Tag: Church

How Will We Lead?

How will we lead…

Our children? The choices they make, places they frequent, friends they associate with, and work ethic they possess.

Our church? The confidence of the church, their hope for a better tomorrow, and their assurance of an eternal destiny.

Our neighbors? Who they seek during trials, where they turn with spiritual questions, and how they see Jesus.

Our friends? The development of a spiritual focus, thoughts of relationships, and how to deal with giving into temptation.

Our co-workers? Their knowledge of biblical principles, their understanding of character, and approach to life.

Considering their future is worth giving thought to how we will lead.

Leading With Love

One of the greatest needs in our world and yet so challenging involves love.

God loves us for who we are and where we are, unconditionally. Unconditionally is where the difficulty begins.

Paul told the church in Rome that God “demonstrates His love toward us.” The love God demonstrated in the past benefits us now and there is no assessment of it ever ending.

To lead others to the love of God, we must demonstrate the nature of God’s love to them.

We even love those who are not always easy to love. If God continues to love us in this way, we must do the same toward others.

John…Part 2

John’s writings identify the type of leadership he provided for the church. As I mentioned last week, several of these qualities provide an example for us today.

Fellowship: John understood the value of fellowship among Christians and with the Lord. He urged Christians to walk in fellowship with God and each other.

Vision: John knew the future of the church depended on men who were willing to work in the fields of harvest. He also knew such men needed support.

Servant: John’s writings about Jesus as a servant were followed by his own example to the church. Reading through his letters shows the qualities of a servant leader.

Paul…Part 3

Three more qualities stand out as it relates to Paul’s leadership.

Confident: Paul’s confidence was not based on who he was, but Jesus and what Christ had done for Him.

Disciplined: Paul spoke about discipline to ensure the message of the gospel aligned perfectly with the example of his life.

Faithful: Christ considered Paul faithful. Although his past was an example of blasphemy, persecution, and violence toward the church, the Lord saw something greater.

Paul exemplifies many qualities needed for leadership. If we emulate them, God will use us in powerful ways to make a difference.

Team

A leader is one who leads a team in one form or another.

The benefits to leading and working together as a team cannot be listed in one post, but here are a few to consider.

1) More work can be achieved more quickly.
2) Each person on the team can focus on using their abilities.
3) Everyone can use their abilities more efficiently.
4) Ideas are abundant when several work together.
5) Opportunities for encouragement are greater.

Within the church it takes those who specialize in cooking, cleaning, teaching, preaching, singing, praying, serving, shepherding, and the list goes on.

When everyone works together the result is growth!

Paul…Part 2

Paul presents many qualities of leadership, some we looked at previously.

Consider a few additional qualities:

Humble: He considered himself the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, and he was the chief of sinners. He certainly understood and exemplified humility.

Dedicated: Paul was determined to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Co. 2:2-5). He was dedicated to do whatever necessary to preach this message.

Compassionate:
His love for all who were lost and his intense concern over the church is an example of true leadership. He wanted nothing more than for people to be saved.

Vision

In the construction industry, leaders examine blueprints and demonstrate the ability to see the finished product in their mind. Only when they see it in their mind can they follow the blueprint accurately.

Spiritual leaders must demonstrate the same ability. To help Christians reach the goals set before them, leaders must see what it looks like in their mind.

Casting this kind of vision before others will help them stay focused and energized for the journey.

Mistakes are easily made in the construction phases when there is no vision. The same is true for both the construction of buildings and the future of the church.

Paul

I love Paul’s leadership, and here is why. He was…

Passionate: As a persecutor of the church, he pursued it with passion. He even raised his level of passion when he became a defender of the faith.

Bold: Paul asked the church to pray for his boldness and it was demonstrated throughout every step of his ministry.

Selfless: Paul became all things to all men so that he might save some. He endured great hardship for others to learn about Jesus.

If we could approach our leadership with the passion, boldness, and selflessness of Paul, we could change the world.

Bravery

To be brave is connected to showing courage. Bravery is an action taken at the moment it is needed.

Most who claim to be brave fail to demonstrate what is needed when the moment arises. Sadly, it seems to be easier for people today to move on rather than act bravely. The church needs leaders who recognize the need of this moment and act bravely.

When we look at Jesus, we see the greatest act of bravery in history.

Leaders must follow His example and humbly submit to the will of the Father, giving themselves in service to the kingdom.

Extremism

How many times in the political arena do we hear the thought expressed of someone being extreme left or extreme right?

Being extreme, however, is not limited to the political arena. We quite often find the beast of extremism within the church.

Brethren often become extreme in their approach and teaching, which leads to division in the church.

Our responsibility is to learn the difference between Biblical teaching and personal opinion.

In a time where we need to prevent the world’s influence on the church, let us not become so extreme that our actions portray what we are trying to prevent.