HoHum:
“Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes”- Jim Carrey. What is being said here is that arrogance has no place in leadership, even more so in spiritual leadership
WBTU:
In 2 Corinthians, Paul defends his qualifications as a leader. He set some standards that we can still use today to measure the people in leadership- even measure our spiritual leaders. Better still, we ourselves ought to measure up to those standards in our own leadership roles in our home, church, school or business.
Thesis: A standard for leadership
For instances:
Integrity- 2 Corinthians 1:12
Three words in this verse outline what integrity is.
Conscience- Paul often said that he had a clear conscience. Conscience is the inner voice that approves when we do right and accuses when we do wrong. To be reliable, the conscience must be properly programmed and obeyed (let the Word program our conscience). If we obey the conscience, Paul said that his conscience testified that he had conducted himself properly. Paul could withstand any criticism or evaluation because he walked his talk.
Holiness- Here this means being different from the world, being separate from the sins of the world. Unreasonable to expect leaders to be perfect, but we do have a right to expect the general direction of their lives to be different from the direction of the world.
Sincere- The word sincere comes from a Latin word meaning “without wax.” The Greek variation means “sun tested.” In those days artisans made porcelain vases that were expensive. Sometimes, when a vase was heated in the kiln, it would crack. Dishonest merchants would pour white wax over the cracks, which would hide the flaws unless the vase were held up to the sunlight. When sincerity flows from our lives, there is no deception. There is no embellishing the truth for personal advantage. When the Son of God shines through and tests our lives, the absence of cracks will guarantee the presence of truth.
Bobby Jones was playing golf in an important tournament. His ball was in the rough. As he was surveying the ball, his club head hit a twig that moved the ball. He turned and said to his caddy, “I moved the ball; count that a penalty stroke.” The caddy said, “Oh, Mr. Jones, I didn’t see it; nobody else did, either.” “I saw it,” Jones said. “That’s enough.” That’s integrity, a clear conscience that results in right living. There are still people of integrity in this world. They may not have the most charisma and they may not be the most self promoting, but we must search them out and put them in positions of leadership.
Clarity
Political correctness is ruining us. In our society, we chose words, not to increase clarity, but to make sure that we make everyone feel good, not to offend anyone. Reading or listening to some people, we begin to think, “What are they talking about?” or “I have no idea where they stand?” Written communication can even be worse where a person can take out a thesaurus and make things as clear as mud. “For we do not write to you anything you cannot read or understand.” 2 Corinthians 1:13, NIV. Many are hiding behind language and fancy words to be vague or deceptive. The same kind of duplicity takes place in Christian circles, where church leaders use terms they don’t mean. They talk about the Word of God, when in reality they don’t believe all the Bible to be the Word of God. They talk about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, but the don’t believe in the bodily resurrection- they just mean that Jesus’ memory or His teachings live on. Some cults speak of Jesus as the “son of God,” but they don’t mean that He is God in the flesh; they mean He’s a son of God the way we all can be sons of God.
Leaders worth following state their positions clearly. Need to ask, What does a person need to do to be saved? What is your belief about baptism? What is your stance on abortion? What about homosexual rights? What do you believe about the reliability and authority of the Bible? What do you value? What should this church be doing to make a difference? How much do you give to the church and other Kingdom causes? Describe your time in personal Bible study and prayer. What do you believe is doctrine or things you will not bend or change? What do you believe is opinion or things that are unimportant? Might not like the answers that some people give but how refreshing to be able to say, “I disagree, but at least I know where he/ stands.” Bad to say of a leader, “I never know what he believes or where she stands.” Scripture says we need to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), but we need to speak the truth, and the truth is seldom vague.
Transparency
There should be an unashamed openness about a leader. Paul was being criticized by some of his enemies for changing his plans. He said in 1 Corinthians that he would stop by Corinth and visit with them on his way to Macedonia, and then stop by on the way back home and see them a second time. Things changed and this resulted in a change of travel plans, but it appeared on the surface that Paul was unreliable. I have to change my plans sometimes so Davon is unreliable. Sometimes plans have to be changed. Read 2 Corinthians 1:15-18
Bob Russell- I had a high school teacher who would make spelling errors on the chalkboard. We’d say, “Miss McCabe, you misspelled such and such.” She’d say, “I know. I just wanted to make sure you were watching.” A good leader is open about mistakes. There’s always a temptation to try to cover over and appear to be infallible. In reality, people are much more supportive of transparency than they are of perfection.
At times we have to admit we don’t see the future clearly. We try to tell the truth, but sometimes circumstances change and we turn out to be wrong. People can accept mistakes if they feel their leaders are being honest. What people despise is being lied to. They resent the kind of pride that refuses to admit mistakes.
Humility
For spiritual leader, humility means dependence on Christ and not on himself. Paul admitted that he changed his mind, but he pointed to Christ as the only one whose promises are completely reliable. Read 2 Corinthians 1:19-20. Paul admitted he sometimes said one thing and did another because he couldn’t see the future. Not the case with Jesus. Jesus sees the future. When He makes a promise, we can write it down as being fulfilled. He never fails. 2 Cor 1:21-22
If I buy a suit and put a 50 dollar deposit on it, that means I’m going to come and pick it up after it’s altered. When we became a Christian (baptized), God put a deposit on us, His Holy Spirit, which means when Christ returns, He’s going to take us with Him. Write this down as being fulfilled because Christ’s promises are firm.
A spiritual leader should exalt Christ and not himself. In our society leaders are expected to promote themselves, but even they ought to have enough humility to acknowledge they don’t have all the answers. Abraham Lincoln once said, “I’ve been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that I had no place else to go.” Beware of the leader who has all the answers. Nobody does except Christ. Spiritual leaders are here to promote Jesus. When John the Baptist saw some of his followers going after Jesus, John said, “He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30, NIV. That should be the slogan of spiritual leaders.
Sensitivity
One of the most important ingredients in leadership is relating to people. “But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:3, NIV.
A sensitive leader is perceptive- Perceptiveness is the ability to see life from another perspective. It’s the ability to see the big picture. Paul was perceptive about the feelings of the Corinthians. “I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.” 2 Corinthians 1:23, NIV. The Corinthians were out of line and Paul did several things to correct the situation. Paul did not want to make another “painful visit” 2:1 to them because it would not accomplish anything but to hurt them more deeply. Paul was tough but also tender. How sensitive are we to the feelings of people around us? All around us, every day, are people who need understanding. All around us are people who hurt. “Why are they acting this way?” If we are not perceptive, if we don’t look beneath the surface, we’re not going to anticipate their feelings or be responsive to their needs.
A sensitive leader treats associates with respect- A real test of our sensitivity is how we treat people who are under our authority. Just about all of us are in positions of leadership at one time or another. When we are in a position of leadership, how do we treat those under us? Paul had authority over the Corinthians spiritually. An apostle who founded the church there. Notice this- “Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.” 2 Corinthians 1:24, NIV. Because Paul tempered his authority with sensitivity, little people sometimes took advantage of him and didn’t respect him. But mature people, who knew Paul the best, loved him and served him with joy. Usually the people who have the most trouble with authority are people who are the least accustomed to having it. General Pershing lit a cigarette during a blackout in WW1. A corporal barked, “Put out that light!” Then he saw it was General Pershing and apologized. Pershing put out the cigarette, patted the corporal on the back and said, “That’s all right son. Just be glad I wasn’t a lieutenant!”
A sensitive leader openly expresses affection- Paul expressed his love in 3 ways
Admitted his vulnerability- 2 Corinthians 2:1-2. A lesser person would say, “If you don’t like what I’m telling you, then good riddance. I can do without you.” Paul said he didn’t want to alienate them because he needed them. 2 Corinthians 2:3 (“I wrote as I did so that when I came I should not be distressed by those who ought to make me rejoice) Paul is saying, “You can make me rejoice, or to make me distressed. I’m vulnerable.” Jesus was not ashamed to admit how he felt. He stood outside Jerusalem and wept. He basically said, “I wanted you to come to me, but you wouldn’t.” He wept at the tomb of Lazarus because he cared. He was so vulnerable that He was crucified by the very people He loved.
Practiced affirmation-“I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy.” 2 Corinthians 2:3, NIV. Short phrase but important- Paul had gone through all kinds of trouble with these people, but still he said he had confidence in them that they would do better. Importance of affirmation, positive reinforcement. If tell someone they are going screw up, good chance they will. Tell them that they will do better and good chance they will.
Told them he loved them. 2 Corinthians 2:4- Many ways to express love but we need to say it too. How long has it been since we said I love you to our spouse, parents, grandparents, children. Jesus says that he loves us-“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:12, 13, NIV. Jesus not only said it but he demonstrated it by going to the cross.
This is why he is worthy of our total allegiance. “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1, NIV.
