Reflections on the Leadership Series by Jack Soto

We've heard edifying sermons and sermon series this year by George, Joel and Casey. I pray they have spiritually benefitted you and helped you in your everyday living, as you've internalized these lessons in your life and heart, through the Holy Spirit's prompting and guidance. The Holy Spirit has certainly prompted and guided me.

I want to address one specific series which helped me make a seriously important decision in my life. I believe God used the sermon series, "Follow the Leader" as a tool for me to agree to be presented as a prospective elder here at Northwest.

Prior to this sermon series George invited me to lunch and told me that he wanted to submit my name for consideration to become a shepherd here. I'm sure I looked at him like he had just grown four heads and lost his mind. I immediately went into "Moses mode" explaining to him why I couldn't be a shepherd. George listened to all my concerns/excuses and simply asked me not to give him a yes or no decision of allowing him to submit my name until I heard the "Follow the Leader" series. So, I agreed, but in my mind, I couldn't see how these sermons were going to influence me, much.

Well, the series began with "Leaders are Chosen". And he spoke about how Moses was chosen by God and how Moses immediately started to back peddle with excuses…not valid reasons…but excuses…as to why he shouldn't be the chosen one. "Who am I go to the people…chose someone else…I don't feel like I'm qualified……I really don't want to do this…on and on. For me, the one qualification that stood out in my mind as to why I should not be chosen as an elder was the qualification in 1 Timothy 3: "the overseer is to be above reproach". I felt there were plenty of "disgraceful events" in my life to disqualify me for this act of service. I was not "above reproach". But George mentioned that if any of us really looked into our lives, we would all be disqualified for service in the church, yet each one of us has been called to leadership anyway…and that is what grace looks like. That leaders are chosen by God and that sometimes we don't get to decide if we will lead, but how we will lead…and that God leads the process. And that God doesn't always call the equipped.….but equips the called…and that sometimes God uses a community of people to convey to us that others see something in us that we may not recognize…because we focus on our faults, our sins, our past, our failures. Yet, others see something far more valuable in us. This church community was beginning to encourage me in great ways not to overlook a potential that they saw in me to help shepherd this flock.

And here began the Holy Spirit doing what He does best…pulling and tugging and nudging and guiding and directing, as He so amazingly does.

The following week George peached on "Leaders are Blessed" and that oftentimes our blessings don't mean what we think they mean: a new car…a new home……a new job, prosperity, etc. That true blessing is the fact that we as believers are "favored" by God. Our blessing comes from knowing we are His children.and that God has something for us to do and that God has something in store for us.…because He looks at us with the same eyes of love that He looked upon Jesus, at His baptism…and that God's "favor" toward us is connected to our mission which is to be a blessing to others by using the gifts and talents He has given us.

This made me reflect on how I've been spiritually blessed…and blessed with certain gifts and talents.and that I did not want to bury those gifts, talents and blessings.as the parable of the talents teaches us.

So, here again, the Holy Spirit continued to tug, pull, nudge, direct and guide me.

Then came the third lesson titled: "Leaders are Broken" …af& George spoke in detail of how scripture is full of broken people that came to be leaders in God's kingdom…people like David and Paul. We know their stories. That leaders go through stuff…that leaders have a past. And this started to resonate with me…how God has brought me through events in my life that weren't pretty….yet I could be used as a blessing in the lives of others.

Yes, we are all broken one way or another…we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. We fall…we break…and we rise.

George quoted 1 James 1:2-4 and he indicated that our brokenness begins when we go through "trials of many kinds. That the testing of our faith produces perseverance and that we should let perseverance finish its work so we may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything".

That scripture was very telling to me..I have been made complete in Christ and I'm striving to let perseverance finish its' work in me.

Finally, George told a story about Jeff who had struggled with alcoholism and even experienced a devastating drunk driving car accident.…causing his life to come crashing down on him. Yet, a little over a year latter Jeff was offered a preaching position. Well, Jeff declined the offer because he felt he needed just to walk humbly with God for a while. He told his sponsor about the offer and his sponsor told him: "what if you just closed the door in God's face". Jeff reconsidered the offer and has been a preacher of that church for 18 years.

What was one of the greatest tragedies of his life became one of his profound strengths…because he could relate to failures in peoples lives. He had been broken and was now healed.

As I reflected upon the lesson on brokenness to my life…I abandoned all the baggage I was carrying for I years. I was broken, found healing in Christ and I was blessed, forgiven and was now being called to be another part of God's beautiful story.

Now the Holy Spirit was not tugging, pulling or nudging me…but was asking…." are you listening" …." are you listening to my guidance and direction".

As we were leaving that morning..John Lucius one of our elders approached me and said: "I hope you were listening to that sermon very carefully".

My story ends here: Chosen, Blessed and thankful to be Broken. I did not want to close the door in God's face…so I told George…it's ok if you would like to submit my name as a prospective Northwest shepherd. The rest is history. A sermon or sermon series based on God's word….. can change the direction of your life.