A few months back, a visiting police offer spoke to a group of students about their role as leaders in dealing with Conflict Management and Problem Resolution.

The entire presentation was powerful and practical. The information equipped everyone to examine how to approach the various areas of life that create stress.

As an introduction to the material, he spent time showing the similarities between police officers and preachers. I have to admit, there was much here I never considered before and, yet, the truth could not be denied.

I do not intend to go through the entire list, but suffice it to say there were more than just a few. However, there was one that stood out and made a connection to leadership: “we desire to help others.”

This is not intended to address both police officers and preachers who served with wrong motives, or whose actions spoke of such. It is simply to say, the majority of those involved in either field do so because they want to help others.

Here is my question to all of us as spiritual leaders: are we leading to help others? 

One article will not be enough to share every aspect of why Paul was a great leader. However, I will at least share three of my favorite reasons today.

Passionate: Few can measure the depth of passion found in Paul. Even as a persecutor of the church, he pursued it with passion. However, he raised his level of passion when he became a defender of the faith. Read Philippians 3:4-11 to see Paul’s passion for the Lord and His cause.

Bold: The book of Acts unfolds numerous events in Paul’s journey for Christ. Boldness characterized every step in his approach to the work. He asked the church to pray for his boldness and it was demonstrated throughout his ministry.

Selfless: Paul held no concern for himself or his own comforts. He was willing to give up everything for the gospel. He was willing to become all things to all men to save some. He endured great hardship so others might learn about Jesus.

He was / is a great Bible leader. If we approached our leadership with the passion, boldness, and selflessness of Paul, we could change the world.

Expansion is the action of becoming larger or more extensive. We understand and see the use of this term in several areas.

We talk about the expansion of a program of work. We discuss the expansion of a building project. We even develop plans for the expansion of our financial investments.

Several areas may come to mind, but do we really give thought to the expansion of our leadership?

If we are not careful, we can easily fall into the “comfort zone.” We enjoy the status quo and, before we know it, we create an environment where nothing happens.

Our leadership needs to be expanded. How?

Read more material about leadership and study how to grow our leadership skills.

Spend time with successful leaders whose portfolio goes beyond our own.

Ask God to open doors and grant wisdom to help us see and make the decisions to accommodate expansion.

A few simple steps can get the ball rolling. If we are willing to step out of the rut we are in and ask for a little help, our leadership will expand to greater levels.

Kerux is the Greek word found in the New Testament translated “preacher.”

Considering the influence of all Christians as leaders, the preacher would certainly fit.

There is something interesting about the origin of the kerux and the application to our leadership today.

The word was originally associated with a public proclaimer from the king. They were the ones who authoritatively declared the king’s law. The beauty of the kerux is found in the primary task of preserving the integrity of the message.

Of course the task of one who publicly proclaims the word of our spiritual King carries the same responsibility.

My prayer is for all who choose to stand before God’s people each week to consider the serious nature of this responsibility. Please do not use this position to promote personal agendas or ride a proverbial hobby horse. Instead, preserve the integrity of the message.

There is a reason Paul was determined to know nothing among the church at Corinth other than Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

If we are going to change the world, we must first point people to Jesus. Think Souls!

“Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” Alfred Einstein

Similar ideas have been used by others regarding this thought. From a leadership perspective, look at both phrases and examine the breakdown of this thought.

First, not everything that counts can be counted. Far too often, leadership deals with the numbers game, the bottom-line mentality. I realize that what can be measured is important, but the value of influence, cultivating spiritual character development, or meditative prayer for a greater peace of mind cannot be measured. The significance of such activities can be life changing.

Second, not everything that can be counted counts. We may have multiplied thousands of dollars sitting in a number of investments, but what is it really worth? We may have hundreds of people sitting on the pew, but are they maturing spiritually and actively involved? We may spend countless hours reading the Bible, but do we make proper application?

Our leadership may not always be measured, but it should count for something.

I enjoy looking at Greek language of the New Testament. Last week was no exception as I was studying through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7.

In the early part of the lesson, Jesus speaks about the powerful nature of our influence, identifying His disciples as the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.”

By using these two analogies, Jesus indicates the difference we should make in the world where we live.

Jesus uses an interesting term when He says; “if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything…”

The word used here is not the usual Greek word translated as good. This word involves health, more specifically, good health.

When used in the context of the analogy and in connection to leadership, we find a powerful idea.

As leaders in the kingdom of God, if we lose our influence (tasteless salt), we lose the ability to contribute to the spiritual health and well-being of others.

When heaven is the ultimate destiny, our leadership must be good for others to reach the destination.

Epaphras is not a name that stands out when reading Scripture. Who is this man and why would he be a great Bible leader?

Epaphras is only found three times in the New Testament and two of the three in Colossians. The third location is in Philemon.

However, when we examine these three locations, we find the answer.

Epaphras was a beloved, fellow bondservant of Christ, indicating he was loved, faithful, and a devoted follower of Christ.

He is noted as a fellow prisoner in Christ, indicating he suffered persecution for the sake of Christ.

The text in Colossians 4 identifies Epaphras as one who labored earnestly (wrestled) in prayer on behalf of these Christians.

These three statements clearly indicate why he was a great Bible leader. There is also a great lesson here for leaders today.

We do not need to be well known in the brotherhood to be a great leader. We need to be faithfully devoted to Jesus, willing to suffer for our Savior, and one who is diligent in prayer on behalf of others.

It sure sounds like a great leader to me.

In the arena of communication, when writing a speech, sermon, article, or other medium, one key to effective communication is transitions.

Transitions are those sentences (written or spoken) that build the bridge between the various sections of our communication. These bridges make it easier for people to follow what we are trying to express.

There is more we could discuss regarding transitions, but I want us to think about the connection with spiritual leadership.

Our role as leaders is about transitions. We are building bridges in three areas.

One, we are building a bridge in relationships. Unless we are able to establish and maintain quality relationships, our transition to influence others in spiritual matters will not occur.

Two, we are building a bridge for future leaders. As long as we exist on this earth, there will be a need for leadership. We must make this transition smooth.

Three, we are building a bridge to eternity. Ultimately, the task before us is to help make the transition from the physical realm to the spiritual.

Are we building bridges with the right purpose and in the right direction?

A mission refers to the objective or purpose to be achieved. Understanding this definition, I ask what is our mission?

What is our objective or purpose? What are we really trying to achieve? Do we have a mission?

Sadly, as spiritual leaders, our mission often gets skewed because the mission becomes more about us than God.

It often becomes more about what we want to achieve, rather than what God wants us to achieve.

As I mentioned last Monday, there is a growing trend of extremism. The problem of extremism occurs when dealing with “party” issues, “petty” ideas, or “personal” opinions become the focus in our life. Far too often, we then gradually lose sight of God’s mission.

This is why leadership must remain balanced.

Leadership must know and believe in the priority of God’s mission.

As leaders we must be honest enough to examine ourselves more closely and ask hard questions about whose mission we are fulfilling.

Let us arise and lead God’s people in unity, and let us work together to fulfill God’s mission.

“Commitment is the enemy of resistance, for it is the serious promise to press on, to get up, no matter how many times you are knocked down.” David McNally

Several definitions could be given for commitment, but I do love this one.

Occasionally, life is going to knock us down. We may even get knocked down a few more times than we think is our share.

However, are we committed to the cause enough to keep getting up no matter how many times we get knocked down?

I also see powerful thought in the idea of commitment being the enemy of resistance. When we are committed to the cause, we will oppose resistance, both our own or others.

When we are committed we are motivated.
When we are committed we have dedication.
When we are committed we keep our focus.
When we are committed we will stop at nothing.

Nothing is more deserving of our commitment than the cause of Jesus. His life, as an example, His death, as a sacrifice for sin, is worthy of our motivation, dedication, focus and determination to press on, whatever it takes.