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Who Will Lead the End-Time Church? #5

Posted on 11/06/2023 | Comments Off on Who Will Lead the End-Time Church? #5

Leadership Culture of Jesus

Culture is defined as the shared values, goals, attitudes, and practices that characterize any organized group of people. A well-defined leadership culture promotes momentum, creates unity, and provides identity and stability within the ranks.

First, we must define and understand the culture that Christ established throughout the gospels. He is our model. His life and His practices are perfect theology. Our leadership culture can and should have its unique expression, but it should stay within the ministry culture that Jesus modeled. If we embody the culture that Jesus established in the early Church, we can then tailor it to fit the specific emphasis and work that God has called us to.

When Jesus burst onto the scene in full-blown ministry, He immediately chose a diverse group of 12 followers to invest in and develop as emerging leaders. Jesus inspired His followers to leave everything behind to follow him. He taught them from the beginning the importance of laying down their lives and denying themselves. 

From the start, Jesus boldly challenged the current religious culture by teaching and preaching the kingdom of God and demonstrating kingdom power and authority. The mark of a believer is that signs and wonders will follow them. The gospel must be seen and experienced, not just heard.

Mark 16:15-18 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

What are we teaching others if our doctrines are only heard and not experienced? Power and demonstration will always accompany true believers and validate the true message of the gospel. If we are missing the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s power and demonstration in our gatherings, then we have a problem. This is not the Church culture that Jesus or His disciples modeled.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 And I, brethren, when I came to you, I did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

          In this passage, the apostle Paul admits to being weak and scared. It is OK to be weak and trembling; that’s why God gave us a comforter called the Holy Spirit. God shows up well in our weakness.

We also see that Paul didn’t come to them with a well-thought-out, three-point sermon with just the right amount of scripture, humor, wisdom, and persuasive language. He came in the demonstration of the Spirit and power. Why? So that their faith would not be in his eloquent teaching and human wisdom but in the power of God.

It is the power of God demonstrated through yielded vessels that causes people to follow Christ. Not just a well-crafted sermon that convinces people to pray a short prayer to get their ticket to Heaven. That was never modeled in scripture, yet it has become a common thing in the global Church culture.

It will take courage to challenge the current Church culture. End-time leaders must maintain an intimate personal relationship with the Father through personal devotion and prayer, focusing on the written word and guarding their hearts against all evil influence.

We cannot lead others to a place we have not been. So, the first order of business is to take an honest self-assessment and ask some pointed questions.

  • Do I function in the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit?
  • Does my team?
  • If not, what are we doing to rectify this problem?
  • Are we crying out to God in prayer for the correction and instruction needed to facilitate change?
  • Are we watering down the word of God to match our limited experience, or are we praying that God elevates our experience to match His word?
  • Are we earnestly contending for the faith once delivered to the Saints? (Jude 3)
  • If so, are we seeing measurable progress in this area?

Culture identifies what is essential to a body of believers, reflecting the vision, values, and purpose. Every local assembly will have its unique expression in the body of Christ, and it is the leadership’s responsibility to identify and steward this expression.

If we don’t base our culture on the patterns and practices established by Jesus and His disciples, we will continue to stray from the truth and be subject to the bondage of men’s religious ideas.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

To change the current culture of leadership, the values of the leaders must first align, which means the beliefs of the leaders must first align.

People have deeply ingrained assumptions and beliefs about Christ and the gospel. These can be strongholds that can take time to dismantle. The most effective way of addressing people’s deeply held assumptions and wrong beliefs is to teach God’s word with demonstration and power. People will not change what they believe simply because we believe it. They must be shown why they need to change.

Great leaders consistently demonstrate to the people that the proposed change is rooted in scripture. This helps the emerging leaders and the congregation recognize the need for change and see that the authority to demand that change goes beyond the influence and desires of the leaders and comes directly from God.

Developing a culture where the Word of God is final authority is the only solid foundation to build upon. Taking time with your leaders regularly to help define and reaffirm the culture will produce much fruit in the future.

Don’t be rushed into defining your culture. Have leadership meetings to discuss ideas and hold them up as a prayer target. Allowing emerging leaders to have a voice develops and maintains influence. You don’t necessarily have to follow their suggestions. However, allowing them input gives them a sense of belonging and importance that makes them feel like they are valuable, a part of the process, and an essential part of the ministry.

Culture is an expression of our faith, a reflection of our beliefs. What we do and don’t do, from missions to local outreach, how we embrace first-time guests to discipleship, and developing emerging leaders, all play a significant role in shaping our leadership culture. We don’t need to tell visitors what our culture is. They will experience it. 

Excellence in Leadership

Colossians 3:23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,

This has a massive impact on culture. Excellence, as with most things, begins and ends with leadership. Leaders should regularly be asking themselves, “Can we do better?” As more staff and volunteers are added and more resources become available, the level of excellence should evolve and become more apparent. Excellence in ministry is a ministry by itself.

The mentality of excellence requires constant training, emphasis, and maintenance. We can easily slip into the “it’s good enough” mentality. This shows a lack of understanding about what we are doing and why we are doing it. A ministry will never rise above the level of excellence its leaders portray, so our responsibility is to model excellence in everything we do.

When leadership culture is healthy and well-defined, it prepares us for growth and success in ministry.

Three things will happen with a well-defined leadership culture:

1) Evangelism will increase.

People will love being involved, and they will talk to others about the amazing ministry they are involved with. It creates a desire within the body to invite others to get involved. The ministry will become attractive to the community and make it easier to fulfill its vision.

2) Spiritual growth increases throughout the body.

People flourish in the place of their God-given assignment. A strong culture creates a sense of belonging and inspires people to get involved, taking ownership of some portion of the ministry. This allows people to develop and use their gifts and talents, causing growth and strength in the individual. In turn, this creates strong, healthy relationships and edifies the body as a whole. One of the most rewarding things for leaders is to witness the growth, development, and healthy progress of their followers. This is what makes leadership exciting and rewarding.

3) It attracts great leaders.

Up-and-coming leaders will join themselves to the ministry. This creates a pool of leaders to mentor and disciple, preparing the ministry for future growth and additional outreach.

Question: Can we define our leadership culture right now?

Question: Who sets the culture of a ministry?

Question: What is happening right now in our ministry that does not reflect our leadership culture?

Question: Is excellence in ministry a focus of the leadership team?

Question: What areas of ministry can we do better with minimal effort, and why aren’t we doing it?

Question: What changes need to occur within your leadership team to embrace the leadership culture of Jesus better?

Thank you for visiting Truth Pressure Ministries. Please share and help reach more people with the truth.

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Who Will Lead the End-Time Church? #4

Posted on 11/06/2023 | Comments Off on Who Will Lead the End-Time Church? #4

Jesus is Not an Invalid

          As I was praying one day on my long drive to work, I began to pray some things out by divine revelation. I was overcome with a deep sense of gratitude, so I began to thank God for different things that would come up in my heart, things I would never typically think about. After a few minutes of this, I uttered these words by the Spirit, “I thank you, Father, for the body of Christ that validates You to the world.”

          As soon as I made that statement, I saw a vision of an Arab-looking fellow of middle age, dressed in a Kittel, sitting in a wheelchair with his head bowed down. He was facing almost directly to my right, and I could only see his profile. He was crippled in his arms and legs. As I stared at him, wondering what this meant, the word “INVALID” appeared above his head in all capital letters.

          My grandmother was a nurse, and I had heard her use that word many times about my aunt Alice, her daughter, who was stricken with polio. Alice could do almost nothing herself. She had little to no use of her arms and legs and needed full-time time care.

          As I continued to watch, the word changed from “INVALID” to “NOT VALID.” At that moment, the man looked up at me, and I saw that it was Jesus! The expression on His face was one of profound sadness. As soon as I realized who it was, the vision ended. The whole thing only lasted about 15 seconds. My heart went from overflowing with gratitude to being grief-stricken in a moment. The Lord gave me an instant understanding of what I had just seen.

          The Church has done a poor job of validating Jesus Christ to the world. We are His body; we are his hands and feet; we are the ones called to demonstrate His kingdom to the world. Through this brief vision, He was showing me the current condition of the Church.

His body is weak and crippled because of the poison we have been feeding it—the poison of false doctrines of men and doctrines of devils. We have left our first love and not represented Christ well. To the world, Christ was becoming increasingly invalid. I cried profusely.

We have seen a few men and women throughout history who have given themselves in complete surrender to Christ. These individuals demonstrated kingdom authority by signs and wonders, operating in the supernatural power of God, but they have been very few.

Maybe God allowed this to remind us that it is still possible, to encourage us to go deeper, to pursue Him more aggressively. This level of complete surrender must become the norm for end-time leaders. We must develop a culture that reproduces completely surrendered disciples.

John 14:12-14 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

          I don’t think anyone can argue against the fact that the Church has not lived up to these powerful words Jesus spoke. Not even close. And yet He said them nonetheless, which means they will be fulfilled.

Leaders of the end-time Church must lead with demonstration and power, not just eloquent teachings and entertainment-focused ministry. Signs and wonders must be present to maintain influence over people who are being persecuted for their faith. Demonstrating kingdom power and authority will be needed to give people hope and keep them moving forward and pursuing God during the greatest tribulation the world has ever known.

There are inherent dangers that come with God’s power and authority. This is why we don’t see it much in Church today. God loves us too much to trust His power to irresponsible babes. We must be mature enough spiritually to maintain a servant’s perspective while operating in His divine power. If we don’t, we will likely fall into pride and spiritual abuse, thinking more highly of ourselves than we should, destroying ourselves, our witness, and forfeiting any rewards we may have in eternity.

Matthew 20:25-28 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” 

The best leaders in any capacity are, without fail, the best of servants to those they are leading. When we hear the word “servant,” we tend to think of a slave, a hired hand, or someone in the helps ministry. In the case of end-time leadership, this takes on a much higher and nobler meaning. A servant leader is devoted to meeting the legitimate needs of those he is leading so that they are better equipped to fulfill their roles and grow as leaders themselves. He serves others with the hope of them finding and fulfilling their God-given purpose and destiny. He inspires others to lay down their life completely while modeling the process.

“If we are not willing to serve others, we are not qualified to lead them.”

The Snare of Management

One of the things that cripples the Church is mistaking management for leadership. We lead people; we should never manage them. We manage things like logistics, resources, assets, plans, vision, etc., but never people.

Managing people is a worldly view of leadership. It uses the power and authority of position or title to demand compliance and compel people to follow your lead. This type of leadership strains relationships and compromises godly influence. Continued use of management type of leadership will cripple a ministry.

When it comes to operating in the supernatural, we must resist the temptation to manage the anointing as well. It is easy for a leader with true power manifesting in his life to micro-manage others’ behavior and put unneeded restrictions on them in the name of “guarding the anointing.”

The best way for a leader to guard the anointing is to maintain personal intimacy and humility with the Lord. If we manage ourselves, our devotion to the Word, our actions, our words, our prayer life, etc. Will abide in an ever-increasing power that comes from God. It helps to have committed leaders around us who are qualified Elders and Deacons, according to scripture. God will take care of the rest.

The power that comes from God can be given and taken away. The power of God in our lives is dependent on our complete submission to Christ and obedience to His word, not how we manage the people around us. If we are disciplined and diligent in our pursuit of God, the laws of the Spirit will take care of the rest.

Growing in Influence

Ephesians 5:1-2 (NIV) Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

This passage is a goldmine of revelation for leaders. Follow God’s example and walk in love. Understanding that God has given us as a gift to others will keep our role in the proper perspective.

How we live our daily lives determines the amount of influence we have on those following us. When we are examples in speech, conduct, and character, we become salt and light to those around us, building confidence in others to follow us and creating a desire within them to help fulfill God’s vision and purpose for the Church.

Matthew 5:13 You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

Ministry leaders must be skillful in leading with authority because using power will drive people away. Authority grows as respect for the individual grows. Once you have earned respect, your influence will increase if you are consistent.

The power of position or title can be handed from one person to another. It can be given and taken away. Authority must be developed and maintained. When worldly power is used consistently, resentment, division, strife, and discord will surely follow.

Developing and maintaining influence builds a faithful following and a dynamic leadership team. It is also the foundation for developing an end-time leadership culture among your followers.

To validate Jesus in the world, we must first validate Him in our personal lives.

Question: What is the difference between power and authority?

Question: What three areas can you improve to increase your influence with others?

Question: Can influence be delegated?

Question: In your opinion, what three qualifications for leadership are the most important?

Question: How do you define influence?

Thank you for visiting Truth Pressure Ministries. Please share and help reach more people with the truth.

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The Key to All Leadership Ministry

Posted on 10/24/2023 | Comments Off on The Key to All Leadership Ministry

          Our impact and effectiveness as leaders will largely be determined by the level of our own spiritual progress.

          Spiritual growth is like physical growth with one exception. Physically, we are born as infants and progress through various stages of development until growth slows down in our late teens and we eventually reach our physical prime around the age of 30-35 years old. Then, because of the curse that is on the Earth, we begin to decline physically until we eventually die.

Spiritually, we should never slow down in our growth or reach a peak from which we begin to decline.

The greatest thing we can do for ourselves, and others is to pursue God with all our heart and give ourselves entirely to our own Spiritual progress and development. We should always be growing in Him. increasing in the knowledge of His word and cultivating a more intimate relationship with Him. Spiritual growth and progress must always remain our most important ministry. The closer we get to God the more helpful we will be to others.

2 Peter 3:17b-18 …beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-16 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Paul and Peter are telling us about the importance of growing in the grace and knowledge of God. However, there’s something else going on here too. In both passages, we see an effort to convince readers not to fall prey to false teachers and false doctrines so that their spiritual growth would not be hindered.

Believing a false doctrine will not only stunt our spiritual growth but cause us to grow in ways that create strongholds of wrong thinking and wrong believing that cause us harm as well as those that follow our teachings.

To grow in our faith, we must be able to discern, and tune out any voices that add to, or take away from the gospel of Jesus Christ. We can’t grow spiritually if we allow ourselves to be poisoned by false teachings and doctrines of men and devils. These days, false teachers and false doctrines are more numerous than ever. Steady spiritual growth will require us to be spiritually discerning, focused on truth, and guard our hearts from all evil influence. 

          The first and most important discipline we must have in place is putting God’s word first in our lives.

1 Peter 2:1-3 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

          Here we see two more requirements for continued spiritual growth. Laying aside selfish and self-seeking behavior and desiring the sincere milk of the word.

          Selfishness is an anti-Christ spirit. This is why we are commanded to die to self. Envy, jealousy, selfish ambition, malicious thoughts and actions, evil speaking, and corrupt communication, are all birthed from a self-centered wellspring. Look at what James has to say about this.

James 3:14-17 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 

          When we engage in self-seeking behavior, we are feeding the carnal man. We then cause confusion and become a landing strip for demonic activity. In this environment, spiritual growth stops and we become weakened and vulnerable to more demonic influence.

Stewarding God’s Kingdom

Luke 17:20-21 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say,  ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

          The kingdom of God is in the heart of every believer. The kingdom of God is like the Garden of Eden in the Old Testament. Just like the Garden of Eden, there are two trees in the kingdom of God in our hearts. The Holy Spirit represents the Tree of Life, and our sovereign, free will represents the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

          When we are born of the Spirit, the kingdom of God enters us as a seed and it is our responsibility to guard, tend, and protect that seed, watering it, feeding it, and exposing it to the light of God’s word.

Luke 13:18 Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”

          If we are not diligent in guarding the kingdom in our hearts, our spiritual growth is compromised.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

          To guard our hearts is to guard God’s kingdom. Spiritual growth is reflected in our lives in direct proportion to the growth and health of the kingdom within us.

          We have far more distractions now than at any other time in history. It requires a disciplined approach to personal devotion and spiritual growth to fight against the tides of constant distractions. We have so many voices vying for our attention that is easy to be pulled off course and compromise our relationship with the Lord.

Avoiding Itchy Ears

          Several years ago, the Lord corrected me strongly while reading a book by a popular Christian author. As I was reading, the Lord spoke to me and said, “Jack, I don’t want you to eat any more leavened bread.” Being overweight, I said, “OK Lord,” thinking He was putting me on a diet of sorts. He immediately corrected my thinking and said, “No, what you are doing now is eating leavened bread.”

          I had this immediate revelation that I was reading books about the Bible far more than I was reading the Bible. I have long been a voracious reader and realized my error. I was constantly looking for the latest teaching and the latest revelation. I was seduced by the eloquent words, profound thoughts, and statements of respected ministers. I was being an itchy-eared fool.

          I was reading my Bible, I had a devotional time where I would read a chapter or two, pray, and then go about my day, but then I would spend hours reading other men’s books, and teachings, watching sermons on YouTube, or watching Christian TV. This is a dangerous and common mistake that many Christians fall into and think nothing of it.

          The Lord called this leavened bread, emphasizing that the Bible alone contains the pure, unleavened bread of truth. These things have their place, but only as supplements to our personal reading, studying, and listening to the Bible for ourselves.

          If all we fed our bodies were vitamins and supplements, we would quickly lose weight, lose strength, and weaken until we eventually die. If all we do is have a 20-minute devotional a day, we will remain a spiritual baby.

1 Peter 2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

          No matter how far we have progressed in our spiritual growth, we should all respond to God’s word as a newborn baby. A newborn needs milk every two to four hours to remain healthy and grow properly. It is no accident that God uses this analogy to teach us how desperately we need His word.

          When Moses died and Joshua took over the leadership position in Israel, God gave Joshua this instruction.

Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 

          Joshua’s instruction is just as valid for us today as it was for him. Without constant intake of, exposure to, and meditation on God’s word, we will not be able to obey the word, we will not make our way prosperous, and we will not have good success.

          The book of Proverbs gives us further insight.

Proverbs 4:20-23 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart; 22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

          Giving the word its proper attention and respect brings life and health to us personally, as well as those we are leading.

The Impact of Personal Relationship with the Word.

          The primary way we relate to God is through His written word. Jesus is called “the word of God” for a reason. How we revere and respect God’s written word is a direct reflection of how much we respect and value Jesus and all he has accomplished.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 

          This is a powerful verse that helps us understand the impact that God’s living word has on our lives. After a few months of reading only the Bible, I began to change. I was starting to see things differently. It was like coming out of deep sleep with a foggy mind, slowly becoming aware of my surroundings. I could feel the light of God’s word at work in me, doing surgery on me, exposing darkness in my heart and mind. As the months and years passed, I became increasingly aware of some things.

  • First and foremost, I saw that many of the doctrines that I was taught and believed for decades were not even biblical. I had strongholds of wrong thinking and wrong believing that could only be dismantled by constant exposure to the sincere milk of the word of God. The unleavened bread of truth. I was finally beginning to know the truth after almost three decades, and the truth was setting me free.
  • My relationship with the Lord changed. It was enriched in more ways than I can articulate. My understanding of God’s nature grew, and I began to finally understand who He was, and in turn, began to understand who I was in Him. He showed me things about His nature and how He thinks. I understood more about His great love for us and my love for Him grew.
  • I saw the importance of intimacy with the Father. I understood that intimacy is where the greatest transformation takes place for a believer. My prayer life became enriched. My compassion for others who were bound by the same deceptions that I was began to increase, and I found myself spending more time praying for others than I did for myself.
  • I saw the importance and need for holiness. I asked the Lord to teach me and lead me into holiness. His answer to that prayer was to teach me the fear of the Lord. He showed me that holiness is perfected in the fear of the Lord. (2 Cor 7:1) I could see that this was a missing component in most of the body of Christ.
  • Wisdom increased and became evident to me and others. The Lord would give me the right things to say, and the right questions to ask, and I had the restraint to remain silent where previously I was often too quick to respond. My influence over others increased and I saw clearly the tremendous responsibility we have as teachers and leaders.
  • Obedience to God’s word became easier. My faith and trust in Him grew stronger by the day. Worry and anxiety had no place to land in my life.
  • Demonic attacks increased against me when I gave myself to only reading God’s word, but my understanding of spiritual warfare increased rapidly as well. So much so that the Lord inspired me to write a book on spiritual warfare.
  • Pride, arrogance, and bitterness were exposed in my life. As I flooded my heart and mind with truth, the darkness within me was manifest and forced me to deal with it. This birthed a holy fear and humility in me that I had not previously known.
  • My heart became increasingly broken for the body of Christ. I realized that most Christians were trapped in the itchy-eared deception that I was and I began to pray for the worldwide body of Christ daily.
  • It was now easier to hear when God spoke to me personally. Many Christians say that they don’t hear God speaking to them. The truth is, that He has already spoken many things to us in His written word. If we are not interested in what He has already recorded, why would He be inclined to speak to us about anything else?

These are just a few of the things that changed in me, and for me after putting God’s word first in my life.

It is easy to get trapped into depending on others to feed us and interpret God’s word for us. However, we have a responsibility in our relationship with God to pursue Him for ourselves.

The primary way we do that is through seeking to understand Him through what He has already said to us in His written word. Not seeking other men’s opinions on it, not depending on our pastor’s interpretation of it, and not reading or listening to the latest book or teaching about it. We must discover what He is saying to us personally by reading it and listening to it for ourselves?

It takes less than 80 hours to listen to a digital recording of the entire Bible being read to us. Being a slow reader is not a valid excuse. We have so many tools available to us now to make absorbing God’s word easy that no one should be scripturally illiterate. It is an indictment against us for how little we value the written word of God.

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Qualifications for Christian Leadership

Posted on 11/17/2022 | Comments Off on Qualifications for Christian Leadership

          There are many great teachings available on Christian leadership. However, in this teaching, we will focus on what I believe to be the basic essentials needed for a successful culture of leadership within a ministry. Leadership is not a position as much as it is a perspective that dictates how we think, act, and make decisions.

“Leadership Is Not Position, It Is A Perspective.”

          The greatest Christian leaders have a plan for disciplined spiritual growth and developing skillsets that enable them to be more effective while mentoring and equipping others for the work of the ministry. Great ministries are built on the shoulders of great leaders. Great leaders are not born, they are developed and committed to the development process.

Choosing Leaders

          The New Testament has some established guidelines for choosing leaders and if we don’t have these standards in place first we undermine our entire leadership culture.

          I see many churches that hold their senior leaders to a high standard of character and behavior but they have very low standards when choosing other leaders. It is not fair to put a person in a place of leadership that requires strong character when their character has not yet been developed. I see it all the time. A person is chosen for a position of leadership simply because of availability or obvious gifting, or even worse, people are placed in positions of leadership because of their financial contributions to the ministry with no consideration of character or maturity. It is a recipe for disappointment and disaster.

Here are a few questions to consider before choosing leaders:

  • Is the individual a devoted follower of Christ?
  • Have they proven themselves faithful or are they recent converts?
  • Do they pursue Jesus passionately and have an obvious intimate relationship with God?
  • Do they have a robust prayer life?
  • Does the individual have a good working knowledge of God’s Word?
  • Are they able to encourage people to take steps to spiritual maturity?
  • Do they possess self-control?  
  • Are they gentle, hospitable, upright, holy, and disciplined?
  • Is their life an example to the flock?

          If you look at this list and fall under conviction, it’s ok. Maybe this applies to you or a person you have placed in a leadership role and you realize you have missed the mark. Don’t fret. Correction is a part of leadership, receiving it and giving it. We will address these questions in light of scripture and provide a roadmap to develop a strong leadership team in future teachings.

Qualifications For Leadership

          Understand that God has a prescribed method of choosing leaders. It is His way of determining who is and is not qualified to lead. Being mindful of this and honoring this process inspires faith, produces strength, promotes success, prevents problems, and establishes structure and boundaries. If we adopt any other method of vetting leaders we subvert God’s plan and set ourselves up for unwanted challenges. 

            Let’s start with qualifications for Deacons and Elders and define their roles in the church. The roles of Deacons and Elders encompass all of the qualified leadership positions in the Church. All others should be in a position of being groomed and mentored for these offices.

Elders:

            Elders are the spiritual leaders of the church. They provide general oversight on organizational, financial, and spiritual matters. Elders can be 5 fold ministry gifts that have matured in their gifting and have proven themselves faithful in ministry, serving under the authority of other leaders. Elders are not limited to 5-fold ministry gifts but should live a life in such submission to Christ that they can readily embody the expression of the 5-fold ministry at any given moment. They understand that Christ is the embodiment of the 5-fold ministry and if Christ chooses to move through them as a Prophet, an Evangelist, or any other gift, they yield to that expression.

            Leaders don’t find their identity in the office that they occupy, but in Christ alone. In other words, Apostle, Bishop, Pastor, or Teacher is not who I am, it is how I serve. A seasoned Elder will wake up every day and be willing to serve others in whatever capacity God chooses. Without a heart to serve, one is unqualified to lead.

          Elders understand that they exist to love and serve others, that their life is not their own and that selfishness is never an option.

Deacons:

            The biblical requirements of deacons are very similar to that of elders, but there is a clear distinction between the offices. The role of a deacon may include a variety of services. In general, deacons function as servants, ministering to the body in practical ways. They may serve as a lead usher, oversee the benevolence outreach, lead a home group, or lead the hospitality department.

             No matter how they serve, scripture is clear that the office of a deacon is a rewarding and honorable calling in the church and a necessary role for elders to be able to function in their office. The ministry of deacons is vital to the success of the elders, it frees them up to focus on prayer, studying God’s word, and pastoral care. It is a great example of how one body part depends on the other. Deacons are Elders in training.

Leadership requirements for Elders:

Titus 1:5-9 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you— 6 if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. 7 For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, 8 but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, 9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.

1Timothy 3:1-7 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); 6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Leadership requirements for Deacons:

1 Timothy 3:8-13 8 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. 10 But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. 11 Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

           These scriptures are not overly complicated, in fact, they are very straightforward and leave no room for misinterpretation. I believe God made it simple for us so we wouldn’t mess it up. If we deviate from these simple guidelines and place an unqualified elder or deacon in a leadership role we have created a recipe for problems.

            Placing an unqualified leader in one of these roles devalues the office in the eyes of the flock as well as the other leaders. These offices should be held in high esteem and the people in them should be honorable, above reproach, and worthy of respect. This creates structure and boundaries within the body of Christ that are clearly defined and easily understood. It shows people that there is a defined structure of authority that is from God and sends a clear message that the leadership is here for their benefit.

Question: What is one thing you could change right now to make you a more effective leader?

Question: Do you hold your leadership team to a higher standard than what you are living yourself?

Question: How much time do you spend with the Lord in prayer daily?

Question: Do you spend as much time in prayer waiting and listening as you do talking?

Thank you for visiting truthpressure.com. I hope this has been a blessing to you.

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