Tawa Baptist

Leadership & Administration

Scripture: Romans 12:8 and 1 Corinthians 12:28

Video Link: https://youtu.be/8qs2bj1tBlg

Audio Link: Stream Sermon – 14 Dec 2025 – Leadership & Administration by tawabaptist | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Administration
  • Leadership
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Max Lucado once wrote: A person who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.

The conductor does not follow the crowd; they follow the music. They cannot afford to worry about what others think; they must stay focused on leading the orchestra, helping all the different musicians to play their part in harmony.  

Over the past two or three months we have been considering the spiritual gifts Paul mentions in Corinthians and Romans. Gifts like prophecy, teaching, helps, tongues, marriage, singleness, wisdom, knowledge and so on. Today we conclude our series on spiritual gifts by taking a closer look at the gifts of administration and leadership.

If we think of the church like an orchestra, then those with the gifts of administration and leadership are like the conductor of the orchestra, helping the various members of the church to use their gifts in harmony with each other. Let us begin then with the gift of administration. From First Corinthians 12 we read…

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Most of you would remember the TV show MASH. MASH stands for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. MASH was a dramatic comedy set in the Korean war of the 1950’s. One of the lead characters in MASH was Corporal Radar O’Reilly.

Corporal O’Reilly got the nickname ‘Radar’ because he always sensed when the choppers were coming with wounded before anyone else did. Radar was not an officer or a doctor. He was the hospital’s administrator. He filled out forms and basically kept the organisation running smoothly.

We could say Radar was the ‘under the radar’ leader of the MASH unit. He was like the conductor of the orchestra except he wasn’t seen up front. Without Corporal O’Reilly the MASH unit would not be able to function. It was a running gag that a Corporal (and not a Colonel) was actually running the place.

In Corinthians 12, Paul talks about the church being like a body with many different parts. Each person in the church is a part of the body of Christ and just as each part of a body has a special function, so too each believer has a special gift. We need each other to be different or else the church will not function as it should.

One part of the body Paul mentions is those with the gifts of administration. We might not think of administration as that spectacular but, in any organisation, it is essential to have people who can organise things.

The alternative would be chaos.

A church without administrators would be like an orchestra without a conductor. It would be like a MASH unit without a Corporal O’Reilly, or an aircraft without a pilot.    

In fact, the Greek word translated as administration, in verse 28, literally means the work of a ship’s pilot. The ship’s pilot is the one who steers the ship through rocks and shoals to safe harbour. [1] Modern Greek uses the same word for an aircraft pilot. [2] 

The work of an administrator then is the work of steering the church in the right direction, keeping it on course, avoiding dangers, recognising the changing weather and adjusting accordingly.

Bible commentator, David Prior, observes (and I paraphrase here)…

The pilot / administrator knows the capabilities of their craft and crew.

They know who to call on at which moment. They do not panic nor relax their vigilance. They are focused on the goal of reaching journey’s end safe and sound.  

The gift of administration carries the idea of giving guidance. The guidance may be for an individual or for the church as a whole.

Joseph, the son of Jacob (in Genesis) was a gifted administrator. Joseph rose to the position of chief steward in Potiphar’s house. After being falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, Joseph was sent to prison where he was put in charge of the other prisoners due to his administrative skills.

Then, after being released from prison, Joseph gave guidance to Pharoah (king of Egypt) and Pharoah put Joseph in charge of the administration of Egypt’s entire economy. Joseph, a man with a God given gift for administration, piloted Egypt through a severe famine, saving millions of lives from starvation.      

It is interesting that Jesus chose at least one tax collector (Matthew – aka Levi) among his disciples. Tax collectors are administrators. They are good at keeping records. Matthew’s gift with admin bore fruit in his recording of Jesus’ teaching, giving us the gospel of Matthew.

The infamous gangster Al Capone was, in the end, caught and put away by an accountant, someone good at administration. Through a meticulous investigation, forensic accountant Frank Wilson uncovered evidence of tax evasion and, in October 1931, Al Capone was convicted of tax fraud (through Frank Wilson’s guidance).

There is a lot of administration in running a church these days, way more than when I started. Much of the administration is driven by keeping up with statutory compliance. There are quite a few people in this church who provide guidance by assisting with administration behind the scenes.

We have the deacons board of course, but also the finance team and the health & safety committee, as well as Brodie, in the church office. Pastoral staff have a significant administrative element to their work too. Administrators provide information that is helpful in guiding our decisions.

Let me say thank you to the administrators among us. We need your skill and attention to help steer the church and keep us off the rocks. It is not glamourous work, but it is necessary for the right functioning of the body.

Let me also say, administration is no less ‘spiritual’ than some of the more dramatic (or supernatural) gifts. The same Spirit who empowers the prophet also empowers the administrator.

We come across an example of good administration in the early church in Acts chapter 6. From verse 1 we read…

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jewsamong them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” 5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Three things we note here. Firstly, the apostles did not try to do everything themselves. They recognised their gift was not administering food to widows, so they delegated this responsibility to others who did have the gift.

Secondly, the apostles empowered the congregation to choose their own administrators. And the congregation chose mostly Hellenistic Jews. That is, Greek speaking Jews. Jews who were born and raised outside of the land of Israel. Because these administrators were Hellenistic Jews, they had a better understanding of the needs of the Hellenistic widows who were missing out.

Thirdly, the apostles commissioned the seven administrators by laying hands on them and praying for them. In doing this the apostles were demonstrating that administration is spiritual. It is a function carried out with the help of the Holy Spirit.

As a consequence of this wise administrative move, the apostles were released to preach the gospel and the church continued to grow.   

Leadership:

Closely related to the gift of administration (or giving guidance) is the gift of leadership. In Romans 12, verse 8, Paul writes…

8 If [your gift] is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.  

The Greek word translated as lead (in verse 8) is proistēmi. It literally means ‘to stand before’ and thus to influence others. That is, to cause them to follow a recommended course of action. [3] To lead, in other words.

Leadership is more than administration. A leader doesn’t just provide guidance. A leader embodies the guidance. They stand before others. They go first, modelling by their actions the way people are to follow.

Seth Godin puts it this way…

‘The secret of leadership is simple: Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there. People will follow.’

There is quite a bit in this pithy statement. Firstly, a leader does what they believe in. This implies authenticity. The leader is not faking it. Nor are they just talking about an idea. They are deeply committed to what they believe in.

They live their beliefs.

Painting a picture of the future is about giving people hope. Someone once said, ‘leaders are dealers in hope’. If you are asking people to change, then they need to believe the change will be worth it. They need to be convinced the future will be better for having made the change.    

Going there, is about being the change you want to see in the world. Leadership involves influencing people by what you do. Deeds speak louder than words. Leadership means showing as well as telling.

To be convincing then, a leader needs to be authentic, they need to offer hope and they need to lead by example. Ultimately though, what makes a person a leader, is people who will follow. Without followers one cannot really call themselves a leader.      

Being the first one to do something, taking the lead, requires a certain courage.    The courage to turn your back on the crowd, to risk rejection and humiliation, to do things differently, to cut a new path for others to follow.

One of the greatest leaders of all time was king David, king of Israel. Before he took the throne, while he was still a callow youth, David showed Israel the leadership they needed at that time.

David acted on his belief that the God of Israel was stronger than the enemy. David painted a picture of the future by defeating Goliath with a stone and a slingshot. David was a dealer in hope. He had the courage of his convictions.

He led by example, and people followed him.

But one even greater than David has come. His name is Jesus. Jesus cut a new path; he redefined leadership in terms of service to others. Jesus did not come to conquer Israel’s political enemies. Rather, Jesus conquered humanity’s spiritual enemies by going to the cross. Jesus overcame sin and death.  

Jesus is our leader. He suffered rejection and humiliation, betrayal and loneliness. But God vindicated Jesus by raising him to eternal life on the third day. Jesus’ resurrection paints a picture of what the future looks like for those who follow him in faith.

Now the examples of David slaying Goliath and Jesus conquering sin and death may feel a bit out of reach for us. They might also give the false impression that leadership is an occasional, isolated act of heroism.

Leadership does require courage and going where others have not been before, but the day-to-day reality of church leadership is less dramatic than that.  

Returning to Romans 12. Paul says that those who lead should do so diligently.

The definition of diligence is ‘careful and persistent work or effort’.

David learned how to use a sling through diligent practice as a shepherd defending his sheep. Likewise, Jesus went to the cross after 33 years of careful and persistent obedience to God the Father.

Leadership requires the energy to give our best every day and in every situation for the wellbeing of the community. If you are in the habit of serving diligently by giving your best in the routine small things, then when a trial by fire comes you will be better equipped to deal with it.

One of my favourite jobs when I was younger was splitting firewood. It is incredibly satisfying to bring an axe down on a willow ring and feel the wood come apart. Not so satisfying when you get a knotty piece though.

The trick with splitting wood is not holding the axe handle too tight or too loose. If you hold the axe too loose, it will fly out of your hands. But if you hold it too tight, you will get blisters faster and you will feel the shock through your arms more sharply. You have to hold the axe handle with just the right amount of tension.  

Diligence is about holding the handle of leadership just right, not too loose, not too tight. If you are a bit slack in your approach to leadership, you risk losing a handle on what you are doing. Likewise, if you are too up-tight (too white knuckle obsessive in your approach) then you risk burning out and making everybody else’s life a misery.

The Pharisees were hyper diligent in their observance of the law of Moses and it got in the way of people loving God and loving their neighbour. We need to keep the main thing the main thing. Diligence is a fine balance.

One of the things that sets Christian leaders apart is that we are followers first.

The ancient Greek philosopher, Solon, is credited with saying…

‘He who has learned how to obey will know how to command.’

Before we can lead anyone in the Christian faith, we must first learn to obey Jesus. Our authority to lead others comes from our obedience to Christ. Christian leaders are disciples of Jesus first. Indeed, if we take on the mantle of leadership, we don’t stop being disciples. We continue to take our lead from Jesus himself.    

When we look at the leaders of the early church, they were actually following the Spirit of Jesus, not their own inclinations.

In Acts chapter 10, the apostle Peter received a vision from heaven with a sheet containing all sorts of unclean animals. Then he hears a voice telling him to eat the animals.

At first Peter was shocked and appalled, saying ‘I have never eaten anything impure or unclean’. And the voice spoke again saying, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean’.

Long story short, the Lord wanted Peter to take the gospel to the Gentiles and to the Roman Centurion, Cornelius, in particular. More than that, the Lord wanted Peter to lead the way in showing the mainly Jewish Christian church that it was time to welcome Gentiles (non-Jews) into the fold.

This might not seem like a big deal to us, but it was huge for Peter and others at the time. Peter was being asked to turn his back on the crowd and on Jewish tradition. But Peter found the courage to obey Jesus, to follow the Lord’s lead, and now the Christian church is made of people of all nations.   

The other thing we note about Christian leadership is that it is usually plural.

In the New Testament, Christian leaders don’t normally stand alone. They stand together and make decisions together.    

The famous baseball player Babe Ruth once said: ‘The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.’   

In Acts 15 we read how some Jewish Christians were insisting that Gentiles who wanted to become Christians must be circumcised and required to obey the Law of Moses. Then in verse 6 we read how the apostles and elders met to consider the question.

Peter did not try to handle this on his own. He got the other church leaders together to discuss the issue and together they found a way forward.

Conclusion:

This morning we have been talking about the spiritual gifts of administration and leadership. These gifts are no less spiritual for being down to earth and practical. Maybe you have one of these gifts. Maybe God has gifted you in some other way.

Charles Schultz (of Charlie Brown fame) once wrote: ‘Life is like a ten-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.’

God doesn’t just give us one gift. He is generous. He normally gives a number of gifts. What gifts has God given you? How are you using these gifts?

Let us pray…

Gracious God, thank you for the gifts you have given your people. Help us to understand how you have equipped us and where you want us to serve. Glorify yourself through our strengths and our weaknesses we pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.  

Questions for discussion or reflection:

  1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
  2. What does Paul mean by the gift of administration, in 1 Corinthians 12:28? What does a good administrator do for an organisation? Is this your gift?
  3. Discuss / reflect on Seth Godin’s comment: ‘The secret of leadership is simple: Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there. People will follow.’ By this definition, who has had a significant leadership role in your life?
  4. What qualities or characteristics does a leader need to possess to be convincing?
  5. What does it look like to lead with diligence? Why is diligence important in leadership?
  6. What are some of the distinctives of Christian leadership?
  7. What gifts has God given you? How are you using these gifts? 

[1] Refer William Barclay’s commentary on 1 Corinthians, page 129.

[2] Refer David Prior’s commentary on 1 Corinthians, page 221.

[3] Refer Marva Dawn’s book, ‘Truly the Community’, page 131.

Tawa Baptist

Care

Scripture: 1st Thessalonians 5:12-22

Video Link: https://youtu.be/p9_RXHv8CM8

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Respect your leaders (12-13)
  • Care for the needy (14-15)
  • Discern God’s will (16-22)
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Can you remember the first time you left home? Maybe you were going away on a school camp for a week, or perhaps you were going overseas on an exchange trip or leaving home to go flatting.

In all likelihood one of your parents probably went through a checklist with you. Have you packed your tooth brush? What about your phone charger? Do you have a spare inhaler in case the first one runs out? Make sure you eat properly. Stay away from the boys. Or stay away from the girls. Remember I love you. Stay in touch and call me when you get there. I’m going to miss you.

This is a little ritual that many parents can’t help performing when they send their children into the world. It’s not easy being apart from the people you love. It takes faith.

Today we continue our series in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, by focusing on chapter 5, verses 12-22. In these verses Paul is getting towards the end of the letter and he is preparing to say goodbye.

Before he signs off though, Paul runs through a checklist of things he wants the Thessalonian believers to remember. Paul loves them like family and wants them to be okay in the world without him. From verse 12 of Thessalonians 5 we read… 

12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.  14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

There are lots of things in Paul’s checklist for the Thessalonians. We could summarise them under three sub headings…

In verses 12-13 Paul is appealing to the congregation to respect their leaders.

In verses 14-15 he is urging them to care for the needy.

And in verses 16-22 Paul is instructing the believers to discern God’s will.

Let’s start with respecting your leaders.

Respect your leaders:

Donald McGannon once said, leadership is an action, not a position.

Donald was a broadcasting industry executive. He worked to improve the standards of radio and television broadcasting. Among other things, Don insisted on dropping cigarette advertising, at a time when that was an unpopular thing to do. He was a leader who used his influence for good.

‘Leadership is an action, not a position’, was very much Paul’s view on leadership too. In verse 12 Paul says…   

12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.

The interesting thing here is that Paul uses verbs (or doing words) to describe the leaders of the congregation in Thessalonica. Having a fancy title doesn’t make you a leader. Rather it is what one does that makes them a leader.

The three things a church leader does: Work hard among the congregation. Care for the congregation and admonish people.   

Working hard for the congregation is about service. Good leadership is servant leadership. Leadership takes time and energy. Not just physical energy but emotional and mental energy as well. It’s not only the long hours, it’s also the weight of responsibility a leader carries.   

A good leader works hard because they really care about the well-being of the people. To care for people means to look after them. Make sure their needs are met.

Fun fact, the Greek word translated as ‘those who care for you’, in verse 12, can also mean ‘those who are over you’, as in those who are in authority over you. So the thought here is of someone who uses their authority to take care of others (as opposed to abusing their authority).

Admonish is a bit of an old fashioned word. To admonish someone is to correct them or to warn them to avoid a certain course of action. Admonishing people is essentially about providing guidance. It can sometimes require having a difficult conversation with others.

Of course, the spirit in which a Christian brother or sister admonishes is one of gentleness and humility. Christ like admonition aims to balance grace and truth. The foundation for admonishing people is the example we set.

When thinking about admonishing we might draw on an image from the sailing world. As John Maxwell says: ‘The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.’

Admonishing people is about adjusting the sails to suit the conditions, so the boat doesn’t capsize or go off course.

In verse 13 Paul says to the Thessalonian congregation, regarding their leaders:   

13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 

In other words, we Christians are to love and respect the leaders among us. Don’t make a leader’s life more difficult through conflict. Nothing will empty a leader of their joy more quickly than having to sort out strife. Support the leaders among you, not with flattery or empty words, but by living in peace with each other. Get along together.

Kiwi culture is relatively egalitarian and independent. Kiwi culture, generally speaking, is not naturally inclined to respect those in leadership. Our wider society suffers from tall poppy syndrome. We, in New Zealand, have a tendency to cut our leaders down, (although one would hope this does not apply so much in the church).

But if you think it through, it is in everyone’s interest to support and respect good leaders because, by Paul’s definition, they are the ones doing most of the heavy lifting. They are the ones trimming the sails and keeping the boat afloat. They are the ones caring for you and looking out for your interests.

To show contempt for our leaders is like poisoning the water upstream. It just makes everyone sick.

So that’s the first thing, respect your leaders. Paul’s next piece of advice is, care for the needy.

Care for the needy:

From verse 14 we read… 

14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

The first thing we notice here is that Paul is addressing everyone in the church, not just the leaders. So everyone in the congregation has a responsibility for pastoral care. We must all be our brother or sister’s keeper. 

In this verse Paul identifies three types of needy persons: those who are idle and disruptive, those who are disheartened and the weak.

The Greek word translated as ‘idle & disruptive’ is ataktos, which literally means ‘out of line’. It originally referred to a soldier who was out of line or slacking off and not following orders. A soldier who is idle and disruptive puts the lives of his platoon at risk. He is a danger to everyone.

There were, apparently, some in the church at Thessalonica who were freeloading off the goodwill of others and not pulling their weight. Paul’s message to them (as we find out in his second letter to the Thessalonians) was, ‘if you don’t work, you don’t eat’.

This may seem a little uncaring of Paul, but it was actually the most caring thing to do. The idle and disruptive were busy bodies, gossips, meddling in other people’s business and generally making things worse. They needed a more positive and constructive occupation for their time, both for their own well-being and for the well-being of the whole community. 

In caring for others we need to avoid creating dependencies. Wise care doesn’t mean doing everything for someone. That is a short cut to resentment for the carer. Wise care motivates people to do for themselves what they can.

The second type of needy person, Paul mentions, are those who are disheartened. The disheartened are sad and need to be encouraged.

We are not exactly sure why some were disheartened. Perhaps they had been worn down by the constant criticism and opposition of their pagan neighbours. Or maybe they were grieving the loss of loved ones. Whatever the reason, they needed the courage to carry on in the Christian faith and not give up.

We give courage to people, partly by the positive things we say, but mostly by staying close to them. Committing to them. Being present with them so they do not become lonely. Because it is when we feel like we are on our own, in our faith, that we are most vulnerable to losing heart and giving up.

In the Old Testament story of Ruth, Naomi had become disheartened. Naomi’s husband and two sons had died. In her sadness she had lost hope and become bitter. But Naomi’s daughter-in-law, Ruth, made a commitment to stay with Naomi whatever happened. ‘Your people will be my people and your God will be my God. Wherever you go I will go there with you.’

God used Ruth’s commitment to redeem the situation and restore Naomi’s faith and hope. There is strength in friendship and community.

The third type of needy person are those who are weak. Again, we can’t be sure who the weak refer to. Maybe Paul means those who are morally weak, who are vulnerable to temptation in some way. Or perhaps the weak are those who are a bit timid or afraid. Either way they needed help.

Interestingly, the Greek word translated as help, literally means to cling to or to cleave. In other words, we are to help the weak by holding on to them, supporting them, holding their hand as it were, giving them security.

Whether someone is needy or not, we are to be patient with everyone. To be ‘patient’ here means to have a long fuse or to be long suffering. It is part of our Christian discipleship to go the distance with people and not give up on others who we may find annoying or frustrating or slow to learn.

Patience is one of the key characteristics of love. Love is patient, love is kind… Paul is giving us a picture here of what love looks like. In verse 15 he says…

15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

Paul is echoing the words of Jesus who said (in Matthew 5)…

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.

Both Paul and Jesus’ words here don’t just apply to fellow believers within the church. This teaching applies to our relationship with people outside the church as well. This is not easy to do. We need God’s grace.

It might help for us to remember that someone who does us wrong, isn’t necessarily an evil person. They are more likely a needy person.

Hurt people, hurt people. Do you get what I’m saying there? If someone hurts you, there’s a good chance they are acting out of their own hurt. They may want you to understand their pain and the injustice they have suffered. While their behaviour is unacceptable and wrong, they need healing, not more hurt.

Some of you may remember a story I told of Robyn some years ago. When Robyn was pregnant with our eldest daughter, a boy in her class lost his temper and punched her in the stomach.

When I heard about it my blood boiled. But Robyn put herself in this boy’s shoes. She understood that life wasn’t easy for him at home. She didn’t take it personally. She instinctively knew he was acting out of his own hurt and what he needed most was to be shown love. And so, when he had calmed down, she gave him hug. She had no problems with him after that.     

Hurt people, hurt people. This doesn’t necessarily explain all bad behaviour, but it does remind us to put ourselves in other people’s shoes. Which I think is what Paul is asking us to do in these verses.    

Do you have someone needy in your life?

Are they disruptive and in need of something meaningful to do?

Are they disheartened and in need of your encouragement and companionship?

Are they weak and in need of support?

Are they annoying, do they press your buttons. Do they need your patience?

Are they hurt and in need of healing and grace? 

How might you care for them? What is in your power to do?

I say, ‘what is in your power to do’, because I’m talking to a room full of people who I know do care for the needy and I don’t want you to feel guilty about what is not in your power to do. There is no end of need in this world but there is an end to our energy and resources.

Alongside caring for others, we also need to take care of ourselves. So exercise wisdom and know that God’s grace is sufficient for you.  

Respect your leaders, care for the needy and discern God’s will.

Discern God’s will:

From verse 16 Paul gives us a cluster of imperatives (instructions), in rapid succession, which seem to be about discerning God’s will and walking in it. Paul writes…  

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.

This topic of discerning God’s will, probably deserves its own sermon series. We don’t have time to explore every knook and crany now but Paul does give us some very helpful tools for situating ourselves in the path of God’s will.

Firstly, he says: Rejoice always. My initial reaction to this is, ‘yea, right’. It doesn’t seem realistic to always rejoice. There are times when we can easily celebrate but other times when rejoicing goes against the grain. So discernment is called for.

If someone does an illegal manoeuvre in their car, we don’t need to say, ‘Thank you Jesus for dangerous drivers. I really enjoy stress’. You don’t have to jump for joy if you get Covid. Nor do you need to put on a happy face if you lose someone or something you love.

I don’t think Paul is suggesting we pretend to be something we are not. He is not saying we should deny our feelings or our circumstances. You see, Paul’s instructions to 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, [and] 18 give thanks in all circumstances; are not independent of each other, they go together.

The chapter and verse numbering we have in our Bibles was never in the original text. The numbering was added centuries later to help us find our place. Unfortunately, the demarcation of verses sometimes has the effect of distorting the meaning of Scripture.

The instruction to rejoice always goes hand in hand with praying and giving thanks. Keeping those three together, the message is: discern God’s hand for good in your daily life and talk to him about it. Thank him for the good.  

So, for example, if someone cuts you off on the motorway, once you have recovered from the shock, you might see and appreciate how God prevented an accident and give thanks that no one was hurt. You might also pray for the other driver.

Or, if you lose someone you love, then you might tell God how you are feeling (in prayer) and thank him for the good times you had with that person, taking comfort in the hope that, through faith in Jesus’ resurrection, you will see them again one day.  

In reality, getting to a place where we can truly rejoice and thank God is a process. And we call that process prayer. Prayer isn’t just chatting to God. Prayer also includes times of weeping, times of silence and stillness, times of sacred reading and reflection.     

Praying continually then, is about remaining open to God’s presence and activity in our lives, 24-7. So whatever may happen, whether it seems good to us or not, we are looking for God in it.

It’s not that we always get an answer or understand why things unfold the way they do. It’s more that we recognise we are not alone, that God is with us and for us, working it all for good. And that is something we can rejoice in and give thanks for without having to fake it.  

In verse 19 Paul says: Do not quench the Spirit. This is connected to what has gone before and what follows.

It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to discern God’s will. The Spirit reveals the truth to us. The Spirit intercedes (or prays) for us continually and enables us to see God’s hand for good in all circumstances so that we can rejoice and give thanks with sincere hearts.   

The Spirit also gives prophecy. Now when we hear the word prophecy we might think of someone predicting the future. There can be a future element to prophecy but more often prophecy is a message from God about the present.

You might sense God speaking to you through something in a worship service, like the sermon or a prayer or the words of a song or if someone shares something spontaneous.

But words of prophecy (little messages from God) can also come to us through conversation with others. This can happen when we are not expecting it. In fact, the person we are talking with may not even be aware of the significance of what they are saying.   

Paul’s advice is to have a thoughtful and measured response to prophecy, not a knee jerk reaction. If we think God might be saying something to us, then we need to test it to discern whether it is in fact from God. If the message is consistent with the teaching of Jesus, if it is edifying and helpful to ourselves and others, and if fellow believers concur, then it probably is from God.

Whatever we are presented with, we are to discern the kernel of truth and discard the husk. We are hold to what is good and reject every kind of evil.   

Conclusion:

We have heard today Paul’s advice to respect our leaders, care for the needy and discern God’s will. There is a smorgasbord of wisdom in these verses. What is God saying to us collectively? What is God saying to you personally?

Let us pray…

Lord Jesus Christ, you are the good shepherd. You lead and guide, you care and provide. Give us wisdom and grace to help the needy, without neglecting ourselves. Give us eyes to see God’s fingerprints in our lives and discernment to walk in God’s will. For your name’s sake. Amen.   

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • How did Paul define leadership? What three things does a leader do?
  • Why does Paul instruct the congregation to respect their leaders? How do we respect our leaders?
  • Do you have someone needy in your life? What is their need? How can you best care for them? What is in your power to do?
  • What does it mean to rejoice always, pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances?  Can you think of examples from your own life of how to apply these instructions? 
  • How can we discern God’s activity in our lives? How can we know when God is speaking to us?   
Tawa Baptist

Leadership

Scripture: 1st Peter 5:1-5

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • What?
  • Why?
  • How?
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Dee Dee Myers once made the wry comment…

“I am endlessly fascinated that playing football is considered a training ground for leadership, but raising children isn’t.”

Dee Dee worked in the white house during the Clinton administration. Her observation reveals the western world’s often misplaced values when it comes to the question of what makes a good leader.

Today we continue our series in the New Testament letter of first Peter, focusing on chapter 5, verses 1-5. In this passage the apostle Peter addresses the elders of the church, giving guidance on the what, why and how of church leadership. Peter’s wisdom shows us what we need to look for in a leader.

From 1st Peter 5, verse 1 we read…

To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elderand a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be;not greedy for money,but eager to serve; 3 not lording it overthose entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherdappears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humilitytoward one another, because,

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

In these verses Peter lays out the what, why and how of church leadership. First let’s consider what the role a Christian leader is.

What?

There is a lovely term in cricket called ‘shepherding the tail’. The tail here refers to the lower order batsmen, those who are usually better at bowling than batting and therefore more vulnerable when at the cress.

Shepherding the tail is when the more skilled batsman, in this scenario, supports and protects the weaker batsman. This support may come in the form of words of encouragement and advice between balls. It may also mean the stronger of the two batsman facing more of the strike.

In verse 2 Peter appeals to the elders of the church to be shepherds and overseers of God’s flock.    

What is the role of the elders or leadership of the church? To be shepherds.

The thing we notice here is that Peter doesn’t get into a detailed job description about what the leaders of the church are to do. He doesn’t start with the specific tasks of leadership. No. He starts deeper than that, at the level of their being. Peter’s logic is that if the leaders of the church get their being right, the doing will take care of itself.  

People tend to do what they are. Doing comes out of being. If you are a builder, you will naturally be inclined to lay a good foundation, measure twice and cut once. If you are an accountant, you will look to reconcile things and take a prudent approach. If you are a nurse, you will want to provide practical care for people.

A shepherd is inclined to watch, protect, feed, care for, count and heal their flock. Shepherds are used to long hours, hard work and difficult conditions. A shepherd thinks in terms of the whole flock collectively as well as the individual sheep and lambs. A shepherd is vigilant, aware and present.

Shepherding is like parenting. It is a better training ground for leadership than playing football.     

God seems to have a thing for shepherds. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were all shepherds, as were Moses and king David. Jesus was a carpenter but he described himself as the good shepherd. God often chose shepherds to lead his people because shepherds are wired up to take care of living things.

Earlier in the service we heard a conversation between Jesus and Peter, from chapter 21 of John’s gospel. The risen Lord Jesus appears to his disciples and has breakfast with them. After breakfast Jesus takes Peter aside and asks him three times to care for his sheep. (Some versions say ‘feed my sheep’)

Peter had it imprinted in the very fiber of his being that Jesus wanted him to be a shepherd to other believers in Christ. Peter is asking the leaders of the church to do the same – to be shepherds to the people entrusted to them.  

The image of the early church as a flock of sheep and the elders of the church as shepherds was very appropriate to Peter’s readers. Sheep are basically defenseless. They can’t run very fast, they are not naturally camouflaged and they don’t have sharp teeth or claws to defend themselves.

As we have heard over the past few months, the church in Asia Minor during the first century, was small and vulnerable, like sheep. Christians were marginalized, misunderstood and hated. Eventually Peter’s readers would be persecuted. They didn’t need a CEO style leader or a military commander. They needed leaders with the heart of a shepherd who would care for, guide, feed and protect them.

So how does this translate to our church context today? Shepherding is more of an attitude, or a mind-set, than a task. Doing comes out of being.

The equivalent of elders or leaders at Tawa Baptist are our Deacons and pastors. One of the Deacons’ tasks is to make decisions in the life of the congregation. Making decisions in itself is not necessarily shepherding. What makes the Deacons shepherds is their care for the congregation. So when the Deacons make a decision they are thinking about the welfare of the people in parallel with God’s will & purpose.

One of the classic expressions of shepherding a congregation is preaching. It is not the preacher’s job to entertain you or make you laugh, although it is okay if he or she does. It is the preacher’s job to lead you to the green pastures and still waters of God’s word, in the Scriptures, so you can find the guidance and nourishment you need for your souls.

Not everyone can preach but most of you can visit. When you make a pastoral visit to someone the main purpose is to listen and seek to understand the person you are visiting. You can’t help someone unless you know them. You may feel a bit useless just sitting and listening and drinking tea, but actually your presence has more power than you think. Your listening with empathy is a salve for loneliness. It creates a connection that God can use.

Of course, shepherding is not limited to preaching & visiting. There is a lot of administration and compliance involved with church leadership these days. A shepherding attitude does not ignore the necessary admin but rather looks to see how it can serve the well-being of the people. For this reason, health & safety is important to us, not because we like paper work, but because we want to protect people.

You may have twigged by now that shepherding isn’t just something the deacons and pastors do. In reality we all have a shepherding role to play. If you are the leader of a home group or if you are a Sunday school teacher or a crèche worker or youth leader, then you are a shepherd to those in your care.

But even if you don’t have an official role in one of our church programmes, you can still be a shepherd to someone in an informal way. Maybe by being present when someone is going through a difficult time. Or helping in a practical way with a meal. Or looking after their kids. Or simply noticing a change in them and asking, ‘Are you okay?’

Doing a particular set of tasks does not make you a shepherd. Shepherding is an attitude, or a mind-set, out of which a task of care is born.

Having addressed the what of church leadership (to be shepherds), Peter then talks about the why of leadership.              

Why?

The question of why one should be a leader has to do with motivation and purpose. Peter says…

Be shepherds of God’s flock… not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be;not greedy for money,but eager to serve…

Leadership is not easy. Like being a shepherd, the hours are long, the work is hard and the conditions are often difficult. There are certain pressures, both internal and external, that come with leadership. Often in leadership one is caught between a rock and a hard place. Sometimes a leader has to make decisions that are unpopular and lonely.

As Max Lucado says, “A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.”

Being a leader in the church of the first century was not easy. The elders Peter was addressing were coping with enormous pressures from the society around them. Being a leader in that context required them to turn their back on the crowd in order to lead the orchestra of the church. It took real commitment.

Before you accept the mantle of leadership, you need to be very clear about why you are doing it. You can’t afford to go into leadership half-hearted. You need to embrace the commitment fully. You need to be willing.

It appears from verse 2 that ‘the church felt an obligation to provide financially for those whose Christian service prevented them from earning what they needed to live.’ [1] So some of the church leaders probably received a modest stipend.

While there is nothing wrong with paying people for their service to the church (don’t muzzle an ox while it treads the grain and all that), money in itself is not an adequate reason to serve in Christian leadership. You have to find an intrinsic motivation.

Although Peter doesn’t explicitly say in these verses, the motivation of love must surely have been in his mind. You remember that when Jesus asked Simon Peter to feed his lambs (in John 21), Jesus prefaced that request each time with the question: ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’

In this way Jesus helped Peter to be clear about his why. The primary motivation for any Christian leader has to be love for Jesus. You might start out enjoying the tasks of Christian ministry but that won’t be enough to sustain you. You might feel a certain affection for people but people will inevitably let you down.

The number one priority for any Christian leader is to keep the fire of their love for Christ alive. Love for Jesus is our why.       

There is a plant that produces a lovely deep coloured flower, known as the Amaranth plant. The name Amaranth derives from a Greek word meaning ‘the unfading flower’. The Amaranth flower is so called because it does not fade. It retains its rich deep colour.

In ancient times the Greeks would show honour to someone by putting a wreath or crown of flowers on that person’s head, much like we might award a medal to an Olympic champion. The wreath could be made of any kind of foliage but an Amaranth wreath was special because it did not fade in the same way other crowns did.

The Amaranth doesn’t just look good though, it is also good for your health. People use the plant to make medicine to treat ulcers, diarrhoea, swollen mouths and to reduce high cholesterol.  

In verse 4 Peter gives another reason why Christian leaders should serve…

4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

A more literal translation of the original Greek reads…

4 And when the Chief Shepherdappears, you will obtain the amaranth crown of glory.

The ‘amaranth crown’ is paraphrased by most English translations as ‘the crown of glory that will never fade’, because the metaphor is lost on modern readers. The Chief Shepherd refers to Jesus and the amaranth crown is the eternal reward Jesus gives to those who go the distance in God’s will for them.

The Lord is no one’s debtor. He does not expect his servants to work for nothing. Those who shepherd God’s people have much to look forward to.

So then, we have two answers to the why of Christian leadership. Our motivation needs to be love for Christ and the hope of glory.

We have heard about the what and the why of church leadership. Now let’s consider how a church elder is to lead or shepherd God’s people?

How?    

There is a Chinese Proverb which says: ‘Not the cry, but the flight of a wild duck, leads the flock to fly and follow’.

I take this to mean that the best way to lead is by your example.

One of the shepherds, in my life when I was younger, was a man called Gus Row. Gus was the director of Youth for Christ Waikato when I was involved with YFC during the late 1980’s and early 90’s.  He was nicknamed ‘the Ox’.

Among his many gifts Gus was a wonderful speaker. He fed us with his words.  One of Gus’ illustrations was of a pair of oxen. He said in days of old, when oxen were used to plough fields, they would often pair an old ox with a young ox. The young ox had the strength and vigour to spur the older ox on. While the older ox had the patience and steadiness to guide and pace the younger ox so it could go the distance. The older ox acted as an example to the younger ox.

Gus used this metaphor to encourage older leaders to come alongside and mentor younger ones. There is a mutual benefit.

In verse 3 Peter appeals to the elders of the church not to lord it overthose entrusted to you, but be examples to the flock.

This recalls Jesus’ words to his disciples in Matthew 20:25-28…

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

How are Christian elders to lead the church? By coming alongside and being an example of the way of Christ.

Or, to put it another way, “Leaders don’t inflict pain, they share pain.” [2]

Peter practiced what he preached as well. In verse 1 of chapter 5, Peter comes alongside his readers saying…

To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elderand a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed:

Notice how Peter does not pull rank on his readers here. Peter is the premiere apostle but he doesn’t issue an edict or a command from on high. He doesn’t lord it over them or use his status to demand obedience. No. He humbly comes alongside and appeals to the elders of the church in Asia Minor as a fellow elder on the same footing.

In effect Peter says, “I’m an elder like you. I know what it’s like. I feel your pain. We are on the same side with the same goal. We both share in Christ’s sufferings and will share in his glory too.”

Peter learned the how of Christian leadership directly from Jesus of course. After Peter had denied Jesus three times, the Lord did not stand on high and reprimand Peter. He did not use the guilt Peter obviously felt to leverage Peter into doing him a favour. He didn’t say to Peter, ‘Look, you let me down and now you owe me. But you can make it up to me by taking care of my flock. Then we’ll be even.’

No. As we heard in John 21 earlier, Jesus came alongside Peter and restored him. No recrimination, no guilt, no shame, no leveraging, just the undeserved trust of a second chance. That is grace. That is the way of Jesus. That is the how of Christ’s example.

When we think of coming alongside and being an example to others we are reminded of the philosophy of 24-7 youth work. 24-7 uses a presence based (shepherding type) model. The idea is for youth workers to come alongside students and be hand holders, not problem solvers.

Now in saying that the how of Christian leadership is to come alongside and be an example, we do not mean to imply that church leaders can’t speak difficult truths to those in their care. Sometimes it is necessary for shepherds to discipline the flock. But to discipline means to teach, more than to punish. And the most powerful teaching method is our example.

Conclusion:

Sam Rayburn is quoted as saying, “You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow, too.”

Our reading today concludes with Peter’s appeal to young people and indeed to all people in the church. Peter says in verse 5…             

In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humilitytoward one another, because,

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

We have talked about humility a bit recently so there is no need to labour the point now. Suffice to say that humility is not putting yourself down. Humility requires a healthy self-awareness, not thinking too much or too little of yourself.

Humility is the necessary companion to Godly submission. Submitting to others is not popular. We are too infatuated with the illusion of personal freedom. We need to recover a right understanding of what Christian submission is.

Peter is not suggesting believers should submit to immoral leadership, without question. The kind of leadership Peter is asking his readers to submit to is a shepherding style of leadership modelled after the example of Christ.

As Joel Green reminds us, to submit is to find and occupy responsibly one’s place in the community of faith. To submit oneself is the opposite of withdrawal. Submission is not about numbing or negating yourself. Submission is about embracing one’s personhood. [3]   

Likewise, humility is about going with the grain of who you are, who God made you to be. The way of Christ is not to revolt and rebel. The way of Christ is to understand who you are and where you fit in God’s purpose.

By appealing to the young people to submit to their elders, Peter is in fact putting them on a path to becoming leaders themselves one day. Submitting to legitimate authority is one of the lessons every leader needs to learn.   

“You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow, too.”

This morning we’ve heard Peter’s what, why and how for Christian leaders.

A Christian leader is a shepherd. Their motivation is love for Christ and the hope of unfading glory. A Christian leader leads by coming alongside and being an example. 

Whether you are a leader or not we all need God’s grace. With this in mind let’s stand and sing Gracious Spirit dwell with me. Make this your prayer…         

[If you would like prayer, there will be someone available to pray with you after the service at front on the north side of the auditorium.]

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

  • What leadership lessons might we learn from raising or caring for children?
  • Why do you think God often chose shepherds to lead his people?  
  • What does it mean to be a shepherd leader? Who has God entrusted to your care and how do you shepherd them?
  • Why is love for Jesus so important for a Christian leader? What can you do to keep the fire of your love for Jesus alive?
  • What does it mean to ‘come alongside’?
  • Why does Peter appeal to the young people to submit to their elders? How does submission to legitimate authority prepare us for leadership?
  • Take some time this week to reflect on your own style of leadership. What might those in your care be learning from your example? 

[1] Refer Howard Marshall’s commentary on 1st Peter, page 163.

[2] Quote by Max Depree.

[3] Refer Joel Green’s commentary on 1st Peter, page 171.

Tawa Baptist

Moses Delegates

Scripture: Exodus 18:13-27

Title: Moses Delegates

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Moses’ blind spot
  • Jethro’s vision
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

There are many things you can do with your time – most of which can be done by someone else

  • So you have ask yourself, ‘What are the things only I can do?’
  • They are probably the things you need to give priority to

 

There were many things Michelangelo could have done with his time

  • He could have been a blacksmith or a monk;
  • He could have studied the law or milked cows – but he didn’t
  • Instead he gave himself to what only he could do
  • Four years it took him to paint the ceiling of the Sistine chapel
  • Three years to sculpt the statue of David

Please turn with me to Exodus chapter 18 – page 79 in your pew Bibles

  • Today we continue our series on Moses through Exodus
  • In chapter 18 Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, comes to visit and finds that his son-in-law is doing many things – most of which could be done by someone else
  • From Exodus 18, verse 13 we read…

[Read Exodus 18:13-27]

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this reading for us

In this Scripture we get a rare glimpse of Moses’ blind spot and Jethro’s vision

Moses’ blind spot:

Blind Spot

On the wall here is a diagram showing the blind spots for a driver on the road

  • The red area, either side of the vehicle, reveals those zones the driver can’t see in his rear vision mirror
  • So to be able to change lanes safely the driver needs to look over their shoulder and check their blind spot

 

Blind spots aren’t just something drivers have on the road – we all have them

  • A blind spot is essentially something about ourselves we are not aware of
  • Some personality trait we don’t realise we possess
  • Or some behaviour we do unconsciously
  • Other people can see it clearly enough, but we can’t

It’s interesting isn’t it – that (without a mirror) we can’t see our own faces

  • Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and they’ve got something stuck in their teeth and you’re not sure whether to say anything
  • Or maybe they start wiping their nose and that makes you think, ‘Are they trying to subtly tell me I’ve got a bogey hanging out?’
  • So you wipe your nose too, which makes them wipe their nose again and so on, until it gets really awkward
  • Has that ever happened to you? (No – it’s just me then)

Blind spots – things other people can see but you can’t

True story – many years ago when our children were young and I wasn’t getting much sleep, Robyn and I went for a walk on the beach (we were on holiday)

  • I remember pushing the pram along the firm sand for probably the better part of an hour when Robyn pointed out to me that I had some toilet paper hanging out the back of pants (like a tail)
  • I had no idea – I couldn’t see because it was in my blind spot
  • Robyn had no sympathy – she cracked up laughing (if you’ll excuse the pun) and couldn’t look at me without giggling for the rest of the day

When we are young we tend to have a lot of blind spots – we don’t know ourselves all that well

  • But hopefully as we get older and more experienced we learn to look into our blind spots and become more self-aware

Carl Jung describes psychological blind spots as our shadow side – He writes…

“Wholeness for humans depends on the ability to own their own shadow”

In other words, unless we are prepared to face and accept those parts of ourselves which we are not aware of, and which we perhaps don’t like all that much, we’ll never be whole

Moses was a remarkable leader – a man of incredible character – but even he had his blind spots, his shadow

  • Fortunately he had the humility not to deny his shadow side but to face it

What Moses wasn’t aware of, but what Jethro (and everyone else) could plainly see, was that Moses was doing too much himself

  • Because of his relationship with Yahweh Moses had become the ‘go to’ guy for settling disputes
  • If you want peace you must have justice
  • But in order to have justice you must have wisdom
  • Where does wisdom come from? – It comes from God
  • Moses hears from God better than anyone else – so we’ll go to him

Consequently, what we have in Exodus 18 is a bottleneck

  • Thousands of cases (many trivial, some serious) coming to one person for a resolution
  • It was a recipe for burnout & frustration
  • Burn out for Moses and frustration for the people, who had to stand in the hot sun all day waiting for a hearing with Moses
  • Justice delayed is not justice

Jethro could see the problem and the solution – but Moses couldn’t

This is kind of ironic when you think about it

  • Here we have Moses making enquiries of God to help other people fix their problems, all the time quite blind to his own problem
  • We can understand this though…
  • You can see a car in your rear vision mirror in the distance
  • But when it’s up close beside you, then you can’t see it
  • Moses couldn’t see because he was too close – too involved

The other contributor to Moses’ blind spot was that he was doing good things

  • And when we do good things we are less inclined to question our method
  • Doing the right thing doesn’t guarantee we are doing it in the right way
  • Moses was doing the right thing – in the wrong way
  • He couldn’t see the toll his work was taking on him
  • Sometimes our focus on the task at hand conceals from us the expenditure on our reserves and it’s not until we stop and have a day off that we realise just how exhausted we are

Quite apart from the drain on Moses’ personal resources, being sucked into the details and doing things other people could do, prevented Moses from seeing the bigger picture

There are times when leaders need to take a step back and look at the situation from the balcony, rather than the floor

  • Of course, we don’t know what we don’t know
  • If we don’t know we have a problem then we don’t know to stand back and get some perspective – nor do we know to ask for help
  • This is where God’s grace comes in

 

In his letter to the Romans the apostle Paul writes…

 

…the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. [1]

There have been times in my life when all I had was an ache in my heart, which I couldn’t put into words, but which the Holy Spirit felt and understood

  • Then, when I wasn’t expecting it, God did something which answered the ache in my heart and it was better than anything I might have asked for, had I been able to find the language
  • There’s no way I can explain the mystery of this
  • Either you understand it from your own experience or you don’t

Moses didn’t know what to pray for – but God, who searches the human heart, knew the strain Moses was under

  • God also felt the frustration of the people as they waited for justice
  • And so the Lord, in His wonderful grace, sent Jethro to give Moses the perspective he needed

Once Jethro had pointed out the issue, in Moses’ blind spot, Moses was able to see clearly what he needed to do

  • Seeing into his blind spot and accepting the truth it contained actually set Moses free from a whole lot of work he didn’t need to do
  • It also set the people free from waiting around all day

We, in the west, tend to think of freedom as licence to do what whatever we want

  • But this is not freedom as the Bible understands it
  • Biblical freedom comes with spiritual sight – or with knowing the truth
  • As Jesus said, ‘…it is the truth that sets you free’ [2]

It is looking in your blind spot to assess the reality of the situation, before changing lanes, that sets you free from a crash on the motorway

  • It is checking yourself in the mirror before going out in public that sets you free from the embarrassment of stray bogeys and toilet paper tails
  • It is the humility of listening to the truthful observations of wise Jethro’s which sets us free from self-destructive patterns of behaviour

Face your shadow side – look for the truth it contains – there is freedom in it

One of the things that is interesting in this little story from Exodus 18 is that the truth which sets Moses free doesn’t come from within the Israelite community

  • The truth comes from the outside – from Jethro, a Midianite

In contrast to Moses’ blind spot we have Jethro’s vision

Jethro’s vision:

There are two aspects to Jethro’s vision in Exodus 18

  • Jethro has the insight to see the root of the problem
  • And he has the foresight to imagine a different future

Moses is carrying the weight of the world (or at least the weight of Israel) on his shoulders and so Jethro asks the question…

  • “Why are you doing this all alone?” (verse 14)

Why indeed?

  • This question is insightful – it cuts to the core of the issue, which is Moses’ isolation – his sense of alienation from his own people
  • Moses is alone in the crowd and it is the pattern of his life

He grew up in a palace while his fellow Israelites lived in a slum

  • When he tried to reconnect with his people and help them he was rejected and ended up spending 40 years in exile
  • Then, as if he doesn’t feel different enough, God calls him to a special task – something no one else has ever done before
  • Moses reluctantly obeys and for all his pains and troubles the people complain against him and accuse him of meaning them harm, even though he has only ever done them good
  • It is little wonder that Moses doesn’t think to ask for help

Leadership is a paradox

  • On the one hand, a leader needs to learn the strength to stand alone
  • And unfortunately you can’t learn that without the experience of being alone & misunderstood
  • At the same time though, a leader also needs to learn to trust other people
  • It seems to me Moses knew how to stand alone – he had that in spades – but he was still learning to trust

Of course, it’s one thing to point out the problem, but unless you can offer a better alternative then it’s usually best to keep your opinions to yourself

Not only did Jethro uncover the core of the problem – Moses’ loneliness

  • He also gave Moses the vision to imagine a better future
  • He gave Moses a plan and a strategy that was sustainable
  • In a word, that strategy was, delegation. Jethro says…

Choose some capable men and appoint them as leaders of the people: leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. They must be God fearing men who can be trusted and who cannot be bribed. Let them serve as judges for the people on a permanent basis. They can bring all their difficult cases to you, but they themselves can decide all the smaller disputes. That will make it easier for you as they share your burden.

 

The first thing we observe about Jethro’s vision here is that delegation is not abdication

  • Moses isn’t to appoint just any body
  • The men he appoints must be capable, God fearing and trustworthy

To be God fearing means to be more concerned with what God thinks than with what other people think

  • A God fearing person is not a ‘yes’ person
  • A God fearing person is able to say ‘no’ when it matters
  • They are guided by their conscience more than the praise or blame of others

To be trustworthy in this context means having integrity – not open to bribery

  • The judge must love truth & justice more than money or comfort
  • Being ‘trustworthy’ implies it is a relationship of trust
  • Trust is a sacred thing and should not be abused or misplaced

The point is, Moses shouldn’t just throw his authority away – he should carefully place it in men who have the competence & character to handle it

We also note that Moses is not to delegate all his authority

  • Delegation doesn’t really work when the leader in charge expects everyone else to get stuck in without doing anything themselves
  • The delegates need to know the buck stops with Moses and that Moses will be there to take care of the really difficult cases
  • If Moses abdicated all responsibility and sat back saying – ‘It’s all on you boys’ – then he would lose the respect of his men pretty quickly

Jethro’s plan – his vision of delegation – comes with a number of advantages

 

The first and most obvious advantage is that many hands make light work

At the end of verse 22 Jethro comments to Moses that his plan…

  • …will make it easier for you as they share your burden.
  • The burden is shared in that Moses has less disputes to sort out
  • And it’s also shared in the sense that Moses is less alone
  • Sharing responsibility actually engenders more understanding for the leader

You often find those who are most critical of leaders have never actually been in leadership themselves

  • They are arm chair critics who have never really felt the burden or the isolation of leadership and so they have no empathy
  • But when you have had to carry some responsibility and felt the loneliness of a difficult decision then you have a bit more understanding for your boss

By delegating, Moses was drawing the best out of others

  • Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth”
  • One of the things salt does is bring the best out of food
  • Trusting others to do something meaningful (as Moses did) generally brings the best out of them

Conclusion:

There are many things you can do with your time – most of which can be done by someone else

  • So you have ask yourself, ‘What are the things only I can do?’
  • They are probably the things you need to give priority to

No one could have helped Moses to see his blind spot quite like Jethro did

  • The same good advice from one of Moses’ juniors would have been a lot more difficult for Moses to accept
  • But Jethro was a leader in his own right (a priest of Midian) and so he understood Moses’ position
  • He had done his time and earned the right to speak into Moses’ life
  • Fortunately for Moses (and for Israel) Jethro used his vision to help Moses find a sustainable way forward
  • Imagine if Jethro had held his tongue
  • Moses and Israel would have suffered for it

 

No one could hear from God quite like Moses could – he seemed to have a direct line of communication with the Lord

  • Fortunately for Israel (and for us) Moses gave himself to listening to God’s word and communicating this to the people
  • But that didn’t mean he had to settle every dispute
  • There were others capable of handling the smaller more routine matters
  • Imagine if Moses hadn’t taken Jethro’s advice
  • What a waste that would have been

No one could save the world like Jesus did

  • Fortunately for us Jesus gave Himself on the cross for our salvation
  • Imagine if he had remained in Nazareth working as a carpenter his whole life
  • There would be some nice houses there I guess, but we would be without hope

Now at this point you might be thinking that’s all well & good but what can I do that no one else can?

  • I’m not Michelangelo, I’m not Moses, I’m not Jethro and I’m certainly not Jesus
  • Well, each of us is unique and none of us are fully aware of how God will use us
  • Quite often our potential is hidden in our blind spot
  • God sees though and He will use us for His good purpose – even if we aren’t aware

[1] Romans 8:26-27

[2] John 8:32