vg songs

 

Sickness developed in Christianity

Any Political leader doesn’t want to becomea Church leader, but Church leaders eagerly wantedto actas a Political leader.  In John 12:26“If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you’ll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment’s notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me.

Luke 14:25-27 One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, “Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one’s own self!—can’t be my disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple.

No Political leaders like this God’s law.Because they are acting for him and his family, hence they may hate this law, 33 He replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 34 Looking at those around him he said, “These are my mother and brothers! 35 Anyone who does God’s will are my brother, and my sister, and my mother.Mark.3 33-34. OK. They are living for themselves. What about us,who were created to be, hate the world? Can we accept them as our role model?

InGalatians 1:10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. Can we follow the same trick of pleasing the people in our God’s ministries? Political leaders admire the people whopraise him and who exaggerates more on the cutout and big banner.

Can preachers of godly man follow this? Can we act as cinema actor on the Holy stage?Many of us follow these tricks in their ministries and wanted to be admired by the poor believer. Political leader set a group of people to tell ‘yes’all the time. Can we follow these tricks in our ministries? No!Do you know how Jesus sits in the right side of our father? Not, because He died on Cross for our sin. He humbles himself before His fatherwhen He was suffering in the world. Then who will be next to Jesus.

The answer is the one who humblesmore in the world,who suffers next to Jesus.Not a famous preacher, or who tell more prophecy or not a good godly song composer or singers or musician or who does more miracles in the name of the Lord. Hence, one can be proud with above all good things. A person is humble when he does not have any gift from God; once they receive the gift of God some of us became proud and think that,‘I am the most important person among others’.

When God call Saul to beanointed as the first King of Israel he hide and humbledhimself by saying ‘I amunworthy’. Further, day by day he became proud on his position and tries to kill his faithful servant Davidmost of thetime;moreover he boldly killed many of the godly servants.One of the God’s finest Divinenatures is that, He never takes back the Gift given by Him.

Although, when a person becomes a back slider,the given gift will be withinhim, but more valuable than the gift, the Grace of God and the Holy Spirit would have been gone from him, without his own knowledge, this is more dangerous. It had happened in Samson’s and in the life of King Saul too. Lucifer is the finest servant of Godbut, when he startsto think that he is the most important person among all angels and wanted to be equal with God, whereby he immediately fell down.

In Matthew 7, Jesus said, on judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’ Matthew 7 22-23 it means the Godly prophesied 15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act.

Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. Matthew 7 15-20

Therefore anyone who humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 18:4 humbling himself before the God is the basic qualification to enter the Heaven. When you humble yourself first, immediately God’s grace will be upon you, then next automatically sin will not overcome you. As well as when you are proud God will be against you, God’s Grace will leave you and you will be into sin again further you will automatically enter into hell.

Hence most of the Christian will be unable to overcome their sinsfor this simple reason – proud. Satan never humbled before Lord and was more proud,it was for this reason God rejected him, although he had more talent than any one of us. As far as he was humble he kept his relationship and fellowship with God, but it was not now (coz of his pride).

Why the perfect servants of God feeljealous on other beloved ministry and wasteHisprecious time given by God. Mostof the political leaders are to be served, but not to serve others. Today many Christian leaders also follow the same footsteps. A kingdom divided against it will collapse.  A home filled with strife and division destroys itself.  And if Satan is fighting against himself, how can he accomplish anything? Mark 3:24-25.

We follow the worst footstep which Satan doesn’t want to adopt in their project.Jesus said, and if you want to be right at the top, you must serve like a slave.  Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah,* did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give my life as a ransom for many.”Matthew 20:26-28

Dear beloved brothers!God is not a bad master to start fighting after the labourer completed his task. He is the almighty who is more genuine. Henever neglects our hard work.

But we should work according to His laws and regulations. In the world Olympic, although a person might have received gold metal,once found that he had usedany drugs against the rules, they need to surrender the medal they had received. Our referee Jesus is upright and Holy one and also more capable than the world referees intheOlympic. We can’t cheat our Lord by the outer Holy appearance.

Please take care for the all above sickness that is seen in the Holy Ministry. Hence, all that we need is the team work among us and encourage each other to win the race.

The political leader never allows his opposing party to compete. Immediately he would take serious action to destroy them. He will not rest until he succeeded it.

Cam a servant of holy God adopts thetrick and says with proud that, ‘Godhas destroyed that person’sministry that is the reasonhe is acting against me’. John the Baptist and Jesus preached about the repentance and the Kingdom of God in the same period. They have a great relationship with each other. Here is the illustration from the scripture. John replied, He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.

John 3.30Jesus knew the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and makes more disciples than John the Baptist (though Jesus himself didn’t baptize them—his disciples did). 3 So he left Judea and returned to Galilee. John 4; 1-3. This was the Godly leadership between them.

So God wants his relationship to be seen among each and every leader of Christianity and between the servants of God today and to be one among them united. This serves as the antibiotic to escape from this bad sick. These are the major virusthat has been passing all over the world seriously and destroys our beloved brother’s dedication to the Lord’s service.

Dearest friends, when I was there with you, you were always so careful to follow my instructions. And now that I am away you must be even more careful to do the good things that result from being saved, obeying God with deep reverence, shrinking back from all that might displease him. .    Philippians 2:12 Save some by snatching them as from the very flames of hell. And as for others, help them to find the Lord by being kind to them, but be careful that you yourselves aren’t pulled along into their sins. Hate every trace of their sin while being merciful to them as sinners. Jude 1:23

Who can serveGod?

In 1 Timothy 3 1-7 If anyone wants to be a leader in the church, good! But there are some preconditions: A leader must be well-thought-of, committed to his wife, cool and collected, accessible, and hospitable. He must know what he’s talking about, not be overfund of wine, not pushy but gentle, not thin-skinned, not money-hungry.

He must handle his own affairs well, attentive to his own children and having their respect. For if someone is unable to handle his own affairs, how can he take care of God’s church? He must not be a new believer, lest the position go to his head and the Devil trip him up. Outsiders must think well of him, or else the Devil will figure out a way to lure him into his trap.

The same goes for those who want to be servants in the church: serious, not deceitful, and not too free with the bottle, not in it for what they can get out of it. They must be reverent before the mystery of the faith, not using their position to try to run things. Let them prove themselves first.

If they show they can do it, take them on. No exceptions are to be made for women—same qualifications: serious, dependable, not sharp-tongued, not overfund of wine. Servants in the church are to be committed to their spouses, attentive to their own children, and diligent in looking after their own affairs. Those who do this servant work will come to be highly respected, a real credit to this Jesus-faith.

Leadership in the Church

Godly Leadership needed the Way of Love

 In 1 Corinthians 13   If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.2 If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.3-7 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “mefirst, “Doesn’t fly off the handle, doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always ways looks for the best, Never looks back,

Godly Leadership

A Leader Must Be CompassionateOne of the major themes of both the Old and New Testaments is that of a compassionate God. He refuses to bypass humankind. He sends prophets, messengers, and even His Son into the world. This compassion is clearly demonstrated in the election of Israel. Israel had no claim on God, but God expressed compassion toward Israel. This is profoundly confirmed in Ezekiel 16:

On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised. Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, “Live!” (Ezekiel 16:4-6, NIV).Every day we are living because God said to us to be alive.

There were times in the life of Israel they thought their election was for favoritism or something they deserved. Yet this Scripture reference does not indicate that the election was anything more than God’s compassion. In the same way today, those who lead in a missionary and evangelism enterprise must also have a sense of compassion upon those whom they are seeking to reach with the gospel.

It is those who have experienced God’s compassion who are moved with compassion toward others. When Jesus looks at the crowds, “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36, NRSV), He is moved with compassion. Church leaders today and tomorrow can do no less than have compassion upon those who are without Christ. 

What kind of Leadership can build a Church?

A Leader Must Have a Profound Sense of God’s Calla Leader Must Grow in Their Relationship with God. Leader Must Be Compassionate. A Leader Must Be Passionate. A Leader Must Be Visionary. A Leader Must Become Entrepreneurial. A Leader Must Be ContextualA Leader Must Be a Planner. A Leader Must Be a Lifelong Learner. A Leader Must Be a Delegator and Empowered of Others.

Jesus said, ““Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:26-28)  According to Jesus, a true leader is a servant.  What does a servant-leader do? It can be noted that a servant-leader seeks to:

Invest him or her into those around them.Demonstrate a willingness to give them to help others.Encourage the personal growth of those they are leading over their personal desires and self-interests. Give of themselves in the constant development of others. Christ came to give himself.

The call upon every Christian is to giveour self not only in serve Jesus and the Kingdom of God, but to our fellow man, including those inside and outside the church. It is illustrated by Jesus in Good Samarian. “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. Luke 10:33-34

David’s aGodly Leadership.                

God raised David up to be a leader for his people. David ascended to the throne when he was thirty years old. His reign lasted for forty years in total. As David is studied, it is obvious that he was a leader after God’s own heart that placed his faith in God even in the midst of difficult times. David was human and he erred but his humility allowed him to subject himself to God’s judgment. This humility was deeply rooted in David’s spirituality and the depth of that spirituality which is evidence in his Psalms.

In temperament, David exhibited the qualities of the San-Mel temperament. This is a combination of Sanguine and Melancholy. David was well liked by men and women. He was very artistic as shown by his Psalms and the accounts of his artistic activities. This temperament has the tendency to develop a close, intimate walk with God.

David demonstrated this quality in the descriptions given in Scriptures of his walk with God. As written by Luke in Acts 13:21-22, David was a man after God’s own heart, David is the biblical example of a growing leader. A growing leader is one who is not satisfied to attain a high level of competence then stops trying to improve. The growing leader is one who is constantly seeking personal growth.

David gained fame with his defeat of Goliath and gained in position in the army becoming a leader of soldier’s in Saul’s army. Events beyond his control forced David to become the leader of a group of soldiers which became his private army as he sought refuge from Saul (Towns, Elmer, 2007). Growth requires change.

Growth as a leader increases one’s effectiveness as a leader. According to Mawell’s Law of the Lid, an organization can only rise to the level of its leadership. If a person has a strong leadership quality then the organization will have a high lid. The effectiveness of an organization and individuals is based on the strength of leadership (Mawell, John, 1998/2007). A leader must seek personal growth and improve leadership abilities to be more effective. A study of David’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats provide a rich environment to study leadership.

David’s Strengths

David was qualified to be a leader because he had developed an intimate relationship with God. According to 1 Samuel 16:7, the other sons of Jesse were from outward appearances quite acceptable for leadership. However, this was the error that the nation had made in selecting Saul for their king. They selected Saul for king because they felt he looked like a leader.

Man looks upon the physical appearance but cannot know the heart as it is written in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (KJV) The answer quite simply is God. Samuel was looking upon the countenance of the candidates when God looked upon David’s heart that had been honed in the solitude of the wilderness looking after sheep.

It was in this solitude that David developed an intimate relationship with God. David describes this relationship in Psalm 42:1 in which he describes himself to be like a thirsty deer seeking water when it came to him seeking God.

One of the first opportunities for David’s growth as a leader is mentioned in the Bible was when he had the opportunity to serve Saul in his palace. In this context, God had placed David in a situation where he could observe a leader who refused to grow.

Saul was not a successful leader and David had the opportunity to learn from Saul’s negative leadership model. David saw Saul’s refusal to yield completely to God. This refusal resulted in Saul being troubled by an evil spirit that could only be alleviated by David’s music.

Later, David would see the damage that Saul’s wounded pride would do as Saul grew more jealous of David’s successes.  The time David spent with Saul was a leadership laboratory in which David learned what not to do to be a good leader David seized opportunities and showed a willingness to serve in his battle and victory over Goliath.

He showed willingness that Saul did not possess. This victory was the beginning of David’s military successes. Each success garnered David a great reputation among the people and increased his influence. David worked to increase his influence further by strengthening his relationship with his followers. As David had to seek the safety of the wilderness to escape Saul, David was forced to grow as a leader by learning to relate to a different types of followers.

As his leadership skills grew, so did the size of his following. The experience in the wilderness led to David’s growth as leader in that he learned to grow in spite of his circumstances. As the war with Saul continued, David waxed stronger as Saul’s strength waned.  David learned that a prolonged conflict would not benefit a leader. As Sun Tzu noted:

When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men’s weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be damped. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength. Again, if the campaign is protracted, the resources of the State will not be equal to the strain David observed the destructive effects of a prolonged civil war. For this reason, David learned the leadership skill of reaching out to others.

He welcomed those who were outside of his realm of influence into his group. This is seen with his response to the deaths of Abner and Ishbosheth. He took steps to build trust among those who had opposed him. He made overtures to them to bring peace to the nation.

This had the beneficial effect for David of expanding his kingdom to include Israel (Towns, Elmer, 2007). This was not a rapid result but a patient progression which took seven and a half years. David had grown as a leader to be patient. He grew in his personal relationship with God to wait upon the Lord.

David’s Weaknesses

One of David’s temperaments greatest weaknesses is in the area of thought life (Personal Temperament Test: Profile, 2008). This can be seen in the situation with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11. David’s sin was not in seeing her bathing but choosing to keep his eyes there.  This showed a weakness in his thought life. This weakness would have disastrous effects on the rest of his life.

David made mistakes which negatively impacted his credibility among his followers. His handling of his family affairs is an example of a growing leader making mistakes. When Amon raped his half-sister, Tamar, David mishandled the situation which led to Absalom killing Amon and rebelling against David.

This would have further disastrous results as Absalom damaged David’s credibility among the people by sleeping his concubines on the palace roof. Finally, Absalom is killed. These deaths would lead to a succession crisis at David’s death as both likely heirs were dead. A leader’s mistakes can have long ranging effects that cannot be foreseen.

David’s Opportunities

In 2 Samuel 3, Abner came to David to negotiate. According to the Bible, Abner had been supporting Saul’s remaining heir Ishbosheth. Ishbosheth insulted Abner over the issue of Abner having married one of Saul’s former concubines and Abner decided to reach out to David.

As a growing leader, David had seen the effects of a prolonged civil war of draining Saul’s strength and leading to his shameful defeat. David made overtures to Abner and asked for the return of his wife Micah so that he could restore his family and claim to the throne to Israel. This demonstrates the growing leader’s willingness to make overtures to his enemies After Abner’s death, Baanah and Recab murdered Ishbosheth in an attempt to gain favor from David. They brought his head to David with hopes to receive a reward.

However, David executed them. David used this opportunity to reach out to Ishbosheth’s followers. A growing leader seeks ways to reach out to those who are not in his sphere of influence David insured Ishbosheth had a proper burial. This increased David’s influence greatly. This had a beneficial effect because soon there afterwards the elders of Israel came unto David and recognized him as king of all of Israel.

Threat

Saul was the greatest threat to David. Saul saw David’s growing popularity and viewed him as a threat. First Samuel 18:6-7 tells of the women singing David’s praises which showed his growing popularity among the people. Saul would view David as an enemy and seek to kill him. This quest by Saul forced David to flee to the wilderness for safety.

David dealt with this threat by growing in his personal and leadership relationships. Yet, in spite of Saul’s desire to kill him, David’s close relationship with God would not allow him to strike Saul when an opportunity presented itself. In First Samuel 26, David and his men were hiding in a cave when Saul sought the solitude of a cave to relieve himself. With his enemy in his grasp, David could have easily killed Saul.

David’s men were encouraging David to kill Saul saying that it must be the will of God. David demonstrated his great influence over his men by restraining them from causing Saul any harm. Only a leader with an intimate relationship with God could discern God’s will in these situations so that He may be glorified. David exhibited great discipline in not striking. Later, Saul would die at the hands of the Philistines and not David’s hand.

Moses’ Godly Leadership

One of the more fascinating studies in biblical leadership is provided in the Old Testament by Moses. Moses was a leader, statesman, and legislator par excellence. His life can be divided into three parts as God prepared him to lead the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. In the first forty years of his life, he lived as Pharaoh’s son which gave him the benefit of the finest training in the world at that time. In the second forty years of his life spent in Midian, he became a shepherd so that at the appropriate time he could become the shepherd to the children of Israel.

Then in his final forty years, he used the lessons learned to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt and to the Jordan River). God used Moses’ life experiences to shape into the leader. He needed for His people to lead them out of bondage into freedom. He molded Moses in a charismatic leader with leadership skills in delegation so that he could lead the children of Israel through the wilderness.

Moses is an intriguing leader because he was a blend of the charismatic, administrative, and conflict resolution leadership styles. A careful study of Moses’ temperament, Laws of Leadership he followed, his strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats will provide rich application for any student of leadership.

Moses’ Temperament

Moses’ leadership temperament was a blending of sanguine and choleric. These two temperaments create the strongest of extroverted personalities when combined. For this reason, Moses exhibited an orientation towards people through his compassionate and tender heart.

This got him into trouble when he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew according to Exodus 2:11-12. When his fellow Hebrews and the Pharaoh condemned him for his action, he fled to Midian. The choleric temperament provided him with a strong will counteracting the sanguine temperament of being weak willed. Also, the compassionate heart of the sanguine temperament counteracts the choleric’s tendency towards lacking compassion

Laws of Leadership followed by Moses

As a charismatic leader, the first Law of Leadership used by Moses was the Law of Dreams. This law states that people will follow a leader who gives them a desirable object or goal. Moses presented the people with a desirable object of the Promised Land where they would be free. The Second Law he used was the Law of Motivation. This law states that people follow leaders who provide reasons to reach for a goal. If a leader provides a viable reason to work, people will follow that leader.

Moses offered freedom as the motivation for the people to follow him As an administrative leader, the first Law of Leadership used by Moses was the Law of Rewards which is simply that a leader will have follower if that leader will provide rewards to the followers based on their self-chosen goals. To have followers, a leader must reward them.

The second Law of Leadership used by Moses was the Law of Accountability. Moses observed this law in giving responsibilities to his followers. He gave Aaron the priestly responsibilities and appointed elders to deal with judicial responsibilities. In this way, Moses allowed his followers to contribute to the effort to reach the Promised Land

Moses’ Strengths

Moses exhibited much strength due to his charismatic and administrative leadership style. First of all, he was able to cast a vision of leaving Egypt to go to the Promised Land. This is a trait of charismatic leadership. They cast a vision to which their followers embrace (Towns, Elm, 2007).

Maxwell refers to this as the Law of the Picture. People will do what they can envision according to Maxwell. Leaders with this ability are not only able to communicate the vision but they model the vision so that the picture comes alive for their followers.

Moses was able to cast the vision for the people because he not only communicated it but he modeled it for them by his boldness before the Pharaoh Moses encounter with God made him responsive to God’s will in his life. Moses knew leading the Hebrews out of Egypt was a calling upon his life and not a job. Billy Graham has stated it this way, “When we come to the end of ourselves, we come to the beginning of God” It was there at the burning bush where Moses came to the end of himself and the beginning of God.

It was time spent with God that gave him insight into God. According to Exodus 33:18, this intimacy led him to cry out on the mountain, “I beseech thee, show me thy glory!” (KJV). It was this relationship that convinced him that though he would face great opposition from the Pharaoh, he was convinced that God would give him the victory in pursuing of the calling that God had placed upon his life. He knew that God would empower him with the necessary abilities, talents, and skills necessary to fulfill this calling even when he own people doubted him

Moses endured until the Pharaoh weakened and relented. To commemorate this victory, Moses established a memorial to that great victory. From this he led them from victory to victory Maxwell refers to this as the Law of Victory. Stated simply, leaders find a way for the team to win. An example of this law in action was Winston Churchill as Prime Minister of Britain during World War Two. He was unwilling to accept defeat.

The idea of losing was alien to his thinking and to his leadership of the nation during the darkest hours of the struggle against fascism. Churchill would accept nothing less than total victory As an administrative leader, Moses showed strength through establishing his reputation with the plagues upon Egypt.

Moses enhanced his reputation and credibility as a leader through memorials celebrating victories and recounting those victories through story telling. Upon the advice of his father-in-law, Jethro, Moses delegated authority to men selected to be judges to free Moses for more important leadership tasks

As a conflict resolution leader, Moses dealt with internal and external conflicts. He did not take any conflict personally because he knew the battle belonged to God. Also, Moses laid out plans for the people when they came in possession of the Land so there would be less conflict and strife. He knew as a leader there would be conflict in taking the Land. He identified the sources of conflict his followers would face Weaknesses

It is ironic that Moses one of the excuses that he gives God for not wanting to go down to Egypt is because he was a poor speaker. His temperament usually is described as being the one most likely to say something wrong. Also, Moses struggled with his anger throughout his life as seen by his killing of the Egyptian in Exodus 4 and his anger causing him to strike the rock rather than speak to the rock for water as described in Numbers 20 which prevents him from entering the Promised Land (Personal Temperament Test: Profile, 2008). Moses is like any other person. He needed the constant filling of the Holy Spirit and a close walk with God as all people do.

Opportunities

Though he discounted his speaking ability at the burning bush, every time Moses had an opportunity to speak for God whether before the Pharaoh or the people, he did. Moses took every opportunity to keep the vision before the people and keep them motivated towards reaching the Promised Land. Moses also took the opportunity to mentor his successor as he took Joshua aside and trained him to be the next leader.

Threats

Moses made sure that the dream of reaching the Promised Land. He knew that he had to be wary of dream beyond the scope of God’s calling upon his life. He knew that if this occurred, then the dream of reaching the Promised Land would never be fulfilled.Moses appeared more organized than he actually was.

Jethro saw this danger and warned Moses that he was stretched too thin by all the responsibilities he had assumed. Thankfully, Moses heeded the warning and appointed judges to help him run the administrative side of leading the people.

In Numbers 16, Moses dealt with the most serious challenge to his leadership when Korah led a rebellion. Koran charged that Moses had been using the children of Israel to promote his own agenda and build his own kingdom. Moses turned to God knowing the battle belonged to the Lord. Korah and his followers were judged and Moses remained as the leader.

Abraham the Entrepreneurial Leader

The first person to be considered is Abraham. His story begins in Genesis 12and his life dominates the next 14 chapters of Genesis. Abraham took a great risk in leaving the land of Ur. His father, Terah, had travelled with his family to Haran and settled there. Abraham showed great courage in leading his family to leave the comfort of Ur to go to the Promised Land.  By carrying out this action, he demonstrated the qualities of an entrepreneurial leader (Towns, Elmer, 2007).

Abraham led through vision and risk. In doing this, he exhibited the traits of entrepreneurial leadership.  As it is written in Genesis 12:5:And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and thesouls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. (KJV)

Abraham assumes the responsibility for the vision which God had given him of the Promised Land, organized his family and servants for the journey, and managed their affairs during their travels. In doing this, Abraham became the icon for the Judeo-Christian world. He became the father of many nations.

Maxwell points out that leadership are influence. Without influence, a person will beunable to lead a group of people anywhere. Entrepreneurs exceed at seeing opportunities and going after them but leaders are able to influence people so that they may lead (Maxwell, John, 1998/2007).

In this factor of leadership, Abraham excelled. Not only was he able to influence his wife to leave the security of Ur for the Promised Land but his influence was so great that even his nephew Lot went with him. Towns point this as leading by the Law of Dreams (Towns, Elmer, 2007). In the Law of Dreams, the leader directs those who follow him to a desirable goal or object.

If a leader is able to get his followers to buy into his dreams then they will buy into his leadership. Maxwell refers to this same principle as the Law of the Buy-in. Maxwell points out that the leader must find the vision first before he can find the people. People, on the other hand, find a leader and then the vision. He stresses that people first follow the leaders who are able to promote dreams in which the people can believe

His entrepreneur skill can be seen as the Bible points out that he became wealthy while in Egypt. Whereas others would have seen an insurmountable problem with leaving their homeland and starting over in a foreign land, Abraham saw the problem as a challenge and found ways to deal with the challenges he faced A major weakness for the entrepreneurial leader is that when they lack a clear vision of what the next step is to be, they tend to act out with a muddled vision of the next step which leads to difficulties not only for the leader but also his followers.

This weakness was compounded by Abraham’s choleric temperament which gave him the tendency to act rather than wait upon God for direction the first example of this weakness was when he went to Egypt to escape a famine which was in the land. Fearful of his safety due to the beauty of his wife, Abraham conceived a plan by which he would deceive the Pharaoh into thinking his wife was his sister.

He did this rather than waiting on the Lord for a clear vision of the next step.  Abraham repeats this pattern.  Abraham used the same plan with King Abimelech. He presented his wife as his sister because he was fearful for his life.  Once again, Abraham proceeded to the next step without clear direction from the Lord as to what he was to do.

The last example of this weakness in the leadership of Abraham to be considered is his dealings with God’s promise of an heir for him. God had given Abraham a clear promise that his seed would inherit the land. He had been promised anheiryet Abraham could not clearly see the next step because he was more focused on the limitations of producing an heir brought on by his wife’s advanced age.

This inability to clearly see the next step plus his choleric temperament’s tendency to do things in his own strength rather than wait upon the Lord, Abraham proceeded with the plan brought to him by Sarah. This plan was for him to take her handmaiden, Hagar, and produce his heir. While this is a practical plan it was not the plan of God.

As for opportunities, Abraham had an eye for them. While in Egypt, he developed his economic base that he became wealthy.  In his dealings with King Abimelech, he once again gained wealth.  He even took the opportunity to create peace with Lot in Genesis 13 when there was dissention among their camps. As for threats, Abraham dealt with them quickly and in a well-constructed nature.  In the rescue of Lot, Abraham was true to his choleric temperament as he conceived a plan and acted quickly. Genesis 14:14-15 says:

And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.As this passage demonstrates, Abraham’s leadership style was to deal with threats quickly and efficiently.  Though he was a risk-taker, he took calculated risks. Foremost, he knew what the end results of his plan would be. In this case, it was the rescue of Lot. 

Jacob the Pragmatic Leader

The United States Army has a slogan that says, “Do something: lead, follow, or get out of the way.”  In describing the pragmatic leader, Towns points to an old illustration of there being three types of people in the world. The first type is those make things happen. They are known as the shakers and movers.

The second type is those who watch things happen. They are known as the spectators. The final groups are those who are wondering what has happened. They are known as the dumbfounded. The pragmatic leader is the mover and shaker who gets things done leaving his followers watching what happened or wondering what happened.

In the secular world, the pragmatic leaders are considered the troubleshooters. They are the ones who are called in to solve a problem and to do so quickly.  They lean heavily on marketing techniques and research. In the ministry, these are the people who are called into a declining ministry or church for the purpose of rebuilding it. Ministerial leaders of this type are prone to use secular marketing devices in an effort to halt the decline

Jacob was a pragmatic leader. The leadership style he modeled depended on his situation. He was very flexible in his approaches to leadership and for this reason; he was successful in a wide variety of situations. Jacob served Laban which played to his strength as a pragmatic leader. The pragmatic leader is very gifted in leading through servant hood. As proof of this gift, one only has to note that Jacob served Laban for fourteen years to get Leah and Rachel for his wives). In this, Jacob modeled the Law of Addition. As a leader, he literally added to his followers and wealth by serving Laban for fourteen years

He used the Law of Motivation to get Laban to act. This is seen in Genesis 30 when Jacob is able to motivate Laban to work out a deal concerning the livestock. The Law of Accountability is seen here also as Jacob is careful to mark out the livestock with markings as his own and those without markings as belonging to Laban.

This way, Laban could not accuse Jacob of stealing nor could he take any of Jacob’s livestock for his own. Finally, Jacob demonstrated the pragmatic leader’s tendency to use the Law of Problem Solving. Later in the chapter, to insure his livestock would increase in number and strength, Jacob came up with a creative solution to the problem. This solution ensured that Jacob in time would increase in wealth

The pragmatic leader is seen as having a choleric temperament. This temperament is manifest in Jacob’s leadership personality. Jacob showed the choleric temperament’s ability to seize opportunities whenever he encountered opposition or a stumbling block, he would push on through to reach his goal. This is shown when he is tricked into marrying Leah.

He quickly offered to stay an additional seven years with Laban so that he could gain the hand of his beloved Rachel in marriage. Jacob showed the choleric temperament’s tendency towards activity and quickness in his dealings with his uncle Laban.

Jacob did have his weaknesses.  Throughout his life he relied upon his own skills, talents, strengths, and gifts until his encounter with the angel which resulted in his hip being put out of joint. After that event, he could no longer rely upon his physical strength to get him out of trouble.

It is also after this event that he leaned more upon God rather than his wily tricks.  Before this encounter, he would not rely upon God to preserve him even though God had made promises of protection and provision unto him. He was a hard one to be won to God because he thought he could do it on his own.

Jacob showed the problems a pragmatic leader can encounter. He felt constrained working for Laban and became restless to leave him. Jacob was so focused on gaining Rachel that he exhibited the pragmatic leader’s trait of failing to recognize the value of Leah as a mother and wife. Jacob fell into the trap of letting the ends justify his means. He did economic harm to Laban because his method of increasing his herd damaged the number and genetic quality of Laban’s livestock.

In dealing with threats, Jacob overcame the pragmatic leader’s trait of seeking unacceptable compromises and winning the battle only to lose the war. This maturity of his personality and leadership skills can best seen in his return to his homeland and his encounter with his brother Esau.  First, Jacob showed his mastery of the Law of Problem Solving but first dividing his followers into two groups travelling separate paths so that if Esau attacked at least one group would escape.

When Esau offered to lead Jacob to his next stop, Jacob diplomatically refused the offer and travelled in a different direction. Jacob in this case did not compromise with his brother which could have had serious repercussions. Jacob instead reached a healthy compromise in this situation and maintained his identity

Joseph the Decision-making Leader

This is the type of leader who can be evaluated by the size of the challenges he seeks to overcome. He seeks to make good decisions which will have a beneficial effect and leave a positive legacy. Joseph developed as a leader under the most adverse situations and conditions. Trials and tribulations that would have crushed lesser men instead had the effect of tempering the steel of Joseph’s personality in the crucible of troubles which had the effect of purging him of the dross elements in his soul.

Joseph becomes a ruler of Egypt second to Pharaoh. His gift for administration had been recognized by Potiphar and the prison warden and this gift served him well as he managed the kingdom of Egypt through seven years of severe famine. He used the Law of Problem Solving to overcome great challenges. The irony of Joseph’s life is that by being sold into slavery, his life was spared.

He came from a very dysfunctional family with brothers who actually planned to kill him until they decided they could make a profit by selling him to merchants. He not only survived in an alien culture but he thrived as his captors recognized his decision making skills. Despite his difficulties, he did not surrender his dreams because he knew they were from God and that in spite of his difficulties, God was still in control of the situation

The blessing of God was upon Joseph’s life. His success was the result of this blessing. Joseph had a vibrant and close relation to God. As Jesus Christ says in John 15:5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” (KJV) Joseph abided in God and he was able to do great things for God. He lived by the Doctrine of Blessibility

The Doctrine of Blessibility is simply that God chooses to bless the faith and faithfulness in the life of the believer. God does this in spite of the inconsistencies in the believer’s life. Joseph led a life of separation. Even though he was immersed in a pagan society, he did not surrender to it as he sought the Lord’s face. To have a relationship of this intimacy with God, Joseph dealt with personal sin. The Bible is clear that the believer is to deal with personal sin through confession.

First John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (KJV) Joseph trusted in God in spite of his circumstances. As the Pharaoh’s right hand man in Egypt, Joseph insured that the poor were fed during the famine which honored God. Joseph pursued wisdom and waxed strong. As the incident with Potiphar’s wife proved, Joseph not only endured temptation but also fled it if it were too great. This doctrine stresses the importance of reading the Bible and applying the principles in the Bible to daily living. Even in the darkest moments of his life, Joseph never lost his servant’s heart

As a decision-making leader, Joseph had an awareness of the problems as he encountered new challenges in his life. He took time to define the parameters of the problem to keep himself from making hasty decisions. This involved detailed analysis of the problems he encountered so that he could choose the best solution for the situation. Once the decision was made and the solution selected, Joseph implemented the plan and made it work

Joseph the Strategic Leader

Joseph demonstrated his skill as a strategic leader since he approached problems with a systematic approach and was not haphazard in his solutions. Joseph is not only a biblical model for leaders to aspire but also teaches secular leaders of today how to prepare for the future by preparing for economic downturns during the economic upturns.

Joseph both made the plan for success and then executed that plan so that victory could be achieved. While other nations and people groups suffered during the famine, Joseph’s careful planning insured that Egypt would rise above the circumstances. Joseph avoided the weaknesses of the strategic leader by making sure of the problem before proposing the solution.

He maintained his dependence and trust of God rather than rely on the program. He was able to gather all the necessary information before making his proposal. He overcame obstacles to implementing his plan and ensured people that the goals were attainable.

Finally, as a strategic leader, Joseph foresaw the coming disaster but more than that, his leadership vision saw beyond the problem to the solution. He sold his plan to the Pharaoh and implemented it before the problem became too large to deal with it effectively. Being convinced by Joseph the validity of the plan, the Pharaoh wisely empowered Joseph to implement the plan. Joseph understood the future that was coming, he knew things never remain the same, and set goals to deal with the coming future.

Jesus Christ

The leadership development of Jesus Christ is the most healthy and productive strategy known to man.  So what did Jesus teach his disciples about becoming leaders?When Jesus recruited his disciples to follow him they were not the most polished group of men. (Jesus and His Motley Crew of Disciples)  After the arrest of Jesus, his disciples did not show the character or skills of strong leaders.

They did not seem to have the “advanced skills” needed to carry on the ministry of the Lord. During the arrest of Jesus the disciples ran away. (Matthew 26:56)  One of the key leaders, Simon Peter denied that he even knew Jesus (Matthew 26:69-75) and after his crucifixion all the disciples locked themselves in a room to hide from the authorities.

(John 20:24-31)  This does not appear to be a group of well trained, ready to serve leaders!  Yet, even after all of these events, Jesus returned after his resurrection to this same group.  These seemingly weak followers of Christ were the very ones that he was determined to put in charge of his ongoing work and the expansion of the Kingdom of God. (Matthew 28:19-20)

The way that Jesus treated his disciples was a great lesson in how to handle the failure of those we lead.  Always remember this statement, “Failure is not an unforgivable sin.”  Failure can be a tremendous lesson in the development of character.  When his disciples failed it was not a means for Jesus to strike them off his list of possible leaders.

It was obvious in the ministry strategy of Jesus and the development of future leaders that he was not looking for perfect people.  What Christ looked for in the character of his followers was to find those who would be willing to be faithful. These same individuals would benefit and grow from his forgiveness as much as his training.

The leadership development of Jesus gives some basic guidelines for all those who are trying to encourage followers to grow into leaders. Be faithful to those you are leading even when they disappoint you. Help create an environment in which failure and shortcomings can be the fuel for positive growth.

Give those you lead the freedom to fail.  Failure in not desired but when it happens, allow it to be a time for personal development. Expect failure to be a part of growing leaders. What we say about our own abilities can be disappointing.  Our words and promises can be big and arrogant.  They also can open us to absolute and utter failure, like what was said to Jesus before his crucifixion:

“Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”  And so said all the disciples.” (Matthew 26:35)Not long after this statement, Simon Peter denied that he even knew the Lord at all. (Matthew 26:69-75)Leadership development can teach strong lessons in failure and self-disappointment.

Just remember, after the several mistakes and failures the disciples made, they became men who help change the world with the Gospel of the New Testament of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene. Jesus used failures to develop men of strong character.  It is a wonderful principle to notice.  Even when failure takes place it can be one of the greatest experiences of learning that can help prepare an individual for bigger things!

Conclusion

The Bible is a rich resource for leaders. The models of leadership in the Bible are a great boon for leaders in the church and in the secular world. There is a need for leaders in this country and the church.  Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph will provide a profitable study in providing valuable lessons for today’s leaders. In understanding these men’s leadership traits, one may come to a fuller understanding of one’s own leadership style strengths and weaknesses.

There is a leadership void in the church today as well as the secular world. To seek answers for this void, it requires for careful study of biblical leadership and application of those lessons. The study of Moses as a biblical leader is profitable to everyone in a leadership context.

Moses was a leader. Everything in his life was used by God to prepare him for the day he would lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. Moses is a rich model of leadership because he was a combination of the charismatic, administrative, and conflict resolution leadership styles.

A careful study of Moses’ temperament, Laws of Leadership he followed, his strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats will profit any student of leadership. God raised David up to be a leader of his people. David was human and not perfect. He made mistakes but his humility allowed him to subject himself to God’s judgment.

This humility was deeply rooted in David’s relationship with God and the depth of that relationship which is shown in his Psalms Let we learn from these Godly Leaders to build the Body of Christ by close relationship with God and God’s people. May the God help us and save us from the sickness in Christianity and mold us to be better leaders in our God’s Ministries.

If we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world. 1 Corinthians 11; 31-32. May God bless you! Pray for my health and our Ministries. Join with our ministries and introduce our web site to others so that you can help others to be blessed. God bless you.

Servant of God
Bro. David Samuel
Founder and president of
Vg songs Christian media
Cell: +91 9442502949