602 spiritual leadership: section 10 - the leaders pitfalls and problems (part 1)

8/3/2019 602 Spiritual Leadership: Section 10 - The Leaders Pitfalls and Problems (Part 1)

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Group Activity: Create a one-

page visual summary of the

leaders pitfalls.

Studychapter 10-

11 in BlackabyStudychapters 20-22 in Sanders


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REPRODUCING

LEADERS

J. Oswald Sanders,Spiritual Leadership,Chapter 20


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2 Tim 2:2And the things

ou have heard me say in the

resence of many witnessesentrust to reliable people

who will also be qualified to

teach others.


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If a leader is to fully carry outthe trust the Lord has given him

then he has to train and develop

leaders who will succeed and

possibly supersede him.

Barnabas is seen positively when

Paul, his protege, goes on beyond

him and becomes the dominantteam member.


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As a team leader would yoube prepared to offer

opportunities for those youlead to exercise and developtheir abilities?Would you give youngpeople the chance to feel theburden of leadership, totake initiative and to make

the final decision insituations?Will you give full credit andlet them make mistakes?


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One Asian said of Western missionaries,

Today they should be less of a performerand more of a trainer.

However training leaders is a delicate task.

Bishop Stephen Neill commented,


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If we set out to produce a race of leaders, what we

shall succeed in doing is probably to produce a race of

restless, ambitious and discontented intellectuals. To

tell a man he is called to be a leader is the best way of

ensuring his spiritual ruin, since in the Christian

world ambition is more deadly than any other sin,and if yielded to, makes a man unprofitable in the

ministry. The most important thing today is the

spiritual, rather than the intellectual, quality of those

indigenous [Neill's life work was training national

missionaries] Christians who are called to bear

responsibility in the younger churches.


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Leslie Newbigin questioned

whether it was good to use theword leadership in Christian

circles as it had bad connotations

with the non-Christian world. He

suggested saints and servants

were needed not leaders -

forget service and the whole are

of leadership is dangerous.We must follow the example of

esus with the 12.


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Perhaps the most strategic and

fruitful work of modern

missionaries is to help leaders of

tomorrow develop their spiritual

potential. This task requires carefulthought, wise planning, endlesspatience, and genuine Christian

love. It cannot be haphazard or ill-conceived. Our Lord devoted thegreater part of His three years of

ministry to molding the characters

and spirits of His disciples.


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Paul trained Timothy for the

church in Ephesus - his method is

instructive.

Timothy was about 20 when

Paul became his friend - he

tended to melancholy, and wastoo tolerant of and partial to

people of rank. He could be

irritable with opponents. He wasapt to rely on old spiritual

experiences rather than kindle

the flame of daily devotion.


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But Paul had high hopes

for him and set about

correcting his timid nature,

to replace softness with

steel. Paul led Timothy toexperiences and hardships

that toughened his

character.Paul did nothesitate to assign him tasks

beyond his present powers.


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Traveling with Paul broughtTimothy into contact with men of

stature and character.He learned tomeet triumphantly the crises thatPaul considered routine. Paulshared with Timothy the work ofpreaching. Paul gave him theresponsibility of establishing a groupof Christians at Thessalonica.Paul's exacting standards, highexpectations, and heavy demandsbrought out the best in Timothy,saving him from mediocrity.


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Paul Rees describes the experienceof Douglas Hyde, one-time

Communist but later a convert toChrist, as recorded in Hyde's book,Dedication and LeadershipTechniques:one story connectedwith his Communist years - involvesa young man who came to Hydeand announced that he wanted tobe made into a leader. "I thought, Ihad never seen anyone look less likea leader in my life. He was short,grotesquely fat, with a great, flabby,wide uninteresting face...


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...He had a cast in one eye,and spoke with a most

distressing stutter."What happened?Well,instead of turning him awayas a hopeless prospect, Hydegave him a chance - a chanceto study, to learn, to test hisdedication, to smooth out his

stutter.

In the end he becamea leader in one of the mostCommunist-infiltrated labourunions in Britain.


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Frank Buchman, founder of Moral Rearmament,displayed many leadership gifts. He claimed thatif he failed to train others to do his work betterthan he did it, he had failed. For many years,he worked to make himself dispensable, arare agenda for a founder.


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Developing leaders, for thedevelopment of new churches will

greatly depend on the spiritual caliberof the local Christians. Once thepioneer stage in any field has passed,the training of leadership should take

high priority.Always allow room for the unusualperson. God has His "irregulars,"many of them have made outstanding

contributions to world evangelization- these cannot be measured byordinary standards or made toconform to any fixed pattern.


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Leadership training cannot bedone on a mass scale. Itrequires patient, carefulinstruction and prayerful,personal guidance over aconsiderable time. "Disciplesare not manufacturedwholesale. They are producedone by one, because someone

has taken the pains todiscipline, to instruct andenlighten, to nurture and trainone that is younger."


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PERILS OF

LEADERSHIP

J. Oswald Sanders,Spiritual Leadership,Chapter 21


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so that after I havepreached to others, I myself

will not be disqualified forthe prize.1 Corinthians 9:27The perils of the spiritual leader

are subtle. He is by no meansimmune to the temptations ofthe flesh, but the dangers most tobe guarded against lie in the

realm of the spirit. Satan willtake advantage of every inch ofground he concedes in any areaof his life.


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1. PRIDE

Pride is a sin that makes God takesecond seat in our lives - Rising inposition means an increased

temptation to become proud.the Lord detests all the proud of heart.Prov 16:53 Tests help us identify pride:

The Test of Precedence: Howdo we react when another isselected or promoted, when theirgifts seem greater?


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The Test of Sincerity: Do yourealistically know your weaknesses and

faults? How do you respond whenothers identify them?The Test of Criticism: How do we

respond to our critics - do you resentthe comment and justify yourself ?Of the myriad forms that sin assumes, noneis more abhorrent than spiritual pride. To be

proud of spiritual gifts that God has bestowedor of the position to which His love and gracehave elevated us, is to forget that grace is a

gift, and that all we have has been received.


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2. EGOTISM

This is the practice of thinking

or speaking of ones self ratherthan to God, magnifying your

own achievements not Gods.

Do I reflect the ugliness ofegotism or the transfigured glory

of Christ the Lord?


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Robert Louis Stevenson told the

story of a Muslim veiled prophetwho was a great teacher and light

among the people of his day. He

wore a veil, he said, because hiscountenance was so glorious

none could bear the sight of his

face. But, eventually the veildecayed and fell away revealing

nothing but an ugly old man.


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Stevenson stressed that, however high the truths

the preacher taught, and however skillful he

might excuse the blemishes of his character, thetime comes when the veil falls away, and a man

is seen by people as he really is.


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3. JEALOUSY

Describing the leader who is

envious of rivals.

Are you jealous of others whodo things better than you - are

you unable to avoid being

critical of others who are at the

same level as you?

Gods work in others is to be

encouraged, not snuffed out.


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Num11:27-29A young man ran and told Moses,

Eldad and Medad are prophesyingin the camp.oshua son of Nun, who had been

Moses aide since youth, spoke upand said, Moses, my lord, stopthem!But Moses replied, Are you jealous

or my sake? I wish that all theLORDs people were prophets andthat the LORD would put his Spiriton them!


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4. POPULARITY

Most leaders like to be wellspoken of - it is not a great

testimony if all speak badly ofyou!esus said Woe onto you when

all men speak well of you.

It is tempting for spiritualleaders to build a personalitycult - Paul saw this danger atCorinth 1Cor 3:7


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We should esteem leaders for

their work and ministry - but becareful not to adore them.

Leaders can be appreciated but

not idolized.

Any fervor or loyalty people

might have for the leader

should be fastened to Jesus

Popularity is the mostdangerous spiritual stateIt

leads to easy to pride.


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Bishop Stephen Neill said, in

an address to theological

students, "Popularity is the most

dangerous spiritual state imaginable,

since it leads on so easily to thespiritual pride which drowns men in

perdition. It is a symptom to be

watched with anxiety since so often it

has been purchased at the too heavy

price of compromise with the world."


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The dangers of popularity andsuccess were constantly before

Spurgeon in his ministry.Success exposes a man to the pressure ofpeople and thus tempts him to hold on tohis gains by means of fleshly methods and

practices, and to let himself be ruled whollyby the dictatorial demands of incessantexpansion. Success can go to my head, andwill unless I remember that it is God who

accomplishes the work, that He cancontinue to do so without my help, and thatHe will be able to make out with othermeans whenever He cuts me down to size.


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5. INFALLIBILITY

Spirituality does not

guarantee infallible

judgementthe Spirit filled personis less likely to make mistakes but

perfection eludes us all

There is a belief that a senior

discerning leader cant be wrong.

Remember even the apostles

made mistakes!


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Leaders are people of prayerand seeking God - sometimes

this brings an inability to admitthe potential to make mistakes.- Leaders must have strength &decisiveness But be willing toconcede when they are wrong- Deferring to others judgementis a sign of strength and will

win allies.- Followers lose confidenceleaders who believe themselvesto be infallible.


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6. INDISPENSABILITY

Many Christian leaders cling to

authority longafter it should bepassed to younger.

Often this results in younger

people being held back, and

being given no chance to grow

and develop.


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On many occasions we find the ego of the leader

concerned is fed by some around them encouraging

them to think they are indispensable - this makes it evenharder for them to let go.

We become less objective about our work as we get

older.From your earliest days in a job it is good to be seeing

out potential successors.


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On many occasions we find the ego of the leader

concerned is fed by some around them encouraging

them to think they are indispensable - this makes it evenharder for them to let go.

We become less objective about our work as we get

older.From your earliest days in a job it is good to be seeing

out potential successors.


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7. ELATION ANDDEPRESSION

We all have days of joy anddisappointment - we have to becareful to get the balance rightbetween the two - discovering abalance of temperament throughhighs and lows is critical.

Luke 10:20Elijah was depressed after thebattle at Mount Carmel -1Kings 18


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God told him to have two good

sleeps and two good meals - then

the spiritual lessons began.His discouragement was baseless

- 7000 had not bowed to Baal,

and running away removed the

leadership the Israelites needed.

We have to face reality in

leadership:

- Not all our dreams will berealised

- people will disappoint us

- sickness will ha en


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- sacrifices will be thought of as

selfish gestures

- bad things happen!

All men of God face the

possibility of getting low when

things are not good.Learning to trust God when

things are difficult is imperative

for the spiritual leader.

If successful dont crow,

if defeated dont croak.

Samuel Chadwick


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8. PROPHET OR LEADER

Sanders talks about a preacherwith gifts of leadership who willcome to a fork in the path - doeshe follow the path of a popularleader or unpopular prophet?Often the roles overlap but

situations develop in which youhave to choose pastoralleadership or propheticdeclaration.


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If he seeks to be prophet and a leader,

is apt to make a failure of both.It was written of RA Torrey,The thousands who have heard Dr. Torreyknow the man and his message. He loves the

Bible, believing it to be the infallible Word ofGod, preaching it with the fervour of red-hotconviction.He never compromises.He has chosen to be a prophet of

God rather than a mere leader ofmen and that is the secret of hispower with God and men.


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10. DISQUALIFICATION

No, I strike a blow to my body andmake it my slave so that after I havepreached to others, I myself will notbe disqualified for the prize.1 Cor 9:27Paul was carefully concerned

with not beingdisqualified-Greek word meaning metalnot suitable for use as coins -below standard.


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Two aspects - what was preached

and use of his body.The body requires rigorous

self discipline to guardagainst sin.

Added to this bodily error werethe obvious doctrinal and ethicalerrors which might be entered

into.Paul exercised disciplinedmoderation in his body - do you?


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Are there any perils you succumb tomore readily than others?

Have you set up some accountabilityand prayer to help overcome suchthings?


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How do you feel about Pauls

concern over disqualification - howcan such thoughts help and hinder?

602 spiritual leadership: section 10 - the leaders pitfalls and problems (part 1)

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