The Aztecs and the Apache

Hook

History of Montezuma and Hernando Cortez.

“Hand over all of your gold or I will kill you.”

Got the gold and killed Montezuma anyway - blocked off all access to the city and within two years - by 1521, the Aztec civilization of 15 million had effectively collapsed.

Cortez continued theses methods with various people groups along the way and was highly effective at conquering them.

Encounter a new people group

Introduce yourself to the leader

Threaten the leader until he submits

Kill the leader

Subdue the leaderless people

This worked well for him until he met the Apache Indians.

Same technique - The Apache nation was structured in such a way that there were men called Nant’ ans who were the spiritual and cultural leaders but they did not control or coerce their followers to obey, to fight or to submit to a set of rules.

In fact the phrase “You should…” does not exist in the Apache language.

Followers followed because they wanted to. Because they believed in the leaders.

The leaders were not appointed - they were simply recognized and people chose to follow - or not.

Cortez and his enormous army sought to subdue the Apache nation and yet, every time they killed one of the Nant’ Ans - another one rose up someplace else.

It is not that the Apache Nation did not have a structure - it was simply so decentralized that Cortez methods were not longer effective. The Apache nation not only survived but it thrived because - get this - “no one person was essential to the overall well being of the nation.” pg 21 - “The Starfish and the Spider”

When the Apache villages were all destroyed - the people adapted and became a nomadic nation.

They foiled the Spaniards for so long they eventually won back much of the land that was originally lost. They were never overcome or subdued by the Spanish invaders.

This is an interesting concept -

It is so different than we normally think.

We look to a leader. We look to a person.

In our businesses,

in our homes,

in our churches and

in our communities.

But is this completely and totally how it is meant to be?

The difference in how we operate and how we could operate is likened in this book to the difference in a Starfish and a Spider.

What does this have to do with anything?

I believe there are some things we have wrong.

We are currently - as an elder board - working through some ideas of:

How a board should function,

How this group of leaders should pastor the church

How we share the leadership instead of bow to a single man with a single vision

How the Word of God describes a different sort of leadership practice than to day’s modern church

We have come to the place where we are

John 14:8–14 ESV

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. 12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Future Apaches

Jesus said - He first tells Phillip - the Father and I are one in the same in deity.

Then he says this unbelievable line, “whoever believes in me will do works that I do and greater works than these will he do, BECAUSE i am going to the Father.”

IN fact, in John 16, Jesus is saying that He has to go away and they will be sad when He does BUT...

John 16:7 ESV

7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

They needed the Helper, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit to come to allow them to do the greater works!

IT IS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE THAT I GO AWAY...

That was the first step to decentralization - the first step to moving from the idea of religious hierarchy toward Christ as our Spiritual Example, our Salvation, and our Spirit Indwelling.

John 16:13 ESV

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

The Spirit that indwells us is One Person in the Trinity - by who we are sealed, by whom we are regenerated and in whom we are baptized to become something new and something different.

Jesus intended to be physically gone from our presence in order to spiritually indwell us so every believer - past present and future has a chance to make decision based upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit living within them.

Future Apaches -

Flourishing Apaches

Luke 10:17–20 ESV

17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

After he sent out the 72 apostles, they returned and said - holy cow ! listen to what happened in your name!

Jesus response is - I have given you authority.

So what happened to us?

Jesus died - For the Religious leaders - they thought they killed the Aztec leader - the king. the leader of the rebellion.

But He rose again - he conquered death and then He left to go to heaven to fulfill John 16!

Then in Acts 2 - we see the arrival of the Helper - the Comforter - the Holy Spirit. They were incredible!

Acts 4:29–31 ESV

29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

The POWER was Immeasurable!

Ministry is not this… what I do or John does or Josiah does -

Ministry is Chris does in the office to organize and love people

Ministry is what Kim and Danny and their crew to lovingly serve coffee drinks to you our church family

Ministry is what Pete used to do to gather guys together to study the Word of God without having pastoral oversight

Ministry is what Dennis and the greeters do on a Sunday morning.

But it is more than that...

Ministry is what every one of us is supposed to do to make decisions about how to:

Love like Jesus loved

Get involved in people’s lives to help them learn more about following Christ

For us - a decentralized church is an unstoppable force.

What if there were more of us doing more ministry in our work places, homes, community groups schools?

What if there were more people finding ways to pastor in the own homes

In the book of Acts -

The PROCESS was Repeatable!

2 Timothy 2:1–2 ESV

1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

Traditionally we think about this as a top down approach.. it is normal - throughout the ages this is how it has looked. There is always a leader, always a buck stops here person.

What if it was meant to look different? What if it was meant to be less centralized in an office, a location or a person?

What if the person in charge was meant to fulfill a different role than being that top down authority?

What if the person in charge was meant to be “the leaders” in charge? What if those leaders had a different role to play than to be the authority?

What? mess with my thinking...

It was meant to be passed on. It was also not meant for a single leader to lead

Graphic -

The PICTURE is Exceptional

Look at what happened in the Book of Acts..

Every Believer became a part of the priesthood.

It used to be exclusive - but not anymore according to Peter.