Time to get some work done?

Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

This is an amazing passage of scripture. We are God's handiwork, his masterpiece, created to do good works prepared in advance. What does it have to do with Leadership? A Christian leader should be constantly asking God to work on them. To develop them spiritually so that they mature in their faith and understanding of God. If you cannot put your own spiritual and character development first and your work for the kingdom second you will fail as a church leader.

Godly leadership encapsulates honesty and integrity that comes from consistency between  words and actions. Godly character should encompass a heart to serve, a relational outlook. A Godly leader must have vision, influence and motivational capabilities. Perfection is not an issue so much as coherence among these requirements that can enable a leader to shape a local church or Christian organisation for Godly purposes.

In the progress of redemption, God raises up and uses human leaders to accomplish his saving purposes. Those who are set forth in Scripture as Godly leaders exercise their powers under the authority of God’s holy word.

The first eleven chapters of Genesis describes God’s creation and covenant making with humankind. People were commanded to fill the earth and to welcome diversity. Instead they built the monumental city of Babel with a homogeneous society. With Abraham came a promise of blessing and a sense of call from God. Abraham became a leader, a patriarch to the nations and generations and a leader with a purpose. Abraham would pave the way for God to choose more leaders throughout the Old Testament that had purpose and Godly character. Although leader after leader, generation after generation these leaders would fail to glorify God in the way they were called to.

A new hope is found in the New Testament. Under the new covenant Jesus comes as the leader, the one promised by God. Jesus’ purpose of redemption was to restore the perfection of God’s purpose in creation.Jesus is the model of true leadership. Jesus’ life is so profound and so beyond our common experience that it must continually be examined.Jesus leads as a servant, relating to others, with influence and holiness.

So what characteristics of Jesus do you as a leader need God to do some work on?

Consider some of these principles...

1. Leaders  speak God’s word because they are steeped in it. My practice is to read about four chapters of the bible each day and to write in a journal what I perceive God is saying to me. Consequently when I speak and preach I can bring fresh bread to hungry people.
2. They are teachers and mentors worth emulating and their faith is an example to follow.
3. They carry authority in their very being through living a life of integrity, excellent character and high competency. Hence they deserve willing “obedience.” Serving such a leader is satisfying because they have the passion and skill to grow your leadership and your capacity.
4. They carry great responsibility; they keep watch and consider the big picture. They study trends and they monitor progress. They consider the whole of the organisation and how each part relates to the whole. They also, together with others in the organisation, decide what is to be done and what is to be left undone.
5. They are accountable. Perhaps more than others in the organisation they have to report on progress and account for their leadership and the health and productivity of the organisation.
6. Wise and fruitful leaders gain success through the people they mentor, release and empower in leadership. They surround themselves with people who complement their own strengths, and in other areas are smarter than they are. Hence they have inner security in Christ, excellent self-acceptance and deep humility.
7. They experience much joy in their leadership, because they are at the helm of a very effective organisation and, particularly through empowering others, they also have excellent life balance which creates a healthy culture throughout the organisation.

It's a big list and a lot of things to consider. If you're a leader I encourage you to consider each of these principles and ask yourself - Where do I need some work?

The heart is precisely what god observes and addresses in human beings. He cares little or nothing for outward show. He responds to the heart because it is, above all, who we are; who we choose and have chosen to be. What God wants of us can only come from there He respects the centrality of our will and will not override it. He seeks goldly character in us and for us, to fulfill the eternal destiny he has in mind for us.  (Dallas Willard: "Renovation of the Heart")

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