Leadership 109
Wednesday Evening Bible Study
August 12, 1998
Homework assignments – Did you have your Quiet Times? Did you pray for your ministry? Did you complete this week’s assignment in Spiritual Leadership?
Large Group Discussion
Share a lesson you learned from your Quiet Times this week.
(Have two or three share)For me:
(Neh 9:3 KJV) And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God.
I think that means that I can preach for three hours, and we can worship for three hours. Right?
Seriously:
(Job 2:9-10 KJV) Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. {10} But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
There are some people who are "fair weather Christians". They have the mistaken idea that being a Christian means that God will keep you from having any more problems. This is not true. In fact, God uses tough times to refine us and purify us. May I be able to take the tough times as well as the happy times.
What are questions you have about Leadership that still need to be addressed in our class?
Spiritual Leadership
Tests of Leadership (ch.17)
1. Compromise
Question from pg.176: What's the difference between good compromise (the opposite of stubbornness) and bad compromise (the opposite of commitment)? How can you tell when compromise is right and good?
My Answer: Good compromise is yielding when there is nothing intrinsically wrong with doing so. Bad compromise is yielding to something that is against God's ways. How do you tell the difference? Understanding Scripture can help. Sometimes it helps to determine just how clear you feel that God is leading you. Sometimes it's just learning from experience.
2. Ambition
This is a subtle test. We can try to work hard at humility, but if we're not careful we can still be trying to make a name for ourselves.
3. The Impossible Situation
The mark of a strong leader is not one who is able to avoid impossible situations, but one who is able to face them and not back away.
Focus Study - Exodus 14
:1-2 the LORD spake unto Moses,
When you look at the entire episode of Israel and the Red Sea, keep one thing in mind
It wasn't because Moses was a guy and didn't want to ask for directions. It wasn't some kind of mistake that Moses made in reading his map.
It was GOD who led them into this "impossible situation", between a rock and a hard place (or between two rocks on the sides, an enemy behind you, and the Sea before you).
:11 they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?
The people were blaming the impossible situation on Moses, even though we know that it was God who led them to the Red Sea.
Leaders often have to take the blame, even if undeserved.
:12 For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians,
It's easy to wish you had never stepped out into leadership.
But if you never stay and face the impossible, you'll never see God part a Red Sea.
:13 see the salvation of the LORD
A quality of good leadership is a person who continually points others to the Lord.
You aren't the one who has what they need. Point people to Jesus.
:15 Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:
Watching God deliver you doesn't mean you must sit on the couch.
Sometimes He wants you to get moving.
:16 lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand
Why did Moses have to do this? Was it because Moses had awesome cosmic power in his hand or rod? No. It was to make a public display that pointed to God doing the work. The people wouldn't be able to say, "Gosh, it's sure a lucky thing that a wind came and blew back this sea!" They could clearly make the connection that it was God doing the work.
:31 Israel saw that great work which the LORD did
But if you never stay and face the impossible, you'll never see God part a Red Sea.
Poem from book (pg.133):
Have you come to the Red Sea place in your life,
Where in spite of all you can do,
There is no way out, there is no way back,
There is no other way but through?
Then wait on the Lord with a trust serene
Till the night of your fear is gone;
He will send the wind, He will heap the floods,
When He says to your soul, "Go on." …
In the morning watch, 'neath the lifted cloud,
You shall see but the Lord alone,
When He leads you on from the place of the sea
To a land that you have not known;
And your fears shall pass as your foes have passed,
You shall no more be afraid;
You shall sing His praise in a better place,
A place that His hand has made.
Annie Johnson Flint
4. Failure
One of my greatest dreads is to know that a person stepping forward to serve will have to face failure or correction, and I've seen plenty of people washed out of serving for one of these things. I am always concerned with how they're going to come through the eventual failure, if they do.
A real test of maturity in leadership is not whether you fail or not, because the truth is you will eventually fail at something. The real test is whether or not you persevere in the face of failure.
Question from pg.177: How long does it take you to overcome the feeling of failure? With whom do you discuss failure?
My Answer: Sometimes it can take weeks or even months to shake off a real good failure. I discuss it with my wife and a few good friends.
5. Jealousy
I think the hardest thing with facing people who are jealous of you is that you may not realize that this is the problem. People rarely come out in the open and say, "I'm jealous of you". What usually happens is that you seem to be "attacked" unreasonably by someone, maybe even someone close to you as Moses was by Miriam and Aaron.
Moses' response was the proper one. Let God handle it.
Another example is that of Mordecai and Haman. Haman had an intense hatred of Mordecai. God took care of Haman and he ended up hanging from the gallows he had built for Mordecai.
Venture in Faith Video
(8:10)"A Unique Leadership Style"
While you're watching the video: What are the qualities of leadership that others have seen in Chuck Smith?
Servant leadership (as in cleaning out a drain before a wedding) (is there something you're not willing to do to serve the Lord?)
Staying until the last person leaves
Loving every person
Doesn't let you follow him, but keeps pointing you to the Lord
Teaches others by example
He's willing to let something fail
Patient with other peoples' weaknesses
Staying out of the way and letting God work
Not authoritarian, yet he's in charge
Assistants ought to be servants of the pastor, holding up his arms
Be yourself, don't take yourself too seriously
No facades
Be a person of integrity
Ministry comes through a calling of God, not through academic degrees
Small Groups
Share prayer requests and pray.
Share one request for you personally, share one request regarding your ministry. Pray.