Take Me to Your Leader

Introduction

Remember the old alien movies? The flying saucer has just landed…people are gawking at it in fear, and suddenly, swish, the door opens, and out walks an alien. He looks at the people and says, “Take me to Your Leader.”

Show a few pics

What if an alien walked into church and said to you, “Take me to your leader?” What would you do or say?

It is true, churches have pastors and other leaders, but the real leader…the one we should ultimately introduce everyone to, is Jesus Christ — the Head of the Church, Messiah, Son of God, the one who invites us to join his family.

Early in his first letter to the Corinthian church, Paul addresses this issue — who is the leader? Who are you following, Church?

Let’s read from chapter 3 of 1 Corinthians --- Paul’s words were tough but needed saying

1 Corinthians 3:1–4 ESV

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?

The people in that Church struggled with issues that revealed their spiritual immaturity - jealousy and strife. If someone showed up asking for the leader, some would have said Paul, others, Apollos.

1 Corinthians 3:5–14 ESV

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.

Prayer

Ephesians 4:11–12 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,

Big Idea: Although God entrusts people to preach, teach, plant, prophecy and more, our true leader is Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church

SOME CLEAR THE FIELD FOR PLANTING

Paul was a great missionary — he planted churches all over Asia Minor

As he went on these journeys to people groups who worshipped false gods, part of what Paul did by the power of the Holy Spirit, was clearing fields for consistent planting.

An Apostle is a trailblazer — one who goes ahead and clears the path for brand new works of God in places where the Gospel is needed — where the Church is needed.

That’s what Paul and Barnabas did when they went on their first missionary journey — You can read about the beginning of their journey in Acts chapter 13, where the elders of the church in Antioch prayed over them and sent them out to Cyprus, Psidion, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe — covering lots of territory — sharing Jesus everywhere they went.

SOME PLANT THE SEEDS

Farmers usually clear the land, till the soil, and plant the seed —

Paul, Barnabas, Timothy, John Mark, and many others who came alongside Paul — all participated in blazing the trail and planting the seeds of the Gospel

SOME WATER THE SEEDS

1 Corinthians 3:6 ESV

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

In the work of the Lord…many people work together as trailblazers (Apostles), those who sow the seed of the Gospel (Evangelists, Pastors, and every committed believer — Great Commission).

Illustration: On the farm, my dad was one of those guys who did it all - you name it, he did it. But he wasn’t the owner of the operation…he simply worked the fields for the land-owner, Phil Batt. My did was really good at what he did, but none of it would have happened --- there would have been no harvest, without the landowner directing and funding the operation.

Transition: In the Kingdom of God, some blaze trails, some plant, some water, and most do more than one of these things over their lives --- we are all part of that group of servants. However...

ONLY ONE GIVES THE GROWTH AND BRINGS HARVEST

1 Corinthians 3:6–8 ESV

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.

Colossians 1:18 ESV

And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

Colossians 2:10 ESV

and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

Conclusion

If we want to see a harvest…we must walk with Christ, as individuals, and as church family

John 15:5–6 ESV

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

Final passage

1 Corinthians 3:10–11 ESV

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Having said these things today, I want to remind you of a few things:

One day, nearly 20 years ago, God called Steve and Susan Isaak to blaze a trail, till the soil, and plant something brand new — Powerhouse.

They faithfully continued in that work of sowing, watering, and stewarding the harvest God brought in

Many lives changed for time and eternity — those times of planting and watering are still yielding fruit.

I believe it was in 2010 that the Lord called them to a new season and they left this wonderful Church in the hands of its true leader…Jesus.

Little did I know…but God was preparing Linda and I to come here in late 2011

What an amazing season — We have been privileged to serve Jesus by watering what was already planted and by planting news seeds along the way.

Now God has called us to a new season of our walk with Him — October 23rd will be our final Sunday as your pastors

Here’s what we need to remember today — Steve and Susan planted, Myself and Linda watered, but the true Leader and bringer of the harvest is Jesus.