Gospel Ministry is Spiritual Warfare

https://jdsimcoe.medium.com/advent-luxe-2020-5306692a050b

A prayer I wrote using quotes from chapter 6 - War -  of Paul Tripp's Lead:12 Gospel Principles for Leadership In the Church

Lord, the victorious one,

Remind me that I need to battle for theological faithfulness, gospel purity, and methodological integrity but even more than that I need to remember that Gospel ministry is a war for leaders' hearts.

Help me and the leadership community I am part of to be always watchful and alert to the spiritual dangers of life in a fallen world and life as a church or ministry leader.  Don't allow pride in ministry achievements to put me in danger.

Thank you for suffering for our victory and for caring more about the health, safety, and success of his church than we ever will.

Help me not be satisfied with a certain level of spiritual growth in the people you have brought into my life.  I pray that I, and those I lead to long for more people to come into the kingdom.

God, I pray that you would help me stand against a leader whom we have regularly stood with when needed to protect the gospel, the church, and the leader.  I also pray you would bring people into my life who would be willing to do the same.  

Finally, I pray that my desire for good things will not morph to become dangerous things because they have become ruling things.

Amen.

"Leadership in the church of Jesus Christ is not just a battle for theological faithfulness, gospel purity, and methodological integrity; it is also a war for the heart of every leader."  (116)

A spiritually healthy leadership community is always watchful and alert to the spiritual dangers of life in a fallen world and life as a church or ministry leader."  (122)

"Pride in ministry achievements puts you in battle danger."  (123)

"Any failure in a leader to live in a way that is humble and alert leads that leader nowhere good."  (123)

"We have been called to lead by a victorious Savior, who suffered for our victory and who cares more about the health, safety, and success of his church than we ever will."  (123)

"Gospel dissatisfaction - not satisfied with a certain level of spiritual growth in the people God has called us to lead, longing for more people to come into the kingdom, and working to see more churches planted."  (124)

"There are moments when, because of what we have heard and learned, we need to lovingly stand against a leader whom we have regularly stood with.  With the goal of protection, we must stand in his way, refusing to endorse or support something that is either spiritually dangerous or evidence that the enemy has already won a victory in this leader's heart."  (125)

"Spiritual warfare, if it's as normal as the Bible presents it, must always be on our ministry agenda."  (125)

"Desires for good things morph to become dangerous things because they have become ruling things."  (126)