When it comes to the matter of leadership within the local church, there are those who would have us believe that there is no New Testament pattern for the organization and administration of the church.

A while back, I spoke with a Pastor who stated categorically: “No particular structure of church life is divinely ordained.” He unambiguously stated “Any form … which the Holy Spirit can inhabit and to which He may impart the life of Christ, must be accepted as valid for the church. He followed through with this statement: As all forms of life adapt themselves to their environment, so does the life of Christ by His Spirit in the church.”

There is a major error in his thinking, and I suspect in many of ours as well, in that he does not understand that the New Testament form of organization for the local church is based upon New Testament principles. It is that fundamental principle that provides for us the standard by which all organization and leadership in the local church must be measured which I would like to investigate in this message.

When it comes to the matter of leadership within the local church, there are those who would have us believe that there is no New Testament pattern for the organization and administration of the church.

A while back, I spoke with a Pastor who stated categorically: “No particular structure of church life is divinely ordained.” He unambiguously stated “Any form … which the Holy Spirit can inhabit and to which He may impart the life of Christ, must be accepted as valid for the church. He followed through with this statement: As all forms of life adapt themselves to their environment, so does the life of Christ by His Spirit in the church.”

There is a major error in his thinking, and I suspect in many of ours as well, in that he does not understand that the New Testament form of organization for the local church is based upon New Testament principles. It is that fundamental principle that provides for us the standard by which all organization and leadership in the local church must be measured which I would like to investigate in this message.

When it comes to the matter of leadership within the local church, there are those who would have us believe that there is no New Testament pattern for the organization and administration of the church.

A while back, I spoke with a Pastor who stated categorically: “No particular structure of church life is divinely ordained.” He unambiguously stated “Any form … which the Holy Spirit can inhabit and to which He may impart the life of Christ, must be accepted as valid for the church. He followed through with this statement: As all forms of life adapt themselves to their environment, so does the life of Christ by His Spirit in the church.”

There is a major error in his thinking, and I suspect in many of ours as well, in that he does not understand that the New Testament form of organization for the local church is based upon New Testament principles. It is that fundamental principle that provides for us the standard by which all organization and leadership in the local church must be measured which I would like to investigate in this message.

When it comes to the matter of leadership within the local church, there are those who would have us believe that there is no New Testament pattern for the organization and administration of the church.

A while back, I spoke with a Pastor who stated categorically: “No particular structure of church life is divinely ordained.” He unambiguously stated “Any form … which the Holy Spirit can inhabit and to which He may impart the life of Christ, must be accepted as valid for the church. He followed through with this statement: As all forms of life adapt themselves to their environment, so does the life of Christ by His Spirit in the church.”

There is a major error in his thinking, and I suspect in many of ours as well, in that he does not understand that the New Testament form of organization for the local church is based upon New Testament principles. It is that fundamental principle that provides for us the standard by which all organization and leadership in the local church must be measured which I would like to investigate in this message.

Currently, the overarching fear being injected into the news media, public policy, and social media, play into our fear of the unknown.

This reminds me of the opening words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's inaugural address; “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is...fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance..” Ironically these words were at the height of the Great Depression.

How do we ‘convert retreat into advance’?

I want to borrow wisdom from one of the greatest leaders who ever lived, who was able to transform millions of people into the most respected and admired civilization on earth. A leader who introduced wisdom that stood the test of time, and does not require any change or calibration 3500 years later. The leader I am referring to, is none other than Moses, Israel’s great deliverer.

Hidden deep within the Torah, is a blueprint for overcoming negative fear-based reactions. It's based on the well-known story of Moses and the splitting of the sea. This blueprint for defeating fear is found in the text of the Torah and in the additional stories and teachings about events mentioned in the Torah, known as Midrash.

The Midrashim were handed down orally from gener­ation to generation, and only written down many centuries later. Typ­ically, a midrash is a sophisticated commentary that sheds light on one of the deeper issues raised by a passage from the Torah. In this case, the Midrash takes the form of a story about the argument among the newly emancipated Is­raelites as they stood before the Sea of Reeds (Red Sea). They were caught between the ensuing Egyptian soldiers and the deep waters ahead of them.  As you can imagine, they were very afraid (Exodus 14).

Fear, in fact, drove them towards recommending four modes of action that would have been disastrous, 1) self-sabotage, 2) fight, 3) retreat, and 4) learned helplessness.

The problems of racism are not an exclusively American problem, it’s a global phenomenon that flares up in different places at different times; it stretches from Los Angeles to Tokyo and beyond.

Racism is a human problem, born out of skewed perceptions.

THE QUESTION HOWEVER IS, how did we get to this place in history, a place where citizens grossly mistrust their political leaders and civil servants, especially the police?

WHAT CAUSED THIS SEISMIC SHIFT in how we determine truth and create culture?

What is protocol? Webster's dictionary defines it in part as "a code of ceremonial forms and courtesies of precedence accepted as proper and correct in official dealings, as between heads of state and diplomatic officials."

This is the definition upon which we will concentrate. Why is this area important? We need to know the limits God has set. Those who do not learn the protocol concerning spiritual matters will always be moving beyond their measure, stepping beyond the boundaries that God has ordained and moving beyond the areas that the Holy Spirit has given them to move in.

As we learn the protocol of the spiritual realm, we will begin to know how to operate without transgressing or moving beyond the area or the measure of the rule that God has given us. If we are to function properly in the Spirit, we must be aware of the ways in which God desires that we move.

What is protocol? Webster's dictionary defines it in part as "a code of ceremonial forms and courtesies of precedence accepted as proper and correct in official dealings, as between heads of state and diplomatic officials."

This is the definition upon which we will concentrate. Why is this area important? We need to know the limits God has set. Those who do not learn the protocol concerning spiritual matters will always be moving beyond their measure, stepping beyond the boundaries that God has ordained and moving beyond the areas that the Holy Spirit has given them to move in.

As we learn the protocol of the spiritual realm, we will begin to know how to operate without transgressing or moving beyond the area or the measure of the rule that God has given us. If we are to function properly in the Spirit, we must be aware of the ways in which God desires that we move.

What is protocol? Webster's dictionary defines it in part as "a code of ceremonial forms and courtesies of precedence accepted as proper and correct in official dealings, as between heads of state and diplomatic officials." 

This is the definition upon which we will concentrate. Why is this area important? We need to know the limits God has set. Those who do not learn the protocol concerning spiritual matters will always be moving beyond their measure, stepping beyond the boundaries that God has ordained and moving beyond the areas that the Holy Spirit has given them to move in. 

As we learn the protocol of the spiritual realm, we will begin to know how to operate without transgressing or moving beyond the area or the measure of the rule that God has given us. If we are to function properly in the Spirit, we must be aware of the ways in which God desires that we move. 

IT IS CALLED UPON EVERY CHRISTIAN, AT SOME TIME IN THEIR LIFE'S EXPERIENCE, TO GO THROUGH THE VALLEY OF TEARS

If you have read 'Pilgrim's Progress' by John Bunyan, or at least are familiar with it, you will know that there in that great book - he has a character in it called 'Christian'. It is my belief that Mr. Bunyan probably had Psalm 84: 4-8 in mind when he wrote his great literary masterpiece.