Three-Dimensional Leader (eBook)

SECOND DIMENSION

CHAPTER 5

COOPERATING WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

“Society’s great deficit is that it is woefully in need

of people from all walks of life who understand

how to be spiritual leaders.”

—HENRY AND RICHARD BLACKABY1

“Spiritual goals can be achieved only by spiritual people

who use spiritual methods.”

—J. OSWALD SANDERS2

“To make a long story short, the Spirit does everything

for us that we need in our life with God.”

—JOHN FRAME3

“God has provided supernatural energies

for supernatural tasks.”

—A. W. TOZER4

“Without the Spirit’s activity, people may be leaders,

but they are not spiritual leaders.”

—HENRY AND RICHARD BLACKABY5

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth is known as a powerful spiritual leader. She has touched the lives of millions of women through her two daily nationally syndicated radio programs. Her books have sold more than five million copies. She also understands the importance of solid, biblical leadership, stating,

Many Christian workers today are enamored of the latest trends, marketing models, and bestselling books by leadership gurus; they aspire to a sense of greatness and success that exalts human giftedness and rests on shifting sand. By contrast the kingdom of God will always and only be advanced by humble servants of God who lead out of a clear sense of divine calling, personal integrity, spiritual depth, and dependence upon Christ—men and women of prayer, full of the Word and wisdom, and anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit.6

Nothing is more essential for spiritual leadership than living and leading in the power of the Holy Spirit. Yet, in the many books on leadership, even Christian ones, the spiritual aspect of leadership is overlooked. Spiritual leadership is dependent on the Holy Spirit. One of the overlooked essentials of spiritual leadership is simply learning to cooperate with what the Holy Spirit is already doing and saying to those we are trying to lead. In the dimension of spiritual power, we will discuss many spiritual aspects of leadership including cooperating with the Holy Spirit, living and proclaiming the word of God, advancing God’s kingdom, and engaging in spiritual warfare.

RECOGNIZE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SELF-CENTERED AND SPIRIT-FILLED LEADERSHIP

On December 28, 2014, Mars Hill Church officially died after a series of controversies. Mars Hill was once a very large and influential church founded in Seattle, Washington, by Mark Driscoll. It grew from a home Bible study to fifteen locations in four states. Driscoll, a controversial and colorful speaker, drew over 260,000 sermon views online weekly. Beyond that, he co-founded the Acts 29 Network and authored several popular Christian books.

Driscoll was known for his charisma and combativeness. He displayed immense talent, obvious gifting, a brilliant mind, and compelling communication skills. But he was forced to resign under an ugly cloud of multiple allegations by former elders and staff members.7

One formerly close associate accused Driscoll of being “domineering, verbally violent, arrogant, and quick-tempered.” Another stated, “The reputation Driscoll got for being the cussing pastor simply because he used harsh language from the pulpit was nothing compared to the swearing and abusive language he used daily with staff.”8

A group of his elders investigated charges against him and concluded there existed “bullying” and “patterns of persistent sinful behavior.”9 The board also concluded that Driscoll had “been guilty of arrogance, responding to conflict with a quick temper and harsh speech, and leading the staff and elders in a domineering manner.” He was removed from the board of Acts 29 for “ungodly and disqualifying behavior.”

His story is a reminder that, for Christian leaders, talent, personality, and charisma are not enough when a leader is self-centered. The true Christian leader needs strong, Spirit-produced character and sensitivity.10

SELF-CENTERED LEADERSHIP VS. SPIRIT-FILLED LEADERSHIP

Recently, I (David) took a few days to spend reading, fasting, and praying. One of my motives was to get closer to the Lord so I could hear his voice more clearly and be used by him more effectively. On the fourth day, the Lord showed me that one of the hindrances to the Lord working in my church was me. Even though I knew better, I was often leading as more of a self-centered leader than a Spirit-filled one.

Read through each row of the chart on the following page. Note which ones apply to you. Do they show you to be more of a self-centered leader or a Spirit-filled leader?

New York Times bestselling author Ken Blanchard and co-author Phil Hodges, in their book Lead Like Jesus, advocate trading a self-centered leadership EGO (Edging God Out) for a Spirit-filled EGO (Exalting God Only). “To successfully combat the temptation to be self-serving in your leadership, every day you must put your EGO on the altar and Exalt God Only.”11

They offer five suggestions for leading as an Exalt God Only leader:

1.Worship God only.

2.Depend on God completely.

3.Exalt God as your only audience and judge.

4.Be aware that God is watching you.12

Blanchard and Hodges further claim that when we choose to Exalt God Only, fear and pride will be replaced by humility and confidence. This leads to greater levels of community and transparency, contentment and generosity, trust and truth-seeking in decision making, and inspiration and commitment.13

THE POWERFUL IMPACT OF A GOD-RELIANT LEADER

Dwight L. Moody was a young shoe salesman when he met Christ. With great zeal, energy, and passion, he immediately began leading people to Christ. Soon, he had started a church that grew to be the largest in Chicago. But he was more of a self-reliant leader than a Spirit-reliant leader. After this was pointed out to him, he began to consistently cry out to God for the filling of the Holy Spirit. Not long after that, he had an experience that powerfully changed him:

I was crying out all the time that God would fill me with His Spirit. Well, one day in the city of New York—oh, what a day!—I cannot describe it. I seldom refer to it; for it is almost too sacred an experience to name … I can only say that God revealed Himself to me, and I had such an experience of His love that I had to ask Him to stay His hand.

I went to preaching again. The sermons were not different; I did not present any new truths, and yet hundreds were converted.

I would not now go back where I was before that blessed experience if you gave me all the money in the world.14

After that experience, he learned to lead and minister in total dependence upon the Holy Spirit.15 As a result, his ministry exploded to an international level. He became a powerful Christian leader who, beyond leading his church, was a much sought-after evangelist, and he also founded the Moody Bible Institute and Moody Publishers. Beyond that, his biographers said that, as an evangelist, he personally accounted for over one million...