This article is the third of four in a series. 1 The Worker | 2 The Work | 4 The Reward
SERIES INTRODUCTION
Leaders must be led. Maybe you have never thought of it this simply. But just as an athlete needs an example and usually a mentor, we need the same as those who would be leaders in the world, and especially if we would lead with Jesus in our hearts and on our lips. We do not learn righteousness in a vacuum, for without spiritual training, we would always default to sin. So as leaders, even while we lead, we look for more insight and help from those who lead us. And as Christian leaders, this means we namely look to Christ and his word.
This is the intent of this series, for which we are much indebted to the work of Eric J. Alexander in a chapter in his book, Our Great God and Saviour. The chapter, “God’s Fellow Workers,” outlines four laws of Christian service. Our short articles will take up each of these four laws and move us toward leading with more understanding and more blessing each day.
(6-minute reading time)
GODLY LEADERS: GOD’S WAY
How far out ahead are you willing to run? What a funny question this is! If we answer it with an affirmation, that we are willing to set our pace quickly and get moving, we might be seen as a go-getter, the kind of person who is eager to see things happen and to help them do so. But we may also be recognized as someone who forgets to put his ducks in a row. We start framing the walls before we have set the foundation.
It can be tempting at all times to get to the visible stuff. The work of the crew in the pit, digging in obscurity, is never lauded by those who pass by on the street. Even when we live in a big city and are entirely familiar with the importance of getting to bedrock and establishing the pillars that can hold a building high in the sky, the attraction is in the edifice, not the substructure. “I’ll come back when there’s something to look at,” we say to our friends in the business of building. They understand our viewpoint, but they also see right to our ignorance.
Jesus told a parable of two builders, one who set his foundation on rock, while the other quickly threw up some walls on the sand. When the storms came, the one who had taken the time to do things properly was the one whose work survived.
When it comes to leadership, we have seen first that God has his eyes on first training the leader. Next, we were shown that even the best leaders cannot do the most essential work—this regenerative work in a person’s heart is God’s work alone. Now, we will find that we cannot do any form or work and expect it to be successful. God’s third concern is that we do God’s work in God’s way. When we get things out of order, we can wind up with all kinds of problems.
In discussing this way of the Lord with the Corinthians, Paul moved from an agricultural model to an architectural one. He spoke of foundations first: “By the grace of God given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it” (1 Corinthians 3:10).
By now, we should understand that God rewards humility. Building a foundation is a humble act. Yet in its unglamorous activity, it is vital. God’s worker submits to this reality. Rather than desiring to be the stone carver or the master carpenter, both of which are positions of note, the leader who serves in humility takes up a shovel and starts digging. Deeply, squarely.
The work of the Lord in the heart of the leader begins in the cell, the place of quiet development. You will gain much as one who attends worship services regularly. You may even take the time to get additional academic support through conferences or seminary classes. You can join discussion groups and align yourself with a seasoned mentor. But none of these compares to the time you spend alone with the Lord, allowing him to do mainframe work in you. When he does this, he will develop you in depth and in accordance with his will.
Deep work. When we come to a place of leadership among the people of God, we must be willing to take on matters of the soul. This by itself is enough of a definition of deep work. God is busy with all parts of us, because he would have us love him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Honestly, most of us are more comfortable with mind and strength than with heart and soul. We were trained in schools and we’ve taken golf lessons. If someone comes to us for business advice, we have some experience to draw upon in offering our thoughts and opinions. But when a friend comes to us with vulnerability and says, “I am troubled in my soul,” we need much more than personal experience to go on. We need a healthy soul of our own. And we can only have come by this is we have made room for God to fashion our soul.
Where does this happen? In the cell. In our time alone with God, reading through his Word, meditating on what it says, and praying its truths into our hearts. This is not always easy. We will be tempted to take shortcuts, just as Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness. So a few minutes here or there, that should really be enough, no? Not for deep work. If God is going to make us content for the work of digging, he needs time. For Jesus, this meant 40 days in the wilderness; for God’s people under Moses, it took 40 years. You may be seeing now why you cannot run out ahead. Not if God is taking the time to develop you into a leader who follows his way.
The way of God, then, is slow in its pace. While he can change your heart on a matter in only moments, this is not his usual way of doing business in you. He will take his time, which means he will continue to work in you right up to your end. Understanding that “we grow ’til we go” brings us to a place of always being willing to learn, even if we’re the oldest or smartest person in the room.
Squaring work. When God works in our invisible souls, it transforms us in ways that will become visible to others. Before Christ, you may have been known as one prone to angry outbursts, and now he is softening you. In this case, others will begin to notice that you are not the person you once were. We might call this the squaring work of God, where he is bringing you in line with his desire for righteousness in your life.
In Romans 12, Paul wrote, “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (verse 9, NIV). While good versus evil is still a popular movie plot, these terms will get you in hot water in many quarters today. It’s one thing to call Adolf Hitler evil, but how about your friendly neighborhood philanderer or gossip? Yet these are the distinctions Paul was making, with one added note: He was telling us to assess ourselves. What evil are we permitting in ourselves? What good are we holding too loosely? While we no longer live under the confines of the Old Testament law (specifically because rule-keeping cannot save us), certain threads of righteousness run without interruption from the Old Testament right into the New: worship of the One True God, mercy, our old friend humility, generosity, sexual purity, faithfulness, justice, and what we have already called the master trait, love. So if we are submitted to God, we will learn of God’s righteousness and square our lives with what he desires. Better yet, the Holy Spirit of God will do this work in us, especially if we do not resist the changes he makes.
At the outset of the same chapter, Romans 12, Paul began: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” To be squared with God’s desires for you, increasingly set aside the things of this world and allow God to transform your mind. In doing so, your will comes to approve his. They align.
Leaders who would lead in the kingdom of God want to know his way of doing things, because it’s the only way that holds up for eternity. Then they follow that way and teach others to do the same.