The Seventh "C"

So we come to the end of our little excursion into a study of Christian leadership. We have looked at the topics 

• 1.  Calling
• 2.    Cost
• 3.    Commitment
• 4.    Confidentiality
• 5.    Communication
• 6.    Cooperation

Today we take a peak at the final C of the "Seven Cs of Christian Leadership": Completion.

We already pondered the concept of Commitment. When we say we will do a job, we should see to it that it is done, unless we are providentially hindered.  In 2 Corinthians 8:10-11, the Apostle Paul wrote, 

10 And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it.11So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. 

Paul wanted the Corinthians to finish the good work they had started. He also gave us the ultimate example of the need and desire to finish well. This is found in Philippians 1:3-6. 

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

4always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.6And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Here are just a couple of tips as to how to get this done.


Ask for help. I know we all like to think we can manage on our own, but sometimes we need help with our commitments, if we are going to carry them out. And when we ask for help we need to be able to let the other person or persons do what it is we asked. In other words, we need to be able to delegate - and trust those to whom we delegate. I love the advice Moses' Father-in-Law, Jethro, gives him in Exodus 18:13-18. 

13 The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening.

14 When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, "What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?"

15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God;

16 when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws."

17 Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good.

18 You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.

Sometimes a job, a committee, a program needs to carry on to completion, even if we are not there to do it. There are some things that we can all do to make sure the work of the Gospel is being carried on

Pass the baton. This is not the same as quitting. Sometimes, we just are not the one for that particular job. That doesn’t mean that God’s done with us and there is no job for us…. Consider Elijah and Elisha.

1 Kings 19:19. Elijah had been the Lord’s prophet. He had battled the prophets of Baal and the Lord had shown Himself through Elijah’s ministry. Now it was time for Elijah to leave. He was sent to find his replacement: Elisha, and he put his cloak over him. This was the mantle of leadership. But he didn’t just walk away.

1 Kings 19:21. He became Elijah’s attendant. He was working under him and learning from him. Elijah was passing on his knowledge and experience. We do not just say, “OK, I’m done,” and walk away. We need to train up the next generation of leadership, through hands-on apprenticeship. Bring them in; give them tasks; show them how to do the tasks; then ask them; As Elijah did:

"Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you."  (2 Kings 2:9).

Conclusion: Leadership is the job of all Christians. We all lead somebody, by word and/or deed. We have been called and we have been given gifts. 

As Paul wrote in Romans 11:29….

“God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.”

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?"