(Embrace the Gift of) One Entrusted to Guide Souls
Series: Navigating New Seasons
Brad Bailey – June 2, 2024
Intro
Concluding series... Navigating New Seasons... allowing God to speak to us about navigating
seasons of change in life... and particularly the transition at hand for the Westside Vineyard.
Next Saturday... we are holding the 50th Anniversary Celebration...and it will culminate with
Josh Shaw being installed as the new lead pastor...to carry the story forward...and guide
the NEXT season... a NEW season.
So this is my final week as the Lead Pastor... a journey that began in 1985... 24 years old...
joined staff in 1987... found myself leading in 1991 (33 years ago).
I am genuinely excited... about how God has led...and what God has prepared.
I want to reaffirm what Josh captured so beautifully and brilliantly last week: God is in it
all... what was ...what is...and what is to come.
These are not separate... at the very heart of navigating this season is the ability to honor what
has been... anticipate what is to come... be those who dream with God... and embrace the
present in which God is right here.
Today...I want to speak to the unique role for which a transition is now at hand...that of a
pastor... particularly what we refer to as the Lead Pastor.
I don’t want you to miss how much lies in the wider group of lives which serve to oversee this
whole body... Joel serving for over 22 years.... Ron for years.... Josh Call...Brody, Emily, Bob.
The one who serves as the Senior Pastor... or Lead Pastor...is something of a first among
equals. They are entrusted as the lead leader.
Our text comes from Biblical Book of Hebrews. It has long carried that name...presumably
because it expounds to those of Hebrew background... essentially Jewish background... how
Christ is the fulfillment of all that God was preparing... Jesus brings the true fulfillment of the
priest... of the sacrifices....and of the way to live.
How can we get through the challenges of this life?
Hold fast to Christ... who is supreme...and is the finisher of life...
And it concludes, in the final chapter...chapter 13...with one of the most valuable summaries of
how to live....and live in relationship to others.
Our focus will be the verses at the end of this text...
Hebrews 13:1,3,7-9, 15-18
Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 2 Do not forget to show hospitality to
strangers..., 3 Continue to remember those ... mistreated as if you yourselves were
suffering.
7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of
their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and
forever.
9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit
of lips that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with
others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch
over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a
burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.
18 Pray for us.
I want to engage us in verse 17 [1]...
Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch
over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a
burden, for that would be of no benefit to you. – Hebrews 13:17
This is a text I have never focused on... and like many... knowing how we react today to being
told to obey and submit... I would avoid this.
So why would I bring a text like this before us today?
1. It’s my last week as Lead Pastor...so I don’t really have anything to lose.
2. Because it serves this Saturdays installation. (It’s common that as part of an
installation...there is a message from the Scriptures to speak into such a role being conferred...
and with the nature of combining the various elements...today provides an opportunity for that.)
3. But most notably...it’s because God spoke to me about this text this past year... and I
believe it was fitting for today.
God impressed on me the beautiful sense of mutual responsibility...that it speaks of the
responsibility of the spiritual leader....and the responsiveness to that responsibility.
This is a word primarily to all who gather....we will come to that...but first...There lies
A charge to Josh...
Josh... there is nothing new to declare about this calling ... you have served in such a
role...that of a spiritual leader...and specifically as a Lead Pastor...for several years...
So I only want to speak that which is a reminder of what you have known... BUT a reminder as
you are set part afresh as the lead shepherd...
Same calling at the core...but being set apart afresh....not just again... afresh.
1. Speak the Word of God... in word and deed.
Earlier in the text the writer says ...
Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their
way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and
forever. – Hebrews 13:7-8
You have shown yourself faithful to this call....so there is nothing condescending... but rather
reaffirming... because we both know... that no matter how committed...it is not always
easy.
God’s Word is unchanging... “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
It is always a realizing that the God who spoke... speaks.
And while the intent is unchanging...it speaks into the hearts and minds of a new time and
culture.
It is always a new exchange...new lives and new times
“From the vantage point of being 92, I have dealt with change in so many different streams
of life....Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, and yet taking up our crosses and
following him is affected by different circumstances, environments and time frames. For
the church to stay tuned and true to the teachings appears to require a nearly divine
understanding of both word and audience; a dynamic duo in tension.” – Duane
So speak the Word of God... into the this time and place.
2. Care for the souls entrusted to you.
Spiritual leaders... watch over ...souls and they are accountable to God. - Hebrews 13:17
(NLT)
Those are weighty words for sure.
We all have lives entrusted to us......those that come into our sphere of influence....but here
the responsibility is accentuated... it is a role set apart to watch over the souls of the entire
community.
Such focus cannot be as personal as a parent for their children...but it carries a similar type
of responsibility.
And like any parent...the reality is that we don’t have control... but we have influence.
Remember Jesus... who saw a man who thought he wanted to obey God... walk away...to
which Jesus was sad. Or how he gave three years of living day and night with 12 lives...his 12
disciples... and one would betray him...and yet he didn’t dismiss that God was in it all.
Had he carried a calling to a worldly appearance of success...and control... he would not have
come to the beautiful peace of having completed what the Father gave him to do... but he carried
a call not to success but to faithfulness... not to control but to care.
I have seen that grace in you....committed to caring... without controlling.
Care for the souls entrusted to you.
3. Enjoy the joy.
The writer say...
It is better to “...do this with joy and not with groaning.” - Hebrews 13:17 (NLT)
This role can flow with joy and groaning... and the writer knows that there is the potential for joy.
Such joy does not mean we avoid sadness .... but that there is a larger joy that we never lose.
That is the very nature of what we see in Jesus... we are told he would be a man acquainted
with sorrow and grief (Isaiah 53:3) ... and indeed we see how he faced many things which
brought sadness... but we are also told that he endured hardship and overcame the world “by the
joy set before him.” (Hebrews 12:2) [2]
I have seen how you keep your spirit lifted in worship... in play... in laughter... and simply
want to affirm how important that is.
It is what we all need.
It is the presence of Jesus.
So...Enjoy the joy
A charge to the community ...
The writer is speaking something so significant... which is that spiritual leaders have a role
that is a great gift...if they are faithful to it...which is to watch over the wellbeing of your
soul.
In today’s hyper individualism...the first words about obeying and submitting to an authority is
like a cut off.
Partly because such authority has been so misused and abused.
Partly because we have lost any sense about what it means to actually be connected...
bound with others.
> The writer is calling us back to realize that such a role is a gift when faithful.
I recall when I first stepped into this role...that I was an authority figure in a generation almost
defined by resistance to authority.
What I realized is that the deeper truth is that we are ambivalent about authority... we resent
it...and long for it.
> That is...we long for the Father we have never known.
In that spirit... it has been a profound privilege to lead this community... to gather around
Jesus... to embody Jesus... and to be on mission together.
This church has enjoyed 50 years of the Father’s love.
I believe that reflects the spirit of the larger Vineyard movement ...as well as the special
lives who have united in a spirit of serving.
What deserves applause are every life who has been a part of this process. Why it is a joy to
hold a 50th anniversary and honor the founders and ultimately all who have made this possible.
So similar to the charges to Josh... these too are a reaffirmation... because we are about to
begin a new season... and need to be embraced afresh.
1. Follow the lead of the leader.
Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch
over you as those who must give an account. – Hebrews 13:17
Every other translation simply says obey ... and submit... but the NIV appears to try and capture
the nature of obeying...which is extending our confidence....because that is what we will then
obey.
It’s vital to understand that this is not simply a relationship between an authority figure who has
positional power and a follower who must obey them. We cannot separate this from what was
said in the previous verse 7... speaking the Word of God...and themselves having a way of life.
Many have noted that the nature of a leader... was not that of a imposed authority....but rather
a guide.
Ceaser was not a leader...he was an Emperor of an empire....a dictator.
The leader among Hebrew culture was the rabbi... the one people wanted to follow because
they were a guide.
Such a guide is not simply a source of information... but of sharing life.
The writer is speaking of the spiritual leader who invites you to join them... who will keep
watch over you as those who must give an account.
Healthy to take that in... there is someone who is set apart to watch over your soul.
Today...there are endless sources of information... the internet brings an endless world of
teachers...and many can add insight... but there is no relationship...no commitment to you.
They are not responsible for your actual life.
Having a life (lives) who are entrusted with your soul... to give an account for your soul is a
profound gift ...but only as good as you are known.
> So for some... this may be a time to make yourself known. Get together with a pastor or
elder...and simply share your story... your challenges.
So this is a call to follow a guide...who is never perfect ... but generally faithful in teaching
and life.
I want to also share something else I discovered...many see up the front nature... and assume it
must inflate one’s ego.... I realized first year... a very different dynamic... every week daring
to stand in a position what never feels fully worthy of... and which one feel vulnerable... to every
uncertainty about themselves. There is an ego that can be inflated...but it also is choosing to
be in a position that is deflating.
About that time... I read a study had found that 70% of pastors say they have a lower self-
esteem now than when they entered ministry. [3]
Appreciate what the position of a leader involves...it can be filled with the presumptions of one’s
ego...but the leader knows that well.
(If you recall the life of Moses... it may be telling...Moses rose up....and was very reluctant to
assume such a position... sheep don’t bite. Today... Christian culture has made it an art... to be
those who shoot our own.)
2. Be a blessing not a burden.
Follow the leader in such a way “that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would
be of no benefit to you.”
He’s not laying a trip on everyone to surrender every personal choice to someone...
He is saying that a communal life requires communal support.
Leading communal life in a consumer world is hard
There is a collective of personal lives and personal formation....and there is also a joining
together.
> At some level there is a need to transcend our independent nature to be a part of
community.
I want you to know that our eldership team support Josh’s direction and leadership....and that you
will embrace that trust and support as well.
I hope you come to “be all in”... because you make a unique difference.
The power to fulfill the mission of Jesus...is the power of what happens when there is the
confluence of lives... it’s the inertia of the energy we each bring.
It’s the way in which different gifts come together...and each contributes to the whole.
> For many of us it begins with confronting our own independence... by seeing the gift of
being connected...and the difference we can make together.
Let me also note that...
The writer is NOT implying that sharing our problems is a burden.
Sharing the challenges you face is NOT a burden... in fact it is a blessing.
Sharing concerns and even possible criticisms is not a burden.... It can be a blessing...
NOT sharing them directly or losing perspective about them...can be a burden. [4]
Let me share something I think every pastor has known... the hardest element relationally...is not
with the direct discussions about issues...but the silent withdrawls. Most pastors understand that
people may think they don’t want to be critical so they just slip away... but what is felt is the lack
of value for the relationship.
So part of being a blessing is honoring the relationship.
This is a time for facing forward... which begins with praying forward. [5]
The first words that follow this calling are this.. “Pray for us.”
Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch
over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a
burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.
18 Pray for us. – Hebrews 13:17-18
3. Pray for Josh and Brianne and all those entrusted as spiritual leaders.
Leaders are those who are leading the way... if we value the way forward... we will pray for
the one leading. pray for them.
I can’t think of a more fitting way to conclude this day together...than to join in prayer together.
End with praying in groups (of 3 to 5) for transition and mission and Shaws.
Resources:
The following provide some further easy reading on the nature of spiritual leaders and authority.
They may include differences in some theological views, but they each provide valuable thought
to what appropriate leadership and submission involves.
Jonathan Leeman - What Is Good Authority?: 7 lessons to teach our churches about authority. -
here: https://www.preachingtoday.com/skills/2024/what-is-good-authority.html?utm_source=Preaching%20Today%20Newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_term=8960&utm_content=15588&utm_campaign=email
An Exposition Of Hebrew 13:17 by John Chambers - here: https://www.churchandgospel.com/2017/02/10/an-exposition-of-hebrew-1317/
How to Submit to Your Pastor: A Biblical Understanding of Submission to Elders by Tony de la
Riva - here: https://firmfoundationpv.org/how-to-submit-to-your-pastor-a-biblical-understanding-of-submission-to-elders/#:~:text=Christians%20are%20under%20no%20obligation,are%20not%20biblically%2Dqualified
Notes:
1. Recognizing the challenges of conveying these words well, I would note two other translations /
paraphrases:
New Living Translation
Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and
they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That
would certainly not be for your benefit.
Amplified Bible
Obey your [spiritual] leaders and submit to them [recognizing their authority over you], for they
are keeping watch over your souls and continually guarding your spiritual welfare as those who
will give an account [of their stewardship of you]. Let them do this with joy and not with
grief and groans, for this would be of no benefit to you.
2. See What Does 'For the Joy Set Before Him' Mean in Hebrews? Article by Clarence L. Haynes
Jr., FEB 10, 2023 here: https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/for-the-joy-set-before-him.html
3. David Ross and Rick Blackmon’s “Soul Care for Servants” workshop reported the results of
their Fuller Institute of Church Growth research study in 1991 and other surveys in 2005 and
2006.
4. One thing I have learned... when people make transitions....what matters most is how.
We had been the relatively newer church which had many come to and note they were thinking of
leaving where they had been involved... other do so because of proximity... and as I reflected om
that process...I identified three issues that can help guide that process... related to a word that
starts with “R.”
Reasons – Ask yourself of the reasons you are considering transitioning those which are towards
personal growth... or away from it.
Relationships – Are you committed to directly engaging those who have directly served you on a
relational level?
Really transition - If you make the transition... will you really give yourself to a new community
and it’s calling to embody Jesus and his mission?
5. The Apostle Paul, was unashamed to ask the church to pray for him. "I urge you, brothers and
sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying
to God for me." Romans 15:30 (Eph. 6:18-20; 11 Cor. 1:8-12; James 5:16)
