ministry must be of character

I am in the middle of studying through the book of Luke (okay, more like at the beginning), & this week I have been stuck on the last half of Luke 6, particularly verses 39-45. Jesus is in the middle of talking about how His disciples are supposed to live & act, but then He goes off into 4 parables that (at first) seemed to be totally unrelated to each other, or the topic at hand. From what I know of Jesus, He doesn't chase rabbits, so, I spent more time here than I usually would, & Holy Spirit gave me some awesome insights about leadership, discipleship, & sanctification. These primarily came through William MacDonald's Believer's Bible Commentary.

When I read what MacDonald was saying, I was supremely challenged to obey what Jesus is saying. So that is the point of this post--not to show off what I'm learning, but to keep myself accountable to work on these things.

He also told them a parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.  Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
"For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, foreach tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.  The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:39-45 (You can read the whole passage here.)

Here is what MacDonald had to say on these parables:

In the previous section the Lord Jesus taught that the disciples were to have a ministry of giving. Now He warns that the extent to which they can be a blessing to others is limited by their own spiritual condition. The blind cannot lead the blind; both would fall into the ditch. We cannot give what we do not have ourselves. If we are blind to certain truths of God's Word, we cannot help someone else in those areas. If there are blind-spots in our spiritual life, we can be sure that there will be blind-spots in the lives of our understudies.
A person cannot teach what he does not know. He cannot lead his students to a level higher than he himself has attained. The more he teaches them, the more they become like him. But his own stage of growth forms the upper limit to which he can bring them. A student is perfectly trained as a disciple when he becomes like his master. Deficiencies in the doctrine or life of the teacher will be carried over into the lives of his pupils, and when the instruction has been completed, the disciples cannot be expected to be above the master.
This important truth is still more strikingly brought out in the illustration of the speck and the plank. One day a man is walking past a threshing floor where the grain is being beaten out. A sudden gust of wind lifts a tiny speck of chaff and lands it squarely in his eye. He rubs the eye to get rid of the irritant, but the more he rubs it, the more irritated it becomes. Just then another many comes along, sees the distress of the first, and offers to help. But this man has a plank sticking out of his own eye! He can scarcely help because he cannot see what he is doing. The obvious lesson is that a teacher cannot speak to his disciples about blemishes in their lives if he has the same blemishes to an exaggerated egree in his own life, yet cannot see them. If we are to be a help to others, our own lives must be exemplary. Otherwise they will say to us, "Physician, heal yourself!"
The fourth illustration the Lord uses is the tree and its fruit. A tree bears fruit, good or bad, depending on what it is in itself. We judge a tree by the kind and quality of fruit it bears. So it is in the area of discipleship. A man who is morally pure and spiritually healthy can bring forth blessing for others out of the good treasure of his heart. On the other hand, a man who is basically impure only brings forth evil.
The Lord tells the disciples that their ministry is to be a ministry of character. What they are is more important than anything they will ever say or do. The final result of their service will be determined by what they are in themselves.

Jesus ends those parables with a great line that has been weighing on me all semester.

"Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord, ' and do not do what I say?"

Following Jesus means obeying Jesus, but this is not a call to legalism. If Jesus truly is the Lord of Lords, then His authority is supreme. If He really was the ransom for my soul, then He alone is worthy of my life. If He is truly God, then He is truly good, and deserving of the utmost allegiance and devoutness. If Jesus is really who He says He is, then He, above all men, should be obeyed with all of my heart. The beautiful thing about obeying Jesus is that it is done out of love, not obligation: "for this is the love we have for God, that we keep his commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome." (I John 5:3)

My "belief" must transfer into doing what Jesus says, not of my own power, but relying on the power He gives. True faith looks like obedience.

Father, please make Your children more obedient. I confess that I don't want to be obedient all the time, but You say that obedience is the result of Your great love for me. So change my heart. Incline me to not only come and hear Your words, but to act on them in obedience. Thank You for always being so faithful, even when I am not. Thank You for Jesus. To You, I offer my life.