High Level Leaders

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Notes
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Text: Acts 1:12-26
Central Idea of the Text: Christ appoints High Level Leaders for High Level Tasks.
Proposition: For the work of God to continue, it will require faithful witnesses, some who will be appointed to specific roles.
Purpose: All hearers should be prepared to articulate a story of what Jesus has done for them.
Introduction
For a new thing to happen, someone must lead the way.
There was a time in the history of athletics when it was thought that the potential of the human body had been tapped. Glenn Cunningham, an American who set the world record for the mile at 4:06.8, went on the record to say that the dream of the four minute mile was impossible for the human body. They might beat his record, but they would never break 4 minutes. Well, it was several years before he would be proven wrong, but in 1954, a British runner named Roger Bannister would pioneer the way and do what Cunningham had called impossible. How did he do it? He did it with the help of two runners, Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway. He trained with these also excellent runners, and he calculated the speed at which he would need to maintain thru all four laps to run the four minute mile. Brasher and Chataway each trained at running that consistent pace for two laps a piece. Then, when it was time to run, Brasher would run the pace for the first two laps, and Chataway would run pace for the second two laps. In this manner, Bannister would have his name emblazoned on the record books as the pioneer of the 4 minute mile, but he would do so pacing himself off of these other two leading runners.
Transition:
If you are going to do a new thing & be a pioneer, someone must lead the way. This is true in athletics, in science and technology, true in business and it is true of the church. The leading edge of the saving work of Jesus would require a church that would get on board with Christ’s mission, advance the cause, and implement the plan. That plan would require the leadership of some people called the Apostles. Let’s read of the Apostles actions and their plan for leadership in today’s text, Acts 1:12-26:
Acts 1:12–26 ESV
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) “For it is written in the Book of Psalms, “ ‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and “ ‘Let another take his office.’ So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
This is the word of the Lord for us this morning.
Please pray with me: Father, we thank you for Jesus and we thank you for his plan to save the world. You are calling all people to faith and repentance in Jesus, and you are doing it thru the words and actions of people. Lord, may your church be reminded this morning of the importance of leaders and leadership within your church, under your authority and blessing. We lift up our leaders to you, and we pray for you to raise up future leaders of the church. Guide us in that work, God. We pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.
Acts, as we said last week, is part 2 of the two part Luke/Acts work. They were written by Dr. Luke, a follower of Jesus and (in his time) an investigative reporter. It’s a book that is pretty much all narrative, a recording of the history of the early church. In that regard, it does read differently than some other sections of scripture. Some poetry, like the Psalms, easily help us praise God where we are. Large sections of the letters in the New Testament find easy application, because their commands are so straightforward and timeless. But narratives get a bit harder to think about in terms of meaning and application.
If we’re not careful in our reading and study, reading a book like Acts can lead to what I’d like to call “Cool Story Bro” syndrome. What do I mean by the “Cool Story Bro” syndrome? Well, have you ever had someone tell you about stories or happenings in their lives that were cool for them, but really don’t pertain to you? Like when the guy who loves mechanical things wants to tell you about all of his work on the “power takeoff” on his tractor this last week, and all the things that went wrong with his tools. 20 minutes later when he finishes, you’re still nodding your head, like “Cool story bro.” Or like when your relative launches into a story about all the health problems of their neighbor that you don’t even know or have even met? “Cool story bro.” Or like when your aunt goes into a long discourse about how her gardening techniques yielded such a perfect crop of cucumbers this year? “Cool story bro.” And you don’t even want me to start on my full recap and ranking of the entire Skywalker saga of the Star Wars movies? Go ahead and nod and tell me: “Cool story bro.” It’s another way of saying: I’m glad you’re enjoying the story, but I don’t really have an interest in or see how that story applies to me.
We should not let our eyes glaze over when we hear the stories of Acts and say “Cool Story Bro”. We should work hard to build what we call a hermeneutical bridge. In biblical interpretation and application, to build a hermeneutical bridge is to ask: what are the things that hold common from then to now? What things have changed about cultures, technology, or customs? What things hold true and the same for all time? This is one of principles that we must seek to understand as we explore Acts. And we should not disregard it, because the church has considered this book as part of the canon of scripture for as long as there has been a canon. Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:16 that ALL SCRIPTURE is God-breathed, and is useful for rebuking, teaching, correcting and training in righteousness. That means that even this passage with the facts on the selection of Judas’ replacement has meaning and application for those who seek it. So let’s seek it together.
This passage is really a passage about leadership & leadership selection within the church. In speaking of leadership and leaders, the text uses and refers to a specific word: The Greek word Apostolos, or the word that we use for Apostles. Now you probably don’t have a lot of places that you use the word Apostles outside of church. Like a few words in the New Testament, we might only use those words within the context of a church because we are not really sure where else to use them. The word Apostle literally means “the sent-out ones”. I like to picture the meaning toward these individuals something like an arrow or a rocket or a missile that is launched from one location to bring payload or explosives to another place. The word Apostle is a title that is selectively used to describe just a few select individuals. It was used in Hebrews 3:15 to describe Jesus being sent from the Father. From there throughout the Gospels, Apostles is a title specifically used throughout the Gospels and into Acts to describe the select group of 12 men that Jesus would commission and send out. Paul will later be considered as one of this group as well, and the reasons for this will be clear as we go thru the book. There are also a few others in the New Testament: Barnabas, Epaphroditus, Andronicus and Junias, who are named as “sent out ones”/Apostles, people that are sent as church planters or missionaries away from their homes to do God’s work.
To those ends, I would tell you that there are Big A Apostles and there are little a apostles. There are Big A, one of the original 12, and there are those who are sent on a special mission and with special authority. These leaders are all important, but are what I would call high level leaders. Though as Paul writes (in Galatians 3:28): “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus,” this does not mean that the church is not to have leaders, guidance from specific individuals, or people who are given specific authority to shepherd the church. To the contrary, the church needs High Level Leaders. Christ designated them. The writers of scripture affirmed them. And the church can’t move forward without them.
As we examine the Apostles of Acts 1, let’s examine the truths that we learn about these specific high level leaders and how they impact the leadership of the church here and now.
Outline:

High Level Leaders are Prayer Leaders.

Christ, from the books beginning and following the resurrection, has appeared to a few hundred people. Paul notes this in 1 Corinthians 15. But who does he spend his most intensive time with following the resurrection? He spends it with his disciples. He doesn’t say, “Hey, quick, get me to the top of the temple!” He doesn’t say: “Hey, let’s take a tour and cruise of the Mediterranean!” No, he spends intensive time with his High Level Leaders, his Apolstolos, so that he can get them ready for their launch of their missle-like message into the world surrounding them.
Think for a moment what this last 6 weeks had been like for them. Jesus had come into Jerusalem on a Donkey. He had overturned tables in the temple and said some things that really upset the religious elite. Then they had watched as one of their own had sold out the savior for 30 pieces of silver. Judas had killed himself, and Jesus was taken alone to be beaten terribly, tried unjustly, and crucified with great cruelty. One of those apostles had witnessed the words come from the savior’s mouth: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Jesus would die, and the center of the apostles hopes and joy would die when he died. They would sit devastated for three days not knowing what to do, until one of the women ran to the room where they were to tell them: JESUS TOMB IS EMPTY! HE IS ALIVE! Now he spent an intensive 40 days following that resurrection, explaining the scriptures, and reminding them of their mission to come. And now, after verse 9? He gone. Ascended. They are left without a physically present savior. They are one less in their number of twelve that Christ selected. What should they do?
Jesus had told them in verse 4: do not depart from Jerusalem. Wait for the Holy Spirit. So what should Jesus’ closest followers, the High Level Leaders do when Jesus gives them a direct command? DO WHAT HE SAYS. Wait. Stay. Pray. And that is exactly what we see them doing in verse 14: “All these [Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James] with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer.” They were not alone in this. The scripture says that the women, Mary (Jesus’ mother) and Jesus’ brothers were present and praying as well. In other words, there were other followers that were there, but the named 11 Apostles were the ones leading the way in prayer.
High Level Leaders are Prayer leaders. They are the ones that are the first to say: “Let’s pray about that.” And they are the last to avoid prayer. And it should be this way, because prayer is the way that we corporately communicate with and wait upon the Lord. The letters admonish the church, and especially her leaders over and over: “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” (Col 4:2) “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Rom 12:12) “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thess 5:16-18) This list could go on and on. But the pace has been set for the church by Her first High Level Leaders. Anyone who desires to lead in any manner in the church is to follow in the pattern of the men who initially led the church. Are we confused about which way we should go? We should pray. Are we hurting because of some difficulty or disunity in the body? We should pray. Do we see a brother or sister discouraged or wandering? We should pray. Is anyone sick? We should pray. The reasons for prayer are bountiful, but there is not a season in which the church should not pray. It is her leaders who set the tempo for the church.

High Level Leaders are equipped and called for specific tasks.

Paul, in giving instruction to the Ephesian church speaks in this manner regarding High Level Leaders:
Ephesians 4:11–13 ESV
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
This is the same Paul who has told us that we are all one in Christ, as we noted earlier. So is he contradicting himself by speaking then of a designated class of Apostles, Prophets, Shepherds & Teachers? Not at all. He is speaking of specific tasks that God calls specific leaders to here. There in Paul’s list, we again see this word Apostles from today’s text, along with prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers. We will discuss the roles and assignments of every one of these as we go thru this series, but today’s discussion needs to focus specifically on the Apostles. Is the title of Apostle here something that we can all attain to or desire? No, it is not. It is God’s calling, assigning and equipping to specific people for a specific mission.
As I said earlier, there are capital A Apostles, and there are lower-case a apostles in the New Testament. The ones that are being addressed here are the Capital A Apostles. As we see, there is this group of 11 Apostles. Peter speaks up regarding this loss of Judas, and the feeling that there is an absent seat at the table of these Key Witnesses. Who will replace Judas? Peter addresses the qualifications of this capital A apostle in verses 21-22:

So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.”

The criteria: Who has witnessed all of Jesus ministry from the beginning? Who hasn’t flaked out and walked away as a follower when the going got hard?Who has seen Jesus resurrected? Who was there to see his ascension? Who will serve as the 12th designated eyewitness? The disciples greatly valued this number of 12 men, because Jesus himself had designated it, and because they saw a great significance in the number 12 matching up with the 12 tribes of Israel. As we saw in Revelation, the 12 of the Abrahamic covenant and the 12 of the new covenant were seats that needed filled. In this regard the designated person would be the last of the 12 who had seen it all and would testify to the truthfulness of the testimony of Jesus, just as Christ had intended. These designated 12 would be the last of the capital A apostles.
Note that these are not offices to be filled in perpetuity. They aren’t seats that are meant to be elected. Peter doesn’t give a criteria here for his succession, and also note that Mary is not elected here, either. 12 men. 12 eyewitnesses. As Jesus intended. As Luke states it through the rest of the book, these are “the apostles” These are the only 12 that there ever will be. The designated 12 would stand as a testimony forever. The 12 sent eyewitnesses of Jesus.
As I said earlier, there are also a select few small a apostles that are named throughout the New Testament. They are the missiles, the ICBM’s of the church. Specific messengers, sent far away as tactical messengers for specific tasks. Within our day and age, these would be specific servants that we often identify as missionaries. Should we expect that today we would have another that would hold the title/office of Apostle like Peter or John? No we should not. That is why often in English we observe and honor this but leaving the title Apostle exclusively to the 12 named here. But should we ask the Lord or expect the Lord to at times send an individual away on a task as a faithful witness. It can and does happen. And we should pray for it and allow for it.
Christ has commissioned and is building a church worldwide. He does it thru all of us, but he from among us God uses called and designated servants, be they evangelists, pastors, shepherds, teachers. It is he who calls, who designates and who equips leaders for the work. It is the role of the church to pray for these leaders to be raised up

High Level Leaders are Replaceable.

To this point, we need to talk here about Judas. All throughout the Gospels, Judas is named as one of the 12 apostles. But from this point forward in Acts, he will be forgotten as a witness of the three years of Jesus ministry. Why?
Judas was the treasurer of the Apostles, and it was disclosed in John 12:6 that he was dishonest and would help himself to the available money.
Judas was the one who would question the perfume poured on Jesus feet as a gift of worship, desiring the thing be sold and money “given to the poor.” (Jn 12:4-5)
Judas was the one who would approach the Jewish leadership (Matt 26:14) about betraying the savior.
Judas was the one whom Satan would enter into for the purposes of the arrest/betrayal of Jesus. (Jn 13:2)
Judas was the one who would kiss Jesus on the cheek in the garden to indicate to the guards Jesus was the one to be arrested. (Mt 26:49)
Judas was the one who was paid 30 pieces of silver for his services (Lk 22:5).
And in the end, it was this same Judas, riddled with the guilt of the betrayal and killing of the Savior, who would buy the land on which he would hang himself and his intestines would spill out. His suicide sealed his fate in the eyes of the disciples. It was truly a gutless thing that he did, both in his betrayal of Christ and in his taking of his own life. (Pun intended)
Has there ever been a set of eyes that saw such glorious things and heard such glorious words, and yet committed such heinous sins against God? I believe there has not. For as glorious as Christ is, Judas is marked as forever despicable, and within God’s plan in Acts 1, Judas is certainly replaceable. I do believe there is a lesson here for us in the replacement of Judas’ seat among the Apostles.
As a follower of Jesus, and doubly for those in leadership roles in the church, we ought to never think of ourselves as so precious to God that we are irreplaceable. This is where pride enters into the picture, and why you sometimes high profile church leaders fall deeply in sin. They have viewed themselves as small g gods, people above the rules, people full of themselves, people in which there is no fear of the Lord. They forget that if they are not faithful, if there is no follow through, if there is no commitment to the Lordship of Jesus, if there is no walking daily in the Lord’s ways, they will actually be working against the will and works of God. Whether it is in this life or the next, God will put the proud in their place.
We should never be so proud as disciples (and especially as leaders) to see ourselves as indispensable! God doesn’t need you. He is not some desperate beggar or pleading girlfriend. God wants you to respond to His call on your life and be a part of his kingdom and his work. His work will be done with you as you obey. Or without you as you turn away and someone else obeys. Know your place and receive what God calls you to with humility. True leaders in the church and shepherds of the church do not Lord power over others. They love and serve as the savior did. This is how leaders stay faithful, and how we should desire to be remembered when we are gone.

High Level Leaders are appointed by God (who uses many means).

Our time is short this morning, but we should note the different means by which he makes his will for the church clear with regard to the people that he appoints to lead. How do we see God working for this replacement? All along the way, Christ guides this process of selection of this 12th Apostle. He uses:
Prayer: The process of this selection both begins in verse 14 and ends in verse 24 in prayer. From beginning to end, the church is bathing this process in prayer, seeking God’s will collectively.
Peter: The process is expedited by Peter’s prompting. As the church has been praying, the particular mind of the one who’s often been least shy to speak is filled with an idea, and Peter makes a proposal. With the wisdom of Christ and the prayers of the saints surrounding Him, Peter says I have an idea. This is typically a good thing as a church has been praying, that there would be proposals that would come forward from the boldest and wisest leaders among us. If someone doesn’t, meetings and discussions often turn into everyone saying to each other “I don’t know! What do you want to do?” High Level Leaders can listen to bold proposals from other High Level Leaders.
Discussion & Nomination: As Peter makes the proposal, the discussion results in 2 men being put forward who meet the qualifications, Joseph/Barsabbas/Justus, and Matthias. God is using the process of discussion and nomination in the unity of believers to bring forward the qualfied candidates.
Chance: In the end, these two are both determined to be good candidates. So they pray, and then they cast lots. We don’t know if this was done with sticks or dice or some other means, but we know it is the equivalent of flipping a coin. In the end, the church know that both options are good options, and so they play a game of chance by prayer to determine what God would will. Understand, their faith is not in the coin being flipped, but in the God who oversees its spinning and landing.
So ought the church appoint leaders by games of chance? That is not the point here. The point is that the gathered believers are trusting that God is sovereign over all things, be they prayers, proposals, discussions, nominations, and yes, even over chance. They believe that God’s sovereignty is greater than chance. And so, as they pray, they trust him. The lot falls to Matthias, and the seat of the 12th is filled.
This is a simple reminder. God uses many means to accomplish his will. He did it and will continue to do it as God’s people are gathered in one prayerful mindset and seeking unity with one another. This is how the church affirms the calling of High Level leaders. And these leaders ought not appoint themselves. The church ought to affirm the calling of those who seek to lead. Never trust the pastor who sent off online for his Ordination certificate for $50. These people are spiritual hooligans. Seek to follow leaders who God has affirmed thru other believers and leaders.
Summary:
This morning we have examined a Nice story about the Apostles of the early church. But hopefully you did not tune it out but saw its relevance regarding leadership and the selection of leaders in the church. These truths are still relevant to this day: High Level Leaders are to be men of prayer, and they set the prayerful pace the church is to follow. High Level Leaders are called and equipped for specific missions that God has for them, and they must be obedient in doing their work as God’s witnesses. High Level Leaders are replaceable, and if they are not faithful to their calling, the Lord will raise up someone else in their stead. And High Level Leaders are ultimately not to be appointed by man’s will, but by God’s direction.
Interestingly, Matthias is the guy to win the toss of the coin and be the 12th disciple, but this is the one and only time that he is ever mentioned by name in the New Testament. He won’t be named in any of the letters and he will only be implied when the rest of Acts refers to “the apostles”. In that regard, he almost may seem inconsequential. Peter gets the big headlines, James is the martyr, John is the great Revelator, and Paul’s missionary journeys will steal many of the headlines in the book. But this one time of his name being mentioned is (I’m certain) enough for him.
Because for the leader (and for the disciple) who’s eyes are fixed on the savior, it’s not about the recognition and praise of men. It’s about being known by and knowing the savior. It is understood by tradition that every one of the disciples from the greatest to the smallest was faithful unto death to hold to the testimony of what they believed. To simply be known by the Savior and to stick to the story you saw with their eyes would be enough for them. What about the guy that didn’t get the Apostolic seat … Joseph. Do you think that he went away ticked off? Or was he simply filled with the Joy of knowing Jesus and having a testimony?
You see, being a follower of Jesus is not ultimately about being a leader. It is about being a sheep, a disciple. My worth is not found in my leadership title. My worth is found in Christ. And my destiny is determined by whether or not I know Jesus and Jesus knows me and my name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. High Level Leaders help guide and shepherd as God calls them to. But we are all (those who are in Christ) the sheep of God.
Invitation:
The final question for you this morning: Are you one of Christ’s sheep? Do you hear the shepherds voice? Are you part of his flock? Do you know his forgiveness? We have all wandered and gone astray from him. Everyone of us in this room. But some of us have heard the voice of the shepherd, believed him and turned to walk in his way. Where are you today, lost sheep? If you hear the voice of Jesus from his word, turn to the Shepherd and live. There is one way of eternal life, and Jesus Christ is that way.
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