by Jonathan Painter
I don’t think there could possibly be any dispute that Jesus Christ was by far the best Teacher, Preacher, and Leader to ever walk the face of the earth. God descended in the flesh as the Word to illustrate how these tasks of leadership where to be performed. His perfect life and ministry were meant to teach, preach and illustrate leadership. In Matthew 7 we find one of the cornerstone lessons that our Saviour taught in regards to Leadership.
“And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Matthew 7:28-29
The teachings of Jesus caught the attention of the people because he taught his doctrine with authority. Preachers and teachers would be far more effective today if they taught their lessons and preached their sermons with authority. Jesus, though being God in the flesh, used very tangible means to speak and lead with authority.
#1 HE BELIEVED WHAT HE WAS TEACHING
There is no doubt that Jesus truly believed the doctrines he was teaching to the people that day. The people where used to hearing the teaching of the stuffy Pharisaical scribes who taught merely for show and religious accolades, while Jesus taught truth from the heart aimed at the heart of his listeners.
#2 HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS TEACHING
Jesus was not taking pot-shots at a truth, but Jesus knew the truth because he studied the truth. Jesus knew the Old Testament Scriptures better than the Pharisees did. This caused the Pharisees to become frustrated because they were not used to dealing with people who knew the Scriptures, yet here was an authoritative teacher who knew the Scriptures well and was now truly teaching the people, a work the Pharisees had neglected to do.
#3 HE PRACTICED WHAT HE TAUGHT
The people noticed the direct difference between the scribes and Jesus. Jesus was able to deliver his message with authority because he actually did as he taught. While the scribes taught they knew that it was a show. They did not actually practice that which they taught. They would stand and teach the law of Moses, but of a truth, they did not truly know the law of Moses nor did they practice fully the law of Moses. Jesus practiced what he preached!
We must conclude then that we must be men of authority if we are to be the leaders that God has called us to be. We ought to be men of confidence, not ashamed of what we believe. True, we are not the Son of God, as was Jesus, but we have been left with the Word of God in print. Believe God’s Word, Know God’s Word, and Practice God’s Word and you will find the power of being a man of authority, following in the footsteps of the Final Authority, Jesus Christ!
by Jonathan Painter
If a man is to preach and teach with authority he must first REALLY believe the Bible he is preaching from. He MUST believe that it is the inspired, inerrant, infallible, preserved, perfect, pure word of God. If he does not then he cannot preach with real authority because God’s word is the final authority. I will not listen to the preaching or teaching of any man that is critical of the Bible (Authorized King James Bible) and neither should you!