PART 1

LIFESTYLE LEADERSHIP

CALLED TO LEADERSHIP

James 3:1 tells us of the greater responsibility of the leader as

called by God: "My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we

shall receive the greater condemnation."

It is important that we take note of the fact that a leader will

be held in more severe and stricter judgment than his followers. The

very next sentence informs us that "For in many things we offend all."

Because we stumble as humans will, and because we offend others

when we "slip" we usually maintain that we are not "called to be a

leader." The world has set up many standards for leadership, which

many believers think should be the standards that God uses to select

His leaders. Using God's WORD and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we

will look at the examples God has set before us to see what God wants

us to know about leadership in His Kingdom.

MOSES

What do we know about Moses? We are usually well versed in the

life of Moses and the reed basket that carried him to the daughter of

Pharaoh. We also know that he was highly educated, and accustomed to

power, prestige and comfort. At his calling by God, where was Moses?

At the backside of the dessert engaged in one of the lowliest

occupations of that day. He could have been embittered and blamed

society for his troubles. He could have been to his own party, a pity

party, and been so wrapped in his decline from acclaim that he might

have missed the calling of the Lord. (He was even, in this job of

sheep herder, having to work for his in-laws!)

Let's turn to Exodus 3:2 and see what happened. "And the angel

of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a

bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire and the

bush was not consumed."

It is important to take special note that the very FIRST action

taken by God was to reveal Himself to Moses (v:5,6). If we are asked

to serve in some capacity, make certain that God is in it. Don't move

an inch until you have determined the will of God in the matter. Many

times the will of God is made clear to us suddenly, other times we

have to wait, abide, until He makes it clear. We can be certain of

this - God will show you. God is not a God of confusion and He is well

able to communicate to His children, if they are listening.

In Psalm 32:8 God tells us "I will instruct thee and teach thee

in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye."

Guidance is God's responsibility - "I will instruct. I will teach. I

will guide." In Psalm 48:14 we are informed: "For this God is our

God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death." Just as

Moses was certain, we can be certain that God has spoken.

The second action taken by God was to reveal to Moses that He,

too, had a burden for His people. "And the Lord said, 'I have surely

seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, and have heard

their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their

sorrows'"(3:7).

Can you picture Moses? The very burden that had been the cause

of his removal and exile from Egypt was shared by God! Then God

stated "I AM come down to deliver them out of the hand of the

Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and

a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey" (3:8).

Now picture Moses. I can see him thinking, "OH BOY! This

powerful God is going to remedy the matter and straighten everything

out! God, Himself, was going to PERSONALLY take charge!"

Then the other shoe is dropped! God tells Moses "Come now,

therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring

forth My people the children of Israel out of Egypt" (3:10).

Now, what is running in the mind of Moses? "But-But-But YOU said

YOU were going to do it YOURSELF! If YOU are going to do it, why do I

need to go?"

Right here is the crossroads of our lives in our relationship

with God. It is important to commit to our hearts that God's method

is to use His children to accomplish His plan and purposes. When we

can understand this, then we can begin to understand our role in the

Kingdom of God.

What is the immediate response of Moses in verse 11? Look at his

statement. What was God's response to that question? It was so

immaterial to God's plan that God did not even acknowledge the "Who am

I" of Moses!

Here, God allows us one of the first concepts of leadership in

His kingdom. In verse 12 God states: "Certainly I will be with

thee." God tells us all a powerful truth by His not acknowledging the

cry of Moses. In our terms, God told Moses that it didn't matter who

Moses was, whether he was qualified or unqualified, whether he was

capable or incapable. God states clearly "I AM going to be there, I

AM going to do it, and I AM going to give you the blessing and

privilege of being in it with me - in fact I AM going to use you as my

instrument of deliverance."

In II Corinthians 3:5, the Apostle Paul tells us, "Not that we

are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our

sufficiency is of God." In God's Kingdom, it is an asset, not a

handicap, to have a strong sense of need and inadequacy. Later, in

chapter 12:9,10, Paul confirms this idea. "And He said unto me, 'My

grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in

weakness.' Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my

infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me .... For when I

am weak, then I am strong." Look again, Paul - the Apostle to the

Gentile (us) felt exactly like we do! But, because he acknowledged

the method of God was to work through men, God used him in a mighty

way to accomplish His Plan and Purpose - to give the Gospel to us!

Let's go back to Exodus 3:13 where Moses says to God "Behold,

when I come unto the children of Israel and say unto them, 'The God of

your fathers hath sent me unto you': and they shall say unto me, 'What

is His name?' what shall I say unto them?"

Again, in God's way we are given an answer that man would not

have conceived: "And God said unto Moses, "I AM THAT I AM": and He

said, "thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, 'I AM hath

sent me unto you.'"

Now read through verse 15. I have always looked at that

statement of God and His declaration of His self-existent nature -

that is until this study. Can you see what I see in that statement of

I AM? I see God telling me: "Whatever you need to do as I send, that

is what I AM." He is telling each of us that whatever we need -

Comfort? - I AM your comfort (1 Peter 5:7) Victory over a sin that

ails us? - I AM your victory (I Corinthians 15:57) Love? - I AM love

(I John 4:8). Look it over - is there any area that you can think of

that God cannot fill. God's statement of I AM can be held in our heart

as "I AM all that my people need."

GIDEON

Our knowledge of Gideon is usually centered on the many battles

and victories won by this warrior of God. With just a handful of men,

Gideon was able to defeat large armies. Bold, courageous and valiant

are terms that I have heard used to describe this mighty man of God.

Let's look at the record in Scripture. Judges 6:1 tells us the

condition of the children of Israel. They were suffering oppression

under the rule of the Midianites - hiding in caves in the mountains -

their crops ruined by their oppressors. Why? Verse 6 tells us: "And

the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord

delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years."

One night, Gideon was found by God threshing some wheat to hide

it from the Midianites. God sent His angel to tell Gideon that he was

to be God's instrument to deliver Israel from the Midianites. Verse

15 gives us Gideon's first response: "Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I

save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the

least in my father's house." Look at God's response. Recall Moses?

Again, God pays no attention to the cry of man to prove his

worthlessness - God is well aware of that fact and needs no reminder!

God responds: "Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite

the Midianites as one man." God, in essence, tells Gideon and us that

"it doesn't matter who you are, but that I AM with thee. It is not

how weak you are, but how My strength will work through you."

JEREMIAH

One of the great prophets of God. Called the "weeping prophet"

because of his broken heart at the sin of Israel before the Lord.

Recalled by every minister of the Gospel for his success and his

determination to do God's will. Let's look at the record.

Jeremiah 1:4,5 shows us how God took the first step and

communicated with Jeremiah: "Then the word of the Lord came unto me,

saying, 'Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before

thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained

thee a prophet unto the nations.'" Now, a prophet is to declare the

Word of God. In the Old Testament, prophets declared God's doctrines,

today they expound on them. Do we find Jeremiah jumping at the chance

to answer this call? "Then said I, 'Ah, Lord God! behold I cannot

speak: for I am a child.'"

The next two verses give us the response God wants each of us to

acknowledge when we come off with excuses. Read these verses. "Say

not, 'I am a child,' for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee,

and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their

faces: for I AM with thee to deliver thee." Again, "I AM with thee."

God was by Jeremiah's side and He promises to be at our side. God

further promises to us, through His words to Jeremiah in verse 19 "And

they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against

thee; for I AM with thee 'sayeth the Lord', "to deliver thee."

Now, Jesus Christ gave each of us one last order before He

departed: "Go and make disciples of all the nations." He then

proceeds in Matthew 28:20 to give us the same basis for serving Him

with confidence that He gave to these others of the Faith, "Lo, I AM

with you always..." The message is still the same "Yesterday, today

and tomorrow" and we need to plant it in our hearts "I AM with you."

One of the areas where the devil has a playground and neutralizes

our response to God's call is to make some disparaging remark about

something EVIL in our background. Satan tells us that we cannot be

used of God with THIS THING in our past or that it will hinder any

work God may have for us. Again, God's way is not the way of the

world. Turn to Acts 22:19-20. In shame, Paul tells us what his past

was "I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on

Thee; And when the blood of Thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was

standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the rainment of

them that slew him." Paul further elaborated in I Corinthians 15:9 in

claiming that he was "not meet to be called an Apostle, because I

persecuted the church of God."

Do you relate to this? Look at I Timothy 1:12,13 where Paul

states why he is at peace by saying "I thank Jesus Christ our Lord,

who hath enabled me, for that He counted me faithful, putting me into

the ministry, who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and

injurious."

Now, according to the standards of the world (Satan) this man

Paul was unfit for anything! But in God's way and God's plan Paul was

to be a mighty vessel for God to pour forth His Love to us all.

However; even the Apostle Paul showed how human he was when evaluating

others for leadership.

We look at the matter of John Mark. Because of prior failures

and unfaithfulness, Paul refused to allow John Mark to accompany him

(Acts 15:36-38). This is the very man that God had called to be the

author of the Gospel of Mark, which is the Gospel that tells us about

the faithful servanthood of Jesus Christ. It wasn't on the basis of

Mark's background that God selected him for His service.

The point is, when God calls you, by His Word, by His servants

and ministers or by answer to prayer we are to let neither a feeling

of being inadequate or having a "past" restrain us from following His

call. As a final message, look at Philippians 2:13 "For it is God

which worketh in you, both to will and to do His good pleasure." I

ask that you seek Him to outline to you the area of leadership that He

has called you to as an immediate area of service, whether it be in

the home or on your job, as father or mother, as supervisor or

employee, as a Sunday School teacher or a youth counselor. Wherever

God has called, pray that He will communicate to you what He wants

done and that you will be open to follow His leading.

If you want to have a guideline on how to determine or test an

INNER MESSAGE I suggest the following:

(1) Is it scriptural and in context with the entire Bible. (The Bible

is consistent from Genesis to Revelation and should be followed in

context. Out of context, the Bible is used to justify many actions

that God would not want.)

(2) Look for counsel from friends who are (also) seeking God's

leading. (God uses your friends as His voice many times, and

encourages the fellowship with one another for this purpose.)

(3) Acknowledge and expect Providential circumstances. (God will open

doors for His plan to be accomplished. He will arrange for certain

people or circumstances to confirm His will and plan.)

(4) Apply our own judgment in a form of Sanctified Common Sense. (So

many believers today are less than effective in their witness due to

their failure to hear that inner voice of the Holy Spirit and to heed

that voice. Once we hear that voice and the above conditions are met,

then we are to APPLY that to our daily living.)

Computers For Christ - Chicago


Index of Preacher's Help and Notes

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