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How can church leaders tell if they are being led by the Spirit? How can we know whether we are correctly interpreting and teaching the Word of God? In this session, John Bailey is joined by Gary Wilkerson to discuss how Bible teachers can cultivate a passion for their relationship with God and avoid falling into “Christ-less” Christianity. They explore how pastors can preach on topics like biblical truth and repentance without crushing the hearts of those who are listening.
Key Points from the Podcast
• We have to take care when we’re absorbing information to not allow it to dilute or distort the gospel, no matter how appealing other messages might be.
• As a church leader, it can become very easy to start measuring success by the popularity of certain messages or the amount of engagement with a message. That shift in focus can quickly dislodge a message from the truths of scripture.
• An audience will desire or even demand certain kinds of messages, but discerning church leaders will have to tell apart those who are simply asking for guidance on how to address certain issues and those who have itching ears for the message that will justify their desires and choices.
• It can be easy to start loving certain aspects of Christian living more than we love God; we may be drawn into loving Bible study or certain disciplines more than actually spending time with God and seeking him.
• Preaching repentance is the result of standing in God’s counsel and absorbing his heart for his people. The Lord desires his people to continually turn back to him.
• Feeding people from the Bible and kindling a fire of passion in God’s Spirit will make the shaping hammer of God’s repentance productive rather than crushing.
Bible verses referenced in the Podcast
Jude 1:3, 1 Timothy 6:12, Jeremiah 20:9, Jeremiah 23:16-18, Jeremiah 23:22, Jeremiah 23:28-29, Isaiah 5:8-23, Isaiah 6:1-5
Resources Mentioned in the Podcast
About John Bailey
Pastor John Bailey serves as the Chief Operating Officer at World Challenge. John came to know Christ in jail after some difficult struggles as a young man, and God has done a powerful work of transformation since! Spending 13 years in Next Gen ministry, he excelled in discipleship and helping young leaders discover giftings to serve God. John was called next to serve as a missionary and pastor in Western Europe. John and his family then returned to plant the Springs Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Today, the church is a thriving body of believers excelling in outreach and missions. John has now brought his giftings and vision to World Challenge, accelerating the spread of the gospel in America and around the World.