Sunday Sermon

Shepherd Leadership Dave Shaner May 16, 2004

Introduction: Acts 6 offers three character traits that relates to any leader. These are fundamental principles to leadership in the kingdom of God.

1. A leader must have good ______________.

2. A leader must be "full of the ______________."

3. A leader must be "full of ______________."

I. Who is a "Leader"?

A. A leader is someone who can __________ others to follow God.

B. What is your life calling? What is your guiding ambition?

1. Our answers must be distinctly Christian?

2. Our ambitions must be to honor God in all we do.

C. Acts 20:24

You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.

II. Paul's Charge to Leaders - Acts 20:17-38

A. ____________ the ____________.

I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.  - Acts 20:21

Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.  - Acts 20:26-27

B. ____________ the ____________.

Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.  - Acts 20:28-29

Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.  - Acts 20:30-31

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!  - Galatians 1:8-9

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.  - 1 Timothy 4:1-5

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.  - 2 Timothy 4:3-4

C. ____________ unselfish ____________.

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'  - Acts 20:35

D. ____________ up new ____________.

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.  - 2 Timothy 2:2

Conclusion: Rarely will any group rise above the spiritual level of its leaders. It is God's plan to accomplish his work through human leaders.

I have no hands but your hands to do my work today.
I have no feet but your feet to lead men on the way.
I have no tongues but your tongue to tell men how I died.
I have no help but your help to bring men to God's side.

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