God Wants Us; We Need God

God spoke the universe into existence so that he could have a relationship with you and I. We were all created uniquely with a single uniting purpose: to be in a loving relationship with God. Everything you see around you is there to support this goal. Jesus is the tangible embodiment of God that we can understand in human terms. The Holy Spirit is our friend who is with us always to guide the way. But God does not demand this relationship of us. He patiently waits for us as we live out our lives. We are to come to him in our own time by our own freewill. The Father is always there, drawing us closer to him daily as he molds and shapes us. God wants us.

Because God gives us the space to grow we sometimes lose sight of our need for God. Especially when we experience success that we do not attribute to him. Giving God the credit does not come naturally to our sinful selves, particularly in the culture we presently live in. And when we fail, which we ultimately will, it can be difficult to repent. But repent we must. We need God far more than God needs us. When God created us he left a void in our souls that only God himself can fill. God is waiting to fill that space with an intimate personal relationship with him built on trust and love. We need to seek a relationship with Jesus to reach the ultimate self-awareness. We need God.

Bread & Wine

I was wrong, everybody needs someone, to hold on
Take my hand, I’ve been a lonesome man, took a while to understand

There's some things we can’t live without,
A man’s so prone to doubt,
Faithful are the wounds from friends.
So give it just a little time,
Share some bread and wine
Weave your heart into mine,
My friend

-Josh Garrels


^{Proverbs 27:4-6}

Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,
   but who can stand before jealousy?
Better is open rebuke
   than hidden love.  
Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
   profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

Patience Manuscript

Preach with Patience

In 2 Timothy 4:1-5 Paul implores Timothy, a Christian man and leader of his church, to preach the word with patience:

1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Value of Patience

As Christian men and leaders of our church we are all examples to those around us who look to us as sober-minded role models. Our children, our spouses, our friends, our colleagues, (for some) our students or players, and definitely the members of our church look up to us. They seek inspiration, guidance, good council, direction, feedback, perspective, and all the things they lack in themselves. They look to us to fulfill our ministries.

Constant Scrutiny

Consequently, being a leader, especially one who identifies himself with Christ, is no easy task. We are under constant scrutiny, both externally and internally, from below and above. When we are not providing for the needs of those around us, we are preparing to provide for the needs of those around us. We go to bed at night completely spent, but knowing that we have done the best we could to serve those we love.

And it’s not easy. Once we step out in faith, whether publically or privately, the attacks come from below. Temptations, misunderstandings, misplaced desires, confusion, exhaustion and other moments of weakness all build up to tear us down. Thankfully, because we stand up for Christ, we are under constant supervision by the Holy Spirit who stands up for us. He empowers us to continue to produce as he battles evil on our behalf.

Sometimes We Forget

The Holy Spirit’s battle against evil is not always visible to us. As a result, sometimes we forget who we are as men of God and so we become impatient as we perceive personal failure. Paul understood this feeling. Paul recognized his failings before his conversion. He knew who he was as Saul, and who he had become in Christ. Paul drew his strength from the recognition that it was not Paul, but God himself, who strengthened him with all power, endurance and patience. Consider Colossians 1:11-12

11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Paul recognized that if he was not patient with himself and his sinfulness that his impatience would result in an even greater sin: the sin of blocking God from doing his will in Paul’s life. God worked through Paul to reach sinners and, “share in the inheritance of the saints of light.” Paul’s inspired words compose much of the New Testament. Just think how different the world would be now if Paul decided to push Jesus away.

Jesus’ Patience

But this talk is not about Paul’s patience with himself; it’s about Jesus’ patience with Paul, and the example that provides us of just how much God loves us and wants to use us and our experiences in life with Christ as examples to the others who are watching our lives so closely. See, one of the most impactful ways we can show others that we love them is by being patient with them.

Everybody sins. Everybody. How we react to both our own sin and to the sins of other people is crucial. We can all be guided towards a more meaningful response to our sin by the way those we respect react towards our sin. Ever had a coach who made a big negative deal about a strikeout? Did their reaction motivate you to improve your next at bat? Maybe. How about a coach who took that same failure and turned it into an opportunity to grow (which is exactly what failure is: an opportunity to grow.) The second coach is the more patient coach, and a patient coach, parent, pastor, or leader, will be far more effective then an impatient or negative one.

They Waited

Sometimes patience takes a long time. A really long time. Think of Noah and his family. They waited 40 days for the rain to stop. Abraham and Sarah waited 25 years for a baby. The Israelites waited 40 years to enter the Promised Land. Being patient means sometimes we have to wait for those we love to grow. How long has God waited for you?

1 Timothy 1:15-16

In 1 Timothy 1:15-16 Paul writes:

15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

Foremost

In verse 15 Paul reminds us of the good news of Jesus Christ: he came to save us. Paul identifies himself as the “foremost” of sinners. The word foremost can be defined as, “most prominent in rank, importance, or position.” Here, Paul is referencing his persecution of the church as Saul, before his conversion. As Saul he hindered or blocked others from coming to Jesus.

However, this wretched past allowed God to save Paul as a supreme “example” of grace. An example we follow now. If God can use 1^st Century Christian Public Enemy #1 and the experience of Paul’s conversion that occurred two thousand years ago, then He can use us as examples right now, no matter who we are, no matter where we are, no matter what we’ve done.

Perfect Patience

But we have to let him. WE have to allow God to use us. How? By relying on his perfect patience with us in order to be patient with ourselves. Then, God can use us to be examples of how he will be patient with others. If Paul didn’t rely on God’s patience with him, then God would not be able to use him as an example for others.

The result of the gospel in Paul’s life was transformation. Isn’t that also true for us? We (men of leadership) serve those around us in the present as Paul did in the past. We are the contemporary “examples” that Paul writes about in verse 16.

Mercy, Salvation, and Patience

There are three major spiritual concerns addressed in 1 Timothy 1:15-16: Mercy, Salvation, and Patience. While no man in this room would presume to think of himself as having the same footprint on the world that Paul had, the truth is that we are all on equal footing in God’s heart. Like Paul, we are blessed to receive mercy (forgiveness) from God. Like Paul, Christ came to save us. And just like Paul Jesus displays his perfect patience through his love for each of us so that others can be inspired to turn to Jesus for their own salvation and eternal life.

Solutions

The passage offers us three useful solutions to apply if we are to be effective leaders and men of God. First, we must look to Jesus, who judges us faithful, to appoint us to service through his mercy. Remember, Christ appointed Paul to service knowing his past sins.

We all have our agendas and our areas of strength. But be careful. Look for God’s timing and his appointment to the areas where you focus you attention and your talents. You may see a need that you desire to fill, but your observation alone does not qualify you as the person assigned to meet that need. Psalm 27:14 instructs us:

Wait for the LORD;

be strong, and let your heart take courage;

wait for the LORD!

Second, we must lean on Jesus to support us through his faith and love because he came to save us. It’s all about Jesus, not you and me. We can’t save ourselves, let alone anyone else. Once we start to freestyle and go out on our own, we sin. It’s so tempting to wield the power of the gospel for our own battles, but that is unwise. We are in God’s army; Jesus is not our solider, he is our commanding officer and, should be our major resource.

Third, we should learn from Jesus because he offers us perfect patience. We all need a mentor, someone to help guide our path and give us inspiration; a person we can look up to as an example of how to behave in any given circumstance. Now, we have reached the distinguished point in our lives where people seek our mentorship. Reflect on Colossians 3:12

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

We are God’s chosen ones. Of course we need to look to each other for support. Moreover, we should always be looking to Jesus, the ultimate mentor, for guidance, inspiration, motivation, and direction.

Challenge

Leadership of Oasis Church, I challenge you to be patient with your selves and your faith in Christ, as your savior is patient with you. This challenge raises two significant questions: Why is our patience in our selves and our faith important to God? And, how do we find the strength to be patient with our selves and our faith?

Example to Others

Clearly our patience with our selves and our faith is important to God. Why? In verse 16 Paul explains that God uses his perfect patience in us as an example to others. What does this look like? God demonstrates patience in us to serve as an example of how we should be patient with our selves and others. But being patient is time consuming and difficult, and we are not God. How are we to find within us the ability to be as patient as God? The answer is found in the previous verse (15): in accepting God’s salvation through Jesus.

Important to God

In verse 16 we understand that our patience with our faith and ourselves is important to God because: God uses his perfect patience in us as an example to others so that he can draw others to himself, as he has drawn us. Paul writes,

“But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.”

Salvation Transforms

What does it mean to be patient with your faith? Salvation transformed Paul’s life and salvation transforms our lives. This transformation process is ongoing. Salvation is both constantly available and constantly transforming us into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

We are sinfully impatient by nature. We want our faith experience to begin with a life-rattling epiphany, and the subsequent transformation to be immediate and permanent. But it doesn’t work that way. If it did we would abandon Grace by the roadside on our way to Damascus. We would never repent. And there would be no growth in Christ.

Be thankful that salvation is an evolutionary process that repeats a cycle of sin, repentance, forgiveness and growth with a heading toward eternal life. Recognizing that we are in the midst of our own “salvation cycle” should make us more compassionate, broaden our understanding, and yes, our patience with others. Always demonstrate patience and mercy to others because God is using us as examples of faithful men who believe in Jesus for eternal life.

Ripple Effect

The ultimate goal of God using us in this way is a ripple effect that reaches out to many others. It’s like my theory on kindness. I believe kindness is not reciprocal, but cyclical. What kind acts I do for others I do not do for direct reward. Instead, I hope that those kind acts will motivate the recipients to act kindly to those around them. Eventually, maybe someday, I will receive kindness from someone whom I have never met, but that was indirectly affected by a kind act of mine in the past.

As we demonstrate kindness to others as a result of God’s patience with us, God uses us to draw others closer to eternal life. As those we inspire grow and mature in Christ, they become eligible to inspire others within their own realms of influence, and the ripple effect continues until even the farthest shores are touched.

Share Your Experiences

Paul had his own public audience as well as people close to him like Timothy with which to share his experiences with a patient savior. We have our families, our friends, and our colleagues who scrutinized our every move watching carefully to see just how patient, or “saved,” we actually are. Not just patient with others, but patient with ourselves.

Personal failure is far more difficult to forgive than the failure of others. And we fail a lot. How we handle our personal failure and sin has a HUGE impact on our ability to be patient with the failures of others. In Matthew 18:21-22 Jesus answers Peter’s question about forgiveness:

21Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

If we are to forgive our brothers 490 times, then how many times are we to forgive ourselves? Patience with others starts with patience with self. In our daily lives we have multiple opportunities to be an example of how to be patient and forgive other people. So beware. Because we are identified as leaders, how we behave at the workplace, in the marketplace, in the home and in the church is amplified.

Accept Salvation

The preceding verse (15) gives us direct instructions on how we can be patient in our faith: accept God’s salvation through Jesus. Paul writes,

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am foremost.”

In Process

We understand that all of us are in process and that God is in control, shaping and molding us daily, especially we men of faith, like Paul, “of whom I am foremost.” The danger we run into is the mistaken belief that our sin doesn’t stink. Paul’s life example was an extreme one that we thankfully do not share. Paul (as Saul) was directly responsible for blocking (and worse) the unsaved from salvation.

But just because we don’t share the aroma of Paul’s life/sin experience, does not mean that our own life/sin experience is not smelly. We all know exactly how messed up we are, and how we have sinned. Being leaders, some of our sins are public for all to see. But sin is a private matter between the individual and God. Your sin is NOT my business, and no Christian has any right to judge any other person for their sins. Matthew 7:5 states,

“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.”

These are important words for us to take to heart whenever we council others. Not that we don’t have authority to provide guidance, but that we understand the source of our advice is Jesus Christ and our life experience with him, and not from our “foremost” sinner selves.

Qualified

Of course, our “foremost” experience with Christ makes us that much more qualified to council our loved ones as God uses us as “examples.” Use your experiences as you grow and mature in Christ to share with, witness to, and council others.

To achieve a truly useful leadership role we must pursue a deep and meaningful relationship with Jesus. The type of relationship that is developed over a long period of time and includes both study and experience. Then, We can share with other believers the intimacy of our relationship with Jesus.

Effective Role Models

If we are going to be effective role models with Paul, we must be patient with our faith as Christ is patient with us. If we are to be used by God in our marriages, in our homes, and in our church, we must exercise patience with others and ourselves as God has demonstrated patience with us.

Opportunities

The opportunities for leaders to win the unsaved for Christ and share the blessings of the gospel abound. How we handle these opportunities is important. The way we patiently live out our faith affects those around us, sometimes in ways that we do not calculate.

Very recently, I was formally introduced to a member of our church who recognized me as, “the guy rockin’ it down front.” Later the same day a member of my family told me privately that the way I worship God during worship time in church, with my hands raised, and tears in my eyes, made them uncomfortable. They are at a different place in their relationship with Jesus than I am, and they don’t understand my reaction. While on the one hand they are curious, on they other hand they feel disconnected from me. This is not good. In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul writes:

“19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.”

While I am not willing (or even able) to change the way I feel about Jesus, or the way those feelings manifest in me, as a leader of my family, a leader of this church, and a servant to all, it is important that I patiently consider the spiritual conditions of those who are watching my every move. Does that mean I tone it down in their presence, perhaps.  Paul continues:

“22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”

In education we recognize that teachers must meet students wherever they are in terms of learning level, and then pull them, push them, and drag them along until the students reach the educational goals of the standards. The same is true for church leaders, whether it is Paul, or you and I, when we reach out to those God brings to us.

Success

If we are to be successful men of leadership, whatever role God assigns us, and useful examples of his perfect patience in us so that others are inspired to believe in him for eternal life, we must learn to live within his perfect patience.

Don’t panic when God’s schedule for your loved ones does not align to your own schedule. We must be as patient with them as God is with us. Remember:

1 Corinthians 7:14


“For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.”

and Isaiah 41:10

“fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

and finally, 2 Peter 3:15

“And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him.”

From: Fathered By God

You are the child of a kind, strong, and engaged Father, a Father wise enough to guide you in the Way, generous enough to provide for your journey. His first act of provision happened before you were even born, when he rescued you through the life, death, and resurrection of our elder brother, Jesus of Nazareth. Then he called you to himself-perhaps is calling you even now-to come home to him through faith in Christ. When a man gives his life to Jesus Christ, when he turns as the prodigal son turned for home and is reconciled to the Father, many remarkable things take place. At the core of them is a coming into true sonship.

-John Eldredge