3 Priesthood types – 5.3 Why the Lord set these Benchmarks for Leadership 1. Leaders derive their core validity from the degree to which they allow the King Yeshua, Jesus the Head to work out His Holy nature in and through them by the power of Holy Spirit. The directives to those who desire to be overseers in the House hold of Faith in 1 Timothy 3: 1 – 7 reflects this reality. Those who lead stand on solid ground when they pant and hunger after Yeshua and refuse any other substitute for Him, including the work in their hands. 1Timothy 4:12 – 16. 2. All through scripture, Yeshua places great premium on character of those He calls to lead His people. Character gives leaders strength to face fire and overcome all the crafty plans of the enemy. The devil is not often afraid of a leader’s ability to manifest signs and wonders because he too can instigate ‘miracles’. Satan will however cringe at the sight of a truly holy leader in whom like in Yeshua; he can find nothing to sustain an accusation. John 14:30. When the High Priest Joshua forgot this maxim, it took the grace of Yahweh to save him. Zechariah 3:1-7(KJV) And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. 2 And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? 3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. 4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. 5 And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by. 6 And the angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying,7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by. Anointing without character will lead to nuisance! 2 Timothy 3: 10 – 12. 3. By actively manifesting Yeshua, leaders are able to be His witnesses. The first calling of the leader therefore is to be a witness to the reality that in Yeshua, Jesus, there is sufficient grace to transform lives. Those who will lead by proclamations or physical herding of the sheep are missing a vital ingredient. The best leadership is one clothed with the evident presence of our King. This releases a holy aura which compels the saints to give him or her right of way to lead them into the deeper waters of the Spirit. Acts 1:8 Critical Questions and Issues in Leadership There may be some who are uncomfortable with the high calling of leadership as spelt out in this course. It is for this reason that our King wants to bring additional instructions that those who are truly appointed by Him deserve some commensurate responses by saints He assigns to them. If we received all that has been shared so far, let us in sincerity receive these additional truths in the word that will bring the necessary balance to the conversation. We are going to adopt the question and answer format and show the relevant scripture references that bring forth with clarity what Yahweh is saying. 1. What do we owe Leadership? Romans 13: 1-8; Hebrews 13:7,17 Hebrews 13:7 (KJV) 7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Hebrews 13:17 (KJV) 17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. Answer: We owe leadership these responsibilities: 1.1 Discern and Recognize them as leaders. Discernment is critical because what you perceive of leaders will influence your response to them. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (KJV) 12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; 13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake. And be at peace among yourselves. 1.2. Accept them in good faith, putting aside our past experiences so that our past does not trap the present or future. 1.3. Understand the level of grace, authority and anointing deposited in them. The grace you understand will inspire confidence to tap into same for fuller activation of yours! 1.4. Obey instructions and Submit to their authority. Submission is of critical import because it is the acid test of true leadership. Someone once quipped that he who claims to be a leader with no one following is only going for a walk! We do not have to understand all details of an instruction before obeying. On the other hand, one can obey an instruction without submitting to a leader. This is where the obedience was grudgingly or executed rebelliously. Submission is a heart attitude which allows the leader to lead. Undoubtedly, obedience and submission is not absolute. It is to the degree that what they lead us to do is not unscriptural and does not wound our conscience. Acts 4:18-20; Acts 5:27-32. 1.5. Take our place beside them in the grand project Yeshua, Jesus committed to their trust and has called us to be helpers of the work. (See also 1 Chronicles chapter 12: 1-38). The greatest thing we can do with and for true leadership is to occupy our niche in the spirit and release the gifts and callings of Yeshua in us to make the Kingdom enterprise. 1.6. Love them as unto the Lord. Leaders are human beings with souls. They will be encouraged greatly when the people they are leading shower them with genuine godly love. Leaders will be lifted to receive telephone, email, letters, cards and text messages appreciating their leadership. Their inner beings react instinctively to acts of love from the flock of Yeshua, Jesus that are committed to their trust. 1.7. Honour them – 1 Thessalonians 5: 12, 13. Do not wait for a leader to die before you honour him or her with expressive funeral orations! That is pharisaic at its worst. Honour them while they live. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (KJV)12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake. And be at peace among yourselves. Appreciate them and show them how much they mean to you. 1.8. Bless them as much as lies in us. We are called to sow back to those who invest spiritually in us in all good things. Galatians 6:6 (KJV)6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. This same principle is upheld by Yeshua, Jesus in Matthew 10: 9 – 14 and in by Paul in 1 Corinthians 9: 7 – 14. The scriptures up the ante in 1 Timothy 5: 17, 18 by charging those who sit under leadership which is truly worthy to reward them with double measure of blessings. 1 Timothy 5:17-18 (KJV) 17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. 18 For the scripture saith, thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward. It is important that this generation of saints take heed to this injunction. We live in an age where saints write fat checks to popular television preachers including those who peddle error and have become agents of Satan because of their ability to exert great pressure in fund raising based on worldly marketing skills. The same people put miserable change in their local assembly tills or wherever Yeshua feeds them spiritually. The grand puzzle: Just as no one can validly claim love of Yahweh without loving fellow humans who are visible, no saint can claim to submit to Him and His will who lightly esteems the instructions of a godly leader. 2. What should we do when leaders step on our toes? Answer: there may be times when in our walk with a leader, he or she seems to step on our toes. Our response or reaction should be moderated by these factors: 2.1. Understand that you cannot validly assume knowledge of why they took the course of action which resulted in your hurt. 2.2. Give them benefit of doubt. Put the best construction on what happened. 2.3. If you are not able to bear it spiritually, proceed to option two. Approach the leader in a spirit of meekness and humility, explaining your hurt. Avoid egotism, haughtiness and disrespect in so doing. Matthew 18: 15; Galatians 6:1,2. 2.4. Avoid the spirit of hurt from latching onto your spirit and soul as well as the spirit of rejection. These satanic agents are on the prowl seeking whoever will open the door for them to devour. Resist Satan and all attempts to manipulate you to feel bad; remain sour and disconnected from fellowship. 1 Peter 5: 8.9. 2.5. Understand that Yahweh uses leaders to rebuke, correct, chastise or discipline you out of His divine love for you. Look beyond the human instruments or the way or tone of their voices. Realise that the purpose of Yahweh is to present you faultless at the appearing of Yeshua, Jesus. Hebrews 12: 5 – 11. 2.6. Believe the word that whether the leader deliberately offended you or not, all things shall work together for your good. Romans 8:28 – 39. 2.7. Leave the congregation, if that is the only viable way forward! 3. What do I do when leaders err or fall into sin? Answer: Leaders are humans and therefore can make mistakes or even miss Yeshua at any point in time in their lives and ministry. When this happens: 3.1 Take it to Abba in prayer in earnest intercession for their souls. This is easier if we have formed the godly habit of interceding for our leaders. We should not only pray for greater anointing on them. We should also pray that the Lord will deliver them from every snare of Satan and evil associations which will drain away the grace of Yeshua. We should pray for leaders to overcome all temptation of worldliness; love of money, immorality of every sort and indeed all tendencies which do not glorify Yahweh. 3.2 Avoid the temptation of sitting in judgement over them. Yahweh says He alone is qualified to judge those He sets in leadership. Trust that Yahweh will do what seems right to Him and not the leader or us. Romans 14: 4, 7 – 13 3. 3. If the Holy Spirit leads us, we can lovingly but gently confront them in a way that is not designed to shame them. Otherwise, we can refer the matter to the authority/leaders they submit to. Any individual who is not part of a ministerial association whose leadership can be contacted if anything goes wrong or has no authority he or she submits to is in a dangerous position. Romans 13:1-8 says everyone needs to be under authority! This includes leaders. Every leader needs a leader! Membership of a ministerial network is not enough. There needs to be proof that the minister is truly subject to those in the Leadership Council. The remnant must be careful about submitting to lone rangers with no safety net of leadership that can confront and correct when they err! 3.4. Never celebrate the fall of your leader or participate in any glorification of his/her fall. This is a very dangerous ground to stand on! 3.5. If you are persuaded that a leader has missed it in terms of lifestyle, doctrine or that your soul is in danger of contamination if you continue to be under that covering, the best way is to prayerfully receive direction on how to separate yourself from that work.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Apr 2014 19:26:52 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015