More on Christian Leadership

 

A key spiritual qualification of a Christian leader is calling. When the church

ordains men to office it is not conferring upon them a call to office; nor is it

mystically empowering them with the gifts necessary to carry out their duties.

Rather, what the church is doing is confirming what they believe God has told

them about this individual: he is called to this position in the church. We can

read a description of just such a situation in Acts 6:1-6. What do we see here?

·  There was a need. The Apostles could not do all the teaching and preaching and still have time to take care of these physical needs. So they sought help. (This reminds me of the advice given Moses by his father-in-law, Jethro in Exodus 18:14-23. He told him that he needed spiritually qualified help to carry on the work God had give him).

·  They sought men who were known to be full of the spirit and wisdom. In other words, these were Christian men. They were called to this particular task because they were Christians – or stated another way they were called to this particular task by virtue of their obvious Christian character.

·  They were not the Apostles.  This is important. These were guys from the pews.

Now, I am well aware that there are different kinds of gifts; different levels of leadership. Not all in the church will be elders or teachers. But, the Apostle Paul directed his Epistle to the Romans to members of the congregations in Rome,

including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:6-7)

Later, in chapter eight, Paul writes, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (8:28).

In 1st Corinthians, Paul reminds his brothers to, "...consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth." (1:26).

Then, in the Epistle to the Galatians, this same Paul writes, "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." (Galatians 5:13)

There are many others verses on calling, but I think that last one is a clincher. You were called. You’re a Christian, a saint. What’s your job? Service to God through service to man. What’s that called: Leadership!

Now look at 1 Peter 4:10. This says that if you are a Christian you have been given gifts. What are you going to do with them? Since we know that you have gifts and we know that they came from God, shouldn’t we all be seeking to develop those gifts and offering them to the family, the church and/or the community?

Now again, we know that we have been called by God and we know that He gives us gifts so that we can carry out the duties of our calling. Now hear this:  “God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:29.)

More to come on this topic. Again, I ask, "what do you think about this topic?"

Playing Fair

Last month it was “March Madness” time in the USA. For non-American readers, this is the time for the national university basketball championship tournament. (Which this year, actually ends in a few days from now - 8 April). It’s a very big deal. I have had the opportunity to watch some of the games thanks to modern technology. There were some big upsets in the early rounds. It was all very exciting.

Sport is not the only source of competition at the university level, however. There are musical contests and various forensics and academic titles to be sought and won. Competition is no less fierce than on the court or the ice or the field. One such competition is called the National Academic Quiz Tournament (NAQT)   

On the same day I read of a small university from Florida overcoming basketball giant Georgetown University, I also read of a scandal at the NAQT.  Harvard University, that current bastion of (American-style) liberalism, was stripped of four academic tournament titles because it cheated.

J.K. Trotter of the Atlantic Wire writes,

Quiz bowls aren't really known for attracting cheaters — the 2006 British hit Starter for 10 excluded — but, as recent history suggests, if there's a way to cheat, a Harvard student will find it. According to a "security update" posted earlier this week by the National Academic Quiz Tournaments, LLC (which holds and judges quiz bowl tournaments), Harvard's quiz bowl team will be stripped of four quiz bowl championship titles after the company caught four students on Harvard's team illicitly accessing official quiz questions before the tournaments were held.

Harvard University is the oldest university in the United States, having been founded in 1636. It was founded by ministers, to fill a need for trained ministers of religion. How the high have been brought low.

It’s in this small space now, that I should attempt to answer the question, “why do people cheat?”. Forget it. That’s a much-too-complex question for this blog (or this mind). But, I will say this, it’s a basic sin-issue. Yes, man is sinful. He has desires, which he (she) often allows free reign.

James, the brother of Jesus, has much to say on this topic in his epistle. In the first chapter he writes:

12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (ESV)

verses 14 and 15 are pretty straightforward. You want stuff, including athletic trophies and academic titles, so you will be willing to sin to get them.

James goes on to set the matter even straighter in chapter four, where he states What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. (vv. 1-3, ESV).

You are willing to go to any lengths to get what you want. You will even murder.

Cheating is rife in academic institutions the world around. Even the military academies regularly catch cadets and midshipmen being dishonest in their academic pursuits. Cheating is commonplace in relationships. The most broken promise ever made is the wedding vow.

So, does James offer any solutions to this problem of sin and cheating, passion and murder? He does, but it’s not exactly a magic potion. Sin will continue to exist until the end of time (a subject we will NOT be looking into here). James writes:  "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, (AD)that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." (Chapter 5, verse 16).

Prayer is the answer. Sounds simplistic, perhaps, but it is the answer. Prayer and repentance will turn around the most vile of sinners. Will it clean up the world as we know it? Maybe to some extent, but we will still live in a sinful world. The Apostle Paul completed the though, in a sense, when he wrote to Titus.

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Titus 2:11-14, ESV.

The answer is Jesus. We don’t need to cheat to get this answer. It’s plain for all to see and comprehend.