Church Is Messy: Acts of Leadership week 6 cover art

Church Is Messy: Acts of Leadership week 6

Church Is Messy: Acts of Leadership week 6

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Rick and Svea spend much of the episode discussing Paul's warning to the church leaders in Ephesus as found in Acts 20:17-38: watch out for the wolves among you.


A warning from Rick about this episode: It may contain meandering conversation with points of lucidity in a forest of discontinuity and convoluted word salads, but it has been fun.


Topics discussed in this episode:

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 03:21 Serving is leading and leadership.
  • 06:35 The genius of Scripture: the same passage allowed Rick to pivot the emphasis in response to immediate needs without bending it to fit the new topic. This message's focus: Be on guard - have the back of those whom you lead.
  • 10:57 Wolves prowling around as a threat to the flock: Paul's admonition then and still true today.
  • 12:02 Three ways to spot a wolf: 1) they try to raise your level of fear; 2) they try to lower your level of empathy; and 3) they try to distract you from being an ambassador for Jesus and his kingdom.
  • 12:21 Looking at each wolf tactic: Watch out for those using fear as a manipulator.
  • 17:07 Watch out for those downplaying empathy or even calling it a sin.
  • 25:33 Watch out for those trying to distract us from the primacy of Jesus.
  • 29:14 How do you overcome the wolves? In every arena of your life, live as though Jesus were living your life: be with Jesus, become more like Jesus, and do as Jesus did. Who we are becoming is more important than what we do.
  • 31:52 The big difference between a true representative of Jesus and a wolf: A true representative will say follow me as I follow Jesus. A wolf will try to get you to join their endeavor and impose aspects of Christianity on others so they can get more control.
  • 34:31 The way of Jesus is always going to be different than any expression of the world's way.
  • 35:17 Playing the movie forward.
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