Lesson 12 - Effective Spiritual Leadership
How to be an effective spiritual leader Spiritual Leadership begins at home. The most important place to be spiritual leader is at home. If one fails at home to be a spiritual leader, he will not be much of an effective spiritual leader anywhere else. (Notice I said `he'. That's because at home, the man is the spiritual leader. God says so and that's the way it is. That doesn't mean women cannot be leaders, but it does qualify some things. There are places for women in leadership in the body of Christ, (Thank God. Where would we be without some of the leadership women have served in.), but the Bible is clear that a woman should never usurp authority over a man. 1 Timothy 2: 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. This item will be clarified a little later as we progress in our study. Spiritual Leadership There are certain principles that must be understood by those who endeavor to engage in spiritual leadership. * You can only exercise leadership in areas that are yours to lead. You can only operate in your sphere of authority. You cannot lead in someone elses area of authority. That will ultimately lead to contention, confusion and division.(Contention = striving for control) Five conditions required to be a spiritual leader. 1. You must have followers. The first requirement is that someone is following you. (This is the easy part since most people are followers. This is also very dangerous, since leaders are accountable for their followers. Greater judgement is one of the hazards of leadership.) 2. You must be anointed and appointed by God to lead. There are much too many self-appointed leaders out there. You must be certain of a calling from God, and there must be some evidence of that calling and anointing. 3. Your leadership position must be recognized and sanctioned by those leaders who are over you. (If there is no one over you, you may be in over your head.) 4. You must show a submissive and cooperative spirit toward those over you. You must first be a good follower in order to be a good leader. 5. You must be humble. Your desire must be to serve rather than to be served; dto give rather than to receive honor. Your reason for serving as a leader must be for the good of others and not for your own self-gratification. Oddly, there are no special abilities necessarily required, but a calling from God. He will supply the abilities through the Holy Spirit as they are needed. God has used many with little ability. All He requires is that you be available and have the right spirit. Good leadership comes through fervent effort, strong reliance upon God, and diligent study (to show thyself approved). Spiritual Leadership begins at home Genesis 18:17-19 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. One of God's criteria for calling Abraham was that he was a good leader at home. This bears out in New Testament teaching concerning leaders. 1 Timothy 3:4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; So much of the education of our day is not founded on basic principles of Scripture, nor is it teaching or reinforcing Scriptural convictions. Instead, it is undermining the very foundation of Godly wisdom and character. Today, the main target of the New Age Movement effort is the Public Schools where they can most effectively re-educate our society in their perverse doctrines. The first step in establishing spiritual leadership is for men and women to take their rightful place in the structure God has established. Man, Take The Lead The time has come for fathers to reclaim the primary responsibility and the direction for teaching their own sons and daughters. The scriptural injunction is this: Deuteronomy 6:6-7 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Grandfathers are also included in this responsibility: (Deut 4:9) "...teach them to thy sons, and to thy sons sons." When the fathers and grandfathers start taking this task on, we will raise up the foundations of many Godly generations. God said, "I know Abraham, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep ;the way of the Lord." Dad, husband, God made you the leader of your home. It is the mans responsibility to see that his family is fed and clothed physically and spiritually. Men need to teach and exemplify good doctrine and behavior. How sad it is that some men can lead large corporations and businesses, or manage a number of employees, or be a great benefit to their employers, and yet, they cannot seem to effectively lead, manage and benefit their own families. I believe for too long we have had our priorities mixed up. It's time to make it right. The whole family, wife and kids, feel much more secure when a man assumes his responsible position of leadership in the home. No group will ever be any better than their leader. Men, whether you feel qualified or not, it's time to take up the reins of responsibility for our family's spiritual condition and progress. If the family goes to pieces or to hell, it is the man's responsibility. He is the one whom God will hold accountable, and he is the one who can bring it into proper position. 10 Scriptural Convictions Every Man Must Teach His Family (in order to protect them from the destructive influences of wrong desires, false philosophies, and evil companions.) 1. God alone is sovereign, and the Bible is His inspired Word and the final authourity for my life. 2. My purpose in life is to seek God with my whole heart and to build my goals around His priorities. 3. My body is the living temple of God and must not be defiled by the lusts of the world. 4. My church must teach the foundational truths of the Bible and reinforce my basic convictions. 5. My children and grandchildren belong to God, and it is my responsibility to teach them Scriptural principles, Godly character, and basic convictions. 6. My activities must never weaken the scriptural convictions of another Christian. 7. My marriage is a lifelong commitment to God and my marriage partners. 8. My money is a trust from God, and must be earned and managed according to scriptural principles, 9. My words of reproving, exhorting, restoring a Christian brother must in harmony with God’s Word. 10. My affections must be set on things above, not of this world. Woman, Take your place Ephesians 5:22-25 gives clear instruction on the relationships in the home between husband and wife and who should hold what position: Ephesians 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; The husband is to lead and love his wife in the same manner and to the same degree that Christ loved the church. Likewise, the wife is to honor and submit to the husbands leadership the same way the church is to Christ. The husband is to provide direction without being domineering. He is to be a provider and protector without being possessive. Most of all, he is to provide spiritual leadership. It requires a major effort for most men to initiate a spiritual activity in the home. Often, the slightest resistance or negative indication from the wife is enough to discourage him. Her highest calling is to be his helpmeet in this area. Here's how: 1. A Leader is made by a follower. The kind of follower God wants a wife to be is not one with blind obedience, but one with wise and Godly abilities. She will undergird and encourage his leadership even when it is not perfect. 2. A Leader is strengthened by respect. Scripture instructs a wife to reverence her husband. This is difficult when she observes major character weaknesses in him. God wants every wife to look beyond the human deficiencies of her husband and see that God has given him a position through which God will direct and bless. A woman needs to respect the God-ordained office of her husband even when his human responses do not measure up to it. The more a wife demonstrates her confidence that God is working through her husband, the more aware he will be of his scriptural position. The more a wife looks to her husband for direction, the more careful he will tend to be in his final decisions. 3. A Leader is motivated by a learner. Most men rise to leadership when a need is identified and brought to them. At this point many women make a serious mistake. They so not come to their husband with their questions and needs. If a wife has a question about a scripture passage, she will usually ask her pastor, a Bible teacher, or some other spiritual authority. Her reason for not going to her husband is because she knows or assumes he will not know the answer, or perhaps because he is not interested in spiritual things or is not saved. However, these excuse are not good reasons. The husband will likely never assume the responsibility until you lay it in his lap and give him the challenge and opportunity to do so. No husband can be a leader unless he has a follower. The wife who has more ability should work to make her husband more successful. By asking her husband for spiritual advice she will accomplish the following: 1. She would be looking to her husband and not to the pastor for primary spiritual guidance. (This can cause a competition in the husbands mind against the pastor.) It is better for them to consult the pastor together. 2. She would allow others to see that her husband was her spiritual leader. 3. She would encourage her husband to take the lead by saying, `I’m counting on you and no one else for my spiritual leadership." She would help him gain the confidence to become what God intended him to be. 4.She would strengthen her marriage, not weaken it. 5. She would prevent herself from becoming spiritually proud of her own Bible knowledge. (One man testifies that he had about decided to give up on being the spiritual leader of his family and give it to his wife. Then she began to ask him for spiritual advice. It put the pressure on him that he needed.) Remember the admonition in 1 Cor. 14:35 1 Corinthians 14:35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. Areas a wife may consider confiding in her husband about. Her feelings of: à Failing as a wife and mother à growing old à Ill health due to past sins à Social awkwardness à Educational deficiently à Future of the children à becoming unattractive à Insecurity if husband dies à Loss of husbands job à Physical safety when alone à Being displaced by another à Having a mental breakdown Why A Wife May React To Her Husband's Leadership Many times, a wife will want her husband to take the lead in their marriage, but at the same time she wants to lead him. These conflicting desires have their root in the Garden of Eden incident. A woman will only find her identity and fulfillment by carrying out the purposes for which God made her. God made the woman to be a helpmeet to her husband. When Adam and Eve sinned, he followed her lead. When the woman is leading the family, the man is not fulfilling his God-appointed position and trouble will come of it. Christ's willing submission to the Father is a demonstration to the wife how she should submit to her husband. His sacrificial giving of himself shows the husband how to be a loving leader to his wife. Personal Evaluation: à Have I purposed to be a follower of my husband? à Would my spouse and my children say that I respect my husband? à Have I sincerely communicated to my husband that I want him to be my spiritual guide? à Have I entered into Christ’s victory over the conflicting desire to control my husband.
Study Guide For "What The Bible Is All About"
by Henrietta Mears
Chapter 11 - Understanding Kings and Chronicles
1. The books of Kings covers ______ years and tells the story of __________________________________________________________________________ 2. What is the Southern Kingdom? ___________ The Northern Kingdom? ______________________ 3. Archeological expeditions are finding _________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 4. Who was the first prophet introduced at this time? _______________ 5. Who was God’s choice to succeed David as King? _______________. 6. Solomon’s reign was ___________ without _____________. Why? (1 Kings 11:4)_____________________________________________________________ 7. When God promised Solomon anything he wanted, what did he ask for? __________________________________ 8. What was the work that Solomon is known for? __________________________ 9. Solomon’s heart became filled with ______________, which became his downfall. 10. Solomon burdened the people with his work and corruption so that they became ________________ and _________________. 11. At the hand of Jeroboam, the Kingdom was ____________. But who was really behind it? ____________ 12. ________________ had been gnawing at the root of Israel’s life. 13. What is apostasy? ____________________________________________ 14. What tribes made up the Southern Kingdom? 15. What does Elijah’s name mean" ___________________________ 16. Name two great miracles that happened under Elijah’s ministry. _________________ and ______________________________________. 17. Elisha replace Elijah as Prophet. What was the difference in their ministries? Elijah ____________________________________ Elisha ____________________________________ 18. What is phrase is always associated with Jeroboam? __________ 19. What was the name of Solomon’s son who inherited his throne and lost the kingdom to division? _________________________ 20. What carried Israel, (Northern Kingdom) into captivity? ___________________________ 21. The history of Israel is a record of God’s dealings with _______________________. 22. How was Judah’s (Northern Kingdom) captivity different than I srael’s? _________________________________________________________ 23. How long was Judah in captivity? ________________ 24. What books of the Bible did Solomon write? ____________, _________________, ___________________. 25. Can you tell the difference between the records of Kings and Chronicles? _____________________________________________________ 26. 2 Chronicles is a book of ___________________.