All right, so this morning I'm gonna continue the series that I've been preaching through a little bit here and there over the past, I don't know, a month maybe, on strong leadership. So we've been highlighting different men as good examples of leaders in the scripture. We looked at Moses and we looked at David, we looked at other leaders and this morning we're going to be looking at the Apostle Paul. And just because of the abundance of scripture from the Apostle Paul and about the Apostle Paul, I'm only going to highlight a few attributes. Obviously, if you just study all this stuff, he's got a lot of great attributes that demonstrate his leadership. But there's a few that I think kind of are very representative and highlight the Apostle Paul that are somewhat unique, and there's always overlap with these different men of God and people that we see in leadership. Of course, you're gonna see that quite a bit, but there's definitely certain things that really characterize the people that we look at. We looked at Nehemiah and Moses, for example, were two, I think, pretty different types of leaders. But very, very good leaders in their own rights, and possessed overlapping skills, certainly. But they definitely had attributes that were a little bit more unique to them, or at least more accentuated. So we're going to look at a few of the highlights here from the Apostle Paul. We started off in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. And we're going to look at 1 and 2 Thessalonians a little bit, because one of the things that he was teaching that church was how to work hard. And one of the things that we see about the Apostle Paul in his leadership is that he led by example. And he made purpose to explain that he's leading by example. Like, look, this is how you live the Christian life. This is how you do it. This is how you get things done. And made sure that he was presenting himself and walking in a way that he could say, look, this is the pattern and you can follow this pattern. And a good leader ought to be able to do that. A good leader doesn't just bark commands and bark orders and everyone else just does them. Now, there's definitely an element of that. Of course, a leader has to be in a position to direct other people and can't do everything. However, a leader also ought to be able to show how it's done, right? A leader is not going to be afraid to get his hands dirty. A leader is going to be able to get in there and be like, no, look, this is how you do it, right? And be able to do because they know what they're talking about. They know what they're doing in the area that they're leading. And the Apostle Paul was no stranger to hard work, to labor, and he was demonstrating and showing people how it's done. He also is very strong in his boldness. He's a very bold character. We're going to get into that a little bit as well. And we'll cover some more attributes as we get into the sermon. Look at verse number one there. We're going to read a little bit about this letter that he's writing to the churches at Thessalonica. for yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain. And just a brief note, you know, he's not alone. Like we read these epistles, the Apostle Paul gets a lot of the highlight and he's a key figure and gets a spotlight on him and for good reason, but he's not alone in his ministry like ever. There's always people that are laboring with him and stuff, and you don't even always know all of their names. There's definitely a lot of work being done with the Apostle Paul. Because if it was just him all by himself, then... Where's the leadership, right? Who's following if he's just a one man all by himself? Of course there's people with him and the churches that are getting started here are also kind of these followers of the Apostle Paul. But one thing, and I didn't add this in my notes, one thing that he, and this is important to keep in mind before we even get into everything, as he said to the churches at Corinth, that it's not about the man, right? And there's carnal Christians there that were saying, well, I'm of Paul, and I'm of Apollos, and I'm of Cephas, and I'm of Christ. And there's divisions because people were just really wanting to stick to one man and just be like, this is my guy, and I'm a follower of this guy. And he explained, look, you're carnal. If you're just going to hold to one leader and just be like, no, this is my guy, this is the man, you are carnal. Bottom line, because he said, he that watereth and he that planteth are one. And he's like, one guy does this, another guy does this. We're all just laborers together. We're all these ministers by whom you believed. Everybody, he's putting himself on the same playing field, as it were, as anyone else. He's not trying to elevate himself. It's just like, well, look, instead of focusing on that one man or that one leader, a spiritual leader, he's like, We should all, we're all of Christ, right? Like Christ is the head and he's the one that we should be focused on and giving the glory to, right? And not this striving about which man you follow because that's not what it's all about. And he was very good about making sure that people understood that as well. But let's dig into this here. I like some of the things that we see about the apostle Paul and the things that he's teaching here and showing by example. He's pointing out here for yourselves brethren know our entrance in unto you that it was not in vain But even after that we had suffered before and were shamefully entreated as you know at Philippi We were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. So he's offering up himself and and those with him as an example of of how to stay bold in saying, look, even though we suffered affliction, even though we were being persecuted, even though, you know what the things that we went through, some of the things that we suffered. He says that at Philippi, how they were shamefully entreated, but he's letting them know that, why? So that they could be encouraged. to see, wow, you still continued. You didn't let that stop you. You didn't let that defeat you in the cause. You kept going. And that boldness is very significant and very important in leadership as well, too, is not being easily taken down. If you want to be a leader, you can't be taken down because you're shamefully entreated. You can't just let that get you out just because people are treating you bad or treating you wrong. You've got to develop some thick skin. You've got to be able to continue to roll with the punches, as it were, if you're going to be leading people. If you're too soft and too weak, you're just going to get knocked out and you're not going to be leading anybody. And he says this, verse three, for our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile, but as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak. And look, this always needs to be primary. And as you read the scripture, you should be seeing this regularly. The honor is given to the Lord in everything. as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel. We ought to be handling the gospel of God in the same manner of like, look, God lets us do this. And what an honor it is to even be put in trust with something as important as leading people to Christ, showing the good news, showing how to be saved. Like this is our job, this is our duty, but thank God that he allows us to even do this. Not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. For neither at any time used we flattering words as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness, God is witness. Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome as the apostles of Christ. So He knows his own position and the position of those who are with him, the apostles of Christ, is an elevated position in general. But he's like, we didn't seek our own glory. We didn't go doing this. We didn't use flattering words. We're not covetous. We're not seeking anything really from you. We are here to serve. He says this in verse seven. But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children. And we'll get into that a little bit more later, but the heart of the Apostle Paul is also a really important attribute of his leadership. The heart he has for the people, which is something that Moses had, something all good leaders are gonna have. It's all about the people that are following you. That's why you lead. It's for the people. It's not for yourself ever. It's always for the people. So you have to have the heart and it's demonstrated very frequently with the Apostle Paul as well. But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. the people in that affection in his heart to the point where he's saying, look, I know we came to preach the gospel, which is extremely important job and God entrusted us with this task of preaching the gospel, but we love you so much that even just the gospel, which is, you know, the most important thing and it's gonna have the biggest impact in people's lives. He's like, we love you so much that it wasn't just the gospel, we were willing to impart our own souls unto you. I mean, we were committed, we love you, we care about you, not just to get you saved, but to see you grow, to see you thrive, to do what we can and just give ourselves completely to be able to see your success. That is the mindset, that is the heart of a good leader. Verse nine, for you remember, brethren, our labor and travail. So, yeah, I mean, it sounds good, but you know what? There's work behind that desire to want to give of your own souls, if it's not just gonna be words, right? It sounds great, but you know what? You need to back that up. So a good leader is not just gonna say the right things, but is gonna do the right things, is gonna prove the right things. that what they're saying is genuine and sincere. So, which is exactly what they did. And now he's gonna point this out, for you remember brethren, our labor and travail. For laboring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. Ye are witness, and God also, how wholly and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe, as ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children. That's the heart. He's saying, we instructed you. He said, first of all, we labored night and day, Because we don't want to be chargeable into you, meaning we didn't want you to have to pay for us. And we're going to see later, they have that authority to be able to do that. It wouldn't be wrong to receive the carnal things of being taken care of, having your needs met, while they're doing this spiritual work, and preaching the gospel, and preaching the word, and instructing, which is a great work in itself, and is worthy of being recompensed just with carnal things that they could continue focusing on. So it would have been just fine to do that, but he says, no, we didn't do that. We didn't even want to be chargeable unto you. Why? Because he's showing them something. He's proving them a point. He's trying to just make sure it's clear. Look, you don't have to do any of this for us, but we're going to do it anyways because we care about you. We love you. No, I'm not going to take anything from you. Not going to be chargeable unto you. I'm going to work with my own hands. We're going to work. We're going to provide for ourselves and we're going to work in labor for you. And look, that's an important lesson to learn because I think it could get to a point where people can look at, say, a leader or a pastor or someone in especially a spiritual context and say, oh, yeah, it's real easy for you to say that we all need to go and serve the Lord and we need to pray and we need to read our Bible and we need to go sewing and we need to do all these different things. It's kind of like, but it's easy for you because you don't have a job. This is what you do. You see how that's an easy mindset to get into and just be like, oh, yeah, and just kind of blow off what the leader's saying. Because you don't know what it's like to work hard. Well, yeah, no, we do know what it's like. Yeah, no, I am working. We are providing for ourselves, and we're going to help you and provide for you, too. in a spiritual sense. So when you show people it can be done, oftentimes we limit ourselves and our own minds of what we could even do. You might feel exhausted, you might feel worn out, you might feel like, man, I don't know how I could do anything else. But then you see someone else doing all this stuff, you gotta realize, hey, you can do that too. And especially when you see people who have all kinds of other things, responsibilities and workload, it's like, well, wait a minute. If they can do this, why can't I? And that's good. A good leader should be able to show that, too, and demonstrate that. That it's not just, oh, because you have all this time, or because I'm retired, or because whatever. You can do it. And don't limit yourself on what can be done. But is it work? Absolutely, it's work. Yes. Yes, there's going to be work involved, but it's totally doable. It's totally doable to serve God significantly with your life and still provide for yourself and provide for your family and work and do other things as well. It's all doable. It is attainable. But oftentimes, people just need to see it in action. They need to see it for themselves to where it really clicks in and hits home and says, oh, OK, yeah, I get it. And sometimes you may not even always know. Like, well, how do you even do that? I don't know, but it's possible. So start working on it and figuring out how you can use your time wisely and redeem that time that you have. And then he goes on to say, after he talks about being chargeable, you're witnesses how wholly and justly and unblameably. They're living out what they're preaching, which you have to do that too, right? You can't just be a total hypocrite and expect people to follow you. He's like, look, we gave you the example how to live wholly, how to live justly, how to be unblameable, to be able to keep yourself and walk in integrity and walk in honor and provide that as a way to be, as a way to live. And then of course he goes into the exhortation and the comfort. As a father doth his children, the heart needs to be there for a good leader. The Apostle Paul had a great heart for the people and cared about them as his own children. Why? That they, that ye, he says, that you, that y'all would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. Flip forward to 2 Thessalonians chapter three. Just a page or two forward 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3 start reading verse number 4 The Bible says we have confidence in the Lord touching you that you both do and will do the things which we command you And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God And into the patient waiting for Christ now we command you brethren in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. Now, this wasn't even in my notes, but this jumped out at me. Just in these two verses, he's commanding them. Now, of course, of course, this is under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. This is the word of God, right? So his commands actually carry a lot of weight because it's the word of God. It's not just the Apostle Paul as a man. This is God's word being delivered. A key thing to keep in mind as we're looking at this, and I'm looking at more characteristics, but a leader does command, right? There's plenty of time to give commands. Our command should be under the authority of God and Christ, and God's command from his word, of course, needs to be in union for us to give proper commands, which is, of course, the case here. But he's commanding them something here, and look at what it says. to withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly." So if someone's not walking orderly, then they're disorderly and you need to separate yourself from them. And then he tells us exactly, what does that even mean? What does it mean to separate for someone who's walking disorderly? Verse seven, for yourselves know how ye ought to follow us. And he gives himself as an example. You know how you ought to follow us, for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you. So separate yourselves from those that walk disorderly, but we didn't walk disorderly among you. Why is that? Verse eight, neither did we eat any man's bread for naught. Naught just means for nothing. We didn't just go in and eat someone's bread for nothing, but wrought. which means like worked with labor and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you. Not because we have not power, and that's what I was talking about earlier, they had the ability, the power, the authorization to be able to receive of the people because they were preaching spiritual things on them. He said, not because we have the power, but to make ourselves an example unto you to follow us. That's why we did it. We were doing it so that you can see the example, you can see the labor, you can see the travel, you can see the work going into this. and follow us. A good leader can show people how to follow. Verse 10. For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. And this theme comes up in 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Apparently this was, you know, The churches of Corinth had their problems. Thessalonians had their problems. Galatia had their problems. They all kind of had these different issues that they were working out in their respective churches. But here it seemed to be, because this comes up so much, is the work ethic. The work ethic. You need to work. You need to labor. You need to travel. You need to do this, right? And how important that is, it's so important that the Bible says, hey, we commanded you this, that if any would not work, neither should eat. You're not willing to work? You're not going to go out and work? Then you know what? You don't get to eat. It's as simple as that. That's how it's vital. You have to work. If you want to eat, you have to work. Verse 11, for we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, and there's that word again, disorderly, the people you're supposed to separate yourself from that are walking disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. So the disorderly people, the people that just aren't working, just not doing anything. And of course, look, we're talking about able-bodied people. We're not talking about people with these handicaps and just can't work, you know, so like, You gotta use just common sense when you read the Bible and you can't just overly apply things. This is talking about the generality of people who don't work when they easily could work, but they just choose not to and they're being busybodies and get involved in other business instead of actually working. Verse 12, now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ that with quietness they work and eat their own bread. So apparently these people, because they weren't working, were going around and getting involved in other people's business and hanging out and then being fed by the other people. And he's saying, look, you need to withdraw yourself from these people. And don't just supply them all this food and stuff, because now you're just enabling them. They need to get to work. You need to show them they need to get to work. So this is what he's commanding. Verse 12, now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ that with quietness they work and eat their own bread, but ye brethren, be not weary in well doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man and have no company with him that he may be ashamed, yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means, the Lord be with you all. Flip if you would to Philippians chapter three. Philippians chapter number three. We see one more reference of how the Apostle Paul was showing themselves, him and the people who are with him, as examples for the people, and highlighting that and demonstrating that as a model to follow, as this is what you ought to be doing, and making it very clear what needs to be done. Philippians 3 verse 17 is we're going to pick up in the chapter, Verse 17, the Bible reads, Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk, so as ye have us for an example. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame. who mind earthly things. So he's warning them about the enemies of the cross of Christ and saying, don't follow their leadership. Don't pick up anything from them. I've been warning you about these people. Look, we gave you the pattern. We gave you the example to follow. Watch out for these guys whose God is their belly, their glories, and their shame, and they're worried about the earthly things. Watch out for those guys, and don't follow their example. don't follow anything from them really. Verse 20, for our conversation is in heaven. So what's the difference that he's drawing here? They mind earthly things, we mind spiritual things. And that's a huge contrast that he's trying to separate. We're not worried about the earthly things, we should be spiritually minded. Our example, our conversation there. Conversation isn't just how you speak, it's how you live. It's kind of a representation of how you live your life. That's what that conversation is. It's an older word, but that's basically what it means. Our conversation is in heaven from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body. according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." And it's talking about the holiness and, hey, we need to have that mindset that we are focused on heavenly things and the things about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and not the things of this world. And he was, again, trying to separate himself from others and show the example that they were giving. Turn if you go to Galatians chapter one, And this leadership characteristic or quality that I want to highlight here is very specific. There's many things that we see that could be applied as we've been looking at different leaders, leadership styles, leadership traits that could be just applied broadly to just about any leadership role that you may have, whether it be at a workplace or at home or in church or whatever, you know, it doesn't always have to be spiritual. But this specifically though, we're gonna be, you could still probably, you could apply this to some extent other ways, and it would be staying focused on the task that was given to you, right? So from, you know, you could be in leadership, but whatever authority is above you as a leader, you know, staying focused on that directive that was given to you or whatever that defining directive is, staying true to that cause. A good leader is gonna need to stay true to that. With the Apostle Paul's case, it is the gospel. Right? That is the main objective. That is the main goal. That is what he's keeping at the forefront and staying obedient to God's calling and focusing on the gospel. Galatians chapter one, verse number 13, the Bible reads, for you have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews religion, how that beyond measure, I persecuted the church of God and wasted it. profited in the Jews religion above many my equals in my own nation being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of My father so he was saying you've you've heard about basically the type of life I lived before in the Jews religion I Profited man. I was zealous. I persecuted the Church of God. I was really I excelling in the Jews' religion and being lifted up because of his zeal and because of his desire to follow the Jews' religion. and the traditions that were passed down. See, the Jews' religion isn't found in the Word of God, it's found in tradition. It's found in other sources than the Bible, which is why we don't listen to the Jews' religion to help us get to know God better. We have the Bible, we have the Word of God. Verse 15, but when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace to reveal a son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood. So the Apostle Paul received his commission literally from the Lord Jesus Christ. Like he received a command, he was told and it was clear what he needed to do. And when that became clear to him, he says, I didn't need to ask anybody else what to do. And we shouldn't have to. When something's clear in the Word of God, when God speaks and just says, hey, this is what I want you to do, you don't need to ask anyone else, well, hey, what do you think? It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, because anyone else could be wrong. I heard this from the Lord. I got this from the Bible. This is right. And then just be able to move forward with that, right? And look, the Apostle Paul also, he wasn't just some novice. Obviously he was kind of learned in a lot of these things too. He didn't just start into this as someone who just had absolutely no understanding of the things of God at all. When he got saved, he already had a good background of knowing the scripture, but nonetheless, it doesn't change this point. That when you hear from God, when you hear the word and he heard the command, he, Conferred not with flesh and blood. He says neither went I up to Jerusalem to then went to them which were apostles before me But I went into Arabia and returned again unto Damascus Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and abode with him 15 days But other the Apostle saw I none save James the Lord's brother the Apostle Paul got a directive and he went and did it and Now look, he still went and fellowshiped with other people, but he's not saying like, oh, I need to see what they say about this and what they need to do. Look, when God says to do something, you just do it. Because oftentimes it is man that has a tendency to kind of warp things a little bit or twist it and maybe end up not doing things quite right. And if you just get too stuck on following tradition, you can fall in the same trap of maybe doing something wrong. But it's like, look, you got the word of God. He said this, just do this and do it this way, do it the way he said to do it. Great, that's all I need to know. Now I can go out and do the work. And that was definitely something that the Apostle Paul wasn't afraid to do. And even the apostles that were before him, when they needed a correction, he was willing to just stand up and do the correcting. You say, oh, yeah, but you're new or unseen, and these other guys have been apostles way before you, and they studied under Jesus and everything else. Yeah, but what's right is right, and what the Word of God is, the Word of God is, and it says what it says. So if someone's wrong about that, if someone fails in some area, it doesn't matter how long they've been doing it versus how long you've been doing it. If this is what's right, then this is what's right at the end of the day. And obviously, people who have been doing things a lot longer, serving the Lord a lot longer, should have a lot more wisdom, just kind of in general. That's generally the way it works. But in every specific situation, every instance, anybody can be wrong, and you just gotta follow completely with what the Word of God says. And a good leader should be able to do that as good as you can. Again, everyone has their faults. Paul had his faults. Peter has his faults. Every human being has their own faults. Everybody has a flaw, everybody. But you still need to be able to stand on the word of God and say, well, this is what is right. Turn back, if you would, to Acts chapter number 17. Just a few other highlights here real quick. Kind of on the character of the Apostle Paul and how well he internalized the command to go forth and to preach the gospel and how that drove him to do the work that he did. He truly received that calling from the Lord and then did it. He said, I didn't let anything slow me down. I didn't have to do anything else. He's like, I just went and started doing. That's what I'm commanded. Well, then that's what I'm going to do, right? In Acts chapter 17, we see this also just internalized. Look at verse number one, the Bible says, Paul as his manner was went in unto them and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures opening and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead and that this Jesus whom I preach unto you is Christ and some of them believed and consorted with Paul and Silas and of the devout Greeks a great multitude and of the chief women not a few so I just what I want to highlight is in verse number two where it says as his manner was and What did he do? Well, as his manner was, he's like, well, here I am. I'm in Thessalonica. Oh, hey, look, there's a synagogue here. So I'm going to go in there now and preach Jesus. I'm going to go in and preach Christ. I'm going to preach the gospel. I'm going to go, hey, this is a great opportunity. I'm going to go and do this. And he didn't waste any opportunities. And especially as you look down further in Acts chapter 17, look at verse number 15. The Bible says, and they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens, and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed. So Paul kind of separated ways with the rest of his group and he ends up in Athens. And then he sends for Silas and Timotheus to come and join him. So now there's a time where the apostle Paul is waiting for more people to join up with him. And what does he do? Does he go and he's like, you know what? I think I'm just gonna go take a break, go on vacation, check out the sites, just kind of relax. No, what does he do? Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. So he's looking around, he's seeing like, man, look at all this idolatry, and it strikes home and it hurts his heart because he sees a whole bunch of people that are just completely given over to idolatry. And he's internalized the importance of the gospel, like this matters, this is important, this is his job, he needs to be preaching the gospel to people. And he's looking around, he's being like, man, these people just are just full of idolatry. They need to hear the gospel. Verse 17 says, therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews and with the devout persons and in the market daily with them that met with him. Basically, anyone that's going to listen to him, he's going and trying to talk to. And it's kind of like, hey, Jews, what are you doing about all this idolatry? You need to be preaching about this. You need to be teaching about this. Hey, you guys in the marketplace, hey, anyone that's going to listen to me, look, the gospel of Jesus Christ, this is what you need to hear. You need to get rid of these idols. That's his manner. That was in him. He took the word of God and made it part of him and made that his desire to go and do these things. It's not something that has to be unique to any one person. It's something that anybody can do. You can choose to love God that much and to love the gospel that much. You can say, I am going to embrace this fully. He did that, right? And I'm not saying this in a way, this isn't trying to sound like self-righteous. And I'm not even speaking of myself. It's not something that should just be words that are like, oh yeah, and to think highly of yourself. You can literally just choose to say, I'm going to focus a lot more on the gospel. Like this really does matter to me and take time and digest the word of God to the point of thinking like, man, you know, when we get reminded of hell, we get reminded of our sin, we get reminded of these things and the importance of the gospel and the importance that it's given to us and it's something that we should be honored by, that God's allowed us to do this and he's given us this duty, he's given us this task and it's something that we have to do. Look, we should be internalizing this as much as possible so that we can, seize every opportunity we can. It's one of the motivating factors behind our soul winning challenges, specifically the one where we're supposed to try to give the gospel to at least one person every single day. Why? Because we want to be in that mindset. We want to build up spiritually that heart that's going to be, man, look at what's going on around me. We need to do something about this. We need to fix this. People need to hear the gospel. They need to get saved. That doesn't have to be unique to one person. We can all, anybody can develop that heart and that desire. You can do it. People already do it. I mean, I see it, I see it. It's not like it's, like nobody has a heart or desire. I'm not trying to make it sound like that at all, but to improve and to really just, man, people need to hear the gospel and not waste it. And you know when it is? It's when nobody's looking is when that's proven. your heart, your desire, when no one's looking. Paul was waiting for his friends to show up, and he sees all this stuff going on. His buddies aren't there to see the work that he's doing. He's just doing it. That's what I'm talking about here. Now, it is also one of the things that makes him a great leader, especially a great leader with the gospel of Jesus Christ, because he's living it, because he's doing it. Because it's real. Because it's sincere. Because it's genuine. Because it's not a show. It's not fake. It is real. If you are seeking leadership in a spiritual sense, any young men out there want to be a pastor one day. It's something, a position that you desire to have. You need to have your sincere faith work for the Lord that doesn't matter who's around, who sees it all. You have to have that for yourself. It has to be in you. And if you feel like, I don't know, you get real easily distracted with all the cares of this world, then you've got to work on that. Start getting your heart right. Look, we have this flesh that's going to war against our heart and our spirit, right? But you can work on that. Don't just think like, oh, well, it's just not there. It's never going to be there. No, it can be there. It can. Because here's the thing. There's nobody in this world other than Jesus Christ who can say, well, that's always been there. Right? Was it always there for Paul? No. Was it always there for any person, any great leader at all in the Bible? No, it wasn't always there. Not always. Ephesians chapter six, turn to Ephesians chapter six. We're almost done, I got a few more references, one more main point after this and then we'll call it a morning. Ephesians chapter six. The dedication the apostle Paul had to the gospel is demonstrated even through affliction, even imprisonment. Ephesians chapter six. We start reading in verse number 18 of Ephesians, chapter six, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching there unto with all perseverance and supplications for all saints. Now, we started in verse 18 because it's talking about what? Praying, right? Prayer, supplication in the spirit. Verse 19, and for me, for me what? That prayer is made for me that utterance may be given unto me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in bonds that therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak. So when he's talking about this prayer, I know we kind of cut into the middle of this passage, He's asking for prayers, hey, and pray for me. Pray for me that I'll boldness. Pray for me that I don't stop preaching the gospel. He's like, that's why I'm even in prison right now. I'm in bonds. He's locked up because of his preaching the gospel. That's why he's in prison. He's saying like, just pray that I can continue to preach boldly. Pray for boldness for me. I need it. And of all people, it's like, really, the Apostle Paul, you need more boldness? Why? Because his heart's there. He wants to do it. But yeah, anybody can be impacted by the negative consequences, by the imprisonments. I mean, most of us here, I would say most of us don't even know what that's like to be thrown in prison for preaching the gospel. Right? We don't know what it's like to get beaten and to get whipped and scourged and all the things that happened to many of the Christians in the early church. suffered and experienced, and other people in other parts of the world experience. We don't know what it's like firsthand. But we could learn, but we could still have the heart. Just because you don't have those experiences doesn't mean you can't have that same heart. The Apostle Paul had that heart. Even in the tough times, hey, just keep praying for me, because I want to keep doing this. I know I need to keep doing this. If our gospel would be hid, it's hid to them that are lost, or I know I need to keep doing this. So pray for my boldness. Pray that I don't buckle under this pressure. Pray that I don't just stop speaking because it's easier to just shut up than it is to have to continue dealing with these people that just won't stop seemingly unless I'm dead. That's the opposition that's out there. And the opposition's real, right? Like I said, we may not be experiencing it to the same extent, but Satan's out there. People who ate the gospel are out there. There's people out there that don't want the truth being spread. They exist. So yeah, there's gonna be tribulations and trials and things, and we need to make sure that we have that boldness. The Apostle Paul is a great example of someone who, even in the hard times, is still remaining faithful to the main purpose, to the main cause of This is my job, this is what I've been directed to do, this is what I need to do. And keeping that the mission. Turn a few to Philippians, actually no, turn a few to Romans 16, Romans 16. It's the last place I'll have you turn, Romans chapter 16. This came up in the beginning of the sermon in 1 Thessalonians. But we also see this demonstrated in many other parts of the Bible. And I think one more aspect of the strong leadership of the Apostle Paul that is highlighted and I think demonstrated with the Apostle Paul is his care for the individual. Not even just for the people as a whole, but his care for individuals. His care for specific people under his ministry, under his teaching, under his leadership. He knows and cares for people, specific people by name. You're in Romans 16. I'm gonna read for you from Philippians chapter one. Philippians one verse three, the Bible says, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Always in every prayer of mine for you all, making requests with joy for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. What a warm greeting at the beginning of his epistle to the church in Philippi. Hey, I thank God upon every remembrance of you. Put yourself in that church of Philippi and you've got the apostle Paul writing to you. And he's saying, hey, I thank God for all the things I remember about you. Always in every prayer of mine for you all, making requests with joy. I'm happy. I'm praying for you guys. And I'm praying with joy for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. He cares about the people, and he said, I'm praying for the church, and I don't think he's lying about that either. I think he's actually praying for the people in that church, and he's joyful about even just the thoughts of that church. Romans 16 is highlighted even further. Look at verse number one. We have this huge list of people that are kind of like these shout outs to different people in Rome. He says, I commend unto you Phoebe, our sister, which is a servant of the church, which is at Sancriab. So now he's referencing, he's saying, look, I'm commending you. I'm endorsing Phoebe, our sister. She's been a fellow laborer with me. She's a servant at the church, which is at Sancriab, that ye receive her in the Lord as becometh saints. and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you. For she hath been a sucker of many, and of myself also. Hey, she's been a great help, and I want you to help her. And she's coming your way, and you take care of her. And this is Phoebe, our sister. He knows her by name. Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus, who have for my life laid down their own necks, unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise, greet the church that is in their house. Salute my well-beloved Eponidas, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ. Greet Mary, who bestowed much labor on us. He's listing off people, names. Hey, also Mary, also Eponidas, also Priscilla, Aquila, Phoebe. Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles who also were in Christ before me. Here's a couple other people and we don't know anything about Andronicus and Junia But he's mentioned in my name he knows him he knows him well There's a lot of people the Apostle Paul knows by name that we're serving the Lord He's like they're my kinsmen. They're my fellow prisoners and they're of note among the Apostles people knew him then we don't really know him other than this one reference right here because the Apostle Paul is just naming him by name and Greet Amplius, my beloved, in the Lord. Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved. Salute Apelles, approved in Christ. Salute them which are of Aristobulus' household. Salute Herodian, my kinsman. Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord. Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labor in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, which labored much in the Lord. Salute Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, and mine. Salute, Asynchronous, Phlegon, Hermos, Petrobus, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them. Man, I have a hard time even pronouncing these names, and he knew them all, and he's writing them all out in this epistle from memory. He knows these people. And yeah, this is a long, he had a long ministry, but he worked with people, and got to know those people, and loved those people, and prayed for those people, and is greeting those people, and the people matter to the Apostle Paul. Not just in the collective as the whole of the people, the individual matters. They all matter. And a good leader A good leader should be able to know the people to some extent personally. One of the reasons is because he's working with them. These are my fellow laborers. And he's bestowing honor on them and showing, hey, greet this person, this person, this person. Treat this person good. Help this person out. They're workers. Support them. And we see the biggest list here in Romans 16, which is why we turn there. But this isn't the only place that he's talking about people specifically and people who helped. You see that heart? Man, that's got to be there. Keeping the directive, right? The Apostle Paul had the boldness. He kept the right directive. He had the right heart. He cared for the people. He led by example. Demonstrated and taught by example. He said, here's how you do it. He was a hard worker. He labored day and night. It was a lot of great attributes. And again, we can go through so much of this. That was one of the hard parts is just trying to pick out certain aspects and certain qualities in his leadership because there's so much there. But even with all the great qualities and characteristics, he was careful to teach and to warn about the elevation too high for any leader. No one should be elevated too high. We're brethren, and good example, yes. Follow the work, yes. You know, hey, here's the way you do it, let's do it. But it's never all about the Apostle Paul. It's about the Lord.