Spiritual Leadership Principles for Every Christian

Leadership….  what we all need, but no one thinks they are qualified to give.  Ask what qualities most people see or want in a leader…

Knowledge and wisdom

Integrity and honesty

Vision and ideas that inspire people

Engaging personality, a person that most people admire and are drawn to

Strength to make tough decisions, and the ability to handle crisis situations

Now, ask the average person if they possess these qualities and they will say no to some or even all of them.  It follows in their thinking then, that they are not leaders. “I’m not really cut out for that.” “I’m not really leader material, I’ll help, but don’t put me in charge.”

John Maxwell said that “everything rises and falls on leadership”, and there is a lot of truth to that. Our culture, and in particular our churches and homes, are suffering from a lack of the kind of leadership we really need, spiritual leadership.  Not just the top down kind of leadership that most people think about, but the significant role of every Christian to be a spiritual leader to the people around them. The question is what kind of leadership are we giving.  Notice, I said giving, not getting. It is easy for everyone to point the finger at the leader, be it the boss, the pastor, the parent, or the president.   But not everyone wants to embrace their role as a leader.

“I’m not a leader”… is no excuse for not showing spiritual leadership!  Being a spiritual leader, a person who leads others to grow closer to Jesus Christ and deeper in the Spirit has little, or most of the time nothing, to do with a position of leadership.  Read that again and remember, spiritual leadership is not about a position or a title, it is about showing the Holy Spirit through your life so that you help others, that is leading others, to  grow closer to Jesus Christ and have a positive impact on others growing up in Jesus Christ. What I want to explore today is how each of us can take up our mantle of spiritual leadership.

It seems that the one thing that we have become good at in today’s society is making excuses- it’s my parents fault, it’s society’s fault, it’s the government’s fault, it’s my dogs fault…. anytime something goes wrong, we look to point the finger. Unfortunately that has bled into the church as well.  We look at the state of the church today and everyone wants to talk about how bad things have gotten in society, how evil the world is or how anti-Christian the media is, yet we have to heed the words of the apostle Peter…

I Peter 4  15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. 17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Notice that Peter says that judgment, God’s truthful measure of what is right and wrong, begins with us, His people… not the rest of the world, not the media, not atheists, not muslims. Excuses would point a finger elsewhere, God’s eye however He is looking for each one of us, each follower of Jesus Christ, not to see what our latest excuse is, but to see how each of us are leading spiritually, helping move forward and upward the cause of the Gospel of Christ.

I like Benjamin Franklin’s quote on excuses…

“I have yet to meet a man who is good at making excuses who is good for much of anything else.”

I am fearful that the church has started to fall into the not “good for much of anything else” category. Why? Well, first, its’ not God’s fault!  We have a God that is desiring and able to make the church strong, healthy and effective at impacting society. We have a Savior that is able to cleanse the sins of the worst sinner. We have a Spirit that is able to break down every stronghold, overcome every evil and penetrate every heart. We have lots of Christians, lots of church buildings, lots of church services, lots of a lot of things… so why are we not moving forward in the Kingdom of God in our homes, marriages and churches?  A lack of leadership. A lack of God’s people leading others toward Christ or a deeper relationship with Christ.

Every Christian can be the leader the Kingdom of God has designed them to be, however we first have to embrace a few things to be the…

* Christian leader to our spouse that God desires us to be

* Christian leader as a parent that our children need

* Christian leader to our co-workers that your company has to have

* Christian leader to our fellow church members to help us all make a positive impact

So, how can a person show Christian leadership?  Don’t you have to have a position “up the ladder” or a position that everyone recognizes?  Don’t you have to be an extrovert that talks all the time? Again (and again) the answer is no… being a spiritual leader is not a positional thing, no one votes you into being a spiritual leader, you are a spiritual leader by your nature of being a Christian- that is a person who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit and a follower of Jesus Christ. Being a spiritual leader is not a function of your personality- spiritual leaders can be introverts, extroverts, reverts or whatever other -vert your personality make up may be.

First, remember that this is spiritual leadership… not leadership by personality or knowledge or force or education. The Holy Spirit of God, who dwells in each believer, is what makes you capable and able as a spiritual leader.  To say that you are not a leader is not a comment on your personality as much as it is a comment on what you believe the Holy Spirit can do.  We often talk about God working in us- to heal us, help us, bless us, lead us… but I truly believe that God desires more than to just work in us, filling us with one blessing after another. God desires to work through us, to be a person that He can work through to have a positive impact on the world and lead others closer to Him. Don’t be overly concerned with what you don’t have or feel like you lack in, focus your attention upon what God can do and the fact that He can do those things through you.

Leadership principle for every Christian:   God is working through my life to touch the lives of others and lead them to be close to Him.

Second, spiritual leadership has to do with character, not power.  Our world works under the powers that are in control- government, military, financial institutions or on a smaller scale your boss, your CEO.  To the world, power is leadership and leadership is power. If we take this principle into the spiritual realm, then we must have to be a powerful person in order to be a leader. Our leader, Jesus, said that He was meek, He was a servant, He came to serve many, He came to give His life away… He was powerful, just not in the worldly sense. We too can be powerful. Powerful in Spirit to say no to temptation. Powerful to give our time to serve others rather than taking it all for ourselves. Powerful to give to the less fortunate rather than buying another toy we really don’t need.  We may not see these acts as powerful, in fact some in the world would say it is a sign of weakness, but it shows a strength of character to say yes to the Spirit. When you do, you lead the people around you to see another direction for life, another way to live besides the pressure the world exerts on them each day.

Leadership principle for every Christian:  I can be a powerful person, not because of my personality or position, but by using the choices I make everyday to follow Christ to lead others to be closer to Him.

Thirdly, spiritual leadership is living under the right authority.  ”It’s lonely at the top” refers to the lofty singular position the world puts leaders in, and that is not what many of us think we want for ourselves. Because worldly leaders are the decision-makers and authorities, they are separated and have to be self-sufficient to survive.  Most of us don’t fit or don’t want to fit that category. But spiritual leadership is not the same. In spiritual leadership we work under the authority of God, with the urging and equipping of the person of the Holy Spirit. There is no loneliness in spiritual leadership. Listen the words of a centurion addressing the spiritual leadership of Jesus…

Matt 8  7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

“Under authority”, the centurion understood that Jesus was not alone and He had companionship for the task given to Him and the one Jesus served had the power to command whatever He wished. We too have to know that what we do in the Kingdom, in our families, in our workplaces, in our church, are not “lonely” activities, but done with and through the Holy Spirit.

Leadership principle for every Christian:  I am not alone as I lead others closer to Christ, but wherever I go and whatever I do, it is under the presence and authority of the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, I will not fear the times God allows me to show His grace, forgiveness and power, but I will embrace them as an opportunity to lead others closer to Jesus Christ.

Trust God, focus on others. Spiritual leadership is a demonstration of trust in God to take care of us, so we can give ourselves away to serve and lead others. The world teaches us to take care of #1 (notice number one is never anyone but yourself!).  That kind of attitude demonstrates the great insecurity the world lives under- “if I don’t take care of me, no one will”, “trust no one but yourself”, “no one cares/understands/knows me”, “I have to achieve/earn/take so that I have what I want”.  You cannot lead anyone when you are consumed with caring for yourself, blessing yourself and trying to get for yourself.  Leadership, by nature, is something done on behalf of and for the benefit of others.  As spiritual leaders in your home, your workplace or in your church, we should trust God to care for us in our relationships, monetarily, physically, so we can feel free and unhindered to give ourselves away.   Listen to how Paul puts this principle in 2 Corinthians 9

8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 9 As the Scriptures say, “Godly people give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will never be forgotten.” 10 For God is the one who gives seed to the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will give you many opportunities to do good, and he will produce a great harvest of generosity in you. 11 Yes, you will be enriched so that you can give even more generously. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will break out in thanksgiving to God.

Leadership principle for every Christian:  I believe that God will supply and support me so that I can feel free to give of myself to lead and serve others so that they draw closer to God. The more I believe God provides for me, the less I try to take from others and the more I give to others.

God has qualified you as a spiritual leader and placed you specifically in your spot- in your workplace, your home, your church- to be a person who helps others draw closer to Christ, to be a leader. You don’t need a lofty position, you just have to be open to allow God to work with and through you.

I heard a story once about a lady who was distressed about her workplace. She was upset because she was the only Christian there and the people she worked with were kind of crude and very “worldly”.  She decided to talk to her pastor about her problem, convinced that she would be told to leave this evil place and go somewhere more suited for her faith. Upon sharing with her pastor all of her difficulties, her pastor responded…

“I am so excited for you!”

“But I am in a lousy place… and there are people all around me who are doing and talking about all kinds of things I don’t like”

“But you are in the perfect place…”

“I can’t be, I am the only Christian there. I don’t have any support…”

“You are the spiritual leader of your workplace. Who else in that company is going to show them the love of Christ?  Who else is going to be there to pray for them? Who else has knowledge of how to get to heaven, how to live with God, how to live a purposeful life in Jesus Christ?  You are their spiritual leader.”

That truth applies to all of us, we are someone’s spiritual leader. Don’t let your home, your workplace or your church suffer from a lack of spiritual leadership. It is up to each of us to take up our mantle of leadership, where we are, in whatever position we are in.  Don’t wait for the people with the titles and the status, be the spiritual leader for those God has placed around you.

Post Election Euphoria? Gloom?…How about resolve?

OK, I have my TV back now.  I can watch my favorite shows without having sophomoric political attacks ads assaulting my senses.

Some of you may be happy today- one of your candidates that you wanted to win a certain office won. Some of you may be a little depressed today- your guy or gal didn’t win their post, the “evil” enemy won… and the world is close to being over.

When we go through moments like an election, a change in life situation, a change is job, relationship status, finances or anything that impacts the world around, we always seem to get tunnel vision. What I mean is that we cannot seem to think about anything else but what has changed.  This is normal and natural, your mind and your heart is trying to acclimate to your new environment, your new life situation. The problem is that we often get stuck. We focus on the change that has hurt us, disappointed us, confused us or caused us concern.

I have seen after this election, as with every election, people are either euphoric, believing that the right people are in the right places- and therefore have great hope for the future and believe that the needed changes have taken place to make things right in the world. On the other hand some are filled with gloom, believing that we got this all wrong, the wrong people were elected, the wrong policies are going to be put into place and their outlook is not very bright.  For a season that would be alright, everyone had an idea going into this election what they wanted to see done and not done. And we all need to adjust to the new situation. But let’s not get stuck…

Because in two years another election, more changes, two years later, another presidential election, more changes. And in between elections, we will have a hundred life changes. So the real question comes, in the midst of all of this, how do we find the stability to build from?  How do we find our place to put our feet down and resolve to move forward? By focusing our attention on that which does not change.

My family and I are going through a change right now. We have two girls in foster care who are ready to either move in permanently or move out to be reunified with parents. We have an existing home that we have been unable to sell or rent, and we need to make a decision that will involve a change in our life.  We have two boys in college who are growing into young adults, that is a life change in our relationship with them. What do you focus on in the midst of these kinds of changes?

First I focus on my relationship with Jesus Christ. In an ever changing world, the Bible says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8). The same. Think about that for a moment. Can you point to many things in your life that are the same now as they were 3, 5, or 10 years ago?  You look different, the people or the place you work may be different. Maybe you have moved to a new town or lost weight or a loved one has passed away… all the while, Jesus has remained the same.  There is something very comforting to me about that… no matter how much things change, He remains the same.  James 1:17 says that with God there is no “variation” or “changing shadows”, which means that I can always depend on God and His character.  It reminds me of the lyrics to the little chorus “Praise the name of Jesus”

Praise the name of Jesus
Praise the name of Jesus
He’s my rock, He’s my fortress
He’s my deliverer in Him will I trust
Praise the name of Jesus

So in this time of change in our country, as Christians, should our eyes be on the ever changing political landscape or upon the unchanging mission that God has for His people?  This is one of the reasons that the church, I have come to believe, has gotten itself off track. We focus on things that don’t last, or are temporary and earthly. We pour loads of time, effort and energy into an election or an issue and yet we realize that these things change. They come and they go. You get one law passed today, they pass a different one a year from now. I am not saying that these things are not good, but what about the unchanging mission of God?  What about the reason for which Jesus came and died- to seek and to save the lost?  The church as a whole is baptizing less people, attendance is down, commitment to the body of Christ is lagging. Now this may be controversial to some, but could it be that we can no longer get passionate about God’s mission, but we can get worked up for an earthly political or social issue?  Could it be that the church has exchanged the big heart of God to love the world for a few scraps from the table of the world?

The deeper I dig into trying to grasp the heart of God, the more and more I am persuaded that God’s heart is aching for the same world that the church often rejects.  We think the world has changed too much for the church to be effective. We think the world is too far gone for the gospel to really change people. Yet, in the midst of this world, there is a God whose love, passion, desire and heart to love this world and to see people turn to Jesus has never… ever… changed.

The longer I live, the more changes I experience, the more I know that this world is not what I am to grab onto. God gives me the wonderful privilege of experiencing Him in the world, to live an abundant life, but that abundance is not wrapped up in what I get from the world… but in His unchanging love for me.  Abundance in life is not in keeping your changes to a minimum or keeping your life orderly or in getting your way in an election. Focus your heart upon that which will never disappoint you and that which will never change.

Let me close with a few passages of Scripture for you to think upon…

Romans 5    ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

1 Peter 1    ²³ having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, ²⁴ because “All flesh is as grass,And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.The grass withers,And its flower falls away, ²⁵ But the word of the Lord endures forever.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

… and listen to God’s own words as He speaks about that which will last and be unchanging and let His words wash over you to give you hope and resolve…

Isaiah 51  ⁴ “Listen to Me, My people; And give ear to Me, O My nation: For law will proceed from Me, And I will make My justice rest As a light of the peoples. ⁵ My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, And My arms will judge the peoples; The coastlands will wait upon Me, And on My arm they will trust. ⁶ Lift up your eyes to the heavens, And look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, The earth will grow old like a garment, And those who dwell in it will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not be abolished.”

Amen to that.

The Church and the Message of Hope

In this season of political campaigning, we are overrun with messages that tell us that one candidate and their policies will be “best for America”, “help the middle class”, “put more money in your pocket” and on and on and on. The basic message is that your future would be in better hands with me.  Political campaigns are about promises, promises are about the future and if we are looking forward to a prosperous and preferred future, it is called hope.

Hope is a fragile and tender thing, simply because it is based on an idea, thought, feeling or belief about something or someone. If we have hope that things will get better, it is tested when we read that the stock market has dropped another 200 points and another bank is about to fail. If we have hope that a relationship will stay together, and we have another fight, our hope is tested. If we have hope that our child will grow up to be a productive, Christian young person, and they are found with drugs or become pregnant, our hope is tested. Hope is indeed fragile, but it is as strong as the source of that hope.

This is why, in this political season, I find it odd that people still place hope in the promises of politicians. Someone might say, “well that’s all there is to hope in, that one of these guys really can help make life better, get us out of the mess we are in”.  Yet, we continue to find ourselves disappointed in some way or another in our government’s consistent failure to deliver us to a better state of life. There is one major reason for that… it is not the government’s job to dole out hope. They are trying to do that with promises that they may or may not be able to fulfill, policies that may or may not work and laws that benefit some, but not all of us. If our hope is placed in a man-made organization, run by man for man, we are appealing to something faulty and sin filled, to bring us the hope we are looking for to change our lives.

Listen to the verses below…

Psalm 146   ³ Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. ⁴ His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish. ⁵ Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God…

The command is clear- Do not put your trust in princes nor in any man. Why?  Because he one day will pass from this earth, and all of the plans they had will die with them, replaced by someone else with something else to give to the people– for a while. This passage brings to mind the legacy of Carl Marx, the person who inspired communism. For many years people followed his ideas, and they trusted in them to bring them a better society.  His ideas changed the map of the world, led to the cold war and influenced several generations of people fighting both for and against communism. But in the end, his ideas faded away and now for the most part have fallen into disfavor.

The Psalmist continues with the focus of real hope…

Psalm 146    ⁵ Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God, ⁶ Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever, ⁷ Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners. ⁸ The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord raises those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous. ⁹ The Lord watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down. ¹⁰ The Lord shall reign forever— Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!

The passage says that happy is the person who has put his hope in God because God-

• Is the creator of all things, and able to sustain that which He has made. That includes you and everything around you. Not to be too cynical or overly dramatic, but can I ask you, what has our government created?  What have the promises of politicians and business leaders created?
• He keeps truth forever, a truth that does not change or need to change for that matter. While economic policies, foreign policies and social policies seem to change like the wind with events changing seemingly everyday; God’s truth, God’s character, and God’s policies do not change. God is trustworthy to be the same yesterday, today and forever. (Heb 13:8, James 1:17)
• God is able to actually heal that which is broken. If you look in the passage, God heals, feeds, helps, raises, loves and generally fixes that which is not right. Now this would be an empty promise, like we hear so much of these days, if God did not have the power to do all of these things. Hope is fragile if the strength of that hope is placed in something that is not able to carry hope forward. God however has the power to do that which He promises.

Isaiah 46    ⁹ Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, ¹⁰ Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ ¹¹ Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it;I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it;I will also do it.

• God will reign forever- not a four-year term. God never runs for office, because no one can depose Him. God does not campaign to achieve power, He is all-powerful. God does not make promises for people to like Him, He expects people to love Him. He is God, eternal, ever-loving, ever in control. Hope that is placed in Him will never be crushed. God says that those who put their trust in Him will never be put to shame. He will never back out on a promise and He will not fail you. Can that be said of any man? Can that be said of any organization? Can that be said of any government?

I was talking with a friend a few days ago and we were talking about the role of the church in society and the “voice” that the church has into the world. I have come to believe that for the most part the church still has a voice, but it has become so mixed up, so muddy, that the world is not sure what our message is anymore. Is the church’s message a political/social philosophy in which we have to adhere to certain political positions?  Is the church’s message a “warm fuzzy” to world, a nice story, like a fairy tale to a young child?  Has the church’s message become one that talks much about religion, rituals, rules and romantic ideals?

When Jesus gave His orders to the church, the message that they were to spread was one of repentance from sin, relationship with the Father and the assurance of a future in heaven. The Great Commission was a charge to teach the truth of the gospel, lead people to have faith in Jesus to forgive them and grant them eternal life. Another aspect the Great Commission is that we are to teach them all the things that Jesus had given to them. If we don’t teach people the way of life that Jesus taught in the gospels, we are left with salvation, plus the ways of our world. It becomes a mixed bag of religion and culture… which seems to be what we have today.

The message of hope that the church has to deliver is a message of eternal hope, God’s hope. A message of hope that has not changed and will not change– no matter who is in the White House, in control of the congress, which bank get bailed out, how many homes get foreclosed on or who loses their job. Our message of hope will give people eternal freedom, eternal joy and a present help for times of trouble, a faithful friend who never leaves us behind and a relationship with one who has the power to truly change our life without empty promises.  The voice of the church needs to be heard, but that voice needs to be proclaiming real hope.

God is a God of hope, a hope that does not disappoint (Rom 5:5)… a hope that allows us to look forward to a great future (Col 1:5)… a hope that allows us to deal with our disappointments, pains, sins and faults…

1 Peter 1   ¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. ²⁰ He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you ²¹ who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

So this is my prayer for us as believers, that the church would speak true hope in these times. That the church would trumpet the call to the world that hope can be found, and not in a politicians speech, but in the everlasting God

Romans 15   ¹³ Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.