The Ohio Independent Baptist, February 1973

( r1ti11u d from pag 5) I tl( t ,1traill ,t t. l1n11gt.' l't.'C'atasr 11 • 1~.lS l ltilt ,n tll' l 1 l.)C~ ,\ll\l \1cll111C.S t{ ,1 k. ll!\l(\111 ,, l1icl1 C,\tltll l l,c sl1,1kl'll ( l-1~1,tt.'''" I · "', "'l)) If ,rill, ,,trlll, t ll1,, ,,, .,, ,l,111c (lt thl' 11gg1ng. l1c t"'l' ' 1111 ,l' lttll · tl1c ,11111. l1cc,1lt,t.' l1c kn"' ' ' ' th,1t ,t,li ,,tll nc, 1 cr llc,ttl1\ ,111 ~ tl11ng tl1,1t H,, 11 '('~'lc 1c.lll, nccli 1·1,c 11,attltt' n1,1n ,,111 al1,1nllo11 111, i1rt.."Jlllih.'c, l1c ,, 111 c~ .. 1,111nc h15 or11n– "·,11, I 1 c ,, 111 t c t 111, con, t ct ions . Hc ,, .111t t he ,tire l1c I ha 1ng h1 n11n1,tr, n trt1e con, 1ct1on,, n t ·ccl1n lh .. 1r1d p1nior1 He n1a) <li - ()\Cr l1c I" actt1all) h1d1ng behind hi 0111n1 n l1ecc:1t1~e tlecp inside he fear the, 111a, he,, rong~ If o. he\\ ill face t}11 hon.e. ti, and a. k God for gt1id- ance . In h rt. the matttre n1an will re- 111en1ber the coun el of Augus tine : " ln e ential , unity, in dot1btful que - t1on. . ltbert}: 1n all thing , charity.' CTI G OR REACTI G In connection with thi , con ider a fifth mark of maturity: knowing the difference between acting and re– acting. Men act: children and ani - '-' mal react . Thi difference i ubtle : but. a Ma rk Twain remind u , o i the difference between fire and fireflv. • There are ome reactions that are good for u : jumping back when we touch omething hot, or turning away v.ihen we confront something dirty. But I ife i more than a eries of con– ditioned reflexes: problem must be faced. deci ions mu t be made people mu t be helped. The pa tor who e life and mini stry are controlled by pecific purpo e doe not have to react: he can impl y act, becau e he know what must be done. The man who constantly reacts is always the victi m o f circumstances, the puppet of people who know how to pull the string . He lives in constant fear; he "explodes·~ when hi s ideas are r e– jected. He is not in control of the situation because he is really not in control of himself! The man who acts is the man who walks wi th God and i sure of hi calling. He knows himself - weak– nesses as well as strengths - and he knows the work God wants him to fini h. H e knows how to li sten with– out arguing and interrupting. 'He that answeret h a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him:· says Proverbs 18: 13, and good advice this is. The mature man thi nks \\ ith his mind , not with his glands. He is governed by a divi ne purpose, and so he never complains about the circumstances. After all God is big- 18 FEBRUARY, 1973 gt'r tl1a11 ir custanccs! ·y h in1n1att1rc 111.111 c an 11c, 1 cr ncC()n11 lisl1 111uch l1c· cattsc the situal1on i"i never right s th~ ol(l 1{(111\an pr<JvCI 11 1 u ts it. "Wl1c 11 the r>ilc.1( ti()('\ not "11()\\r \,\hicl1 r,ort hc 1" hcn t I 111 g for, no w I n t I is t hc r1gl1t \\ inti." ln1n1atu11t\ thr1 'vC\ <1n c cu,c, n1atur,1, tl1ri vc~ {) tl chal – lc 11gc, . DI('TATOR HIP 0 1{ lJ AD[ I{ H 1P . ix th 111 ark of n,a tur it y i <; t h i s : the n1aturc man kno\,v the difference between dictatorship and leadership . hurche ri e or fall o n leadership. erta inl)' it is true tha t al l be lieve r <, are one in Chri t; but it i also true th a t God ha et ome believer over the local church a piritual leaders. The church i an o rgan ism : but if an organism i not orga ni zed it wi ll die. When I accepted my fir t church. a a intl y pa tor cou nseled me: " Re– member, that there can be onl y o ne leader in a chu rch: a nd if tha t leader 1 not the pastor it wi l! be omebo<ly else - a nd you ' ll have trouble!" How can we tell a leader from a dic tator? Somet ime it i not easy, but perh aps a few suggestions wi ll hel p. A leader shorvs the c l1urch what to do by example: the dictator tells the church what to do . A leader de– pend on humility prayer , and love; a dicta tor depends on pres ure, force, and fear . The true leader goe before and encou rages: the dictator tand behind and d ri ves . The leader leads by erving: the dictator expects others to serve him . The leader rej o ices when God get the glory and o thers get the credit: the dictator take both the credit and the glo ry for him elf. The leader build people; the dictator t1se people and then drops them when he is through exploiting them . One test of leadership is th is : what kind of people does my ministry at– tr act? Us ua11y, the d ic tator wi11 at- tract 'small people" who desperately need the security and pou1arit y of a great man, and who must bury their own identities as they inflate the ego Radio Messenger Kenne th Myers ~~ ,o ~ <)I thcu· hero. true Jca<lcr \VIII t1 tract 1 ct)11lc who believe in }11s cau ant i whc) arc \I illing 10 \vork \V tl l1in1 to c tcn(l it . 'J'hcy \,ill net lo their illc nt iti cs in the lcatlcr: r~1lhc1 t h c y w i 11 gro"'' un tic r h is I ca tiersh Ir A tlicta lor n1anl1factures Cl)l)kic-cu1 tcr fo ll ()Wcrs who ir11i l,1te hin1 : lcatle r gr<JW<; other lcallcrs who thc1n se lves n1 att1rc ttnllcr this guillancc nfortunatcly, even a tlctli catcc.l lead e r wil l at trac t ~on1e \Vcak pcor)lc wh, nccJ to ha\k in the li ght of his grca1 ne\s. Where the li gh t sl1incs th hrightec;t, the bug~ fly in . But a tru I eade r wi11 no t he dccci vcd h)' t h1 <; hallow idol wor~htp . A leader 1s always harder on hi n se lf th an he is on others...The ch ic is serva nt of them a ll ." A d,ctato may take ri sks, but lie will not pa the price he a ks hi s follower~ to pa) There is alway a convenien t scape goa t around who wi ll glad ly pay th price and think himse lf fortunate t have the privil ege of dying . Th Ph ar isee we re spiritual dictator' they laid burdens on the backs o the people, yet did not hing to hel the people carry them. Thi i~ 'A<h J esu warned H i di sci pJes. ' 'Cal I n n1an on earth )'our father!' ' The m, ture man i no man· d isci pie. nc doe he want any other man to b his disciple. He is happy to be a cJi · c iple of Jesus Chri st ! • SERMONS OR MESSAGES There are certainl y other mark of maturity, but I will close wi t thi one: the mature pa tor kno\\ the difference between a sermon an a me sage. Fron1 the chef' poir of view, it i the difference betwee the recipe a nd the meal. Or. f ror the builder's point of view, it i th difference between the blueprints an the fin al structure . A young pa tor , jµ_ t out of em nary, aid to me : " I feel my mai job i to preach the Word, I don go for thi s business of calling on m people.' ' Whe n I asked him whethe he pl anned to preach sermons o Associated with Bible Christian Union, Patchogi,e THE OHIO INDEPENDENT BAPTIS