Barnabas Ministries UK

                                                 

Rev. E. Anderson

Presented to you is a Christian Leadership Course that is purposed to provoke many to embrace the call of Christ to leadership within His Church. The series will come in the form of a study each week, which will be in two parts thus covering two weeks over the site. My prayer and desire is that such will help many in the summons of Christ to serve Him in these tremendous days.

 

CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP COURSE

 

Study 9         CHARACTER IN CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP      (Part 1)

 

 

Reading     1 Timothy 4

 

Text           v16

 

This is possibly the chief factor that needs to be constantly addressed because it figures so much on the agenda in Christian leadership. The main failure that appertains in the matter of leadership in the Christian world can usually be traced to the failure of character. If there is one lesson that comes through over the past few decades within the Christian Church is the awful let down that the body of Christ has suffered because of weakness revealed especially on moral grounds relating to pride, sex and money in professing Christian leaders. It is something that requires strict and disciplined attention. It would seem that Satan and demonic forces have in their sights and procedures the determination to assail Christian leadership on the character issue because success here is a primary achievement and subsequently causes untold harm to the whole Christian community and dishonours Christ and His witness.

 

FUNDAMENTAL FOCUS: It has to be stated of character beyond all personal charisma and the possession of charismatic gifts is the actual possession and perfection. Pre-eminent and paramount should be the creation, development and achievement of a life and character that conforms to the divine standard and requirement. Gifts, skills, abilities and seeming outstanding outward success are meaningless without the foundation of life and character truly based in God and wrought out by Him. This is the principal thing that concerns Him and what He wants to see produced above all. Christ sought essentially to prime and train His first leaders in their character formation.

 

“His approach was: first depth, then breadth; first the men, then the methods. Actually, the four gospel records contain hardly anything concerning practical skills, or managerial techniques. Instead they show a constant primary concern for character, abundantly evidenced by the fact that Jesus’ chief themes are all character related, such as love, obedience faith, humility, forgiveness and prayerfulness.”          G. Krallman

                           

It is worthy of note that Christ gave primary commitment to this matter in His own personal life. He sought to safeguard His own nature and character so that He might achieve His ministry and mission. In no way would He surrender to carnal appetites or submit to any enticement of Satan or yield to self. He made a statement on one occasion that indicates His wholesome condition – John 14: 30. He said: “The prince of this world cometh and He hath nothing in Me.” “He has no hold on Me” – Moffat; “nothing in common with Me” TCNT; “no rights over Me.” NEB. This would certainly suggest that Christ had hold over Satan in every sense because of His character position and could exercise rights over him at all times.

 

It can be seen that character has to do with internal development which is seen and known by God and is sensed by the individual. We can neither hide from God or ourselves the true state of our inward life and motivation. This has to be true and right above all else. The honest and holy man pursues not for a reputation for the whole world to admire but a divine image and character that God approves and can bless.

 

“The measure of a man’s real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.”                                                                                         Macaulay

 

“Character is what a man is in the dark.”            Dwight L. Moody

 

When the Evil one has no strong hold on us from within he is powerless. He has nothing to establish a bridgehead where he can launch further action to our destruction. He is paralysed and incapable of effective onslaught. The converse is true: we are able to take action against him and all his evil enterprises. Success against the powers of sin and darkness is very much dependent upon the possession of a holy and wholesome character produced by God.

 

DIVINE PLAN AND WORKING: God esteems and puts His weight and worth on character and the fundamental thing He seeks to produce is a person of noble character so that He might exalt and use such effectively and successfully. It is foundational to all he will accomplish in and through an individual. This is evidenced in the calling and direction of the first man, Adam. God was deeply concerned and committed to the spiritual and moral making of his person. It was the primary thing in his schedule for him. This is His rule of procedure and sometimes it takes a long time for this to be effected and this has to be perfectly understood – e.g. Moses.

 

It is years ago when I was a Bible student that I heard Donald Gee say: “It takes a life-time to make a divine man and his ministry.” I did not fully grasp the significance of such an affirmation, but life and experience has shown me the truth of his words. Following on from this, I have discovered that a moment’s folly can ruin both as one observes the Church scene today.

 

“Character building begins in our infancy and continues until death.”       E. Roosevelt

 

Christ’s purpose on calling Peter was to make him of rock-like character. To make him a man with a ministry that possessed real spiritual substance. And no less obtains today. He sees what really makes a person function with true inspiration and influence and safeguards his life and whole future, now and eternally.

 

“Fame is vapour; popularity an accident; riches take wings.  Only one thing endures, and that is character.”                                                                                         Greeley

 

1/.   THE DANGERS CURRENT IN THE LACK OF DIVINE CHARACTER

 

“Not education but character is man’s greatest need and man’s greatest safeguard.”

Spencer

 

It is well to consider some of the danger spots that effect the ruination of character and result in spiritual disaster. There are pitfalls to be avoided, like

 

·          majoring on working than being. Because there is a tremendous amount of work to be done and few people involved, it is easy to become more committed to doing things rather than the cultivation of one’s soul and being. Of course balance must be introduced here. Before we can effectively do we must truly and divinely be.

·          giving ourselves to working far more than holding regular communion with God. One must not be lazy or overwork giving no real attention to the cultivation of personal relationship with God and on taking on His likeness and qualities. There can be no substitute for a constant and healthy accord with Him. It is the Lord that graces life with character as it fellowships with Him and enables to hold true amidst trials and temptations. Christ safeguarded His union and communion with the Father and He needs to be emulated on this issue.

·          being beset with subtle pride and arrogance rather than humility. Pride is very subtle evil and it can so easily move in and begin to assert its influence. This is so when success is tasted at any level. No sooner does some achievement take place that it seeks to move in and corrupt the within.

·          showing a great deal of personal desire and ambition in preference to holy , godly love and zeal. The Church scene just like the world arena can present opportunities for the advancement of one’s own aims and objectives. It is possible to defile the Church of God with what we want rather than what God desires and designs.

·          manifesting a sense of dictatorship and lordship instead of servanthood. Promotion and rule can come and with a spirit of domination that wants to and govern others in an unwholesome manner and not in a Biblical fashion. It is imperative to learn that when there is exaltation in service that there is no bossy attitude developed.

·          expressing the independent streak sooner than exhibit a submissive and yielded attitude. Acting irresponsibly and being simply accountable to oneself is not a good thing. There is a great need to be subject to others in leadership so that anything that is developing in character and ministry that is not helpful can be humbly dealt with and straightened out. The problem exists if we think we have no defects.

·          looking for popularity and show beyond the concern for uprightness. It is easy to be stimulated and carried with the adulation and praise of the crowd and, as a result forget or become indifferent to the rules of morality and integrity.

·          pursuing human acceptance rather than divine appreciation and vindication. Because we live in a world of humans it is possible to be moved and moulded by natural factors, desirous of the good opinions of our peers and people rather than looking to the Lord for His stamp of approval. Jesus was never in danger of that because He ever sought to please God and do His will.

 

These are very searching factors that must be pondered upon and certainly eliminated if one is to make the grade as far as Christ is concerned. All these things have to go otherwise they can infect both person and work to disastrous ends.