Frustrations Of Spiritual Leadership-3 Series

FRUSTRATIONS OF SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP-III—Luke 9:37-45

Jesus’ frustration with unbelief was manifest in His healing of a demon possessed boy.

Spiritual Leaders face frustrations arising from unbelief.

Ministry produces frustrations for the minister.

Where do spiritual leaders encounter frustrations?

12 places where frustrations arise in spiritual leadership.

Frustration for spiritual leaders arises out of...

1. DESCENT Encounters(:37a)—from Mountaintop

2. SOCIAL Encounters(:37b)—People engaged

3. ANONYMOUS Encounters(:38a)—Unknown people

4. FORCED Encounters(:38)—Demanded

5. FELT NEED Encounters(:38)—Personal Perception

6. IDENTIFICATION Encounters(:39)—Empathy

7. DESPERATE Encounters(:40)—Nothing works!

8. DISAPPOINTMENT Encounters(:40)—

Powerless Christians

9—Frustration for spiritual leaders arises out of

GENERATIONAL ENCOUNTERS(:41)

—Explanation:(:41)

:41—“And Jesus answered & said, “O unbelieving & perverted generation, how long shall I be with you, & put up with you? Bring your son here.”

“Unbelieving”—apistoV—No faith; Faithless

“Perverted”—diastrefw—To Distort, Pervert, Turn aside from the right path, Corrupt.

?How is it perverted?

“Generation”—A group with common traits.

*The entire generation, represented in this one man’s demands, held a common misappropriation of Jesus.

Mat. 24:34—“Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things[end times] take place.”

“How long shall I be with you?”—How long does it take for you to grasp God’s truth? How many times must you hear? What must you see? Why don’t you get it the first time?

“Put up with”—anecomai—‘To sustain, bear, endure, hold up, hold one’s self erect.’

—Argumentation:

People are people & react basically the same way....Sceptics seeking proof.

Mat. 12:41-42—“The men of Nineveh shall stand up with this generation at the judgment, & shall condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; & behold, something greater than Jonah is here. “The Queen of the South shall rise up with this generation at the judgment & shall condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; & behold, something greater than Solomon is here.”

—Illustration:

American expectations—Social Security; Big cars & trucks; Cheap gas; Better mail service; Instant loans; Everything Now-When we want it/Sign that we want to be God!/GENERATIONAL ENCOUNTERS

—Application:

?GENERATIONAL ENCOUNTERS leave you frustrated?

?You willing to accept the frustrations of spiritual leadership?

10—Frustration for spiritual leaders arises out of

MERCIFUL ENCOUNTERS(:41)

—Explanation:(:41) Lesson/Application/Doctrine/Learning/Grace

:41—“And Jesus answered & said, “O unbelieving & perverted generation, how long shall I be with you, & put up with you? Bring your son here.”

Applying/Tayloring God’s word to the situation.

Mercy predominates in the midst of faithlessness.

Jesus concedes to TEACH His sovereignty firsthand.

—Argumentation:

Romans 9:23-24—“What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath & to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.”

—Illustration:

As a father & mother who continually teaches by modeling Christ in words & actions/YET whose sustained efforts may go unrewarded in their children by lack of trust in Christ & witnessed by improper(fleshly) thinking & behavior/Parent ‘cleans up’ the mess left by children’s sin

Catherine buying a dog against our command & desire/Mom & Dad clean up the urine & mess/‘Can’t’ do it herself!/We are merciful to her for the dog’s sake/For the sake of others/MERCIFUL ENCOUNTERS

—Application:

?MERCIFUL ENCOUNTERS leave you frustrated?

?You willing to accept the frustrations of spiritual leadership?

11—Frustration for spiritual leaders arises out of

DEMONSTRATION ENCOUNTERS(:42a)

—Explanation:(:42a)

:42—“And while he was still approaching, the demon dashed him to the ground, & threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, & healed the boy, & gave him back to his father.”

DEMON’s POWER

“Dashed him to the ground”—

“Threw him into a convulsion”—

JESUS’ POWER

“Jesus Rebuked the unclean spirit”—

“Healed the boy”—

“Gave him back”—

Our power brought out of the textbook & into the application.

—Argumentation:

1Cor. 2:2-5—“For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, & Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness & in fear & in much trembling. And my message & my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit & of power, that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”

Php. 1:27-30—“Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come & see you or remain absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents--which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, & that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, & now hear to be in me.”