Why is there a need for Christmas? We know the need for the Cross but why Christmas? Why is there a need for the Christ to be born in a lowly manger, to grow up through infancy, adolescence, teenage and adulthood to reach 30 before He could finally go to the Cross? Why go through all the trouble? Why not just incarnate the Christ at age 30, so that He can start his ministry and then go to the Cross immediately? Why wait 30 years?
I suspect that the very answer to this question is also the answer to why God doesn't just take us up to heaven when we accept Him but allows us to continue here on earth, as difficult as it may be. It seems as if God takes a long time to get anything done. I mean, haven't they been talking about the 2nd coming for the last 2000 years? Sometimes the things we pray for today do not bear fruit until years later. At other times, God persists in allowing us to struggle with a thorn, despite repeated prayers for deliverance. Why?
The answer, I think, is the word called "process". "Process" is defined as "a series of actions, changes, or functions bringing about a result." I hazard a guess that there must be some purpose to the wait, that that purpose is to allow for some form of process so that ultimately, a desired result will emerge. Ultimately, some things just takes time. And when it comes to soul-making, you just cant run away from the process time.
What then is the process? Life has been defined by the Romantic British poet John Keats as the 'vale' (ie. valley) of soul making'. From a Christian standpoint, the soul is the essence of the person, comprising our mind (the way we think), our emotions (the way we feel) and our free will (the ability to be autonomous). The soul is who we are, our personality, our being. In every life, when the Spirit of God breathes the breath of life into our mortal frame, there lights the flame of life which is the soul. From the time of first light, at birth, the soul continues beyond death into eternity. Life then, is the process by which the soul grows and develops and is sanctified. In this process, we move from intellectual immaturity, emotional immaturity, and moral immaturity to intellectual maturity, emotional maturity and moral maturity. The developed and mature soul bears likeness to the character of God Himself. Such a person thinks the way God does, feels the way God does and decides the way God does.
This then begs the next question, why doesn't God just zap us to become matured persons and not have to go through the painful process of growth in this life? The answer, because the growth process can only be done by a series of small free-will choices made by us throughout the process. We have to participate in the growth process. At each step of the process, we are faced with choices and decisions, each choice and decision bearing moral consequences. If we make the correct moral and wise choice, we move to the next level. If we don’t, we stagnate or retrogress. I have always said that who we will be in 20 years times depends on the series of small choices we make each day. We just don’t wake up one morning and find ourselves in a certain state. We are a product of our choices, and especially more so, when it comes to the business of soul making.
It was the same for the Christ. Hebrews tells us that the Christ had to learn obedience by His suffering, so that He could become the perfect author of our salvation. The perfect sacrifice could only come from a life lived perfectly in obedience to God.
So why is there a need for Christmas? Because without Christmas, there can be no Cross. Without the process, there can be no end result. So you are reading this and are currently struggling with your thorn, wondering why God is slow to hear and to act, remember Christmas - because from Christmas to the Cross, there was the process. God is building something in us that we cannot see now. For Paul writes in 2 Corinthians that our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. God bless and Merry Christmas.
Excuse me, are you running a ministry or a company?
Throughout my years in ministry, I have served on quite a few committees. In church, in Youth Ministry, in university etc. Oftentimes, running a church or a ministry involves planning meetings and nitty-gritty administration. We review our progress, discuss upcoming matters and issue directions. If there is a need to, we take a vote. We set strategies and implement programmes. Over a period of time, we become effective and our organization starts to thrive. Then we hit a plateau. Despite all our planning and efficient organization, we seem to be unable to move to a higher level. How do we plan and organise for revival? The answer: We can't. Only God can.
In the growth of any ministry, we must come to the stage of realization that if we are to go any further, we cannot do it on our plans, our efforts and organization. In fact, many a times, our efforts and plans are the very things that keep us from going further. In the best-selling book Experiencing God, the authors had a simple premise: To experience God, we have to get involved in the things HE is doing. The operative key is "HE", not us. To explain, in any ministry or church or small group, the focus must be not on what our own human plans and devises are, motivated by good intentions they may be. The focus must be on what HE is doing. Seven times to the seven churches in the Book of Revelations, Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches". The responsibility of any leader in any church or ministry or small group must therefore be to seek what God IS DOING and WANTS TO DO in our ministry.
How then does this impact on our ministry leadership? The answer is not more planning, but more prayer. A leader who is unable to hear from God is like a Platoon Commander who is unable to receive orders from the Commanding Officer. That platoon simply will not be able to fight the war effectively. Now is the time for leaders to come together in prayer. To facilitate this, two things are needful. First, purity. Second, unity. Lack of purity in the life of the leader silences the voice of God. Unconfessed and secret sins form a wedge between us and our Commanding Officer, often grieving the Spirit into silence. But blessed are the pure at heart for they shall see God. Lack of unity within the leadership also grieves the Spirit and makes us easy prey for the devil. From my experience, lack of unity often comes from a reliance on human wisdom and the exaltation of human ability within the leadership. We disagree with others because we think we know best and can do it better. That is pride. The call to unity is therefore a call to humility, to recognise that we are unable to do anything of ourselves. All power, all wisdom, all ability comes from above and there is only one Commanding Officer in this ministry, and His name is Jesus Christ.
The ball is now in our court. If we are to take our small group, our ministry and our church to a higher level of revival and spiritual reality, we have to prayer. We have to bow our knees and hear what the Spirit is saying to us. Let no flesh glory in His presence for He alone is God and this is His church. I am not saying we don't plan, we don't administer. But before any of that can take place, we must pray. For if we make decisions without having heard from the Spirit, then our decisions will ultimately be fraught with the fallibility and foolishness of human wisdom.
As Joshua stood with the army of Israel on the eve of the battle for Jericho, he saw the Lord standing before him with a drawn sword (Joshua 5:13). Not knowing that He was the Lord, Joshua went up to the Lord and asked him, "are you for us or are you for our enemies?" But the Lord replied, "Neither, but as the Commander of the Army of the Lord I now come." And Joshua fell on his face and worshipped and said "What does the Lord say to His servant?" This is not our battle, we are not in charge. There is only one Commander and His name is Jesus. Speak Lord for your servants are listening.
In the growth of any ministry, we must come to the stage of realization that if we are to go any further, we cannot do it on our plans, our efforts and organization. In fact, many a times, our efforts and plans are the very things that keep us from going further. In the best-selling book Experiencing God, the authors had a simple premise: To experience God, we have to get involved in the things HE is doing. The operative key is "HE", not us. To explain, in any ministry or church or small group, the focus must be not on what our own human plans and devises are, motivated by good intentions they may be. The focus must be on what HE is doing. Seven times to the seven churches in the Book of Revelations, Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches". The responsibility of any leader in any church or ministry or small group must therefore be to seek what God IS DOING and WANTS TO DO in our ministry.
How then does this impact on our ministry leadership? The answer is not more planning, but more prayer. A leader who is unable to hear from God is like a Platoon Commander who is unable to receive orders from the Commanding Officer. That platoon simply will not be able to fight the war effectively. Now is the time for leaders to come together in prayer. To facilitate this, two things are needful. First, purity. Second, unity. Lack of purity in the life of the leader silences the voice of God. Unconfessed and secret sins form a wedge between us and our Commanding Officer, often grieving the Spirit into silence. But blessed are the pure at heart for they shall see God. Lack of unity within the leadership also grieves the Spirit and makes us easy prey for the devil. From my experience, lack of unity often comes from a reliance on human wisdom and the exaltation of human ability within the leadership. We disagree with others because we think we know best and can do it better. That is pride. The call to unity is therefore a call to humility, to recognise that we are unable to do anything of ourselves. All power, all wisdom, all ability comes from above and there is only one Commanding Officer in this ministry, and His name is Jesus Christ.
The ball is now in our court. If we are to take our small group, our ministry and our church to a higher level of revival and spiritual reality, we have to prayer. We have to bow our knees and hear what the Spirit is saying to us. Let no flesh glory in His presence for He alone is God and this is His church. I am not saying we don't plan, we don't administer. But before any of that can take place, we must pray. For if we make decisions without having heard from the Spirit, then our decisions will ultimately be fraught with the fallibility and foolishness of human wisdom.
As Joshua stood with the army of Israel on the eve of the battle for Jericho, he saw the Lord standing before him with a drawn sword (Joshua 5:13). Not knowing that He was the Lord, Joshua went up to the Lord and asked him, "are you for us or are you for our enemies?" But the Lord replied, "Neither, but as the Commander of the Army of the Lord I now come." And Joshua fell on his face and worshipped and said "What does the Lord say to His servant?" This is not our battle, we are not in charge. There is only one Commander and His name is Jesus. Speak Lord for your servants are listening.
Keeping the fire of revival burning
Another fantastic YM camp has just concluded. Last year we thought we had set a record with a 3.5 hour worship. This year, God had greater things in stored for us. For the first time, more than 100 youths gathered on the last night to pray and intercede for more than 3 hours into the early hours of the morning. There was a very strong move by the Spirit for repentance and re-dedication. Many were on their knees in repentance. Leaders gathered to repent of the disunity and pride within the leadership. The call was made for leaders and youths alike to clean up the idols in our lives and give to God a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to Him. Hours earlier, during the speaker sessions, hundreds of youths rose to their feet to gave their lives in re-dedication to God. Hearts were broken before Him. Lips confessed His Lordship over our lives.
Herein lies the sparks of true revival. For true revival lies not in how spectacular the manifestations are, how much crying or falling over there is, or even how intense the worship is. True revival lies in the depths of a repentant heart. In 2 Chron 7:14 God promises that if we as a church were to humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways, then He WILL hear from heaven and forgive our sins and heal our land. Repentance and surrender are the only marks of true revival. For without them, revival is but spiritless emotionalism.
Yet after the music stops, after the euphoria of the camp ends and we go back to the routine of our daily lives, how much will really change? For many, the loneliness and struggles will return in greater force than before. For the higher you have been, the harder you fall when reality hits you. Where is the power and the wonder and the Spirit? Was it just a dream to which we have woken up from? We find ourselves longing to re-create what has passed, barely holding on till the next "spiritual high". How do we keep the fire of revival burning?
The answer is painfully simple. The true marks of revival are repentance and surrender. The reason for the power and the experience during events like a camp is simply due to the presence of repentance and surrender. For it is only when we are empty that the Spirit can fill us with Himself. When we return to our normal lives, the temptation is for this repentance and surrender to stop. There is no longer the external motivations of our camp mates and camp speakers pushing us to repent and surrender. And when the repentance and surrender stops, we fill ourselves once again with pride and sin, and push the Spirit out of our lives. The result - the intimacy with God is lost and the experience of His power and His presence fades. The solution is therefore to continue to discipline ourselves to walk in daily repentance and surrender. We hold each other accountable and continue to encourage each other. If only we were to then walk daily in repentance and surrender, we will experience the fullness of the Spirit every day of our lives, every time we open the bible, every time we pray, every time we worship. For God is the same yesterday, today and forever. It is we who change and are wavering in our surrender to Him. Don't wait for the next camp. Let's keep the fire of revival burning today.
Herein lies the sparks of true revival. For true revival lies not in how spectacular the manifestations are, how much crying or falling over there is, or even how intense the worship is. True revival lies in the depths of a repentant heart. In 2 Chron 7:14 God promises that if we as a church were to humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways, then He WILL hear from heaven and forgive our sins and heal our land. Repentance and surrender are the only marks of true revival. For without them, revival is but spiritless emotionalism.
Yet after the music stops, after the euphoria of the camp ends and we go back to the routine of our daily lives, how much will really change? For many, the loneliness and struggles will return in greater force than before. For the higher you have been, the harder you fall when reality hits you. Where is the power and the wonder and the Spirit? Was it just a dream to which we have woken up from? We find ourselves longing to re-create what has passed, barely holding on till the next "spiritual high". How do we keep the fire of revival burning?
The answer is painfully simple. The true marks of revival are repentance and surrender. The reason for the power and the experience during events like a camp is simply due to the presence of repentance and surrender. For it is only when we are empty that the Spirit can fill us with Himself. When we return to our normal lives, the temptation is for this repentance and surrender to stop. There is no longer the external motivations of our camp mates and camp speakers pushing us to repent and surrender. And when the repentance and surrender stops, we fill ourselves once again with pride and sin, and push the Spirit out of our lives. The result - the intimacy with God is lost and the experience of His power and His presence fades. The solution is therefore to continue to discipline ourselves to walk in daily repentance and surrender. We hold each other accountable and continue to encourage each other. If only we were to then walk daily in repentance and surrender, we will experience the fullness of the Spirit every day of our lives, every time we open the bible, every time we pray, every time we worship. For God is the same yesterday, today and forever. It is we who change and are wavering in our surrender to Him. Don't wait for the next camp. Let's keep the fire of revival burning today.
Why do we always hurt those closest to us?
Why do we always hurt those closest to us? It could be a parent, or a spouse, or a girlfriend/boyfriend. These are the people that mean the most to us yet so often we find ourselves losing our temper more quickly with them, or say things we know are hurtful. On the flip side, we tend to almost be more cordial and tolerant with those who are not so close to us. We tend to try harder to please those that are not so close, and therefore are more polite and grateful to them.
Some people say that the answer to the question of why we tend to hurt those closer to us is because ironically our loved ones know the 'buttons' to push in us. They know what triggers us and when they do it, they hurt us more deeply and we retaliate and hurt them back. This is true when there is a very low level of trust in the relationship. We may have been hurt so many times by those close to us that our response to a slight provocation is based not only on the provocation at hand but also all the past hurts we have endured from that person. This results in a disproportionately more severe retaliation to hurt the person. This theory in some way explains the severity of conflict in relationships where the trust level is low. But is does not explain why even in relationships where the trust level is high, and the relationship can be considered 'good', we still end up getting angry more easily with our loved ones and hurting them in return. Let me venture 2 theories:
Firslty, we are more likely to get angry at someone close to us because we have higher expectations of them. We expect them to know us and understand us better, to be able to predict our needs and take heed to our feelings better. We expect them to be more sensitive, more reliable, more trustworthy and more loving. We expect more time, more effort and more commitment to us. These higher expectations also means that it is easier for our loved ones to fall short of them. Failure to meet and expectation hurts us more deeply when it is by a loved one. How do we get around this? Firstly, I have to say that it is not wrong to have higher expectations of those closer to us. After all, surely the commitment involved in a marriage is higher than the commitment involved in a cordial friendship. The problem is that much of these expectations we have of our loved ones are never communicated to them. We simply assume they know of it and expect them to keep it. Often, we have never openly talked about our expectations as that is seen as too confrontational and awkward for many. On the receiving end, it is terribly unfair for the person who has never been told of the expectation and yet when he runs foul of it, is taken to task. The solution must therefore be for couples, parents and children etc, to sit down and calmly talk about their expectations of the other. Where the expectations are either unrealistic or oppressive, we negotiate to a more practical and workable level. In such a negotiation, both parties must focus on reaching a final level that addresses the concerns of both parties. For example, if a girlfriend raises the expectation that her boyfriend has to call her every night, it could be because she has a great need for validation and approval and finds a source of security in the relationship. From the boyfriend's point of view, calling every night may simply be impractical given work or study requirements. Both parties therefore need to negotiate and give and take. A final solution could be for Saturdays to be dedicated relationship time with conversations on weekdays reduced to at least calling to say goodnight every night if one does not have the time to talk. In this way, both concerns are met at a level of expectation that both parties can keep.
The next reason why we are more likely to get angry to someone close to us is because we have come to take them for granted. For new acquaintances or those not so close to us, we try to impress and gain their friendship by being nicer and more polite. However when it comes to our loved ones, we feel that we no longer have to work for their affection. We expect that they will still love us no matter how awful we are. This is why couples suddenly seem to quarrel more after they get married than when they are in the courtship phase. This is also why children are more likely to get angry with their parents than with their friends. How do we address this? This straight answer is to stop taking our loved ones for granted. May I suggest a rather 'morbid' approach here. Think of the possibility that you could lose this person at any time, that a calamity or accident could suddenly take this person away from you. For couples, think of the possibility of your loved one leaving you for someone else. Focus on how you would feel then. The sense of loss. The sense of regret that you had taken the person for granted and not told the person how much he or she means to you. How it would be too late by then. I know some of you may think this is rather morbid but I can guarantee that you will stop taking those around you for granted if you always keep in mind the possibility you could lose this person.
In conclusion, talk about your expectations and always learn to cherish those close to you before it is too late. This way, we will empower ourselves to build more meaningful and loving relationships.
Some people say that the answer to the question of why we tend to hurt those closer to us is because ironically our loved ones know the 'buttons' to push in us. They know what triggers us and when they do it, they hurt us more deeply and we retaliate and hurt them back. This is true when there is a very low level of trust in the relationship. We may have been hurt so many times by those close to us that our response to a slight provocation is based not only on the provocation at hand but also all the past hurts we have endured from that person. This results in a disproportionately more severe retaliation to hurt the person. This theory in some way explains the severity of conflict in relationships where the trust level is low. But is does not explain why even in relationships where the trust level is high, and the relationship can be considered 'good', we still end up getting angry more easily with our loved ones and hurting them in return. Let me venture 2 theories:
Firslty, we are more likely to get angry at someone close to us because we have higher expectations of them. We expect them to know us and understand us better, to be able to predict our needs and take heed to our feelings better. We expect them to be more sensitive, more reliable, more trustworthy and more loving. We expect more time, more effort and more commitment to us. These higher expectations also means that it is easier for our loved ones to fall short of them. Failure to meet and expectation hurts us more deeply when it is by a loved one. How do we get around this? Firstly, I have to say that it is not wrong to have higher expectations of those closer to us. After all, surely the commitment involved in a marriage is higher than the commitment involved in a cordial friendship. The problem is that much of these expectations we have of our loved ones are never communicated to them. We simply assume they know of it and expect them to keep it. Often, we have never openly talked about our expectations as that is seen as too confrontational and awkward for many. On the receiving end, it is terribly unfair for the person who has never been told of the expectation and yet when he runs foul of it, is taken to task. The solution must therefore be for couples, parents and children etc, to sit down and calmly talk about their expectations of the other. Where the expectations are either unrealistic or oppressive, we negotiate to a more practical and workable level. In such a negotiation, both parties must focus on reaching a final level that addresses the concerns of both parties. For example, if a girlfriend raises the expectation that her boyfriend has to call her every night, it could be because she has a great need for validation and approval and finds a source of security in the relationship. From the boyfriend's point of view, calling every night may simply be impractical given work or study requirements. Both parties therefore need to negotiate and give and take. A final solution could be for Saturdays to be dedicated relationship time with conversations on weekdays reduced to at least calling to say goodnight every night if one does not have the time to talk. In this way, both concerns are met at a level of expectation that both parties can keep.
The next reason why we are more likely to get angry to someone close to us is because we have come to take them for granted. For new acquaintances or those not so close to us, we try to impress and gain their friendship by being nicer and more polite. However when it comes to our loved ones, we feel that we no longer have to work for their affection. We expect that they will still love us no matter how awful we are. This is why couples suddenly seem to quarrel more after they get married than when they are in the courtship phase. This is also why children are more likely to get angry with their parents than with their friends. How do we address this? This straight answer is to stop taking our loved ones for granted. May I suggest a rather 'morbid' approach here. Think of the possibility that you could lose this person at any time, that a calamity or accident could suddenly take this person away from you. For couples, think of the possibility of your loved one leaving you for someone else. Focus on how you would feel then. The sense of loss. The sense of regret that you had taken the person for granted and not told the person how much he or she means to you. How it would be too late by then. I know some of you may think this is rather morbid but I can guarantee that you will stop taking those around you for granted if you always keep in mind the possibility you could lose this person.
In conclusion, talk about your expectations and always learn to cherish those close to you before it is too late. This way, we will empower ourselves to build more meaningful and loving relationships.
Pride in leadership
One of the most insidious and destructive things that can plague Christian leadership is pride. We see evidence of pride in secular leadership and most of us don’t really think this is a problem because self-confidence is exalted as a virtue in secular leadership. However when pride begins to plague Christian leadership, its effects can be devastating to the ministry. The real problem with pride in Christian leadership is that it often masks itself as other things, making the leader oblivious to its insidious emergence.
The birth of pride in a Christian leader often starts with the conferment of position and the experience of success in ministry. When a person is placed in a position of power or prominence in ministry, the temptation is to begin to associate ourselves with the position. This happens when our sense of identity is subsumed by the position. We are treated as important and respected by others by virtue of our position. Overtime we begin to think that we are in fact more important and better than others. This specifically plagues the more prominent leadership positions, whether it is a pastor, a small group leader, a worship leader, a chairman of a ministry or a Sunday school teacher. We begin to exalt ourselves in our own minds, forgetting that we still human, sinful human saved by grace. The fact that it is Christian ministry makes it worse because we then deceive ourselves that our elevation and authority is from God.
How does pride manifest in Christian leadership? Let me suggest a two basic symptoms. The first symptom is dogmatism. The leader becomes un-teachable and very set on a certain way of doing things and seeing things. The leader adopts a “don’t tell me how to do things, I have been doing it with great success in the past” kind of mindset. Such a leader monopolises decision making, forces his or her ideas on others, are close to dissenting points of view, and prides himself on always being right. We surround ourselves with people who agree with us and remove those who differ. This slowly stifles the ministry because the leader becomes unable to change and adapt to the changing needs of the ministry.
The second symptom is self-righteousness. The leader sits in criticism of everyone else and yet is blind to his own faults. “I can do things better than you” is the mantra. We begin to point out everyone else’s faults, why this person is not good enough, why that person is not doing it right or not fit for the position. We sit in judge over everyone. On the flip side, the combination of lack of teachability and self-righteousness makes the leader blind to his own moral inadequacies. Such a leader is not accountable to anyone because everyone else is ‘beneath’ him. This is dangerous because it allows sin to enter the personal life of the leader and remain unchecked. We then wonder why there is no revival in the flock when the shepherds themselves continue in sin.
The consequences of such Christian leadership is severe. Leadership that is plague with pride is leadership that is no longer humble and submitted to God. Any work of such a leader will be work done in the flesh, lacking the blessing and anointing of God. Without the anointing, the ministry soon looses its spiritual vitality and power and the flock under the leader suffers. On an organisation level, such pride breeds disunity and discouragement. Those who are side-lined by the ‘powerful’ becomes discouraged and fall out. Others who feel that their views and their contribution is not recognised may fight back, thus creating dissension and politicking within the ministry. Such dissension fractures the unity of the body and grieves the Holy Spirit.
The only solution that remains is repentance. As leaders, we must humbly come before God and seek his forgiveness for the pride that has plagued us. We must search our hearts under the spotlight of the Holy Spirit, identifying and repenting of our dogmatism and self-righteousness. We must become real once again about our sin and deal with them at the foot of the cross. For it is only when leaders get their own lives right with God and unite as one that revival will happen in our ministry. For revival begins with the leadership.
The birth of pride in a Christian leader often starts with the conferment of position and the experience of success in ministry. When a person is placed in a position of power or prominence in ministry, the temptation is to begin to associate ourselves with the position. This happens when our sense of identity is subsumed by the position. We are treated as important and respected by others by virtue of our position. Overtime we begin to think that we are in fact more important and better than others. This specifically plagues the more prominent leadership positions, whether it is a pastor, a small group leader, a worship leader, a chairman of a ministry or a Sunday school teacher. We begin to exalt ourselves in our own minds, forgetting that we still human, sinful human saved by grace. The fact that it is Christian ministry makes it worse because we then deceive ourselves that our elevation and authority is from God.
How does pride manifest in Christian leadership? Let me suggest a two basic symptoms. The first symptom is dogmatism. The leader becomes un-teachable and very set on a certain way of doing things and seeing things. The leader adopts a “don’t tell me how to do things, I have been doing it with great success in the past” kind of mindset. Such a leader monopolises decision making, forces his or her ideas on others, are close to dissenting points of view, and prides himself on always being right. We surround ourselves with people who agree with us and remove those who differ. This slowly stifles the ministry because the leader becomes unable to change and adapt to the changing needs of the ministry.
The second symptom is self-righteousness. The leader sits in criticism of everyone else and yet is blind to his own faults. “I can do things better than you” is the mantra. We begin to point out everyone else’s faults, why this person is not good enough, why that person is not doing it right or not fit for the position. We sit in judge over everyone. On the flip side, the combination of lack of teachability and self-righteousness makes the leader blind to his own moral inadequacies. Such a leader is not accountable to anyone because everyone else is ‘beneath’ him. This is dangerous because it allows sin to enter the personal life of the leader and remain unchecked. We then wonder why there is no revival in the flock when the shepherds themselves continue in sin.
The consequences of such Christian leadership is severe. Leadership that is plague with pride is leadership that is no longer humble and submitted to God. Any work of such a leader will be work done in the flesh, lacking the blessing and anointing of God. Without the anointing, the ministry soon looses its spiritual vitality and power and the flock under the leader suffers. On an organisation level, such pride breeds disunity and discouragement. Those who are side-lined by the ‘powerful’ becomes discouraged and fall out. Others who feel that their views and their contribution is not recognised may fight back, thus creating dissension and politicking within the ministry. Such dissension fractures the unity of the body and grieves the Holy Spirit.
The only solution that remains is repentance. As leaders, we must humbly come before God and seek his forgiveness for the pride that has plagued us. We must search our hearts under the spotlight of the Holy Spirit, identifying and repenting of our dogmatism and self-righteousness. We must become real once again about our sin and deal with them at the foot of the cross. For it is only when leaders get their own lives right with God and unite as one that revival will happen in our ministry. For revival begins with the leadership.
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