TEXT: ISAIAH 59:19-20
I. Introduction
“So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19
We have been learning about prayer the whole month of March. This month April 2022 we are going to talk about leadership. God is calling up Christians to elevate the standard of leadership in today’s world.
“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions…” Acts 2:17a
Today’s Christians have a calling of God upon their lives to be vocal and visionary leaders for the cause of Jesus Christ. God is looking for leaders who think and act like leaders. The Bible records, “For as he thinks in his heart so is he” Proverbs 23:7 a.
God is looking for leaders, who are not ‘of the world’, leaders who are not carnal but spiritual. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Romans 12:2a
II. Exegesis
Your thoughts will determine what you will do and who you will be.
1. A leader thinks about how to serve others well
This means I am not bound to obey people just because they pay me, yet I have become a servant of everyone so that I can bring them to Christ. 1 Corinthians 9:19. When you make a commitment to serve others in your church and community, you will become a leader. God is not looking for bosses, but leaders. God is looking for caring and loving leaders. God is not looking for directors or transactional leaders who only come to transact business and go. He is looking for leaders who will wash other people’s feet.
2. A leader thinks about preparation
“The horses are prepared for battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.” Proverbs 21:31
An anonymous saying goes like this, “The more you sweat in preparation, the less you bleed in battle.” God has always required great preparation in order to achieve great results in leadership.
Joseph received a dream at the age of 17 and the fulfilment of the dream at age 30. (That’s 13 years of preparation!) Abraham was 75 years old when God made a covenant with him. He was 100 years old when Isaac was born.
David killed Goliath at 16 years old and was promoted to king at 37 years old. Jesus spent 30 years preparing for his three years of earthly ministry. The difference between a leader and everyone else is that the leader will prepare and everyone else takes the battle when it comes.
3. Leaders think about how to please their master.
A leader just like a soldier does not entangle himself in civilian affairs, but rather tries everything possible to please his commanding officer, 2 Timothy 2:4. A leader checks his/her spiritual life, his/her walk with God daily so that he/she maintains a good relationship with God.
III. What kind of leaders does the church need? What kind of leaders is God looking for?
As we nominate our leaders today, we ask ourselves the above question. What kind of leaders do we need? We need the following kind of leaders:-
- Leaders who fear the name of the LORD (Isaiah 59:19).
- Loving, caring, servant leaders. Not transactional leaders and bosses.
- Leaders who are prepared, leaders who spend time with him in the closet.
- Leaders who please their master not men.
- Leaders who respect servants of God.
IV. Conclusion
Leadership is diverse, we have leadership in the political arena, leadership in business, leadership in cooperate world etc. God is concerned with a leadership that I call “Spiritual leadership”, a leadership that will lead people onto God’s agenda.