Leaders Leading The Way

WHEN IT COMES TO SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP WITHIN THE CHURCH IT CAN BE SAID WITH ASSURANCE THAT MORE FAILURE COMES FROM AN EXCESS OF CAUTION THAN FROM THE BOLD EXPERIMENTS WITH NEW IDEAS.

WE NEED BOLD AND DARING LEADERS TO HELP GUIDE CHRIST’S CHURCH UNASHAMEDLY INTO THE UNCHARTED AREAS OF GOD’S KINGDOM. THE LAST THING WE NEED ARE THOSE WHO WOULD RATHER ERR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION.

OUR FREE METHODIST "BOOK OF DISCIPLINE" STATES IN PARAGRAPH A/352.2, "THE CHURCH EARNESTLY ENGAGES IN EVANGELIZATION AND DISCIPLE-MAKING. WE ARE NOT CASUAL ABOUT POINTING OUT THE WAY OF LIFE AND HOLINESS. WE ARE CONCERNED FOR THE SPIRITUAL GROWTH OF ALL THOSE IN OUR CHARGE, WHETHER PRE-CHRISTIANS, NEW CHRISTIANS OR LONG-TIME CHRISTIANS."

THIS WAS THE POINT THAT JETHRO WAS TRYING TO GET ACROSS TO MOSES. MOSES WAS TRYING TO LEAD AND TEACH AN ENTIRE NATION, WITH MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, ALL BY HIMSELF. ALL THAT RESULTED FROM THIS MONOPOLY OF LEADERSHIP WAS MOSES’ EXHAUSTION AND THE PEOPLES’ GROWING WEARINESS FROM WAITING SO LONG FOR HELP.

JETHRO, WHO JUST SO HAPPENED TO BE MOSES’ FATHER-IN-LAW, GAVE WISE COUNSEL BY URGING MOSES TO START DELEGATING SOME OF HIS RESPONSIBILITIES.

JETHRO SUGGESTS THAT MOSES SPECIFICALLY CHOOSE ONLY THOSE PEOPLE WHO FEARED GOD AND WERE OF UPSTANDING CHARACTER, MORAL INTEGRITY, TRUSTWORTHY AND HATERS OF ALL FORMS OF DISHONEST GAIN.

ONCE THE LEADERSHIP WAS SELECTED, GIVEN THEIR DUTIES AND THEN SET WITHIN THEIR SPECIFIC JURISDICTION, THEY WOULD CONTINUE TO WORK WITH MOSES ON SEVERAL KEY ISSUES OF LEADERSHIP. THOSE AREAS OF FOCUS FOR LEADERSHIP WERE THE: DECREES; LAWS; WAY TO LIVE; AND THEIR DUTIES.

THE FIRST AREA OF LEADERSHIP WAS TEACHING THE DECREES. THE HEBREW WORD FOR "DECREE" IS REFERRING TO "SPECIFIC ENACTMENTS" SUCH AS DOCTRINE AND THE BIBLE.

AS SPIRITUAL LEADERS OF THE CHURCH WE MUST TEACH OTHERS THE PROPER UNDERSTANDING OF OUR CORE BELIEFS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH. WE MUST BE TEACHING THE TRUTH ABOUT GOD, THE SCRIPTURES, HUMANITY, SALVATION, THE CHURCH, AND THE END TIMES.

THESE BASIC TENANTS OF OUR FAITH MUST BE ARRESTED AND KEPT DEEP WITHIN OUR HEART AND SOUL. WE SHOULD KNOW THEM SO WELL THAT THERE WILL BE ABSOLUTELY NO CONFUSION AS TO THEIR MEANING NOR WILL WE BE EASILY SWAYED OR MISGUIDED BY CHALLENGING BELIEFS.

IF LEADERS ARE TO BE LEADING THE WAY, THEN THEY MUST LEAD THE WAY WITH TEACHING SOUND DOCTRINE. THE FIRST AREA OF LEADERSHIP IS TEACHING THE DECREES.

THE SECOND AREA OF LEADERSHIP IS TEACHING THE LAWS. THE HEBREW WORD FOR "LAW" IS REFERRING TO "GENERAL ENACTMENTS" SUCH AS CIVIL AND SOCIAL LAWS AS WELL AS DENOMINATIONAL LAWS.

THIS IS REFERRING TO THOSE LAWS ESTABLISHED BY ALL GOVERNMENTS WHETHER IT BE CHURCH, COUNTRY, STATE, COUNTY, CITY OR TOWN. REGARDLESS AT WHAT "LEVEL" THE LAW IS ESTABLISHED, LEADERS TEACH THAT THEY MUST ALL BE OBEYED.

AS SPIRITUAL LEADERS OF THE CHURCH, THAT MEANS WE TEACH THE CHURCH TO COME UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF OUR DENOMINATIONAL BELIEFS, STANDARDS, AND PRACTICES.

A CHURCH SHOULD NEVER BE CONDUCTING HER BUSINESS OR HER MINISTRY HOWEVER SHE FEELS LIKE IT. WHETHER A "BIG" OR A "LITTLE" CHURCH, LEADERSHIP TEACHES THAT EVERYTHING IS TO BE DONE RIGHT, TO THE STANDARD, AND AS EXPECTED OF US AS A DENOMINATIONAL RELATED CHURCH. PERIOD. THE SECOND AREA OF LEADERSHIP IS TEACHING THE LAW.

THE THIRD AREA OF LEADERSHIP IS TEACHING THE WAY TO LIVE. THE HEBREW WORD FOR "WAY TO LIVE" IS REFERRING TO "LIFE STYLES" AND "PATH OF DUTY" SUCH AS RULES OF CONDUCT.

EVEN THE SIMPLE "GOLDEN RULE" TO DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU" WOULD APPLY HERE. LEADERS LEAD BY TEACHING OTHERS TO LIVE RIGHT. THIS MEANS THE CHURCH HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF TEACHING YOU HOW YOU ARE TO LIVE.

SOME MAY DISAGREE THAT THE CHURCH HAS NO RIGHT TO BE THE "MORAL POLICE" OR HAVE ANY JURISDICTION ON HOW THEY LIVE THEIR LIFE IN "PRIVACY."

BUT THE CHURCH DOES! IF WE MUST ADDRESS HOT TOPICS SUCH AS ABORTION, HOMOSEXUALITY, OR FINANCES THEN WE WILL. IF WE NEED TO LECTURE ON THE DANGERS OF EVERYTHING FROM SMOKING AND DRINKING TO WATCHING SOAP OPERAS, WE WILL LECTURE. IF WE MUST SUMMON WAYWARD MEMBERS WHO DO NOT ATTEND CHURCH AS THEY SHOULD OR LEADERS WHO CONSISTENTLY NEGLECT THEIR DUTIES, THEN WE’LL SUMMON.

AS WE HAVE HEARD IT TIME AND TIME AGAIN, OUR WALK TALKS LOUDER THAN OUR TALK, TALKS. IT’S NOT SO MUCH WHAT YOU SAY THAT AFFECTS PEOPLE…IT IS HOW YOU LIVE OUT WHAT YOU SAY THAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE.

LIVING OUR LIVES IS SUPPOSED TO BE, AS ROMANS 12:1, SAYS, "A LIVING SACRIFICE, HOLY, ACCEPTABLE UNTO GOD…." WE ARE NOT OUR OWN. WE WERE ADOPTED BY GOD AND PURCHASED WITH HIS SON’S BLOOD ON THE CROSS. WE BELONG TO GOD. THEREFORE, WE LIVE LIKE WE ARE HIS. THE THIRD AREA OF LEADERSHIP IS TEACHING THE WAY TO LIVE.