Jesus saves his church, builds his church, loves his church, and leads his church. But how does he lead it? Jesus says that the church is like a flock of sheep, and that he is the Good Shepherd that lays down his life for the sheep1. Jesus is the ultimate authority and Head of the church2, the Apostle who plants a church3, the Leader who builds the church4, the Senior Pastor of the church5, and it is ultimately Jesus who closes the doors of churches when they have become faithless or fruitless6. Jesus is our Senior Pastor! That's good news because Jesus is sovereign and he loves us. (1 John 10:14-15, 2Eph 1:9, 3Heb 3:1, 4Matt 16:18, 51 Peter 5:4, 6Rev 2:5)

Jesus then calls1, qualifies2, and raises up3 godly men4 to be Pastors that love both Jesus and the church. As they follow Jesus, Pastors are to lead by feeding the flock, guiding the flock, protecting the flock from false teachings, false teachers, and false beliefs, and are ultimately the ones that are held accountable to Jesus for the health of the flock. In 1 Peter 5:1-15, the Apostle Peter tells us that Pastors are to lead willingly, not under compulsion; eagerly, not for shameful gain; by example, not by domineering; and finally, Pastors are to lead for Jesus, not for themselves or for the praise or reward of man. Jesus is the Pastor's rewarder and is himself the reward5! Pastors are to humbly lead the church to Jesus and for Jesus by the preaching and application of the Word of God, and church members are to humbly submit to and follow the leadership of their Pastors for their joy and God's great glory. (1 Acts 20:28, 21 Tim 3:1-7, 31 Peter 5:5, 41 Tim 2:11-3:7, 51 Peter 5:4)

If you would like to check out the sermon audio, notes, or Community Group discussion, please visit http://www.EkklesiaMuskogee.org/JesusLeadsHisChurch/

For more information about Jesus And His Church, please visit http://www.EkklesiaMuskogee.org/JesusAndHisChurch/

For more information about Jesus and the gospel, or to get connected to Ekklesia Muskogee, please visit http://www.EkklesiaMuskogee.org/

"Jesus Loves His Church" by Pastor Brett Baggett was preached at the worship gathering of Ekklesia Muskogee on Sunday, January 27th, 2013. Week #4 in Ekklesia's 12 week sermon series titled Jesus And His Church.