LEADERSHIP: HOW DO YOU RATE?
Many have leaders who they call “great.” Maybe it’s a pastor, politician, famous ministry developer, life coach, or possibly it’s someone they know personally, like a boss, ministry teacher, or friend. Four out of ten people you meet daily are involved in leadership in one capacity or another—a mother, father, pastor, or corporate leader. However, simply having the responsibility of a leader doesn’t necessarily make that person an effective leader, let alone a person having the spiritual gift of leadership.
Can you imagine the cost Israel would have undertaken if Nehemiah had wavered in his leadership? The price tag would be that Jerusalem would not have been prepared for the arrival of the King of kings.
While leadership is a gift from the Lord, all those in leadership positions need to learn Nehemiah’s model. With a little study, humility, and hard work, all those in a leadership role can learn to lead effectively.
LEADERS EXPECT PERFORMANCE
Even though indwelt believers are not to emphasize performance, the responsibility of carrying out the leadership tasks assigned to each is imperative—gifted or not. Quality leadership starts with quality submission; any assigned tasks by an authority figure must be considered top priority and completed as your primary objective. Always remember that if an authority figure gives you a task, you are a part of their leadership team. All leaders are, or should be, under authority themselves and should be guided and directed by the original mandate given by the highest authority. Nehemiah was under the authority of the king, who permitted him to take on this task, and more significantly, he was under the orders of God the Father.
“Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God” (Romans 13:1).
God is the origin of power and the Supreme Source of earthly established authoritative positions. It is His job to delegate authority and tasks to whomsoever He determines and wills. Ironically, the earthly governors themselves may not be of God or indwelt by His Son in most cases, so this is where our greatest leadership challenge lies—at the feet of all forms of government.
FLOW OF AUTHORITATIVE ORDERS
In God’s structure and system of functioning authority from Heaven downward, He is the one who delivers the orders; He gives the orders to Jesus Christ, and since Jesus is 100% obedient to His Father’s plans and requests, He passes them down to the Holy Spirit. Now, if we are believers in Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to indwell us, so the third element of these orders manifests in the minds of true indwelt believers. We can be guaranteed that God the Son and the Holy Spirit will be 100% responsible for fulfilling God the Father’s mandates and orders. The question then becomes, what happens when indwelt believers do not listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and carry out the plans of God the Father?
In the original structure of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all are in harmony, but if the indwelt believer rebels or pulls away from this structure, there will be no rebuilding in the sphere God has them influencing. It is a complex idea to many people when it is very simple. Those under authority, which is everyone, should simply carry out the orders given to them without hesitation. Listen to the full podcast…
Narrator | Dr. Stephen Phinney
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Nehemiah: 18 Leadership Qualities