Leadership
Genesis 1:14-18 – And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
God created man and gave them an awesome responsibility. They were charged to:
- be fruitful
- multiply
- replenish the earth
- subdue the earth
- have dominion over the fish, fowl, and every living thing that moves on the earth
In today’s age, many people are goal-oriented; filling up a checklist of goals and completing them as quickly as possible. Studying the Bible is often no different.
As Jethro watched Moses judge all of the cases of Israel, he said this thing was not good. He said it would wear away both him and the people (Exodus 18:13-26). He suggested he receive help from among the people to assist him in judging the smaller cases. The men Jethro proposed would be:
1. Able men 2. Men that fear God 3. Men of truth 4. Hating covetousness
Men such as this would ensure justice, fairness, and obedience to the Lord (and His statutes).
Such men were needed for Moses and they are needed today. Many businesses and ministries suffer because people of this caliber were not selected for leadership positions. Instead we find scandals, abuse, embezzlement, and mistreatment.
Be very selective of those you allow on your leadership staff. Pray to the Lord for people of Jethro’s caliber to lead within your church, organization, community, and nation.
Photo courtesy of Flickr.com/boostinspiration. Image covered under Creative Commons License.
Exodus 32:1-6 – And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord. And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
Leaders are responsible for the conduct of those under their responsibility. They are to enforce and emulate established standards and conduct. When followers violate such standards (or even desire to), leaders must be willing to quickly correct, discipline, and re-enforce the standards to ensure those under their care continue to comply. Doing this will silence any widespread violations of standards and ensure everyone conducts themselves properly.
1. Followers will test your boundaries. Followers will test the establish standard out of their own desire to live by their own rules. Some will rebel for no reason other than not wanting to follow standards. Others will do what they want when the leader is not watching.
Numbers 20:7-13 – And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.
As the children of Israel entered into the desert of Zin, the people chode against Moses and Aaron for the lack of water.1 The Lord told Moses and Aaron to gather the people and speak to the rock, that it may give water unto the people. When Moses and Aaron gathered the people together however, Moses said, ‘Hear ye, you rebels, must we fetch you water out of this rock?‘ Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice. Though water came out of the rock, the Lord told Moses and Aaron that they would not bring the people of Israel into the promised land because of their disobedience and failure to keep the Lord sanctified among the people (Numbers 20:16).
Deuteronomy 1:10-17 – The Lord your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude. (The Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!) How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife? Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you. And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do. So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes. And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.
When Moses appointed men to assist him in judging among the children of Israel, he established specific requirements:
1. They should not be a respecter of persons. This will ensure everyone will be heard without any specific prejudice or undo influence (i.e. bribe).
2. They will hear small and great cases. This would allow everyone to be treated fairly. One person or will not be considered more important than another.
In the world of business, we are taught that the higher one attains in position, the least ‘hands-on’ or menial work they are to do. The manager no longer runs errands or buys the office lunch. They tell someone else to do it. They no longer have to drive around the parking lot, they have a designated spot of their own. They set deadlines, make decisions that affect policy and personnel, write checks, rate work performance, and gain greater respect among their peers.
However, in the midst of the ‘business’ of life, there are some lessons a disciple of Jesus can never forget:
John 13:1-16 – Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him; Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
1 Timothy 4:16 – Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
Paul was instructing Timothy as he was to remain in Ephesus to charge the churches concerning doctrine (1 Timothy 1:3). In this first letter, Paul tells him to: take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
As a pastor and leader, the way for him to save his hearers is to first save himself.
Many pastors feel their day of ministry are long, the to-do list is never ending, and they need 27 hours each day. With so much going on, pastors have the desire to place people in leadership positions to support them and the ministry. The desire for help should not be for warm bodies as oppose to the right people called by the Lord.
There are many churches overfilled with people that are placed prematurely (and inadequately) in positions of leadership and authority. Oftentimes leaders have the intention of having help in support their ministry, but one person ill-prepared for the responsibility can greatly injure the flock of God.
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