God’s Requirements of Leaders

At the end of a service a lady walked up to me and said, “if you don’t give these people what they want, they will leave you and go to a church where they can get it.”  No, I’m not making that up!  What a terrible pressure is placed upon leaders to be and do that which pleases people. In the verses below the Lord tells Israel that when they arrive in the Promised Lane they will want a King like other nations and he gives them guidelines they must look for in a leader.  Let’s look at God’s requirements for leaders.

Deuteronomy 17:14-20

14 "When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, 'I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,' 15 you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 16 But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, 'You shall not return that way again.' 17 Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself. 18 "Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, 20 that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.

I.      They must be God’s choice.  We can’t make our leaders the ones we want necessarily, but the one God has chosen.  You may set them in but they must be one “whom the Lord your God chooses.”(V. 14-15)

II.     One from among you.  It is better if they are not a stranger or one not of our customs and culture. Of course there are exceptions in our day I’m sure, but this was important to God.(V15)  Compatibility is very important.

III.    Must not exalt himself above the people.  He can’t use his position to accumulate wealth at the expense of the people.

We could say, he must not see the people as a commodity.  He is truly a servant to the people set there by God.  (V. 16-17)

IV.    They must fear God and live and rule according to the Word of God.(V.18-19)

V.     They must walk in true humility and obedience. (V.20)This will prolong your days in leadership.

No Partiality

Anyone who is asked if they live and lead without partiality would say, "certainly".  Yet, it is a great temptation to show favoritism to some over others. Both the Old and New Testaments are filled with warnings about showing favoritism.  It seems to be a very detestable thing to the Lord.  This is especially true for leaders because our position of leadership is symbolic of the position of the Lord in many ways.  Lev. 19:15 tells us, "Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly."(NLT)  From this verse we can see that favoritism toward either the rich or the poor is wrong.  Again in 2 Chron. 19:7 we read," Fear the Lord and judge with integrity, for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or taking bribes." There are many ways a bribe may be offered and we must be very careful not to allow special favors in our direction to influence us to prefer one person over another. In the Kingdom of God we must treat everyone fairly.  Integrity is major part of our doorway of trust into the lives of people.  Maintaining our integrity is in large part protected by our impartiality. 

Friendship is something we all need.  However, leaders must be careful to keep friendship at a distance from our leadership role and responsibilities.  We must be careful to maintain confidentiality and to create around us an atmosphere of safety.   Impartiality is a big part of that atmosphere.  Let us allow this to cause us to be more aware of the temptation to partiality and to live in the balance of the scales of Godly justice.  

Wholehearted Obedience

Numbers 32:11‘Of all those I rescued from Egypt, no one who is twenty years old or older will ever see the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they have not obeyed me wholeheartedly. 12The only exceptions are Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they have wholeheartedly followed the Lord.’ NLT

It is an easy thing to know God's will and then because it seems so difficult, to begin to reason within ourself and stop short of what these verses call  obeying "wholeheartedly".  A part of the definition of this word is "to take a hand full or to have wholly".  The Lord wants all of us in order to get us to a place where He can expect us to give Him our all.  Partial obedience is disobedience!  The Scripture is filled with examples of partial obedience and the resulting fruit is loss or defeat.  We must continue to remind ourself that God is a God of faith and obedience.  We actually prove our faith by our obedience and not by our sermons or talk.  As a matter of fact, it is a very dangerous thing to say we are committed to a certain level and then stop short of fulfilling that verbal vow. (Acts 5:1-10) The least of our loss is the loss in that particular area of involvement.  From the moment that we back away from a level of commitment that the Lord has called us to make, from that moment our lives begin to disintegrate.  We are a covenant of faith people serving a covenant keeping God.  To put it in math terms, 2+2=4.  In the realm of partial obedience, 2+2=0.  There is always a loss when we take a way out that is less than required by God.  However, when we obey God wholeheartedly, 2+2=8 or more.  There is a multiplication of blessing that comes upon those who obey the Lord without reservation. 

Let's examine our lives today and ask Him if there are any areas where we have taken the easy way out.  The easy way always says to God, "I don't trust you to bring me through this situation and therefore I must try to fix it myself."  If you have compromised your obedience, pause now and ask for forgiveness and get back on track to Wholehearted Obedience!  

Improving Communication Skills

There are many aspects of preaching and teaching skills that can enhance our call to better communicate the Message of the Kingdom of God.  Certainly the primary element in this regard is the precious anointing of the Holy Spirit.  The anointing is like the wind in that, you cannot see it, but you see the effects of it and you know when it is absent.  There are also other more natural things that are important to growing in our speaking abilities.  Here are a few:

1.  Don't compare yourself to anyone else.  
You are most used by God when you are most you! David couldn't wear King Saul's armor and elected to take it off and face the giant, "comfortable in his own skin".

2.  Differing Styles 
Your speaking style should be an extension of your natural personality.  You can learn from others but don't try to be others. Don't seek to change your style so much as you seek to make your style more effective.  

3.  Spontaneity
Being able to be fluid and natural puts an audience at ease with your presentation.  If you are uncomfortable, the audience will be as well.  Being relaxed also makes it easier for you to read your audience and be able to make adjustments in your presentation to reach your audience more effectively.  Better preparation makes you more familiar with your teaching material and that familiarity makes it easier to be more spontaneous.  

4.  Notes and Outlines
Let your notes be your friend but don't be married to them.  The location and culture of an audience changes from day to day.  What worked in Atlanta won't necessarily work in Boston.  You have to be able to remain in contact with your senses and the Holy Spirit at all times while speaking, in order to adjust to make your point.  Jesus was a master at connecting with his audience.  

5.  "Closing the deal"
Every time you speak you are "selling" something. It might be a need for a greater devotional life.  It might be a call to greater faith, a stronger marriage or an effort to raise finances for an upcoming project.  You need to bring people to a place of "taking responsibility and ownership".