Just My Thoughts
Leadership in Context with Keith Tucci
Episode 100
Welcome to this special 100th episode of Leadership in Context!
Today I want to do something different than normal. I want to share with you some random thoughts that aren’t connected. Things I’m thinking right now. Things I’m thinking about the local church and moving forward. The past 8 months have really caused us to give some deep consideration in order to process many things related to the local church.
What is the Church facing, and what are critical issues we need to think about?
1. CIVIL GOVERNMENT
At the top of that list is that the Church has to understand its relationship to civil government. The Bible does not teach ultimate allegiance to anyone but God; therefore, the Bible cannot condone ultimate submission to anyone but God. When you read Church history, the thing that derailed the Church more than internal conflict, strife, compromise, and even sin, was an unhealthy relationship to the civil government. The tenor of Scripture is that we should get along with government and comply as much as we possibly can, but that our ultimate allegiance is to God.
Every time there has been a move of God, there have been a few good men who have ended up in jail. I don’t doubt that that is going to continue. There will be men who will stand up and do the right thing, even if it isn’t the popular thing. Too often, we judge the right thing based on how it affects my church or me or my reputation, rather than asking if it is true or if it is right. Jesus took some reputation hits for doing the right thing. Who do we think we are to escape the same thing?
2. RELEVANCE
Who do we need to be relevant to? In our attempt to be relevant to the culture, for the most part, we have been swallowed up by culture rather than making a difference in culture. We are to be relevant to God first. If we aren’t relevant to God, we become irrelevant to lost people and to saved people who need to know the next step in their life. Being relevant to God is more critical than being relevant to man. We should package things as sharp and as gracefully as we can, but the content of that package has to be relevant to God. I’m going to preach what God preaches, and I’m going to do everything I can to remove the stumbling blocks so people will look at the message rather than the sloppy communication, process, or agenda.
3. JUSTICE
Abel’s blood cried from the ground for justice. For an interesting study, look up “innocent blood in Scripture,” and follow that trail. You’ll see that God’s emphasis is on justice. There are many issues that need justice in our culture and all of them need to be addressed. But the one issue where the enemy gets so much of his appetite and reign is in the sacrifice of unborn children, the shedding of innocent blood. The Church has to deal with the shedding of innocent blood as the most predominate cultural challenge we have—preaching on it, teaching on it, understanding the ramifications of it. When you devalue human life in its smallest form, it spreads to any form—sex trafficking, bodily mutilation, suicide, drug abuse, domestic violence, etc. All of these things get their root in the devaluation of human life. Jesus gave His life for our life. Jesus elevated the value of our life by giving His life. By the giving of His life, He was testifying that human life is the highest possible currency.
4. BIBLE ORTHODOXY
If the Bible says it, we preach it. If the Bible is against it, we preach about it. If the Bible is against abortion, we preach about it. If the Bible is for marriage and against homosexuality, we preach about it. If the Bible is for tithing, we preach it. If the Bible is for holiness, we preach about it. There needs to be Bible orthodoxy. We need to say what God says because this is God’s Kingdom, not ours. We need to be submitted to what the Bible says. For example, Church discipline is not taught, understood, or even acknowledged in some churches. The Bible teaches about it, so we need to teach about it. The way we worship, the tone of our worship, how long we worship—instead of just being conformed to culture, what does the Bible teach about it? We can wrestle over application; that’s what good brothers and sisters do. Orthodoxy teaches what the Bible says. Orthopraxy is how to apply what it says. We need to have both. We can’t be Full Gospel if we aren’t full of the gospel. Let’s be clear on what the Bible says.
5. RACIAL REALITY
Operate in racial reality. If we’ve done something wrong, if we’ve been prejudicial, if there are underlying issues, acknowledge them, repent, and take redemptive actions. If we haven’t done those things, then don’t confess to something you haven’t done. That would been like a doctor giving a patient medicine that they don’t need for a disease that doesn’t exist. Do not succumb to a blanket cultural indictment that does not fit you or your church. Where it does fit, own it and deal with it. Have practical steps on how you will remedy the attitude, action, lack of action, or lack of empathy. On the other side, don’t try to be culturally relevant by being insincere, having a lack of integrity, and not being honest with God and yourself. Learn to speak the truth.
Thank you for joining me for these past 100 episodes of Leadership in Context. I hope you have learned many things and are able to apply them in the context of your local church.
Join us next week as Keith Tucci continues to put leadership truth in the context of the local church. And as always, please like, share, rate/review, and invite others to listen. See you next week!
