Agency for Christian Training & Service

 

 

Aspire to be a LEADER

 

 

 

 

Nadi Brethren Assembly

2009

 

 

Leadership – Example- Principle

 

CHALLENGE – Aspire to be a leader in 2009

 

INTRODUCTION –

The crying need of the church today is Leadership:

·         The most critical problem facing the church today

·         There is a leadership vacuum – it is a glaring need

The environment we are in:

·         Unprecedented opportunities

·         Plentiful resources

 

What do we find? – The Church is losing INFLUENCE

 

Primary Reason – Lack of Leadership

 

Definition of Leadership:

            ‘Leadership is Influence’

            Nothing More - Nothing Less

 

Salt of the Earth & Light of the world – Matt 5V13

 

• Christ left His church on Earth to do work that has an internal impact
• If the local church is not well led (at all level of operations)
  •  
    • The Bride of Christ suffers
    • She will not be able to fulfill her mission for this generation

 

I wholeheartedly believe that everything RISES and FALLS on LEADERSHIP. The leadership of any group or organisation will determine it’s success or failure.

 

In scripture – Ancient Israel

• Good King – Prosperity i.e. all was well with the nation
• Bad King – Things went poorly for everyone

 

The call to leadership is a consistent pattern in the Bible.

 

When God decides to raise a nation of His own – He called out one leader, Abraham

(He didn’t call out the masses)

 

When God wanted to deliver His people to cross – He raised up a leader to do it, Moses

into the promised land

 

Everytime God wants to something great he calls a leader to step forward.

Today He is still calling – ‘Leaders step forward’

Greater than resources , talent, moneyor intelligence. Leadership makes the difference when it comes to making an impact

• Leadership ability determines a person’s level of effectiveness

 

Let’s profile a leader – JOSHUA

Joshua 5V13-15

                        A leader’s obedience sets the pace

 

•  
  •  
    • Look at every phase of Joshua’s life and you see a man who gave himself wholeheartedly to completing whatever task was assigned to him
    • First time he appears in scripture (Moses’s assistant)
      • See him immediately obeying Moses instruction ( Ex 17V9-10)
    • Reconnaissance of the promised land
      • Joshua and Caleb were ready to obey God and enter Caanan
    • When the reign of power was handed over to him (Joshua 1V5-11)
      • Joshua obeyed the call

 

 

• Israel followed Joshua’s example as God asked of them

•  Did inherited the promised land
• ‘Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua’ (Joshua 24V31)
• Prosperity
• By the time of his death, Joshua was known simply as ‘The servant of the Lord’ (Judges 2V7-8)
  •  
    • i.e high praise

 

While today we consider Joshua exceptional leader, nowhere does scripture describe him as a man of extra ordinary, might, intellect and talent.

 

What made him extra ordinary was his obedience as a servant of God that all we really need.

 

The most memorable of Joshua’s victories

• the destruction of Jericho (Joshua 6V1-20)

God’s strategy (military) – to the real men of war ‘how absurd’

• march around Jericho, 13 times in one week and blow some trumpets
• no weapons-no fighting-no plan of attack

 

Can you imagine how Jericho (residents) laughed at this 7 day entertainment?

• 6V21 ‘utterly destroyed’

 

Consider ten things to really like about Joshua

 

1. He made obedience his first priority
2. He never waited to see what the crowd wanted to do
3. He made decision from an eternal perspective, not a temporary one
4. He acted decisively
5. He deeply appreciated the past but did not worship it
6. He valued results more than image reputation
7. He knew that to influence others, he had to stand up and be counted
8. He never wavered from his understanding of what was right
9. He trusted his God more than his gift
10. He made ‘GLORIFYING GOD’ his ULTIMATE OBJECTIVE

 

 

CONCLUSION:

 

• There is a leadership vacuum – a glaring need
• Will you make the commitment to do what it takes to become a leader?  - to fill the vacuum

 

Habits of Highly Effective People

• Think Win – Win (I win You win)
• They keep the end in mind – Work from within your circle of influence
• Sharpen their saw
• Keep first things first
• Try to understand before they try to be understood
• Finding – Knowing you voice – helping others find theirs
• Synergise

 

Master the basic forms of communication

 

• Reading (receiving)
• Writing (sending)
• Listening (receiving)
• Speaking (sending)