WEBVTT 00:00:00.810 --> 00:00:03.049 One of the strangest things about discipleship 00:00:03.049 --> 00:00:06.110 is once that relationship forms, how easy it 00:00:06.110 --> 00:00:09.390 is to start asking someone for advice and slowly 00:00:09.390 --> 00:00:11.449 stop knowing the difference between their advice 00:00:11.449 --> 00:00:15.869 and God's direction. Sometimes it happens because 00:00:15.869 --> 00:00:19.429 you trust them. They know scripture. They've 00:00:19.429 --> 00:00:21.910 walked with Christ longer. They've been right 00:00:21.910 --> 00:00:24.589 enough times that you start thinking, honestly, 00:00:24.829 --> 00:00:27.309 I should probably just do whatever they say. 00:00:28.809 --> 00:00:31.949 But even really good counsel is still counsel. 00:00:32.570 --> 00:00:35.810 No matter how much you trust someone, their counsel 00:00:35.810 --> 00:00:39.149 does not carry the authority of Scripture. And 00:00:39.149 --> 00:00:42.670 that's the line we're talking about today. Welcome 00:00:42.670 --> 00:00:45.070 to an extra shot of Grace on the Grind, the part 00:00:45.070 --> 00:00:46.429 of the podcast where the mic probably should 00:00:46.429 --> 00:00:47.990 have been turned off, but we kept talking anyways. 00:00:49.189 --> 00:00:51.409 This is the bonus space for deeper theology, 00:00:51.670 --> 00:00:54.450 honest conversations, fewer filters, and a little 00:00:54.450 --> 00:00:56.350 more room to chase the questions we couldn't 00:00:56.350 --> 00:00:58.939 fully deal with in the main episode. So grab 00:00:58.939 --> 00:01:02.140 your coffee and let's talk about where good counsel 00:01:02.140 --> 00:01:07.439 ends and authority begins. Here's the point we're 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:10.480 getting at. Sometimes good counsel slowly starts 00:01:10.480 --> 00:01:14.120 acting like a command. And that can happen without 00:01:14.120 --> 00:01:17.019 anybody announcing it. Nobody says, from now 00:01:17.019 --> 00:01:20.659 on, my opinion carries divine authority. Well, 00:01:20.799 --> 00:01:23.500 a few people have tried that, but historically, 00:01:23.700 --> 00:01:26.599 once a leader starts claiming divine authority 00:01:26.599 --> 00:01:29.750 for himself, we usually stop calling that discipleship 00:01:29.750 --> 00:01:32.569 and start calling it dictatorship. And I feel 00:01:32.569 --> 00:01:36.010 pretty confident in saying today that North Korea 00:01:36.010 --> 00:01:38.709 is not the model we're going for for our small 00:01:38.709 --> 00:01:42.209 group. So most of the time, though, it's much 00:01:42.209 --> 00:01:45.510 quieter. You trust someone. They've helped you 00:01:45.510 --> 00:01:48.409 before. They know scripture. So when they say, 00:01:48.489 --> 00:01:50.890 I really don't think you should do that, you 00:01:50.890 --> 00:01:54.810 hear, God does not want me to do that. That's 00:01:54.810 --> 00:01:57.599 the jump we have to watch. Because there's a 00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:00.159 real difference between brother, I think this 00:02:00.159 --> 00:02:03.200 is unwise, and brother, if you do this, you're 00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:07.459 disobeying God. One is counsel. The other is 00:02:07.459 --> 00:02:10.120 a claim of biblical authority. And if scripture 00:02:10.120 --> 00:02:12.719 hasn't actually made that claim, we shouldn't 00:02:12.719 --> 00:02:16.319 either. Good counsel should help us think biblically. 00:02:16.460 --> 00:02:19.699 It should never replace our responsibility to 00:02:19.699 --> 00:02:24.159 do that. This is where the pressure usually gets 00:02:24.159 --> 00:02:28.479 subtle. Most people... Do not say, God told me 00:02:28.479 --> 00:02:31.699 what you need to do. They say things like, I 00:02:31.699 --> 00:02:35.819 just don't have peace about you doing that. I'd 00:02:35.819 --> 00:02:38.639 really pray before you move forward. I'd hate 00:02:38.639 --> 00:02:41.240 to see you step outside of what God may be doing. 00:02:42.280 --> 00:02:46.280 Are you sure this isn't just your flesh? Or the 00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:49.659 classic, I'm not telling you what to do. I'm 00:02:49.659 --> 00:02:52.259 just saying I'd be very concerned if you did 00:02:52.259 --> 00:02:56.280 it. Technically, no command was given. but somehow 00:02:56.280 --> 00:02:59.319 you still walk away feeling like disagreeing 00:02:59.319 --> 00:03:02.379 would be disobedience. That's the distinction 00:03:02.379 --> 00:03:06.699 we need to watch. There's a big difference between 00:03:06.699 --> 00:03:10.139 I think this is unwise and making someone feel 00:03:10.139 --> 00:03:13.599 like if you don't follow my counsel, you may 00:03:13.599 --> 00:03:17.580 be resisting God. Once we put that kind of spiritual 00:03:17.580 --> 00:03:20.000 weight behind our advice, we've crossed into 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:23.259 a much more serious claim. Romans 14 reminds 00:03:23.259 --> 00:03:26.460 us, that there are real areas of conscience where 00:03:26.460 --> 00:03:29.060 faithful believers can reach different conclusions. 00:03:29.680 --> 00:03:33.120 So when scripture is clear, be clear. When scripture 00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:36.060 gives wisdom, give wisdom. And when scripture 00:03:36.060 --> 00:03:40.699 leaves room, leave room. None of this means biblical 00:03:40.699 --> 00:03:43.979 leadership is optional. Scripture calls us to 00:03:43.979 --> 00:03:46.639 respect leaders, receive correction, and stay 00:03:46.639 --> 00:03:49.979 teachable. But teachable does not mean unquestioning. 00:03:50.259 --> 00:03:52.909 There's a difference between I want to seriously 00:03:52.909 --> 00:03:56.150 consider what you're saying, and I have to agree 00:03:56.150 --> 00:03:59.289 because you're the pastor. Healthy leadership 00:03:59.289 --> 00:04:03.250 should be able to say, Here's what I see. Here's 00:04:03.250 --> 00:04:06.030 why I'm concerned. Here's the scripture I'm looking 00:04:06.030 --> 00:04:09.169 at. And a mature believer should be able to ask, 00:04:09.330 --> 00:04:11.629 Can you show me where you see that in scripture? 00:04:12.289 --> 00:04:14.870 Without being treated like they just staged a 00:04:14.870 --> 00:04:19.829 church coup. Questions are not rebellion. Disagreement 00:04:19.829 --> 00:04:22.750 is not automatically disrespect. Good leadership 00:04:22.750 --> 00:04:26.750 should make you more rooted in Christ, not more 00:04:26.750 --> 00:04:30.610 dependent on someone else's approval. Here's 00:04:30.610 --> 00:04:33.370 another distinction we need to keep clear. You 00:04:33.370 --> 00:04:36.810 can genuinely need to repent and still have been 00:04:36.810 --> 00:04:40.670 handled poorly. Both can be true. Maybe you sinned. 00:04:40.670 --> 00:04:43.689 Maybe somebody was right to confront you. That 00:04:43.689 --> 00:04:46.389 does not automatically mean every word they used, 00:04:46.509 --> 00:04:49.509 every assumption they made, or every way they 00:04:49.509 --> 00:04:52.930 handled it was right. Sometimes, we act like 00:04:52.930 --> 00:04:56.189 repentance means you lose the right to say, that 00:04:56.189 --> 00:04:59.269 part was not handled well. But those are two 00:04:59.269 --> 00:05:04.050 separate questions. I can say, I was wrong. And 00:05:04.050 --> 00:05:06.589 also say, you crossed a line in how you dealt 00:05:06.589 --> 00:05:10.310 with it. Repentance does not baptize bad methods. 00:05:11.029 --> 00:05:14.410 And correction does not become biblical just 00:05:14.410 --> 00:05:16.930 because the person being corrected actually sinned. 00:05:17.670 --> 00:05:21.259 If we care about holiness. we should care about 00:05:21.259 --> 00:05:25.279 holiness on both sides of the conversation. Forgiveness 00:05:25.279 --> 00:05:28.540 does not mean pretending nothing happened. Trust 00:05:28.540 --> 00:05:31.279 may need time. Boundaries may still be wise. 00:05:31.579 --> 00:05:34.199 And restored fellowship does not automatically 00:05:34.199 --> 00:05:37.779 mean restored responsibility. Someone can be 00:05:37.779 --> 00:05:41.079 forgiven, loved, and welcomed without immediately 00:05:41.079 --> 00:05:45.800 being trusted with the same access or role. That's 00:05:45.800 --> 00:05:49.000 not a lack of grace. Forgiveness can be given. 00:05:49.529 --> 00:05:53.129 Trust has to be rebuilt. Here's the simple test 00:05:53.129 --> 00:05:57.370 I know. Healthy spiritual authority keeps pointing 00:05:57.370 --> 00:06:00.610 you back to Christ. Back to scripture. Back to 00:06:00.610 --> 00:06:03.769 faithful obedience. Unhealthy authority slowly 00:06:03.769 --> 00:06:06.829 makes itself necessary. And it usually starts 00:06:06.829 --> 00:06:10.509 softer. Just keep me in the loop. I'd really 00:06:10.509 --> 00:06:12.389 like to talk to you before you make that decision. 00:06:13.170 --> 00:06:15.509 I'm only saying this because I care about you. 00:06:16.069 --> 00:06:18.350 None of those things are automatically wrong. 00:06:18.920 --> 00:06:21.839 That's what makes this tricky. But talk to me 00:06:21.839 --> 00:06:24.500 about it can slowly become check with me first. 00:06:24.980 --> 00:06:28.839 And let me help you think through it can become 00:06:28.839 --> 00:06:32.439 you shouldn't decide without me. Sometimes the 00:06:32.439 --> 00:06:35.279 leader starts expecting dependence. Sometimes 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:37.939 the person being discipled starts preferring 00:06:37.939 --> 00:06:41.519 it. Either way, the result is the same. Less 00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:47.220 maturity, not more. And that is backwards. Biblical 00:06:47.220 --> 00:06:50.180 leadership is supposed to equip the saints, not 00:06:50.180 --> 00:06:53.980 create permanent dependence. And we can do this 00:06:53.980 --> 00:06:58.680 even with teachers who never ask us to. Somebody 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:01.899 says something and our response is, well, John 00:07:01.899 --> 00:07:05.120 MacArthur says, or Kenneth Copeland teaches, 00:07:05.240 --> 00:07:08.519 or we reach back a few hundred years and apparently 00:07:08.519 --> 00:07:11.620 decide John Calvin has been promoted to the fourth 00:07:11.620 --> 00:07:14.660 member of the Trinity. And depending on what 00:07:14.660 --> 00:07:17.519 part of The church you grew up in, one of those 00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:19.779 jokes probably bothered you more than the others. 00:07:20.379 --> 00:07:22.920 Which may actually prove the point. There is 00:07:22.920 --> 00:07:25.779 nothing wrong with learning from people. There 00:07:25.779 --> 00:07:28.779 is nothing wrong with deeply respecting a teacher 00:07:28.779 --> 00:07:32.079 who has helped you understand scripture. Thank 00:07:32.079 --> 00:07:35.819 God for faithful teachers. But the moment he 00:07:35.819 --> 00:07:39.220 said it becomes the end of the discussion, we 00:07:39.220 --> 00:07:41.620 have given a human voice weight it was never 00:07:41.620 --> 00:07:44.500 supposed to carry. And sometimes the teacher 00:07:44.500 --> 00:07:48.120 himself never asked for that authority. We gave 00:07:48.120 --> 00:07:51.680 it to him. The goal of biblical teaching is not 00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:54.060 to produce people who can quote their favorite 00:07:54.060 --> 00:07:57.779 preacher. It is to produce people who know Christ, 00:07:57.920 --> 00:08:00.959 know his word, and can faithfully follow him. 00:08:01.399 --> 00:08:04.259 Because the moment someone needs your voice more 00:08:04.259 --> 00:08:06.939 than they need his word, you are no longer just 00:08:06.939 --> 00:08:09.220 helping them follow Jesus. You're getting in 00:08:09.220 --> 00:08:14.560 his place. So, Who gets the final word? Not me. 00:08:15.079 --> 00:08:18.639 Not the Pope. Not John MacArthur. Not Kenneth 00:08:18.639 --> 00:08:21.920 Copeland. Not John Calvin. Not your pastor. Not 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:24.779 your favorite teacher. We can teach, counsel, 00:08:24.939 --> 00:08:28.639 warn, and encourage. But we only speak with God's 00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:33.559 authority where God has actually spoken. It doesn't 00:08:33.559 --> 00:08:36.679 matter how quotable the sermon was. How good 00:08:36.679 --> 00:08:40.059 the clip sounded. How many times the line got 00:08:40.059 --> 00:08:44.019 shared. Or how many books the man wrote. A powerful 00:08:44.019 --> 00:08:46.480 statement is not automatically a biblical one. 00:08:46.980 --> 00:08:50.700 When scripture is clear, be clear. When scripture 00:08:50.700 --> 00:08:53.960 gives wisdom, offer wisdom. And when scripture 00:08:53.960 --> 00:08:57.679 leaves room, leave room. Biblical authority is 00:08:57.679 --> 00:09:01.299 real. But it is borrowed authority. Christ is 00:09:01.299 --> 00:09:04.580 the head of his church. And his word gets the 00:09:04.580 --> 00:09:08.500 final word. So that's the extra shot. Listen 00:09:08.500 --> 00:09:11.480 to wise people. Stay teachable. Keep your Bible 00:09:11.480 --> 00:09:14.899 open, but never let any human voice become more 00:09:14.899 --> 00:09:18.480 necessary than Christ himself. Good counsel should 00:09:18.480 --> 00:09:21.759 keep leading you back to him, back to his word, 00:09:21.840 --> 00:09:25.799 back to faithful obedience. And next time, we 00:09:25.799 --> 00:09:28.500 turn outward, because Christ doesn't just form 00:09:28.500 --> 00:09:32.639 his church. He sends it. So, until then, keep 00:09:32.639 --> 00:09:34.299 your coffee strong and your faith stronger.