{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Church is Messy","title":"Church Is Messy: Acts of Leadership week 6","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2556,"description":"Rick and Svea spend much of the episode discussing Paul's warning to the church leaders in Ephesus as found in Acts 20:17-38: watch out for the wolves among you.\n\nA warning from Rick about this episode: It may contain meandering conversation with points of lucidity in a forest of discontinuity and convoluted word salads, but it has been fun.\n\nTopics discussed in this episode:\n00:00 Intro\n03:21 Serving is leading and leadership.\n06:35 The genius of Scripture: the same passage allowed Rick to pivot the emphasis in response to immediate needs without bending it to fit the new topic. This message's focus: Be on guard - have the back of those whom you lead.\n10:57 Wolves prowling around as a threat to the flock: Paul's admonition then and still true today.\n12:02 Three ways to spot a wolf: 1) they try to raise your level of fear; 2) they try to lower your level of empathy; and 3) they try to distract you from being an ambassador for Jesus and his kingdom.\n12:21 Looking at each wolf tactic: Watch out for those using fear as a manipulator.\n17:07 Watch out for those downplaying empathy or even calling it a sin. \n25:33 Watch out for those trying to distract us from the primacy of Jesus.\n29:14 How do you overcome the wolves? In every arena of your life, live as though Jesus were living your life: be with Jesus, become more like Jesus, and do as Jesus did. Who we are becoming is more important than what we do.\n31:52 The big difference between a true representative of Jesus and a wolf: A true representative will say follow me as I follow Jesus. A wolf will try to get you to join their endeavor and impose aspects of Christianity on others so they can get more control.\n34:31 The way of Jesus is always going to be different than any expression of the world's way.\n35:17 Playing the movie forward.","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/eGW0GjLFQWz3qpPjio-ji_5x5MOSNJlW79nf4VSHKIM/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzI4Mzk3LzE2ODMw/MzYzMDItYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}