Gifts of Leadership, Part 1

Introduction to Gifts of Leadership and Pastoral Fitness

0:02 The following lecture is part of the pastoral theology course given at the Trinity Ministerial Academy in Montville, New Jersey.

0:11 Brethren, we take up the crucial issue of what constitutes a biblical call to the pastoral office. And as we do, I remind you that in using the term pastoral office, I'm referring to one whose generic identity is that of an elder, but whose specific function within the eldership is described in 1 Timothy 5.17b as one who labors in the word and in doctrine. And I have asserted that there are four elements that comprise a biblical call to this office, and they are there on the sheet before you.

0:55 First, Roman numeral number four is where we are presently studying the four elements which comprise a biblical call to the pastoral office. We have already covered large letter A, a spiritual desire for the work of the pastoral office, and the major exegetical material, of course, being 1 Timothy 3.1a and 1 Peter 5 and verse 4. And for several weeks, we have, I've been concentrating upon large letter B, a proven competence, and I have decided now that will show up eventually in the finished notes as the word fitness, a proven fitness to do the work associated with the pastoral office. And that fitness, in turn, has three major strands involved in it. First of all, spiritual character, and our main texts being 1 Timothy, 3, 1 to 7, Titus 1, 6 to 9, and then spiritual experience, in which we drew from a number of passages, and now we are presently considering the matter of spiritual gifts. And thus far, we've considered the specific identity of those gifts in two areas, and we come to the third and final one this morning.

2:21 First of all, we considered those gifts which come to expression, in the disposition, capabilities, and acquisitions of a sanctified mind. And then last week, we dealt with those gifts which come to expression in the various faculties connected with the facility of sanctified utterance. Now, some of you who took careful notes will say, but alas, Pastor Martin, you told us there would be four categories, now you've said three. That's right, because in my further study, I believe that I was making a distinction without a difference in the third and fourth, and they have been collated now under this third category.

3:06 So we come to consider today the third category of spiritual gifts, and I am describing the category in this way. Those gifts which come to expression in a proven ability, those gifts which come to expression in a proven ability, those gifts which come to expression in a proven ability, those gifts which come to expression in a proven ability, those gifts which come to expression in a proven ability, those gifts which come to expression in a proven ability, expression in a proven ability to oversee, guide, and govern the people of God with sanctified leadership. Those gifts which come to expression in a proven ability to oversee, guide, and govern the people of God with sanctified leadership. Now, in opening up this third category of spiritual gifts which demonstrate fitness to do the work connected with the pastoral office, I have two major headings. The first, the biblical basis for asserting the necessity of such gifts of sanctified leadership. The biblical basis for asserting the necessity of such gifts of

4:25 sanctified leadership. The biblical basis for asserting the necessity of such gifts of sanctified leadership. And then when I come to the second heading, I'll repeat it at that time, the fundamental components of the gifts essential to sanctified leadership. And I hope to cover heading number one in this first hour and heading number two in our second hour after the break.

The Unequivocal Requirement of 1 Timothy 3:4-5

4:48 First of all, then, the biblical basis for asserting the necessity of such gifts of sanctified leadership. And then when I come to the second heading, I'll repeat it at that time, the And as with the previous lecture, we will look first of all at the explicit testimony of the Word of God, and then secondly, the implicit testimony of the Word of God. First of all, then, the explicit testimony of the Word of God, and under that heading, my first assertion is the unequivocal requirement of 1 Timothy 3, 4, and 5.

5:28 Of the two elements of the explicit testimony of the Word of God, the first is the unequivocal requirement of 1 Timothy 3, 4, and 5. And turning to that passage, you will see why I've chosen the wording, the unequivocal requirement of 1 Timothy 3, 4, and 5. After indicating that a man desiring overseership does indeed desire a good work, we then confront as the first word in verse 2 that particle of necessity thrown forward for emphasis, day. It is necessary, therefore, that the overseer be. And then we have the requirements listed. And when we come to verses 4 and 5, under that particle of necessity, 1.

6:30 Now the basic issue of these verses is not to teach that only married men should be taken care of. Now, the basic issue of these verses is not to teach that only married men should be taken care of. Men with children can be elders. Some have so construed the passage and in so doing have disqualified our Lord and the Apostle Paul from being competent to exercise the office of an elder. And you've got problems with that since our Lord Jesus is himself called the shepherd and the bishop, the overseer of our souls. And Paul, as an apostle, was an elder of the church universal, even as Peter asserts concerning himself in 1 Peter 5.1.

7:40 So this passage is not meant in any way to teach that a man must be a married man with children in order to qualify for the eldership. Rather, the teaching is this. That only those with a proven ability to exercise sanctified leadership of others are to bear rule in the church of God. And in most cases, the presence or absence of this ability will be most accurately discovered in a man's domestic government of his own family.

8:23 That is the teaching of the passage. As so often in Scripture, generic principles come to us couched in the specific application of the principles. The Bible does not like to traffic in theoretical principles that float by us unclothed with specific application. And responsible exegesis demands again and again that we unclothe the principle from its specificity.

8:55 That is, that we unclothe the principle from its specific application, isolate the principle, and concentrate upon it, and then clothe it with the particulars of any given circumstance as those circumstances demand. And so the teaching of this passage is that an unproven leader does not qualify for the eldership. That's the bottom line of verses 4 and 5. If a man rules, not well his own house, if he does not prove his ability to exercise wise and responsible government in the sphere in which most men will be put to the test, most tellingly, then how, arguing from the lesser to the greater, how shall he take care of the church of God? So the crucial issue, then, is proven ability to exercise sanctified leadership. And if that ability is not proven in the ordinary context of a man's own domestic circle, then those who are assessing a man and a man who is assessing himself must seek that proof from other structures in which God has placed him as a natural leader.

10:25 And in those relationships, he must demonstrate the ability to rule well. Now, in seeking to drive home to Timothy the non-negotiable nature of this requirement, he argues, as we have seen, from the lesser to the greater. And I believe he uses the two Greek words as fundamentally synonymous. Praistemi is the verb used twice in the Greek language.

10:55 It's the first time in the history of the Greek language verse 4 one who rules well his own house verse 5 if a man knows not how to rule his own house and then we have epi maleo my used at the end of verse 5 how shall he take care of the church of god and both of these words pro iste me and epi maleo my gather to themselves the ideas of overseeing leading providing and governing as we've considered in another context that's the verb epi maleo my that is used in luke's gospel when the samaritan said to the innkeeper take care of him epi maleo my exercise a gracious government resulting in this man's restoration to health and to well-being you now it is this concept of taking care of the church of god in a manner analogous to exemplary domestic rule which is inseparably bound up in the job description of an overseer do you see that

12:14 analogy between domestic rule and caring for the church of god and that is bound up in the job description description of an overseer. Now, while the Word of God is so clear on this point, one can only marvel at the high-handed affront to the rule of Christ in His church when men whose domestic government is not exemplary, is even at times shameful or scandalous, are admitted to the pastoral office simply because they have, quote, the gift to preach. As though their almighty gift to preach negates the clear emphasis of the passage that he must be a man who has a proven ability to exercise authority in such a way as to be exemplary. So the proven gift of sanctified leadership is, specifically, non-negotiably required in all who would serve in the pastoral office. Then add to this explicit testimony of the Word of God the second explicit testimony,

The Unambiguous Testimony of Romans 12:8 and 1 Corinthians 12:28

13:37 and it's what I'm calling the unambiguous testimony that special gifts of rule and government are conferred by Christ upon men in the church. The unambiguous testimony of the Word of God is, that special gifts of rule and government are conferred by Christ upon men in the church. And here we have two key passages, Romans chapter 12, a passage to which we've made reference again and again in this series of studies on what constitutes a legitimate call to the pastoral office. I alluded to it in my opening prayer.

14:22 Every man, is commanded, Romans 12, 3, to think soberly according as God hath dealt to each man a measure of faith. Our assessment is to accord with what God has actually done in the conferral of gifts. Verse 6, and having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy, according to the proportion of our faith or ministry or service, let us give ourselves to our ministry, or he that teacheth to his teaching, he that exhorteth to his exhorting, he that gives, let him do it with liberality, he that rules with diligence, he that shows mercy with cheerfulness. And in this specimen, and that's all it is, not exhaustive, in this specimen enumeration of some of the gifts that Christ confers upon men, and in this case some of them could well have been conferred upon women,

15:41 who would have a special gift of showing ministry, a special gift of giving, and to do so with liberality, and in certain cases we know when the gift of prophecy was still being conferred legitimately, legitimately, in the transition period of redemptive history, it was conferred in certain instances upon women, though they were forbidden to exercise it in the mixed assembly, 1 Corinthians 11, 1 Corinthians 14, Philip's four daughters who prophesied, but here we have listed among this specimen list of gifts, he that rules, and here we have a participial form of proistomy, proistomenos, now in this passage the clear inference is that some may be given gifts of public utterance, and not be given a gift of rule, and vice versa, that some may be given a gift of ruling, who may not be given a gift of teaching or of exhortation. Now it's very interesting that Owen and some of the older, older writers, recognizing this principle, came up with a third office in the church, you had the office of elder, some of whom might labor in the word and in doctrine, but who also had the gift

17:09 of rule, along with a gift of public utterance, and then the office of deacon, but then they called the office of doctor, and doctor was the place to put the man who had an eminent gift of teaching, but who was obviously devoid of the unique and special gift of teaching, and who was devoid of the special gifts needed to rule wisely in the church of Jesus Christ. Now I believe they were wrong in designating an office of doctor, but I believe they were right in recognizing that an eminent gift of public utterance is not necessarily and always joined to those combination of gifts essential to wise rule, and they would not assume that because a man preached and taught well, so well, that he would not be able to rule, and so well, that he would not be able to rule, as to warrant his being set apart to be one of the recognized public teachers in the church, that that automatically brought him into the council of the oversight to give wise guidance and government in the church, and some of you perhaps have come across some of that in your reading. I could cite the instances in Owen, and I believe, though I haven't documented it yet, I believe I've come across it in Calvin as well, and it may be that Owen took his clue from Calvin, and it's interesting to me that he took his clue from Calvin, and it's interesting to me that he took his clue from Calvin, and it's interesting to me that he took his clue from Calvin, and it's interesting that both of these men were essentially and primarily pastors, and that's why

18:33 they saw that distinction. We must never forget that the fundamental identity of Calvin and Owen was not the identity of the scholar surrounded in his library with his books, but laboring pastors seeking to give oversight to the people of God, and they probably recognized in some of their colleagues something perhaps very short of brilliance in the way that Calvin and Owen were in public ministry, who were dunces when it came to being shepherds to God's people, and they wanted to find a category, and when they saw he that teaches, and the implication being he may not necessarily have a gift of rule, they found a slot for him in the office of doctor or teacher in the church. So this passage clearly indicates that one of the donations, one of the gifts of the ascended Christ given to men in his church, is not a gift of God. It's a gift of God. It's a gift of God. The gift of God in this church is the gift of ruling, and then the second clear text,

19:36 what I've called unambiguous testimony that special gifts of rule and government are given to man, is 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 28, and before looking at that, let's just consider briefly verses 4 to 7 of that chapter. Now, there are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit, There are diversities of ministrations and the same Lord. There are diversities of workings, but the same God who works all things in all, but to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit with all. And the clear emphasis of these verses is that these gifts are given. They are given by the Spirit. They are given as the Spirit is the great executor of the will of the risen Lord in heaven. And they are given for corporate edification. To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit with all.

20:46 Then, when we have this, this specimen list again, and I never cease to marvel at the Pentecostals and Charismatics who, when they say, Do you believe in the gifts? always limit their thinking to this specimen list in 1 Corinthians 12, and almost always ignore the specimen list in Romans 12. And I've wondered by what authority they make this distinction. It's always puzzled me.

21:14 This is not an exhaustive list. It is a specimen list. And in this specimen list, we read in verse 28, God hath set some in the church, first, apostles, secondly, prophets, thirdly, teachers, then, miracles. Very interestingly, that here where we have what might be called an order of importance for the well-being of the church, apostles are listed first as those special building blocks in the foundation of the church, along with prophets.

21:50 Ephesians 2.20. And then before miracles, gifts of healings, and tongues are listed teachers. Very interesting.

22:00 First, apostles, secondly, prophets, thirdly, teachers, then. And now comes a specimen list of the lesser gifts, miracles, gifts of healings, helps, and here's our word, governments, and then diverse kinds of tongues. Now, the word used, here, translated in the 1901, governments, and in the margin, wise counsels, is the word koubernesis, koubernesis. Sound familiar?

22:35 Of a word that's become popular in recent days? Cybernetics. Cybernetics is taken directly from this Greek word. It's the only place found in the New Testament, and it means ability to lead.

22:48 And when it is found in the, plural, it indicates proofs of ability to hold a leading position in the church. So say Arndt and Gingrich. But you have its sister word, koubernesis, and it is used two places in the New Testament. Acts 27.11 and Revelation 18.17, and it refers in both cases to the pilot or the steersman, of a ship.

23:23 It's a beautiful imagery. Here's the pilot, the steersman, that is giving direction to the entire vessel, and all the people on that vessel, and all of the cargo within the hold of the vessel. And this gift of ability to lead, to be a sanctified steersman of the ship of God's church, is mentioned as a distinction. It is a distinct gift conferred by the exalted Lord through the executive administrative activity of the Holy Spirit, and it is given for the mutual edification of the church.

24:07 So when we take this unambiguous testimony of Romans 12.8 and 1 Corinthians 12.28, we see that special gifts of rule and government. 1 Corinthians 12.28.

24:21 1 Corinthians 12.28. 1 Corinthians 12.28.

24:21 1 Corinthians 12.28. 1 Corinthians 12.28.

24:22 1 Corinthians 12.28. 1 Corinthians 12.28.

25:24 1 Corinthians 12.28. 1 Corinthians 12.28. A special gift of the Holy Ghost. And you know what two texts he cites?

26:27 Romans 12.6 and 8, 1 Corinthians 12.28. It is the Holy Ghost which makes the elders of the church its bishops or overseers by calling them to their office, Acts 20.28, and what he calls any man unto, that he furnisheth him with abilities for the discharge of. 1 Corinthians 12.28. 1 Corinthians 12.28.

26:52 1 Corinthians 12.28. 1 Corinthians 12.28.

26:53 1 Corinthians 12.28. 1 Corinthians 12.28.

26:53 1 Corinthians 12.28. 1 Corinthians 12.28.

26:53 1 Corinthians 12.28. 1 Corinthians 12.28.

26:53 1 Corinthians 12.28. 1 Corinthians 12.28.

26:53 1 Corinthians 12.28. 1 Corinthians 12.28.

26:53 1 Corinthians 12.28. 1 Corinthians 12.28.

26:54 The Holy Ghost calls men and constitutes them overseers. He gives the ability to oversee. That is the gifts essential to sanctified leadership in the Church of Christ. But now in showing the biblical basis for asserting the necessity of such gifts of sanctified leadership, not only do we have these two strands of explicit testimony from the Word of God, the unequivocal requirement of 1 Timothy 3, 4, and 5, and the unambiguous testimony that such gifts are conferred, but we have B, the implicit testimony of the Word of God.

Implicit Testimony: Titles and Tasks of the Pastoral Office

27:39 And under this heading I have two lines of evidence. Number one, the titles of the pastoral office and the task of the pastoral office. And when we bring the titles and the task together, we have strong, implicit testimony that no man is biblically qualified or properly constituted a pastor in Christ's Church who does not have conferred upon him by the Holy Spirit gifts of sanctified leadership. All right?

28:14 The titles used for the office.

28:17 What are the major nouns used for the pastoral office? Episkopos, an overseer.

28:26 Presbyteros, an elder. And poimane, a shepherd.

28:34 I believe those are the major nouns used. You may want to add teacher in conjunction with shepherd from Ephesians 4, 11.

28:46 Now, what are these nouns, these titles for the office of one who bears them if he has no divinely given gifts for sanctified leadership?

29:00 Who or what is an overseer who looks but does not perceive when he looks? Can't distinguish a healthy sheep from a sick sheep?

29:13 Who or what is an overseer who, when looking over, has no heart to step in and protect those whom he oversees when they need protection? To comfort and console when they need consolation? In other words, what is an episkopos? An overseer without gifts of sanctified leadership among the people of God.

29:41 What is a presbyteros? With all of its taproots in that rich Old Testament biblical theology of the emergence of the elders as Moses' counselors in seeking to do what? Administer wise and righteous government in Israel. When Jethro said, you're going to kill yourself, Moses, handling the whole shebang, you're suffering.

30:04 And so wise men were chosen to help give what? Righteous, judicious government and direction to God's ancient covenant people. And then as that whole concept was embedded in synagogue life, and as best we can trace it grows out of that and just appears there in Acts 11 and verse 30 in the New Testament. And then we find it.

30:34 It's more formal teaching in the later pastoral epistles. Well, what is a presbyteros? Why the term an older one, if indeed with age is not generally associated that deposit of wisdom and sagacity needed to give safe and sound and judicious counsel and guidance. So the elder who lacks the spirit given gifts of sanctified leadership.

31:03 Is. Just a name. That's all. And likewise with the shepherd, the point main.

31:11 What is a shepherd who does not discern the differences in sheep, the dangers to which sheep are exposed and all of the rich imagery bound up in the whole concept of a shepherd or pastor? Both words being used to translate the one Greek word. Point main. So I.

31:34 Say. The very titles for the office assume divinely imparted gifts of sanctified leadership. And then the same is true with regard to the tasks associated with the office. And here we look at the verbs.

31:55 And unless I've overlooked something, I think the four main verbs are poem I know to act the part and fulfill the functions of a shepherd acts 2028. Take heed to yourselves. And to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd, not to feed, to shepherd the flock of God, which he purchased with his own blood, and then pro is stay me to lead to be at the head of to direct to manage first Thessalonians 512 know them that are over you in the Lord. And then. Which means to lead or to rule.

32:49 Used of our Lord Matthew 26 out of you shall come forth one who shall. He get all my who shall govern, who shall lead, who shall rule my people, Israel and the overseers in Hebrews 13, 717 and 24 are not described in terms of a noun construction. But in terms of verbal or participial constructions of he get all my the ones who are over you in the Lord and spoke unto you the word of God, those who led you, who ruled you, obey them, who have the rule, who give the lead to you and submit to them for they watch for your souls. And then, of course, Episcopal to oversee, to care for. First Peter five and verse two.

33:52 Now, again, what are these activities but the open door to confusion, schism and horrible, fractured congregations if the men called upon to perform them have no divinely imparted gifts for sanctified leadership? These are the tasks. Poimino. Pro is stay me.

34:22 He get all my Episcopal. And how can one perform those tasks if he has not been given a fitness for those tasks by the impartation of sanctified ability or ability to give sanctified leadership? So then I rest my case for asserting that fitness for the work connected with the pastoral office demands those gifts which come to expression. In a proven ability to oversee, guide and govern the people of God with sanctified leadership.

Fundamental Components of Sanctified Leadership Gifts: Spiritual Discernment

35:04 We've looked at the explicit testimony of the word of God and then the implicit testimony of the word of God. Now, I'm glad I did get through that exegetical material more quickly than I thought I would. So I do want to start in because it's in this second heading that I had hoped I'd have enough time to dilate. And so we come to major Roman numeral number two, the fundamental components of the gifts essential for sanctified leadership.

35:38 Having set before you what I have chosen to call the biblical basis for asserting the necessity of such gifts of sanctified leadership, the explicit and implicit testimony of the word. Now, the fundamental components of the gifts essential for sanctification. And I have five such components to set before you this morning. Before I begin to deal with them, and I'll have time probably to deal with one or two before we take a break.

36:09 I want to confess two things. Number one, tremendous philological frustration. I have pulled my Rodale synonym finder and my Webster's New World Collegiate Dictionary out of their appropriate places. And I have all the tools to deliver to you again and again and again and try to word precisely against an old text into these borders, and then I even consulted with my heat-seeking Missal to see whether he could help me in questions that were tough for him.

36:42 And all he did was bring me back to the original, more wordy phrase for which I was trying to find a one-word substitute and convinced me that my one-word substitute would more mislead than guide. So, all that work was for nothing. It wasn't for nothing. convinced me that there is a hole in the english language when it comes to the right word and maybe i'll work at inventing one all right so i i confess the frustration at the at the level of philology trying to find precisely the right word and then i confess as i did on the front end of this study some eight weeks ago the tremendous fear lest i go one centimeter beyond the word of god in these things or lest i fall one centimeter short and i trust god the holy spirit will give us discernment because we're dealing with matters that affect not just the future of you men and whether or not you can with good conscience proceed on the course in which you presently find yourself but i think of all of god's sheep that will be cursed if a man without this gift of sanctified leadership finds his way into the office of the pastor and those things are much upon my heart brethren so i trust we will together pray for

38:01 light and guidance as we take up these five components of the gifts essential for sanctified leadership and the first is this and here's the phrase that's going to be at the front of everyone for which i was trying to find one word a more than ordinary degree of spiritual discernment you a more than ordinary degree of spiritual discernment because the gift of the spirit given to all of god's people results in every child of god having some measure of spiritual discernment he who would lead god's people must have a more than ordinary degree of spiritual discernment by and and benefit god instead so the карт i think the affirmations of the spirit were of that commodity now the initial premise that all of god's people endowed by the spirit have a measure of spiritual discernment is taught in many places of the word of god i give you one clear

39:19 specimen text first john two and verse 27 first john 2 and verse 27 where john says as for you the Which you received of him abides in you. And he's speaking to the people of God indiscriminately. Verse 18 of that chapter is the beginning of the paragraph, Little children, little born ones, referring to all of God's people, they have all received an anointing from him, and he says you need not that anyone teach you, but as his anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true and is no lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide or abide ye, one of those constructions where we don't know whether it's the indicative or the imperative, ye abide in him. So every child of God is an anointed one, and with that anointing comes a measure of spiritual discernment. But what I am saying is that the first fundamental component of the gifts essential for sanctified leadership is a more than ordinary degree of spiritual discernment. One who is to lead, to oversee, to shepherd, to govern,

40:49 must indeed have not just the ordinary endowment of discernment which comes with the individual, the dwelling of the Holy Spirit, but he must have, and here you see I had used the word eminent, extraordinary, and all kinds of different synonyms, but when I tracked them down they all had a connotation of something that was a fifteen to twenty thousand foot mountain when everything else was down at about two thousand foothills, and I said that gives the wrong impression. So that's why I ended up full circle after I don't know how long, tracking down all kinds of words, a more than ordinary measure. Let me illustrate it this way. The word discernment itself means to be able to distinguish things that differ. Now pity the parent who cannot distinguish between the cry of pain in his child that has a bellyache and the cry of petulance when the child is frustrated that he can't have his own way. Pity the parent and pity the child. Who is under such a parent who cannot discern between the cry of pain and the cry of petulance.

42:06 You won't be able to exercise wise rule. Now you who are just daddies for the first time, don't be troubled if you can't figure that out in the first three months. There'll be plenty of time to figure it out, alright? Plenty of time.

42:19 So don't, don't, I saw some of you who've just become daddies in the last couple of months wondering, oh boy am I qualified for the ministry. No, in due course. That's what we're talking about, discernment. As a parent distinguishes the cry of pain from the cry of petulance.

42:39 The parent who in his teenager distinguishes between his stumbling over something in the living room because his feet and his other appendages have grown faster than the connections to the brain to handle them and the angry kicking at the couch. I can remember, I was almost my full mature height at age 14 and my feet and my hands were always in the way. Every meal, every night until my poor father would shake his head and say, Albert, you've got a gift. Almost every mealtime, a glass of milk or a glass of water.

43:20 I mean my eye was telling me it's there and when my hand reached for it, somehow it didn't quite make a straight line. It went this way or that way. It zigged or zagged. And it got a glass along the way.

43:31 And my feet, I was stumbling over everything. Horrible, horrible. Well, pity the parent and pity the child that can't distinguish between constitutional clumsiness rooted in a growth spurt in adolescence and little ways of defying one's parental authority by kicking at something, by smacking at something. Well, likewise in the church of Jesus Christ.

43:58 Pity the church that has overseers who do not have a more than ordinary measure of spiritual discernment to distinguish between a struggling sheep whose heart is set upon universal holiness but due to a combination of factors is making little if no progress with that besetting sin and the person who through an antinomian spirit and a false security doesn't care if he makes any progress against a glaring besetting sin. Pity the people who are under the oversight of such a man who lacks more than an ordinary measure of spiritual discernment that has no necessary connection with native IQ nor with general growth in piety. Now there is an element of discernment that comes with growth in piety. We read that in Hebrews. The full grown are those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil.

Fundamental Components of Sanctified Leadership Gifts: Spiritual Wisdom

45:08 Every time a Christian makes a moral and ethical choice in the realm of righteousness and against sin his discernment is increased. But the most mature Christian in that ordinary growth of discernment we're talking about a peculiar endowment of the spirit that imparts a level of discernment that can never be gained in the ordinary course of Christian development. It is a peculiar endowment upon those whom the head of the church is furnishing to be the special guides of his church. And then closely akin to that and we'll touch on this one and then we'll break and then we can take up the other three in the next hour. There must be, as the second component, a more than ordinary measure of spiritual wisdom. A more than ordinary measure of spiritual wisdom. Now when I use the word wisdom I'm speaking of that commodity which enables a man to use his stock of knowledge in order to make righteous judgment and to secure right goals by the best means.

46:35 Wisdom is that commodity which enables a man to use his stock of knowledge to make righteous judgments and to secure right goals by the best means. And when we think of the relationship of wisdom to leadership our mind should immediately turn to such passages as 1 Kings 3 and two passages in Isaiah to which I want to make reference. You'll remember that when it was evident that Solomon was to be established king in Israel and the Lord appears to him 1 Kings 3 and verse 5 in Gibeon Jehovah appeared to Solomon in a dream by night and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. God throws down a blank check in front of his appointed king and Solomon begins by recounting the goodness of God to his father David and the fulfillment of God's promise to David and now what is it he asks? Verse 7 And now, O Jehovah my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father and I am but a little child.

48:03 I know not how to go out or come in and thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen and a great people that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give thy servant therefore an understanding heart to judge thy people that I may discern between good and evil for who is able to judge this thy great people? And the speech pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing and God said unto him because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies but have asked understanding to discern justice behold I have done according to your word lo, now notice I have given you here is a peculiar divine donation it does not come in the process of growth and development whatever it may have incorporated within its orbit of previous experience whatever would yet be incorporated here is the element of a divine charism I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart so that there hath been none like thee before thee neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.

49:32 Here is God imparting a more than ordinary measure of spiritual wisdom as part of that endowment essential to give wise and spiritual guidance to the people of God. Then with reference to our blessed Lord himself in Isaiah chapter 11 and here the doctrine of our union with Christ should bring us tremendous encouragement the spirit who rests upon him and fills him without measure is the spirit whom he imparts to us and in virtue of our union with him we partake of those things that are given to him and there shall come forth Isaiah 11 1 a shoot out of the stock of Jesse and a branch out of his root shall bear fruit and the spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon him the spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of counsel and might the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord and his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord now notice and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes neither decide after the hearing of his ears that is first impressions will not regulate the administration of his rule

51:00 but with righteousness shall he judge the poor and decide with equity for the meat and how is he enabled to do that because the spirit of wisdom and understanding of counsel and of knowledge rest upon him and therefore he is not vulnerable to making snap judgments based upon first appearances and initial impressions and what a curse is in any church when its overseers are making judgments based upon initial impressions and lack the endowment of spirit and spiritual wisdom granted for that office now again like so many of God's gifts though it is sovereignly imparted it is cultivated and developed by means stir into flame the gift of God which is in thee it's God's gift it came upon you by the sovereign activity of God Timothy but you stir it into flame and so when we turn to Isaiah chapter 50 we find Messiah saying the one who has been given the spirit of wisdom and counsel of knowledge and of understanding so that he will not make unrighteous judgments based upon first impressions verse 4

52:28 the Lord Jehovah has given me the tongue of them that are taught that I may know how to sustain with words him that is weary he wakens morning by morning he wakes mine ear to hear as they that are taught and here is the picture of Messiah being taught his ear being wakened and its application to us is that as we live in the scriptures and assimilate the scriptures as we pray in the scriptures God is increasing that stock of the grace of spiritual wisdom essential to a wise and judicious government of God's people making righteous judgments and securing right goals by the best means let me illustrate again from the parental realm the parent sees a mosquito on the forehead of his child and he knows that the mosquito ought to go and lest he rest on anyone else's forehead it'd be good if he goes to the place where all mosquitoes go and they get squashed so he reaches for the baseball bat that his little kid just brought in and he goes after the mosquito on his son's head with the baseball bat well he gets the mosquito all right but in the process he loses his son he bashes his skull

53:57 now what's his problem well he lacks wisdom he's not choosing the right or the best means to secure a right end or goal his end is squash the mosquito but the best means is not to take a baseball bat conversely if the kid lived through that ordeal a week later he's out in the backyard and somebody's pit bull gets loose and has got the kid by the thigh and he comes out with a fly swatter whomping the rump of the pit bull you'd say the poor guy's mixed up he ought to use the fly swatter on the mosquito and the baseball bat on the pit bull that's right but it's tragic when you see that in the ministry crushed saints fractured churches because spiritual fools have been gone after mosquitoes with baseball bats and pit bulls with fly swatters they see the need but they lack the wisdom to choose the appropriate means to meet that need you see them making snap judgments judging according to the initial impression of the eyes and the ears and lacking the spiritual wisdom to ask the questions essential to lay bare the real situation and I say God have mercy on the church that is cursed with men in the pastoral office who do not have more

55:26 than an ordinary measure of the gift of spiritual wisdom in matters of discipline building programs and a host of other things how many churches have come into deep fissures if not open splits because the overseers lack the spiritual wisdom properly to guide the church in the exercise of discipline in whether or not it was the right time to launch into a building program these things of which the ministry is made constantly demand of us spiritual wisdom the choice of what subjects what themes what books we are going to preach through and why and when all of those things there are constant demands upon us and to secure right goals by the best means and there is no manual thick enough and detailed enough to which you can turn for specific case answers to all of those possible exigencies there must be the endowment of spiritual wisdom and without it no man is fit to give leadership in Christ's church well let's break there it's ten after and we'll come back and we'll pick up then I think