Time To Clean-Up My Father's House |
Part 1 - Introduction | Part 2 - True Disciples | Part 3 - The Road Back to Christ
13th August 2007
Your responsibility as a leader:
Your responsibility as a Christian leader is to learn from Jesus, so that you are not working according to your own desires. Learning from Jesus means that you will spend more time with/in the Word of God, than you do with the reference guides of your favourite authors. You will constantly need to ask God to ‘search me and see if there be, some wicked ways in me’. You will need to leave self behind and become a vessel, in use, only for Christ.
Jesus teaches that you are to first “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” That was His response when asked by one of the Pharisees, an expert in religious laws, “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” (Matthew 22:35-37 NLT). He then went on to say, in verse 39, that ‘A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’. When we grasp the concept of these commands then everything to follow in this article will become a natural part of our existence.
Your Goal as a leader:
“Therefore, go and make disciples, of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 22:19).
‘No matter what you do as a leader, Jesus’ ultimate goal for all his followers is sharing the good news with all people, everywhere.’* It is necessary that leaders do not lose focus of this fact, while they try to maintain the general operation of the ‘church’.
Many leaders fail in this aspect of the gospel as the members become more demanding and things like how the bills are paid, and the general maintenance of the building takes more priority over the saving of souls. However, if you claim to be a believer then you cannot afford to forget the principles of being one. For ‘Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did. (1st John 2:6)
Be careful not to burn yourself out just keeping up appearance. Keep focus of your main goal so all that you do is in line with the will of God, and helps towards the building of the KINGDOM. If you remain focused, it is easier to resist the temptation of sidetracking. Being a leader does not make you immune to the enemy’s trap. Always be on guard, so that you do not fall for the tricks of the devil.
At this point in the series of leadership articles, I encourage you to search your ways and see if they are pleasing to God. The next part of this article highlights some points to consider as you engage in this exercise.
*__ Touchpoints for Leaders, Tyndale House Publishers, explains the scripture reading in Matthew 28:19-20.
