Letters To Leaders – Integrity

‘For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. ‘ 2 Timothy 4:6-8

Pastor Emeritus Rurel Ausley finished the sermon series, Letters to Leaders, this week, concentrating on the characteristic of integrity. Here are the previous posts from this sermon series:

Paul has been instructing Timothy and Titus through his letters about becoming leaders with the people he has left them to minister to.

The two ideas that have been consistent through this sermon series are:

1. Everyone is a leader. As Christians, we influence those around us in one of two directions. We are affecting those around us to get closer to Jesus or further based on how we lead ourselves.
2. Christ-like leadership is influence acted upon with self-sacrificial love. John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

As we live out our faith in the Lord, we will lay our lives down for those around us. My old Pastor used to say that “ministry is messy.” And Pastor Rurel said, “Ministry never happens on schedule.”

Integrity is when our actions align with our core beliefs or convictions. As Christians, we claim to be followers of Jesus Christ, but if our actions don’t reflect a behavior change, there is a disconnect.

We were discussing this in our Men’s Bible study recently that there are a few things that should become a desire in our lives:

1. The desire to be in God’s Word.
2. The desire to be around God’s people.
3. The desire to give back, both financially and with our time.

If you claim to be a disciple of Jesus and don’t desire any of the three things above, I beg you to get on your knees before the Lord and ask Him to make these a desire of your heart. A truly changed heart before the Lord will create these desires in your life.

‘But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. ‘ James 2:18-19

‘Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. ‘ Philippians 2:12-13

Paul says in Philippians to “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

God will not force this outside of our will. God’s Word says to “continue to work out your salvation.” Please understand that I am not saying that our works save us, BUT our works are a sign of assurance of our salvation.

The Spirit of the Lord will work in us to the degree that we work within the Spirit.

‘Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. ‘ James 4:8-10

‘For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord , “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ‘ Jeremiah 29:11-13

Pastor Rural used the game of Jenga and the engineering idea of “structural integrity” to illustrate the concept of integrity in our lives.

We all face challenges that chip away at our faith in the Lord. Our part is to understand that God will use these challenges to strengthen our faith. He will use the problems we create and trials He gives us to test our faith.

‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ‘ James 1:2-4

‘In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. ‘ 1 Peter 1:6-9

With all that being said, let’s dig into the Letter that Paul wrote to Timothy.

‘For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. ‘ 2 Timothy 4:6-8

“I have fought the good fight…“

Leading with integrity is a fight. Paul did something consistently: He held himself up as an example to follow. And this was a man who fought against a lot of things in his life.

• He fought against his past. This was a man who was complicit in the stoning of Stephen. “Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul (Paul). He was on his way toward Damascus to imprison Christians and bring them to trial before he met Jesus on the road.
• He was challenged with a thorn in his flesh. He asked God to remove it three times before the Lord told him, “My grace is sufficient enough.”
• He fought against false prophets. After Paul planted the churches, he was challenged by the false teachers that came in behind him and were trying to undo the work he had done.
• He fought against others in the church. He had to confront Peter for his hypocrisy and for not fellowshipping with the Gentile believers in Galatia Church. He also had those in the church questioning Paul’s apostleship because he was imprisoned. But here was his response:

Philippians 1:15-19 NIV
It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.

No wonder Paul could ask others to follow his example.

We all fight against the attacks of Satan.

‘Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. ‘ 1 Peter 5:8-9

“Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” What do lions look for when they are looking for food?

1. The young – The wildebeest start to nudge their newborns to start standing quickly after birth. They want them to stand firm because they know the lions are coming.
2. The weak
3. The alone

“I have finished the race…”

Leading with integrity is a marathon, not a sprint. Perseverance is one of those words that you will find about our saving faith.

‘May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. ‘ 2 Thessalonians 3:5

‘Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. ‘ Romans 5:3-4

“I have kept the faith.”

Leading with integrity is staying faithful to our faith in Jesus.

The other two words we find with frequency are “stand firm.”

‘Stand firm, and you will win life. ‘ Luke 21:19

‘Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.’ 1 Corinthians 15:58

‘Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. ‘ Philippians 1:27-28

At the end of this life and the beginning of our eternity, we’ll want to hear these words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. I pray that You will continue to give me the desire to know You more and more each day.

I thank You for Your grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Please let me bestow this on those around me as You have done for me.

I am thankful for the people You have brought into my life, and I pray that You give me the desire to serve them for Your glory.

Please help me to be sensitive to the Spirit that You have placed inside of me, especially about those around me. Let me serve them the way Jesus did us.

In the Holy Name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!! 🙏❤️