Limiting our Leaders

I was in a recent leaders gathering when one leader spoke of being in a season of heightened criticism. Another leader brought up the scripture of Jesus in Mark 6, how Jesus was not able to do miracles because of the people's lack of faith. The connection stunned me! I had always read this as my faith and Jesus. This leader was pointing to the power of faith or criticism in human leaders. When we believe in our leaders we encourage them and they fly higher. When we are discouraging they do less! And the bad word is they do less because of my criticism! Maybe the gift of encouragement is a big deal after all. Maybe our faith in the spiritual leaders we have been given opens or closes the future for many others. When you are in a culture of faith, of those who see God moving in you and believe in you it is easier to believe in yourself. On the other hand, in a culture of criticism you will likely (at least eventually) believe the critic and begin to doubt yourself and the God who lives within you.

The result is the culture of criticism can ruin the move of God through a leader to bless the very people who are criticizing! The people criticized Jesus, "Just a carpenter's son! We know too much about this guy to believe in him." And as a result, their friends and family were left in their diseases, the people could not open their ears to the Kingdom of God, and they were stuck. Makes me wonder how powerful criticism really can be… not just limiting the life of the leader but the lives of those who do criticize!

Fitting in or Standing Out?

Isaiah 6 shakes me to the bone. Isaiah sees the holiness of God,
something we want people at our church to experience and from that
senses his own unholiness. Isaiah was already a prophet, likely one
who had a desire for the heart of God. But when he sees the Lord he
sees himself. That is the only way we really see ourselves is when we
see the Lord. Seeing the Lord gives us perspective about our sin but
also about our calling.

Isaiah was a man of God. But then he confesses his sin, a man of
unclean lips. Makes me wonder if he was fitting in to the culture,
using language others used, making decisions others made, fitting in.
The culture is powerful in that it shapes how we perceive right and
wrong. Erosion happens slowly, nearly unnoticed. How do I fit in?
The Lord calls me to stand out but do I? Really? Some of us try to
fit in too much. We go to the same places and do the same things all
in an attempt to relate. But is it really that motive? What is the
line of language that the scripture would warn us against? What is
the line of alcohol or other cultural acceptable behaviors?

Isaiah 6 shakes me to the bone, shakes the foundations of life. The
Lord is holy. Am I?

Where to Find Nourishment and Rest

Leaders do get tired. Especially in stressful times when they see the
need to extend and stretch beyond their normal capacity, exhaustion
follows. From the patterns of Jesus it is obvious that we must take
responsibility for our own rest. The tasks and the people will come,
endlessly. It's up to the leader to choose to live in the calling and
understand when the Father is calling him or her away for a season of
rest. Things like rest, food, prayer and the Word are essentials for
the journey into a destiny.

John 4 Jesus points to another place of nourishment. It is a bit
surprising, really, when we are exhausted. Serving and giving!
Really? John 4 Jesus is tired. Tired physically and likely
emotionally. But a woman comes to the well and he engages her. The
conversation is intriguing to her and he leads her to a moment of
faith and decision. And here, when he is worn out he comes alive. I
know, to speak of Jesus coming alive is a bit odd. His heart and soul
come alive in the ministry of the moment. The Spirit flows and the
Father is engaged and the Son of God is alive with vision and hope. A
whole town is about to come to eternal life and he is pumped!
Imagine, Jesus pumped!!! How cool is that! When the disciples return
they urge him to eat but he is fired up, maybe too fired up to eat.
His words, "I have food to eat you no nothing about." Then he
explains. Fulfilling the mission of the Father energizes him. The
flow of the Spirit, the impact of the ministry fuels his heart and
nourishes him. If you have ever been used by the Lord significantly
you will know this experience. Just when you are worn out the
Spirit's filling moves in you and you are far from tired. You are
pumped!

The other factors are critical to long term ministry, proper rest,
study, prayer, people (community) and vision. But when those converge
in a moment and we are used by the Father, tired is far from our
hearts and minds. Amazing, really, that serving others can bring us
back to life, fill our hearts with hope and vision as we are filled by
the Father for His use. But then again that is when we are most alive!