The Responsibility Of Leadership

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF LEADERSHIP

As we talk of leadership and the responsibilities that go with it, I don't want to just limit this message to a certain group of people. Because the qualifications that I'm going to be talking about today, even though they were leadership qualities or conditions of leadership, each are also qualities that are to be found in everyone who claims to be a Christian.

Every Christian has certain responsibilities, and to live the Christian life we have to fall under the leadership of Christ because He is the head of our church...and we are all subject to him whether we're leaders or members of the church, or just occasional attenders. We all fall under the leadership of Christ. In Romans chapter 12:1,2 we read...

To every one who holds a position in the church, whatever that position may be, it is so important because of your leadership position, that you be able to test and understand and know what is pleasing to God and what his perfect will is for your group or your area of responsibility.

And it's also important equally important that each and every one of us as Christians, regardless of whether or not you hold a position of leadership right now or not, are told that we're not to conform to the world but to give ourselves as a sacrifice to God.

And as we renew our minds we can come to know what God's will is, what pleases him and makes him happy, and what is going to be the best for the kingdom of heaven and for each one of us here. This morning I want to try to explain to you the importance of our testimony and the importance our life, as Christians, and especially as leaders. READ Lev. 10:1 2...

In these verses we find something happening that is very drastic, and it really paints a picture of the idea that I'm trying to get across to you this morning. Before we get to far into this...the book of Leviticus is one of those books that if you just sat down to read it, it would probably be, to most people, on of the most boring books of the Bible.

It has a lot of detailed instruction about the rules and regulations and the sacrifices, and it seems like a lot of repetition. For this sacrifice you do this and for the next sacrifice you do a slightly different thing and so on...and there are a lot of minute details involved.

But its very important to understand the purpose of this book. The reason these priests were given such detailed instructions about the care of God's tabernacle, his "church", was so that they could be sure of God's continued presence with them.

In the 8th and 9th chapters there are numerous details about how Aaron and his sons were consecrated and set apart, they went through this long process of getting ready to approach God. You see, it was God that had approached them in the first place and he made some promises to them and he said if you'll just obey me then I'll take care of you.

I'll see that all your needs both physical and spiritual...every need that you have will be met. One of these ways of obedience was that they would live their life in such a way that they would show all those nations around them the true nature of holiness.

And it was only as they did what God had commanded them, and were a witness and an example to those around them, that they could expect God to honor His part of the bargain. You see it's like us many times...we think of God as fire insurance. We want God to save us, we want eternal life in heaven rather than to spend eternity in hell. But then we don't want to follow his commands and live as he desires us to...and really it's not that hard.

But yet we expect all the blessings of God, and when we don't get them we get angry. And this book of Leviticus was so important because it give them the instructions they needed that would establish them as a chosen people, a holy nation...to make them distinctive different from everyone else. They would be representatives of the true and living God.

Now, as leaders, the priests were not only to carry out the functions of the church but they were to instruct the people in God's law. They had the added responsibility of not only living their lives but to show others and to help others to live their lives so that they too could be pleasing in God's sight. We're to be able to instruct others in the ways of God so that they too can grow to maturity in Christ.