A person may be phenomenally gifted and woefully immature. It is an occupational hazard in the church to presume a person’s giftedness is the same as their godliness. The church has made this error too many times.
We should look for men who display the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Men who use the gifts of the Spirit without the fruit of the Spirit are bound to harm themselves and others. If you do not see these traits in your leader, don’t follow them.
9. Lead by Faith in What God Has Made You, Not Fear of What You Might Become.
2 Timothy 1:6–7: “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
It is possible to experience negative leadership and allow it to rob you of the confidence you’ll need to lead well. You can spend a great deal of time trying not to be the person who harmed you while ignoring the leader God made you.
Lead in faith, not fear. Become who you are in Christ. Let those experiences bless you with caution and maturity. But don’t let those experiences hinder and hamstring you.
10. Faithfulness > Success
1 Corinthians 3:6–7: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”
Faithfulness is always more important than success. You cane help build the ship and hoist the sails, but you’re not the wind. You can fell the tree and stack the wood, but you’re not the fire.
Our job is to be faithful. It’s God’s job to bring whatever success he chooses. If you’ll deeply believe this, you’ll rest in what Jesus does with your church. If you do not, you’ll seek shortcuts to godliness, hide sin which needs repenting of, and manipulate others to accomplish what you deem most important.
Be Christ’s free man and woman by trusting the Lord’s ways are better than our own, and the Lord knows us better than we do. He knows what success we can handle, and he knows what fame can ruin.
Aim to die in obscurity. No one needs to know your name. But they need to know Christ’s. Live all out for the fame of Jesus and let Christ have his way in your ministry.
