Who Me A Leader

Who Me? A Leader? (Joshua 1:1-15) We can lead when God calls us God takes the initiative. (John 15:16) God speaks to His own (Josh. 1:1) The phrase “The Lord spoke (or spake)” occurs 144 times in the Bible. The phrase “Jesus said” occurs and additional 65 times. Joshua was taking on a new and heavy responsibility. He was now the leader of the children of Israel. There were over 600,000 fighting men plus their families, probably 2 million or more. God uses every experience in our lives to prepare us to lead later. God will never lead you to a position of leadership without giving you the necessary resources to accomplish what He’s asked you to do. He gave Moses a staff. He gave David a sling. More importantly ,if God calls you and you follow His direction, He will be with you, He will not leave you or forsake you (Josh. 1:5, 9; Deut. 31:6-8; Isa. 41:10-14; 43:2-5; Heb. 13:5) From this assurance we can take comfort and find courage and confidence (Josh. 1:6-9; 2 Chron. 32:7-8) Acting in faith means taking God at His Word and acting accordingly Like Joshua, when given clear direction, we must act on it without fear, hesitation or excuse (Josh. 1:10-11) We must be willing to “cross-over” (Josh. 1:14), leaving behind apparent comfort and security for greater challenges and greater rewards (Given by God’s Own Hand – Josh. 1: 11 &15), in accord with His purposes and for His glory. In doing so, we will find “rest” (nuwach {noo'-akh} Heb., a quiet place to settle down, our inheritance and freedom from oppression) (Deut. 12:10; 25:19; Josh. 21:44;23:1; 2 Sam. 7:1, 11; Ps. 95:11; Heb. 3 & 4) Following God’s direction requires daily focusing on it (His Word) (Josh. 1:7-8; Deut. 5:32; 12:32)

From time to time, God’s people experience a vacuum in leadership (like maybe now) Do you believe that God is calling you into a position of leadership now? Even if you don’t feel called to a position of leadership yourself, encourage (and do not discourage) those who do. Every leader experiences discouragement at times God chooses leaders according to a different set of criteria then men do God raises up leaders from among the humble (1 Sam. 2:7; Job 5:11) What are some characters of our political leaders? (Wealthy, Well-educated, Politically or Economically “Connected”, Self-Promoting, Charismatic) As humans, we often tend to be resistant to change (inertia, Gk.: resistance to movement or change ) We need God-chosen leaders. God-chosen leaders succeed because they respond to his call, trust in His promises and His presence Characteristics of a Christian Leader Visionary/Inspiring (In the sense that he is in tune with God’s eternal plan/purposes – 1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22) (Prov. 29:18, Hab. 2:2-3) Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested and jailed on many occasions in his struggle for equal rights for African Americans. He was stoned, stabbed and beaten. They bombed his home; threatened his life and his family, but he never wavered. In fact, his vision and determination increased rather than waned. The evening before his assassination in Memphis, he told a crowd: “I don’t know what will happen to me now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter to me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. I won’t mind. Like anybody else, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. So I’m happy tonight. . . I’m not fearing any man. ‘Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.’” Having a spiritual foundation in prayer and in God’s Word Energized/Courageous/Bold/”Frontline Actor” Giving Clear Guidance (Josh. 1:10-11) (Consistent with God’s Word)

Servants guide people, not drive them. Servants lead from love, not domination. Loyal/Diligent/Committed/Persistent/Enduring Henry and Richard Blackaby in their book “Called to be God’s Leader,” tell about a young man forced to abandon his military career in disgrace. For seven years he failed in several business attempts. He faced bankruptcy on several occasions. He even was forced to sell his pocket watch, his only remaining valuable, to provide Christmas gifts for his impoverished family. He had to sell firewood on street corners to make ends meet. When a friend who knew him in better days asked him why he was selling firewood, he replied, “I am solving the problem of poverty.” When war broke out his application to join the army was rejected. He finally took a job of selling bread to the army as a way to serve the army. The young man was an unlikely candidate to actually become the leader to lead the Union army to victory during the Civil War and at the age of 46 became the youngest man to be elected president of the United States. His name was Ulysses S. Grant. Honest/Credible/Demonstrating Integrity/Self-Disciplined/Good Example The Apostle Paul said, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1; See also 1 Pe. 5:3). Craig Weatherup, CEO and Chairman of PepsiCo, says, “People will tolerate honest mistakes, but if you violate their trust you will find it very difficult to ever regain their confidence. That is one reason that you need to treat trust as your most precious asset. You may fool your boss but you can never fool your colleagues or subordinates.” In other words, you have to lead yourself before you can lead others. Honesty Builds/Maintains Trust Fosters Community Makes Communication more Efficient & Effective Demonstrates Respect for the Dignity of Others 3;

Some scriptural references regarding honesty in business: (Ex. 22:10; 23:1– Lev.19:11–12, 35-36; Deut. 25:13–16; Prov.6:16-19, 11:1; 12:17-19 & 22; Eph.4:25) To have integrity is to courageously hold to what is right and true without compromise, to stand undivided, consistent, immovable, to be consistent in both heart and action, word and deed. (see 1 Thess. 2:2) (Synonyms/Related Terms: Honesty, Uprightness, Principled, Complete, Morally Sound) (Opposite: hypocrisy, Mark 7:6, Matt. 23:25-28)

Integrity draws people to you because they believe they can trust you. Integrity brings peace (i.e. a clear conscience) Mark the perfect man (Hebrew Word: Tam = Man of Integrity), and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.(Ps. 37:37) (see also 1 Kings 9:4) Relational/Connected to the Body (Not Distant)/Capable of Community Building Servants lead out of relationships, not by coercion. Humble Servant (Not Arrogant)/Self-Sacrificing (Not-Self Serving or SelfPromoting)/Committed to the welfare and growth of others (Matt. 20:25-27) Paul’s words apply here. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! “(Phil 2:3-8) Dwight L. Moody once said, “The measure of a man is not how many servants he has, but how many men he serves.” Servants lead by developing others, not by doing all the ministry themselves. Servants seek growth, not position. John R. W. Stott says in his book The Cross of Christ that our world “(and even the church) is full of Jameses and Johns, go-getters and status-seekers, hungry for honor and prestige, measuring life by achievements, and everlastingly dreaming of success . . .” David Garland says in the NIV Application Commentary, “One need not look far to see preachers who do not preach to reach the people but preach to reach the top, to become ecclesiastical superstars. They see discipleship to Jesus in terms of rank and privilege. They assume that Jesus is someone who will achieve things for them and give them the status of the lords.” Loving/Encouraging/Compassionate/Empathetic Servants lead by support, not by control. Compassion: Sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it (Webster’s) Racham (Heb.) - compassion, mercy, pity, care, tender love as a mother for the fruit of her womb (see Isa. 46:3)

Involves awareness, feeling and action (Matt. 25:34-40) Respectful to all/Recognizing the inherent value and dignity of every person as being created in the image of God Respect: To give particular attention to, show consideration for, or hold in high or special regard (Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary, 10th Edition) “Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up.” - Jesse Jackson, American political activist and preacher Accountable/Good Steward responsibility a to cannot be kept. such as the from their

Responsibility/Accountability/Reliability: Christian leaders take for their own actions/failures and those of their “flock”. This involves commitment to competent quality performance and it implies fidelity promises and other commitments and not making promises that It also calls for acknowledgment of implicit commitments, protection of confidences. They also demand accountability subordinates (see Josh 1:12-15).