Leadership - Vision Through the Cross of Christ
Good leadership requires vision. No, not the vision of another. Vision, as hazy as it may be, is from our relationship with God. Mine’s not yours, nor yours mine. Yes, we influence each other, and God calls us a Body for a reason - we are essential to one another's function. Yet, each of God’s children has a personal relationship with the Father through the Son and the Holy Spirit.
For some, like me, who talk a lot, we need to pray for the ability to hear and see well. Lord, please help us talkers to be quiet and listen well so that we can hear You. Please give us a glimpse of what you want us to see. Please help us create a good plan for executing how to build alongside You. And help our plans to be rightly aligned with what’s in Your heart (helping the foreigner, giving to the widow and the orphan, and the brother in Christ who has need) (Deuteronomy 26:12).
The assembly of God’s people must be pure before God. That righteousness is through the Cross of Christ alone. And through the Holy Spirit’s cleansing power and God’s strong hand, we are humbly and wholeheartedly obedient to God. Once we know God, our calling, the vision for our lives grows clearer.
But is Jesus the Lord of our lives? We may observe that many so-called leaders seem to place their hope in heaven in whom they call their Lord, yet they overtly hope in themselves and the world for everything else.
Here’s my hope and encouragement. It’s that we believers in Christ trust the Alpha and Omega to make all things new (2 Peter 3:10). We trust Jesus alone for provision and vision. We fear God and trust Jesus when He says, “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars - their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).
Yes, the believer in Christ has God given responsibility to assess things, including our own behavior. Those who claim you can’t discern right from wrong as it is “judgy” poorly cloak where their allegiance lies.
Yes, we are under the new covenant. We don’t put our trust in the law. But God doesn’t change. His standards are His standards. From OT to the end of NT, God declares there are consequences for wicked behavior. As it was for the people who heard Moses and the Levites shouting at Mount Ebal (Deuteronomy 27:14), so it will be for each of us who are judged by Jesus. Jesus puts it this way: “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:12).
It is faith in Christ that saves us - a gift from God (Galatians 3:22). And you and I, Christ followers, are to use our freedom to serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13). Why does this matter? It matters for leaders as we need to constantly assess whom we serve and what our tasks entail. We must ask God for guidance and direction, nay, vision.
To have a godly vision, an eternal Kingdom building vision, we must have fidelity to our Lord and Saviour, Christ. Simple, right? Yes, and no. You see, the temptations of this world are a hard draw, and we need constant fellowship with God and confession of sin to win the constant battle (Galatians 5:17).
I’m struck by a few things I observe in others that I also see in my life. We want to be godly and obedient. We want to start and finish the day well. But often we have only morning righteousness and nightly devilishness. We hear people praying and asking God for a role that meets their gifting. We know very well that we are not to cling to the world as pleasers of men (Galatians 1:10). Yet some Christian leaders worry about having enough things, and we want more and more despite having every spiritual blessing in Christ. And when our prayers are answered, when we have food in the fridge and shoes on our feet, rather than acknowledging God and celebrating our King, we boast. Sad. Pathetic. Tragic.
I see my own eye log in many Christian leaders who seem hell bent on selfish ambition rather than building for and serving God alone.
Many people use the word "lord", but notice they rarely talk of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). I’m reminded of an accomplished Christian businessman I know, a PhD, with a long career, etc. He desperately needed a job, and God gave him a good one. Yet when he got in his new role, he boasted incessantly about his past achievements, his travels, his smarts, and his resources. Nauseating.
I'm well aware that each of us is guilty of being drawn into wordliness and selfish ambition. Yet that is not the call of Christ on our lives. Christians are not called to cheat others with dishonest weights and measures (Deuteronomy 25:16). That's detestable. Instead, we are to be honest, accountable, and we must live with godly integrity.
The Church is Jesus’ body. We are God’s people, His prized possession. It is incumbent on us to promote purity, godliness, and right conduct. In the OT, God placed responsibility on the parents and the community to purge evil from the community (Deuteronomy 21:18-21, 22:20:24). Likewise, the people of God’s new covenant have an awesome responsibility to live out the nature and character of God through our behavior. We must be Holy Spirit-led, immersed in Scripture, and in fidelity to the Sacraments. And the Power of Christ will work through us, faithfully, as we seek God in trust.
Leaders, friends, ask God for vision. Our organizations depend on it. Our families and communities do too. Part of the leader’s responsibility is to provide a godly vision. Don’t shirk that responsibility or pass it off on someone else. And if you have a godly vision, share it! Remind others of it often.
I end with this. Summertime is a great time for reading and renewal. I love the ancient church tradition of reaffirming our faith in Christ (2 Timothy 1:6-7, Acts 8:14-17; 19:6). Please consider doing that today, saying something along the lines of:
Elder: Do you, in the presence of God and the Church, renew the solemn promises and vows made at your Baptism and commit to keep them?
Believer: I do.
Elder: Do you renounce the devil and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God?
Believer: I renounce them.
Elder: Do you renounce the empty promises and deadly deceits of this world that corrupt and destroy the creatures of God?
Believer: I renounce them.
Elder: Do you renounce the sinful desires of the flesh that draw you from the love of God?
Believer: I renounce them.
Elder: Do you turn to Jesus Christ and confess him as your Lord and Savior?
Believer: I do.
Elder: Do you joyfully receive the Christian Faith, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments?
Believer: I do.
Elder: Will you obediently keep God’s holy will and commandments, and walk in them all the days of your life?
Believer: I will, the Lord Jesus being my helper.
If you've made those declarations and commitments today, tell someone about it. Shoot me a note if you like. I will pray for you. And I humbly ask for your prayers for my steadfastness in Christ.
Lord Jesus, may such reaffirmations be our commitment and prayer today. We need vision from You, Lord God. Amen.
In Sylvan Lake, AB, last week, at Mom and Dad's with our four grandkids.
Comments