Colossians 1:3-6
We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
I want you to notice in verse three as you look in your Bible that he says “we give thanks to God praying always.” So his thanksgiving is a part of his private prayer time. A portion of Paul’s prayer time was consumed with expressing thanksgiving. Now don’t miss that. Don’t jump over that. Look at your own individual prayer time and ask yourself “am I more thankful for possessions or people?” Think about that. Think about what you articulate in your own private prayer time. Everyone, consider your own private prayer time. Everyone consider what you pray about on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Do you find yourself expressing more thanksgiving over possessions or people? Think about this idea: Am I more concerned over that which is temporal or that which is permanent? Do I thank God for Who He is? Do I say “God, You are awesome; You are incredible. You are worthy. I just want to thank You, God.” Do you articulate personal thanksgiving to God about these things: your property, your home, your possessions, and your health? All those are fine, and you should thank God for those things. But fortunately our health is temporary. If you have arthritis, you are thankful that it is temporary. If your grandmother or grandfather have Alzheimer’s, like mine do, you are thankful that it is temporary. You are thankful that they are not going to have to deal with that the rest of their lives, that when God gives them that resurrected body, they’ll be done with that.
So I want to make sure that if I look at my own private prayer time, if Sean Harris analyzes his own private prayer time, I make sure that it is more time thanking God for Who He is and for His work in and for God’s people.
Paul’s concentration in his prayer time was always what God had done for others followed by his continual thanksgiving for God’s grace. Paul never got over the fact that God saved him. He never got over that. If you know anything about the Apostle Paul, you know that on a regular basis in his letters to the churches he continually expressed how thankful he was that God saved him. Paul did not come from a self-righteous perspective that,” God, You got it right when you saved me.” Paul always put things in perspective, and he could not get over the fact that a rebel like him, a person who persecuted Christians, who fought the Gospel, who just was out to destroy the Kingdom of Christ was instead radically changed by the power of the Gospel. And so on a regular basis, Paul would pour out his heart to God and thank Him for saving his soul. So I want to ask you when was the last time you got on your hands and knees before God and said, “God Almighty, thank You for saving me from my sins?” When was the last time you said “Jesus, I can’t believe You saved me?” When was the last time you said, “You are awesome, God?” When was the last time you poured out your heart and said, “God, You are incredible? You didn’t have to save me. You didn’t have to send Your Son. You could have let it all go, but You took the initiative! God, I just want to tell You that I love You.” Do you know that will do your heart good? If you start your daily devotional and prayer time like that, if you just start praying and naming off people, I promise you if you get down on your hands and knees, (if you are still able to and praise the Lord if you still can), it will change your focus for the day. Because when we pray about possessions we start a possession focused day. But when we begin our day focused on people and God’s work in people, it will change your day. You will have a much harder time gossiping about your preacher if you pray for him. That is a fact. It won’t come natural.
Several lessons can be learned from Paul’s prayer life.
He had a regular prayer life. It was a continual part of his life.
The church was regularly in Paul’s mind.
It involved thanksgiving.
He interceeded for others on a consistent basis.
Finish this sermon at http://bbcfnc.org/docs/Harris052409[1].pdf
Camp Anchorage
Wow! I had an incredible time at Camp Anchorage on Lake Waccamaw, NC last week. Six days of Senior Youth Camp with Pastor Sammy Frye and the entire staff at the camp was outstanding. What a pleasant combination of lots of great activities with a good emphasis on the Word of God. The music was off the chain in an especially God-honoring way. By the end of the week the young people were praising God in song with lyrics that were chalked full of truth.
The days were full with fishing for some starting as early as 6.15 and the final evening devotions occurring as late as midnight.
The food at the camp is terrific served family style with enough to leave every meal stuffed. The kitchen staff is exceptionally pleasant and really seemed to enjoy the ministry. My personal favorite was the Wednesday night chicken meal, but every meal was great. You really don’t think you are eating camp food. I ran several days and enjoyed the water recreation daily so I felt a bit more liberty to eat well.
The camp is small so you really feel like one big family enjoying camp together but the Lake is huge providing lots of room to ski, tube, fish and swim. They have a large soccer field behind their field house so there is sufficient room to do all you would like at camp.
A new deck area over Lee’s Creek provided a great place to hang out, read, and relax. The deck is shaded very well with a great breeze coming off the Lake.
Every day the campers enjoyed various indoor games with creative twists like playing dodge ball with a medic. Austin especially enjoyed the evening time of skating and the food.
I listened to several God and I times led by the camp counselors and it was very apparent these young men and women have a genuine heart for the campers.
Every day the sponsors met for prayer and it was awesome to see God answer our prayers in the lives of the campers. At the evening worship and preaching service decisions were made for Christ. One night Sammy preached on bitterness and the response was overwhelming with young people seeking counsel for hours into the night.
We saw several campers from BBC make decisions to follow Christ. We now pray they will have the discipline to follow their decisions.
We will use the camp again in August for our school “Get Acquainted Days” and then we will enjoy the camp again for Men’s Retreat on Oct 8-10th. If you are not registered for the Men’s Retreat you need to do so now. Get a brochure at the church.
BBC needs to increase its support of this great ministry led by David and Jeannie Ulrich and Aaron and Whitney Burke; learn more about the camp at http://www.anchoragecamp.org/.
I wish I had the power to make more of your sophomores and juniors attend camp.
This year one of our student members worked at the camp and I hope more will consider this great summer ministry. Its a little like being a missionary all summer long.
What was your favorite part of the camp? Do you have any favorite camp memories?
The days were full with fishing for some starting as early as 6.15 and the final evening devotions occurring as late as midnight.
The food at the camp is terrific served family style with enough to leave every meal stuffed. The kitchen staff is exceptionally pleasant and really seemed to enjoy the ministry. My personal favorite was the Wednesday night chicken meal, but every meal was great. You really don’t think you are eating camp food. I ran several days and enjoyed the water recreation daily so I felt a bit more liberty to eat well.
The camp is small so you really feel like one big family enjoying camp together but the Lake is huge providing lots of room to ski, tube, fish and swim. They have a large soccer field behind their field house so there is sufficient room to do all you would like at camp.
A new deck area over Lee’s Creek provided a great place to hang out, read, and relax. The deck is shaded very well with a great breeze coming off the Lake.
Every day the campers enjoyed various indoor games with creative twists like playing dodge ball with a medic. Austin especially enjoyed the evening time of skating and the food.
I listened to several God and I times led by the camp counselors and it was very apparent these young men and women have a genuine heart for the campers.
Every day the sponsors met for prayer and it was awesome to see God answer our prayers in the lives of the campers. At the evening worship and preaching service decisions were made for Christ. One night Sammy preached on bitterness and the response was overwhelming with young people seeking counsel for hours into the night.
We saw several campers from BBC make decisions to follow Christ. We now pray they will have the discipline to follow their decisions.
We will use the camp again in August for our school “Get Acquainted Days” and then we will enjoy the camp again for Men’s Retreat on Oct 8-10th. If you are not registered for the Men’s Retreat you need to do so now. Get a brochure at the church.
BBC needs to increase its support of this great ministry led by David and Jeannie Ulrich and Aaron and Whitney Burke; learn more about the camp at http://www.anchoragecamp.org/.
I wish I had the power to make more of your sophomores and juniors attend camp.
This year one of our student members worked at the camp and I hope more will consider this great summer ministry. Its a little like being a missionary all summer long.
What was your favorite part of the camp? Do you have any favorite camp memories?
Gracious Election
Jesus said: Many are called, but few are chosen in Matthew 22:14. Many commentators skip right over this verse in their analysis of Matthew 22.
Here is one author's opinion.
22:14 many are called, but few are chosen. The call spoken of here is sometimes referred to as the “general call” (or the “external” call)—a summons to repentance and faith that is inherent in the gospel message. This call extends to all who hear the gospel. “Many” hear it; “few” respond (see the many-few comparison in 7:13, 14). Those who respond are the “chosen,” the elect. In the Pauline writings, the word “call” usually refers to God’s irresistible calling extended to the elect alone (Rom. 8:30)—known as the “effectual call” (or the “internal” call). The effectual call is the supernatural drawing of God which Jesus speaks of in John 6:44. Here a general call is in view, and this call extends to all who hear the gospel—this call is the great “whosoever will” of the gospel (cf. Rev. 22:17). Here, then, is the proper balance between human responsibility and divine sovereignty: the “called” who reject the invitation do so willingly, and therefore their exclusion from the kingdom is perfectly just. The “chosen” enter the kingdom only because of the grace of God in choosing and drawing them.
What do you think?
What was Jesus' point?
Here is one author's opinion.
22:14 many are called, but few are chosen. The call spoken of here is sometimes referred to as the “general call” (or the “external” call)—a summons to repentance and faith that is inherent in the gospel message. This call extends to all who hear the gospel. “Many” hear it; “few” respond (see the many-few comparison in 7:13, 14). Those who respond are the “chosen,” the elect. In the Pauline writings, the word “call” usually refers to God’s irresistible calling extended to the elect alone (Rom. 8:30)—known as the “effectual call” (or the “internal” call). The effectual call is the supernatural drawing of God which Jesus speaks of in John 6:44. Here a general call is in view, and this call extends to all who hear the gospel—this call is the great “whosoever will” of the gospel (cf. Rev. 22:17). Here, then, is the proper balance between human responsibility and divine sovereignty: the “called” who reject the invitation do so willingly, and therefore their exclusion from the kingdom is perfectly just. The “chosen” enter the kingdom only because of the grace of God in choosing and drawing them.
What do you think?
What was Jesus' point?
Prophets and Pastors: A Change Agent
There are innumerable examples of why positive change is an absolute necessity of life. Throughout the Bible, God continually calls upon people to effect positive change both individually and corporately. The word repent is a call for change. When God called Abram to relocate and become a follower of the one true God, Abraham had to make effect positive change in his life. On a continual basis, prophets call upon God’s people to change. Jesus called upon the Jews to radically change in their understanding of the law and the prophets. The Apostle Peter had to change his way of thinking about Gentiles and the gospel. Each of Paul’s epistles is a call for change. In fact, it is fair to say that pastors continually call upon their people to change; and the pastor who does not learn how to effect positive change in the church he is called to lead will greatly struggle at accomplishing God’s will. Therefore, it is critical that all leaders, including and especially pastors, understand the dynamics associated with creating an environment for change in their own life and the life of an organization.
In Developing the Leader within You, John C. Maxwell, presents twelve characteristics of a leader in trouble. Characteristics like, “fights change, stays inflexible, will not take a risk, lacks imagination, and is insecure and defensive” and others will significantly hinder a pastor’s effectiveness as the leader of the church (Maxwell 1993, 56-57). Change individually or corporately is not natural. Maxwell presents several pointed case studies which illustrate the negative consequences of a business man’s lack of ability to change. For example, Ford’s unwillingness to change the model T put case market shares at stake, which is significant in the corporate world (Ibid.). The Lord Jesus pointedly reminded his followers that gaining the world is nothing if a man loses his soul (Mk. 8:36). When souls are at stake, it is critical that spiritual leaders understand the importance of being willing to change themselves or the organization when the Spirit of God calls for change. Once Paul personally changed His view on the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth, he was then able to become God’s agent of change in a very significant way to most of the known world of the first century.
Maxwell presents a quote from the chairman of Deere Company as a means of being willing to change. Hewitt states, “To be a leader, you must preserve all through your life the attitude of being receptive to new ideas” (Maxwell 1993, 52). With the exception of receptiveness to heretic doctrine, every pastor would do well to embrace a positive receptivity to new ideas. Far too many churches are empty, not making budget, struggling for existence, void of male leadership and overall failing to engage the next generation with the gospel because the congregation is not willing to change and the pastor is not willing to be an agent of change. Because the pastor is often the single significant leader in the church, it is critical that he at a minimum understand “the attitude and motivational demands for bringing about” change (Maxwell 1993, 52). In Pastor Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically, John MacArthur advises pastors to “relentlessly force your ministry to conform to the Word” (MacArthur 2005, 299). Essentially, MacArthur is suggesting that the pastor must be an agent of change anytime the ministry he leads has a facet that is not aligned with the will of God as revealed in His Word.
People resist change because man is fallen and is inherently a selfish being that has a significant propensity to rebel against all forms of authority. Maxwell suggests that change is hard because “the leader has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions and only lukewarm defenders in those who do well with change” (Maxwell 1993, 53). Although not mentioned by Maxwell, his premise is best illustrated by the resistance Christ received by the Jewish leaders who were doing well under the old system when He hinted at the need for change. When anyone suggests the need to change something, they are putting themselves in a position of authority. This may not sit well with most people. Independent Baptists still use a Bible translation that is 250 years old because the vast majority of God’s people are just as generally resistant to change as unbelievers.
Maxwell presents fourteen reasons why people resist change. Each of these reasons is reflective of just how fallen man is. Maxwell appeals to the natural man and writes to the leader who cannot appeal to the spiritual side of man. For example, in Maxwell’s fourteen reasons the discussion concerning God’s will in change is not even mentioned. Again, this may be fine for effecting change at McDonalds, but the local church is substantially different from a fast-food enterprise whose bottom line drives the need for change. Therefore, when Maxwell discusses the difference between changes that are self-initiated or not—this is a partially reasonable consideration in building an environment for change. If the pastor does not teach his people the necessity of change when God is leading or conformity to the Word of God is required, all change in his church will be an uphill battle for the duration. When Maxwell states that “change creates fear of the unknown,” he is right; therefore, there is a necessity to trust God. God’s people need to be taught to trust in His Sovereignty.
Spiritual leaders desiring to be agents of change must examine each of Maxwell’s points carefully to ensure that they are appealing to a biblical worldview and not appealing to the flesh. When Maxwell presents the necessity to motivate people to change using rewards, the pastor needs to appeal to eternal rewards for Kingdom work. Concerning being satisfied with status quo, Maxwell presents an interesting story about the Swiss watch company and their failure to adapt to change. Every pastor should give serious consideration to examining if the church they lead is identical in its perspective to the Swiss watch company which refused to go digital in its watch production. Christ has promised that His Church will not die, but the local church that refuses to change may very well die (Maxwell 1993, 58-59). “Change may mean personal loss” (Ibid.) Correction- change does mean personal loss. Jesus told His followers to deny themselves. Change requires additional commitment; again, yes it does. This is the message of the gospel. The gospel requires change. Spiritual leaders should not allow their people to create compartments for change where they refuse to allow spiritual influence to affect their behavior. Although it is critical that spiritual leaders lead in such a manner that they are respected, it should not be necessary to effect change because the spiritual leader needs to appeal to Jesus as the Head of the Body of Christ. Now, in those cases where the change is not clearly established as Biblical, the leader must be open to the reality that his change may not be necessary.
Finally, Maxwell’s creating a climate of change contains many practical solutions, but all of it must be shrouded in a commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and His Revelation to the church. Within the section on creating a climate for change, Maxwell presents ten tasks/ questions the leader must ask about making change. For example he writes: “1. List the major influencers of the major groups within your organization. 2. How many will be affected directly by this change? 6. Which group is the majority?” (Maxwell 1993, 69). Maxwell’s questions are good questions, but certainly the goal of any pastor is not to create an environment where God lead and God necessary change requires working through “which group is the majority, which group is most influential?” etc. Although there is a significant degree of practicality in Maxwell’s advice to leaders, clearly the goal is to change the environment within the church to the point that the influencers are not asking who is stronger but what is God’s will. All this is not to say that the spiritual leader should not follow the advice Maxwell gives. For example, the eight ways in offering “ownership of change to others” but this must be tempered, at all times, with a continual call to ask: “What would God have us to do? Is this something that I can live with or without? Can I trust in God’s Sovereignty through the leadership of the church?” and other similar questions.
Change is necessary because change is expected by the Sovereign God of the Universe. The pastor who does not learn to be a change agent will not be an effective pastor. When the church is taught that it must be continually conforming itself to the leadership of the Christ through the God-ordained officers of the church, change will not be difficult. When Jesus is Lord of the church, instead of tradition, a matriarch or the chairman of the deacon board, the environment will begin to be set to accept change well. This does not mean that wisdom will not be necessary when implementing positive change, but Spirit-lead change will more readily be accepted by Spirit-filled followers of Christ. Paul instructed others to follow him as he followed Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). If the church is filled with followers of Christ, they will willingly embrace change by God’s Grace, once they are fully convinced that the agent of change is following Christ. Then the agent of change can seek to know how he should implement the practical guidance Maxwell provides within the framework of a biblical worldview.
References
MacArthur, John. 2005. Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Maxwell, John C. 1993. Developing the Leader within You. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
In Developing the Leader within You, John C. Maxwell, presents twelve characteristics of a leader in trouble. Characteristics like, “fights change, stays inflexible, will not take a risk, lacks imagination, and is insecure and defensive” and others will significantly hinder a pastor’s effectiveness as the leader of the church (Maxwell 1993, 56-57). Change individually or corporately is not natural. Maxwell presents several pointed case studies which illustrate the negative consequences of a business man’s lack of ability to change. For example, Ford’s unwillingness to change the model T put case market shares at stake, which is significant in the corporate world (Ibid.). The Lord Jesus pointedly reminded his followers that gaining the world is nothing if a man loses his soul (Mk. 8:36). When souls are at stake, it is critical that spiritual leaders understand the importance of being willing to change themselves or the organization when the Spirit of God calls for change. Once Paul personally changed His view on the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth, he was then able to become God’s agent of change in a very significant way to most of the known world of the first century.
Maxwell presents a quote from the chairman of Deere Company as a means of being willing to change. Hewitt states, “To be a leader, you must preserve all through your life the attitude of being receptive to new ideas” (Maxwell 1993, 52). With the exception of receptiveness to heretic doctrine, every pastor would do well to embrace a positive receptivity to new ideas. Far too many churches are empty, not making budget, struggling for existence, void of male leadership and overall failing to engage the next generation with the gospel because the congregation is not willing to change and the pastor is not willing to be an agent of change. Because the pastor is often the single significant leader in the church, it is critical that he at a minimum understand “the attitude and motivational demands for bringing about” change (Maxwell 1993, 52). In Pastor Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically, John MacArthur advises pastors to “relentlessly force your ministry to conform to the Word” (MacArthur 2005, 299). Essentially, MacArthur is suggesting that the pastor must be an agent of change anytime the ministry he leads has a facet that is not aligned with the will of God as revealed in His Word.
People resist change because man is fallen and is inherently a selfish being that has a significant propensity to rebel against all forms of authority. Maxwell suggests that change is hard because “the leader has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions and only lukewarm defenders in those who do well with change” (Maxwell 1993, 53). Although not mentioned by Maxwell, his premise is best illustrated by the resistance Christ received by the Jewish leaders who were doing well under the old system when He hinted at the need for change. When anyone suggests the need to change something, they are putting themselves in a position of authority. This may not sit well with most people. Independent Baptists still use a Bible translation that is 250 years old because the vast majority of God’s people are just as generally resistant to change as unbelievers.
Maxwell presents fourteen reasons why people resist change. Each of these reasons is reflective of just how fallen man is. Maxwell appeals to the natural man and writes to the leader who cannot appeal to the spiritual side of man. For example, in Maxwell’s fourteen reasons the discussion concerning God’s will in change is not even mentioned. Again, this may be fine for effecting change at McDonalds, but the local church is substantially different from a fast-food enterprise whose bottom line drives the need for change. Therefore, when Maxwell discusses the difference between changes that are self-initiated or not—this is a partially reasonable consideration in building an environment for change. If the pastor does not teach his people the necessity of change when God is leading or conformity to the Word of God is required, all change in his church will be an uphill battle for the duration. When Maxwell states that “change creates fear of the unknown,” he is right; therefore, there is a necessity to trust God. God’s people need to be taught to trust in His Sovereignty.
Spiritual leaders desiring to be agents of change must examine each of Maxwell’s points carefully to ensure that they are appealing to a biblical worldview and not appealing to the flesh. When Maxwell presents the necessity to motivate people to change using rewards, the pastor needs to appeal to eternal rewards for Kingdom work. Concerning being satisfied with status quo, Maxwell presents an interesting story about the Swiss watch company and their failure to adapt to change. Every pastor should give serious consideration to examining if the church they lead is identical in its perspective to the Swiss watch company which refused to go digital in its watch production. Christ has promised that His Church will not die, but the local church that refuses to change may very well die (Maxwell 1993, 58-59). “Change may mean personal loss” (Ibid.) Correction- change does mean personal loss. Jesus told His followers to deny themselves. Change requires additional commitment; again, yes it does. This is the message of the gospel. The gospel requires change. Spiritual leaders should not allow their people to create compartments for change where they refuse to allow spiritual influence to affect their behavior. Although it is critical that spiritual leaders lead in such a manner that they are respected, it should not be necessary to effect change because the spiritual leader needs to appeal to Jesus as the Head of the Body of Christ. Now, in those cases where the change is not clearly established as Biblical, the leader must be open to the reality that his change may not be necessary.
Finally, Maxwell’s creating a climate of change contains many practical solutions, but all of it must be shrouded in a commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and His Revelation to the church. Within the section on creating a climate for change, Maxwell presents ten tasks/ questions the leader must ask about making change. For example he writes: “1. List the major influencers of the major groups within your organization. 2. How many will be affected directly by this change? 6. Which group is the majority?” (Maxwell 1993, 69). Maxwell’s questions are good questions, but certainly the goal of any pastor is not to create an environment where God lead and God necessary change requires working through “which group is the majority, which group is most influential?” etc. Although there is a significant degree of practicality in Maxwell’s advice to leaders, clearly the goal is to change the environment within the church to the point that the influencers are not asking who is stronger but what is God’s will. All this is not to say that the spiritual leader should not follow the advice Maxwell gives. For example, the eight ways in offering “ownership of change to others” but this must be tempered, at all times, with a continual call to ask: “What would God have us to do? Is this something that I can live with or without? Can I trust in God’s Sovereignty through the leadership of the church?” and other similar questions.
Change is necessary because change is expected by the Sovereign God of the Universe. The pastor who does not learn to be a change agent will not be an effective pastor. When the church is taught that it must be continually conforming itself to the leadership of the Christ through the God-ordained officers of the church, change will not be difficult. When Jesus is Lord of the church, instead of tradition, a matriarch or the chairman of the deacon board, the environment will begin to be set to accept change well. This does not mean that wisdom will not be necessary when implementing positive change, but Spirit-lead change will more readily be accepted by Spirit-filled followers of Christ. Paul instructed others to follow him as he followed Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). If the church is filled with followers of Christ, they will willingly embrace change by God’s Grace, once they are fully convinced that the agent of change is following Christ. Then the agent of change can seek to know how he should implement the practical guidance Maxwell provides within the framework of a biblical worldview.
References
MacArthur, John. 2005. Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Maxwell, John C. 1993. Developing the Leader within You. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Glorifying God in Mentoring
In so much as the Sovereign God of the Universe has chosen to use human beings to accomplish His will, the necessity of mentoring future leaders is more important in the church than any other business, organization, or entity on the planet. If the Lord Jesus had not accomplished the will of His Father in preparing eleven disciples to lead the church in the first century, Christianity would not have the worldwide preeminence it has today; and the world would be without hope. Unlike any other business, organization or entity, mentoring spiritual leaders takes on an unparalleled significance in the congregation of God’s people. Outside of the vicarious Substitutionary atonement, nothing Christ did on the planet more clearly glorified the Father than the development of the apostles for the proclamation of the gospel after His departure under the empowerment of God the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus Christ provides all leaders and most especially pastors with a perfect example of the mentoring leader—this example must first be understood and then put into practice by those who have been ordained to equip the saints in obedience to the Great Commission (Mt 28:19-20).
Dr. Elmer Towns presents the Lord as the perfect example of the mentoring leader. Towns points to Jesus as the leader who led people through one-on-one ministry. This mentoring, which could be described as discipleship on steroids, began with a careful selection of the men Christ believed would most glorify the Father in their extension of His work on the planet. S. Lance Quinn, a professor at The Master’s Seminary, is careful to note that Christ spent time in prayer before he selected His disciples (MacAthur 2005, 264). Everything the Son did had a specific purpose behind it. It certainly is not too much to surmise that Christ modeled the importance of communing with God before selecting those whom they will strive to mentor in a personal way. Every pastor must seek the face of God and know His will, as much as possible, before he begins to pour his life, in a unique and special way, into individuals. Moreover, Quinn believes that Acts 6:1-6 provides an example of how the early church leaders were especially careful in whom they selected for more training and increased responsibilities. He writes, “Leaders today must carefully select others to nurture and teach for service in the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-16) (Ibid.).
Fortunately, the Lord did not leave the church without guidance with regard to the careful selection of those who must be mentored for future spiritual positions of leadership. 1 Timothy 3 provides a list of the qualities the spiritual leader needs to have to serve in the office of pastor. The pastor who devotes huge periods of time mentoring someone who will never be employed by a church to preach is not being a wise steward of his time. Acts 6 also provides another example of the qualities that need to be potentially present before someone is mentored toward a position of spiritual leadership. Acts 6:4 indicates that the men had to be wise, full of the Holy Spirit and men of integrity. Furthermore, Paul makes it clear to Timothy that if someone is not “apt to teach” he cannot serve as a spiritual leader, an elder, in a local church (1st Tim 3:2). Pastors must see potential in someone to teach and preach the Word of God to be a candidate for private mentorship. Towns would do well to provide a list of the potential characteristics the pastor should be looking for in a mentee; but certainly wise, apt to teach (and teachable) and a man of integrity would be some of the top considerations.
According to Mark 3:14: “Christ appointed twelve that they might be with him.” This seems to give an indication that Christ spent time with disciples—time is the essential element of mentoring. In fact, the entire historical narrative of the adult ministry of Christ is one of Him spending time with the disciples. They left their current professions to follow Christ—the time Christ spent with the disciples was more than nearly any married leader could spend with disciples today. These men ate, slept and drank Jesus for about three years. The gospels record the highlights of the events of the life of Christ, but in between these highlights are days and days of walking, talking, associating, sharing, and teaching. Finally, it must be noted that even within the twelve disciples there is an indication that Peter, James and John received even more attention and direction. Applying this model, the pastor is justified in pouring more into the life of any single potential spiritual leader as he sees fit in order to advance the kingdom of God. Paul Chappell of West Coast Bible College sadly believes that, “Many church leaders get so caught up in administration and paperwork that they forget to invest in the lives of their people” (Chappell 2000, 176).
Next, the person doing the mentoring must remember that, like Christ, his role in the life of the disciple is to challenge them. He is the coach insisting that they can do it. The senior pastor must first model that he is taking up his cross, denying himself and following Jesus; and then he must challenge the mentee to do the same. Although John Maxwell writes from an exceptionally secular perspective failing to consider the necessity of calling his reader to a life of following Christ, he does articulate biblical principles without identify the source. He presents five principles for developing people in Developing the Leader in You worthy of attention. First, the leader must value people. Maxwell does not say it, but people are made in the image of God and thus worthy of value. Jesus modeled this perfectly. Second, the leader must be committed to people. In spite of the fact that Jesus knew Judas would betray him, Peter would deny Him, and some of the very people he healed and helped would be screaming “crucify him,” Christ would be not be deterred from his commitment to others. Third, the leader must be a man of integrity (Maxwell 1993, 117). This single principle is worthy of a separate dissertation. Christ models this perfectly as a man whose integrity was beyond question in every aspect of his life. He provides what Towns identifies as critically necessary—example (Towns 2007, 145). Jesus’ entire life served as “an example, that the disciples should do as he had done for them” (John 13:15; paraphrase mine). Fourth, Maxwell states that the leader must provide a standard for those he is hoping to develop. Maxwell does not identify what the standard is, but the Apostle Paul does for every spiritual leader. Paul instructs his reader to follow him as he follows Christ. To the church at Corinth he challenged them to “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). Finally, Maxwell indicates that the entire mentoring process is contingent upon the leaders influence over the people. Christ’s influence is beyond measure. His contribution to the disciple’s life, combined with the empowerment of God the Holy Spirit, influenced the apostles to turn the “world upside down” for Jesus (Acts 17.6).
Towns points to the opportunities that Jesus gave his disciples to “apply the lessons they were learning by delegating responsibility and authority to them to” preach the gospel as an essential part of the mentoring process (Towns 2007, 145). This is exceptionally important; the mentee has to have the opportunity to teach others. This is precisely what Paul communicates in 2 Tim. 2:2; there is a clear implication in this passage that these men who are faithful are going to be teaching others. Practical opportunities to teach and lead small groups under the observation and instruction of the spiritual leader are necessary to fully develop the mentee. Towns suggests that Luke 9:10 is an example of Jesus spending time with the disciples after they have done what He has prepared them to do—preach—and then meets them to go over their work. Perhaps He answers questions and gives them more guidance. Towns writes, “Jesus supervised His disciples by debriefing them following their ministry tours and taking them aside for further training that would improve” them (Towns 2007, 145). Quinn writes, “Any pastor who is not discipling others is abdicating a primary responsibility of his calling” (MacArthur 2005, 271).
Finally, Towns addresses the need for those who are “adequately trained as leaders” to be challenged to reproduce themselves. Without regard to his divine attributes, Christ reproduced himself in the lives of the disciples; and the Great Commission clearly points to the mandate to continue to produce disciples. Maxwell writes, “The more people you develop, the greater the extent of your dreams” (Maxwell 1995, 115). The pastor needs to understand that the more people he mentors, the greater extent his discipleship ministry will glorify God and accomplish the Great Commission. Therefore, his dream is not what drives him to go the distance, take chances, be transparent, teach others, empower subordinates, and devote his life to people; but his earnest desire is to see God glorified through his influence on others.
Mentoring and discipleship are not the same; the pastor needs to do both. He has a God- given responsibility to disciple as many converts as possible to the glory of God. Mentoring is not the same thing. Mentoring is the extra effort the spiritual leader puts into the lives of fully- devoted followers of Christ to help them become leaders of disciples of Christ. Jesus did not mentor everyone he came in contact with during his ministry. Moreover, he did not disciple everyone he met. A select group of men were identified and mentored to continue the work of the Lord. Paul understood this well and gave Timothy some mentoring guidance in 2 Tim. 2:2. MacArthur writes:
Timothy was to take the divine revelation he had learned from Paul and teach it to other faithful men—men with proven spiritual character and giftedness, who would in turn pass on those truths to another generation. From Paul to Timothy to faithful men to others encompasses four generations of godly leaders. That process of spiritual reproduction which began in the early church, is to continue until the Lord returns (MacArthur 1997, 1876).
Nothing has changed. God glorifies Himself by saving souls by the foolishness of preaching. In Romans 10:14-15, Paul asks: “How will sinners hear the gospel without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” Mentoring is what Christ did before He sent His disciples to preach, and mentoring still must happen before men are sent to preach. Now more than ever there is still a need to model every aspect of Christ’s life, including His passion to Glorify His Father through His mentoring work with the disciples as described in John 17.
References
Chappell, Paul. 2000. Guided by Grace: Servant Leadership in the Local Church. Murfreesboro, TN: Sword of the Lord Publishers.
Maxwell, John. 2002. The Maxwell Leadership Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
MacArthur, John. 2005. Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
MacArthur, John. 1997. The MacArthur Study Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Bibles.
Towns, Elmer L. 2007. Biblical Models for Leadership. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Dr. Elmer Towns presents the Lord as the perfect example of the mentoring leader. Towns points to Jesus as the leader who led people through one-on-one ministry. This mentoring, which could be described as discipleship on steroids, began with a careful selection of the men Christ believed would most glorify the Father in their extension of His work on the planet. S. Lance Quinn, a professor at The Master’s Seminary, is careful to note that Christ spent time in prayer before he selected His disciples (MacAthur 2005, 264). Everything the Son did had a specific purpose behind it. It certainly is not too much to surmise that Christ modeled the importance of communing with God before selecting those whom they will strive to mentor in a personal way. Every pastor must seek the face of God and know His will, as much as possible, before he begins to pour his life, in a unique and special way, into individuals. Moreover, Quinn believes that Acts 6:1-6 provides an example of how the early church leaders were especially careful in whom they selected for more training and increased responsibilities. He writes, “Leaders today must carefully select others to nurture and teach for service in the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-16) (Ibid.).
Fortunately, the Lord did not leave the church without guidance with regard to the careful selection of those who must be mentored for future spiritual positions of leadership. 1 Timothy 3 provides a list of the qualities the spiritual leader needs to have to serve in the office of pastor. The pastor who devotes huge periods of time mentoring someone who will never be employed by a church to preach is not being a wise steward of his time. Acts 6 also provides another example of the qualities that need to be potentially present before someone is mentored toward a position of spiritual leadership. Acts 6:4 indicates that the men had to be wise, full of the Holy Spirit and men of integrity. Furthermore, Paul makes it clear to Timothy that if someone is not “apt to teach” he cannot serve as a spiritual leader, an elder, in a local church (1st Tim 3:2). Pastors must see potential in someone to teach and preach the Word of God to be a candidate for private mentorship. Towns would do well to provide a list of the potential characteristics the pastor should be looking for in a mentee; but certainly wise, apt to teach (and teachable) and a man of integrity would be some of the top considerations.
According to Mark 3:14: “Christ appointed twelve that they might be with him.” This seems to give an indication that Christ spent time with disciples—time is the essential element of mentoring. In fact, the entire historical narrative of the adult ministry of Christ is one of Him spending time with the disciples. They left their current professions to follow Christ—the time Christ spent with the disciples was more than nearly any married leader could spend with disciples today. These men ate, slept and drank Jesus for about three years. The gospels record the highlights of the events of the life of Christ, but in between these highlights are days and days of walking, talking, associating, sharing, and teaching. Finally, it must be noted that even within the twelve disciples there is an indication that Peter, James and John received even more attention and direction. Applying this model, the pastor is justified in pouring more into the life of any single potential spiritual leader as he sees fit in order to advance the kingdom of God. Paul Chappell of West Coast Bible College sadly believes that, “Many church leaders get so caught up in administration and paperwork that they forget to invest in the lives of their people” (Chappell 2000, 176).
Next, the person doing the mentoring must remember that, like Christ, his role in the life of the disciple is to challenge them. He is the coach insisting that they can do it. The senior pastor must first model that he is taking up his cross, denying himself and following Jesus; and then he must challenge the mentee to do the same. Although John Maxwell writes from an exceptionally secular perspective failing to consider the necessity of calling his reader to a life of following Christ, he does articulate biblical principles without identify the source. He presents five principles for developing people in Developing the Leader in You worthy of attention. First, the leader must value people. Maxwell does not say it, but people are made in the image of God and thus worthy of value. Jesus modeled this perfectly. Second, the leader must be committed to people. In spite of the fact that Jesus knew Judas would betray him, Peter would deny Him, and some of the very people he healed and helped would be screaming “crucify him,” Christ would be not be deterred from his commitment to others. Third, the leader must be a man of integrity (Maxwell 1993, 117). This single principle is worthy of a separate dissertation. Christ models this perfectly as a man whose integrity was beyond question in every aspect of his life. He provides what Towns identifies as critically necessary—example (Towns 2007, 145). Jesus’ entire life served as “an example, that the disciples should do as he had done for them” (John 13:15; paraphrase mine). Fourth, Maxwell states that the leader must provide a standard for those he is hoping to develop. Maxwell does not identify what the standard is, but the Apostle Paul does for every spiritual leader. Paul instructs his reader to follow him as he follows Christ. To the church at Corinth he challenged them to “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). Finally, Maxwell indicates that the entire mentoring process is contingent upon the leaders influence over the people. Christ’s influence is beyond measure. His contribution to the disciple’s life, combined with the empowerment of God the Holy Spirit, influenced the apostles to turn the “world upside down” for Jesus (Acts 17.6).
Towns points to the opportunities that Jesus gave his disciples to “apply the lessons they were learning by delegating responsibility and authority to them to” preach the gospel as an essential part of the mentoring process (Towns 2007, 145). This is exceptionally important; the mentee has to have the opportunity to teach others. This is precisely what Paul communicates in 2 Tim. 2:2; there is a clear implication in this passage that these men who are faithful are going to be teaching others. Practical opportunities to teach and lead small groups under the observation and instruction of the spiritual leader are necessary to fully develop the mentee. Towns suggests that Luke 9:10 is an example of Jesus spending time with the disciples after they have done what He has prepared them to do—preach—and then meets them to go over their work. Perhaps He answers questions and gives them more guidance. Towns writes, “Jesus supervised His disciples by debriefing them following their ministry tours and taking them aside for further training that would improve” them (Towns 2007, 145). Quinn writes, “Any pastor who is not discipling others is abdicating a primary responsibility of his calling” (MacArthur 2005, 271).
Finally, Towns addresses the need for those who are “adequately trained as leaders” to be challenged to reproduce themselves. Without regard to his divine attributes, Christ reproduced himself in the lives of the disciples; and the Great Commission clearly points to the mandate to continue to produce disciples. Maxwell writes, “The more people you develop, the greater the extent of your dreams” (Maxwell 1995, 115). The pastor needs to understand that the more people he mentors, the greater extent his discipleship ministry will glorify God and accomplish the Great Commission. Therefore, his dream is not what drives him to go the distance, take chances, be transparent, teach others, empower subordinates, and devote his life to people; but his earnest desire is to see God glorified through his influence on others.
Mentoring and discipleship are not the same; the pastor needs to do both. He has a God- given responsibility to disciple as many converts as possible to the glory of God. Mentoring is not the same thing. Mentoring is the extra effort the spiritual leader puts into the lives of fully- devoted followers of Christ to help them become leaders of disciples of Christ. Jesus did not mentor everyone he came in contact with during his ministry. Moreover, he did not disciple everyone he met. A select group of men were identified and mentored to continue the work of the Lord. Paul understood this well and gave Timothy some mentoring guidance in 2 Tim. 2:2. MacArthur writes:
Timothy was to take the divine revelation he had learned from Paul and teach it to other faithful men—men with proven spiritual character and giftedness, who would in turn pass on those truths to another generation. From Paul to Timothy to faithful men to others encompasses four generations of godly leaders. That process of spiritual reproduction which began in the early church, is to continue until the Lord returns (MacArthur 1997, 1876).
Nothing has changed. God glorifies Himself by saving souls by the foolishness of preaching. In Romans 10:14-15, Paul asks: “How will sinners hear the gospel without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” Mentoring is what Christ did before He sent His disciples to preach, and mentoring still must happen before men are sent to preach. Now more than ever there is still a need to model every aspect of Christ’s life, including His passion to Glorify His Father through His mentoring work with the disciples as described in John 17.
References
Chappell, Paul. 2000. Guided by Grace: Servant Leadership in the Local Church. Murfreesboro, TN: Sword of the Lord Publishers.
Maxwell, John. 2002. The Maxwell Leadership Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
MacArthur, John. 2005. Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
MacArthur, John. 1997. The MacArthur Study Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Bibles.
Towns, Elmer L. 2007. Biblical Models for Leadership. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Ezra The Spiritual Leader
If leadership is at its most fundamental level influence then one can readily identify Ezra as someone who was a very significant leader in the Old Testament most especially on spiritual or Biblical matters. Ezra is not your typical leader in position or title. He is a “ready scribe in the Book of Moses” (Ezra 7:6). Yet the Bible also indicates that he led about 5000 exiles to return to Jerusalem from Babylon after the captivity (Easton 1996, n.p.). Although God did not choose to preserve the details of the journey to Jerusalem one can readily imagine the administrative leadership necessary for such a journey. Yet the narrative ignores this aspect of Ezra and the Holy Spirit has preserved a record of Ezra as a leader of a revival in Jerusalem. The spiritual leader has as his primary objective the desire to influence people toward experiencing God. Ezra provides a model of a spiritual leader whose life can be studied for example and principle for application in the twenty-first century. With the revelation of Jesus in the New Testament and the religious pluralism of this century perhaps a spiritual leader should be further defined as a leader who desires to lead his people into a full and complete relationship with the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Towns suggests that spiritual leaders work in the business world as corporate chaplains, in colleges and universities as chancellors and deans, on the road as revivalists and in the local congregations as the senior pastor (Towns 2007, 111-112). At this point, it is important to distinguish between leaders who must be spiritual or have a spiritual component to their life and those who have as their primary focus spiritual matters. Throughout chapter sixteen, Towns seems to blur between emphasizing the necessity of all leaders walking with God and those who are, in fact, spiritual leaders. Perhaps, Paul makes more of a distinction in 1st Timothy 5.17 between “elders who rule well” and those who “labor in preaching and teaching.” Elders who labor in preaching and teaching are spiritual leaders. All Christian leaders need to be spiritual leaders to a great degree, but the Christian leader whose primary function is to labor in preaching and teaching is not the same as the Christian leader who owns and manages his own construction company (or similar entity) with regard to spiritual leadership. The world’s growing anti-absolute truth culture makes it distinctively harder to be a spiritual leader in the corporate world including the Department of Defense and other governmental organization, whose regulatory restrictions interfere with a message of “repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21).
One of the clear distinctions between the spiritual leader and the leader who is Christian or practices his faith as a leader is the need for divine blessing upon the spiritual leader’s work. Obviously, both leaders would prefer God’s blessing, but the teaching pastor cannot truly accomplish his purpose without God. This is because of the nature of the work of a spiritual leader. According to Dr. David Reid, in the article “Spiritual Leadership,”
The reason for this is that there is an added dimension to spiritual leadership; it requires more than dedicated natural abilities. Spiritual leadership, simply defined, is God-given spiritual ability and responsibility to lead God's people. This all-important dimension is a "must" for effective leadership in any Christian service (Reid, 1984, n.p.).
A spiritual leader needs those who he is working with to be converted and actively pursuing sanctification—both of which are impossibilities without the hand of God working (John 1.12-13; Titus 2:11-12). The spiritual leader is completely dependent upon God’s grace.
Clearly an absolute critical distinction of a spiritual leader modeled by Ezra is the leader’s skill in the Word of God. It is impossible to overstate this point. Two leaders can build a large church but the leader who labors in the Word of God is building the work of God. The spiritual leader’s job is to communicate truth from the Bible to people in a way that challenges them to experience God and all He has for their lives. This is precisely why spiritual leaders must be on guard with their application of secular leadership principles, theories and philosophies. The reader of Nehemiah is introduced to Ezra in the midst of a spiritual crisis in chapter 8. Ezra is described as a scribe and he bring the Law of Moses before the people. The spiritual leader preaches and teaches from the Bible. He is not a story teller and he does not entertain his people with clever illustrations and cute ideas. Like Ezra, he is on the platform to present the Word of God. Nehemiah 8:8 truly captures the heart of the spiritual leader’s mission. Spiritual leaders read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and they give the sense and cause their people to understand what they are reading. This is the difference. The spiritual leader has one standard, the Bible, for his guidebook, under the influence and direction of God the Holy Spirit.
John MacArthur addresses this problem in The Book on Leadership; he addresses the issue of twentieth century leadership books which show how “entrepreneurial and administrative techniques used at Google.com or Starbucks” are modeled for the spiritual leader (MacArthur 2004, vii). He continues, “The authors of the book occasionally try to insert a biblical proof-text or two to buttress some of the principles they teach, but for the most part, they uncritically accept whatever seems to produce ‘success’ as a good model for the church leaders to imitate” (Ibid.). God’s spiritual leaders must reject the application of this in their ministries. The message of Luke 13:3 and 5 is still valid for the country and culture the spiritual leader is serving; he leads people to “repent.” He is God’s servant leader who has a passion to address the soul of man. This revivalist or teaching pastor has embraced Christ warning that a man has gained nothing if he gains the world but loses his own soul (Mt. 16.26).
Towns’ use of Henry Blackaby’s principals for experiencing God are designed for every follower of God to experience God. Thus Towns is communicating not principles which guide the spiritual leader in doing his work, but moving him to a point to become a spiritual leader. These principles are principles the spiritual leader hopes his people, for whom he is trying to influence toward God, experience. He wants people to realize God is always at work around them and God desires to have a loving relationship with them in real and personal sense (Towns 2007, 117). Towns does not put sufficient emphasis on exactly what Ezra does with the people. Ezra stands in the gap and calls people to repentance. This is what makes him a spiritual leader.
He is an expert in the law of God. He and his staff have the mission in Nehemiah 8 of giving the people the sense of the law and causing them to understand what they are hearing. In Nehemiah, the law had been ignored and the people were ignorant of God’s word. So Ezra is called in to take over for Nehemiah and lead a national revival of sorts. In Nehemiah 9, the people are confessing sin, repenting, and in verse 38 they make a covenant with God to obey his law. This is what must be modeled and learned from Ezra as an example of a spiritual leader worth emulating.
Ezra 7:10 provides a theme verse for the spiritual leader. The spiritual leader must prepare his heart to seek the Word of God, “and do it, and to teach it” to his people. John MacArthur has some strong advice for the spiritual leader in his work Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically; he strongly stresses that the spiritual leader “must model every aspect of spiritual leadership” for his people (MacArthur 2005, 310). Ezra strove to know the Word of God and “do it” (emphasis is mine). In the same work, George Zemek writes, “An often neglected part of leading a local church is the element of providing an exemplary life-style for the flock to follow” (Ibid., 214). It appears the Nike advertising slogan of “Just Do It!” applies to spiritual leaders more than anyone. Ezra’s righteous personal lifestyle was critical to his ability to call the people toward establishing a right covenantal relationship with God. In Developing the Leader within You, Maxwell says the “most important ingredient of leadership is integrity” and certainly there is not a single type of leader for whom this is more important than the spiritual leader (Maxwell 1993, 35). Furthermore, he writes, “when I have integrity, my words and my deeds match up” (Ibid.). For the spiritual leader his words and his deeds must match up or he is labeled a hypocrite and unlike any other type of leader he is ineffective. Thus, Paul tells Timothy that spiritual leaders must be above reproach or found to be “blameless” (1 Timothy 3.2).
The book of James contains a strong warning for any man who desires to be a spiritual leader. In spite of the fact that Paul calls this office of spiritual leader “a good work,” James instructs that those who teach “will be judged with a greater strictness” (1 Tim. 3:1; James 3:2). Men like Ezra who knew God and knew His Word are called to live to a higher standard in order to influence others toward God. The apostles were remarkable spiritual leaders whose influence is described as those who “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). As a model for all spiritual leaders, Luke provides a remarkable summary of the message of the spiritual leader in Acts 20:21. He summarizes their message as one of “repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” Even greater than Ezra and second only to the Lord, Himself, is the Apostle Paul who was a great spiritual leader. His example for all spiritual leaders is remarkable. The heart of the spiritual leader is to “see Christ formed” in those he is serves. Like Ezra, Paul has a remarkable commitment toward those who he is called to shepherd. To those at the church of Galatia he writes that he “is again in the anguish of childbirth” because Christ is not being formed in them (Gal. 4:19). The goal of the spiritual leader is to see Christ formed in those who he leads. The pastor must be both the spiritual leader that Ezra and Paul model and the servant leader that Christ most perfectly modeled for all.
References
Easton, M. 1996. Easton's Bible Dictionary. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
MacArthur, John. 2005. Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
MacArthur, John. 2004. The Book of Leadership. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Maxwell, John C. 1993. Developing the Leader within You. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Reid, David. 1984. Growing Christian Ministries. Spiritual Leadership. http://www.growingchristians.org/dfgc/leader.htm [accessed June 2, 2009].
Towns, Elmer L. 2007. Biblical Models for Leadership. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Towns suggests that spiritual leaders work in the business world as corporate chaplains, in colleges and universities as chancellors and deans, on the road as revivalists and in the local congregations as the senior pastor (Towns 2007, 111-112). At this point, it is important to distinguish between leaders who must be spiritual or have a spiritual component to their life and those who have as their primary focus spiritual matters. Throughout chapter sixteen, Towns seems to blur between emphasizing the necessity of all leaders walking with God and those who are, in fact, spiritual leaders. Perhaps, Paul makes more of a distinction in 1st Timothy 5.17 between “elders who rule well” and those who “labor in preaching and teaching.” Elders who labor in preaching and teaching are spiritual leaders. All Christian leaders need to be spiritual leaders to a great degree, but the Christian leader whose primary function is to labor in preaching and teaching is not the same as the Christian leader who owns and manages his own construction company (or similar entity) with regard to spiritual leadership. The world’s growing anti-absolute truth culture makes it distinctively harder to be a spiritual leader in the corporate world including the Department of Defense and other governmental organization, whose regulatory restrictions interfere with a message of “repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21).
One of the clear distinctions between the spiritual leader and the leader who is Christian or practices his faith as a leader is the need for divine blessing upon the spiritual leader’s work. Obviously, both leaders would prefer God’s blessing, but the teaching pastor cannot truly accomplish his purpose without God. This is because of the nature of the work of a spiritual leader. According to Dr. David Reid, in the article “Spiritual Leadership,”
The reason for this is that there is an added dimension to spiritual leadership; it requires more than dedicated natural abilities. Spiritual leadership, simply defined, is God-given spiritual ability and responsibility to lead God's people. This all-important dimension is a "must" for effective leadership in any Christian service (Reid, 1984, n.p.).
A spiritual leader needs those who he is working with to be converted and actively pursuing sanctification—both of which are impossibilities without the hand of God working (John 1.12-13; Titus 2:11-12). The spiritual leader is completely dependent upon God’s grace.
Clearly an absolute critical distinction of a spiritual leader modeled by Ezra is the leader’s skill in the Word of God. It is impossible to overstate this point. Two leaders can build a large church but the leader who labors in the Word of God is building the work of God. The spiritual leader’s job is to communicate truth from the Bible to people in a way that challenges them to experience God and all He has for their lives. This is precisely why spiritual leaders must be on guard with their application of secular leadership principles, theories and philosophies. The reader of Nehemiah is introduced to Ezra in the midst of a spiritual crisis in chapter 8. Ezra is described as a scribe and he bring the Law of Moses before the people. The spiritual leader preaches and teaches from the Bible. He is not a story teller and he does not entertain his people with clever illustrations and cute ideas. Like Ezra, he is on the platform to present the Word of God. Nehemiah 8:8 truly captures the heart of the spiritual leader’s mission. Spiritual leaders read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and they give the sense and cause their people to understand what they are reading. This is the difference. The spiritual leader has one standard, the Bible, for his guidebook, under the influence and direction of God the Holy Spirit.
John MacArthur addresses this problem in The Book on Leadership; he addresses the issue of twentieth century leadership books which show how “entrepreneurial and administrative techniques used at Google.com or Starbucks” are modeled for the spiritual leader (MacArthur 2004, vii). He continues, “The authors of the book occasionally try to insert a biblical proof-text or two to buttress some of the principles they teach, but for the most part, they uncritically accept whatever seems to produce ‘success’ as a good model for the church leaders to imitate” (Ibid.). God’s spiritual leaders must reject the application of this in their ministries. The message of Luke 13:3 and 5 is still valid for the country and culture the spiritual leader is serving; he leads people to “repent.” He is God’s servant leader who has a passion to address the soul of man. This revivalist or teaching pastor has embraced Christ warning that a man has gained nothing if he gains the world but loses his own soul (Mt. 16.26).
Towns’ use of Henry Blackaby’s principals for experiencing God are designed for every follower of God to experience God. Thus Towns is communicating not principles which guide the spiritual leader in doing his work, but moving him to a point to become a spiritual leader. These principles are principles the spiritual leader hopes his people, for whom he is trying to influence toward God, experience. He wants people to realize God is always at work around them and God desires to have a loving relationship with them in real and personal sense (Towns 2007, 117). Towns does not put sufficient emphasis on exactly what Ezra does with the people. Ezra stands in the gap and calls people to repentance. This is what makes him a spiritual leader.
He is an expert in the law of God. He and his staff have the mission in Nehemiah 8 of giving the people the sense of the law and causing them to understand what they are hearing. In Nehemiah, the law had been ignored and the people were ignorant of God’s word. So Ezra is called in to take over for Nehemiah and lead a national revival of sorts. In Nehemiah 9, the people are confessing sin, repenting, and in verse 38 they make a covenant with God to obey his law. This is what must be modeled and learned from Ezra as an example of a spiritual leader worth emulating.
Ezra 7:10 provides a theme verse for the spiritual leader. The spiritual leader must prepare his heart to seek the Word of God, “and do it, and to teach it” to his people. John MacArthur has some strong advice for the spiritual leader in his work Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically; he strongly stresses that the spiritual leader “must model every aspect of spiritual leadership” for his people (MacArthur 2005, 310). Ezra strove to know the Word of God and “do it” (emphasis is mine). In the same work, George Zemek writes, “An often neglected part of leading a local church is the element of providing an exemplary life-style for the flock to follow” (Ibid., 214). It appears the Nike advertising slogan of “Just Do It!” applies to spiritual leaders more than anyone. Ezra’s righteous personal lifestyle was critical to his ability to call the people toward establishing a right covenantal relationship with God. In Developing the Leader within You, Maxwell says the “most important ingredient of leadership is integrity” and certainly there is not a single type of leader for whom this is more important than the spiritual leader (Maxwell 1993, 35). Furthermore, he writes, “when I have integrity, my words and my deeds match up” (Ibid.). For the spiritual leader his words and his deeds must match up or he is labeled a hypocrite and unlike any other type of leader he is ineffective. Thus, Paul tells Timothy that spiritual leaders must be above reproach or found to be “blameless” (1 Timothy 3.2).
The book of James contains a strong warning for any man who desires to be a spiritual leader. In spite of the fact that Paul calls this office of spiritual leader “a good work,” James instructs that those who teach “will be judged with a greater strictness” (1 Tim. 3:1; James 3:2). Men like Ezra who knew God and knew His Word are called to live to a higher standard in order to influence others toward God. The apostles were remarkable spiritual leaders whose influence is described as those who “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). As a model for all spiritual leaders, Luke provides a remarkable summary of the message of the spiritual leader in Acts 20:21. He summarizes their message as one of “repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” Even greater than Ezra and second only to the Lord, Himself, is the Apostle Paul who was a great spiritual leader. His example for all spiritual leaders is remarkable. The heart of the spiritual leader is to “see Christ formed” in those he is serves. Like Ezra, Paul has a remarkable commitment toward those who he is called to shepherd. To those at the church of Galatia he writes that he “is again in the anguish of childbirth” because Christ is not being formed in them (Gal. 4:19). The goal of the spiritual leader is to see Christ formed in those who he leads. The pastor must be both the spiritual leader that Ezra and Paul model and the servant leader that Christ most perfectly modeled for all.
References
Easton, M. 1996. Easton's Bible Dictionary. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
MacArthur, John. 2005. Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
MacArthur, John. 2004. The Book of Leadership. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Maxwell, John C. 1993. Developing the Leader within You. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Reid, David. 1984. Growing Christian Ministries. Spiritual Leadership. http://www.growingchristians.org/dfgc/leader.htm [accessed June 2, 2009].
Towns, Elmer L. 2007. Biblical Models for Leadership. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Servant-Leadership Modeled by the King of Kings
The absolute, unequivocal, best example of servant-leadership in the Bible is modeled by the Lord Jesus Himself—“the greatest Servant of all time” (Maxwell 2002, 1299). The number of authors who use Jesus as the perfect model of such leadership is simply overwhelming. Defining servant-leadership is relatively simple. Based on the idea that leadership is influence, servant leaders use their influence to serve people. Servant leaders understand that the position of influence they have been granted, ultimately by God, is not for their own exaltation. The Robert Greenleaf organization takes credit for coining what is often described as servant-leadership at www.greenleaf.org. Dr. Elmer Towns presents Jesus as the explicit example of servant leadership in Biblical Models for Leadership. Leaders who desire to do it God’s way would be exceptionally well-served to study how Christ led others as the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4).
Towns begins with a heavy concentration on the idea that servant leaders identify the needs of others and minister to those needs (Towns 2007, 137). This certainly is a component of what Christ did, but the Son’s primary focus was not on meeting the needs of the people exclusively. Towns writes, “servant leaders are the pastors who define their life as an opportunity to meet the need of others” (Ibid.). There is an element of truth to this statement, but Christ did not “define his life” by His function of meeting the needs of others. In Luke 2, Jesus defined His life as being about His Father’s business. Meeting the needs of others without an overarching goal of doing the will of the Father could easily become pragmatic to the point of compromise. The servant leader must serve his people by doing what he knows is best even when the people do not perceive his actions as in their best interest. Jesus did this with the disciples. In John 14, they believed their need was to overthrow the Roman government and lead a revolt. However, Jesus came to, first and foremost, do the will of the Father; therefore, He served the people as their leader through His death—something His followers did not perceive would fulfill a need in their life (Lk. 22.42) until after His resurrection. Jesus said it was “expedient” that He die in John 16.7 (KJV).
Towns writes, “Jesus modeled servant leadership through a shepherding ministry” (Towns 2007, 139). Perhaps Jesus modeled servant leadership even before he began his adult ministry when he took on the form of a servant as a human being (Phil 2:7). For the servant leader there is not anything that he is too good to do. He is willing to get his hands dirty and lead by example. People are not his servants, but are helpers who can extend and enhance his influence to the betterment of others to accomplish God’s will. Jesus modeled this well when as the leader H e was willing to wash the feet of the disciples who were not willing to wash each other’s feet. The servant leader may have someone drive for him, but this is not for the prestige of having a driver, or because the servant leader cannot drive; but because the best use of the leader’s time is not driving. Jesus models this well when He sends the disciples to get lunch while He encounters the woman at the well with the gospel in John 4. Jesus asks the woman to get Him a drink, but this is not because He is too good to get His own water. Instead, He uses this as a means of engaging the woman in a conversation to get to a need she does not even realize she has. Although He could have gotten His own lunch in this case, the best use of this leader’s time was communicating with a woman in Samaria.
Yet when there is not a servant available and a disciple does not step up to the need, Jesus the servant steps up to the need and washes the feet of his students prior to the Passover meal in John 13. In The Leadership Wisdom of Jesus, Charles C. Manz calls this the most “concrete example of servant leadership” in the Bible (Manz 2005, 123). This is a very instructional period of time in the life of the disciplesas the future shepherd leaders are told by the King, “the servant is not greater than his Lord” and “I have given you an example” (John 13:16, 15). What leader is there today who desires to glorify God with his life and leadership style who cannot be instructed by this passage? Servant leaders shepherd people by modeling the behavior and mindset they wish for their people to have in their organization. The goal of having a larger flock is not the rewards that come with a larger herd but the privilege of influencing more people toward the Father’s will.
Towns needs to clarify a shepherding principle when he states that shepherd leaders “make decisions on the needs of the those you lead, rather than the goals or the organization and/or your personal ambitions” (Towns 2007, 141). Certainly he is correct; personal ambition must not play a role in the way a servant leader shepherds people. However, if the goal of the church is to glorify God in the proclamation of Christ, then those biblical core objectives must be what guide the decision-making- not the needs of the people. Instead of saying the servant leader is “others oriented” in his leadership, it may be more descriptive to say the servant leader emulates Christ first in his leadership style. The shepherd pastor must seek to have a God-glorifying, Christ-exalting, biblically-based, and gospel-centered leadership style.
This will require that the shepherd emulate Christ’s actions and attitudes. At times, Christ is gentle, compassionate, loving and willing to extend mercy (2 Cor. 10:1). However, it would not be fair to characterize Christ’s entire ministry by this one approach. At others times, He is a hard man who is defending the honor of His Father with a whip when His Father’s house was turned into a den of thieves (Mk. 11:17 ). Or He is rebuking hypocrites or telling people that if they do not repent they will perish (Lk. 13:3). He is gentle when gentle is appropriate, but He is capable of a stronger discourse when that is most expedient for the listener. In fact in Pastoral Ministry How to Shepherd Biblically, the author suggests that compassion that lacks “biblical control and left unbridled may overlook serious spiritual needs” (MacArthur 2005, 177). At His baptism, Jesus called the Pharisees and the Sadducees “vipers” (Mt. 3). This is not very “gentle,” but Jesus knew what words had the greatest possibility of awakening these men to their true need of repentance. Jesus was not concerned with an earthly title or position for Himself—He trusted(s) in the Father to exalt Him as the Father sees fit. This servant leader did not have a place to lay His head and He refused to allow the pursuit of earthly things to interfere with doing the will of His Father. Beyond comprehension, He is a remarkable role model of a leader.
Jesus was able to influence followers without pay, promotions or immediate rewards. His attitude of true and genuine love and concern for the disciples is modeled in John 17. In this high priestly prayer, the reader sees what it means to assume responsibility for the souls of men as their shepherd in the manner with which Christ reports to the Father about what He has been able to accomplish in the lives of others. This may be where Peter learned this idea and later penned 1 Peter 5 which gives tremendous guidance on the principles of shepherding. The shepherd serves by influencing others in these ways: he feeds, protects, oversees and provides an exemplary life for the flock in the same way His Savior did (MacArthur 2005, 15). The shepherd understands that the purpose in building relationships and caring for the flock is to increase the extension and ministry of the Great Shepherd as an under-shepherd.
The very word minister reminds the pastor who is a shepherd and must model Christ in all he does that he is servant. When one includes the idea that the pastor has a responsibility to influence people toward the recognition of their greatest need—a right relationship with God—then the minister or pastor must be the servant leader Christ was for the world. In Servant Leadership for the Local Church, Paul Chappell writes, “Good spiritual leaders are shepherds, not saviors; leaders, not lords; guides, not gods” (Chappell 2000, 15). The servant is humble, seeking to exalt the King instead of Himself. He recognizes the church is not His; it was not created for Him. He serves the King first by serving others the way the King would.
References
Chappell, Paul. 2000. Guided by Grace: Servant Leadership in the Local Church. Murfreesboro, TN: Sword of the Lord Publishers.
Maxwell, John. 2002. The Maxwell Leadership Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
MacArthur, John. 2005. Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Manz, Charles C. 2005. The Leadership Wisdom of Jesus. San Francisco: Berret-Koehler Publishers.
Towns, Elmer L. 2007. Biblical Models for Leadership. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Towns begins with a heavy concentration on the idea that servant leaders identify the needs of others and minister to those needs (Towns 2007, 137). This certainly is a component of what Christ did, but the Son’s primary focus was not on meeting the needs of the people exclusively. Towns writes, “servant leaders are the pastors who define their life as an opportunity to meet the need of others” (Ibid.). There is an element of truth to this statement, but Christ did not “define his life” by His function of meeting the needs of others. In Luke 2, Jesus defined His life as being about His Father’s business. Meeting the needs of others without an overarching goal of doing the will of the Father could easily become pragmatic to the point of compromise. The servant leader must serve his people by doing what he knows is best even when the people do not perceive his actions as in their best interest. Jesus did this with the disciples. In John 14, they believed their need was to overthrow the Roman government and lead a revolt. However, Jesus came to, first and foremost, do the will of the Father; therefore, He served the people as their leader through His death—something His followers did not perceive would fulfill a need in their life (Lk. 22.42) until after His resurrection. Jesus said it was “expedient” that He die in John 16.7 (KJV).
Towns writes, “Jesus modeled servant leadership through a shepherding ministry” (Towns 2007, 139). Perhaps Jesus modeled servant leadership even before he began his adult ministry when he took on the form of a servant as a human being (Phil 2:7). For the servant leader there is not anything that he is too good to do. He is willing to get his hands dirty and lead by example. People are not his servants, but are helpers who can extend and enhance his influence to the betterment of others to accomplish God’s will. Jesus modeled this well when as the leader H e was willing to wash the feet of the disciples who were not willing to wash each other’s feet. The servant leader may have someone drive for him, but this is not for the prestige of having a driver, or because the servant leader cannot drive; but because the best use of the leader’s time is not driving. Jesus models this well when He sends the disciples to get lunch while He encounters the woman at the well with the gospel in John 4. Jesus asks the woman to get Him a drink, but this is not because He is too good to get His own water. Instead, He uses this as a means of engaging the woman in a conversation to get to a need she does not even realize she has. Although He could have gotten His own lunch in this case, the best use of this leader’s time was communicating with a woman in Samaria.
Yet when there is not a servant available and a disciple does not step up to the need, Jesus the servant steps up to the need and washes the feet of his students prior to the Passover meal in John 13. In The Leadership Wisdom of Jesus, Charles C. Manz calls this the most “concrete example of servant leadership” in the Bible (Manz 2005, 123). This is a very instructional period of time in the life of the disciplesas the future shepherd leaders are told by the King, “the servant is not greater than his Lord” and “I have given you an example” (John 13:16, 15). What leader is there today who desires to glorify God with his life and leadership style who cannot be instructed by this passage? Servant leaders shepherd people by modeling the behavior and mindset they wish for their people to have in their organization. The goal of having a larger flock is not the rewards that come with a larger herd but the privilege of influencing more people toward the Father’s will.
Towns needs to clarify a shepherding principle when he states that shepherd leaders “make decisions on the needs of the those you lead, rather than the goals or the organization and/or your personal ambitions” (Towns 2007, 141). Certainly he is correct; personal ambition must not play a role in the way a servant leader shepherds people. However, if the goal of the church is to glorify God in the proclamation of Christ, then those biblical core objectives must be what guide the decision-making- not the needs of the people. Instead of saying the servant leader is “others oriented” in his leadership, it may be more descriptive to say the servant leader emulates Christ first in his leadership style. The shepherd pastor must seek to have a God-glorifying, Christ-exalting, biblically-based, and gospel-centered leadership style.
This will require that the shepherd emulate Christ’s actions and attitudes. At times, Christ is gentle, compassionate, loving and willing to extend mercy (2 Cor. 10:1). However, it would not be fair to characterize Christ’s entire ministry by this one approach. At others times, He is a hard man who is defending the honor of His Father with a whip when His Father’s house was turned into a den of thieves (Mk. 11:17 ). Or He is rebuking hypocrites or telling people that if they do not repent they will perish (Lk. 13:3). He is gentle when gentle is appropriate, but He is capable of a stronger discourse when that is most expedient for the listener. In fact in Pastoral Ministry How to Shepherd Biblically, the author suggests that compassion that lacks “biblical control and left unbridled may overlook serious spiritual needs” (MacArthur 2005, 177). At His baptism, Jesus called the Pharisees and the Sadducees “vipers” (Mt. 3). This is not very “gentle,” but Jesus knew what words had the greatest possibility of awakening these men to their true need of repentance. Jesus was not concerned with an earthly title or position for Himself—He trusted(s) in the Father to exalt Him as the Father sees fit. This servant leader did not have a place to lay His head and He refused to allow the pursuit of earthly things to interfere with doing the will of His Father. Beyond comprehension, He is a remarkable role model of a leader.
Jesus was able to influence followers without pay, promotions or immediate rewards. His attitude of true and genuine love and concern for the disciples is modeled in John 17. In this high priestly prayer, the reader sees what it means to assume responsibility for the souls of men as their shepherd in the manner with which Christ reports to the Father about what He has been able to accomplish in the lives of others. This may be where Peter learned this idea and later penned 1 Peter 5 which gives tremendous guidance on the principles of shepherding. The shepherd serves by influencing others in these ways: he feeds, protects, oversees and provides an exemplary life for the flock in the same way His Savior did (MacArthur 2005, 15). The shepherd understands that the purpose in building relationships and caring for the flock is to increase the extension and ministry of the Great Shepherd as an under-shepherd.
The very word minister reminds the pastor who is a shepherd and must model Christ in all he does that he is servant. When one includes the idea that the pastor has a responsibility to influence people toward the recognition of their greatest need—a right relationship with God—then the minister or pastor must be the servant leader Christ was for the world. In Servant Leadership for the Local Church, Paul Chappell writes, “Good spiritual leaders are shepherds, not saviors; leaders, not lords; guides, not gods” (Chappell 2000, 15). The servant is humble, seeking to exalt the King instead of Himself. He recognizes the church is not His; it was not created for Him. He serves the King first by serving others the way the King would.
References
Chappell, Paul. 2000. Guided by Grace: Servant Leadership in the Local Church. Murfreesboro, TN: Sword of the Lord Publishers.
Maxwell, John. 2002. The Maxwell Leadership Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
MacArthur, John. 2005. Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Manz, Charles C. 2005. The Leadership Wisdom of Jesus. San Francisco: Berret-Koehler Publishers.
Towns, Elmer L. 2007. Biblical Models for Leadership. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
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