lord spoke to me and said paul I want to use you But you must give up all these things and become a zero so timothy I decided To take all my degrees all my positive background all the abilities all these skills and talents and temperament Which was all wonderful and I wrote on it cow dung Have you seen people hanging their certificates on the walls? From this university from this college Have you ever seen people taking cow dung and write and frame it nicely and under there says The cow dung right there saying kpo and cow dung Can you do that? No, but that's exactly what paul did So if you walk into paul's office, you will find him sitting there scribbling away Partially blind. I I'm one of those people who believe that paul had very difficulty with his eyesight And you look over because he just came from somebody else office you know the high priest and all the theologians and all the mighty christian leaders and And you all over the wall ma phd dd duty duty all these degrees I'm all over there and you are so impressed by all these things Then you walk into this paul's office, you know a man kind of sitting there scribbling away something and on the wall his degree cow dung Who warned him timothy, that's what I did And recognized in me dwells. No good thing roman 7 And timothy you didn't have to go through this kind of mess that I went through Well, you've been listening to the road to reality with brother kp ohannon founder and president of gospel for asia And we've been listening to a message from kp that we're calling the attitudes of a christian leader I think you know, this study reminds me of kp's book. It's called against the wind Doesn't it feel at times like we're running against the wind in this lifelong christian race, you know Facing the pressures of a culture the attacks of the enemy They can be difficult, but we can win by the grace of god Learn how to run and win and finish strong as you read against the wind You can order that online at winasia.org or by calling 866 win asia That's 866 win asia And again, you can go to our website winasia.org Our friends in canada dial us at 888-946-2742 Or you can go online to gospel for asia.ca The road to reality is brought to you by gospel for asia Where the primary aim is to share the good news of jesus with those who've never heard his name You