God Uses F.A.T. People: Faithful, Available, Teachable
Dr RJ Sing, 37 min
Originally preached as “The Law of Empowerment”
Sermon outline
God never meant one leader to carry the work alone: every believer is anointed, and those who are faithful, available and teachable will be equipped and released into ministry.
Main text
- Numbers 11:16-30
Opening
The recording begins partway through his reading of Numbers 11, where God tells Moses to gather seventy elders and promises to put Moses' spirit on them so that he will not bear the burden alone. He pauses on the Lord's question, 'Is the Lord's hand waxed short?', and on Moses refusing to stop Eldad and Medad prophesying in the camp, then tells the church he is teaching tonight, not preaching.
God doesn't want a leader, God wants a whole group of leaders
Moses was becoming exhausted because the work was too much for one man. Numbers 11 shows the biblical principle of empowering leaders: God wants the whole church involved, not only the pastor, using the gifts and talents he has placed inside each person.
Illustration: Joshua, an excited young man protecting Moses' ministry, wanted Eldad and Medad stopped, and Moses corrected his thinking: God wants all his people to prophesy.
“God doesn't want a leader. God wants a whole group of leaders.”
- Numbers 11:16-17
- Numbers 11:23
- Numbers 11:28-29
God can only use FAT people: faithful, available and teachable
He teases the church that God can only use fat people, then explains the mnemonic. Faithful: greatness comes from doing ordinary, mundane things in a great way, day after day. Available: discomfort is often God pulling you out of your comfort zone. Teachable: the thing that disqualifies many people born for greatness is that they cannot be taught. He notes that he never mentioned talents or giftings.
Illustration: The mother eagle removes the soft lining of the nest and exposes the thorns so the eaglets will jump out; if you are too comfortable, you may find thorns growing in your nest to get you going. He also recalls telling Mark many years ago that the key to greatness is doing the same ordinary things day after day.
“Do ordinary things in a great way.”
- Luke 16:10
You are anointed
Traditional church culture taught that only the pastor and elders are anointed, but just as God took of the spirit on Moses and put it on the seventy, everyone born again carries an anointing and must grow in it. Hang-ups do not disqualify you, because we are the righteousness of God by a legal transaction, not by works. It is time to stop crying for the dummy and the bottle, take your place, and teach and equip others, because leaders are to identify, prepare and release teams to work.
Illustration: Parents who raise a child and send him to university, only for him to come home with a degree and sit on the couch all day eating popcorn: the church needs you to become a productive, functional member.
“It will not be fair of the Lord to ask you to come and help and get involved in ministry if he will not anoint you.”
- Numbers 11:25
- 2 Corinthians 5:21
- 1 Peter 1:23
1. They need authority
With authority comes an anointing and a backing. Laying on of hands is a foundational doctrine: when your pastor lays hands on you and releases you, you stand in agreement with him when you face a demon or a sickness. People who will not submit to authority in the natural cannot wield authority in the spirit, and many lone rangers are naked in the spirit realm.
Illustration: The Lone Ranger: many believers are spiritual lone rangers who are accountable to nobody.
“If you cannot come under authority, you can never unleash or wield authority.”
- Numbers 11:16
- Hebrews 6:2
- Deuteronomy 32:30
- Psalm 133:3
2. They need anointing
God took of the spirit that was on Moses and put it on the elders. With the anointing come the power of God, the presence of God and boldness.
“If you are anointed, if you have the power of God, you have the presence of God, you have the boldness.”
- Numbers 11:17
3. They need ownership of the vision
It is not the pastor's church or your church but our church. When it is your church, you do something about the need in front of you, whether you clean or usher. You are not a visitor but part of the family.
Illustration: Nobody walks behind their husband embarrassed to say 'that is my husband'; in the same way, never be embarrassed to say 'that is my church, that is my pastor'.
“It's not my church. It is not your church. Our church.”
4. They need responsibility
The elders were to bear the burden of the people with Moses. When a leader asks you to serve, don't hide behind shyness: they were prompted by the Lord to ask, and as you put your hand to it your anointing, talents and ability will grow.
“How are you going to know if you don't try?”
- Numbers 11:17
5. They need specific ministry roles
Everyone is gifted differently: some serve in security, some preach, some teach. The seventy were set round about the tabernacle, just as teams today are placed around the church in music, ushering, offerings and announcements.
“It is not unbiblical, it's a biblical pattern.”
- Numbers 11:24
6. They need to express their gifts
When the spirit rested on the elders, they prophesied. As the Spirit of God touches you, you discover your gifts, but only if you get involved. The flesh cries 'I know better', but the worst that can happen is that you fail and learn, and if you succeed you discover the anointing inside you. See, believe and do.
Illustration: Those who watched him lay hands on people that night and say 'receive the Holy Ghost' can do the same; all that lies between them and doing it is believing.
“Whatever you see with your eyes and believe with your heart you can do.”
- Numbers 11:25
7. They need a secure shepherd who will release them to succeed
Moses is the example. Insecure leaders in traditional churches held people back and never told them they were gifted too. A secure shepherd teaches and releases people, even those who may one day succeed and surpass their leaders, which is success, not failure. There are no trade secrets in the kingdom: we have one common enemy and belong to the same army.
Illustration: A coach watching the athlete he trained and saying, 'I coached him, look at him go'; and parents who would be sad if their children did worse than them rather than better.
“There's no trade secrets in the kingdom of God.”
- Matthew 10:8
Putting it into practice
- Be faithful, available and teachable.
- Believe that you are anointed and grow in that anointing.
- Take ownership: call it our church and act when you see a need.
- Say yes when a leader asks you to serve, even when it feels uncomfortable.
- If you are over sixty, don't retire but refire, and start witnessing where you are.
Closing
He reminds the church that he gave a plain biblical teaching, not a motivational sermon, and declares that they have been chosen for greatness; if they become faithful, available and teachable, God will guide, govern and lead them. He tells those over sixty not to retire but to refire, and urges everyone to start witnessing at work and at home, marketing Jesus the way they would sell anything else.
Declarations he led
- Be available, be faithful, be teachable.
- I'm anointed.
- I have been chosen for greatness.
- I've been called of God.
In his words
- “God doesn't want a leader. God wants a whole group of leaders.”
- “Do ordinary things in a great way.”
- “Your attitude ultimately determines what? Your altitude.”
- “If you cannot come under authority, you can never unleash or wield authority.”
- “When you are 60, don't retire, refire.”
Every scripture in this message
- Numbers 11:16-30
- Isaiah 55:11
- Luke 16:10
- 2 Corinthians 5:21
- 1 Peter 1:23
- Hebrews 6:2
- Deuteronomy 32:30
- Psalm 133:3
- Matthew 10:8