Images of Leadership: Sentinel

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Images of Leadership: Sentinel Leadership Skills for Effective Ministry Leader’s Notes Draft 10/25/2001

Overview
I recently went to a John Maxwell seminar entitled “The 21 Irrefutable Laws
of Leadership.” While some of the material and ideas were helpful, it left
me feeling flat. The nature of laws is they seem so black and white—they
are, after all, irrefutable laws. Yet leadership—certainly exhibiting it,
even teaching it—doesn’t seem so black and white. The advantage of
thinking about images, biblical, three-dimensional, look-at-them-from-
different-angles images is that they are not black and white. They have
texture and shape, they can be examined at a distance or in detail. And, in
fact, they are biblical. Most often, images are the ways the scripture
teaches about leadership. In one form, parables, they comprise the bulk of
Jesus’ teaching in the gospels.

Hence Images of Leadership. The nine images are meant to form a
package, a composite image, of leadership from scripture. One of the
strengths of the multiple images is that for various teachers, different
images will stand out as helpful and central, while other images may be
more unfamiliar. But the composite of images helps to avoid the danger of
over-generalizing. In other words, it is easy for a shepherding leader to
teach on leadership as if it is all about shepherding, while a visionary
leader may tend to teach on leadership as if vision is the only key
quality. So taking a broader survey of some of the biblical images and
depictions of leadership can broaden what might otherwise be a narrow diet
of teaching. Each image, each chapter of the material, can easily stand alone and
doesn’t need the other material to make it understandable or useable for a
group. So a staff person working with a group may decide that the first
thing the leaders need is a teaching on the leader as sage, for example.
However, there is some logic or structure in the ordering of the chapters,
as I will outline below. I have taught the material over two days with
staff, and I have taught 3 or 4 sessions in a one-day seminar with leaders
in a church setting. My ideal schedule would be Friday night, all day
Saturday, two sessions, about 6 months apart. I would try to cover sessions
1-5 during the first weekend, and sessions 6-9 during the second. But of
course the advantage of the sessions being modular is that they can be
rearranged to serve the needs of the group or team.

Chapter Content and Flow
. Chapters 1, 2, and 3 form the introductory core material. When I have

taught this material on campus, I am eager to teach this early in the year. . In fact, I have tended to use the servant material (chapter 2) during the spring of the year as an intro seminar for all students interested in leadership for the following fall. I take 2 to 2.5 hours to go through the whole seminar: an hour on the scripture studies, followed by shorter presentation of the material in the notes, followed by small group discussion of a campus-oriented case study (see the leader’s notes for an example—the one in the printed material is more oriented toward a church). . The Shepherding material (chapter 1) can be taught over the course of three weeks for on-campus leadership training of small group leaders and other influence leaders in a chapter. Don’t rush the scripture study. . The Patient material (chapter 3) can also be taught in the Spring, as people are deciding to be leaders, or else during the fall, as the initial excitement about being in leadership is giving way to a job- description approach. In this way, people need to be reminded of how God is healing/developing them and their character through the experience of leadership.
. Chapters 4 and 5 address influence dynamics. The sage image (chapter 4) addresses the situation you have when people trust you and are asking (in one way or another) for your advice. The sentinel image (chapter 5) addresses the situation when the people you are seeking to influence or lead aren’t coming to you looking for advice. They may need challenge or exhortation, but for whatever reason they aren’t initially seeking such influence. It is helpful to make a distinction between these two postures, and to recognize that a full leadership role includes the ability to lead through gentle questions and good listening at times, but also the ability to challenge and “exhort one another every day” as is sometimes necessary.
. Chapters 6-9 form a body of material I tend not to use with new leaders, but rather with leaders of leaders. Or another way to put it: chapters 1-5 addresses the leadership of groups, while chapters 6-9 speaks towards the leadership of teams. On campus, this means I would use this material with a new exec team, or other student leaders of teams of leaders (outreach team, worship team, drama team, publicity team, mission team, etc). New small group leaders may not really need the vision stuff, but the people leading small group leaders do. If you are doing staff training with this material, I would expect most staff are in the place where this material will be extremely helpful. But younger students don’t need this latter material—focus your training of them on the dynamics of shepherding, servanthood, and influence. . Chapter 6 speaks of vision. A crucial concept for anyone who would lead any team trying to accomplish anything but the most rudimentary of tasks. . Chapters 7 (Steward) and 8 (Sponsor) could also be renamed The Leader as Manager and The Leader as Coach, respectively, though steward and sponsor are more directly biblical concepts. But these chapters deal with crucial questions of management, planning, and delegation (chapter 7) and training and empowerment (chapter 8). . Chapter 9 (Sower) speaks to the topic of multiplication. The scripture study on multiplicative ministry followed by the session on Leadership Development is built on much of the previous material, especially the Leader as Patient. It presents a powerful argument for the basis of on- the-job leadership training (campus based during the school year versus relying solely on summer leadership training at chapter camp). I almost never use this stuff with student leaders, but it would be crucial for staff, and would be very helpful for many churches.

More detailed leaders commentary.
Following these introductory remarks are leaders’ notes on each session.
These take the form of points that I have put on my manuscript or said in
discussion, without much editing or prioritizing. What immediately follows
is a summary of teaching strategies and teaching points for each of the
nine sections. This will give you a sense of how the session is organized—how 90-150 minutes is spent on each session.

Chapter 5: The Leader as Sentinel
This section goes with its counterpart, Chapter 4 The Leader as Sage, in
dealing with the question of influence. How to have and deliver influence,
perspective, insight, foresight, or wisdom. While Chapter 4 (Sage) deals
with how to influence when people are asking in one way or another, Chapter
5 addresses the times when someone is caught in patterns of sin or
unhealthy choices that they may not recognize. Hence the concern to be the
sentinel, the one who stands on the walls of the city with a watchful eye
toward the horizon. In leading this time, I have divided the personal study
time between two groups of people: half the participants read and discuss
the Ezekiel 33 and Hebrews 3-4 passages, while the other half read and
discuss 1 Samuel 25, and then a large group discussion is done of each
passage in turn.

The defining scripture for this section is Ezekiel 33, which uses the
image of the sentinel and sets the stage for understanding how the role is
to be carried out. The key insight in this passage has to do with
responsibility: responsibility to people, not responsibility for people.
The sentinel has a responsibility to speak about the things the sentinel
sees, and a responsibility not to miss what should have been obvious, but
the sentinel does not have responsibility for the choices of people to whom
the sentinel reports the danger. A leader, seeing a cause for concern, has
a responsibility not to shirk his/her role and to speak in hearable ways
about the cause for concern, but cannot control (and has no responsibility
to try to do so) the person’s choice to respond to the concern. One of the
things I stress is that if I see something, I don’t ask myself, “Should I
tell the person?” Rather, I should ask, “What setting and timing will help
deliver the best possible message to this person, so that they have the
greatest chance to hear it and respond positively?” Different kind of
question. After this scripture study in Ezekiel 33, the Hebrews passage
emphasizes a few additional elements: the sentinel is not a unique and
unusual role, but a daily and one-another kind of role: we can be mutually
helpful to each other, because we are all susceptible to the deceitfulness
of our own sin. It is helpful to talk about how sin deceives us: it gets us
to think that sinful choices are really short-cuts to good things we want.
Faith spells out that in fact this is deception—God’s way is the shortest
way to the satisfaction of all our ultimate desires; sin is not getting
away with good things, but rather a short-sighted but costly tactic,
causing us to miss out on the best God wants for us, ultimately also what
we want. Finally, the 1 Sam 25 passage is a great example of sentinel
activity, first of all because literally Nabal is confronted by a sentinel
(“an army is approaching”) and he foolishly does nothing, while his wife
models how to receive the news of a sentinel (she immediately seeks for
peace). But more significantly, Abigail shows us a model of a sentinel at
work, calling David to repent but in ways that are very hearable. The lecture portion of this section may indeed be brief. After a
discussion of the questions on the manuscript pages—leaving out perhaps
the more personal questions on the Ezekiel page, the notion of supervisory
feedback can be addressed, if necessary. If the people being trained are
not in formal supervisory roles, I usually skip that section. The meat of
the practical application is the discussion in small groups of “Faith and
the Heart of Unbelief” worksheet. Give the small groups 10-15 minutes and
have them fill out 2 or 3 lines of the sheet each. If you have time, ask
them to share briefly in LG what they came up with. Otherwise, when back in
LG, ask them, “What did you learn by doing this? How could this be
helpful?” This exercise often opens people’s eyes to sinful attitudes and
demonstrates the debunking of sin’s deception. It serves to open up new
categories of discipleship for people—for themselves and for others. It
also encourages people that the sentinel role in people’s lives can be a
real gift and ministry of grace, not just spiritual police.

Sample Formats For a training day/weekend:

One day Schedule:	Friday evening:	One day schedule, part
9:00 Gather & intro	7:00 Gather & intro	2:
9:15 Leader as Shepherd	7:15 Leader as Shepherd	9:00 Gather & intro
9:15 Leader as Sentinel
11:15 Break	9:30 break for evening
11:30 Leader as Servant	Saturday:	11:00 Break
(abbreviated)	9:15 Gather	11:15 Leader as
12:30 Lunch	9:30 Leader as Servant	Visionary (scripture)
1:30 Leader as Patient	11:00 Break	12:15 lunch
3:00 Break	11:15 Leader as Patient	1:15 Leader as
3:15 Leader as Sage	Visionary (lecture)
5:00 End	12:30 Lunch	2:00 Leader as Steward
1:30 Leader as Sage	(abbreviated)
3:30 Break	3:00 Break
4:00 Leader as Sentinel	3:15 Leader as Sower
5:00 End
5:30 End	—or—
2:00 Leader as Steward
3:30 Break
3:45 Leader as Sponsor
5:30 Dinner
6:45 Leader as Sower
8:45 End

All these formats have the single advantage—people are there for a bulk of
material that they will find fits well together and is usually pretty
helpful and loaded with things to think about. The downside of anything
like this is that people will be pretty filled to the brim, perhaps well
before the end of the day. The best type of content schedule would be 2
full hours/week for 5 weeks during the fall, followed by another four weeks
of the same 2 hours/week about six months later.

A three-day format for the material, which I am liking the more I
teach it (slow it down):

Day #1:	Day #2: Leaders	Day #3: Leaders of
Pre-leaders	Leaders
9:00 – 9:15	Introduction	Introduction and	Introduction and Review
Review
9:15 –	Session 1:	Session 4: Sage	Session 7: Steward
11:15	Shepherding
11:30 –	Session 2a:	Session 5a:	Session 8a: Sponsor
12:30	Servant	Sentinel
1:30 – 2:30	Session 2b:	Session 5b:	Session 8b: Sponsor
Servant lecture	Sentinel Heart of	test and discussion
and case study	Unbelief & Case
studies
3:00 – 5:00	Session 3: Patient	Session 6:	Session 9: Sower
Visionary
5:00 – 5:30	Closing Prayer	Closing Prayer	Closing Prayer

These sessions might be ideally several months apart, giving people time to
digest the material before they receive more.

|The Leader as Sentinel Scripture Study

What did you notice about the Ezekiel 33 passage? The sentinel has a
responsibility to speak what the sentinel hears. “Responsibility TO, not
responsibility FOR.” He is responsible to the people, to speak faithfully
what he hears. But not responsible for their choices.

Did you read this and think, in part, “I’m glad I’m not Ezekiel!” The
people’s blood can be on his head, if he fails.

How can a sentinel fail?

. Not see-not be looking, not pay attention . See but not say: fail to warn, because of conflict avoidance, or something else . See, say, but not clearly: Flub the warning. . See, delay, say: “Whenever you hear the word.” The whole point of a sentinel is to give a timely warning. Timeliness is key to the sentinel’s role.

The people have to trust the sentinel. the sentinel who cannot discern
between an army and a caravan cannot be trusted. Crying wolf will mean
people won’t listen.

Paul speaks to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20 at one point, referencing
this verse, by saying, “I declare to you this day I am not guilty of the
blood of any of you, for I did not shrink back from declaring to you the
whole purpose of God.” He is not saying, “I have given you everything you
need to get from God.” He’s saying, “Everything I’ve gotten from God I gave
to you.” They will still need to get stuff from God. His job was finished
when he gave them everything he received from God. He didn’t get clarity
from God and then gossip about it, telling everyone except the person
involved. He didn’t get clarity from God but decide not to offend or
endanger the relationship. What he heard from God he gave to people,
therefore he can say he is not guilty of their blood. He finished the work
he had to do with them. “I spoke with you night and day, with warnings and
with tears.”

I asked you to think about those who have been sentinels in your own life.
Let’s just take a minute to thank God for these people in our lives right
now..

Pray in groups for 2-3 minutes.

The sentinel is someone who has been appointed by God, and one who the
people recognize as sentinel. We don’t have the sentinel role with just
everyone we meet. The sentinel role is a mutually recognized role, not self-
appointed.

Timeliness is key, “Whenever” Delay is costly.
One of the commitments I make is that when I get clarity about something, I
commit to speaking about it. I may not speak up about it right then,
depending on the circumstance. And there are a lot of times that I frankly
am just confused-I don’t know what is going on. But when I get clarity
about an issue, I resolve to speak about it at the next chance I get. I may
do it in a group setting, or I may do it privately, depending on what the
situation calls for. But I commit to speaking about it, so I can say with
Paul, “I did not shrink back”.

Let’s look at the Hebrews passage.
What is the issue here? What is the call? Exhortation of one another
The Ezekiel passage is particular, but the Hebrews passage says it applies
to us as well. We are all called to be a sentinel, and on a pretty regular
basis, daily. Some urgency about this.

How would you like to live in a church where exhortation is the coin of the
realm? I am hoping to convince you in the next 30 minutes that it would be
great to be in such a church, understood properly.

What is exhortation? We think of it as criticism, Godly critique.
Encouragement? Exhortation and encouragement are two different words. two
ends of the spectrum. One calls for repentance (turning around), the other
impels action in the same direction.

What is at stake? Your hearts, life itself: hard hearts
Why? Because of the deceitfulness of sin.
How does sin grab a hold of our hearts? Gradually
How is sin deceitful? It looks great
Sin makes the exact same promises that Jesus makes (life, security,
greatness), but promises a shortcut. Sin lures us by offering the things
we’ve been created to want, but promising a shortcut.

What, then, is the essential nature of exhortation? What do we all need?
Have you ever watched commercials on TV and tried to “spot the lie”? Once
you find the lie, it robs the commercial of its power. While the lie is
subtle, undetected, it remains attractive and seductive. Once it is
articulated, it is exposed for the bunk and silliness it is.

The strategy of exhortation is the strategy of debunking the lies of sin.
We are all prone to believe certain lies of sin. Certain groves we cut and
lies we are susceptible to.

My wife and I help each other. I am prone to impatience and given to
responding to people in my life in this way. My wife is less susceptible to
that and she can help me spot the lie, the thing that I am believing that
makes me think that impatience is a good strategy and will help me get what
I want. My wife, in turn, is more susceptible to anxiety, about money or
travel. She can believe that her worry will help her productively get
things done. I am able to help her see that when she embraces anxiety she
is believing things that just aren’t true.

Exhortation is not fundamentally about “Quit it!” “Stop doing that fun
stuff that God hates for you to do.” Rather, “You are believing something
that is not true.” It is mercy for one another to help each other see what
is not true.

I am not meaning to imply that sin is external to us, and we are just
victims. But rather that sin has power in our hearts to the extent we
believe the lies it tells us.

I’d like to illustrate this, skipping to p9:
[Story of David and Abigail: Abigail responds to a sentinel -there is an
approaching army-then she becomes a sentinel to David. Great story.]

Part of the strategy is to recognize that we are susceptible to these
hearts of unbelief, identify these lies, and then rehearse the faith-filled
antidote we can find in scripture, debunking the lie and breaking the
attractiveness of the sin.

[illustration with bitterness, then go to trios]

After the small group discussion on debunking the lies of sin.

It is easier to debunk the lies of sinful attitude that we aren’t
susceptible to. That is why we need people. That is why it is “exhort one
another” and “every day”. We were not meant to do this alone.

Imagine a small group of people who know each other well enough and love
each other, where someone is able to say, “That’s my issue” and the others
can say, with all due affection, “Yes, I’ve seen that.” What would it look
like to be able to say, “I just think you are believing something that is
not true”? Not “Quit it” or “You’re getting away with something you
shouldn’t be.”

We could do these debunking the lies of sin exercises in our small groups,
in our teams, in our friendships, in our spousal relationships.

I don’t make you my subordinate by speaking the truth in this way. I don’t
make you my superior by hearing this from you. This is friend-to-friend
care and concern.

The Case Studies on P11 make this practical.
[discuss in small groups]

These case assume the skills of the sage-good question asking, the person
is the expert on their own life. We don’t forget everything we talked about
with that to just slam people with our judgments. Rather, we ask questions,
we listen well, and we offer our observations with humility, knowing 1) we
may be wrong, and 2) even if we are right, we are susceptible to the same
things ourselves.

Hebrews 3:12-4:1 (a second version of these notes)
. What do you notice? People have some measure of control over the state of our hearts—so we can “take care” or not. If we don’t take care, we can acquire an evil, unbelieving heart.
. Who is the writer talking to? Fellow believers, people who have been persecuted, who are tempted to turn away. S/he is calling them to stick with it, not to throw in the towel.
. What’s at stake? Salvation. They could find that their hearts are hardened to the point that they turn away from the [only] living God.
. How? How would you get an “evil, unbelieving heart”? Slowly, over time, deceived by sin
. Why “today, as long as it is called today”? Don’t think, “I can exhort tomorrow. I can exhort privately. I’ll bring that up later. It’s just not the right time.” Its urgent. Exhort today, and then when tomorrow becomes today, exhort then too.
. How does sin get you to do it? Deceitful: makes you think that it is a better (shorter, easier, faster, more certain, less painful) way to get where you want to go. Sin’s power is not to make you sin because you want to do evil, but to entice you by representing itself as good, better, best. Sin makes promises-lies, to be sure-but the promises entice us into sin. In the short term, it often seems that sin indeed pays off, which is why sin is so popular.
. We tend to think of sin in terms of action—sexual promiscuity, lying, cheating, hurting—but now we are going to focus on ways that sin lodges in our hearts as attitudes of unbelief. These sinful states of the heart often issue in actions that hurt us and others, but sometimes the actions are just symptoms of the condition of our hearts, the real issue. We are going to try to give help to be able to address the states of our hearts by a three-step process: 1. Identifying heart attitudes of unbelief/sin; 2. Identifying the lies and false promises made by sin that makes these attitudes attractive; and 3. Declaring Biblical truths that contradict and debunk these lies, removing from sin its power to attract us to adopt these attitudes of the heart.

. We are talking about what it would be like to help people to address

these attitudes of the heart. We are not holding people accountable because we don’t want them to get away with fun stuff, but rather because we don’t want them to be deceived and to turn away from the only living God, who promises life and blessing to all whose hearts are the least bit inclined towards him. The Leader as Sentinel Ezekiel 33:1-20 Leader’s notes (a second version)

Why is our feedback so crucial? lives are at stake.
What are we responsible for? Everything God shows us.

Responsibility to vs. Responsiblity for: we are responsible to people, to
say what we have heard from God. But we are not responsible for their
actions. If we have been faithful to our roles as sentinels, we are
innocent of their blood, if they disregard our warnings.

. V.2 ”.take one of their number.”: People have agreed that this person is

the sentinel.
. V.3 ”.sees the sword coming upon the land.”: Insight and foresight
. V.4 ”.the sound of the trumpet.”: Urgent call to repent
. V.5 Truth is a life and death issue.
. V.7 ”.whenever.” timeliness is key.
. ”.hear a word from my mouth.” Illustrates the importance of listening to God.
. V.8 Acts 20- “I am not guilty of the blood of any of you”: No comment here re: how the sentinel feels giving bad news and having it go unheeded, tragically.
. V.11 ”.why will you die.” People make choices for life or death.
. V.12 Levels of supervision: . life circumstances . time management . calling, what are you made for . how to live faithfully. (this is more difficult).
. V.13 ”.trust in their righteousness.” The tendency to rest on laurels: the righteousness of the righteous is good, but as a gift from God, not as a replacement for God.
. V.17 Blaming God for the way he deals out both forgiveness and punishment.

What do we learn about God here?- no pleasure in the death of the wicked,
repentance more important than a clean record.
What do we learn about leadership? About being a prophetic voice?
. responsibilty to speak words of warning, in a manner that will enhance

the possibility of a positive response (a sentinel who muffles his clarion call doesn’t do the job)
. speak the words of God when you hear them- timeliness is key
. we speak words of life and death
. not responsible for how people respond.
. not responsible for what we don’t see- but that might make us not competent. The Leader as Sentinel 1 Samuel 25 Notes and Applications

V1: “Now Samuel died”: perhaps David feels without a sponsor after
Samuel’s death. He was hoping to become king and end this life on the run.
He spares Saul’s life in the previous chapter but look where it gets him in
this one… He’s just tired of waiting.
V7: “I hear that you have shearers”: i.e., that you are feeding a group of
people who have come around to shear your sheep. So a few extra extra
mouths to feed might be no problem. A reasonable request at this time of
year.
V8: David is asking for what he could have taken previously. Rather than
taking, he asks, giving Nabal the chance to be generous.
V10: Nabal calls David a no one, a has-been, an unpropertied servant. This
riles David up. Of course Nabal knows who David is—it could not have
escaped his notice. Songs have been sung about David for years.
V13: I’ll show him: David lives with a sense of tension between the promise
of his future and the fragility of his current existence. He snaps.
It is as if David decides that all this servant-leadership is too much
trouble—it’s not worth it. David expected gratitude for his servanthood,
but he got abuse. Yet we can respond as David did when we don’t get the
return we are looking for for our servanthood. When people take us for
granted, overlook our efforts, withhold affirmation and thanks—we can
conclude that servanthood just isn’t worth it—and therefore we lash out.
V14: the servants tell Abigail. Typical dysfunctional family dynamic:
people must work around the problem person, Nabal. Abigail is used to
covering for Nabal’s folly.
V14: This man is literally a sentinel: one who is telling Abigail of the
approach of an army threatening destruction. Abigail knows how to listen to
a sentinel.
V15: Nabal’s servants consider David’s request appropriate.
V17: Abigail is ready for conflict: the servant expects her to be able to
deal with it while no one can speak to Nabal: he is literally a fool for
being unwilling to listen to the warnings of a sentinel. This folly seals
Nabal’s doom.
V21: David swears an oath of vengeance: fortunately, God doesn’t hold him
to it.
V24: Abigail puts her life on the line: David has already sworn death, and
we know he is capable of it.
V29: Our lives as people in ministry: can include a sense of promise of
greatness and influence without a sense of our current reality matching the
promise
V32: David is humble and wise—he is willing to learn from someone less
powerful. He receives Abigails’ gentle rebuke as a gift from God.

What did Abigail know? What did she do? |Application | |Even before the
conflict happens, she is understood to be a person of action, who will not
freeze up but will act to do the right thing. Her servant says (v17), “Now
therefore know this and consider what you should do” |Be ready for

conflict. Think ahead; make commitments that you won’t flee. For your sake, for the sake of friendships, for the sake of your future marriage, etc.
. Otherwise, while we waffle, we gossip, complain, become fearful and resentful. | |She is willing to intercede on behalf of her husband. She is
willing to enter in and make peace. She spares no expense, of time or
money. She understood the urgency. v18: “Then Abigail hurried. |Don’t be
casual about relational tension. | |She sent someone on ahead of her to
make peace, as an advocate. v19: “Go on ahead of me” though she didn’t
decide not to come at all. |Find someone who knows both, who has a stake in
a positive outcome. | |She puts herself in the one-down position. (Though
in this case, she is the one in the right, while David is in the wrong.)
v24: “Upon me alone, my lord, be the guilt” |David, while wronged, sinned
(or premeditated sin) in response. Often, our justification for our sinful
response is the original sin in the first place. “S/he started it!” | |She
addresses the original need, the original complaint. She makes amends. v27:
she makes a present. She addresses the injustice. |Start not with your own
complaint, but with every way in which you were or could possibly have been
in the wrong. Don’t begin even with trying to be understood, which implies
“You were wrong to think that I was in the wrong.” Agree first; understand,
and you may come to be understood. | |She reminds David of the promises
associated with his life and future—she calls him to live up to what God
is doing in him. She thinks future- perfect (v31): “when the Lord has dealt
well with my lord, then remember your servant.” She speaks of the future as
if it were guaranteed. |We need to see the results of our actions clearly—small choices now can make huge difference later, for us, for others, for
our fellowship or church, for folks who don’t know God. | |V32: She stops
speaking and must trust in God: to calm David’s anger, to save her life.
She didn’t flee the conflict, but rode right into it. |We need to have
faith that God will come through for us. Ultimately, it is not up to our
words, gestures, or schemes. Others’ hearts are in God’s hands. | |
What were the results of Abigail’s faithful choice?
. David, for his part, is extraordinarily willing to learn from someone less powerful. David receives advice from Abigail as a gift from God.
. David’s reputation and conscience is kept clear from guilt.
. God responds to bring justice to the situation beyond what was in David’s power. Nabal was going to die either way, but in this way it was an act of God’s judgment, not David’s anger.
. Through God’s judgment of Nabal, David receives the confirmation of God’s work in his life and as an advocate for him.
. Abigail ends up with a more reasonable husband, though it is David who gets the better deal. Faith and the Heart of Unbelief
Attitude of the Heart |Sin’s deception: What is promised? |Faith’s
antidote | |Bitterness/resentment: harboring a grudge or an unforgiving
spirit; an anger toward God or others as we blame them for our suffering. |power over the person-to forgive would be to be subordinate
. rights to complain, to be the victim, to self-pity
. The person might do it again: “protect yourself”
. To reconcile would be too much work |to understand how we’ve been forgiven by God. Matt 18:21-35.
. to love people who have hurt us for our own heart’s sake. Safety is found in forgiving.
. The punishment for others’ sin is built into the system. There is no getting away with it.
. Ex 23:4-5; Matt 18:21-35; Rom 12:19-21 | |Impatience: the feeling that we
should be getting on with something more quickly than we are, leading to a
lack of peace, bouts of anger, lack of love for others, and trying to get
blessing “our way”. |Take action, take control, make things happen.
. “God helps those who help themselves!”
. Get what you can while you can!
. I can’t wait. My _ is too important. |James 1:3-6: Let patience produce. Pray for wisdom.
. Woman with the flow of blood: tyranny of the urgent.
. John 15:6: Apart from me you can do nothing
. Matt 5:5: “Blessed are the meek”
. Luke 10:25-37: extravagant servanthood
. Isaiah 64:4: God works if we wait.
. Prov 21:5; Isa 40:28-31; 50:10-11 | |Despondency/despair: believing that
we are at a dead-end with no way out, a no-win situation. Leads to burnout,
lack of interest in prayer, Scripture, ministry. A loss of hope because of
the depth of our suffering. |A reverse pride: You are so messed up, not even God loves you or can do anything to help you.
. “If you had real faith this wouldn’t be happening to you.”
. “Feel sorry for yourself-someone has got to.” Self pity leads to encouragement.
. Tension in life comes from having reality not meet expectations. You can eliminate this painful tension by reducing your hope to zero. Hope = reality = 0 ? no tension |Josh 1:7-9; Ps 16:11; 23:1-6; 42:1-11;
. Isa 64:4
. Ps. 73: Worship, focus on God, his help, his justice
. Romans 8:28-39: All things work together for good. we are more than conquerers.
. Psalm 40: “I waited for the LORD, . he drew me up from the desolate pit”
. 2 Corinthians 4:17; Phil 1:6; Heb 10:35-38
. “I believe, help my unbelief!”
. | |Anxiety: a lack of peace springing from dwelling on some dark
scenario that we think will occur in the future. Faithless anticipation of
suffering. |If you worry, you can control. Worry is productive.
. If you aren’t worrying, you haven’t done enough. Enough worry absolves you if you fail.
. The more worried you are, the more God will respond. |Matthew 6:25-34; 1
Peter 5:7; Phil 4:4-7, 13; Psalm 23; Isaiah 7:9; 41:10; 43:1-7; 51:12
Luke 10:38-42, Mary/Martha
Ps 127: “Unless the Lord builds the house.”
“Great is Thy Faithfulness” | |Shame |Don’t go to God, that’ll just make your shame worse! Avoid God = avoid pain.
. You have sinned so bad not even God can forgive you. Wow! You are so remarkable!
. If you feel bad enough then God will forgive you (i.e., you yourself can atone for your sins)Enough shame will bring forgiveness. |Every sin God can forgive. (1 John 1:9).
. There is no condemnation! Rom 8:1
. But God only forgives sin because of the death of Jesus. Nothing we do adds to Jesus’ work.
. Psalm 45:10, Ephesias 5:8
. John 21:15-19: The reinstatement of Peter
. Romans 6:5-14; Psalm 139, Nathan with David: “The Lord has put away your sin.” | |Misplaced Shame |If you say anything, you’ll ruin your friendship. (Shame=fear of identifying with Jesus) |Mark 8:34-38 |

|Regret: a belief that a mistake we made in the past virtually rules out a
happy future. A re-evaluation of our life and choices in the face of
suffering. |You can atone for your sin by feeling very, very bad about it

for a long, long time. Since joy, happiness and hope are no longer possibilities for you, you at least have the consolation of not having to try to hope for them. |Romans 8:28-39. In all these things we are more than conquerers. I.e., things that we thought were stumbling blocks prove to be steppings stones (with faith). We will experience joy, hope, love by
. turning the disappointments of our lives over to God for healing.
. John 21:15-17: the reinstatement of Peter.
. Gen 50:20, 1 Sam 12:20, | |Jealousy or envy: becoming angry or upset
when we see a person get something we wish we had. |You deserve more than you have received. Life has not been fair to you. Look at your friends- they get all the breaks! Focus on your status as victim: that will help you. |Phil 4:12: contentment in all circumstances.
. Psalm 37:1-10: “Do not fret over those who prosper in their way.”
. Psalm 73; Gal 5:19-21; Phil 4:12; 1 Thess 5:18 | |Critical Spirit:
exalting oneself by harshly evaluating others, leading to cruelty and
unreasonable demands. Also leadsh to gossip. |You will be happier putting others down. Putting others down feels just like being exalted yourself.
. Your high standards show you are a person of remarkable stature/class/taste. |Matt 7:1-5: Judge not. also Matt 5:21-4
. 1 Cor 4:1-5: Let God be the judge
. Rom 14:13; Gal 5:13-15; 6:1-2
. Micah 6:8 Walk humbly with God
. Matthew 7: Judge not, lest you be judged.
. Luke 18: Parable of Tax Collector and Pharisee
. Philippians 2: consider others; Phil 4:8, think on these things. |

|Apathy: loss of will to act because of the intractibility of our suffering
or pain. |It is better not to care than to care and suffer or be

disappointed | | |Drivenness-rejecting the sabbath |Your life (and ministry) will only work out if you keep working hard. |Exodus 20:8-11; Luke 11:38-42; Psalm 23:1-3, Ps 46:10: “Be still and know.”
. Luke 10:38-42: Mary and Martha
. Rejecting the sabbath faithless and sinful. | |Sloth, laziness: avoiding
hard work and suffering; devaluing the significance of what we are called
to be doing. Escapism. |Rest is more important than work.
. Leisure will restore you. Indulgence in your own rest is required to be able to accomplish anything.
. I will always have tomorrow to do what I don’t do today. |God was a worker (six days of creation, one day of rest). Make the most of the time,
. for the days are evil (Eph 5:16)
. Prov 6:6-11; 13:4; 26:15-16
. Matt 25:14-30: Parable of the talents
. Col 3:23-24
. Heb 6:11-12 | |Self-protection: covering up, withdrawing or pulling away
from community and ministry in order to avoid the pain of self-revelation
or intentional suffering. Another form of coveting what we perceive to be
“ours” over and above the life God offers us. |If you open up you will experience pain and disappointment
. You will be happier knowing you rely only on yourself
. Others don’t merit your trust. Withholding it will punish them.
. God won’t protect you; you can, however, protect yourself. |Mark 8:34-37:
. Lose your life to gain it
. -187Luke 10:25-37: The Good Samaritan
. 1 Cor 12:12-27: The parts of the body need each other
. Phil 2:1-11: the mind of Christ: a servant
. 2 Tim 2:1-13: Share in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. |

|Divisiveness: acting to cause disunity in a group by exalting the
distinctives of oneself or a sub-group to which one belongs |Causing

disunity increases your own power and hence satisfaction
. Only by showing your distinctives will your superiority be manifest |1 Cor 1:10-13; 12:12-13, 24-26
. Gal 5:19-21; 6:7-10; Col 3:11-15 | |Covetousness-discontent with what we
possess or with our station or situation in life. Negative comparisons with
others. Lack of generosity, hospitality. Gluttony, hoarding, consumerism. |

|Psalm 23; Matt 6:19-21; Luke 12:13-21; Phil 4:11-13; 1 Tim 6:6-12; Heb

13:5-6 | |Deceit: lying; knowingly falsifying the truth; unwillingness to
confess sin |If I speak the truth I will not be happy.
. If people knew the truth about me they would reject me. |Lev 19:11: You shall not deal falsely. You shall not lie.
. Psa 51:6: You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
. Proverbs 13:5-6; 20:17
. Acts 5:1-10: Ananias and Sapphira
. Col 3:9-10 | |Lust, immorality: lack of self-control in the sexual area.
Lustful thoughts. Inappropriate sexual activity. Use of pornography, visual
stimulation. Creating inappropriate sexual tension. Habitual masturbation.

| |Matt 5:27-30; Mark 7:20-23; 1 Cor 7:8-9
. Gal 5:19-24;
. Gal 6:7-10: Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever

you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh. | |Pride, self-adulation: savoring something one has done or said
(or some distinctive) as particularly good, clever, wise, creative.
Positive comparisons to others. Competitiveness, provoking others, and
making others look bad. | |Deut 8:14-18; Jer 9:24; Ezek 18:29-32
. Matt 23:12: All who exalt themselves will be humbled.
. 1 Cor 1:28-31: God chose the low .
. 1 Cor 4:7: “What have you that you did not receive? . Why do you boast.?”
. James 4:6-8; 1 Peter 5:5 | | Sentinel Case Studies

1. You have often heard from Danny, a member of your small group, about his
desire to develop in friendships. The small group offers him great
potential in this area, but he takes little initiative during the evening
meetings, and none outside of that time. Last night presented the perfect
opportunity for Danny; the meeting was structured around a sharing and
prayer time in 3-4 person groups. Instead of speaking up and being open,
Danny just appeared sullen and distant during the meeting, and neither
listened actively nor sought an opportunity to speak up. The evening ended
and it seemed that nothing had changed.
. What would you like to ask Danny?
. What might be possible heart issues to address?
. How might you say what Danny needs to understand in a hearable way?
. What are the costs to Danny and to the small group if this isn’t

addressed?

2. Your ministry partner, Anne, always seems nervous about your ministry’s
upcoming outreach events, to which many people contribute by playing music,
hosting, taking care of logistics, and inviting their friends. It seems her
demeanor is affecting the faith and expectations of the rest of the team.
You decide to talk with her.
. What would you like to ask Anne?
. What might be possible heart issues to address?
. How could you frame what Anne needs to hear from you in a hearable way?
. What are your hopes for Anne and for the team?

3. Art, a coworker at your office, is a young Christian and has expressed
interest in visiting your church. You have observed Art in the office and
on the road—he is a fast moving, ambitious guy who drives aggressively
and uses his horn a lot. Last week, Art received word that he didn’t get an
important assignment he was hoping for. Upset, Art has begun to find fault
with anyone and everyone, including you.
. What might be a good way to proceed with Art?
. What questions do you have?
. What would you hope Art could come to see?
. How might you reflect what you’ve seen to Art in a hearable way?

Sentinel Case Studies Answers
1. You have often heard from Danny….
. What would you like to ask Danny? What were you feeling last night at small group meeting? I noticed you didn’t participate much. After we have talked about how you could build friendships in the group, what kinds of things do you think prevented your joining in and
. What might be possible heart issues to address? It is helpful to acknowledge that two things are going on here: Danny probably has a wound to be healed as well as a deception to be debunked. He needs to receive prayer and attention in a way that registers as affirmation, that he is valuable and precious to God, and therefore to the small group. But he also needs to be called past the lies he has believed that no one cares about him or likes him and therefore he doesn’t belong. His belief in those lies produces a self-reinforcing loop—it makes him less able to initiate, hence less attractive to initiate with.
. How might you say what Danny needs to understand in a hearable way? “Danny, I’d like to help you receive what you need to get from God in order to be able to take steps of friendship in the small group.”
. What are the costs to Danny and to the small group if this isn’t addressed? Small group will remain a frustrating time for Danny; more and more it will seem like a party to which he’s not invited but which he sees being played out every week. He needs to hear clearly that he’s been invited, but that he has a role to play if he wants to feel at home.

2. Your ministry partner, Anne…
. What questions do you have for Anne? How are you feeling about the

events? How have they gone for you? What do you feel good about? Not good about?
. What might be possible heart issues to address? Anxiety, fear, lack of trust in God, inability to trust others with their role in the program, feelings of carrying the whole thing on her shoulders. Anne seems to fear that “God won’t show up.” Perhaps she thinks, “My worry is the only thing holding this outreach event together.” These things are deceptions. Anxiety robs Anne of the enjoyment and satisfaction of the event: Jesus is taken out of the picture. It also affects the team’s faith and vision.
. How could you frame what Anne needs to hear from you in a hearable way? “I normally think of you as a fairly joyful person—that’s why I was excited to work with you on these events. But I’ve been noticing that you seem very tense. It seems like anxiety has been robbing you of your enjoyment of our outreach. I’d really love to see you enjoy it—for your own sake, and because I think if you have fun it will be contagious for the rest of the team. As it stands, it is more your anxiety that the team is catching from you. What could we do to help you receive a little more freedom from Jesus, for your sake and for the team’s?”
. What are your hopes for Anne and for the team? If Anne has a valid critique of the outreach events, I want to hear her express it productively, not as worry. I want her to grow in faith. I also want the team to respond well to her, not just writing her off because of her needless worry.

3. Art, a coworker at your office, ...
. What might be a good way to proceed with Art? How are you doing? I’ve

noticed these things… Are they connected? You need to build a relationship with Art without being judgmental.
. What questions do you have? Is Art aware of how he’s treating people? Is he eager to grow? “Art, how do you see this decision? Where is God in it? How could this be viewed as an opportunity?”
. What would you hope Art could come to see? Art’s anger, impatience, entitlement and/or jealousy . I would want him to see the way sin has deceived him to believe that it is possible for God’s good intentions for him to be thwarted by someone else’s decision re: his career. I would hope Art could see that God is giving him a chance to trust him.
. How might you reflect what you’ve seen to Art in a hearable way? It is likely you have a story of some similar kind of situation where God later made it clear to you how this decision actually worked out for your good, though you didn’t recognize it at the time. It may be that you are not able to get to a sentinel relationship with Art, if it seems he’s not open to taking a look at how he’s responding to this situation.