Tag: Knowledge

Spiritual Growth

How can we measure spiritual growth? The most common answer is an increase in Bible knowledge. This is why we are pushed to spend more time studying our Bibles.

Without a doubt, we need to grow in our knowledge of God’s word. However, knowledge of God’s word alone does not equate to spiritual growth, and we all know it’s true.

Measuring or determining spiritual growth / health, occurs on the battle field of application.

Leaders must find ways that bridge the gap from the first century writing of God’s word into the twenty-first century life. The task is not easy.

Knowledge, Understanding, Experience

Knowledge often highlights knowing facts or information.

Understanding includes factual information, but it carries meaning and application.

Experience takes on sharing in the same events or activities in order to gain full comprehension.

Paul wanted to know more than facts about Jesus. He wanted more than an understanding of what those facts meant and how they applied. He wanted to know Christ on the basis of experience.

The privilege of going through what Jesus experienced, “the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,” meant more than book knowledge.

Imagine a leadership based on this knowledge, understanding, and experience.

Risky Business

Leadership means risks. Change never occurs quickly or easily. Introducing challenges or raising questions about the current development or structure increases the level of risk.

Regardless of the approach to personal or organizational growth, change is required in order to expand. The thought of remaining neutral, being comfortable with the status quo, or being afraid to address potential change leaves an organization stagnate and eventually deteriorating.

Time, knowledge, and experience are three elements that provide the basis for approaching any risk.

1) Do we have the time to invest?
2) Is our knowledge of the situation adequately researched?
3) What level of experience exists for the resources needed?

Measuring Our Leadership

We tend to gauge success by tangible measurements, but is everything that easily measured?

How do we measure someone’s knowledge? How do we measure the long-term impact of the gospel once the seed is sown? How should we approach our leadership within the church?

Leave the measuring to God. He has an accurate way of measuring what happens.

Be consistent. Measure growth in another location by the same standard in our own.

Remember, goals are important and our job is to plant and water.
God will give the increase.

If we do our part, God will do His and the measurement will always be right.

The Heart and Mind of Leadership…

Continuing education is beneficial for personal growth and development. The drive behind the educational process is to dig a little deeper into the storehouse of knowledge to gain a better understanding of the wisdom others have gained.

The challenge is learning how to balance knowledge with application.

The thought of application should move us to dig deeper in order to understand the implications of what we have learned.

The information we gain will increase our ability to lead and help others reach our heavenly home.

The heart of leadership must be connected to the mind of leadership.

Wise Leaders…

Wisdom is defined as the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment. Practically speaking, wisdom is the proper application of knowledge.

One of the most notable illustrations of leadership wisdom is found in King Solomon. The request of Solomon was a discerning heart to rule God’s people. This does not mean that Solomon was without faults, but God granted his request.

Leaders should ask God for wisdom. He gives generously to those who ask in faith.

The wisdom from God possesses specific qualities described as pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, and without hypocrisy (Jas. 3:17).

Head, Heart, and Hand Leadership…

Three components that symbolize necessities for leaders.

Head: The head involves knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Leaders provide information that allows followers to gain the knowledge needed to make decisions based on understanding.

Heart: The heart involves an emotional connection. While there is a need to provide followers with knowledge, when the information connects emotionally, conviction runs deeper and lasts longer.

Hand: The hand relates to action. Once there is an informed, emotional connection, the natural response involves activity.

Information alone leads to confusion. Emotion alone lacks conviction. Action alone limits inspiration. Leaders who connect all three can change the world.

Knowing God…

Biblical leadership involves qualities, traits, virtues, and principles that guide character formation. As such, a biblical leader is one who desires to know God.

Scripture is filled with passages that emphasize the need to know God. Jesus said eternal life is aligned with knowing God and the One who was sent by Him.

Paul counted everything as loss for the “surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:8). His heritage, material possessions, academic achievement, and religious position were worthless when laid alongside this knowledge.

Biblical leaders are driven by a passion to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.

Following the Right Leader…

When we question our leadership, consideration should be given to the followers. Have we really considered where others end up when they follow our leadership?

The choices are limited.

1) Closer to or further away from God…
2) More spiritually or more worldly focused…
3) Stronger or weaker in faith…
4) Growing or declining in knowledge of God’s word…

There may be more possibilities, but the point is the same. Our leadership should be important enough to consider the destination reached by following our leadership.

Blaze a trail that when others follow they end up following the right leader.

Active Leadership…

“Leaders aren’t built from reading a book––they are built from the challenge of putting content into action.” Mac Lake

We’ve all learned a great deal from reading books that discuss every aspect of leadership and leadership development. Mac’s book involves the evidence of such.

The point he makes here is that the true building of a leader occurs when the information learned from a book is actually put into practice. 

One of the greatest challenges leaders face is knowing how to convert knowledge into action, but when they do, leadership abounds.