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| LEADERSHIP |
Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Matthew 23:9-11
And He said
to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over
them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the
greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. For who is greater, the one
who reclines at the table or the one who serves?
Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves. Luke 22:25-27
Therefore if
there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if
there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and
compassion, make my joy
complete by being of the
same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit,
but with humility of mind regard one
another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for
your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this
attitude in yourselves
which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard
equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied
Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in
the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled
Himself by becoming obedient to
the point of death, even death on a cross. For this
reason also, God highly exalted
Him, and bestowed on Him the name which
is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those who are
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:1-11
"Then the
mother of the sons of
Zebedee came to Jesus with
her sons, bowing down
and making a request of Him. And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She *said to
Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one
on Your right and one on Your left.” But Jesus answered, “You do not know what
you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to
drink?” They *said to Him, “We are able.” He *said to them, “ My cup you shall drink;
but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine
to give, but it is for those for whom it has
been prepared by My Father.”
And hearing this, the ten
became indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to Himself and
said;
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is NOT this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." Matthew 20:20-28
There is no more popular nor sacred foundational truth within the Western church than the importance of and necessity of - effective leadership. Leadership conferences abound and the shelves of Christian bookstores are littered with countless volumes on the subject! It seems that the success of God's business, like any other business, is utterly dependent upon the raising up and functioning of can do "leadership". The core belief in the modern Western church is that the growth of the body both numerically and spiritually is a product of effective leadership. Hence, a failure in numerical and/or spiritual growth is perceived as a failure of leadership! Our belief is that without leaders the sheep would all be lost and would most likely become someones lunch. Yummmmmmm!
Our church leadership structure, modeled upon the concepts of the Roman authoritarian governmental system, has been , at best, an abject failure. Three dangerous "games" that the children of God love to play are Simeon Says, Monkey See Monkey Do and Follow the Leader.
Our Lord recognized that the leadership problem was not unique to Roman ism but also well established within Judaism. Many of God's people were followers of the sect of the Pharisees. For we read in Matthew 15:
Then the disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?” 13 But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
BOTH fall into the pit or ditch.
Following men is NOT the path to discipleship no matter how seemingly gifted or sincere you or they are! It can and has often led to rack and to ruin.
There is grave danger in following men. However the other side of the coin is the danger of placing the burden of 'leadership" on the shoulders of brothers and sisters telling them that they are special or chosen ministers and are called to bear responsiblity for the health, safety, growth and well being of God's people. Chosen vessels not the answer. Historically the landscape of Christianity is littered with the carcases not only of slain sheep but also of fallen leaders who fell under the weight of such a heavy burden. Even the divinely called and empowered Moses was not able to take God's people into the promised land! The truth is that leadership is not a job or task for mere mortals to perform. In God's economy true leadership lies only within the purview of the Holy Spirit - the spirit of Christ.
...for when He (the Spirit) comes He will guide you...
I have become burdened and am deeply grieved, not only for the sheep that have been sacrificed but also for the "leaders" who have been chewed up and spit out! I have seen so many walking wounded; countless Christain zombies: men and women having the testimony of Jesus who have become burdened, burned out, and. disillusioned Many have collapsed under the weight of leadership. These believers have been educated and commissioned to do the impossible Having answered the call and having received their ministry credentials they have been sent out to do the Lord's work and made to shoulder a burden too heavy for any mere mortal or group of mortals to bear.
So in consideration of this situation and in consultation with my dear brother Jay, I thought to offer a potential avenue to healing and restoration for these battered and bruised saints - the walking wounded. Together we envisioned an organization called A.A. (Apostolics Anonymous). It operates as a sort of spiritual Betty Ford clinic for the terminally self important. So I offer for your consideration and edification the following remedy.
Twelve Steps to Effective Leadership
1. We admit that we are
powerless over pride and that our lives have become unfruitful.
2. Having come to our
senses we realize that we need Jesus more than He needs us and that only He can
restore our hearts and us to fruitful service.
3. Having made a
decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care and control of the
Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, we now seek to descend from our lofty positions as
self-proclaimed leaders. We humbly ask that we may have the honor of becoming His bond
slaves; that we too may wash the feet of His disciples.
4. We ask the the Holy Spirit to
search our hearts and convict us of our error and all sin, including considering
ourselves over and above others.
5. Rather than feign
perfection, giftedness or spiritual superiority, we admit to God, to ourselves, and to another
human being the exact nature of our transgressions and sins.
6. We acknowledge that
we are entirely ready to have God remove all defects of character and we ask
for the fullness of the Spirit - that the character of Christ be formed in us.
7. We humbly ask Him to
remove us from our positions of prominence and visibility and give us a
heartfelt desire for invisibility, insignificance and loving selfless service.
8. Having made a list of
all persons we have hurt, shut out from the “inner circle”, overlooked as
insignificant or lowly, those we have stepped on, ignored, condescended to or
made to feel inferior in our search for personal significance, achievement, position, and
power - we put on humility and seek forgiveness as the Spirit leads.
9. With respect to those
we have directly harmed, burned out, abused or defrauded, we purpose to confess our transgressions and repent.Where necessary we purpose to make amends to such people
wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. We seek daily to prayerfully take personal inventory, and when
we are wrong to promptly admit it – publicly when necessary.
11. We determine to give
ourselves to prayer and the Word of God so as to deepen our relationship with
Him that we might know His will for us and do it.
12. Having returned to our first
love, we purpose to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We
seek nothing for ourselves but commit with all our heart, mind, and energy to
love one another as He has loved us and so we may prove to be His disciples.
"They must know it is not their aptitude,
but their attitude,
that will determine their altitude."
Jesse Jackson.
Not by Might, Not by Power
But by My Spirit
saith the Lord!
