Holy Boldness

mysteries.” (I Corinthians 4:1) They have messages for sale but they do not impart their lives. They play it safe. They are not invested. They are not in it for God’s sake but their own. They conceal their true intentions. Wolves do not seek to protect the sheep but to exploit them. Wolves are not seeking God’s will but their own. They are more concerned about a position of honor than the needs of the people or the will of God. Luke 11:52 reads, “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter and you hindered those who’re entering.” This points to a type of leader that tries to teach or tell people what to do without having walked out their own obedience. They have “ taken away the key of knowledge,” which means they have offered no real guidance. The leaders Jesus was implicating were keeping people in the dark offering no true insight for advance but rather hindering the people from moving forward. Insecure leaders hamstring their people. This type of leader is not interested in empowering others with under standing but rather in keeping them bound up and in the dark. True leaders encourage others to take risks. They equip people for the journey they are meant to take. False shepherds want to keep their sheep at home and never release them. “You will know them…” Jesus said. This is a promise. God’s true servants will be known and so will those who do not belong to Him. There is a fragrance on those who truly speak in His name. You will know them by their fruit. What is the fruit on your life? What is the fruit of your leader’s life? “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21-23) This word speaks to the issue of presumption. This image of the final judgment was meant as a warning against premature or superficial self-evaluation. Two Claims: True and False

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