Douglas Jacoby Podcast

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Scriptures cited in this podcast:

• Luke 23:39-43
• John 20:16-17
• Philippians 2:9-11
• John 14:1-3
• John 3:13
• Acts 2:34

Further:

• The audio series, What Happens After We Die? contains 3 hours of material, comprising 4 lessons:
  • After Death: Have We Got it all Wrong?
  • In Their Own Words: What the Early Christians Taught
  • How Can This Be? Problems and Objections
  • Heaven, Hell, Hauntings & Everything Else: Conclusion and Perspectiv
  • Click HERE to order this intriguing series.
• Read the article by New Testament professor N.T. Wright, asserting that Christians do not go to heaven when they die.
• The position taken in this podcast, that the dead are neither in heaven nor in hell, but in Hades, is supported by the writings of the early church. See, for example, A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs, by David Bercot.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Excerpt

• You are listening to just part of a book on evangelism. It's called Till the Nets are Full (formerly Shining Like Stars). This podcast is an adaptation of chapter 2, "The Mission." This may be found in Part I of the book, "Light of the World."
• Important note: When it comes to true Christians, we must distinguish mission and purpose.
  • Our purpose is to know God, to enter into and enjoy an eternal relationship with Him. We are to love him with all our heart (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37). Purpose should not be confused with mission. (When this happens, the confusion will distort our spiritual lives.)
  • Our mission is to bring God to the world: to serve the poor (Matthew 25) and to preach the word (Matthew 28). As someone once put it, we may be the only Jesus people will ever meet; the only Bible people ever read (2 Corinthians 2:14).

If you were moved by this podcast...

• ... may I suggest you read the entire book from which it has been taken, Till the Nets are Full (formerly Shining Like Stars).
• . This challenging yet practical volume contains over 60 studies for individuals and groups, along with loads of evangelistic direction so that your ministry may flourish.
• Also, please listen to the 2-podcast series Evangelism in the Early Church, 30-200 AD.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Scriptures referred to:

• James 3:1
• Deuteronomy 17:18-20
• 1 Timothy 4:8-16

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Six Ways to Build a Healthy Culture (15 minutes).

TRUST
Rom 15:14—confident in church to handle issues of church.
I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another.

APPEAL
Philemon 1-25—a study in gracious persuasion

RESPECT (or “Stop pushing”)
1 Cor 16:12—it's okay to say no.
Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.

STAY CONNECTED (UNITY)
1 Cor 1:10—Unity despite differences of thought.
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.

AGREE TO DISAGREE
Even Acts 15 was okay—it worked out. Barnabas continued evangelizing his native Cyprus while Paul forged ahead into new territory.

FOCUS ON CHRIST
Col 1:28-2:1
He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.

• Maturity
• Principles > practicals
• Internalize Word of God
• No need to micromanage—that’s not “discipling”
• Leaders, trust the people… Their intentions, their heart, is good.

Further:

• Lording it Over Others (podcast)
• Steve Brown, A Scandalous Freedom: The Radical Nature of the Gospel (West Monroe, LA: Howard 2004).
• Larry Osborne, Accidental Pharisees: Avoiding Pride, Exclusivity, and the Other Dangers of Overzealous Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012).
• Townsend & Cloud, Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No, to Take Control of Your Life (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992, 2017).
  Safeguarding the Vulnerable (COE paper)
• iFaith video sermon Galatians A (“Another Gospel?”) and Galatians B, (“Gospel+”)
• Leadership category at my website

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Inappropriate control, 4-6

4) Abuse of authority

• Leaders have authority, but not to create their own rules, or in the language of Jeremiah, “to rule by their own authority” (Jer 5:30-31).
  • "Giving up everything" is not unlimited, but should be interpreted in the light of apostolic teaching, as found in the epistles and in Acts.
  • Again, we mustn't fail to distinguish between principle and practical (implementation). These rules may only be called “guidelines,” but you can tell whether they have been elevated to near-biblical status by the reaction when they are violated.
• Violation of confidentiality
  • Discussing others’ personal lives in a leadership or staff meeting
  • Manipulation in discipling based on a leader's knowledge of people's weaknesses / sins.
• Definition: "Spiritual abuse is the mistreatment of a person by someone in a position of spiritual authority, diminishing that person's spiritual vitality and growth. At the core of spiritual abuse is excessive control of others, such as religious leaders who use manipulation to compel attendance, use guilt to get people to give more money, take emotional or sexual advantage in the name of comfort or compassion, accuse those who disagree with them of being rebellious against God, or demand absolute, unquestioning obedience regardless of whether it is reasonable or biblical." (June Hunt, "Abuse," in Clinton & Hawkins, The Popular Encyclopedia of Christian Counseling, 177).

5) Controlling words = abuse

• “It’s God’s will… that you move / stay / give up____ / etc.”
• “You need to obey me.”
• “I prayed about it and I sense God wants you to…”
• “Lord put this on my heart…” (no comeback)
• “You have a bad heart” or “You’re proud” (in cases of disagreement) or “You’re independent” (could that be a good thing?).
• “You are my disciples.” We are his disciples. Only once in the NT do we read of a person (other than Jesus) with personal disciples) — Acts 9:25. Yet even there, “his disciples” doesn’t appear in all manuscripts.
• “You’re being divisive.”

6) Misused scriptures

• 1 Cor 11:1—imitation in context
• Heb 13:17—elders—What do elders do in the NT?
  • What is emphasized in the letters (meeting the needs):
  • Not about programs! About character.
• Luke 5:5—Because you say so—arbitrary!
• Exodus 18—discipling hierarchy
• Luke 14:33—give up everything—for Christ, not for another person
• Psalm 105:15—Don’t “touch” (criticize) my “holy ones” (leaders).

No one likes to be controlled, handled, managed, threatened, or manipulated.

• Relevant here in Atlanta as we discuss moving forward with one-another relationships
• What we do on the individual level, we may do on the political level. E.g., one nation invades in order to control—put its stamp on that country—the imperialistic “We know best.”
• Jesus is our Lord, no earthly human being or church leader.
• Yet there is a good sort of control often mentioned in scriptures: Self-control. internal, not external.

Adults want to be trusted.

• I am grateful to be in a culture of “high trust, low control”—as opposed to “low trust, high control.”
• See1 Kings 12 for a study in leadership styles: harsh / controlling vs. permissive / ungodly.
• Of course, even if we’ve added no rules to those of Scripture, we may still promote / personally fall into legalism.

Type 1 Legalism:
Attempting to power one’s way into God’s grace by good works. These works don't necessarily mean requirements outside scripture. This may entail an unhealthy attitude towards obedience / acceptance by God, usually accompanied by anxiety over one’s spiritual status before God.

Type 2 Legalism: Following or enforcing extrabiblical rules — laws that, however well intended, are not explicitly found in Scripture. (Extra, Latin = outside; extrabiblical = outside Scripture.)

• Examples: evangelistic quotas; insistence on perfect living or perfect cognition before baptism; mandated minutes of prayer; compulsory attendance at various church events. Now these may be good things, in principle. We appreciate evangelism, knowledge, prayer, devotional strategy, and church attendance. The question is, what does the gospel require?
• Legalism is a universal human temptation.
• Spirituality—one's own and others'—is constantly monitored, evaluated by adherence to rule-keeping. This erodes the security + confidence we should have in the Lord (1 John 5:13; Matt 11:28-30). The need: mature leaders, not neophytes! Scope of ministry should be in proportion to the biological and spiritual maturity of the brother or sister in leadership.
• We may be critical of the Pharisees (Matt 15; 23) and the Circumcision Party (Ti 1; see Acts 15)—and rightly so -- but what about us?

[Conclusion]

We have covered a lot of ground:

1. Burdensome requirements
2. Prohibitions that go beyond the scriptures
3. Manmade rules and traditions
4. Abuse of authority
5. Controlling words
6. Misused scriptures

.Have we added to the demands and commands of Scripture? How to tell? What gets people into trouble?

• Violating guidelines? – often for the sake of “unity”—or failing to building Christlike character?
• Integrity at work, or just earning money and giving a %age to the church
• Are we reinforcing a culture of legalism?

Some fear the gospel alone is too gracious and might tempt (or even empower) us to slack off. Yet grace is empowering, and those who don’t experience it don’t endure long in the marathon of faith.

In Control part 3: 6 ways to eradicate a culture of control and build a culture of trust.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Inappropriate forms of control, 1-3

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-45)

• Big decisions require approval of church minister?
• Must trim vacation not to miss Sunday.
• Overweight people cannot be up front on Sunday.
• Send in stats Sunday night: visitors, missing members, etc.
• Threaten with disfellowship just because disagreed with the leader's decision.
• Removing people from the membership list for missing midweek.
• Can’t come to leaders’ meeting unless you had a visitor that week.
• Must provide (free) house-cleaning or babysitting services to leaders.
• Must attend all events—even if scheduled at the last minute.
• Control in other areas: relationships, finances, employment, domicile, marriage, family…

Are the people serving the leader, or is the leader serving the people?

1) Heavy loads
They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them (Matt 23:4).

• “No physical food before spiritual food”—personal devotional rule.
• “One-a-day challenge”—and other evangelistic rules.
• Financial control—encouraging people to go into debt in order to make contribution. Or group leaders seeing what everyone has given (standing around in circle).

*** Negative evangelistic impact
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to (Matt 23:13)—heavyhandedness can also prevent people from coming to Christ.

2) Prohibitions with an appearance of wisdom
Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules:“Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence (Col 2:20-23).

• Discipline for drinking alcohol—of course some people should never drink.
• Disfellowship for dating someone outside one’s own fellowship—assuming you are the only Christians in town? Is this really an area in which elders / church leaders should be involved
• Disfellowship for owning & watching TV.
• Forbidding films of a certain rating.
• Cards—because of the association with gambling.
• Dancing—a lot of it is worldly, but how do we monitor this?

3) Mark 7—Manmade rules & traditions
He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain;  their teachings are merely human rules.' You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions” (Mark 7:6-8).

• Every church inevitably needs some "rules" (not necessarily bad), like "Church starts at 9:00," or "Members need to participate in a small group."
• Still, these do not have divine authority.
• Yes, younger disciples often benefit from guidelines, yet even then these should be a matter of consent, not law. Legalism will shape their concept of God.
• Best practices ≠ commands of God.
  • Distinguish church traditions.
  • When we fail to make the distinction, then people stop obeying the start using external metrics: visitors, QTs, days without overeating, etc.
• Let’s not go beyond what is written (Deut 4:2; Prov 30:5-6; 1 Cor 4:6; Rev 22:18-19).

In Control, Part 2: Three more areas of inappropriate control.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

The purpose of this podcast is to foster a Christian leadership culture. This is an important study for anyone in leadership, or considering it. Please listen to this podcast (18 minutes) and share it with others whom you may be able to influence.

Key Greek verb: katakurieuein (to lord it over, dominate, domineer, wield authority, etc).

Scriptures including the Greek word katakurieuein:

• Acts 19:16
• 1 Peter 5:1-3
• Mark 10:42-45 (Matthew 20:25-28)
• Genesis 1:28 (Greek O.T. only)

Applications

• Bullying (not being pushy, forceful, or a poor listener)
• Personal example
• Input & feedback (welcoming it)
• Humility
• "Ministry" language (implying non-staff are not in the ministry)
• Local leadership (local decision making)
• The danger with hierarchies (misunderstanding, abuse, stunted growth)
• The need for vigilance--otherwise the ways of the Gentiles will take over

Questions for leaders (especially):

• Is my leadership style overpowering?
• Do I call others to go where I have not gone?
• Am I fond of position, prestige, perquisites, or priority?
• Do I see the danger of authority, hierarchy, and mandate?
• Am I known for welcoming diversity of opinion, or do I feel threatened by those who may question my judgment?
• Do I expect others to submit to the authority of God and his Word, or to me and my word?

Great quotes:

• "The very first thing which needs to be said about Christian ministers of all kinds is that they are 'under' people (as their servants) rather than 'over' them (as their leaders, let alone their lords). Jesus made this absolutely plain. The chief characteristic of Christian leaders, he insisted, is humility not authority, and gentleness not power." -- John Stott, The Gospel and the End of Time
• For the opposite view, the words of Nietzsche are apropos: “A man who strives after great things, looks upon every one whom he encounters on his way either as a means of advance, or a delay and hindrance—or as a temporary resting-place. His peculiar lofty BOUNTY to his fellow-men is only possible when he attains his elevation and dominates..." (Beyond Good and Evil, 273).  Notice the philosopher feels he is doing a favor to others by dominating them.
• One more quote, back on the believing side: "We would do well not to be enamored by the kind of leadership that is so prized by politicians and CEOs, the kind that is conspicuous and, as we say, 'effective.' Forget about charisma, go for character." -- Eugene Peterson, The Unnecessary Pastor

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Here I share some of my own thoughts about elders (overseers) and church leadership. I do not speak for a congregation or denomination. These are simply my own reflections on this important subject.

Passages considered in the lesson (28 minutes):

• Acts 13:1-4; 14:23; 15:1-35; 20:17-38.
  • Soon after churches were intentionally planted, team leadership / oversight was established (Acts 14; in Acts 8:4 and 11:19, we see the incidental establishment of the Christian communities). Of course one-man leadership might typify a just-planted church, for whom the church planter was a type of "father" (1 Cor 4:15). Yet the N.T. does not envision a protracted autocratic church polity, nor is this healthy -- too much pressure on one man; too little teamwork.
  • The congregation knows who its leaders are. It's probable that the overseers oversaw house churches. In either case, as shepherds they were personally involved with the flock (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1-5; John 10:2-3,11-13).
  • Congregational autonomy does not mean that these leadership teams were isolated. When there was a need, they communicated (Acts 15).
  • When the apostle needed to communicate with the Ephesian church leadership (Acts 20), he sent for the elders.
• 1 Timothy 5:17; 4:12-16; 3:1-7
  • Elders directed the churches. The buck stopped there (Acts 20:17-38; Philippians 1:1; etc).
  • Some (all?) focused on teaching and preaching (5:17), which Timothy modeled for them (4:13).
  • Paul provides a list of qualities, more than "qualifications."
  • Character is key, and in the long term is far more valuable than charisma.
  • Paul assumes that the overseers will be husbands and fathers. It's not so clear that he requires them to be, although a man's family certainly reflects his character and leadership ability. (Would Paul himself not be qualified to serve as an elder? How about Jesus?)
  • Older men were presumably more available for the work of shepherding the flock, as their family responsibilities would be simpler (older or grown children), vocations well established, more flexible in their schedules.
  • It seems hypocritical (to me) to hold overseers to a higher standard of integrity than the church leaders (evangelists or "pastors") to whom they are accountable.
  • It's unhealthy to put the spotlight on the children (as in the strictest interpretation of Titus 1:6), instead of on the man. Throughout the Bible, it's the shepherds who are held to the highest standard (e.g. Ezekiel 34; John 10).
  • The list in 1 Tim 3 is a description of a mature, male, Christian leader.
• Proverbs 31:10-31
  • In some senses this woman is "super-mom." She embodies all the ideals and respected qualities of a spiritual woman. Does that mean that a lesser women isn't worthy of full respect?
  • Could it not be that 1 Timothy 3 refers to the goal of church leaders, even though overseers may fall short? Or that these are qualities to be collectively embodied in the group?
• Ephesians 4:11
  • Apostles were few in number, and persisted for a single generation (Acts 1:22; 1 Cor 9:1). Their purpose was to establish the church, as living links to the Lord Jesus, so that his message was understood and preserved.
  • Prophets, whatever the exact nature of their work, were also part of the foundational level of the church (Ephesians 2:20).
  • Evangelists were highly mobile bringers of good news. They established churches and were dynamos of inspiration, evangelism, and leadership (Acts 21:8; 2 Timothy 4:5).
    • Although there has always been a need for evangelists -- and always will be -- they are not explicitly identified in church history. Rather, in the 2nd century each congregation was led by overseers. In time, an elaborate hierarchy was erected, yet this did not include evangelists, probably because they were not permanent fixtures in local church leadership.
    • As to the question of whether women can serve as evangelists, consider what's involved in this role: Going alone, or with a partner, to a town or are in order to preach; facing opposition and perhaps even imprisonment; putting herself into a dangerous position (gender harassment); etc. As long as "evangelists" are really serving as "senior pastors" (inspirational speakers / administrators), it will be somewhat difficult to uphold the necessity of male leadership (evangelists).
  • Teachers (assuming "teaching shepherds" isn't the way the phrase in this verse should be rendered) were explicitly present in some cities, like Antioch and Corinth (Acts 13:1; 1 Cor 12:28). In a more general sense, all should strive to be teachers (Hebrews 5:11-14), though with humility and caution (James 3:1).
  • Shepherds (overseers, elders -- the three terms were used interchangeably; note: this word should not be translated into Latin [pastor] simply in order to preserve a much cherished term). This is the only position of the four or five that is normative for church leadership, and the earliest centuries of church history consistently follow the N.T. pattern.

Suggested reading:

• Biblical Eldership (Strauch)
• The Equipping Pastor (Stevens)
• They Smell Like Sheep (Anderson)
• Brothers, We Are Not Professionals (Piper)
• Etc.