Pentecost for over 1500 years was a celebration in Jerusalem that brought in Jews from all over the world. But on the Day of Pentecost which came just ten days after Jesus ascended back into heaven, the meaning of Pentecost was forever changed!
Followers of Jesus—now empowered by an infilling of the Holy Spirit—began to take the good news of Jesus all over the world. These Spirit-filled Christians preached the Gospel and won converts to Christ even among hostile crowds, performed miracles and wonders, stood up to pagan priests and persecuting governmental leaders, and established a whole new way of living as Christ-followers.
We, too, can be Pentecostal followers of Jesus Christ today. We can experience an anointing and an empowering in our lives that turns ordinary Christianity into extraordinary Christianity!
Please join me this Sunday at Calvary Assembly of God as we rejoin this series. You can check out what I taught in this series in 2023 by clicking here.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
There is a recurring theme throughout the Book of Judges and then later is repeated in the years leading up to Israel’s exile: A godly leader passes off the scene and the people return to their old selfish, godless lifestyle. This sinful life brings God’s punishment, which causes the people to cry out to God for help. God raises up a leader who leads the people in repentance and a return to God. As a result, God’s blessings again flow to His people. Then that leader passes off the scene and the cycle repeats.
This recurring thought is in the middle of a particularly dark time for Israel: “In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6; see also 18:1).
The entire 17th and 18th chapters of Judges is a sickening story of the Israelites utterly turning their back on God so they could go do whatever they want. And worst of all, we see godless leaders taking advantage of the situation to line their pockets with worldly riches.
Just because there is a God-fearing leader on the scene doesn’t guarantee that the people will follow his or her lead and devote themselves to God. But a godless leader almost always results in people debasing themselves by thumbing their nose at God’s laws.
God raises up leaders and holds them accountable for their actions. He told Ezekiel that there would be consequences for both boldly speaking God’s message or for keeping silent (see Ezekiel 3:16-21).
God calls His leaders to know His ways, to walk in integrity in that way, and then to call others to walk in that way too.
A mark of a godly leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.
This is part 84 in my series on godly leadership. You can check out all of my posts in this series by clicking here.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
Leaders have to be very careful of the trap of measuring the growth of their teammates by the wrong metrics. The things that matter most are often the things that are the most difficult to measure, but leaders must find a way.
In my book Shepherd Leadership, I have a chapter entitled ‘Don’t Try to Grow Your Own Ministry.’ This book is mainly written for church and non-profit leaders, but there are helpful principles here for every kind of leader. Here’s an except from this chapter—
Businesses think in terms of quantitative gains—things they can count—but churches and nonprofits should be thinking in terms of qualitative gains—a quality improvement that isn’t as easily counted. I think we all know this, and yet we still persist in wanting to define success in a church or a nonprofit by those quantitative standards such as attendance growth, donations, and the like. When we think qualitative over quantitative, suddenly what seemed “small” is so significant and so valuable that it cannot be calculated! …
Don’t try to grow your ministry. First, because it’s not yours, it’s [God’s]; and second, because your measure of success is probably more slanted toward quantitative measurements than qualitative. Jesus wasn’t concerned about bigger numbers: “What do you think?” He asked, “If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?” (Matthew 18:12).
Philip went to Samaria to tell people about Jesus. He didn’t go there because it fit his plan, but because Jesus said, “You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Philip’s obedience brought God’s success: hundreds turned to Jesus as their Savior, demon-possessed people were delivered, the sick were healed, and the new Christians were baptized in the Holy Spirit. Yet God called Philip to leave these “ninety-nine” and go to the desert to cross paths with just one confused and wondering sheep (Acts 8). After that, Philip virtually disappears from Luke’s historical record.
What’s the value of one government official’s life? God says that his value is incalculable. Apparently, God knew that Philip was the perfect shepherd to lead this Ethiopian to the pasture where he would accept Jesus as his Savior. Philip was obedient, a sheep was saved, and God was pleased. But I wonder how many people today might think Philip’s ministry was unsuccessful because he left a bigger ministry in Samaria to go to a smaller ministry in the desert?
Leaders need to be very cautious about using the right metrics to measure the growth of their teammates and the success of their organization.
T.M. Moore has a challenging word for those who are called to preach the Gospel. He writes, “Jesus, like Ezekiel set His face like flint to fulfill His appointed mission. And so must we, for whom the Word is both sweet and bitter (cf. Revelation 10:8-11). We must live and proclaim its sweet and bitter message to an impudent and hard-hearted age, beginning in our churches. It is time for judgment to begin from the house of God (1 Peter 4:17). We must speak to our brethren in the Lord, the household of faith, to teach, warn, direct, and to summon them to revival, renewal, and awakening, for a greater knowledge of the Lord and His love, and a fuller realization of His Kingdom presence, promise, and power.”
“An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.” —Edwin H. Land
I have written before how significant it is that the New Testament uses the phrase “one another” so many times. T.M. Moore writes about this as well, noting, “The more we love Jesus, the more loving our neighbors will come (super)naturally to us as the Spirit of God works in us to will and do of His good pleasure. So, as in everything we do to take up Jesus’ work of building His Church, loving one another begins with loving Jesus.”
After listing a truckload of verses describing Who the Holy Spirit is, Sinclair Ferguson concludes, “Think about all of that! This Spirit—this one and the same Spirit, and no other—‘dwells within thee.’ He is the very Spirit who dwelled in the Lord Jesus. … There are not multiple Holy Spirits—One in Whose grace and power the Lord Jesus lived, One Who indwells you, One Who indwells me, and a multiplicity of other Holy Spirits indwelling an innumerable company of believers. No! There is only One Holy Spirit; and He who thus indwells me as the Spirit of Christ also indwells every believer I shall ever meet.”
Moreover, [God] called for a famine upon the land of Egypt; He cut off every source of bread [Genesis 41:54]. He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold as a servant [Genesis 45:5; 50:20, 21]. His feet they hurt with fetters; he was laid in chains of iron and his soul entered into the iron, until his word to his cruel brothers came true, until the word of the Lord tried and tested him. The king sent and loosed him, even the ruler of the peoples, and let him go free. He made Joseph Lord of his house and ruler of all his substance [Genesis 41:40]. To bind his princes at his pleasure and teach his elders wisdom. (Psalm 105:16-22 AMPC)
“The word of the Lord tried and tested him.” When we cling to God’s promises despite the seemingly impossible circumstances we are in, that faithful clinging matures us. It both softens our heart and strengthens our trust in God.
Before going through the difficulties, Joseph wasn’t ready to operate effectively in such a lofty leadership position. God uses all things to mold us and shape us for His purpose (Romans 8:28). We certainly see a more mature Joseph standing before Pharaoh than we saw interacting with his brothers earlier in his life.
God called Joseph and he prepared Joseph. All that was lacking was Joseph’s faithful clinging to God and yielding to God’s maturing process. The end result was one of the most impactful leaders that history has ever known!
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
Here in West Michigan, the city of Holland has a yearly festival that has just begun called Tulip Time where attendees will see millions of the most beautiful flowers growing everywhere. It is a stunning display, but perhaps even more impressive is the hard work and care that goes into the cultivation of these flowers. In today’s episode, Greg and I want to encourage you to bring the mindset of a gardener to your leadership. With hard work, patience, and just the right amount of careful pruning, your team will grow from small seeds in the ground to a dazzling beauty that rivals any horticultural display.
[0:40] I’m not sure I’m qualified to talk about today’s topic…
[1:32] A seed has almost everything it needs to grow, and so do our teammates.
[3:13] What do people need most from a gardener-leader?
[5:25] Leaders will need to exhibit confidence in a teammate’s competency.
[8:04] We need to be careful of not rushing the process.
[10:16] I share how the apostle Paul demonstrated belief in his people.
[12:04] How do we make sure our teammates know we have genuine belief in them?
[14:33] I reference a great passage from Greg’s forthcoming book about how leaders stand up for their team.
[19:13] A healthy habit for gardener-leaders.
[21:36] Gardening isn’t an assembly line—the growth plan for every person must be individualized.
[23:44] Greg shares an insightful quote about obstacles.
[25:11] Coaching can help you help your teammates grow.
Check out this episode and subscribe on YouTube so you can watch all of the upcoming episodes. You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify and Apple.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
The Jordan River was a powerful border guard. For years it had served the Canaanites well, protecting their eastern border from large-scale attacks from their enemies. Now the Jordan was all that stood between the Israelites on the east side of the river and their promised land on the west side.
Joshua gave some unusual instructions to the priests that carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord. He told them to carry the ark while they walked into the middle of the flood-level river. He said they should trust that God would stop the flow of the river while they stood there (see Joshua 3:1—4:11).
I can imagine the two priests carrying the ark at the front stepping into the water, feeling the current rush around their ankles, and holding their breath as they took their next steps deeper into the river.
Step after step the two priests in front waded into the Jordan. Until finally they walked far enough that the priests carrying the ark from the back stepped into the Jordan.
And all of a sudden, the water levels begin to go down! Lower and lower until the priests were standing on a damp riverbed that had been completely covered by water just a few minutes earlier. To their left, as they looked downstream, no water was to be seen. To their right, as they looked upstream, they might have glimpsed the wall of water piled up as the invisible Hand of God held it back.
Only then did the Israelites began crossing the previously uncrossable river. Family after family, tribe after tribe began to march at long last into their promised land.
And while all Israel passed over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan. … For the priests who bore the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to tell the people…. (Joshua 3:17, 4:10)
It was only after every Israelite had crossed the Jordan, and memorial stones had been gathered from the riverbed and carried to the shore, that the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord came across themselves. It was immediately after this that the mighty Jordan River began flowing again at full strength.
Second, godly leaders stand their ground until all the people enter into God’s blessing. Remember that God is patient, “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
So leaders, let me encourage you—
Keep going first in obeying God, keep standing firm in His promises, keep showing others the path they need to follow to step into God’s blessings, and keep encouraging people to walk into that blessing.
Don’t be slow in obeying. Don’t fear going first into the unknown. And don’t become weary or frustrated or nervous and walk away too soon.
The closing chapter of my book When Sheep Bite is entitled ‘Faithfulness > Fight or Flight.’ In that chapter I wrote—
Remember that we are all striving to not succumb to the natural fight-or-flight response, but to attain the supernatural response of faithfulness. In this, we have a perfect example in our Good Shepherd.
In the Book of Revelation, Jesus is called the One who is “Faithful” (Revelation 19:11), and Paul says that the Faithful One who has called us will empower us to remain steadfast: “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24 NKJV).…
Yes, fight-or-flight is our natural response, but with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we can respond in supernatural faithfulness. We don’t have to sit unmoving and unfeeling, but we can continue to serve even biting sheep until God removes us or them.
We glorify God by faithfully serving the sheep He has placed under our care, giving our very best, even if our words and actions are unappreciated or ignored by those we are serving.
If you are in a difficult place in your leadership assignment, I encourage you to check out When Sheep Bite.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
After God created Adam, He said, “It’s not good for you to be alone.” That’s just as true today: God didn’t intend for us to journey on our own, but He gives us companions along the way.
Last week we saw that God has to sometimes cause us grief to get our attention when we are straying from His path. He sometimes puts people in our lives to do the same thing.
There’s a reason God puts the people in our lives that He does. We are called to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). But that sometimes means people will get upset with us (Galatians 4:16). “Real friends hurt each other. … Truth is the primary way faithful friends should wound each other—it is the help that hurts.” —Dick Brogden
The Corinthians thought they were super-spiritual, but Paul had to call them out on their foolishness (1 Corinthians 3:3; 5:1-2). Before Pauls’ letter, the Corinthians seemed happy. His letter caused them grief, but it was good grief that led to repentance and true joy (2 Corinthians 7:8-10).
To keep silent when a brother or sister is straying is not God-honoring. We are not to be the sin police, but we are to address sinful issues (James 5:19-20).
As King David flirted with the idea of how he could get something that he thought would make him happy, an anonymous attendant tried to get his attention. David ignored this and then tried to sweep it under the rug. In fact, he thought he got away with his sin (2 Samuel 11:1–12:7).
But God sent Nathan to speak a hard word to David. We don’t know when Psalm 141 was written, but we know that David did write it. Perhaps it was penned at the time of Nathan’s loving confrontation. He said, “Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head” (Psalm 141:5).
We do know that David wrote Psalm 51 after Nathan’s loving hard word, and in this prayer we see David’s confession, repentance, and a request for God’s joy to replace David’s grief.
So how do New Testament-era Christians use good grief to help fellow saints?
Examine yourself first (Matthew 7:1-5). Make sure you aren’t plagued by the same sin you have noticed in a brother or sister.
Cry before you confront, just as the prophet Samuel did before he had to deliver a hard word to King Saul (1 Samuel 15:10-11).
Confront in love with the goal of restoration, but make sure you are confronting someone who know you love them and who will receive your loving word(Proverbs 27:5; 9:8).
Pray that their grief will be turned to joy (Luke 22:31-32; Galatians 6:1; Psalm 51:12).
Friendships with fellow saints are precious and they are vital. We need iron to sharpen iron (Proverbs 27:17) so that we will all stand before the throne together for eternity.
William Shakespeare was a master at a well-timed insult when one of his characters zinged another! Reader’s Digest has a list of 53 Shakespearian insults that are still good today!
What happens when you hold your breath? Among other things “your blood is delivering the last of oxygenated blood cells to your tissues while carbon dioxide is rapidly building up (hypercapnia). At the same time, there is a steady decrease of blood oxygen (hypoxia). The pH of your blood is getting slightly lower (acidic), and your heart starts to beat faster. God designed your brain to sense the increased carbon dioxide levels and initiates the effort for you to breathe. This will last for about a minute before there will be an involuntary intake of air via the contraction of your diaphragm.” And yet God designed aquatic mammals in a way uniquely suited to thrive in water. Amazing!
When the Bible says that God’s hand was against His people, that is actually a very loving thing! Consider this example of a parent with a small child. Please watch this full sermon.
I have been sharing a series of messages with my church about how God turns our grief into joy. As a tie-in with this series, John Piper has Fifteen Tactics for Joy.
Pentecost for over 1500 years was a celebration in Jerusalem that brought in Jews from all over the world. But on the Day of Pentecost which came just ten days after Jesus ascended back into heaven, the meaning of Pentecost was forever changed! 
Craig T. Owens 