TREE OF LIFE TEACHING MINISTRY
Pastor/Teacher, Maurice H. Sykes
LEADERSHIP
Once you recognize your spiritual gift, personal Leadership is required.
LEADER/Hodegos = "A Guide on the way" (a way that God reveals through the Word/Bible doctrine.) "A Teacher who shows the way."
SPIRITUAL TRUTH: LEADERS MUST BE LED!
Each of you, as believers, is a leader in your own right. Scripture calls us "Priests," 1 Peter 2:9; "Ambassadors," 2 Corinthians 5:20. Note this prayerfully: Leadership and Laity (all believers) must meet the same standards established by the Lord Jesus Christ. Leadership principles of God NEVER CHANGE! God's standards for qualification of church leaders: Joshua 1:8,9 & Acts 6:2-4.
Acts 6:3 "But select from among you, brethren, seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom..."
LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES---FROM GOD'S VIEWPOINT
SPIRITUAL TRUTH: Leaders learn that their SOURCE is God the Father, God the Word, and our Power-Source-In-Residence, God the Holy Spirit. God's grace is the source of the gift, 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, Philippians 2:13.
1. To effectively Lead, we must have direction from the Holy Spirit to serve in humility, having God's Power, 2 Chronicles 1:10-12.
2. The Leader learns that they are valuable to God, Ephesians 4:12.
3. The true Word-rooted Leader learns that only a small number of supporters will be there to assist, especially when times get rough. Exodus 17:12. Exercising Leadership is not convenient likewise the ministry is not convenient.
4. Leaders learn that neither education nor training or any other man-made qualification is the cause of the gift of Leadership. God's grace is what develops Leaders, 1 Corinthians 1:26-29.
5. Leadership recognizes that is must delegate authority cautiously to Word-rooted believers. Because absolute power corrupts---absolutely! This principle is seen in Matthew 18:20.
6. Leadership does not add weights on the backs of believers. Leadership finds ways to RELIEVE THE BURDENS! Matthew 11:28-30. Leadership on occasion, with wisdom, must allow "explosions" to occur, because God allows them, Romans 9:17, Isaiah 28.
7. Leadership learns that the TRUE battle in life is for the control of Christ's church! The evil that we see escalating has one agenda: to seize control of God's church by deception, distraction, destruction, Revelation 12:12 & John 10:10. Satan's time is short and he has escalated his assault on the church, Revelation 12:12.
8. Leadership recognizes "Goliath" and advances with speed. Why? Because the Lord Jesus Christ commanded us to deal with critical issues quickly. Matthew 5:25,26.
9. Leaders learn and trust what God has revealed: the Church needs Spirit-filled Christians who can be trusted to give Word-based advice. God reveals that it's only a remnant, the faithful few, the Pivot, who are used in winning spiritual battles, Judges 7:2-7 & Chapter 8. Carefully note that Proverbs 11:14 says: "In the multitude of counselors there is safety." God is NOT talking about people as counselors; He's referring to His Word or Bible doctrine. The point: leaders must study the Word of God Bible doctrine. Why? Because leaders must BE LED! John 7:17, Philippians 2:5,13.
10. Leadership must confront "Jerichos" and "Goliaths." Why? Because of a principle that the Lord Jesus Christ revealed when He was dealing with Adam and the Woman, in Grace...
WITHOUT CONFRONTATION, THERE IS NO RESOLUTION!
Genesis 3:9
Leadership must confront "Jerichos" because of this principle which the Lord Jesus Christ revealed with Adam and the Woman: without confrontation, there is no resolution. The Lord, in grace, came to Adam and the woman to confront the problem: they were in bondage to spiritual corruption. He confronted the issue and solved the problem---He gave Himself to humanity for their salvation. Neither Adam nor the woman could solve the great issue of being separated from God. Without the Lord Jesus Christ confronting the problem there could be no resolution.
You will note that in Genesis 3, the Lord did not punish them by letting them stew in the problem they created by their volitional decisions. He immediately came with the solution---looking for them. Why? Grace! God knows that humanity cannot solve its own problems. Human solutions cannot solve spiritual problems. Being separated from God is not a human problem; therefore there is no human solution. It's a spiritual matter that could only be resolved by God intervening in the lives of humanity.
Leadership understands that one of our greatest problems is our SELF-IMAGE. We cannot claim to be what we are not. Our only mission in this life, as The Church, The Body of Christ, is to glorify God by receiving and communicating His Word of Grace and Love. That's the key image that God has created for His Church. We are to be "Light" for a sick, corrupted, and dying world. We are to be "Rolling Thunder," an organism that has positive impact---invisible and visible. The church is, in effect, and explosion of Light. However, Light is most often rejected.
The church, according to the Word of God (Rev 3:1-6, Sardis) needs to be "reformed;" minds, hearts and behavior must all be changed. True reform comes RENOVATING OUR THOUGHT, yielding to the perfecting work of the Holy Spirit, Romans 12:2.
IN CONCLUSION: Leadership learns the great lesson of humility, to take offenses and still demonstrate virtue-love to the offenders. Leadership learns the following principle and keeps giving virtue love:
"AND I WILL VERY GLADLY SPEND AND BE SPENT FOR YOU; EVEN THOUGH THE MORE ABUNDANTLY I LOVE YOU, THE LESS I AM LOVED." 2 Corinthians 12:15
A comment on the Word of God and Church Polity. Administrative and organizational guidelines (church polity) are needed primarily for one reason: OUR HEARTS ARE OFTEN HARD TOWARD ONE-ANOTHER AND WE OFTEN REFUSE TO OBEY THE WORD OF GOD. WE OFTEN REFUSE TO COMPLY WITH GOD'S APPOINTED LEADERS. NOTE THIS - WE OFTEN DO NOT LOVE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!
If we truly loved the Lord, Polity (laws) would not be so critically needed. Polity was never designed to supersede the Word of God. We assume that this goes without saying, but just by observation we should see a very present danger: excessive and un-godly church rules cause conflict and distraction from our true mission as a church.
The great danger that most Christian organizations face is this: the more we focus on the laws, the further we are pulled away from the pure Word of God. Church unity occurs ONLY ONE WAY---BY THE WORD OF GOD, NOT THROUGH THE GUIDELINES WHICH ARE USED TO GOVERN US.
If we are a true Church Body, we must therefore accept God's plan. His instructions for the function of His church: the Word of God. Proverbs 8, Isaiah 8:20, John 6:63, John 7:17.
God spoke clearly to His congregation of believers: He commanded us to CONSIDER OUR WAYS, Haggai 1:5,7; and in Revelation 3:2, STRENGTHEN THE THINGS THAT REMAIN, THAT ARE ABOUT TO DIE.
GOD WANTS US TO WIN, DAILY! AND WE CAN.
---MHS
Dr. Sykes is the General Secretary of Education and Pastor/Teacher at St. Luke UAME Church, Camden, New Jersey.
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