"Looking For Leaders Pt. 1” Series

What does GOD look for when He chooses a leader?

Does He used the same criteria that man often uses?

• Is it charisma? Can he hold & influence an audience?

• Is it style? Does he “LOOK LIKE” a leader?

• Is it his voice? Does he “SOUND LIKE” a leader?

• Is it humor? Can he keep them entertained?

YOU MEAN some spiritual leaders are chosen because of their charisma, because of their style, because of their humor?

• Well yes… Leaders are chosen by these all the time… by man.

• They’re NOT the criteria God uses in choosing a spiritual leader.

NOTE: As we survey the BIBLE studying the many men God used, we see that God has a very different way of sizing up a leader.

1 Cor. 1.26-27 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

NOTE: The way we see the church going today, it would seem as if the churches of today would reject many of the men that God used mightily in his service.

LIKE THE FICTITIOUS “BIG COMMUNITY CHURCH”

• They had formed a prestigious pastoral search committee in hopes of finding just the right man to fill their pulpit.

• Prolonging the process for years, they finally decided to interview some of the Bible’s heroes.

• The following letter was sent outlining their conclusions on 9 of the Bible’s strongest men of faith they interviewed & rejected:

Dear Fellow Church Members:

The committee regrets to report that the candidates in question have failed to meet our qualifications:

#1 NOAH: Though he’s preached 120 years, that’s a lot of experience, but no converts. He has a serious credibility gap with his audience.

#2 ABRAM or ABRAHAM: We find it odd that he has two names. Is he using an alias? And if so, how come? Also, we must question whether he’s the head of his own household as his wife laughs as he speaks with God.

#3 MOSES: We were impressed with Moses except for two severe problems: (1) He’s been known to lose his temper once in a while and furthermore while he seems to have the perseverance necessary for preaching, his stuttering and stammering would require intense speech therapy & would scare away visitors.

#4 DAVID: He seems talented in writing poetry and music but we don’t know if he can preach. Worse yet he’s had a few moral lapses. We couldn’t have him as our pastor but perhaps later he could be considered for a position as our minister of music.

#5 ISAIAH: Now there’s a person who’s well thought of but he seems to be a serious PR problem. Imagine a preacher who upon meeting God, instead of addressing Him politely he says ‘woe is me’. If Isaiah greeted the people in the church that way, no one would ever feel welcome.

#6 JEREMIAH: Now we need an upbeat preacher for our church. One that makes people feel happy. We feel unanimously that Jeremiah would be too depressing in any church position. Besides, with all of his years teaching, he had not one person listen and convert. Not a good track record.

#7 JOHN THE BAPTIST: Now certainly he’s a good preacher and gets good results but he dresses ODD and eats funny. Worse than that, he lacks pulpit decorum. What if he brought a honey dipped insect casserole to one of our potlucks?

#8 PETER: Peter seems to show leadership potential but the last thing we need is a preacher who carries a sword everywhere, takes off and goes fishing at the drop of a hat, and smells like fish most of the time. With his history of sleeping, all we need is for the people to be awake and the preacher to sleep!

#9 PAUL: We’ve considered Paul. He’s a great teacher. He’s very moving, that is… he’s always moving here and moving there! How could he keep his mind on our ministry when he always wants to be somewhere else.

And so we respectfully reject these men seeking God’s sovereign and divine will for a worthy replacement for our time-honored pulpit!

AND… so man seems to have a different agenda, a different goal when it comes to choosing the spiritual leader.

APP: I’m convinced that whether you’re looking for a pastor to fill the pulpit or just a leader to lead in the church…

• I think we make a mistake choosing those with CHARISMA but lack the depth of Christ-like character.

• Too many have been chosen for their STYLE even when they had no spiritual substance in their lives.