Unleashing Courage in Christian Leadership Through Faith and Scripture

What if the courage to transform your community is already within you, just waiting to be unleashed? Join us as Tim Webb, founder of the Texas Leadership Summit, shares his insights on how everyday leaders can be equipped with the courage and hope necessary to initiate a revival of Christian leadership. In this episode, we highlight the importance of standing firm in faith to confront evil and stress why prioritizing God's story over individual or national narratives can unlock a deeper courage that surpasses human limitations. Through the lens of biblical examples and the grand narrative of redemption, Tim Webb illustrates how a profound relationship with Christ can fuel the courage required to drive righteousness across various sectors—church, education, government, and business.

Discover the profound themes of faith, judgment, and courage as we explore Psalm 2 and its compelling connections to John 3:16-18. We speak about the necessity of taking refuge in the Son of God to escape divine wrath and celebrate the promise of resurrection and salvation through Jesus Christ. This episode emphasizes the importance of a life transformed by God's word and faithfulness to His promises, urging us to spread the gospel with love and joy. Lastly, we discuss the critical need to understand the scriptural context to apply biblical wisdom appropriately today, reinforcing our courage and faith. 

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:16

Tim Webb, founder of the Texas Leadership Summit. And where do we get it? How do we maintain it, how do we grow it? How do we actually implement this courage that we've been talking about for the church to stand for their faith, having the courage to do that? Before we begin, I want to remind you, if you have any questions about the Texas Leadership Summit, please check out our website at TexasLeadershipSummitorg. We are getting ready for our October Summit experience. You can see that online and check out what's coming your way.

Speaker 1: 0:49

We are also excited about how different leaders are being developed and grown at the local level in the pillars of church, education, government and business. Our desire is to empower the everyday leader with courage, hope and tools to ignite a revival of Christian leadership, especially at the local level. We are engaging in relationships, collaborating with Moms for America, other groups such as Remnant Alliance. It is the desire to bring pastors together all across our country. And how can we do that? How can we encourage the pastors at the local level? Also, citizens Defending Freedom. We've got Recover America. We've got different organizations that can equip people in the church, brothers and sisters, in the faith at the local level, if we can get just 10% of everyday leaders at the local level to engage their faith. We know that God's word has the power to transform whole communities, but we've got to step forward in our faith, standing for our faith with our faith, having the courage to do so. So with that, I want to ask you just a couple of questions today, and these just come out of seeing where we are today with our nation.

Speaker 1: 2:07

From the national level of leadership all the way down to the local, we find ourselves in a situation where it's no longer about left versus right, republican against Democrat or Democrat against Republican. For the church, it is an issue of will we stand against evil? Will we love our brothers and sisters enough? Will we love our communities enough to stand firm and confront evil in our communities? Now we know that first and foremost, we need to be about the gospel. We need to be sharing the gospel within our communities, because that is where it all begins. That's where it began with me, it began with you. It is the gospel engaging and impacting whole lives with salvation. So we know it begins there. But then, as the church moves forward in the faith, we have the ability to be transformed and bring about just solutions that offer whole communities an opportunity to experience the life in which God designed us to. So with that, I'm going to ask you a question Are you most interested in your story?

Speaker 1: 3:17

Is that the emphasis every day when you wake up? Is your whole interest mostly in your story? What's happened to you, what is happening and what is going to happen? Is that your is that drives everything you do every day? Or, as some of us are finding, not only is it just about our story, but America's story. Some people are so devastated by what they see happening in America that they're mostly interested in what's going to happen to our country. They're more interested in the story of America.

Speaker 1: 3:50

Now, when we talk about courage, if it's about your story or America's story, you're going to be very limited with the amount of courage that you have to keep standing in the fight. But if you're most interested about God's story, there you're going to be able to tap into a courage that is beyond your comprehension. You're going to be able to tap into a strength and a courage that comes from knowing Christ and being in a relationship in the body of Christ, and we can have courage that we see in the old saints of old, in the Old Testament, in the New Testament, in the early church, we see this courage being lived out. Why is it that, when we're interested in God's story the most, that we're able to have this incredible courage to do what is right, even at the expense and cost of our lives? Well, it's because our hope is not in us, our hope is not found in our country. Our hope is found in Jesus Christ, and so who he is and what he has done and what he's going to do.

Speaker 1: 5:00

So with that, I want to share just a couple of passages with you, because if it's about God's story, what do we know? What do we know from Genesis to Revelation? Who is it about? It's about God. We know that he is the hero of the story and we know there was a problem. His image bearers rebelled and sinned against him, and so what would he do to fix the problem? Well, he would send his son, jesus, the Christ, would atone for that sin.

Speaker 1: 5:30

And what we see in the beginning of the story is that God, when he confronts Adam and Eve in their rebellion and their sin, and he confronts the serpent, we see right there in Genesis 3, the first pointing to the gospel, where the head of the son would crush the head of the serpent, and we see that in Genesis 3. We see where God, the Father, would place enmity between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. And we see this being lived out in the story, all through the story. It began with Cain and Abel. We see it being lived out right the story, all through the story. It began with Cain and Abel. We see it being lived out right there in chapter 4 and moving on.

Speaker 1: 6:11

And so the saints of old would be looking forward to this brother who would die, who would atone for sins, one who was not deserving of death but would die to atone for the sins of others. And so we see this, this enmity between, see the serpent, see the woman, in the scriptures. We see them looking forward to the son, the Messiah, who would come, and we see this being lived out through God creating this nation of Israel through Abraham, their father. We see this being played out in scripture, creating a nation with a law and gaining a land. But we see that they would forsake their God, they would rebel against their God and out of their rebellion they would be removed from the land, they would fall under judgment. Now this Messiah would come, he would be crucified, he would die for their sins and in their rejection. The gospel then would go out into the world to the Gentiles. The Gentiles would believe, and this was all designed by the Father to then make Israel jealous and then one day repent, return to the Lord and be saved from their sin. And so we see at the return of the Son. We believe as a church that he was crucified, buried, resurrected and sent into the right hand of the Father. But one day he will come again, establish his throne here on earth. And we know that we will not remain in heaven, those who died. We will not remain in heaven forever. We see in Revelation where there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and we will live in that new earth with Christ, and there will be no need for a son, for the glory of God will illuminate this new earth, this new heaven and earth. And so with this in God's story, we see in Psalm 2 the situation that we find ourselves in.

Speaker 1: 8:04

We see in Psalm 2 where the psalmist is asking this question why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the. We saw this at the crucifixion of Christ, where the religious leaders there in Israel, in Jerusalem, specifically, took their stand against the Lord's anointed. His son stood with the Romans and had him crucified. The psalmist goes on. He says, and this is from the father's perspective and the son's following In the verses he who sits in the heavens laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. Then he will speak to them in his anger and terrify them in his fury, saying but as for me, I have installed my king upon Zion, my holy mountain. And then the son replies in verse seven I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord. He said to me you are my son. Today I've begotten you.

Speaker 1: 9:16

We see this in John's gospel, this language. This is going to be fulfilled at the return of Christ. The nations have taken their stand at the first coming of Christ against the Lord's anointed, his son, and then at the return of Christ. We see in Scripture where they will make their stand once again against the Christ, and the Scriptures, in Psalm 2, says that he will shatter them like earthenware. And so this does not present to us in Psalm 2, this suffering land, if you will.

Speaker 1: 10:03

We see this Son of God, majestic, holy, this King of kings and Lord of lords, psalm 110. We see him returning and bringing judgment with him. Now there's a warning that follows these verses in verse 10 through 12. Now therefore, o kings, show discernment. Take warning, o judges of the earth, worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling. Do homage. Why would they need to rejoice with trembling? Well, he tells us, do homage to the Son. Literally kiss the feet of the Son that he not become angry and you perish in the way.

Speaker 1: 10:46

Where have we read this in the New Testament? John 3.16. Everyone's on the road to perishing. We stop at verse 16, but 17 and 18 tell us that those who reject the Son, you already have the wrath of God upon you. It resides over you. You deserve it. We are all on the road to perishing, but how do we escape that perishing? Well, we see that in John 3, 16, but we see it also here in Psalm 2, verse 12,. Also here in Psalm 2, verse 12, where he says For his wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in him. Exclamation point. And that's the key. We take refuge in the Son.

Speaker 1: 11:28

The saints of old were looking forward to the coming of the Son. We in the New Testament era, looking back, we take refuge in the Son by placing our faith in Christ. Jesus is the Christ. He died for our sins, the penalty of our sins. He was buried and resurrected, ascended to the right hand of the Father. We believe that one day he's going to return and save us from the presence of sin and the power of sin, ultimately, and we will be able to be true image bearers of the Father. And so, basically, it's enabling us, through faith in Christ, to one day experience that garden living to its fullest. And so we escape the wrath of God by placing our refuge in the Son of God. And so, with this, we talk about courage. And so, with this, we talk about courage.

Speaker 1: 12:18

If I am about God's story, I'm about his son, and my refuge is found in the son, and my hope is in his son, jesus the Christ, who he is and what he's done and, one day, what he's going to do. I am looking forward to the resurrection. Here's the key for courage. My hope is not in the here and now. Now, by having faith in the Son, I'm a believer, a follower of Jesus Christ, I want to do what is right in his eyes. I want to honor the Christ. I want to honor the head of the church. I want to live a life of transformation the head of the church. I want to live a life of transformation, yielding myself to his word, allowing his word to drive and dictate what I believe and how I live, giving me right thinking so that I can give a right response, doing what is right in God's eyes and not my own. And see, there's the problem. Today we have many people are doing what is right in their own eyes, and I'm talking about the church. I'm not surprised when lost people act lost. I'm surprised when the church responds to life by doing what is right in their own eyes, becoming like the world instead of doing what is right in God's eyes and following through with obedience.

Speaker 1: 13:34

Now, this courage that we're talking about, it comes from placing our faith in the Son and His resurrection to come. That, as he was resurrected, we too shall be resurrected. You see it in Hebrews, chapter 11. They didn't experience it in their lifetime. It was what they were looking forward to the resurrection. It would be after their death. One day that resurrection would come to them, as promised to them.

Speaker 1: 14:00

Now let me ask you another question. So is God? Why should we know his word and why should we be interested in his story, and why should we be concerned about him keeping his promises? Is he going to keep his promises to Israel, you bet. If he wasn't willing to keep his promises to Israel, then what's to give you the courage and the hope that he'll keep his promises for you and the resurrection to come? The answer is found in Scripture. God is faithful. He cannot deny himself. That is who he is. He is a faithful God. He is going to be faithful to Israel. He's going to restore Israel one day.

Speaker 1: 14:47

We are in the age of the Gentiles and the here and now. What are we to be about? We're to be about our faith. We're about the word, transforming our lives and preaching and teaching and sharing the gospel so that others can come to Christ. And through this, our prayer is that Israel, according to Isaiah, would become jealous and repent and return to the Lord. That's our prayer for Israel that they would repent and return to the Lord and that Christ's return would make everything right. That he will deal with evil, he will deal with Satan. He will deal with the enemy and he will deal with evil. He will deal with Satan, he will deal with the enemy and he will deal with death.

Speaker 1: 15:24

In the meantime, we stand firm in our faith. That's what we do. We have courage. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is the willingness to do what is right, even in the midst of fear, knowing that it may cost our lives. This obedience that God requires of us, and we do it with joy, we do it with gladness of heart.

Speaker 1: 15:51

And so, as we are moving forward through TLS and our relationships with other groups and organizations that are about equipping God's people to stand for their faith, to have the courage to stand and do what is right, we want other people to. We want to do it in such a way that the gospel is presented, that people are being saved, that whole communities are being transformed. We are not doing this out of hate and anger and malice and threatening or being judgmental. We're doing it out of love, because we love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, and we love others as he has loved us. And so, with that, my prayer is that you will be mostly interested in God's story, know his word so that we can be the church. And now again, I want to remind you go to teachmethebibleorg If you want to know more about this story, god's story, in detail, connecting the dots from Genesis to Revelation. It's been a great opportunity to be a part of that.

Speaker 1: 16:56

I'm looking forward to what's going to come through that as well and that collaboration and these other groups that we're joining with church brothers and sisters in the faith. We may come from different walks of life, but if we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ alone faith alone in him we're in the body of Christ. We're in the same family. It's time for us to come together and start sharing what we're standing for and not just what we're standing against. But who are we for? So I pray that you're blessed for this today. Looking forward to getting into more conversations in the future on the podcast.

Speaker 1: 17:30

I'd like for us the next time to be looking at passages that we take out of context and apply to us for today that were not meant for us to apply in our everyday lives or apply for America. They were for Israel, and so how do we address Scripture? How do we look at the context of Scripture. How do we apply it to our lives so that we can again gain more courage and be able to stand firm in our faith? And just shore us up to stand firm. That's what Paul would say Stand firm, be strong. Peter would say that as well. So thank you for your time today. Check out our website, texasleadershipsummitorg, get ready for our summit in October and I look forward to seeing you again on future podcasts. God bless.