Leadership: the action of leading a group of people
It’s setting the direction, setting the pace, and setting the goal… and as you walk, others follow.
Leadership is really all about influence, which means: the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone.
Matthew 28:19-20
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
Your Calling
Just because you are a leader, doesn’t mean you are leading in a good direction. As Christians, BEFORE we learn to be good at leadership and influence, we need to be really good at being obedient to God.
Exceptional leadership ability can just as easily harm the Kingdom of God as it can help it. But exceptional obedience to God, can ONLY cause the Kingdom to THRIVE!
Before we even look into being good leaders, we need to know what God is calling us to. From my experience, and what I read in scripture, your calling in the LONG TERM is a DIRECTION, and in the SHORT TERM it’s a SPECIFIC ROLE.
- Don’t be so caught up in what role you will have in the future,
that you miss what God has for you now.
- Don’t be so caught up in where you are today,
that you don’t work towards what God has for you in the future.
Timothy's Calling
Timothy was probably between 16-24
when he met Paul.
Acts 16:3
Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
DIRECTION - Follow Paul
Somewhere in the process of following Paul,
God obviously called him to leadership,
and Paul trained him thoughout his missionary journeys.
But in the meantime, he followed Paul everywhere and worked with him.
SPECIFIC ROLE - Assisting Paul
DIRECTION - Pastoring Churches
Then eventually Paul sends Timothy
to pastor the churches in Ephesus.
SPECIFIC ROLE - Pastoring a Region of Churches
Be obedient to work towards future calling, and to operate in your current calling.
Leading in the Church
- If you lead in any church in your lifetime,
you should be leading with humility, grace, and selflessness.
Simon Sinek -
“Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge”
- If you lead in the church, the bar is higher for you.
Here’s what the Bible says about the position that we call Lead Pastor:
1 Timothy 3:1-7
Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
The core thing that connects all of these together…
it’s Godly Character!
- There is a difference between being a Natural Leader
and a called Leader.
Dealing with Conflict
2 Timothy 2:14
14 Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.
He’s speaking specifically about false teaching in the church, but he’s also pointing out that people are GOING to argue, and the thing that keeps them in the right place, is reminding them about Jesus.
The thing that Paul tells Timothy to remind them, is written right before that:
1 Timothy 2:11-13
11
If we died with him, we will also live with him;
12 if we endure,
we will also reign with him.
If we disown him, he will also disown us;
13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.
That’s how we handle conflict:
- Point out when things are wrong
- Point them back to Jesus
- Help them see the big picture
2 Timothy 2:24-26
24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
How to be discipled in Leadership Development
- Work on your Character.
- Discover your Calling.
- Be Faithful in that Calling.
- Keep growing and learning, and get help from your discipler.
How to disciple others in
Leadership Development
- Help them work on their Character.
- Help them Discover their Calling.
- Help them be Faithful in that Calling.
- Help them keep growing and learning.
Wherever you are… Live a life FULLY surrendered to God, and jump into whatever He tells you to do with both feet.
That’s leadership:
Following so closely behind your Rabbi, that you also become a person worth following.
