The Character of a Leader – 3 Things to Avoid

This is Chuck Rapp with a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

Thus far this year I’ve been sharing a series of messages regarding the character of a leader. We began with three positive attributes: integrity, diligence and faithfulness.  Today I want to offer a different perspective by looking at three attitudes and behaviors that Godly leaders must avoid.

1 John 2:15-16 warns us to “not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.”

Godly Christian leaders are warned to avoid these three things:

The lust of the flesh – Matthew Henry, in his commentary, describes this as “wrong desires of the heart, the appetite of indulging all things that excite and inflame sensual pleasures.” On every continent of the world, we have seen or heard stories of Christian leaders falling due to sexual sin.  I first witnessed this 45 years ago in my local church youth group, and already in 2021, we have seen famous pastors destroy their ministry due to extramarital affairs.  Hebrews 13:4 says it very plainly, “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”

The lust of the eyes - Once again Matthew Henry helps us understand this warning.  “The eyes are delighted with riches and rich possessions; this is the lust of covetousness.” In 1 Timothy 6:6, Paul shares that the antidote for this condition of fallen human nature is “godliness with contentment is great gain.” Here, “godliness” relates to a leader’s character, and “contentment” is an attitude of his or her heart. 

The pride of life – Once more from Matthew Henry’s commentary.  “A vain man … thirst[s] after honor and applause.” A good and godly leader avoids the trap of seeking personal honor and applause.  In a message last year, I referred to these men and women as “legends in their own minds”.  They think more highly of themselves than is appropriate, and they crave the praise of others.  Jesus had some strong advice to the apostles about this in Mark 10:42-44 where He called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.“  A posture of servant leadership is the antidote for this sin of the “pride of life”. 

This has been a word of encouragement – and a word of warning - for Village Church Planters.

Your Seed Sowing Action Plan

 

Hello my brother; hello my sister, my name is Dean Davis, and this is a word of

encouragement for village church planters.

In your village church planting training center, you learned the four Seed Sower

Tools. You learned the reason you should make disciples is based on your

identity in Christ. You have been made new and you are an ambassador for

Christ. This is the first tool. The second tool tells you who to share the Good

News with. You create a relationship map showing people you know who are

far from God. Your relationship map helps you remember to pray for these

people for whom Christ died. The third tool reminds you of what to say. Now

you can share your testimony in 15 seconds and you can share the Good News

using three circles.

But what about the fourth tool? This tool can be a little bit intimidating. It is

an action plan. The fourth tool answers the question “When will I make

disciples?” Some people don’t like to make plans. They just take life as it

comes. They say this is a better, less stressful way to live. But people who do

not make plans do not accomplish much. King Solomon, a man filled with

wisdom from God, had some wise words for people who do not make plans. He

said in Provers 6:6-11:

"Go to the ant, you sluggard;

    consider its ways and be wise!

It has no commander,

    no overseer or ruler,

 yet it stores its provisions in summer

    and gathers its food at harvest.

How long will you lie there, you sluggard?

    When will you get up from your sleep?

 A little sleep, a little slumber,

    a little folding of the hands to rest—

 and poverty will come on you like a thief

    and scarcity like an armed man."

If you want to gather a spiritual harvest, you need to follow the example of the

ant. You need to make plans and take action now. We do not know what the

future holds, so we need to make plans to help people be restored to God now.

The Seed Sower Action plans simply asks four questions: When will you pray for

people on your relationship map? When will you share the Gospel? When will

you teach other people to use the Seed Sower Tools? And, when will you teach

other people to obey the Seven Basic Commands of Christ?

As a church planter, if you make plans each week to carry out each of these

four action steps, and then carry out your plan, you will bring in a great

harvest!

Don’t be afraid to make plans. Make plans in faith and trust God to work through you.

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

    If you have found this message to be helpful, please forward it to fellow church

planters and disciple makers who may need encouragement. Feel free to share

it on What’s App, Facebook, and other platforms you use to connect with

others.

Be encouraged, God is with us!

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters #SeedSowerTools #ActionPlans

www.vcpencouragement.org 

The Three Circles: Restored to God

 

Hello my brother; hello my sister, my name is Dean Davis, and this is a word of

encouragement for village church planters.

Very shortly after I understood the Good News of Jesus, repented of my sins and put

my trust in Christ, I was challenged to memorize a verse from the Bible. The very

first verse I ever memorized as a new believer were the words of Jesus recorded in

John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may

have life, and have it abundantly.”

Even though I was young, I wanted an abundant life. I wasn’t sure what all Jesus

meant when he offered an abundant life, but I understood him to mean that if we let

him be the King of our life, he would lead us into a life of peace, joy, and purpose.

The Three Circles Gospel Presentation tells us that the world we live in is broken. The

thief, Satan, has killed, stolen and destroyed lives. The second circle tells us that life

in our world hasn’t always been broken. The third circle tells us that if we crown

Jesus as the king of our life, we can be restored to God and live according to his

original design.

But what does it mean to be restored to God? To be restored to God means to live in

peace with God. It means to live as a child of God. To be restored to God means we

know God as a good and kind Father. To be restored to God means we know that He

will never leave us or forsake us. To be restored to God means we can live an

abundant life in this world and live eternally with God in the world to come. To be

restored to God means to walk in his presence from here to eternity. People who are

restored to God walk with him and learn to obey him. As we walk with him, God in his

goodness transforms our way of thinking and our way of living so we reflect his

goodness in a broken world.

As a village church planter you have the glorious privilege of helping people be

restored to God. The word of God is powerful and that power to redeem and restore

people to God is in your hands. You have the wonderful privilege of helping people

stop rebelling against God and start living the abundant life Jesus promised. So as you

go to minister to people who are suffering and without hope, go out full of hope.

Though the world is broken, you know the way to restore people to God.

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters #John1010 #ThreeCircles

www.vcpencouragement.org

The Three Circles - Repent

 

Hello my brother; hello my sister, my name is Dean Davis, and this is a word of encouragement for village church planters.

The Three Circles Gospel presentation is a beautiful expression of the Good News of Jesus Christ.  If you have not yet mastered the art of drawing each circle, one by one while you explain the Good News, I want to encourage you to keep practicing.  Ask a trusted friend or fellow church planter to listen to you and help you express the Gospel clearly.  We have a saying in English, “Practice makes perfect.”  It means that in order to improve, you have to practice. This is certainly true with the three circles.

As you draw three circles and explain the Good News to a friend, you are telling a story.  It is a sad story about a broken world.  But it is also a story that is full of hope. There is a better world and Jesus has made a way for us to experience that better world. How wonderful!

Do you remember when you first heard this news?  I do.  I really wanted a better life.  I was tired of feeling guilty all the time.  I wanted to be forgiven.  Knowing that there was a way to be forgiven made me feel glad and gave me hope.  But it seemed like there was a condition.  Yes, Jesus loved me. Yes, Jesus paid the penalty for my sins on the cross. Yes, God wanted to make me his son.  “But.”  But I needed to repent, turn away from my selfishness and put my trust in Christ.  That thought scared me.  I was not sure I wanted to repent.  I was not sure I could repent.

As you draw the three circles and tell the Good News of Jesus, your listeners may respond just like I did.  They may be afraid to repent.  They may be afraid to crown Jesus as the king of their life. So, when you draw the person kneeling at the bottom, right side of the diagram, proceed slowly.  Explain clearly what it means to turn away from our rebellion against God and put our trust in Christ.  Say something like this: “When we turn from our selfish, rebellious, broken ways and put our trust in Jesus, God forgives our rebellion against him. He restores us to a relationship with him and makes us a new creation so that we can begin to live a new life according to his original design.”  Say these words slowly and lovingly.  Check to see how you listener is responding.  This is not a time to condemn.  It is a time to give hope.  God will receive your listeners and help them put their trust in him.

I know that you can be an effective evangelist.  Practice telling the story of God’s love as you draw the three circles. Slow down when you come to the part about repentance and crowning Jesus as King.  Don’t condemn.  Give hope to your listeners.  God is with you.  The Holy Spirit is at work.  You are a co-laborer with Christ!

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

If you have found this message to be helpful, please forward it to a fellow church planter or a disciple maker who may need encouragement. Ask them if they would like for you to keep sharing A word of Encouragement for Village Church Planters with them.  Feel free to share this podcast with those who would like to receive it on What’s App, Facebook, and other platforms you use to connect with church planters and disciple makers.

Be encouraged, God is with us!

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters #ThreeCircles #Repent

www.vcpencouragement.org

The Three Circles God Intervenes

Hello my brother; hello my sister, my name is Dean Davis and this is a word of encouragement for village church planters.

How has it been going for you as you share the Three Circles Gospel presentation? I can imagine that as you share the three circles you are finding that many people agree with you when you say that the world we live in is broken.  It saddens me to say that the brokenness of our world is more and more apparent every day. As I prepared this episode of the podcast, my country is going through some difficult and embarrassing political turmoil.  All of our country’s wealth and all of our country’s education could not deliver us from the deep divisions we are experiencing.  Yes, the world we live in is broken.  But as we look at the natural world, we understand at least in part that God is good. His goodness is on display throughout creation.

So the truth described in the first two circles is pretty obvious to everyone: the world is broken, but brokenness is not part of God’s original design for the world.  The truth described in the third circle is not so well understood, but of the three circles, it is the one that provides the most hope.

The third circle is all about Jesus, how he came into our world, how he led a live of love, how he allowed himself to be crucified as a sacrifice for our sins and how he rose from the dead, victorious over sin, death and brokenness. The third circle tells about God’s intervention.  It tells us about a redeemer who come from outside our brokenness to bring healing and hope.  This story is so wonderful, Jesus himself called it Good News. But the third circle is the part of God’s story that is least understood by hurting people in the world.

As a village church planter, you may be asking yourself, “What can I do to help people understand the third circle so they can put their trust in Christ and be saved from the brokenness that is in the world?

Let me share with you what I find to be most helpful:

Pray.  Pray for yourself to tell the story well.  Pray for your listeners that God will reveal himself to them as they hear the Good News.  Pray that others will not disturb you as you speak and not disturb them as they listen.  Pray that you will be filled with great love for the people you are speaking to. Trust God to fill you with his Holy Spirit.  Pray.

And relax.  You may be very anxious and concerned about saying everything perfectly.  Don’t be anxious. Relax and do your best. God is with you and he is the one that is at work to help your listeners put their trust in him.

Know what you want to say, but don’t hurry.  Stay focused and tell the story of Jesus as you draw the third circle. Don’t get distracted; tell the story, proclaim the Good News. Then leave the results in God’s hands.  Some will repent and believe without delay.  Some will reject you and your message.  Some will want to know more.  Trust God. He is at work.  And remember, as you share the Good News, you are bringing glory to the One who came to save you. And that is always a good thing.  Don’t quit!

 

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

 E1-21

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters #ThreeCircles

 

The Three Circles Attempted Escape From A Broken World

 

Hello my brother; hello my sister, my name is Dean Davis, and this is a word of encouragement for village church planters.

The more I use the Three Circles Gospel Presentation, the more I appreciate the broad truths about God and about people which it communicates.  I hope you are drawing the three circles often to explain the Good News of Jesus.  One of the unique aspects of the Three Circles which is not found in many other Gospel presentations is the circle that represents our broken world and the way people try to escape from brokenness. 

Because there is so much brokenness in our world, people try to escape. Some try to escape by earning a lot of money. Some try to get a great education thinking that their knowledge will allow them to escape the suffering they face in a broken world. Others try to escape by gaining fame. Others try to escape through spiritual practices and religion. Other people try to ease the pain that comes from brokenness with drugs and alcohol.

As you share these observations with people in your village by drawing the three circles, your listeners may identify with one or more of the commonly attempted escape routes.  If they do, take time to dialog with them.  We are not saying that money, or education or fame or even religion is necessarily bad.  What we are saying is that these things do not allow us to escape from the brokenness that is in the world. 

Many people who are working hard to become rich or famous or to be a religious expert know from experience that these things do not satisfy.  If they can express their own dissatisfaction with their own words, it will be good.  If not, you can just keep telling the story.  No matter what circle you are drawing, you want to be attentive to the thoughts, ideas and experiences of your listeners.  The more you understand the people listening to you and the more you feel the pain that they have experienced, the better you will be able to point them to the Savior.

So as you draw, draw slowly.  Speak clearly. Listen from your heart.  You are not the only one speaking.  They Holy Spirit is doing his work, speaking to the hearts of your listeners. Give your listeners the opportunity to listen to Him as well as to you. Slow down, ask questions. You will want to ask, “How have you seen indications of brokenness in our world?” You may want to ask, “How have you seen people trying to escape from the brokenness that is in the world?” Most people will recognize that their efforts to escape brokenness have not been entirely successful. 

Regardless of what they say, you have the great privilege of pointing people to Jesus. Tell his story well.  Tell it with patience.  Tell of Jesus’ great love. Tell about his horrible death on the cross.  Tell about his glorious resurrection.  God will use you and the story you tell by drawing three circles to break through the fears of the people who listen to you.  He will use you to set them free. So tell God’s story and tell it well!

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters. E1-17

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters #ThreeCircles

Repent and Believer the Good News Part 2

Encouragement for Village Church Planters 

Repent and Believe the Good News

Part 2

Please click the arrow above to listen to the video and make sure to 

turn on the closed caption (CC) for the words to be seen too. 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “A Word of Encouragement for
Village Church Planters.”
The first of the 7 basic commands of Jesus is to repent and believe the Good News.
Everyone should obey this command. That is why Jesus said, “…go and make disciples of all nations, …teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
Jesus began his ministry with these words recorded in Mark chapter 1,   “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

What does it mean to believe the Good News about the Kingdom of God? It means to
believe that God has come near. It means to believe that God has not forgotten us. It
means to believe that God is with us. To believe the Good News is to believe that
God is ready and willing to accept all those who repent of their sins and recognize
Jesus as king. To believe the Good News is to believe that Jesus is the promised Savior who is the way the truth and the life. It means to recognize that Jesus knows the way to God and that He is the way to God. This is truly good news.
Many spirit worshippers and idolaters believe that there is one true God who created
the world. But they think that he is far away. They think that he cannot be known
and that he does not want to help anyone. Idolaters feel abandoned and alone in their
fight against evil spirits. You as a follower of Jesus have good news for idolaters. The
Kingdom of God is near. God is present with us. He is ready and willing to forgive
and bless all who repent and put their trust in Jesus. He will set us free.

Muslim people know that there is only one God. They know that there is a place of
eternal reward where some people go after they die. But they do not know how to
get there. You have good news for Muslim people. The Kingdom of God is near. Jesus
has come into our world to show us the way to God. Through Jesus, we can have a
personal relationship with God which leads to eternal life with him. When Jesus rose
to be with God on high, the Holy Spirit of God came to be with us to comfort us, and
to lead us into all truth. God is with us. This is good news for Muslims and for
idolaters.

So tell it well. Tell it often. Tell it in simple terms. Tell it with stories and with your
15 second testimony. Tell it by drawing the three circles. Tell people in villages near
you the good news that the Kingdom of God is near. God is present to forgive us and
to change us and to enjoy a relationship with us as his sons and daughters. He is good and He is here to save. Tell the Good News!

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

E2-

#EncouragementforVillageChurchPlanters #7BasicCommandsofJesus #GoodNews