COMMITMENT: AN EFFECTIVE TOOL IN LEADERSHIP
Study Text: Acts 20: 17 - 24
Introduction:
- Paul demonstrates for us that commitment is a key ingredient in successful Christian leadership. He was very sharply focused, was driven by a clear sense of purpose, both in life and ministry, pursued his goal with perseverance, and finished his race.
- Commitment is taking that first step forward and then pushing through the obstacles and stretching our limits to make our passion and vision a reality.
- It is an action that moves us forward again and again and again because we are sold out and all in for the cause.
- Small steps forward will deepen our conviction and lead to a stronger commitment, but it has to start somewhere. Commitment always has that first tangible step that comes from a decision made in our hearts.
- Commitment in sports isn’t thinking about going out to practice – it is getting out the door and doing it.
- Commitment in marriage isn’t saying you will forgive one another – it is forgiving and working through the challenges that come up every day.
- Commitment to Jesus isn’t believing he is our Saviour and Lord – it is living according to the teachings and example of Jesus as our Saviour and Lord.
- Commitment takes the first step forward, but it doesn’t end with the first step; it takes more steps because we are convinced that we are doing what needs to be done.
- Gideon was a very ordinary man when God called him and yet look at how the angel of God addresses him –Judges 6:12. Mighty Warrior – Gideon was hiding in a winepress and yet God sees him as a Mighty Warrior.
- Many times God sees more in us than we ever see in ourselves. God sees the leaders that we already are and if we are willing to commit to that and step out in faith to live into that reality – we will become all God sees in us.
- We must learn to be committed to God, to a cause, to our family, to our job, to what is right by taking small steps forward and never looking back.
- Commitment is important for leaders because we won’t follow people who aren’t committed. If we don’t see our leader 100% committed to the cause, we won’t follow them.
- God can nurture and strengthen our commitments if we will take the small steps forward and then keep on going and as we do, others will be drawn to our side willing to work with us.
- We shall consider the topic under three sub-headings:
1. The Direction of Commitment
2. The Degree of Commitment
3. The Demonstration of Commitment
1. The Direction of Commitment
- What we are committed to? What are those things that we are willing to die for? What and who will we give everything for?
- What are things we simply won’t stop doing and giving ourselves to? The reality is that we are all committed to something and it is important to make sure we are committed to the right things. Let us identify some areas of commitments in our lives.
i. Commitment to maintain integrity
- “Make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with him” (2 Peter 3:14).
- Integrity is “the quality or state of being of sound moral principle, uprightness, honesty, and sincerity.” In the world today, ‘integrity’ is not valued as the most important thing in life and business.
- God knows we are not perfect, but desires that we strive towards perfection everyday. To be spotless and blameless means to live with integrity.
- How do you maintain integrity? You need to be transparent. A person of integrity is not claiming to have it all together in every area. On the contrary, the person of integrity is willing to be open about their strengths and weaknesses.
- Having integrity also means living what you say you believe. You model what you teach. And you tell the truth, even when it’s tough.
- All leadership is built on trust. And trust comes from having the reputation for living out what you believe and for telling the truth. As a pastor and leader, people must trust you.
- Will you make a commitment to lead with integrity? Will you be honest about both your strengths and weaknesses? Will you commit to living your sermons out every week? Will you tell the truth to those you lead even when it’s tough?
ii. Commitment to forgive those who hurt you.
- “Make every effort to live in peace with all men. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up” (Hebrews 12:14-15).
- Leaders forgive those who hurt them. You will be hurt in ministry both intentionally and unintentionally. You will be hurt by those who recognize what they’re doing and those who don’t.
- But you’ve got to be willing to forgive those who try to take you down. If you allow bitterness to build, it will choke your heart for God and your love for people.
- Will you forgive when every bone in your body wants to retaliate?
iii. Commitment to rest upon and trust in God.
- “Anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us therefore make every effort to enter into God’s rest” (Hebrews 4:11).
- You need to learn how to hand over every worry and burden to God, trusting Him for His intervention. Jehoshaphat said, ‘we don’t know what to do, but our eyes on you’ 2Chronicle 20:4
- How do you release those burdens? First, you’ve got to pray. God is the one that knows all things and can do all things. Share your burdens with him in prayer.
- Then you need to spend some time in God’s Word meditating on his promises. Remember what God has done in the past – in God’s Word and in your own life.
- God has a good track record of taking care of us. Remember what God has done for you before, and let your faith be strengthened that He can do it again.
- Will you commit to surrendering your stress and burden to God?
iii. Commitment to be a blessing and an encourager.
- “Let us make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Romans 14:19).
- As a Christian leader, you should build people up rather than tear them down. God has called you to be an encourager, not a discourager.
- Take the time to look beyond the problems and look at the potential of those you lead. People get discouraged in life; you need to be a source of encouragement.
- As pastors and leaders, we are dispensers of hope. That’s what it means to be a Christian leader.
- You bring the hope of Jesus into a hopeless situation. You help people who seem to be helpless. You let them know they can do it.
- Will you be a voice of encouragement in your community, in your church, in your home?
v. Commitment to be a peacemaker.
- “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).
- Leaders are called to make every effort to reduce conflict. Our society is filled with conflict. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” How do you make peace in such a fragmented society?
- You’ve got to deal with different points of view. The perspective of those who see the world differently can add something indispensable to your ministry.
- You can walk hand-in-hand without seeing eye-to-eye on every issue. God will not bless a divided home, family, nation or church.
- That means one of your most important jobs is to promote unity. Will you have the courage to promote peace and unity in many different directions?
vi. Commitment to continue to grow, increase and develop.
- “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive…” (2 Peter 1: 5-8).
- Learning is the lifestyle of leadership. The moment you think you know it all, you’re dead in the water. You must never stop growing. You’ve got to train yourself continually.
- Always look for ways to keep growing in your character and your skills. The very nature of leadership is tied to growth. You’ve got to grow if you are going to lead others to grow.
Take a regular look at yourself. Where do you need to grow? What do you need to learn? What’s the best way to get the training you need?
2. The Degree of Commitment
- Once we can name what it is we are committed to we need to honestly and objectively measure that commitment.
- To measure our commitments we need to look at three specific areas of our lives: our time, our relationships and our money.
i. Time:
- For many of us the bulk of our time might be spent at work, but what about our free time?
- If we say that family is our No1 commitment, what % of our free time do we spend with them?
- If we are committed to God, what % of our time do we give to worship, prayer and reading God’s word?
- Where we spend our time will help us see what it is we are really committed to.
ii. Relationships:
- If our marriage and family is a top commitment, how much time and energy do we spend investing in those relationships?
- How much time do we spend together as a family? What specific things are we doing when we are together? Is there conversation and activity that brings us closer together? Who we spend our time with also helps define what we are really committed to.
iii. Money:
- Where do we spend our money? In many ways this will be the most revealing to us about our commitments.
- If we are committed to God – how much money goes to the work of God? If we are committed to certain causes and issues, how much money do we give to them?
- If we are committed to helping those who are hungry and in need, how much money do we actually give to that purpose, compared to how much we spend on ourselves and eating out? Our money reflects our commitments.
- Where do you spend your time (free time)? Where do you spend your money? Who do you spend your time with?
- Are these results in line with your commitments?
3. The Demonstration of Commitment
- If we really want to strengthen our commitments then we need to share with others what we are committed to because then we will be more likely to work for it.
- Once we make our decisions public, it’s hard to take them back. Making our commitments public strengthens our conviction to follow through.
- Commitment is vital to every leader and yet we don’t suddenly arrive one day fully committed, it takes time. It takes time to reflect on our passion and courage, we need small victories and successes to help us see ourselves as leaders and know that we can move forward with God’s power.
- In many ways commitment is a process – but it has to start with action. What one step can we take today that will lead us to becoming a fully committed leader at home, at work, in the church or community?
- God created us to lead and he sees us and calls us to be leaders, will we commit ourselves to this and take that first step forward.
- When we make public our commitments we will be more likely to work toward them.
- What are the characteristics of committed Christian leadership?
i. Intimacy with Christ
- The first and most important thing Christian leaders need to do is develop a strong and intimate relationship with God.
- Developing this intimate relationship with God through daily prayer and reflective Bible study is vital if Christian leaders are going to be all they can be in God.
- As Christian leaders we need to follow Jesus example to make sure we come aside from the business of life and ministry to make our connection with the Father. As we do, we find that our relationship with God grows and we allow Him to speak to us.
- We can also learn from Scripture and receive guidance on how He wants us to lead the people we are overseeing. I believe this time alone with God is vital for our growth, seeking direction and for our long term survival of the pressures the ministry brings.
ii. Passionate and Yieldedness to the Holy Spirit.
- Jesus lived his life and did everything he did with a clear sense of purpose and thus was Spirit-driven (Mark 1: 35-39; Luke 4: 43).
- He was preoccupied with the purpose with which his Father had sent him into the world – that was his passion or top priority (John 4: 31-34).
- When the disciples received the Holy Spirit and began their ministry, we notice that they followed the example of their master and lived a focused and Spirit-driven life. They did not allow anything, including the good things in the ministry to distract them from the main thing, which was their top priority Acts 2: 32-41.
iii. Servant-Leaders
- To learn of what truly is servant leadership, it is important that we follow Christ’s command and example. In Matthew 20:26-28, Christ tells us that we need, first of all, to lead in an attitude of servant hood.
- It has, of late, become fashionable to talk or teach about this. However, what we need now is not just more teaching, but more leaders that practice this style of leadership.
- True servant leaders know their strengths and weaknesses and surround themselves with those who have complementary abilities and can offset their weaknesses. Servant leaders invest themselves in enabling others to do their best, allowing teamwork to move their ministry.
- A serving attitude does not imply willingness to be abused by others or the toleration of exploitation.
- A true servant leader is disciplined in all areas of life, knowing their first responsibility is to serve God and then to others. Servant leaders must first of all please God; they are not moved solely by the need to please others.
iv. Character and Integrity
- One of the keys to successful long Christian leadership is the desire to live with character and integrity.
- In 1 Timothy 3:8-12 and Titus 1:5-9 it lists 24 characteristics that should be seen in Christian leadership.
- Some of these include being of good behaviour, not greedy for money, not given to excessive drinking, not quick tempered, but being self-controlled, a responsible steward, one that holds fast to the Word of God and has a good reputation outside the church.
- It tells us that these qualities should be evident in the lives of those who are called to Christian leadership. In saying this though, it does not say that one has to be perfect to be in Christian leadership. That is not possible as we are all human and fall short at times. However, it is saying that these things must be evident most of the time.
- As Christian leaders we need to have this same commitment to living with character and integrity the Bible talks about. We need to have a good testimony both in and outside the church and before God and man.
v. Risk-Takers
- The concept of risk is a challenging one for many Christian leaders. Setting too simple a goal can severely limit the organization’s ability to achieve great things for the Kingdom of God.
- If we set small-step, incremental goals, there is a tendency that we do what we used to, only better. If we challenge ourselves with large goals, then we need to take risks in redefining our strategy.
vi. Team-Worker
- From Jesus’ teaching and model, we learn that there is no place for ‘lone rangers’ in the Kingdom of God.
- All Christian leaders would be team players, team builders that are committed to the discipline of working with and for a team and make themselves accountable to others in the team.
- Without neglecting their personal tasks and goals, they give adequate attention and priority to the collective tasks and goals and invest in empowering others.
- Otherwise, Christian leaders become carnal, worldly, and selfish and cease to be Christian leaders.
- There are no insignificant ministries in the church. Every person serving in the church makes up a network of volunteers for Jesus.
- Each person is dependent on others in the network doing their job. Some of the ministry jobs are visible but most are hidden and behind the scenes. All are important to the health and vitality of the local church.
vii. Committed to Making Disciples
- The last words of Christ before returning to heaven are recorded in Matthew chapter 28:19-20. It says, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you”.
- This verse is a clear command to reach people with the love and saving message of Jesus and to teach them how to follow Jesus and His teachings.
- As Christian leaders, the core of what we do is to love God, love people and to make disciples. We need to focus our energies on loving and bringing people into the Kingdom and teaching them how to continue to grow in their faith and service of God.
- The early church understood this and as a result many thousands of people came to faith in a short time. In Acts chapter 2:42 we see that, “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer”.
- In committing themselves to these things, the early church members were able to grow to maturity and be sent out in their community to reach others for Christ.
Conclusion:
- Christian leadership begins with God’s calling, and that call comes in two parts. First, he gives you a desire to serve him, and second, the church recognizes in you those elements of character and those gifts which qualify you to serve in leadership.
- In those qualifications, character is much more prominent than gifts. The first qualification for Christian leadership is Christ-like character. If we are to lead Christ’s people in Christ’s way, we must ourselves be men who have walked with Christ—on the Calvary road. May God help us to be such men as we lead his church. Amen!
