TOAM Session 7 – The Armor Bearer By Joel Virgo

Joel felt that God wants to speak in this session to the team players, not team leaders. You carry significant responsibility but are not the “main guy” so the focus of this talk is not on Jonathan but his armor bearer.

There is real strength in plurality. As one man stands on his own before God he can accomplish great things. But when a team stands you are more than the sum of your parts.

Deut 32:30 Moses said one shall chase a thousand, two shall chase 10,000. When you are joined there is a power that is released. There is an eternal principle that was true before we ever showed up. God revealed himself as a team- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There is a God-like characteristic to community.

In the context of plurality there is still order, and distinction of role. The Son submits to the Father. Submission and authority never began. These concepts are generally seen as negative. What we have experienced has been tarnished by the fall. But there was good submission before the fall.

We have moved away from one-man ministry and understood plurality but we mustn’t then try and say we are all the same in an egalitarian way. The Father was not sent by the Son! It is just as God-like to be subordinate as to be the head. You can display the qualities of God by following someone else.

People jolt to mutual submission in a hurry to get away from the idea of headship. It can mean committee or no leadership at all. We can sometimes be self-effacing because we want to look humble. We don’t want to be humble, just look humble! We must understand that within true team there is leadership. Crab mentality pulls people down. We don’t pull Moses down the mountain, we are all now up the mountain and sharing in the glory. But even within the equality we must allow ministry and gifting to emerge and operate.

We need to build with strength. Not just putting one pin on a map in each nation. We need team players who in a God-like way will give themselves to serving a local vision long-term. We mustn’t think, every leader that comes through the door is to be a team leader and plant the next church. It is not a failure to instead be someone who faithfully follows another and helps them. Cliff Barrows said to Billy Graham “As long as you want me to I want to work with you and carry your bags or whatever you need me to.”

God wants to speak to some people and elevate to you the possibility that you are called to be like Cliff Barrows, and to give your life to help someone elses ministry. This will lead to greater kingdom advance. How then do you be an armor bearer to another leader?

Catch His Heart 
The armor bearer says he is with Jonathan heart and soul, do whatever you wish. But notice that you cant say that to just anybody! Herod was foolish enough to say that to a stripper “whatever you want” and she wanted the head of a prophet! Whoever you choose to follow like this better instead be someone who’s heart is after God. Consider what is on the heart of those who lead you. We need those we have learnt to trust.

Jonathan has an unusual way of getting guidance. Different leaders will discern the hands of God and the ways of God in different ways. Nehemiah was more analytical. We have to get to the place where we know God has spoken. There needs to be faith. The decision-making might not feel very spiritual but this is fine if it is full of faith. Perhaps you need to help the leader get to the position of faith. Sometimes just by asking, “OK, so what do you want to do?”

Cover his back
Jonathan climbs on his hands and feet, with his armor bearer after him. He is behind him, he kills them after him. With this guy behind him he is watched. I am going to cover you. How do leaders watch each others back? The guy can’t see everything, even though he can see what God wants. Some leaders are persuaded but utterly unskilled. Let them set the trajectory, but some of them don’t know what it looks like. Some people are able to then work out the details.

Bring your skill to the same trajectory. In that area you lead the team. Without you there, there is no way it is going to happen. Jethro comes to Moses and brings advice. We need hundreds of people like that who can come to leaders and give clear suggestions. We need team players who say I know that I can bring qualities to the table that can make this happen. I may need to humble myself and listen to what is supposed to happen.

Absence, when the guy is away. When you are in a meeting when he is not in. Is it an opportunity for us to do it “our way” because he is not here. That is not team. You can call it team but you are lying. I am going to stand the ground, hold the line, push it through. Aaron in Exodus 32 does not act like the armor bearer. Idol worship and an orgy are the result, which is not the vision Moses had!

Aaron blames the people “you know what the people are like.” Moses is probably thinking, but I know God, and you were meant to stand holding the line!

When a team leader expresses his heart and speaks of a weakness. We need to then cover that. Not to cover it up, we may need to confront, or even rebuke, as appropriate but we deal with it in love. Don’t speak ill of someone, and pull them down, instead watch their back. We need to be strong where they are weak.

Can they be trusted?
Can your armor bearers trust you? We need to be able to trust. Moses had to trust the people he recruited to lead. Trust works both ways. Prove them. It takes time to develop trust. Don’t abdicate that. Dispense trust to key leaders God is bringing through. David asked some people who came to him “have you come to betray me?” Sometimes you have to rebuke someone to see how they respond. Some of our people seem submissive because they have never had to submit. How will they respond when you correct someone? When you see the trust build on it and protect them.

Share the victory
There was no headquarters where this victory was planned. Two nutcases were going for it, and Saul was like “Let me get in on this one.” Jonathan and his armor bearer didn’t say “hey wait a minute!” or build an institution.

Teams can sometimes break down and not really function properly. We may have to reconfigure, or perhaps people need to move on. That is painful. We don’t hold onto team for the sake of saying “We just don’t want it to change.”

Can be very hard when the new leader and you just don’t fit. Some people are functioning as team leaders by name only but need to make room for the one who God is raising up. This is a call to us for humility and followership.

3 John speaks of one who “likes to put himself first” and does not acknowledge the authority. This comes from a lack of perspective. We must evaluate people by the kingdom values. Don’t set yourself up or anyone else up inappropriately. When you are a new creation it sets everything up differently. We must not desire to be as God.

As Joel finished off what was an outstanding sermon, it suddenly struck me that Jonathan later showed the same attitude to David that this armor bearer had shown him. I suppose that in various situations in our lives we will all be the armor bearer, whilst in other situations we will be the leader. Even for the team leaders within our churches, there will often be a need for them to play the armor bearer to those with apostolic ministry. Certainly we must all learn how be lead, and to submit gladly.