Joshua and Judges: The doctrine of leadership part 113 - Essential qualities of leadership: Review of our work thus far.Title: Joshua and Judges: The doctrine of leadership part 113 - Essential qualities of leadership: Review of our work thus far.
Announcements / opening prayer:
Just a few concluding points in our doctrine of the Filling of the Holy Spirit.
Our spirituality must be real and not a religion or an imitation or a man made system.
We are to be outwardly adorned with Christ and His love, and this is only by means of the Spirit. We are not to impersonate or imitate another person. We all have Christ to put on by means of the Spirit.
Christianity is not impersonating ideals or imitating others. This is a danger that might come from analyzing the experiences of others.
We are dealing with the most loving and tender-hearted and patient God who is a person and who is for you. Come to know Him and believe in the efficacy of His way and you will hunger and thirst to obediently walk in the most gratifying relationship that there ever was, and God the Holy Spirit will graciously give you to the power, direction, and continued instruction to do so.
Walking by means of the Spirit is not a mechanical thing. We are not dealing with a machine but the person of the triune God.
You can be open with Him about your sins and failures and give true thanks to Him for all His deliverances. You can be open with Him about your worst doubts and darkest secrets. You can open your heart to Him, scars and all, and receive His blessed light and glory and strength. We should fear severing such a communion with Him through sin and independent self-reliance. That is truly the fear of the Lord. We should revel in the recurring peace in our hearts when we return to Him by simply acknowledging it to Him and knowing that we are fully forgiven and that our sinful nature has been severed from us in death, cast as far as the east is from the west. This is a relationship with a person by means of the ministry of God the Holy Spirit within.
Some have said that the bird with the broken pinion never soars so high again, and that is most unscriptural. It is a lie from the pit of hell. The believer with the broken pinion will find it healed by the Great Physician and he will soar higher still.
We are never wonderful saints of whom God may justly be proud. We are His little children, immature and filled with foolishness, with whom He is endlessly patient and on whom He has been pleased to set all His infinite heart of love. He is wonderful. We are not. God is not proud of us but rather pleased when we simply submit to His will above all else.
Believe what is written. Never forget Rom 5:12-6:14.
Do not be overly concerned with your growth or rate of growth, in fact, forget it all together. It is God who is causing the growth. Only be concerned with your faith. Remember the Lord's words, "My grace is sufficient for you."
The believer priest will be able to identify for himself whether there are manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit in his life. No one else need tell him.
There will be manifestations of spirituality that the believer priest will easily identify in his life and they are the fruit of the Spirit, the legitimate and properly motivated service of others, a deep and personally intense prayer life, and the manifestation of all the virtues in the NT culminating in agape love. No one is to tell you whether you have these things or not. It is for you to know as a priest in relationship to your God.
Eph 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,
Eph 3:21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
This concludes our study of the filling of the Holy Spirit.
We started our point 7 in the doctrine of leadership, the essential qualities of leadership, in the end of January.
7. Essential qualities of leadership.
1. Good and bad ambition. 2. God appoints His leaders, not men, and only when they are prepared. 3. The Master's master principle: servant and slave of all.
4. The leader must travel the course and not just point the way. 5. Is there a type of person that makes a good leader? 6. Insights into leadership from Peter; 1Pe 5:1-7.
1Pe 5:1 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed,
1Pe 5:2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;
1Pe 5:3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.
1Pe 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
1Pe 5:5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,
1Pe 5:7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.
7. Essential qualities of leadership.
Under essential qualities of leadership, we have covered:
A. Discipline B. Vision C. Wisdom D. Decision E. Courage
Discipline: He is not slothful, lazy, or disorganized. He is able to lay aside play when it is time to work, daydreaming when it is time to pray, procrastination when it is time to do the unpleasant.
All of these characteristics are the function of faith. Discipline results from obedience which is the same as faith.
Vision: He sees the path before him and the objective of God for that path.
Vision is seeing God's path and having the faith to follow it. Often vision is faith in that which is unseen, which is not ironic in the plan of God. Sight often brings doubt, but vision with faith sees the possible and steps out in faith in that direction, trusting God to lead the way.
Heb 11:24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
Heb 11:25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin;
Heb 11:26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.
Heb 11:27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.
"as seeing the invisible" = godly vision
Wisdom: the power of judging rightly and following the soundest course of action, based on knowledge, experience, understanding, etc.; good judgment; sagacity (discernment).
Wisdom is the result of putting our faith in the word of God. The mind of Christ is the only source of wisdom, but it must be put into action in the believer's heart if wisdom is to result from knowledge.
Decision: When all the facts are in, swift and clear decision is the mark of a true leader. A visionary may see, but a leader must decide.
Faith removes the indecision that we can have when it comes to making important decisions. Many hesitate because making a commitment always carries with it the possibility of failure. Making no decisions means no failures, but it also means no successes. Faith makes a final decision based on wisdom and does so assuredly and rapidly. Faith is willing to take full responsibility for the consequences of the decision, good or bad.
Act 15:36 And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are."
Act 15:37 And Barnabas was desirous of taking John, called Mark, along with them also.
Act 15:38 But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.
Act 15:39 And there arose such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.
Act 15:40 But Paul chose Silas and departed, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. 41 And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
Courage: the attitude of facing and dealing with anything recognized as dangerous, difficult, or painful, instead of withdrawing from it; quality of being fearless or brave; valor [Webster's]
Courage is faith in action. Faith says that the battle is the Lord's and that He will deliver in His perfect time, and so faith equals perseverance which is courage in operation.
Psa 23 A Psalm of David.
Psa 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
Psa 23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
Psa 23:3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake.
Psa 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.
Psa 23:5 Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou hast anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
Psa 23:6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
F. Humility G. Humor H. Righteous Anger I. Patience J. Filled with the Spirit
Humility: obeying the Lord and serving others, considering them as more important than yourself.
We have talked a lot about humility. Humility is the beginning of love. It is faith in what God has shown you to be and not what the sin nature wishes you were. The sin nature wishes you were the sovereign of the universe whereas faith in God's word says that you are nothing and that every good thing you have is a gift from God.
Php 2:3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself;
Php 2:4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Php 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
Php 2:6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
Php 2:7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
Php 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Humor: the best way to relieve tension is good laughter. The leader should be relaxed and enjoy the ride, having proper and timely humor.
Faith says that you don't have to serious all the time, which will wear you out. Faith knows when it is time to rest and when tensions are reaching a point that demands some humor to release that pressure. |