Lead Pastors Conference: Sheryl McNeill

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Chip Ingram teaches the theology of suffering that although life is hard, God is good, life is unjust, God is sovereign. Remember that God is good. Don't let the lies of the enemy steal that truth from you when you are suffering. Like I've said before, do not despise your suffering. For out of it will flow rivers of living water and the anointing oil produced in suffering will Minister to met. [00:00:36] Speaker B: Welcome to the well an Elam Fellowship Leadership podcast. Join us today as we hear from Pastor Cheryl McNeil as she shares at the Lead Pastors Conference. Enjoy. [00:00:51] Speaker A: I have to say it is such a privilege and just a blessing to be here to speak to you today. And I'm looking forward to hearing what the Lord does through this conference in each of you. Just the testimonies that will come out of this. So I'm just looking forward to what the Lord is going to do. So this Several years ago we had some mature tree growth in our yard get devastated and infested with the emerald ash borer. Have any of you ever heard of that? So this is something that has hit New York State and the emerald ash borer is something that just attacks ash trees and it gets in there and it just destroys them. And it came around in the mid 2000s and it was accidentally transported in infested crates and pallets and from Asia to the United States where the natural controls that would normally happen to keep it at bay, they just didn't, they didn't happen. The predators and the disease, just lack of those things allowed it to grow and to populate. And so it killed millions and millions of trees, causing thousands of dollars of millions of dollars of damage. But we had these two beautiful ash trees in our front yard. They provided shade, they provided just beauty and they were majestic. They were looking, they just, it was one reason we liked house when we bought it because it really just, the yard just looks so beautiful. And they got this ash borer infestation and we had to terminate them. We had to cut down these trees because they died. And when the trees die, you want to make sure they're not going to fall on your house. And our backyard had this beautiful display of all these ash trees that provided a privacy little hedge for us, like a fence area for our above ground pool when the family would swim. And it just was beautiful. And they died. So my husband and a friend took on cutting down 35 ash trees over a couple years. It was fascinating. I have videos of them just like taking the wench on a truck and like watching it Fall and fill up on a ladder, like, you know, cutting down branches. And I'm like, be careful. So. But a few little ash trees survived. And we had, as they grew, their leaves filled in with the other kinds of trees that were in the backyard. And that privacy fence kind of thing just filled in again and we had our privacy back. But just like those baby ash trees that survived the emerald ash borer, you might be surviving ministry that way. Your song for this year might be I'm Still Standing. Yeah, yeah, yeah, right. But some of you who are more spiritual might be singing this song. Standing on the promises of Christ my king through eternal ages Let his praises bring glory in the highest I will shout and sing Standing on the promises of God Standing, standing, Standing on the promises of God, my savior Standing, standing I'm standing on the promises of God. That was for my dad, but my kids would be singing. Christ is my firm foundation the rock on which I stand when everything around me is shaking. I've never been more glad that I put my hope in Jesus. Cause he's never let me down. He's faithful through the generations so why would he fail now? He won't, he won't, he won't fail. A great Bible verse for 20:26 is Isaiah 61:3. They will be called oaks of righteousness. A planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. Remember it's for his splendor because it's for his glory. No matter what attacks may come. Having done else all else we stand. But how exactly do we survive the spiritual emerald ash borer of ministry? That thing called bitterness, in addition to using the whole armor of God? Well, a favorite verse of mine is Romans 12:12. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. I find this verse is applicable in many ways. No matter what I'm seeking the Lord for, it gives me the answer. Each element of this verse can stand on its own. You have a sermon series right there. Each element follows the other in a linear format. So once you have joyful hope, you can be patient in affliction. And once you're patient in affliction, you can be faithful in prayer. Just like a child who has learned to patiently articulate her needs instead of acting out to get her mom's attention. Each element forms a never ending circle as they serve each other. I can go back to being joyful in hope because I've been faithful in prayer and I've learned to trust God. Each element functions simultaneously with the others because sometimes we need them all at one time or out of order, a different order. We may be joyful in hope, but the evidence. But hope is the evidence of things not seen. It's not something tangible that we can control. We may think we will be patient in affliction, but we can't control the affliction or the timing of it. Not every affliction can be avoided, no matter how well you plan. And you cannot choose the timing of your cross. We may be diligent in prayer, but and every even prayer. Pray eloquent prayers, but we can't control God's response to our prayers, which is often the reason why people lose hope. The other common thread in each of these elements is faith, because without faith, it is impossible to please God. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to work in us so that our responses are showing the fruit of the Spirit. Joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. An example of joyful hope is when Mary and Elizabeth met. Baby John leapt in his mother's womb. In Luke 15. Sorry, 1:46,55. We read Mary's song about the coming Messiah. And although she speaks in past and present terms about what God has done and will do, Mary's song brings joyful hope. It stirs up that hope in us because it builds confidence based on God's faithfulness over time. They were looking for a deliverer that they believed would rescue them from the Roman Empire, but their expectations were in a savior. Their expectations were in God. Joyful hope brought you here this week. Whether you were putting your expectations in God directly or in an opportunity he might provide on this trip, maybe you saw this as an opportunity to network with other pastors, draw strength from those connections, get spiritually filled with more of God, get warm and see the sunshine. Hopefully get away from stress. Get time with your spouse, who hopefully is not related to your stress. I love Phil, and we have a really good marriage. But, you know, sometimes I think I bother him. I like to organize. I'm the micro, you know, organizer. He's the macro. Right. All macro over there. But I just want to organize his world right out from under him. Sometimes Phil wants to peacefully exist and I want to manage him. Yeah. So this one time I asked permission if I could share this. This one time we were out to dinner or lunch with the cases, and we're sitting there and, you know, you're eating lunch and you're just enjoying life, Right. And I'm sitting watching him eat, and all of a sudden I noticed that there was a Piece of lettuce or something stuck in his tooth. Now he's eating. It's probably going to go away, but, you know, I couldn't wait. So I'm sitting there and I could not believe myself. I was sitting there, and as he's talking to them across the booth, I reach over with a clean fork and go. I try to get it out of his teeth. And he looked at me and he said, Am I 4 years old? I'm sorry, but I just can't let things like, I'm the person who. When I. In our family, when they're making a meal in the. In the kitchen, I'm walking around behind them putting things away, and they're like, I didn't even use. Used that yet. This one time, Phil had a mug of warm milk. He puts his milk in first. He warms it up in the microwave, and he sets it aside. And then he's making his coffee and he's going. I'm like, oh, what is this cup? Put it in the dishwasher. He's like, I just warmed my milk. Like, I just walk around and like. So he has to tell me now, okay, so I'm putting this here. I haven't used it yet. The girls all say the same thing, that I do this to them anyway. So, yes, we're here together and we're doing well. He's been able to relax. I sometimes have to leave the room so he can. But, yes, but opportunities like this event increase our hope and our faith, which opens up the possibilities of rest, of healing, of renewed vision, of revival, of new or restored relationships, and hopefully a strengthened marriage. Hopefully, your time here in close quarters doesn't break anything. But it's all based on hope and faith. Because realistically, we can't control everything about this trip. We can't control the weather, we can't control the flights, we can't control the food. We can't control our health if we get sick sick. We can't control our comfort. That's a different bed, different food. But we can control our responses. Which brings us to the next phase. Phrase, patient in affliction. Remember, never pray for patience. Sometimes our affliction is actually an unmet expectation. Our hope has been deferred. So we are sick, in hurt. But we must put our hope in God. Be joyful in hope, knowing that God has a hope and a future for us. The Bible says to let your gentleness be made known to all, and hope helps us have gentleness and patience with others, especially when our expectations in them are not being met. Job never lost hope. His expectation was in God. He got angry with God, but his hope was still in God. God meets us in our confusion, in our anger, in our denial. His beautiful grace is available to us if we receive it. Pete Greg teaches that grace grows best in winter. If a tree is planted in the spring or summer, the focus of the tree is to produce leaves and fruit. If it is planted in the winter, the focus of the tree goes to root establishment by producing roots that go deep into the soil, which is critical for long term health. I looked into this concept further and found on Simply Trees website which said by the time spring arrives, winter planted trees and shrubs are often better established and ready for active growth. In your winter season, God is preparing you for growth. Phil and I have been through a few things. No, really in our lives. Financial strain, health crises, unanswered prayer, a pandemic, navigating relationships with adult children. It's been going well lately, praise God, Leadership transitions, and so much more. But each season teaches us to pre and prepares us for the next season because our roots go deeper during our trials, we've learned to get low in humility and find our God. Make those roots go down deep. You just when your tears are going into the carpet, your your root system is going deep. We've learned to get low and we find our God in it. Our capacity for wisdom and grace increases and we step into the next season with more being more prepared than we realized. We recognize familiar patterns of the enemy and his schemes, and we say, oh, I recognize this tactic of his, and I know what I need to do. We remember Psalms 1 as our GPS to navigate the season of suffering. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but they are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. If you're wondering what to do in that season of affliction, don't walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Don't stand in the path of sinners. Be careful who you go to. When you want to lament, go to people who have been through the fire and came out and don't smell like smoke. We must put our hope in God and wait patiently on Him. And not every situation turns out the way we want it to. I understand. But like Job, where else can we go but to the Lord? Sometimes the only way to go is through. But God said he would take us through the fire and through the flood. And once you've seen God move in some of these circumstances and situations, then you can be like David who said to Goliath, who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defeat the armies of the living God. You can speak to your situation and to the things that are standing in the way because you know who your God is in this room. There are stories within stories. I know, I know. I've heard them. Stories of God's faithfulness. And I believe God is going to use this time for each of you to encourage someone, even if you never actually share those testimonies. Just by being with people in the same kind of ministry, lead pastors, you can draw strength from them because you are connecting with people who, by the grace of God, have not given up. Because of the unique calling on each of our churches and on each of our lives, there's no need to compete with each other. But we can draw strength from each other because of some of the common denominators we have. We're seeking for the Lord to guide us. We're praying for revival. We may be dealing with all kinds of people, some of whom cause conflict and division. We're dealing with criticism, dealing with financial stress, dealing with emotional and spiritual strain, dealing with leadership fatigue, battling health and family issues, parenting children, managing time, avoiding burnout, maintaining personal holiness while fighting loneliness and discouragement, seeking healing, finding the grace to forgive. The odds are high that someone here has gone or is going through something similar. You are not alone. And don't let the devil put that lie in your mind that you are alone. When Elijah felt alone in First Kings 19, the Lord sent him, Elisha, God hears your cry and he'll provide what you need. God sent a ram in the thicket for Abraham and Isaac. Be joyful in hope so you can be patient in affliction. For the glory set before him. Jesus endured the cross. My husband spoke recently on a message about Peter when he was being crucified with his wife. Also being crucified he looked at her and said, remember the Lord. And then he said, I can't imagine telling my wife to remember the Lord. Yeah, you're about to get the shoe blessing. That's what you're about to get. Like, imagine trying to encourage each other along the way. But we must. We must remember the Lord. Chip Ingram teaches the theology of suffering that although life is hard, God is good, life is unjust. God is sovereign. Remember that God is good. Don't let the lies of the enemy steal that truth from you. When you are suffering, like I've said before, do not despise your suffering, for out of it will flow rivers of living water. And the anointing oil produced in suffering will minister to many. Jesus was despised and rejected by mankind. A man of suffering and familiar with pain, like one from whom people hid their faces. He was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Isaiah 53, 3 John 1:10 says, he was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Have you ever felt that way in ministry? Your anointing, your calling, your leadership skills weren't acknowledged or received. You may have, just by virtue of your calling and the nature of your ministry, experienced that. But this is the time when humility will save your life. There are outside forces that impact the life of a lead pastor that those serving under them do not deal with. Once you've been a lead pastor, you will make the best supporting role church member, because you don't have to carry the weight of the lead pastor's calling, but you will know exactly what he or she needs. My mom was telling me about a couple who took on pastoring for one year. That's all they could do, take. But boy, do they know how to serve their pastor. Now I can draw strength from people like my parents and the Johansens and so many of you here just because of the fact that you've stood the test of time. People like that don't have to share details. They don't have to share names of people who've hurt them in the past. It comes with the territory. And if they can make it, so can I. Early in our pastorate, very early, I was offended by something someone said, and I was just devastated. And Phil wondered if I was going to make it. Like he's thinking, we just got started. What's going to happen? Is my wife going to say, I can't do this. I don't want this I don't want to do this, but I found the grace of God ministering to me. And the next day I said, if three generations of my family can put up with this crap, so can I. I'm glad my mom wasn't there, because I had never used the word crap before, but it seemed fitting for the situation, so. But you can do it. Hang in there. My husband always says, longevity. Play the. Play the long game. Don't give in. Don't give up. Isaiah 45, 3. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord who call you by your name, am the God of Israel. I can look at Jesus and draw comfort and strength. How can I complain about my affliction? After reading about the disrespect and suffering Jesus experienced on the cross, he was beaten so badly that he was unrecognizable, and he chose to leave heaven knowing that would happen. The silver lining of suffering is that it hopefully drives us to our knees. Faithful in prayer, Jesus prayed, father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. My prayer might sound more like, father, forgive them, because I just can't right now. This one time, one of our teenage daughters at the time, they're all grown now, and she was just going through a season. I wish now, you know, like, I wish I had been more gracious, but I think the Lord gives you what you need at the moment to raise your children. And so I was holding the line on some things, and she just was going through this season where it seemed like she was constantly doing something, something that she needs to apologize to us for. And being the German that I am, I kept going for the jugular on things. And I'm so grateful that they have their father who's very gracious, and he knew how to give them room, right? I'd be like, no, we're going to deal with this now. But, you know, he was like, just give them some room. Give her some room. So she would come and say she was sorry. And I was like, okay, yes, all right. But I was getting tired of this game, you know, like, okay, fail. Same sorry, fail. I needed to read the Bible 70 times 7. Anyway, so here, this one time, she comes to my. My room. I'm ready for bed. I'm in bed. I'm laying there trying to calm down and go to sleep. And she comes through the door and she's like, I'm sorry. And I said, okay, well, I'm just not ready yet. Like, I just Flew. Laid it out. I'm not ready yet. I can't go with this whole, let me forgive you again. Like, I was just feeling very. Like, I just want the root of this, doubtless, so we can stop going around this mountain where you keep having to fail and. And say you're sorry. But, you know, she grew out of that. She found the Lord. I could pray. Lord, help me in my unbelief, because I don't always see a way through this. In the verse, Romans 12:12, as I'm reading, it says, faithful in prayer. Faithful. What a. What an adjective. What a. What do you call it? Adverb. What? I'm losing my tenure. What is it? Faithful in prayer. Because we must be diligent, even in the mundane, the routine and difficult times. That's why it's called being faithful. Sometimes when I pray, I'm in a difficult place, and I may be exhausted or lacking faith. And so when I start to pray, I may expect the experience to be like a Christmas miracle, like the carol O Holy night. I want it to be a holy night when I pray I want to see the stars brightly shining I want my soul to feel the Savior's worth I want the thrill of hope as the weary world rejoices I want to see a new and glorious morn break yonder and as I fall on my knees I want to hear the angels voices, oh, night Divine is what I want when I pray. But not every prayer is divine, with angels singing and stars brightly shining. That's why we have to be faithful in prayer. Through faithful prayer, we can be like Paul and Silas, who turn their prison into a worship camp, and we can return to joyful hope. Prayer is our release. And I often say that we need to practice. Catch and release. Catch and release. You catch an offense, you release. Catch an offense, you release. Let go of unforgiveness and resentment before we become bitter. And prayer makes that possible. Colossians 3:2 says, Set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth. And suffering and prayer help us refocus our affections on things above. Have you noticed that when you're going through it, you cry out to God? Just a little bit more. Isaiah 25:9 says, this is our God. We have waited for him, and he has saved us. Sometimes God has to save us from ourselves. We are changed in the presence of an almighty God. Prayer is a weapon also for our spiritual warfare. 2nd Corinthians 10:3 5. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Praying in the spirit is a powerful tool to keep the spiritual emerald ash borer from ruining us. Once we have dealt with the source of our warfare and brought every thought captive, joyful hope returns and so begins the circle of life again. Joyful hope, Patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Being joyful in hope and patient in affliction can help us with unanswered prayer. Like the little child who trusts her father to provide for her, I appreciate Randy Clark, who has an incredible healing ministry and he's always been humble enough to acknowledge that he doesn't know why God doesn't always heal people. He doesn't blame God or the person seeking healing. And so my prayer for you is that during these few days that you're here, that even though you may be navigating unanswered prayer, you will be so uplifted and encouraged in your faith that you will feel the love of God as He dances over you with joy. I want you to look back at this time together and draw strength from this great cloud of witnesses in this room as you think of them in the future. I hope you're exchanging phone numbers so you can be in touch. Sometimes just a text. How you doing? Thinking of you. Praying for you can be all that someone needs. And later, if you have some quiet time. But just pray with the lord. Read Isaiah 60:1, the whole chapter. It's a long chapter, but be reminded of who your God is and the ministry he is doing through you. As I close, ask yourself how you can choose to be or help someone else to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. God's grace is here for you and this group is here to support you. Finally, I'd like to read a passage of this book. This book is by Pete Craig, God on Mute. I think the title is self explanatory, but I'm going to read this section. This portion is from the chapter Engaging in Silence. And Pete Gregg has just described Christ's crucifixion. The disciples prayers had not been answered. All seemed lost. What were they supposed to do now? So Pete describes what he might have done had he been there that fateful day. If I had been one of the disciples, I know exactly where I would have spent the Sabbath. I would have left Jerusalem as fast as my legs could carry me and headed back to Bethany to hide out with Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus. With Jesus dead and buried, there would have been no one that I'd have wanted to see more than Lazarus. Lazarus had loved Jesus. Lazarus had been one of the Lord's best friends. And best of all, Lazarus knew a thing or two about being dead and buried. His very life defined the logic of despair. And the fact that his house was a couple of miles out of town made this home the perfect bolt hat hole, which is an escape. It was in Bethany, at the dinner party thrown by Simon the Leper the previous week, that Mary had wept and anointed Jesus feet with perfume. That perfume had been expensive, so I imagine the fragrance could still be smelled in the air around Simon's house. And speaking of Simon the leper, he was another harbinger of hope. For the simple reason that thanks to Jesus, he wasn't a leper anymore. In Bethany, the crowds had cheered. Hosannathe place had been one of joyful worship. In Bethany, there were many seeds of comfort for a scared and grieving disciple. And perhaps there was also faint whispers hanging in the air like that of perfume, suggesting that all was not lost. I hope you have a place like Bethany where you can go when you're wrestling with unanswered prayer. It could be a place or a book or a piece of music that reminds you of all the good things God has done in the past. It could be a person like Lazarus, whose very being makes the presence of the power of God real to you even when life is at its worst. Bethany is a connection point that reminds you of something you once knew for sure, that God can do immeasurably more than all you ask or imagine that the kingdom remains a matter of power even when there's little evidence of it in your present situation. And that all things are possible for those who believe Bethany's the kind of community or the kind of family or the kind of place where you can sometimes still smell the perfume of God's presence. I want that for you. I want this group to be that for you. I want Elam fellowship to be that for you. Could we all stand please, as I close in prayer? Thank you, Lord. Lord, I pray that this leads lead pastors event and the relationships that are forged here will be a Bethany experience. That these pastors will draw strength for what they need in the future. An experience in which the faint smell of the Shekinah glory goes with them. From spending time in the presence of God, with other leaders like themselves, strengthen them to keep standing in the battle against the spiritual emerald ash borer of bitterness, by the grace and strength of the Holy Spirit, that they will be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer, and as a result, return to joyful hope. Meet with us this week, Lord. Meet with each one, those who've come as a desperate grasp, for one more chance to meet with you before giving up. For those who are struggling with what their future looks like. For those who are crying out to you for provision, for support for laborers, For those whose health is a challenge right now, for those who are getting ready to build or who are building. For those who are struggling with sin, trying to find the victory. Meet your people here today, Lord. We call upon you. We fall on our faces before you. We ask that you would cause our roots to go deep, that we would cherish these times even in our affliction, Lord, that when we meet with you and that when we rise up and finally we're able to move forward, that we would be able to say, unless your presence goes with me, I will not go. Because we have found your presence. You have given us rest in your presence. But Lord, when everything gets back to normal, may we not forget you. May our roots be so deep that we are ready for what you're bringing next. We don't know what the world holds. We don't know what our callings hold. We don't know what you're going to require of us. But I pray, Lord, that our roots would be so deep in the soil of your love that we can withstand whatever comes our way. In your name we pray. Amen. [00:39:14] Speaker B: Thank you for joining us on another episode of the well, An Elam Fellowship Leadership Podcast. If you like this episode, be sure to like and subscribe and share it with a friend. We'll see you next week.