“The Character of a Godly Leader”

Numbers 12:3

Now the man Moses was very humble,

more than all men who were on the face of the earth.

Introduction

The single most important quality for a godly leader to possess is humility.  Humility has been open to many people’s personal explanation, but the simplest definition that I have heard to describe humility is that it is not when you think too little of yourself; humility is not thinking of yourself at all.  Having humility does not mean that we do not care about our well-being; it means that, we “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3)

Moses was God’s number one man for one simple reason:  he was the most humble man on the face of the earth.  In addition to having humility, God gave him great authority to lead the nation of Israel.  Godly leaders focus on God’s agenda, not their own.  Godly leaders are stewards, not dictators or monarchs.  A pastor has the authority to determine that a leader in the church cannot serve in leadership if he is having sex outside of marriage.  A pastor can also determine that a leader in the church cannot serve in leadership while being involved in a homosexual relationship.  These are acceptable restrictions because church leaders do not represent themselves only; they represent the ministry that they are a part of, and they represent God. 

In his book, A Burden Shared, David Roper says this concerning authority in leadership:  “It means leading by persuasion, reason, and proclamation of the Word of God, rather than by personal mandate and ultimatum.  We cannot dictate or demand.  We can only declare.” 

The moment that anyone in the kingdom of God is forced to do anything beyond their own volition, God is no longer involved.

“Church Structure”

A church that focuses on and administers sound teaching is a structurally sound church.  Some of the requirements that God has for His people to follow do not come with specific instructions on how to implement them.  In these cases, we have a certain level of liberality in how we choose to carry out these requirements.  Unfortunately, many will disagree with the method that others may use to apply God’s directives. 

One command that some differ on is the instruction that believers should meet together.  Some people believe in lengthy church services while others are more comfortable with time regulated services.  Hebrews 10:25 encourages us to be sure that we assemble ourselves together so that we may worship together and fulfill God’s purpose in our lives.  But, we are not given instructions in regard to how LONG we should meet.  This means that the length of a church service is to be determined by the leadership at that location without the influence of anyone OUTSIDE of that assembly. 

Another area of dispute is in regard to the appropriate apparel to be worn for church attendance.  Two scriptures that address the appropriate attire for us to wear are: Deuteronomy 22:5, which instructs us that men are not permitted to wear women’s clothes and women are not allowed to wear men’s clothes, and 1 Timothy 2:9, which acknowledges that clothes should be worn in moderation.  The Bible does not determine that it is essential to wear suits nor does it mention that we are restricted from wearing jeans.  Moderation does mean, however, that it is inappropriate to expose the parts of your body that were meant to be covered.  It also means that wearing clothes with profanity etched on them, clothes that promote the use of drugs, or clothes with explicit messages are inappropriate to wear.

In conclusion, some of the battles that we fight can and should be avoided.  Galatians 5:15 warns that if we bite and devour one another, we will be consumed by one another.

Colossians 2:16-19

¹⁶ Therefore, no one is to act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath day— ¹⁷ things which are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. ¹⁸ Take care that no one keeps defrauding you of your prize by delighting in humility and the worship of the angels,  taking his stand on visions he has seen,  inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, ¹⁹ and not holding firmly to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.

 

“Living a Life of Balance”

Many times as a body of believers, a lack of balance causes us to error.  Balance is essential to living the abundant life that Christ came to bring us.  Unfortunately, when we live our lives with extremes, it can cause Godly success to slip through our fingers. 

Some people are legalist and they believe that they can earn their Salvation by keeping the law or by performing good works.  However, Ephesians 2:8-9 states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works; lest anyone should boast.” 

On the other hand, there are those that subscribe to the other extreme:  antinomianism.  Antinomianism is a rejection of laws and is against moral, religious, or social norms.  These people believe that not only is Salvation not obtained by keeping the law, but they are also under no obligation to refrain from sin.  However, Romans 6:1-2 asks, “What do we say then? Will we continue in sin so that grace may increase?  May it never be!  How can we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

Being balanced in our faith allows us to recognize that even though we may practice behavior that the Bible encourages, the act alone does not redeem us.  In addition, receiving salvation does not mean that we are absolved of any responsibility for living in an honorable manner.

Romans 12:2

² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

 

“Doctrines of Demons”

Doctrines of demons are not necessarily teachings that orally promote Satan or demons.  Doctrines of demons can be any subject that overshadows the Gospel of Christ.  There are some teachings that may be acceptable to teach or learn.  But if they become dominant teachings and remove the focus from Christ, they become doctrines of demons.

One such example of a potentially damaging doctrine is the promotion of social justice among God’s people.  While the Bible compels us to live at peace with all men (Rom. 12:18) and to seek justice (Isaiah 1:17), social justice, as it is communicated in many instances, is not a biblical solution.  Social justice, according to the Oxford Reference is defined as “The objective of creating a fair and equal society in which each individual matters, their rights are recognized and protected, and decisions are made in ways that are fair and honest.”  However, social justice, in many cases, is promoted to push for the redistribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges. 

Acts chapter 6 gives us an example of the unfair treatment of one group of individuals and how it was resolved by the Apostles of Christ.  The Hellenistic Jews were Jews who spoke Greek and did not previously live in Judea.  As Jews were being converted to Christ, many relocated to Jerusalem to live.  Unfortunately, the Hellenistic widows found themselves being discriminated against by the native Hebrews.  When this matter was brought to the attention of the twelve, they resolved the conflict by having the congregation to select qualified men to take over the responsibility of distributing the daily allotment of food.  The qualifications that these men needed to possess were, they had to be full of the Spirit and wisdom and they had to have a good reputation. 

The subject of discrimination was properly addressed and corrected without supplanting the gospel of Christ. 

  1 Timothy 4:1-5

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, ² by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, ³ who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. ⁴ For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; ⁵ for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.

 

“Blessings”

God has a standard that He expects His people to live by and, when we do, there are times that we will be blessed as a result.  But there is one important thing to understand:  we can never be good enough to DESERVE His blessings.  There are, however, times when God will also bless us when we are not at our best.  During these times, He is selective about who He blesses.  The Bible illustrates how God decided to bless a person who understood that they did not deserve the blessing that they had received, and the grace that this person experienced caused them to display a greater level of humility. 

In Luke 5:1-11, Peter is instructed by Jesus to go out into the deep and drop his net into the water.  After fishing all night and catching nothing, Peter’s heart is not fully into fulfilling this request but he does it anyway.  As a result of his obedience, he catches so many fish that his nets began to break and he has to seek assistance from James and John.  The fish are so numerous that both fishing boats are on the verge of sinking.  After reaching the shore, Peter bows before Jesus and acknowledges that he is a sinful man and does not deserve to have Jesus in his presence.  Peter had doubted that he would have any success in catching any fish and to doubt God is sin. 

The blessing that Peter received caused him to humble himself and become more willing to value the Blesser more than the blessing.  Peter valued Christ so much that he was willing to leave his occupation and any potential future benefits in order to fully commit to following Jesus.

Matthew 5:43-45

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.