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The life and ministry of Peter. (Acts 3:1-26) Miracles do have a part to play in Christianity. Peter had preached that Jesus was ‘accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs’ (2:22). The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people (5:12). However, let us not make the mistake of thinking that all we need is a few miracles and people will come flocking to Jesus. John 12:37 warns that even after witnessing the miracles performed by Jesus Himself, some people would not believe in Him. We are going to examine three things from this Bible passage. The miracle of the man (3:1-10) He was born lame and due to his disability he had to be carried wherever he went. He had never known anything different. It was a need he could not cure himself. What a picture of the human race without Jesus. The man was begging for life. He found a good spot for charity at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple. His condition governed his life and he had no option but to beg. He went where his friends put him and there was no prospect of change. No person can fulfil his or her potential without Christ. He will be frustrated. This man began to live only when Jesus confronted him through Christians who commanded him to walk. He who was outside the temple begging was suddenly inside the temple bringing praise to God. He used to look to people for help, but now he looked to God. The real miracle which occurred in this man’s life reflects the truth that ‘if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). The mighty name of Jesus Christ (3:12-26; 4:8-12) Peter and John were quick to point out that this miracle had precious little to do with them. When the astonished crowd came running they said: ‘You may well be surprised if we fishermen from Galilee made this man walk, but it was Jesus Who did it, not us.’ Peter’s testimony is clear in Acts 3:16, ‘By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong.’ It was this name that the Sanhedrin opposed (4:18). It was this name that the Christians prayed in (4:30). A careful reading of this passage will show you that God glorified the name of Jesus (3:13, 15). You will see man used the name of Jesus (3:6; 4:10). But most of all you will read that humankind needs the name of Jesus. ‘Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved’ (Acts 4:12). God is the author, Christ is the agent and man is the ambassador of salvation. Everyone who calls on Jesus’ name will be saved. Forgiveness of sins is given in His name. A person is washed, sanctified and justified in His name. One day every knee will bow to His name. ‘Praise God that you bear that name’ (1 Peter 4:16). Man used by God The man God uses is not an automaton or a superman but an ordinary man who prays. If Peter and John had not been going to the prayer meeting this miracle would not have happened. He sees the needs of others and recognises an opportunity for witness. Peter took a step of faith himself and he encouraged the man to take a step too. A walk is a succession of steps strung together. Are you walking with God? Will you step out with Him right now? Discussion guide for ‘Stepping out for Jesus’ Bible reading Acts 3:1-26 1. John 12:37 reads, “Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in Him”. So, what place can miracles play in our witness today? Refer also to Acts 2:22 and 5:12. 2. Who initiated the miraculous healing of the lame man, Acts 3:1-10? 3. Who would receive glory and praise through this man’s healing? Compare the words in verses 8, 9, 13, with the testimony in verse 16. Compose one sentence using these ideas, one sentence that captures the testimony of the healed man. 4. Answering their critics, Peter and John put their testimony a different way in Acts 4:8-12. What have they added? Why? 5. Make some time to listen to God by yourself. What do you believe God is calling you to be and to do? What is stopping you?

My life alongside God's word, volume 3. 'Bible characters' section. Hezekiah’s biblical biography can be read in 2 Kings 18-20, 2 Chronicles 29-32 and Isaiah 36-39. There is much supporting archaeological evidence from the Assyrian world. Dates and the order of events are in dispute, but every event recorded in Scripture certainly happened. Hezekiah reigned at a time when a foreign empire was consolidating its control over Palestine and Syria. His father had placed Judah under Assyrian domination in 735 BC, 2 Kings 16:7-8. At the accession of Sennacherib 705–681 BC, rebellions broke out all around the Assyrian empire. Hezekiah seems to have been the movement leader in Palestine, and gained support from Egypt. Preparing for the inevitable Assyrian campaign to retake lost territory, Hezekiah strengthened the defences of his capital, Jerusalem. Today’s visitors can still explore “the tunnel by which (Hezekiah) brought water into the city”, 2 Kings 20:20. He “blocked the upper outlet of the Gihon spring and channelled the water down to the west side of the City of David”, 2 Chronicles 32:30. This Siloam tunnel brings a good supply of running water inside the city walls, a precautionary defence against a long siege. 25 years old and trusting the Lord Hezekiah was his own man. Importantly, he made a choice not to follow his father’s evil ways, 2 Kings 16:2-4, 18:1-3. Ahaz was his biological father, David his ancestor 13 generations earlier. He accepted the role life had given to him, 18:2. He achieved the blessing of the all-seeing God, 18:3. He axed the wrong religious perspectives and practices of his people, 18:4. He adhered closely to God and God’s ways, 18:5-7. His attitude made him keep on keeping on, 18:6. In these five attributes Hezekiah is a great example for young Christian people today. Scripture commends young Hezekiah’s efforts “And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook”, 2 Kings 18:7. “This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. So he prospered”, 2 Chronicles 31:20-21. Following God is difficult and often involves very hard work. Those who make the effort will be forever rewarded. Taking a God-given lead In 2 Chronicles 29 Hezekiah cleansed the Lord’s temple. He realised it was the “anger of the Lord”, 29:8, a strong outburst of wrath from God himself, which had judged his own people. He urged backslidden temple workers to return to their jobs, 29:3-17. An amazing service of sacrifice, singing, worship and offerings followed over several days, 29:18-36. The Chronicler makes an insightful note in verse 36, “Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people”. A good leader knows he or she is always second-in-command. God must be number one. God uses followers just as much as leaders. People before procedure Not satisfied with reforming the temple worship Hezekiah sent representatives “throughout Israel and Judah” urging all the people to “return to the Lord” (four times in 30:6-9). Verse 12 highlights “the hand of God was on the people”. Without this, even the godliest leader will fail. Dependence is a huge part of a leader’s own discipleship. Partway through this Passover celebration some priests and people realized they were doing what they were not ceremonially clean enough to do. Hezekiah’s prayer is an object lesson for practical church life today. “May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God – the Lord, the God of his fathers – even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary”. God answered his prayer, 30:18-20. Perhaps some “legalists” were surprised that He did? We must always let God be God and never be surprised over rules that He bends. He sees more deeply into the human heart than we ever can, Mark. 12:32-34. Provision made for appropriate worship Leading by example Hezekiah started a generous movement of giving among God’s people, 2 Chronicles 31:3-8. There are seven different sorts of giving I found mentioned in this chapter: “the first-fruits, a great amount, a tithe”, vs5, “contributions”, vs10, “dedicated gifts”, vs12, “freewill offerings, consecrated gifts”, vs14. Rather than try to distinguish between these I suggest the straightforward application for us is to lead from the front, by giving whatever we can to the Lord’s work. Only keep back what we need to live on. Supporting local and global ministry is every Christian’s responsibility, 2 Corinthians 8:7, 20. Don’t just talk about it. Do it! Hezekiah made mistakes, as all leaders will When Hezekiah was 39 years old Sennacherib overran much of Judah, taking 46 of its walled cities, and placing much conquered Judean territory under the control of neighbouring states, 2 Kings 18:13. While Sennacherib was besieging the city of Lachish, Hezekiah wrongly tried to buy his way out of trouble. He took valuables from the temple of the Lord and gave them to the Assyrian king, 2 Kings 18:15-16. It bought a little time and at a heavy price. The easiest options are often the worst. Sennacherib still demanded unconditional surrender. One mistake, however, did not stop God from using Hezekiah. The chronology is uncertain, but the Bible is clear God kept using him. His speaking was inspirational to his followers and threatening to his enemies, 18: 36, 18:29-32; 2 Chronicles 30:22. How to handle a crisis 2 Kings 19:1-2, 14-19, 2 Chronicles 32:20, and Isaiah 37:1-2, 14-20 all describe Hezekiah’s prayer and introduce us to Isaiah the prophet. Isaiah chapters 37-38 give the fullest account of events. Confronted once more by the king of Assyria, Hezekiah has no human resources left. He wisely and humbly goes to the temple of the Lord, Isaiah 37:1. He seeks advice from God’s prophet, a man known to be alive with the Holy Spirit of God, 6:1-8. Isaiah’s reply directs him to commit everything to the Sovereign God of the nations, 37:6-7. Still at prayer and still at war Hezekiah receives a direct challenge to his God, 37:9-13. The focus of his heart is still the great God Almighty, vs15-20. In particular Hezekiah wants God to enhance God’s fame and reputation, not his own, vs20. At this point Jerusalem was saved by a miraculous intervention of God. “The angel of the Lord” decimated the Assyrian war machine, 2 Kings 19:35-36; 2 Chronicles 32:21; Isaiah 37:36. The awful carnage of that single day must be seen against the awesome holiness of God. Our Sovereign God uses heathen rulers to achieve His purposes, even while He holds them accountable for these same atrocities. He judges them for what they do, even though He is able to use what they do for His own purposes (check out Sennacherib’s “I” compared to God’s “I”, in 2 Kings 19:23-28, also Psalm 33:10-11, and Jesus’ words about Judas, Mark 14:21. It was “the Lord (who) saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem”. “He took care of them on every side”, 2 Chronicles 32:22. The sin of pride To understand the final events of Hezekiah’s life we need first to read 2 Chronicles 32:24-25. Any successful Christian leader may easily fall into the trap of pride in his or her achievements. This may be feeling better than other people, feeling more special than others, or simply thinking, “I have done some great things”. It is sobering to note God’s response to pride, “therefore the Lord’s wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem” vs25. Foolishly Hezekiah entertained envoys from Babylon, some time after he had been diagnosed terminally ill, 2 Kings 20; Isaiah 39. “There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them”, Isaiah 39:2. In boasting about his blessings he forgot about the One who had blessed him! Where would he have been without his God? 2 Chronicles 32:29. God deserves all praises! Sometimes the very things God gives to us can become stumbling blocks in our walk with Him. Some of the greatest believers I have met in my African ministry are those who have nothing in this world. They taught me so much. At this time, “God left (Hezekiah) to test him and to know everything that was in his heart”, 2 Chronicles 32:31. Obviously God knew all about it. He wanted Hezekiah to come to realise it too. We must often pray, “Create in me a pure heart, O God”, “Give me an undivided heart”, “Search me, O God, and know my heart”, Psalm 51:10, 86:11, 139:23. Facing up to death, aged 54 years Facing death should not be a problem for any believer because we know where and to Whom we are going. Living with cancer for seven years has helped me to have my heart and eyes in heaven, while my hands and feet are still here on earth. Hezekiah’s reaction is recorded three times, 2 Kings 20:1-11; 2 Chronicles 32:24 and Isaiah 38:1-8. Two additions found only in Kings may indicate why God did this to and for Hezekiah. God calls Hezekiah “the leader of my people”, 2 Kings 20:5, and He says “I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David” vs6. God is showing this older man that his 29 year-long kingship is still only delegated leadership. God is the real leader of His people. God is reminding Hezekiah it is God’s own glory that is being worked out, a glory that He rightly will never share with anyone else. Later Isaiah prophesied this to Israel, Isaiah 47-48. Yes, Babylon will be destroyed. You, my people, will be delivered. Why? “For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another”, Isaiah 48:11. Asking God for signs Having “wept bitterly”, Isaiah 38:3, in apparent repentance over his pride, 2 Chronicles 32:26, linked with shock at his ominously dark diagnosis, Hezekiah asks a sign from God to confirm he will live for an “extra” 15 years. The negotiation, best seen in 2 Kings 20:8-11, is also mentioned in 2 Chronicles 32:24 and Isaiah 38:2-8. Hezekiah’s account of his own good works, 2 Kings 20:2-3, is not boasting but bringing before God King Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple, 2 Chronicles 6:16-17; 1 Kings 9:1-9. Hezekiah knew that God would always remain true to his promise and reward those who were faithful to Himself. Asking that the clock would go backwards for a while was asking a lot. But God could alter His creation, and He did, 2 Kings 20:8-11. Scripture records it in such a matter-of-fact way that we marvel. The Sovereign Master of creation will do what He chooses, Isaiah 46:9-10. We must submit our wills into His will, as our Lord Jesus Christ taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, Matthew 6:10. God gives doubting believers specific signs on some occasions (Gideon has three, Judges 6:17-22, 36-40). Other times God’s grace is given to help quietly confident believers cope with adverse situations (Paul twice, Acts 23:11, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Does God change His mind between 2 Kings 20:1 and verses 4-6? I don’t think so. God simply shows us Hezekiah’s fallen humanity. The selfishness of 2 Kings 20:19 and Isaiah 39:8 left the people waiting for the real inaugurator of God’s true kingdom, Jesus Christ. His first words recorded are “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near”, Matthew 4:17. Hezekiah’s Psalm Unique to Isaiah 38:9-20 is Hezekiah’s autobiographical account of his illness. He expresses his disappointment at imminent death, vs10-14. He is glad to be able to live in praise of God vs15-20. Notice especially verse 19. A father has a responsibility to lead his family into a personal experience with the living God. In modern times, as well as speaking face to face with children while we live, we can leave written or recorded testimony for them. Then, even after we die, we can witness to future generations how great is our God.

The Life and ministry of Peter. (Acts 4:1-31) Christians are not promised success in the eyes of the world. God does not say you will have a good reputation or plenty of friends or an easy life. In fact God promised the exact opposite. Paul suffered for his faith (2 Timothy 2:8-9; 3:10-12). Peter wrote that Christians should expect to suffer (1 Peter 2:20-23; 4:12-13). Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that when we suffer for His sake, we are blessed (Matthew 5:11-12). Suffering can be God’s way of making us effective for Him. I want to show you the circle of events in Peter’s life that illustrates this. A crippled man had been healed. The crowd were amazed. Peter seized the opportunity to bear witness to Jesus (Acts 3:15-16). The opposition seized the opportunity to attack the Christian witnesses (4:1-3). They called Peter and John to account for what they were saying, what they were doing and how they were doing it. They threatened them, intimidated them and punished them. When you dare to be different the world will go for you. Suffering brought opportunity Acts 4:8-13 shows us that Peter did not fall into the trap of thinking that his suffering was the end of events. When he was called to account for what he had done he saw both the opposition and the opportunity. Since we can all expect to suffer, we should work out how we will respond to it. Jeremiah’s vision of God was not blocked by the pit he was in. Job knew that even if he changed his view of God because of all the boils on his body, God would not change in reality. Paul could have thought he had mistaken God’s call when he ended up in a city jail, but instead of entertaining any doubts he entertained the prisoners by singing hymns to them at midnight! (Acts 16:19-28). The opposition were astonished and began to be aware of God in Jesus Christ as Peter and John turned suffering into opportunity (4:13). Opportunity brought praise and prayer (vv.23-24) When they were released from the jail, though not from the threats, the believers immediately began to praise God. They reflected on His power in creation, His power over world affairs, His power in their own land. They did not concentrate on their own situation, but on God’s sovereign power. They also petitioned God (vv.29-30), but again notice carefully what they asked for. They did not ask for freedom from suffering, or protection from the authorities, but instead they asked God to help them proclaim Jesus Christ and to work miracles in His name. Praise and prayer brought power (4:31) God was pleased with what they were asking for so He granted their request. He filled them afresh with His Holy Spirit. They had been filled already on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4), but now having used the Holy Spirit’s power in both miracle and message they were refilled for future use. Maybe you do not know the power you seek because you do not use the power you have got. God cannot refill a man who has not become empty through usage. Power brought witnessing (4:31, 33) Here is the full circle. God did not fill them for the sake of fullness itself but for effectiveness. This was unction for usefulness, power for preaching, dynamite for distribution. God was bringing all this about through suffering. There can be no doubt that suffering could be God’s way to make you and me more effective in his service. Paul knew it and he said, ‘When I am weak, then I am strong’ (2 Corinthians 12:10). Do you need to change your view of success? Should you start praying for something different? Are you blessed with suffering for Jesus? Discussion guide for ‘Suffering for Jesus’ Bible reading Acts 4:1-31 1. Summarise in your own words, what Jesus, Paul and Peter taught about the Christian and suffering. Refer to Matthew 5:10-12 2 Timothy 2:8-10 2 Timothy 3:10-12 1 Peter 2:20-23 1 Peter 4:12-13 2. What does all of this tell you to be ready for? 3. What caused Peter and John’s imprisonment and Sanhedrin appearance? Was this reaction good or bad for them? Why? 4. Explain Acts 4:13. How can this testimony be an inspiration to you in your everyday life? 5. Make some time to listen to God by yourself. What do you believe God is calling you to be and to do?

My life alongside God's word. Volume 3. 'Bible characters' section. The English word “terrifying” comes from the Latin root terrere, meaning “to terrify, to inspire fear or dread, to frighten greatly.” But from the same root we also get the word “terrific,” meaning “very good, intense, excellent”. When reading Zephaniah we do well to keep in balance these two English words to describe God – terrible and terrific. He does not compromise in His dealings with any of His creation. Who was Zephaniah? From Scripture we don’t know much about Zephaniah except for a very brief record of his lineage (1:1). What this prophet said was more important than who he was. Zephaniah’s name in Hebrew means “hidden or treasured of Jehovah.” This tells me that it is possible for a person to live a godly Christian life even when it is not fashionable to do so. Just because others are doing wrong there is no need to join them. In difficult times God kept Zephaniah safe because He had a use for him. The “reign of Josiah” (1:1) can be read about in 2 Kings 22:1-23:30 and 2 Chronicles 34:1-36:1. Zephaniah almost certainly had influence on the king. He inspired many to follow their “terrific” God against a strong opposing current. The presence of King Hezekiah’s name in 1:1 suggests that Zephaniah was a prince of the royal house of Judah. When he denounced the princes in 1:8, he knew first hand what he was talking about. They preferred fashionable foreign gods. Zephaniah would have none of it. And there is no other way for the believer. Josiah, the new, young and godly king, seems to have been helped in his reformed life by God’s contemporary spokesmen: Zephaniah, Nahum and Jeremiah. Sadly, most people listened and then switched them off. Their personal choices meant they would ultimately face the “terror” of Almighty God on their own. What a dreadful thought! “I will” This book of the Bible, like all the others, is “the Word of the LORD” (1:1,10). Whatever we may think about its loveliness, its truthfulness is beyond question. When God speaks He means every word. God’s truth is truth beyond question. One way to learn from this Old Testament book is to read it and note repeated words and phrases. In Zephaniah I counted God saying, “I will” at least 20 times; “the day (of the LORD)” at least 20 times, four of them with His “wrath.” Get this straight: Zephaniah’s prophecy begins in gloom but ends in grace! It begins with sorrow but ends with singing! There are two major messages in it. God said, “I will.” Our sovereign and severe God, who has always threatened punishment for the unrepentant sinner, will definitely bring it about when His time is right. “It is a dreadful (terrible) thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31). God said, “the day of the Lord” and of His “wrath.” Our sovereign and saving God, who has been bringing sinners to salvation throughout history, by His own mercy will keep that door open until the very end (2 Pet. 3:9). There is “terrific” salvation to be received from our “terrific” God. God’s fire of judgment is for purification. He seeks our holiness through His refining fire. Notice the incredible lengths God will go to completely remove sin from His presence and from His earth. “I will” is repeated nine times in the first chapter (1:2-4,8,9,12,17) and ends with, “He (God) will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth” (1:18). The people were punished for false worship (4-5); for indifference to true worship (6); for vanity, pride, economic misdeeds (8-11); and for trusting in their own achievements (12-13). We can’t fool God. “The Day” We are quickly led to the second oft-repeated phrase in Zephaniah’s prophecy: “the day” – also found as “the day of the LORD” (1:7,14); and “the day of the LORD’s wrath” (1:18; 2:2; 3:8). In 597 BC, 30 years after Zephaniah began preaching God’s warnings, the first wave of destruction came upon Jerusalem. God used the Babylonians as His servants. By 587 almost the whole known world was consumed by them – and there is a second fulfilment still to come. In the end times God will bring about a final Day of Judgment on the world. Our Lord Jesus spoke about it (Mt. 24:3-25:46). It will begin with unequalled distress (24:21); will pass through the return of the Son of Man (Jesus) in great glory (24:30); and will end with some people going to eternal punishment while others to eternal life (25:46). The early Christians believed “the day of the Lord” would come as unexpectedly as “a thief in the night” (1 Th. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10). We are to expect the unexpected. Here “day” means more than 24 hours, more like an extended period of time. But on one awesome future day, “the day of God’s wrath” (1:18), terrifying judgment will begin. The date is unknown to anyone but God Himself. However, that coming day is absolutely certain, and there is no escaping it. God will not allow it, but mercifully He does offer shelter: “Seek the LORD ... you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD’s anger” (2:3). Furious Anger God’s wrath is mentioned in 1:15, 1:18, 2:2 and 3:8. To begin to realize the awful meaning of “wrath” reread Zephaniah, noting every time “everything” or “all” is judged or destroyed. In 2:5 and 3:6 we read that “none will be left.” God’s wrath is targeted, executed and complete. God’s holiness cannot co-exist with sin in any shape or form – sin must be destroyed. Zephaniah’s teammate, the prophet Nahum, spoke graphically of this: “The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on His foes and maintains His wrath against His enemies” (Nah. 1:2). This verse makes it easy to agree with Vine’s Expository Dictionary definition of God’s wrath: “Heat, rage, a state of anger and fury ... God as the Almighty Potentate is angered by the sins and pride of His people, as they are an insult to His holiness.” God’s People Of course we expect God to judge the ungodly, but surely God’s own people are exempt. Not so! Read Zephaniah 3:1-4. God’s careless people, His fruitless people, His proud people, His rebellious people, explicitly “Judah and ... all who live in Jerusalem” (1:4) – people so close to His heart – He will judge all in due course. But here His words were for His own chosen people. God’s people worshiped other gods. Jerusalem is described as a city where there was rebellion: people listened to no one but themselves; they absented themselves from God’s true worship; their civic and religious leaders proudly thought they had God under control (3:2). God called to them but “they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did” (3:7). God was about to show to them all unwanted and unpleasant truths. Imitators of God’s people would be exposed for who they really were. Along with heathen and pagan nations, God’s awesomely terrible judgment closely awaited all who were still openly sinning. Reading the historically concurrent accounts of Josiah in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, I was struck by 2 Kings 23:25: “Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did – with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.” I thought, surely now God would turn away His holy anger. But I was wrong. Read on. “Nevertheless, the LORD did not turn away from the heat of His fierce anger, which burned against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to provoke Him to anger. So the LORD said, ‘I will remove Judah also from My presence’” (26-27). Similarly, 2 Chronicles 34:23-25 says: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: Tell (the king) I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people ... Because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods and provoked Me to anger by all that their hands have made, My anger will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched.” Terrifying as it is, we must learn about the severity of our loving God who hates sin. If we ignore these awesome attributes of God we end up worshiping a disabled, deformed God. Glorious Grace 
In the midst of all this gloom there is grace. In 2 Chronicles 34:27 God gives a special message to King Josiah who was doing his best to please Him. Josiah was an early “conscientious” believer. “Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what He spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before Me and tore your robes and wept in My presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD.” Josiah would die in peace before this judgment came from his raging God. As long as we seek to honour God He will make a way for us to do so in His sight! See this chain of thought running through Zephaniah. “Be silent before the Sovereign LORD” (1:7). “The great day of the LORD is near” (1:14). “In the fire of His jealousy the whole world will be consumed” (1:18). “Seek the LORD, all you humble ... you will be sheltered” (2:3). “The nations on every shore will worship Him” (2:11). “The LORD ... is righteous ... He dispenses His justice” (3:5). “The whole world will be consumed by the fire of My jealous anger” (3:8). “The LORD has taken away your punishment ... never again will you fear any harm” (3:15). “The LORD ... is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing” (3:17). “At that time I (God) will bring you home” (3:20). One phrase in 3:17 has a special meaning for me. It was written on a card sent to me as I went into the hospital in 2006 to have an aggressive cancer removed from my throat. The surgeon had to remove my voice box. I could no longer speak and preach naturally. I mused on the words, “He will quiet you with His love” (3:17). I thought, “God shut me up!” I passed through that suffering and I am now enjoying the other side. I am learning my limits and living within them. In that life-threatening cancer I saw the severity of God. Having lived through the surgery I can better appreciate God’s sovereign behaviour in outworking good through all human events, even bad ones. As a boy, I always hummed while washing up. My brother always commented on it. I can’t hum anymore, so I listen to God as He “rejoices over (me) with singing.” That is terrific. What God Wills We learn three things from Zephaniah: The severity of God is a terrifically terrifying reality. The sovereignty of God is a terrifyingly terrific reality. The saving God can be absolutely trusted for salvation. He will bring home to heaven all people whom His merciful grace has made righteous, meek, humble and faithful. His people are imitations of His Son, Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:18). Finally, in Zephaniah 3:9-20 notice the ten “I will” statements God makes. Every one of them contributes to our being transformed into the holy people of the Almighty God. Every one of us is currently living away from our real home in heaven. Every day brings us one step nearer to that home. Every challenge we face gives us the opportunity to learn more about grace, to have the jagged edges smoothed from our lives so we are made fit for our place in heaven. Then, the Lord says, “At that time I will bring you home” (3:20). God is never early or late. God is always right on time. In The Coming Of The Warrior King (Welwyn Commentary), Daniel Webber wrote, “Behind every promise Scripture makes, lies a Sovereign God determined that His will be done.” What a terrific thought! Source: www.colinsalter.net

The life and ministry of Peter. (Acts 10:1-48) Those few years following Peter’s call had seen many changes in his life. Now he was a fisher of men not a fisherman. He followed Christ and did not follow himself. He feared God rather than brashly being afraid of nothing or no one. God had helped him to preach and 3000 were saved. God led him to heal and the man leaped in praise. He had confronted Ananias and Sapphira, and sin was purged from the young church. He aimed for a life of prayer and the ministry of the word (6:4); he was called, he was used, he was a leader. He was an authority on the life of Jesus and people looked to him for answers, but he was still humbly learning lessons from God Himself day by day. I am sure we can all identify with God’s servant in Acts 10:10 in that we become hungry and want something to eat! Can we also identify with him in still being teachable after many months in the ministry? Let us see how God teaches those who want to learn from Him. From the two main characters of the story we will see how they sought God and God showed Himself to them. Cornelius sought God He was a centurion in the Italian regiment based in Caesarea. His daily job was to put down any riots or rebellion among the Jews. He did not live a sheltered life and was probably in the thick of any nasty business going on. He was a family man and his wife and children seemed to be with him in what he was doing. He was a devout, God-fearing man. He lived his life conscious that the eye of God was on him. He was a generous man, not abusing his position but using it to serve God. He was a praying man who set aside regular time each day to talk with God. Cornelius is an example of a man who sought and found God. What God did for Cornelius Firstly, God gave him a vision (v.3). It was a definite experience, recorded by the meticulous Dr Luke, and it was distinct, leaving no room for doubt on his part or by his servants or colleagues. It was also a divine vision. Secondly, God gave him a voice recorded in verses 3-6. God knew his name. God had seen his deeds. God was now giving him a command. If he obeyed, Cornelius would find the fulfilment of his life seeking after God. Finally, God gave him a different view towards the Jews. As a Gentile he would not normally have had much to do with the Jews voluntarily, but God’s call to him overcame these preconceived ideas. God was clearing the barriers away so that His purpose could be worked out. What God did for Peter (vv.9-23) Here we see the same three things. God gave him a vision. It was a deliberate attempt by God to get the experienced apostle to learn something new about God’s work. Peter was prepared for this by his own prayer and his own position. God gave him a voice which immediately made Peter very cautious. The sheet contained many animals and birds that the Jews were instructed not to eat, yet the voice was actually calling him to ‘kill and eat’. Peter’s mind was being renewed. God by His Holy Spirit was striving for Peter’s spiritual growth. Peter did not dismiss it – he wondered about it, long and hard. God gave him a different view (v.28). The lesson on the plate led to the greater lesson about people. Peter was definite when he said: ‘God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.’ Peter goes God’s way Peter wondered about what God had said. He was listening to God and learning from Him. He went where God told him to go. In his testimony he recalls that he had ‘no hesitation about going with them’ (Acts 11:12). Peter watched what God did (Acts 10:44-46). God demonstrated His love for the Gentiles, and for Cornelius in particular, by pouring out His Holy Spirit upon the group as Peter preached Christ. Peter’s willingness led others into this truth too. Criticism from other believers came Peter’s way almost immediately, but Peter countered it with clear and concise personal testimony. God was praised for His work among the Gentiles (11:18). God wants you to keep listening and to keep learning. He will give you points to ponder. He wants you to obey His word and observe His ways. Are you still learning while you are serving? Discussion guide for ‘Still learning while serving’ Bible reading Acts 10:1-48 1. From Acts 10:4 we can learn that God respects those who sincerely seek after Him, even in different faiths. Describe Cornelius’ faith, in your own words, verse 2. 2. Why did Peter sound surprised when a voice told him to kill and eat, verse13-14, also 11:8? 3. Why was God moving Peter’s understanding to another level? 4. Think for a few minutes. Are there areas in your Christian understanding you may be challenged into growth – or even change? Why? Why not? 5. How and when did Peter (and the other leaders) know all this was from God? Consider Acts 11:15-17. 6. Make some time to listen to God by yourself. What do you believe God is calling you to be and to do? What is stopping you?

My life alongside God's word, volume 3. 'Bible characters' section. Peter was not looking to meet the Lord Jesus Christ, but the Lord was looking to meet Peter. This Galilean fisherman was happy enough simply fishing for his living, Matthew 4:18 – something he had been brought up doing. He did not know that God had a different, greater purpose for him. Just as truth is still truth even when we don’t think it is, Peter needed to learn that God’s plans are always the best! I’ll lead and you follow “Come, follow Me, Jesus said (to Peter and Andrew), and I will make you fishers of men”, Matthew 4:19. Verses 19, 20, 22 and 25 all use the word “follow”. A follower is somebody who pays attention to what someone else is doing or saying. Accepting the master’s leadership, they may all then become companions, taking the same direction through life. On that one day in Capernaum, Peter’s life began to be changed. The Carpenter from Nazareth would shape the new fisher-of-men, remaking Peter into one of God’s men. To get the most out of life, we have to let God have His way continually. “At once they left their nets and followed Him”, Matthew 4:20. Transformed and then sent Notice how Peter introduces himself in his letters: “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ”, 1 Peter 1:1, and “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ”, 2 Peter 1:1. It was Jesus who had “designated apostles”, Luke 6:13-14 – the word meaning a person sent forth or commissioned for a clearly defined job. Our Lord Jesus used His three-plus years of ministry to transform Peter from a man of the world into a man of the Word (the Bible). Peter was born anew, 1 Peter 1:3, and he encouraged others to be born again, 1 Peter 1:23. He treasured his Bible as the “word of the Lord”, 1 Peter 1:24-2:2, and the teaching our Lord Jesus invested into Peter’s life produced Christian fruitfulness in the fisherman. Then through Peter’s teaching, the Lord was reproducing this in many others. What God wants us to know and do is found in His Word. Read it, learn it and do it always! Sent to serve The word “servant” in 2 Peter 1:1 is actually the word “slave” – the lowest of servants. Peter was not boastful about being an apostle. Rather, he saw himself as an average shepherd, 1 Peter 5:1-4), accountable to the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ. By influencing as many people as he could for the Lord Jesus Christ, Peter was storing treasure up in heaven. We need to have our hearts and eyes fixed on the eternal rather than the things of this earthly life. Christian priorities in life show how sincere we really are. The British preacher C.H. Spurgeon thought that many believers were like shop windows – attractive and bright outside but empty on the inside. Spurgeon felt that such individuals were pretending to be what in reality they were not. The most moving experience of all Peter wrote: “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory saying, ‘This is My Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’. We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain”, 2 Peter 1:16-18. The word “majesty” (Greek: megaleiotetos) means the highest divine honour. Peter’s eyes therefore feasted on the highest divine honour of the Lord Jesus! Sharing his heart, Peter recalled our Lord’s transfiguration (Gk. metamorphoo – from which we get our English word “metamorphosis”, meaning “a major change that makes someone or something very different”. Along with James and John, Peter saw the glory of God radiate through our Lord Jesus. It was a highpoint in their learning from God about Himself. The man they were following, Jesus, was none else but God! The Lord Jesus did not change here, but He did give a special revelation about Himself, causing these three witnesses to be determined to follow Him. Seeing is believing Three transfiguration accounts are in the New Testament: Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-8 and Luke 9:28-36, while John adds his witness of the Lord’s glory in John 1:14 and 1 John 1:1-3. Seeing the glorious Lord Jesus Christ transformed Peter. Having heard the Father say, “This is My Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!”, Mark 9:7, Peter could not flee from the throb of God’s heartbeat, so to speak. It was like a rhythmic African drum: “I am pleased, well-pleased, oh so pleased with My Son. I am pleased with My Son, only Son, beloved Son. I am pleased, well-pleased with My one and only Son.” Peter walked accordingly the rest of his life. It took him through his many highs and lows, for he knew God loved him and was his Saviour – and he knew his Saviour pleased God and was God. Life lessons that challenged Peter Peter learned by watching and listening to the Lord Jesus. Today we can learn from reading these six narratives found in the Gospels and Acts: 1. Seeing Jesus walking on water Peter climbed over the boat’s side and began to walk towards Him. Taking his eyes away from the Lord, Peter began to sink. But the Lord’s strong hand rescued him, Matthew 14:22-33. We must keep our attention firmly focused on our Lord Jesus. 2. Challenged by Jesus to say who they thought He was, Peter declared, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”, Matthew 16:13-20. God disclosed to Peter deep spiritual truths about salvation and the Saviour. Let us keep our testimony about the Lord Jesus pure, remaining useful in God’s service. 3. Immediately after this high point came a really depressing experience – Peter rebuked his Lord who was teaching about going to the cross, Matthew 16:21-28. The fisherman needed to learn there was “strength of weakness” which God would use to defeat sin and Satan. Fighting with force is the world’s way, not the Word’s way. 4. As the crucifixion drew near, Peter refused to believe the Lord Jesus when He said, “You will all fall away on account of Me”, Matthew 26:31-35. He had too much confidence in his own ability, causing him to disrespect even the word of the Lord Jesus. Matthew 26:69-75 records how Peter distanced himself from his close Friend and Teacher by denying Him. All Christians must be careful here. 5. After the resurrection the Lord Jesus talked to Peter about this incident. The lesson was about repentance and love; and the Lord desired to restore His servant. Peter, who had bitterly cried immediately after denying the Christ, Matthew 26:75, was challenged over his love for the Lord Jesus. The link between those three denials and these three questions, John 21:15-19, is deliberate. For believers, failure does not lead to automatic disqualification for with our Lord there is always a way back. Peter could still look forward to glorifying God, John 21:19. In spite of so many disastrous failures in my past, I thank God that I can look ahead, seeing myself joining millions of others in giving worthy praise to the impressively majestic, Almighty, Creator God in His heaven, Revelation chapters 4-5. 6. Peter, the first preacher recorded in the Church, Acts 2:14-41, spoke powerfully in the Holy Spirit about what God had done and was still doing. Verses 22-24 are key: “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross. But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him”. Peter spoke from his personal experience with the Lord Jesus – what he had seen and heard. I’m sure he had given these events much thought and probably had long discussions about them with the other disciples. Now he wanted others to “Repent and be baptised”, Acts 2:38. As his own life had been turned right around, so he wanted others to be converted as well. Perhaps some in the crowd were looking to meet Jesus while others had seen and heard but not yet trusted Him. Peter saw his job to be winning as many as possible to the Christian faith – born into saving faith through our Lord Jesus Christ. This is our God-given task too, Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1:7-8. Life changing for you? In these six examples we can see something of the deep and lasting impact of the Lord Jesus on Peter’s life. It was life changing for him and for some of those he met! We must regularly check our own lives to make sure we keep on “keeping on” – following our Lord Jesus closely, going in the right direction stepping in step with Him. His purpose must always be ours, every moment of every day! First published in Grace & Truth Magazine, May 2015.

One final request, directly from me to you. In the preceding chapters I have tried to share with you my own heart understanding of God and the way He saves people through Jesus Christ. I have also tried to share with you how to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ after you have been born again. Everything I have shared comes from my personal searching of the Bible and my application of these words of God to my own life. By my calculation, that’s around 2,000 years of the Bible’s history, including 60 years of me seeking to live a life that honours Jesus Christ! Since being born again in 1962 I have wanted to follow Jesus Christ, His words and His ways, even when they go against modern thinking and practice, (which, sadly, can be found at times even inside the Christian churches). That’s what I seek to do. What about you? Some people say, “Why should I become a Christian?” My brief answer is because if you are not a Christian you will not go to heaven when you die! I am aware that most funerals in churches give a different impression, but I believe simply that they are wrong. There is a real division between those who die as Christians and those who do not. Listen to Jesus’ close disciple, John: “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life”, 1 John 5:11-12. Other people have said to me, “I have too much to change in my life, too much to give up. Perhaps if I was younger …..”. I answer this way. It is true I was 13 years old when I was converted, but I don’t think I’ve missed out on anything of real value in my life. I left a career in banking to train for and join Christian ministry. I was ordained and commissioned in 1973 (aged 24 years). I have travelled around Britain and to several other countries preaching Jesus Christ crucified and teaching Christian discipleship – that’s more easily understood as Christian living. I have been privileged to be married to Brenda (for 51 years this year) and to have two fine grown up children, Sharon and John, with two grandsons from Sharon & Courtney: Cameron and Ethan. Our small but sufficient family home is in Redruth, Cornwall, England. We haven’t had as “many things” as others have, but we have always had enough. As Paul writes, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation”, Philippians 4:12. I know many people who say, “If there is a God why doesn’t he stop all the suffering in this world?” Again, I can only offer my limited understanding, as my life has been shaped by the water of personal suffering, especially in recent years. After just four years as pastor of Khartoum International Church my health gave way and Brenda and I were forced to leave Sudan in 2003. My disappointment was immense because I was sure God had called us to minister in that needy place, bursting with opportunities that suited my gifts and skills. I know it is tough when God has plans for us that are not our own plans! Three years later I not only lost my place of ministry but also my usual means of ministering. My voice box was removed in 2006 because of carcinoma sarcoma, aggressive cancers. Further cancer occurred in my neck during 2009 necessitating horrific (to me) treatments. I admit to asking God on many an occasion, “Why don’t you stop all this happening to me?” Yet my faith and trust in God remained firm and solid – not because I was anyone special, nor because God owed me anything for what I had done. Because I know God personally, and my life has always been a partnership with Him, I was always able to “rely on Him as my loving Father” whatever was happening in and around me. God’s word says (of someone else): “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness””, 2 Corinthians 12:9. But enough about me. What about you? May I urge you to make a conscious choice to live life God’s way from this day forward? You can never do enough to save yourself, nor to make yourself acceptable to Creator God, so stop trying. Turn away from relying on yourself and your own abilities to enter heaven when you die. Stop thinking, “I guess it’ll be alright on the night”. I know that death will not kill me – it will help me enter eternal life in God’s presence. What about you? What will death do for you? Tell God in your own words that you are sincerely sorry for going your own way for so long. Tell Him how you are from now trusting Jesus Christ to be your Saviour from the sinfulness that would otherwise condemn you to hell. God Himself in Jesus Christ has taken the judgement penalty you (and I) deserve. He has opened the only doorway into His heaven that we can take. Thank God in your own words. Promise to live to please Him from now on, using the strength that God the Holy Spirit living in you, gives to you. And if you’re not sure how that works, re-read this book, looking up all the Bible passages it refers to. Why don’t you sign and date a card (as below) to put in your Bible? It will always remind you that you mean to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Today …………………………………………………………(write the date) I have well and truly decided to turn away from my previous way of life and to trust God alone to be my Saviour in Jesus Christ. In the strength and the ability of God the Holy Spirit I will follow Jesus Christ and His way for the rest of my life. I want to learn to repent completely of sinfulness in my life and be renewed daily into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. By my signature here, I give testimony that this is true for me. ………………………………………………………………… (your signature). I think it is a good idea to share how you have chosen to respond to God today with at least one other Christian. Let it be your first step in following the Lord Jesus Christ.

My life alongside God's word, volume 3. 'Christian leadership' section. – by Mufid Farid Nagib Christian leadership is about influencing people towards God’s purposes for their lives. It starts and ends with the Holy Spirit. Though it finds its origins in God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, one cannot overlook the importance of being exposed to the findings and experiences of both secular and Christian specialists and researchers in this field. One should take into account all factors and variables: the leader, followers and the context, in order to reach a balanced leadership theory and style. The role of the Holy Spirit in the emergence of a Christian leader “We can see from the Scripture the importance given to the selection of leaders. It was always a Spirit-led process, something in which God was actively involved”. Jesus called His disciples individually and He stressed the fact that He chose and appointed them. They were not the ones who did the choosing, John 15:16. The second verb employed (appointed Gk. tithemi) is a strong one and means ordained, purposed and set. It implies directionality; put into a position to achieve a task. Wrong methods for producing leaders Much effort can be wasted on training people to be leaders who are not originally called by the Holy Spirit and gifted by Him with the gift of leadership. Training only enhances and improves the leadership capacity and skills of one who is called. Human efforts to produce a leader without the involvement of the Holy Spirit will only result in frustration. The absence of the Holy Spirit from the process of selecting and appointing leaders explains the poor leadership quality and the lack of spiritual productivity in some of our churches. Oswald Sanders observes, “the supernatural nature of the church demands a leadership that rises above the human”.[3] Oswald Sanders continues writing strongly, “Spiritual leaders are not made by election or appointment by men, nor by conferences or synods. Only God can make them”.[4] Kings, prophets, and priests in the Old Testament are clear examples of this principle. The church leadership and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament give another illustration of the indispensable role of the Holy Spirit in leadership and in building up the church. He distributes the gifts sovereignly and calls individuals for specific tasks. We rely on church procedure alone at our peril. Paul – one example of an emerging leader If we take the example of the apostle Paul we see a clear illustration of the sovereign role of God the Holy Spirit and how He is involved in the whole process from preparing the platform himself and his ministry would stand on, then the total life events and situations Paul found himself in, right up to the disclosure of the call of God, empowering the person by the Holy Spirit, and on during the actual exercise of his leadership in the early church. God’s work does not start at the moment of His calling an individual. He has been preparing him/her by the whole life. The fact that Paul enjoyed dual nationality, his deep orientation with both Greek and Roman cultures, and the training in the law he received from Gamaliel, give only a few examples of the work the Holy Spirit did to prepare God’s servant Paul. The Holy Spirit works through existing leaders The Holy Spirit works in an indirect way through human media to call a person for leadership. From the case of the apostle Paul one recognises how the Holy Spirit used Ananias to impart spiritual blessing and to open the eyes of Paul, then known as Saul, Acts 9:17. He used Barnabas to introduce Paul to the church in Antioch, Acts 11:25-26. In my understanding there is a divine wisdom in God using other Christians and existing leaders to influence and guide emerging leaders. Through this, God intends to create an interdependency and melt His people to be the earthly Body of His Son. The direct dealing of God with Peter to break his Jewish prejudices towards the Gentiles; the vision of a large sheet carrying all kinds of animals, was not enough to change Peter’s attitude towards the Gentiles, Acts 10. It took a personal confrontation by Paul years later to finish the job, Galatians 2:11-14. The process of leaders’ emergence Elliston provides some ways through which the role of the Holy Spirit is noticed in the life of a leader. I follow his main points here. 1. Contextual Preparation It is asserted that people learn leadership best in a leadership environment where certain qualities are actively present. In our Khartoum trainees over the years I have observed how God works in their lives as we provide the right contexts. What is normally achieved through ministry events, is more than what is achieved in the classroom by far. These achievements can be summarised as: character moulding and self-awareness, through interaction with other team members realisation of other peoples’ needs, both physical and spiritual a vision, or a life-mission, and direction for ministry, all start to be felt. 2. Selection In selecting our students, we try to search for evidence of a divine calling in the life of the one applying to join our institution. Whatever we do, one has to admit it is a task with casualties. One has to accept some degree of loss of resources and efforts in the process! We work with our students individually, by thinking and praying with them to discover what task God might be calling them to. 3. Gifting and Empowering We try to help our students see how God has been preparing them through their whole lives. God was behind the type of families, situations, schooling, training and other circumstances they have passed through to equip them. God has made them who they are and where they are. Limiting God’s dealing to the moments of one’s conversion is an inadequate concept and does not reflect the standpoint of the Bible. Elliston comments on the subject by writing “the debate where “natural talents” and “spiritual gifts” begin and end misses the point that God is both the Creator and Re-creator... He is responsible for both”. 4. Equipping Realising the fundamental role of the word of God in the lives of Christians in general and of leaders in particular, we enforce the daily reading of the Bible. I’m sorry to say that most of our students come from churches that have weak Bible teaching. 5. Leading through others What we are doing for our students is just an illustration of how God uses people to work in other people’s lives. The pressure we put on them through assignments, exams, ministry placements and personal counselling sessions all helps toward their spiritual lives and their ministries maturing. 6. Growth processing Through ministering together, the Lord works in our emerging leaders teaching them lessons related to an integrated view of ministry. The Holy Spirit uses a variety of means to prune their characters. Struggles in relationships, accusations and criticism among themselves while in the field ministering, tiredness and sleeplessness, poor transportation and little food, are all ways through which God humbles them and helps them to mature into many genuine Christian discipleship virtues. 7. Superintendence We must not forget two other important roles, that of the existing leader and of the emerging leader. The Holy Spirit uses existing leaders to make the contextual preparation, give ministry assignments, encouragements and recognition. Bill Hybels writes, “Only leaders can develop other leaders and create leadership culture. Teachers cannot do it. Administrators cannot do it. Mercy gifted folks cannot do it. Only leaders can multiply the leadership impact by raising up additional leaders”. As for the role of the emerging leader, he/she believes it is just beginning to be noticed, as he/she is submitting to and trusting existing leaders while exercising personal faith. For the leader, developing emerging leaders all around while at the same time self-developing, ensures the continuation of the vision and mission later on, and will probably lead to an expansion beyond present horizons. In developing leaders we all need to pay attention to, and not overlook, the role of the Holy Spirit. I need to be in line with Him, as the leadership of the church at Antioch were, see Acts 13:1-3. Patterns for the emergence of leaders 1. False patterns We must be aware of false concepts operating in the world of leadership, which are both misleading and inadequate for Christian leadership. The first two myths are linked to ‘the great man’ and ‘the trait’ theories. Both give us a false impression and bad interpretation of what leadership is. The third myth is the claim that all one needs to be effective leader is to acquire the right information and skills. As principal of a Bible school I am very much aware that training, even leadership training, in itself does not make a person a leader. Other factors are of great importance including the calling and gifting by God, with a growing desire for a deeper and more intimate relationship with Christ. Often one finds today that the church thinks in worldly terms. Realising this, Sanders warns us that the Holy Spirit does not force Himself on the church if she persistently rejects His leadership. He quietly withdraws and leaves men to implement their own policy according to their own standards, but without His aid. In Sudan and South Sudan for most cases roles are assumed by inheritance, or by tribal ties or by professional qualifications, leaving no room for the role of God the Holy Spirit. The observations by Ellison in this regard are valid ones, “Christian leadership often lacks an understanding of spiritual power … Leadership is nearly always closely tied to local cultural models. … We often mistakenly equate management with leadership”. 2. Right Patterns Elliston names three stages of leadership development easily realised in true leaders everywhere. These three states are: foundational stage; a calling and commissioning leader competence; character and value formation and skills development ministry shift from flowing out of one’s competence to one’s character, matching of one’s gifts and roles. Biblical images of Christian leadership Several images are used by the different authors of the Scriptures to provide us with an understanding of what Christian leadership is, its nature and functions. The concept of leadership is an abstract, but we all sense it and feel its impact upon our lives. Images help us to form a mental picture of it. We will look at some of these images, first in the Pastoral letters and then elsewhere in the Bible. The pastoral letters The second letter to Timothy contains several metaphors Paul utilises to exhort Timothy to rise up to his responsibility as Christian leader. In doing so Paul uses some images from daily life and through them he explains the nature and function of the Christian leadership. 1. The loyal soldier Christian leaders should see themselves as loyal soldiers expected to be on guard, characterised by the readiness to act in full obedience to authority, be faithful in service, and think of the safety of others even at the risk of their own. For Paul the element of suffering and full commitment is part of the package of leadership. A Christian leader is not expected to do or live any less the life of a soldier, 2 Timothy 2:3-4. 2. The athlete An athlete only wins if he keeps to the rules. Cheating brings instant disqualification. He must run, jump, throw, cycle, swim, etc. the full distance required, 2 Timothy 2:5. 3. The farmer Every farmer must till the soil according to the proper rules of agriculture, otherwise they cannot expect to grow a crop. It is significant that the word, “hardworking” is used to describe the farmer. Christian workers must likewise put a lot of effort into their ministries, 2 Timothy 2:6. Leadership is not for the lazy. The Christian life and ministry has got its own rules. Some of these rules are expressed in the pastoral letters, 1 and 2 Timothy with Titus. Leaders should be sober, generous, have a fear of God, live a holy life and be faithful in everything., 1 Timothy 3:1-13; 2 Timothy 2:1-7; Titus 1:5-9. A Christian leader should seek to serve God on God’s own terms (not on his own terms). Both an athlete and a farmer labour hard to achieve their duties. A soldier may fight for his life. A Christian leader must do the same. 4. The vessels The emphasis here is on purging oneself to be clean, pure and fit for use by Almighty God. God only uses holy objects. Can He use you? The Old Testament priesthood and the temple regulations illustrate this principle physically. While the other images allude to things to be done, what we might call ‘duties’, this one points to the inner being and the heart condition of the leader, 2 Timothy 2:21-22. The next few verses explain how to nurture a clean heart and life. Other biblical images for leadership 1. The steward This picture emphasises managing another person’s property versus personal ownership or profit. Elliston writes, “the commission is seen in terms of a “trust” or a “stewardship”. The leader is seen then as a trustee. Trustees are expected to guard what has been entrusted to them … they are expected to employ the trust to the owner’s advantage and according to His will”. Matthew 25:14-30. The temptation is always there for leaders to think they are the owners of the organisation and to act accordingly. Leaders in our African context need to work against this mind set in order to free their lives from the love of positions and titles. We must do God’s work out of a sense of calling, obligation, commitment and faithfulness. This is a small phrase with a big meaning: ‘Stewardship is always choosing service over self-interest’. 2. The shepherd The shepherd is another major metaphor for leadership. It implies a selfless duty of caring for and feeding the flock of God, putting their needs before your own. This metaphor shows us the importance of developing a tender heart for the people and their needs. Jesus was the Good Shepherd. Matthew comments, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd”, Matthew 9:36. A shepherd’s concern is to feed his flock and ensure their good health. Bill Hybels, commenting on what he calls the shepherding leadership style, writes, “…there are also plenty of community starved people who need to be welcomed onto a team where they can be nurtured and loved”. It is a principle many of us leaders only learn later in our ministries. Sadly it is a missing dimension to many a leadership style in Sudan. Those followers who survive, only survive because of the grace of God, their own efforts to grow and due to spiritual food they find outside of their churches, 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2. 3. The servant Perhaps the most essential concept of Christian leadership is centred on servanthood. I once read somewhere, “leadership practiced in a manner consistent with the divine attributes of Jesus’ servant character is effective and influential”. Jesus joyfully assumed the place and the role of a servant. A servant leader is characterised by faith and obedience. It has often been said that a leader first needs to learn how to be a faithful follower. Only then can he lead well. Many a leader fails because of the violation of this principle. There is a bond of unity created among leaders who think of themselves as servants. The result is humility in relating to their followers. A servant leader is marked by humility. He is always the one at the front leading and volunteering rather than simply delegating tasks to others. Wilkes recognises that in God’s Kingdom achievement is not the goal. But we will never learn that until we have learned humility. A servant leader does not seek special privileges or recognition for what he does. Jesus reflected all these qualities in His earthly ministry. Elliston indicates that Jesus summarised His leadership expectations by saying “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to become first must be your slave”, Matthew 20:27. Jesus was a servant to His mission, but what I have noticed among church leadership around me is, to a great extent, the opposite. The dominant mindset is that a leader is the boss and so must be respected, served, and honoured. Resistance often meets teaching this ‘servant style’ of leadership. David J. Gyertson writing of his personal journey with servant leadership acknowledges, “Servant leadership demands a personal commitment that goes beyond mere pragmatic application and theoretical construct. Since servant leadership runs contrary to many leadership assumptions and applications, it requires of most who pursue it an intimate exploration”. I notice these last three Bible models of steward, shepherd and servant are rarely practiced in church or mission. The preferred options in leaders’ mindsets are being the boss or the tribe chief. Sadly in my culture most leaders appear to think of gains and benefits for themselves from their positions as leaders. One is shocked to know of stories where pastors take their denominational headquarters to the Court of Labour Administration. Elliston makes a significant observation in this regard, “It should be noted that none of these images of leaders suggest a high status or high degree of personal or corporate power”. The ‘what’ of leadership: one’s leadership style and contingency model The leader/follower relationship is a major variable that influences any organisation. Several researchers have provided different concepts to describe this relationship. Some try to balance the two aspects of management: people and task. Clinton comments on this theory, “It advocates the high concern for people and the high concern for task as the optimum leadership style for effectiveness”. Another contingency model anticipates effectiveness on the bases of the leader’s basic personality orientation toward the task, the people or the whole leadership situation. What is described as a situational theory, disagrees with the two theories above by believing that there is not one best way of leadership. It advocates a flexible style guided by the situation one finds oneself in. It is a multi-style leadership model. The six factors analysed below may interactively work together as you prayerfully think about them and your situation. They may help you to give birth to, or to influence your own established contingent leadership style, appropriate to your own context: 1. Change and growth: the essential requirements In ‘Developing the Leader Within You’, Maxwell, commenting on the importance of change writes, “Change the leader, and change the organisation. Everything rises and falls on leadership! However, I have found it is not easy to change leaders. In fact, I discovered that leaders resist change as much as followers do”. Covey proposes a paradigm shift in management training by focusing on a new approach that he calls ‘Principle Centred Leadership’.[19] He correctly believes this leads to self-governing and self-supervising from the followers’ side. As a sign of emotional imbalance, one can be something on the inside but appear to be something else in public. One may have the skills and knowledge but lack emotional strength. When challenged by followers or tough circumstances he tries to cover his character imbalance by appealing to physical sources such as his position. Such behaviour leads to damaging results in relationships. The solution, as seen by Covey, is to make daily efforts to increase one’s capacity to have understanding, patience and courage. There is no short cut, and comparing one’s self with others does not help. One has to start from where he/she is. Self-development means a balanced personality, in this process an internal look is needed and regular introspection, led by the Holy Spirit and Scripture, is worthwhile. 2. The leader’s self-awareness and its benefits Change is linked to self-awareness as well. For a Christian, the basis for one’s self-assessment is the Scripture. Knowing God helps us to know ourselves. The new reality one has in Christ is directly linked to self-image or better, how we perceive ourselves. The talents and gifts given by the Holy Spirit alter one’s personality by adding new value and worth. Equally true, self-awareness comes as a result of one’s efforts to live for God by an offering of one’s body as a living sacrifice, breaking away from being conformed to the present world around us. Bob Gordon in his book, ‘Master Builders’ writes the following on growth, “When we become a Christian, we do not immediately lose our character and personality. The truth is that we are far from perfect when we first come to know God and our knowledge of Him is very limited. What we need to do is give our lives to Him so that He can begin to teach us and mould us into what He needs us to be”. Without self-awareness, that is knowing who one is as leader in reality, there are no boundaries to help decide what responsibilities he accepts or rejects, which jobs are assumed and which delegated, where he needs to change and be flexible, or add strength to existing qualities he has. Harris Lee asserts that a leader’s personal characteristics and qualities impact his or her effectiveness, for good or for ill.[21] However, proper self-awareness allows the leader to act in a way that reduces the negative effects of his weaknesses and enhances the positive effects of his strengths. This makes a leader open to using different styles according to the situation he is dealing with, and by so doing, may well reduce conflicts in the organisation. It seems to me that self-awareness is definitely a more effective tool than other skills. 3. Acquaintance with one’s organisation Sometimes leaders taking new jobs come with the attitude of being the saviour for that specific organisation! Coming with this attitude, and failing to read the history and sense the culture of the joined organisation, they seek to bring change in a way that produces resistance and negative response. Lee writes, “Effective leaders know their organisations as well as themselves. They know the organisation’s culture as well as their own strengths, weaknesses, and goals. … It is essential to know your group; its nature, its mission, its self-understanding – as well as to know how it functions”. 4. Clear channels of communication Communication plays a major role in effective leadership. It is a preventive medicine to conflicts. Communication is the art of putting one’s thoughts and feelings into words. One needs to be a good listener to be a good communicator. Mistrust weakens communication. Lack of communication breeds darkness, ambiguity and confusion. In an organisation all members should know what the others are doing in order to see how they complement one another. Reports, written or verbal, are forms of communication. They play a vital role in keeping the big picture clear in the minds of the people concerned. 5. People are the main resource of the organisation Covey believes any structure that does not give priority to people will not be effective. People are the programmers upon whom everything else depends. If one agrees with Covey, then empowerment of other people is a key factor. This naturally leads to high effectiveness and productivity. People are always the most precious resource in church and organisation. 6. Leadership functions For one to grow his own leadership like a tree grows he needs to know what is expected of him as a leader. “Leadership”, says Lee, “is that which moves persons and organisations toward the fulfilment of their goals”. He states two goals for every church leader, together with their team leadership, (1) evangelism, (2) the maturing of the believers, Ephesians 4:8-16.[24] Sanders explains that this goal is achieved by providing discipline, guidance and being an example of practicing faith in taking risky initiatives for God. To achieve these two divisions of ministry according to Lee, a leader should lead in the following ways: 1. Affirming the values of the church or organisation A leader needs to highlight such biblical values as love, justice, truth and peace, beside other values that represent the local context and culture of a given church or organisation. 2. Becoming a symbol for the church or organisation Leaders should resemble and live out what they believe and what they want their organisation to be known for, as far as values, vision and commitments are concerned. 3. Maintaining the organisation or church Ensuring that the spiritual and physical needs of people, programme and premises are met. 4. Serving the church or organisation Ensuring on going renewal. Organisations and churches left to their own devices tend to get weary and weak. Renewal is only possible through positive change and regular serious evaluation. 5. Recognising emerging leaders In his book ‘Developing The Leaders Around You’, Maxwell writes, “There is something much more important and scarce than ability; it is the ability to recognise ability. One of the primary responsibilities of a successful leader is to identify potential leaders”. The ‘how’ of leadership: influence and structure In his book ‘Leadership Gold’, Maxwell writes, “True, leadership is not easy to learn, but what worthwhile thing is? Becoming a better leader pays dividends, but it takes great effort. Leadership requires a lot from a person. It is demanding and complex”. Any sincere Christian leader should seek to build his leadership quality and capacity by studying and orienting himself with a variety of leadership styles and models. Five phases of leadership theory development Klaus mentions, “a leader should always be a student of the various contingent aspects involved in facilitating a group of people to fulfil the reason for their existence”.[28] Clinton and Elliston in their surveys of leadership theories both similarly define five phases of leadership development from 1841 to the 1980’s and beyond:[29] 1. Great man era, 1841-1904 This has the belief that leaders are born and they play roles during the turning points in human history. Leaders emerge due to the social pressures of the situation. 2. Trait era, 1904-1948 This goes with the belief that certain character-traits determine whether or not a person is a good or a bad leader. Accordingly, by identifying leaders’ traits one could both select effective leaders and train people to be effective leaders. 3. Behaviour era, 1948-1967 This brought into focus two kinds of leadership behaviour (1) task orientation and (2) relationship orientation. 4. Contingency era, 1967-1980 Researchers started to come to a new realisation that in effective leadership a contingent set of relationship exists among the leader(s), followers and the situation. 5. Complexity This is a step forward in advancing the contingency theory. Researchers became aware of the importance of taking into consideration the local leadership context as well as the broader context. Elliston evaluates the Great Man, Trait, Behaviour and simple Contingency theories, as inadequate and responsible for our distorted understating of leadership as Christians. He believes they do not address the kind of issues that arise in Christian leadership. Obviously they do not stand the test of the Scriptures. There is no place in them to see leadership as a gift and calling from God or an ability given by the Holy Spirit. Practically, they make everything centred on the leader. They all overlook the followers and the context. Covey believes that a leader's style needs to be holistic, ecological, and developmental, seeing people as proactive rather than inanimate. Hybels, writing from a pastoral point of view rather than as an academic researcher, acknowledges and distinguishes between ten different leadership styles: the visionary, the directional, strategic, managing, motivational, shepherding, team-building, entrepreneurial, the reengineering and the bridge building styles. They may not qualify to be called styles as such, but are useful in pointing out the strengths or dominant trends in different leaders. However they do show the importance of the participative, collective, complementary leadership approach, where each member of the leadership group complements the others in a culture dominated by team work, transparency and respect. Leadership paradigms and the contingency style Awareness of the complexity of leadership led to the paradigms we have looked at in the history of leadership, from ‘the great man’ theory up to the current ‘complex contingency’, with situational and principle-centred leadership styles. Clinton defines the contingency model as the tendency for effective leadership to be contingent upon a good fit between leadership styles, followers and situational variables. He illustrates this conviction using the example of the apostle Paul’s leadership, by distinguishing ten types and styles of leadership that Paul used in different situations as he saw fit. He makes this concluding statement “There is no ideal leader or leadership approach. Rather, leadership is an interactional response between leaders and followers in various and unique situations”. The complex contingency style of leadership balances achieving the task with developing and maintaining healthy relationships between people. In this regard, and in his explanation of his principle-centred leadership concept, Covey writes, “It recognises that people are the highest value because people are the programmers - they produce everything else at the personal, interpersonal, managerial, and organisational levels”. In his summarising of the assumptions underlying Fiedler's contingency model, Clinton observes that leadership effectiveness is dependent on the interaction of leadership style and situational favourableness. Contingency concepts result in flexibility towards followers and the situation and bringing conflicts down to the minimum. Influence through corporate structure In analysing the ‘how’ of leadership our subject is not completed without touching on some practical points related to the ‘doing’ of leadership. 1. Structure Structure is a foundational element for keeping things running healthily and maintaining relationships within the work environment. Lee advises, “In the church, as in other organisations, it is appropriate to have a structure that will account for varied abilities of its leaders”. He distinguishes between five types of structures traditional, keeps thing as they are classical, bureaucracy, organisation is operated from the top down charismatic, little structure, anti-formalism, institutional leadership human relations, a network of personal relationships systems, many participants act in an interdependent way, so that the whole is greater than the sum of all of its parts.[35] Lee sees this fifth view as the most effective way to run the church. 2. Dealing with chronic problems In his diagnosis of the chronic problems in organisations and churches Covey names seven forces that work in the background to contribute to the gloomy conditions organisations find themselves in. 2.1 No shared vision and values My own ministry had to go through this stage and it was painful. Although I had the vision I failed to communicate it well to the good people around me. Covey rightly believes that the lack of shared vision is the seedbed of almost all other problems. 2.2 No strategic path Without a strategic path organisations tend to be reactive to events and lose control of what they are doing. They should be taking the initiative. The needs, requests and desires of the people we serve used to lead our activities. For us things changed for the better when, as a team, we clearly decided what our mission was, and then we created our strategic path to achieve it under God. This helps making practical choices as issues arise. 2.3 Poor alignment The symptoms for this problem are that the programmes carried out either do not reflect the group’s mission statement, or the way they are done does not reflect the values of the group. Lack of alignment between the different aspects and departments of the organisation result in confusion, conflict, and superficial control attempts to make things look better. 2.4 Wrong management style Covey believes that one’s upbringing has a direct impact on how he acts as a leader. The style can be abusive, abrasive, or confrontational. He writes, “… Most people are mentored towards management, not towards leadership. Consequently they think efficiency; they think things. They do not think people”. A leader coming in with a negative style has to force him or herself into conforming to the mission and values of the organisation. 2.5 Poor skills Poor skills is the easiest of the problems that face any organisation, because through good training and by acquiring focused knowledge it can be overcome in time. 2.6 Staff have low trust Trust, or the lack of it, determines the quality of the relationships between people and the strength of communication within the organisation or church. Trust is built when leaders are open, transparent and practice an abundance mentality; that there are enough resources for all to succeed. A leadership style either intimidates people or sets them free. The latter is by far the best. 2.7 No integrity: spoken values do not correspond to daily habits A lack of integrity destroys trust on all levels. Team members lack trust in their interpersonal relationships. Customers lose their trust the company. A congregation does not trust its pastors. Those they seek to lead see the church eldership as hypocrites. Failing to live by the values one says one believes in, opens this door for him to be justly described as hypocritical. 3. Resolving conflicts Wherever there are people living and working together conflicts are inevitable. Conflicts can be reduced. They can be solved in constructive ways. But they cannot be eliminated completely. Lee writes, “Conflicts are accepted as normal by a well–functioning team, and members are encouraged to see them as providing opportunity for growth and learning”. From my experience I have learned that conflict has a lot to do with personality and personal interest or orientation. A leader should bring these personality differences to the surface so that everyone is aware of the potential risks. Role confusion has been a major source for conflict in our team. It took effort, skills and planning to avoid job interference while maintaining team spirit. Lack of communication has a great potential for conflict. Therefore communication should follow a structured system rather than be left to chance. Doing things or making decisions by the main leader alone, or with other team members behind the back of more, will lead to endless conflicts. Good leadership encourages participative decision-making and sets down easy to follow procedures. When conflict arises much wisdom needs to be exercised. One should be open and transparent. Serious and effective conflict resolution requires courage, not least for one to accept responsibility of his part of the problem. One needs to show commitment in working to change personal attitudes, behaviour and the ways of doing things that led to the conflict in the first place. Forgiveness and the readiness to reconcile, with proper affirmation of the other person(s) are keys in bringing any conflict to an end. 4. The dream and vision of the organisation Vision is the force that keeps things going and growing. Hybels, considering vision as the leader’s most potent weapon, makes this comment, “Take a vision away from a leader and you cut out his or her heart. Vision is the fuel that leaders run on. It is the energy that creates action”. Vision is the passion that God gives to His servants in regard to a specific need, with anticipation of how things will be as a result of the fulfilment of that vision. When God gives someone a vision he simply has a vision. Lee tends to think the same when he quotes others, “Visions cannot be concocted!” Nor is there any set formula, except that, “It must come from the market and the soul simultaneously”. I am inclined to suggest the following for how a vision may come to someone who is passionate for God. have an intimate relationship with Christ be under spiritual and visionary leadership read the biographies of great missionaries take the chance to have first hand experience of ministering in a desperate crisis-like situation have the opportunity to be outside your comfort zone at some point. Hybels stresses the practical side of vision in this way, “There is a huge difference between ‘visionary’ leadership and ‘getting it done’ leadership. Did I say huge?”. For the vision to happen there needs to be careful and prayerful planning. Planning will formulate an idea on how to get from this point to the next one. Part of the action plan process is to set goals and objectives. The action plan sets the steps to be taken to see the objectives (the breakdown of the goals) realised, and thereafter the goals are achieved step by step. In my experience these concepts are extremely foreign. Many church or mission leaders are simply elected into a position without any vision and without a specific mission to achieve. If you aim at nothing, what are you most likely to achieve? 5. Followers empowerment Covey writes, “To affirm a person’s worth or potential, you may have to look at him with the eyes of faith and treat him in terms of his potential, not his behaviour”. Comparing ‘followers empowerment’ with ‘control and direct supervision’ we see that empowerment frees people to be creative, active and productive, by being accountable, self-supervising and self-motivated. Covey gives six conditions for empowerment to be successful: win-win agreement self-supervision helpful structures and systems accountability character skill. The win-win agreement is foundational to everything else in Covey’s concept of management as guided by principle-centred leadership. There are five aspects involved in the win-win agreement that takes place between the manager and the employee. They are: specify the desired results set some guide lines identify available resources define accountability determine the consequences Within this agreement people can supervise themselves and judge themselves, seeing where they went right and wrong. In this way there is a wider flexible control as all people in the team have a sense of responsibility. Basic to the successful implementation of the win-win agreement are character and skills. Character embraces integrity, maturity and the abundance mentality (mentioned above). There are three skills needed in the win-win agreement; communication, planning, and then organisation with problem solving. I started my own leadership by having too much control over my staff. This created a negative environment and some intimidation within our team. What made things even worse was that I was almost one hundred per cent task oriented, thinking of things but not thinking of people. Maxwell, in his book,‘Becoming a Person of Influence’, gives four ways in which followers can be empowered; being given a position, developing of relationships, offered respect and shown a real commitment. 6. The dynamic of motivation Covey rightly believes that the highest level of human motivation is a sense of personal significant contribution. Maxwell gives several factors for motivation in his book, ‘Developing the Leader Within You’: goal participation. People support what they create positive dissatisfaction. Zeal to change things for the better, or to meet a need, makes people highly motivated recognition. Achievements gone unnoticed by the leadership become destructive and demotivating for followers clear expectations. When the goals are clearly understood and followers have the confidence that they can do the work, they become motivated. I have gradually learned that a leader who lacks confidence in his team, and consistently holds negative attitudes and assumptions against his followers, cannot be a good motivator. Hybels acknowledges the need for motivation and encouragement when he writes, “Motivational leaders realise that even our best teammates get tired out and lose focus. Sometimes our most dependable colleagues experience mission drift or start to wonder if what they are doing really matters to God or anybody else”. The ‘why’ of leadership: motivations for and values of effective Christian leadership This concluding section of the chapter is devoted to the issue of the values that serve as the foundations and motivations for effective Christian leadership. It includes a guide for a leader’s use of power. 1. Biblical based values Values provide both the guidelines and constraints for making judgements at every point of ministry. One cannot mature or grow without building life and ministry on a fixed set of values and principles. A Christian leader should make the word of God his main source to drive his values and principles. Often by upbringing and broader culture, one subconsciously catches values that clash with the Scriptures. It is the leader’s responsibility to discriminate which family or cultural values are in agreement with the Bible and which are not. The values accepted will have direct impact on one’s leadership style. Our information from the Bible concerning these values is derived from some words used that describe the way, or the process, by which a leader is chosen. Elliston’s extensive word study gives a clear picture of the process of selecting leaders. He mentions that the Hebrew word bahar in the Old Testament has the meaning, “choose after testing”. Leaders should be chosen on the basis of proven competency, see Exodus 18:21; Joshua 3:12; etc.. In the New Testament the Greek word prokaleo has the sense of “call to or call towards”. This points to the purpose, why a person is chosen for a task and a mission. Other words reflect commitment and the loyalty to finish the started task. Paul urges those who lead to govern[49] with diligence, Romans 12:8. Other words reflect power and authority. This may be called legitimisation, as in the case of when Timothy was authorised by Paul to lead and serve the church and community in Ephesus, 1 Timothy 1:3-5. Paul emphasises the education of the leader because no one can lead while ignorant. Timothy must be able to cause others to understand. The Greek word gumnazo suggests disciplined training for godliness, exercising itself in Christian living, 1 Timothy 4:7-8; 2 Timothy 3:16-17. The pastoral letters use words that reflect important values and ethics. Paul commands that a person considered for leadership should be in a good harmony with himself. He must not derive his self-value from physical gain. He should be family focused, making every effort to bring up his family in the way of the Lord. It is right to insist with Paul that a leader’s life in the work place cannot be separated from his family life. He must practice what he teaches. He must be sober, generous and self-disciplined, 1 Timothy 2:8-3:13; 6:3-6; Titus 1:5-2:10. 2. Servanthood: Jesus’ style for leadership The greatest value for Christian leadership is found in the word ‘servant’. Servanthood makes the Christian leadership concept unique. Jesus reversed everything the world knew. He announced Himself as a servant for all. He described a different path to being first and being the greatest. He said it was by being a servant. He was a servant for His mission and for those who were serving with Him. Christian leaders must be like Him not like the world. Wilkes writes on Jesus’ model of leadership, “Here we touch the most important quality of Christian leadership ... It is not a leadership of power and control, but a leadership of powerlessness and humility, in which the suffering Servant of God, Jesus Christ, is made manifest”. Paul calls upon us to follow the example of Christ, Philippians 2:5-8. Sadly in many cases in my context the motive for desiring leadership positions is seeking after social or financial prestige. The values of Christian leadership are so badly distorted. When better opportunities come their way such ‘leaders’ leave the Christian ministry to join better paid secular jobs. We need to stick to the Bible’s teaching about selecting and appointing those who are first called by God. 3. Covey’s core leadership principles Covey provides us with inspiring and very practical teaching on how to build leadership on the right foundation principles, in order to experience real change and become effective leaders. Tragically many Christian people avoid these principles because they are not ready to pay the price change demands. Covey, as the Bible teaches, strongly believes what is needed is not learning external skills, but rather a transformation, or paradigm shift, from the inside out. He writes, “To value oneself and, at the same time, subordinate oneself to higher purposes and principles, is the paradoxical essence of highest humanity and the foundation of effective leadership”. He names four basic areas where the need for applying and practicing these principles is crucial for effectiveness: Personal. One’s relationship to oneself. Key word: trustworthiness Interpersonal relationships. Trust in myself leads to others viewing me as trustworthy Managerial. Key concept: empowering followers. Leaders who have the abundance mentality are not afraid to train, equip and empower others Organisational. Key concept: alignment of the different aspects of the organisation. Covey summarises his own value system as follows, “We do much work on character and competence to solve structural and systemic problems. Remember, work first on the programmer (person) if you want to improve the programme. People produce the strategy, structure, systems, and styles of the organisation”. 4. The call and spirituality as a motivation for leadership Those who are in a mature and intimate relationship with God can sense His voice. God chooses from those committed Christians who have faithfully proven themselves by using their gifts and serving Him beside their normal duties and jobs in life. I have seen this is a principle often overlooked and sacrificed where I minister. Persons without any degree of fruitfulness in ministry, without the slightest evidence of giftedness or competency, are elected to occupy leadership positions in our churches. The call by God provides the spiritual authority to exercise leadership in a spirit of humility, love and service. It is a fountain of encouragement in the face of criticism and false accusations. It is fuel for the ministry when the going is really tough. It inspires new creative ideas for ministry and demands excellence in carrying out the mission. In short, there is no real passion, communication, or authenticity, without a real call from God. The call can grow ineffective or not reach its highest destination as intended by God. One can limit one’s own scope of influence and degree of fruitfulness by living in disobedience to God, or showing lack of faith and dedication. Therefore, spiritual maturity is one of the factors for guarding against loss of direction in any leader’s life. Spirituality is linked to practical issues involved in leadership. For example, to overcome conflict in relationships, one needs the fruits of the Holy Spirit and the grace to forgive and the ability to apologise, Galatians 5:22-26; Ephesians 4:29-32; Colossians 3:12-17. These qualities intermingled with prayer have a direct impact on the administrational aspect of the church or organisation. They affect the processes of problem solving, decision making and planning. 5. The Christian leadership value Systems and the use of power Wilkes, commenting on Peter’s response to Jesus washing his feet, writes, “Peter’s Messiah was not to do the work of a slave! The lead disciple refused to accept anything that was less than his personal perception of the mission. His leader would never wash his feet because that was below the leader’s dignity and position. Peter held to the misconception that leaders never do small things”. 1. The Misuse of Power Jesus derived His power and authority from His willingness to serve others. Nothing can be achieved without power; it is simply a matter of fact and life. However, everywhere and throughout the centuries, power has been misused by people. Lee acknowledges that the misuse of power is an expression of our sinfulness and the fact that we live in an imperfect and an incomplete world. Senior leaders in churches and Christian organisations mishandling ministry funds and properties, typically illustrate this misuse principle in my context. 2. Types of power Clinton defines power as the capacity of leaders to produce intended and foreseen effects on others. Elliston distinguishes three types of power, which are all available for the leader to use. They are: physical power social power spiritual power, and its source is God. Lee distinguishes between power and authority. For him the use of power requires the use of force, while the use of authority requires the consent of those over whom it is exercised. Accordingly for him, authority is what is suitable for use in the church. It is a legalised use of power, used in a safe way. Covey distinguishes three types of power. His first type of power is coercive power, which leads through the fear of being punished (for getting it wrong or being late, etc.). It results in false conformity, lip service and a superficiality of ministry. The second type of power is utility power. It is built on a benefits and rewards system. The third type of power is principle-centred power. This type of power springs out of the trust and faith followers have in their leaders. Leaders whose followers merely acquiesce to the power structure are not really leading. 3. Motives to hold power Lee refers to David C. McClelland and David Burnham who identify three important motives that stand behind people seeking leadership positions: the desire to affiliate. To be liked by people the desire to achieve the desire for power. The last reason is the most common motive for people seeking leadership in my experience, while the middle reason is the least common in folk assuming leadership positions. 4. The restraints of power The servanthood model of leadership, the principle-centred leadership, plus accountability and spiritual maturity, are guards against the misuse of power. Elliston borrows the American Quaker Richard Foster’s seven marks of spiritual power, which set good boundaries for the use of power: love – it seeks the wellbeing of others humility – is power under control self-limitation – it limits the use of power to God’s purposes joy – it produces real joy in the heart of the leader for the assurance of the end outcomes vulnerability – it influences from a position of apparent weakness submission – is the means by which God’s power flows freedom – is responding to God with unconditional commitment. Covey, writing to the secular world, sees that the source of power lies in an honourable Christian character and grows from the exercises of sound universal principles. It is not a difficult task to find biblical support for Covey’s assumption. Holy and righteous living contributes to our spiritual power and authority and limits their use for the things of the Kingdom. Conclusion I firmly believe that Christian leadership is a process that starts and finishes with the Holy Spirit, and everything else rises and falls on good leadership. I hope it is clear from this chapter that Christian leadership is a complex matter, but that God the Holy Spirit will lead us if we will let Him do so. It involves how wisely a leadership team adopts and uses a wide range of leadership styles to meet varying situations. It also involves an organisational structure and coordination that empowers others and does not restrict, or worse, extinguish the initiatives and creativity of all staff members. Good leadership is principle centred and built on trust with accountability. Before all of that, spiritual discernment is needed to sense the leading of the Holy Spirit in raising up His appointed leaders for God’s work. Our concepts and values of Christian leadership must be based on the word of God. Right understanding leads to correct practice and application, with the structure and management of leadership, and the servant-power that goes along with it. Correct understanding also determines the leadership’s responsibilities, and functions, and how all are carried out. Any true understanding of Christian leadership must include the recognition of, and giving attention to, emerging new leaders. In the process of leading and managing people, power and authority are major challenges. Risk surrounds the use of power. Therefore great care needs to be exercised. A genuine Christian leader has to seek a daily intimate relationship with God to remain spiritually sharp and focused. I firmly believe leadership in my culture, and everywhere else the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ has spread, has to consistently move towards the concepts of effective leadership as presented here. Like a farmer ploughs over the ground to get rid of the traditionally strong weeds before he sows his new crop, so we must prayerfully uproot the common false belief in the ‘one indispensable man’, which is an echo of the great man theory of leadership, and firmly plant then cultivate a biblical pattern of Christian leadership in it place.

My life alongside God's word, volume 3. 'Christian leadership' section. - by Elisama W. Daniel Leadership can be defined in different ways. These definitions mean different things to different people as well as showing different interpretations of the functions of leadership. This chapter is not attempting to give an academic discourse on the subject of leadership but will rather give some understanding, especially from the biblical or Christian view. I believe this is the ideal, even for our South Sudanese society and nation. Let us therefore consider a few of these definitions: “Leadership is the art of getting things done through people” This definition tells us that leadership is an art, thus requiring imagination and skill. It has various forms that can be learned by the average person. It can be improved and developed to a high degree by those who have special talents, provided that they are willing to study carefully then diligently apply the laws that govern their specific form. Thus leadership can be learned and perfected. Leadership means, “getting things done”. This is a very important reason for leadership. Where people are idle, or doing very little, leadership is not fulfilling its function. On the other hand, where there is no work to do there is no need for leadership. As long as Israel and Moses were moving forward, Moses had a leadership role to play. When there is positive action there must be dynamic leadership, but where there is no action there is no need for leadership. Leadership tells us that objectives are accomplished “through people”. There are three ways of doing this, or we could say, three basic kinds of leaders: Doing things to people see Ezekiel 34:1-10. This type of leader tends to exploit people for their own benefit. In some cases the work extracted from the people may be considerable, but generally productivity under this kind of leadership is low and wasteful. God condemns this in verses 1-2. Doing things for people (sometimes called an average leader or paternalistic leader), see Exodus 18:13-18. This type of leadership is very sensitive towards the people and often more importance is placed on their welfare than on the work they are supposed to do. This type of leader tends to be very busy but the productivity of the group is low. Here leadership tends to do what the people should do. Doing things through people see Exodus 18: 19-24. This is the true function of leadership – getting things done through people. Here leadership has a specific role, which differs from that of the people. The leader does not do the work; that is the responsibility of the people. But we must understand that each type of leadership may borrow from the other. Good leadership is the right combination of these three headings. Jesus Himself was an example of doing things through people, Luke 9:1-6, 10:1-20. He equipped and commissioned His disciples. “Leadership is the art of combining ideas, people, things, resources including time, and faith to achieve predetermined objectives” Again leadership is an “art” and leaders still have to get things done through people. This is in a practical way, combining or putting together the various elements involved. Therefore the main function of this leader is to “combine” all the elements in proper proportions so that the objectives may be accomplished. “Ideas” are the basis for our thinking, conversation and action. They are the product of the mind and are produced through a creative thinking process. Ideas are visions and the Bible tells us that where there is no vision, people perish, Proverbs 29:18.[1] To be successful a group must be able to create ideas or adapt those of others for its own purposes. These ideas become objectives and methods. “People” are always the most important resource. Organisation is essential to people and people are essential to organisation. Christian leadership must be able to see people from God’s perspective before it can properly fulfil its role in the guidance of the people to their God-appointed objectives. People are a product of God. He created man (and woman!) for a purpose. Christian leaders must always have that purpose in mind when planning Christian or church objectives. Secular leaders should keep it in their minds too. “Things”, we must be good stewards of God’s resources, large and small. In the end we are all accountable to Him. “Time”, we must redeem the time, save time, make the best use of everybody’s time, understand and apply time management principles. “Faith”, because where there is material lack, it is faith that guarantees success. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”, Hebrews 11:1. All leaders, Christian or non-Christian, must acknowledge that faith is an important factor. Christian faith has a much more solid backing because God stands behind it. To the ungodly faith is only a risky “hope for the best”. “Objectives” are what we accomplish through the process of combining leadership with ideas, people, things, time and faith. Christian leadership should not just be reacting to situations, but rather looking ahead, going forward and making things happen. Leadership means anticipating the future with preparations to meet it on our terms. So an effective leader has to have a great deal of knowledge and skill to be able to correctly combine all these elements into a successful conclusion. In the process of combination leaders must: Get the elements to mix. Some elements under normal conditions resist mixing and stay separate, but a successful leader is the one who is able to combine them. Get the elements to stay mixed. Supply sustenance to the mix, work on relationships, team building, and the like. Prevent violent interaction or reactions. Think of the dangers of mixing petrol and fire. There are different values between believers and non-believers, and between practising disciples of Jesus and those who are Christians in name only. Call for leadership Some people have natural leadership gifts. With seeming ease they work well with others, they motivate co-workers and subordinates, and they never seem to make demands on people. Unfortunately, most of us do not fall into this category! So the next best thing we can do is to acquire these “people skills”, usually through experience. Skills for people come with experiences, often painful ones. For successful leadership to happen, we need two things to happen according to Anthony D’Souza: 1. A basic knowledge of group behaviour, human relations and managerial skills 2. Training in applying these skills. Psalm 78:72 gives a tribute to good leadership and management: “And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skilful hands he led them”. A. W. Tozer says a true leader is not the one who seeks to become a leader, but the one who has been forced into leadership by internal pressures, e.g. the Holy Spirit, vision, etc., and external pressures, e.g. people look to and admire him, circumstances promote her, the situation needs fit him/her. Therefore the call to Christian leadership demands the following: Seeking to serve rather than dominate, guiding others to do the same for you are all serving God. Leaders with the people they lead are all servants, but the leaders are responsible for the people and also responsible to God. Seeking to encourage and inspire others Respecting others’ personalities, with no exploitation Reflecting, praying and acting on the words of Jesus, that “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many”, Matthew 20:26-28. Therefore, leaders should be able to carry the following characteristics: Goal orientation/visionary ideals. A mark of leaders is this attribute that puts them in a position to show the way for others. They are better than most at pointing the direction. As long as one is leading, one always has a goal. A goal is arrived at either by group consensus or by a leader acting on inspiration who may simply have said, “Let us go this way”. By clearly stating and restating the goal the leader gives certainty and purpose to others, who may have difficulty in achieving it by themselves. For Christian leadership the goal or purpose, we may say the focal point, means going the same way that Jesus went, helping people to become all that they can be under God. Jesus said, “… I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”, John 10:10. Enablement. Effective Christian leaders, like their Master, seek to enable others to experience that life in its fullness. Leaders’ lifestyles and their methods of relating to people show themselves in many real ways, including their focus on helping others to grow to their own maximum, “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ”, Ephesians 4:13. Concern. Human beings are the most important resources leaders have and leaders are called to identify and empathise with their people, and so must be considerate and humane in their interactions with people. Self-development. In the process of developing others, we leaders should also be growing and developing ourselves positively in a healthy self-image. It is not to brag or become proud, but is an affirmation that in Christ Jesus we can do all things, Philippians 4:13. This is an, ‘I can-win’ attitude. It is true because I am a person of value to God, God has made me His child, and I belong to His family, Romans 8:16-17. Jesus calls me His friend, John 15:15. Jesus affirms my value by calling me to partner with Him as a co-worker. He chose me to bear much fruit John15:5. He will never leave me or forsake me, Matthew 28:20; Romans 8:35; Hebrews 13:5. He has given me abilities and gifts which I should use for His glory and for the good of others. What good leaders do! (According to members of their team/workforce) “He not only accepted our ideas and suggestions, but went out of his way to encourage us”. “He inspired confidence by placing confidence in us and showing us respect. He often told me that I was better than I felt I was”. “He was a good communicator and he kept us updated on important things”. “He had a thorough knowledge of the business. The most professional person I ever worked with and for”. “She made us feel important, as well as our work”. “She taught me to be constructively critical of my own work, something I now try to do with my own people”. “She gave us as much freedom as we could handle”. “She insisted on high standards of performance and helped us to reach them”. What good leaders are! People who have the initiative to start things and keep them alive. People not afraid to become involved, to listen with an open mind, and to be considerate of the feelings of others. People who welcome the ideas of others and act with understanding toward even wild suggestions. People who bring out the best in other people – some people under a leader will be better than the leader in some respects, and that should be appreciated and utilised, not causing the leader any personal insecurity. People easy to work with, accurate, thorough and reliable. People who look at a situation, take hold of it and search for solutions. People who admit when they are wrong and take steps to correct their mistakes. viii. People who are tactful, yet forceful and firm, who never quit or complain. People who emphasise that every single person has a contribution to make to the common effort. People who encourage the fainthearted while gently restraining the overly enthusiastic. People who can reconcile clashing viewpoints, rather than take a stand as a partisan or special pleader one side or the other. People who inspire follow-through in those with whom they work. Also good leaders are aware of their impact on others, are open to feedback and suggestions, and they work hard to have any negative tendencies checked. Five principles of good leadership Offer guided freedom. People generally go only where their leaders lead or allow them to go. Willingly encourage capable people to help the team beyond their own ability. Poor leaders will take their people only as far as they themselves are able and willing to go. This involves two aspects: firstly, ability, no one can take you beyond their capabilities. But the most important factor here is that the leaders’ personal limitations ought not to limit what they undertake to do, neither should leaders’ limitations prevent others from going further than the leader can take them. Ability can be improved and increased by: proper training and the right kind of experience; proper selection of personnel for specific tasks; recognition of special gifts given to the different members in the group; specialisation instead of being the jack of all trades and the enlisting of stronger or more people or technology. The second aspect is willingness shown by: getting involved in the action; taking (making) time to understand the need of, and results from, a particular action; total dedication to a cause; definite priorities in one’s own life; personal discipline and the deliberate staying with the task until it is completed. Good leadership ensures that people reach their maximum potential and go beyond the personal limitations of the leadership itself. Every individual has special skills and gifts. These may be greater than those of others with whom we work. But we all have physical, mental and spiritual limitations, which, if imposed upon those under our leadership, would have a limiting and constraining effect upon our organisation. A leader is evaluated not on the basis of what he achieves personally, but on what his people accomplish and how much they mature under his leadership. Nothing moves or happens without some form of leadership behind it. When something happens where human beings are involved, the answer is simple and straightforward, there is some form of leadership behind all that activity. Some leadership is in the forefront but more often the real leaders are in the background, planning the moves, directing the people, creating the environment to act or respond in some predetermined manner. The action or inaction of the people reflects on their leadership. The distance between the quality of leadership and the average in the group is constant. If leadership standards and performance are high, the average performance standard will also be high. If the leadership standards and performance are low, the standards and performance of the group will be proportionately low. A good leader demands performance (and not necessarily conformance) to ensure high quality results. Qualities of a good and effective (Christian) leader a. Committed and faithful Christian b. Mature in their faith, I Timothy 3:6 c. Cares about people d. Has strong personal convictions that guides his/her life e. Able to recruit people to the cause f. Challenges people to do their best g. Knows how to train people to do what he does himself h. Knows when to cut the cord and let people lead on their own i. Not power hungry, but knows when to, and is happily willing, to exit graciously (best to exit when you and the organisation you lead are at their best). j. Blameless in character, Titus 1:6 k. Objective in out-look, Titus 1:7 l. Inoffensive in behaviour, Titus 1:7 m. Cultured in mind, Titus 1:8 n. Hospitable – not greedy, Titus 1:7-8 o. Just and holy, impartial p. Having charisma (knows God’s Word, and lives it; a teacher, exhorter, ‘rebuker’ and learner) q. Visionary r. Humble Qualifications of a (Christian) leader a. Integrity – knowing and defending that which is right, even in the face of opposition. b. Honesty – keeping all activity above reproach before God and before other people. c. Conviction – this determines the degree of one’s dedication to the task God has given. d. Loyalty – to God, to superiors and to those who are served. e. Stability – the ability to accept responsibility and remain true under pressure until the job is done. f. Interest in others – putting the welfare of others ahead of oneself. g. Discernment – gathering all the facts and acting upon them in a conscientious manner. h. Motivation – enthusiastic, must be positive and forward-looking. i. Tact – showing genuine concern for the feelings of others; speaking and acting so as not to cause offence. j. Not content with the average or status quo, but always striving for the best and bringing positive change. Cost of (Christian) leadership Salvation is the only thing in life that is free, Ephesians 2:8-9, because Jesus has paid the full price for us, instead of us, on our behalf. Everything else in life has a cost. Following Jesus Christ is costly and Christian leadership has a very high price tag. This is why Christian leaders are hard to come by. Before becoming a leader, one must be prepared to serve as a follower, which might take many years because there are no short cuts. Below is a checklist of some common costs, or we may say, ‘the price to pay’: Willingness to stand alone (loneliness). Willingness to go against public opinion in order to promote what you believe: facing criticism, opposition and even mockery. Suffering in many different ways and forms! Discouragement: the temptation to quit is always a reality! Willingness to risk failure: and if you fail, learn from it and rise up again! Mastering of emotions: at times, self-denial. Striving to remain above reproach: discipline and hard work! Willingness to make decisions others do not want to make. As such some may not like you. Willingness to say ‘no’ at times, even when you would like to say ‘yes’. Hence offending or disappointing some people, especially here in South Sudan. Sometimes being willing to sacrifice personal interests for the good of the group, remembering you are shepherding the whole flock. Willingness to work harder than people who are not leaders, to keep your own life in balance. Quotes or slogans on leadership Some adapted from Max De Pree at depree.org “A good leader is not one who does the work of ten people well, but the one who allows ten people to do their work well”. “Good leadership is not tested by the quality of the head, but by the tone of the body”. “A true leader is not the one who seeks to take power, but the one who has been forced into leadership by internal and external pressures”. “A good leader does not cause pain, but bears pain”. “A leader is a source of inspiration. His personality and initiative inspire people to change their destiny”. “Effective leadership flows out of who a leader is personally”. “Effective leadership changes the way people view themselves and the world in which they live”. “Leadership is a process in which the leader and followers use their God-given gifts, behaviour and managerial skills to influence each other and the situations where they are”. “It is a mark of bad leadership for one’s ministry to collapse immediately after him even if it was excelling during their time”. “Leadership does not consist merely of what we say or do, but what we are personally”. “The art of good leadership is to have a clear vision and worthy objectives which are shared by your followers, and to which you are committed together to achieve”. “A real leader does not impose himself or herself on others, but is freely and enthusiastically followed by those who are attracted by his vision and version, and who shares her objectives”. “It is poor leadership to try to do everything yourself while your people merely look on and admire your efforts”. ·“Contemporary Christian leaders have much to learn about how to appreciate and reward achievements by those they lead”. “Autocratic leadership often conceals an inner insecurity”. “Bad leadership incites rebellion and causes civil strife, whereas good leadership knows when it is time to quit and hand over to others”. “The leader must become a servant and a debtor”. “Leaders must leave behind them assets and legacy”. “If a leader thinks he is leading and no one is following him, then he is simply taking a walk”. “A good leader is a good follower – you cannot claim to lead others while you find it difficult to follow others! In fact to be a good leader, you must have been a follower even of some terrible leaders”. One of the hallmarks of good leadership is knowing when and how to step aside or move on. Many good and honest leaders can only move when they have secured or been guaranteed some new opportunities elsewhere for themselves. Moving becomes rare and increasingly difficult when nothing awaits them. This is usually disastrous for the leader and the organisation. Another aspect of bad leadership is not handing over completely; in other words when you move on to a new organisation or a job, do not take along all the friends and partners from the previous job or organisation. This is not helpful as friends and partners of organisations should not become personalised and encouraged to follow you wherever you go. Instead continue to insist and affirm their loyalty to their employing organisations. Jesus, who was and is still the best leader on earth, only served for just over 3 years in His ministry. Then He left. However, the ministry developed and grew more in His absence. Good leaders must therefore not feel indispensable. The ministry, the position or the job you are occupying will probably continue to go on with or without you! Concluding story Once upon a time, a certain fellow boarded a bus from a city suburb to go to the city centre. When he got to his final destination he failed to disembark and continued back to the suburb on the same bus. This happened to go on and the bus conductor noticed the fellow stayed put throughout the day in the bus. Somehow it did not bother the conductor because this guy faithfully kept paying his fares. However, it came to the end of the day and the bus needed to be parked somewhere for the night and so the conductor requested everybody to disembark. This fellow seemed disinterested to leave the bus and so the conductor and bus driver were left with no option but to use some kind of force to get this man off the bus. When they had managed to do so, they discovered that this fellow had had serious diarrhoea and had messed up his trousers and the bus seat, hence was ashamed and embarrassed lest someone discovered it and saw the mess he had made! Perhaps many leaders – church leaders, country leaders, organisation leaders – especially in Africa (and Sudan/South Sudan in particular) are like that man – they messed on the seat in their role and are now too ashamed to leave and scared of being discovered? [

My life alongside God's word, volume 3. 'Christian leadership' section. – by George Taban Like many other aspects of Christian activity, one of the great dangers for work among the youth or young people in churches is that it may become ‘an institution’ in which the original vision is lost and new generations continue to go through the motions, but without the spirit of the founder or movement. There is a name, there is financial support, there is a programme, but people are not possessed by the same spiritual vision of the founders. They simply keep a tradition, driven more by inertia than by a fresh sense of direction under the compulsion of the Holy Spirit of God. Eventually discouragement sets in, impetus is lost and the movement confronts a crisis or, what is worse, extinction. Sadly, this can be true for both churches and para-church organisations in Africa and particularly in South Sudan. But how can we avoid this trend ourselves? Rev. Celestin Musekura said, “Africa has the greatest potential for global influence through her natural resources. She has a people who are hardworking, resilient, die-hard, optimistic, ingenious, creative, and religious. Looking at the current state of Africa political and developmental affairs it is clear that potential will remain untapped because of two major reasons: a lack of visionary servant leaders the ‘tribalism demon’ that fuels ethnic violence across our continent What our nations, institutions, churches and corporation businesses need is a solid commitment to reconciliation and positive relationships across all tribes. Without this, there cannot be a sustainable peace, which is foundational for all kinds of development”. “For Africa to tap into her potential and navigate successfully past current world challenges, a new kind of leadership is needed. Africa needs leaders who have: a vision for servitude and a vision for building communities in which people are empowered to become healthier freer, autonomous and generous. Our communities should be a places where people care for each other and embrace tribal, ethnic and racial diversity as blessings from God, and not as a curse”. One characteristic of a good vision is the ability to attract other people to it. Unless others share the vision it will remain only a dream in the dreaming visionary leader’s head. A vision shared and embraced by others, with similar passion, will be able to make a much longer lasting impact. The problem with the vision of many leaders is that it remains just with the visionary and his family, or it is forced upon relatives and fellow tribesmen/women, revealing selfish motives. Other visions die because the visionaries and their allies want to harvest before they plant. Some want to be leaders before first becoming servants. Others die when material interests become their focus, rather than continuing to serve the community and fulfilling the mission of the organisation or church. Listen to Nehemiah sharing his vision in Nehemiah 2:17-18, ““You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace”. I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me”. To keep our vision and dream alive, we need to build an effective generation of leaders who can embody their visions and pass them on to those who follow on. It is people who have vision, not premises, nor programmes, nor organisations, nor (possibly) partner missions. Effective transmission of vision involves people discipling or mentoring other people who in turn pass it on. Why are so many churches in our nations today stagnant and not progressing? May be we have not done enough to build or mentor our young people into a newly effective generation of leaders, able to embody the true vision of the church for the nation? Think about God’s word: “Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed”, Psalm 112:1-2. “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts”, Psalm 145:3-4. “… The offspring of the wicked will never be mentioned again”, Isaiah 14:20. What kind of youth do we want to see, ready to lead our churches and organisations when the time is right? How can we build an effective godly and visionary generation? Somebody said, “For better or for worse the next generation will be what we are today”. What we want to see tomorrow, we must practice today. Remember what Paul said to the young church at Corinth, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ”, 1 Corinthians 11:1. Our Christian living must be worth copying. If we want to build an effective generation, we must first begin by moulding ourselves in becoming true living stones, before we support others transforming into effective generational leaders. Today’s generation is a mirror for the next generation, for better or for worse. Vision for an effective generation A vision is not something that comes from a vacuum. Vision grows from past leaders and the history of the church/organisation around him. While vision can be articulated on paper or tape, transmitting it will always involve other people. Students and graduates who listen and see catch the vision. Pray, and they become possessed by it. They begin to dream with a belief consuming all their heart, soul and strength. Within the Body of Christ, when the vision is discerned as God’s will for us, we become ready to sacrifice and work hard to accomplish it, making the dream into a reality. “Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul. Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law”, Proverbs 29:17-18. The churches of tomorrow will not rise above her present structures. A local or national church cannot rise above her pastors, or the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students above its leaders. Likewise a nation cannot rise above its president or politicians. See a leader – see the church. See a father – see his son. See the president – see the nation. See a church leader – see the youth of today and the leaders of tomorrow. Leaders must have a clear vision to which they are taking their followers Reportedly Helen Keller was asked, “What would be worse than being born blind?” She replied profoundly, “To have sight without vision”. Sadly too many people are placed into leadership positions, who have little or no vision for the church, or the next generation they are raising, or the people they currently lead. If they were asked, “Where are you taking this church/organisation?” they would not know! What happens when there is no vision? Without vision, there is: a waste of energy a loss of resources a misuse of time people are scattered in all directions production towards a target falls dreams are missed personal agenda(s) begin to surface. Martin Luther said, “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I will still plant my apple tree”. So we must keep on working to build an effective generation. It is our responsibility. What kind of generation do we want to see? To build an effective generation we need seven attitudes: 1. An exemplary leadership The success of any institution depends on its leaders, not on the structures. A leader plays the key role in any organisation/institution and so in the church. Our present generation is desperate for leaders with lives others could follow. In our Christian communities and churches today complaints about the shortage of quality leaders in the ranks are high. A shortage of leaders quickly creates a shortage of followers. And a shortage of followers produces a shortage of future visionary leaders. We need many ‘apostle type’ of leaders in our generation, people who can lead by an example. “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia”, Paul said, see Acts 20:17- 32 especially verse 18. How many of our leaders today in churches, para-church organisations, Mother’s Unions, etc., have the courage to say those words? Many of us are afraid to say them because we know that many fingers will legitimately then point at us. We need leaders like Joseph – a man of integrity, Genesis 41:37-40; Daniel – a man who was not corrupt, Daniel 1:8-21. We need men like Charles Finney – who when he stepped into any place, set people repenting before he had said anything! In Sudan and South Sudan today are there leaders in societies, churches and even nationally who are exemplary? Are there people we can quote? Do you have names you can think of? I don’t think we have so many good people? We should not disappoint the next generation. As mentioned before, a church or a nation will not rise above their pastor or leader. The next generation of living stones will only be what we are today, if we don’t change for the better. So change we must! Leadership shortages among Christians are the most serious crisis of all we face today. It is the godly influence of the Christian community that prayerfully holds back the forces of evil in our cities and nations. The shortage of strong, effective, godly, Christian leaders is tremendously weakening our ability to stand effectively against the forces of Satan. The results will be devastating. “The good influence of a godly citizen causes a city to prosper, but the moral decay of the wicked drives it downhill”, Proverbs 11:11, (The Living Bible).“When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily; but within honest, sensible leaders there is stability.” Proverbs 28:2, (TLB). A nation full of godly people is far more powerful against the forces of evil in the world than all the world’s greatest weapons of war combined together. This is why Satan has been working overtime trying to undermine the effectiveness of Christian leaders. Examples are powerful. There are people powerful in words but their lifestyles are questionable. We need to have leaders with the holy character of our Lord Jesus. 2. Holy Spirit structured structure (!) Our programmes and organisation must be Holy Spirit guided. In a study David Watson wrote entitled, “The importance of the Holy Spirit in our present Church structure”, He did a comparison of the Church – the people of God – in Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, if God were to remove the Holy Spirit from their ‘churches’, 90 % of their activities would collapse. Everybody would know and the difference would be noticeable. In our churches today, should the Holy Spirit be withdrawn, 90% of our structures and programmes would still go on and no one would know or notice hardly any difference at all! There is too much of men and too little of God in what is happening amongst us. To build an effective visionary generation, we must quickly realise that the everlasting influence of anything is only brought about by the work of God the Holy Spirit. It is what the Holy Spirit of God leads us to do that counts in our Christian service. The work of God can only be done by God Himself, along with co-workers He calls and appoints, people who work as servants. Are we led by the Holy Spirit or led by our own ego in what we do? It is very unfortunate today that our young people are being influenced far too much by men’s ideas, and oftentimes nobody is able to question it. Paul, an exemplary leader, knew the gift of God in Timothy because he mentored Timothy. He urged, “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you”, 1 Timothy 4:14, read verses 11-16. 3. Meetings with the glory of God When Isaiah saw the glory of God, he was changed and his ministry was never the same again, Isaiah 6:1-8.To build an effective generation, we need to develop people who seek after God wholeheartedly. We see more scribes in churches, missions and Christian Unions than we see seekers after God. We need to personally experience the glory of God like Moses, Exodus34:29-35; Ezekiel 1:28-2:1-8, etc. Only people who have had this life-changing experience will urge you this way. Those who have only read about it in others will not. When people genuinely encounter God in this deep and special way, they will be transformed in their lives, and it will show! 4. Upholding the authority of the Bible, God’s word. The world needs something or someone more to rely on. The non-Christian world is searching for better leaders and programmes to meet the ever increasing demands of hunger, illness, poverty, war, displaced people, and so on. Seemingly intractable problems. Christians know there are three kinds of authority: human church God’s authority – the Bible, which is His word. We need to help the younger generation to uphold the authority of the word as the one and only final authority in all matters of life, doctrine and conduct. 5. Strongly keeping the unity of the body of Christ. There are too many divisions in our time; it seems more than any generation before us? There are power struggles within churches, divisive attitudes toward tribalism in church and community, and abuses of so many children during war and peace, plus lots of other evil things happening all around us. Division weakens the body of Christ. To build an effective next generation of Christian leaders, we need to look beyond denominational, racial, ethnic, family and social barriers. We need to accept one another as people in the church regardless of where we (and they) come from. Tribalism must be carefully, prayerfully and respectfully broken down. If you know the Lord Jesus then you are my brother or sister in Christ. This is a very close relationship. I heard of one pastor who shared this example from South Africa during the time of apartheid. A child of a white family went to play with some children. When he returned home, the mother asked him what was the colour of the children he played with? The child replied, “I have not seen the colour. Let me go and see”. We need to be colour blind (tribal blind?) in our relationship with all of the other people God has made. 6. Putting evangelism and mission as the top priority Reaching people with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ must be the top priority for any church programme. The world needs a generation of leaders, both in the public sector and in the church, who are soundly saved and have a genuine burden for mission work. From Genesis to Revelation God uses young people to fulfill the great commission. Think of Joseph, Genesis 37:2, 45:5, 50:20; Miriam, Exodus 2:4,7,8; David, 1 Samuel 16:11-13, 14:33,42; Josiah, 2 Chronicles 33:1-4, 14; 2 Kings 23:21-23; Jeremiah, 1:4-10; Mary, Luke 1:26-38, especially the last verse; Timothy, Acts 16:1-3; 1 Timothy 4:12. So developing godly mission-minded young people is key for the future. 7. Supporting yourself and your vision locally and sustainably We are capable of sustaining the work among our young generation by supporting their activities, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8. We need to build a generation that entirely depends on indigenous funding through generous giving of local Christians, forming local partnerships with groups of Christians and churches. Anything from Christian brethren abroad should be supplementary and complementary, and must not be depended upon by itself. Genuine ownership of ministry and the responsibility it brings with it, must be taken in Africa and by Africans. Do you think this is possible? Yes, together we can. Our God is more than able, 2 Corinthians 9:10-12. As you are involved in youth ministry, help them to make history. God often calls people like you and me, who are obedient, to fulfil His great purpose for the world by supporting someone else as they reach after their God-given vision. Change must begin with you and me If you are to make changes in any system, either in government, church or any other institution, it must begin with a person – you and me. We people need to be willing to make our lives count for God and hence be His co-workers in bringing change in our nation and churches, 1 Corinthians 3:6-9. Each young person can speak about his/her own history. We do have newly emerging leaders in our churches who need to be equipped for their works of service by ministry, Ephesians 4:11-14. We need to pass the baton on to next generation. I hope and pray that God may inspire and challenge all of us (who are present runners in our own race and fighters in our own battles), to invest time, vision, physical and spiritual energy into those followers who will soon lead everything. Do for someone else now what God used someone else to do for you at the beginning of your lifetime of visionary Christian service. See the potential as God sees people. Then strive to realise it.

My life alongside God's word, volume 3. 'Christian leadership' section. – by Mama Brenda Salter If you live near a noisy road traffic junction, or beside a river or close by the village water pump you are affected by it - its potential, its noise and car fumes, its possibility to flood and be a watering place for animals, its hubbub of people - but you have no control over any of these things. It is like this for women next to leadership. You are affected by your husband’s role. You see the potential good and the potential disasters. You are caught in the crossfire that sometimes surrounds him. You are set apart through no fault of your own, and you cannot directly do anything about it. It is not possible to find a scriptural role model for this job. The closest is probably Acts 21:5 “Leaving the next day, we (Paul, Luke, Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus, Gaius, Timothy, Tychicus and Trophimus, Acts 20:4) reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied”. This does not give us a lot of practical help! How do we cope? How can we balance the people and their demands, the public role, the pastoring and the counselling, with being a wife, being a mother, and being a Christian? We need to look into our Bibles and we need to hold the truths we find firmly but lovingly. Truth is truth, but how we hold that truth is important. Romans 14:22 tells us, “So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God”. Use these truths to help yourself, to encourage but not to attack other women or men. Let’s see what the Bible tells us about women and about wives. The Bible on the role of women (Read the Bible references and try to write down what you discover about attitudes to women, and the woman’s role) Matthew 27:55-56, “Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons”. See also Mark 15:40-41, Luke 8:2, 23:49. Luke 7:36-50, the story of a sinful woman anointing the feet of Jesus at the house of a Pharisee - and the reactions. Luke 8:40-48, within the story of Jairus and the healing of his daughter is the healing of a woman with a bleeding problem. Luke 10:38-42, the story of Mary, the listener, and her sister Martha, the meal preparer. Luke 21:1-4, Jesus notices the gift of two small copper coins given by a very poor widow. John 2:12, “After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days”. John 4:4-26, Jesus’ conversation with a Samaritan woman by the well at Sychar. John 8:1-11, Jesus’ dealing with the woman taken in adultery and the Pharisees who accused her. Matthew 28:1-11, the women see Jesus first on resurrection morning. See also Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-11, John 20:1-18. Acts 12:12, “ When this had dawned on him, he (Peter) went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying”. Acts 16:11-15, the story of the conversion of a business woman, Lydia, in Philippi. Acts 18:1-4, 18-28, Paul meets Aquila and Priscilla, and Priscilla and Aquila teach Apollos. Romans 16:1-16, several ladies are mentioned in Paul’s greetings to the church in Rome. Genesis 3:8-13, 16, having eaten the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve hid from God, but then confessed and received the results of their disobedience. Romans 14:12, “So then, each of us will give an account of himself (or herself) to God”. Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”. 2 Timothy 1:5, “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also”. Here are my conclusions – the Bible on the role of women Women fulfilled various accepted roles in the New Testament. Jesus, in His dealings with women, acknowledged their worth. Paul acknowledged the role of some level of a woman’s leadership in the use of her home. Paul acknowledged the godly influence of women in the family. A woman is accountable to God for herself. Sin brought more pain in childbirth, a change in the sexual relationship, and the husband becoming the senior partner in the relationship. Every woman (and every man) will answer to God for their own lives. The Bible on the role of the wife (Read the Bible references and try to write down what you discover about attitudes to the role of a wife) Genesis 2:18, 21-24, “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’.........But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called “woman,” for she was taken out of the man.’ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh”. Genesis 3:16, 20, “To the woman he (God) said, ‘I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you......Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living”. Titus 2:3-5, “Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers, or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God”. 1 Timothy 5:9-10, “No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up her children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds”. Ephesians 5:21-25, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Saviour. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives.....” Colossians 3:18, “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them”. 1 Corinthians 7:2-5, “But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. The husband should fulfil his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control”. 1 Peter 3:1-4, “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands, so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behaviour of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewellery and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight”. Here are my conclusions from the Bible on the role of the wife She is a special creation by God. She is created to be a complement, a helper, a fulfilment. She is to be reverent, faithful, teaching by example. She is to submit to the family head, her husband, out of submission to the Lord. Marriage involves sex - to be used rightly and with the one right person. If there are children, raising them is a priority ministry, not an endurance test! She is to be busy - in managing the home, doing good things in many ways. She must not be idle and gossip. She needs to cultivate a servant spirit. She is to practise hospitality. So how can we achieve these Bible goals? Pressure and stress Pressure is part of life. Without it you would be like a lump of porridge or aseeda or overcooked foule or soggy macaroni, achieving nothing. Some pressure is good for you - it creates alertness and clarity of thought, it sends adrenalin pumping round your body, helping you decide clearly, communicate well and act confidently. Too much pressure does the opposite - it makes you irritable, unable to work effectively, prone to accidents and mistakes. In the end it will have physical effects. We all need to manage pressure. Things that are pressure and stress to me may not be for you. You have to work out what is stress for you a difficult meeting to attend? someone to see who terrifies you? a meeting you have to lead? husband coming home from a difficult meeting? thinking how can I get everything done? Give yourself time and talk to God about the situation. Go in the confidence God gives you. Time We are all stewards of our time. We all have different calls on our time. We can waste time through lack of priorities, giving too much time to something unimportant through lack of planning – the day disappears because we have not planned what to do and when to do it through over commitment – thinking we can do more in a day than is possible through inability to cope with crises – sitting wondering what to do about the crisis or busily running round in a panic, and failing to sort the situation through the inability to delegate – in effect saying, “I want to do that” when someone else could do it and possibly do it better than we could through indecision – saying, “Shall I do this or shall I do that?” Suddenly the time to do anything has come and gone through interruptions – tricky one this – people are important but is this interruption the Devil’s distraction or God’s opportunity for you? through rushing – having to do it again because you did it too quickly and made a mess of the job, or said the wrong thing. Ephesians 5:15-16, “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil”. We need to be wise stewards of the time with which God has entrusted us. Psalm 90:12, We need to learn to use our time wisely. One more thought on time You cannot by yourself make time in your husband’s day for you to be together, but you can work on the quality of the time you do spend together. So can I. Make every minute count in your relationship. When he comes home after a long meeting, have you: gone to bed? not wished to be interrupted in what you are doing? thought to be ready to greet him? been pleased to see him and talk together, even if he doesn’t ask what you have been doing? Are you still making the effort to be as attractive to him as you were on your wedding day? Are all the other things you do necessary and in the right proportion? You and your husband are one unit – you complement each other – he has a ministry to love you as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her - you have a ministry to serve him, look out for him, love him, be there for him. (Don’t remind him of his responsibility, just work at getting your own responsibility fulfilled! See Ephesians 5:22-23, 25). Priorities Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”. Isaiah 55:1-2, “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labour on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight on the richest of fare”. His kingdom and His righteousness are not necessarily always synonymous with ‘the ministry’. We need to keep making sure that we seek what God wants in our lives. We need to seek the priorities He wants for us to enable His kingdom to be extended and His righteousness to grow in us. Perhaps you need to sit down and write out all of the things you do in a week. Then pray about the list. Which things are the most important? Importance is not the same as length of time. One thing may take a lot of your time, but something else may be more important. You need to think of priorities in terms of time and of people. Ask yourself – do the most important things get my quality time or only the leftovers? Lord, I want you first in my life in my marriage in my family in my ministry Please show me how! Other people Determine the priority other people have in your life. Is dealing with them what God is asking you to do? People have many needs, but you have only 24 hours in a day – and you do need to sleep. Romans 12:9–21, “Love sincerely......be devoted to one another in brotherly(sisterly) love.......Share with God’s people who are in need, practise hospitality.........Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn........Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”. Romans 15:7, “Accept one another, just as Christ has accepted you”. Ephesians 4:2, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love”. Colossians 3:13, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another”. 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “always try to be kind to each other”. Hebrews 3:13, “Encourage one another daily”. Hebrews 10:24, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds”. Putting all those references together is a tall order – a hard thing to achieve. But perhaps that last quote from Hebrews gives a clue to help us accomplish this high standard of behaviour. “Let us consider” – think about, pray about – the people we plan to meet, the people we will unexpectedly meet today. Think about all of the people separately, not as a group – what need does this person have? How can I encourage him/her in this difficult time? Does this person feel rejected? Lord, please give me the right words. Does he/she feel too unworthy to join in? Help me to take her hand and bring her in/indicate he is welcome and find a place for him. Help me to show that I accept him/her, just as Jesus Christ has accepted me. A long while ago our family were expecting some visitors and I was feeling terrified at the prospect. The night before they were due to arrive I told the Lord how much pressure I felt because of this visit. It was as if the Lord spoke into my ear and said that the lady who was coming was troubled about something, and I would be able to help her. Suddenly the fear was gone, and I had a ministry to the lady I had feared! By the next evening I had proved to myself how right God had been! Of course He was, He’s God. But we forget so easily and leave Him out of the little situations that make up our lives. So consider – ask God to make you what you need to be in every situation. That means in the unexpected meeting this morning, and in the situation you have thought through for this afternoon, and of course He can use you in just speaking to a neighbour as you pass as well. One more thought again. I have raised an issue in a previous paragraph, which I really need to open up a little. It is an issue where care is needed. How far, as a woman, can you and should you deal with men? You need to be guided by the culture of the people you are with. What is their general understanding of contact between men and women? When we moved from England to live in Khartoum, I had to make a big cultural move. I had very little Arabic and so it was sign language with the lady next door! During Ramadan the man of the house wanted us to share a ‘breaking the fast’ meal with them. Problem. He very thoughtfully decided to make me an honorary man for the evening so my husband and I could eat with him in his garden. The ladies ate together indoors after they had served, and the male guests ate in a group together on the hoash. I still pray for the salvation of that family. He stepped out of his culture while still observing it, to help this strange white woman from England. Different cultures have different norms of behaviour, but there are some absolutes laid down in the Bible by God for us. Although you stand as a Christian woman before God in your own right, Romans 14:12, you must not, you do not have the freedom, to bring the name of Christ into disrepute by your actions, 1 Corinthians 8:9. Practically, always make sure no one can think anything wrong of your actions by staying where you can be seen. Don’t go into a room alone with one man, except for your father, husband or son. Talk with a man if that is appropriate, but look for a man you know and trust to involve in the conversation. Having said all that, and gone into another thought, you can only see, help, speak with some people – you cannot take on the whole world. You have a responsibility to your husband, your family and so you have to learn to say sometimes to other people, “No, I am sorry but I cannot help here”. Hospitality Romans 12:13, “Practise hospitality”. 1 Timothy 5:10, “... showing hospitality.......” 1 Peter 4:9, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling”. Hospitality means “the friendly welcome and entertainment of guests or strangers, which usually involves offering them food and drink.” If your dictionary says something similar please use it! In Luke 10:38-42 we meet Mary and Martha – two sisters with differing gifts and abilities – Mary wanted to learn from Jesus while Martha was the capable one in the kitchen. Martha complained because her sister was not helping her, but Jesus said that Mary had got it right – it was good to learn from Jesus, and it was good not to get upset and flustered by making the food. So how does that fit with the other three references above? We need to spend time with Jesus and we need to do what is necessary for hospitality – but that hospitality can be simple, not fussy and not trying to impress others. We must practise hospitality but we need to check that our attitude is right. We need to see it as a ministry and not be grudging about it, or boastful about it. We need to be organised so there is no panic. He is different “Males and females differ anatomically, sexually, emotionally, psychologically and biochemically. We differ in literally every cell of our bodies, for each sex carries a unique chromosomal pattern...........Furthermore, it is my deep conviction that each sex displays unique emotional characteristics that are genetically endowed. Cultural influences cannot account for these novelties. Few psychologists have had the courage to express this view in recent years, because the women’s movement has perceived it as insulting. But to be different from men does not make women inferior to men. Males and females are original creations of God, each bearing strengths and weaknesses that counterbalance and interface with each other. It is a beautiful design that must not be disassembled”. God made man and woman to complement each other, Genesis 2: 15-18, 20-24. When Adam was alone, he had no likeminded companionship, he had no way to reproduce himself. Adam and Eve together complemented each other - they could reproduce. The rise of the feminist movement and the western world’s search for women’s equality with men, has made it harder to stick to the biblical outline that men and women are different, complementary, neither inferior to the other, God’s created beings, all loved by Him. Feminism says that we are all equal and must have equal opportunities – that every opportunity a man has should be available to a woman. But men and women are not the same. Yes, we are equal as God’s children, but we have different strengths and characteristics. We are ideally made for our different roles. Dr. James Dobson in 'Straight talks to men and their wives' said, “Males and females differ anatomically, sexually, emotionally, psychologically and biochemically”. We differ in the parts our bodies have and do not have, and in the adult shape. We differ in our sexual desires and in the outcome of reproductive sex – men don’t carry and give birth to babies! We differ in the way we react to and feel about things that happen, things that people do and say. We differ in the way our minds process information and thus dictate our behaviour. We differ in the chemical reactions inside the cells of our bodies. Think through these parallel columns. You may find them a useful summary and easier to remember than the three paragraphs above: Man Woman looks for conquest and achievement looks for long term stability and security has steady emotions a varying menstrual cycle brings peaks and troughs of emotions looks at overall principles works out details needs to be respected and loved needs to be loved and respected responsive to touch and vision responsive to words and consistent care fulfilled in work fulfilled in secure relationship male ego (the need in a man’s needs to be loved thinking for attention and recognition) Once again, don’t present your man with a list of things you need. Work to meet his needs, and be the complement to his masculinity. I can almost hear you saying, “but how does this all help me live next to leadership?” You are not the leader - his calling may give you more jobs, may give you confidential information that not everyone knows, may put you in a difficult position sometimes – but you do not have the leader’s responsibility. You learn to keep confidences, you cannot always share what you know but you have to accept that. You stand beside the leader – like you live near a road junction, a river, or near the village water pump. You cannot change what he has to do. You can make sure that you are living the way God wants you to live, and you are seeking to support him in his ministry. No short cuts, no easy answers! Hebrews 4:16, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”. An example for us Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, was a young virgin, promised in marriage to Joseph, when God’s angel Gabriel came to her with a message from God. She knew she was blessed, see Luke 1:46-49. BUT … there was shock, and fear, incredulity, followed by submission, Luke 1:26-38 there was the stigma of an illegitimate baby; people did not understand or believe her there was a strange town and a manger for a cot, Luke 2:1-7 there were many things to be pondered, Luke 2:19 there was a promise of emotional and mental suffering, Luke 2:34-35 there was another move to a strange place to live in for the little family, Egypt, Matthew 2:13-15 there was Mary’s nightmare on the annual visit to Jerusalem when Jesus was just twelve, Luke 2:41-52 did she feel rejection when she and her younger sons went to see Jesus and he said that all who do God’s will are his mothers, sisters and brothers? Matthew 12:48-49 there was absolute devastation beside emotional and physical provision, John 19:25-27. Mary was blessed and still she went through a lot of anguish and pain. She provided her womb for the Christ child, and loved and looked after Him. She saw him die and rise again. Like us, she was saved through the atoning death of Jesus. A mother saved by the child she had carried. She lived next to leadership because God called her to do so.

My life alongside God's word, volume 3. 'The pastor's own Christian life' section. – by Israel Angelo Adeldong “Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task”, 1 Timothy 3:1. Introduction From the outset of the Church, Jesus declared to Simon Peter that He was going to establish His Church on the rock of faith. “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades (hell) will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven”, Matthew 16:17-19. Peter’s name means rock. Based on this declaration, the need for leadership and the pastoral care of all followers of Jesus helping build His Church, takes legitimacy, authority and power. Someone who Jesus Himself appoints, and to whom He gives the “keys” of authority, power and authenticity, is to care for God’s flock, the Church, which is the body of Jesus Christ on earth. The apostle Paul recognised this important need when he set a standard with the essential characteristics and qualifications that the person seeking to become a pastor must fulfil before he takes office. The body of Christ needs order and organisation, sound teaching of the Bible’s doctrinal truths against all false teaching, proper worship, order, exhortation and edification of the followers of Christ, and discipline for individuals who sin. Therefore the characteristics and qualifications for ministry in the Sudanese and South Sudanese churches, as elsewhere, demand that spiritual leaders must be beyond reproach themselves and set a standard for other believers to emulate. These characteristics and qualifications are applicable to various church offices as we read in Paul’s pastoral writings. In the New Testament earliest church there were three key terms used for the office of a pastor: 1. Bishop, as used in the Bible and early Christian contexts, is derived from the Greek episkopos from which the English term Episcopal is derived. It’s original, political sense referred to the city administrator, inspector or financial manager. For the Essene Jews of the Qumran Community it was used to refer to their overseers who preached, taught, presided, exercised care, authority and enforced discipline. 2. Elder, Greek presbuteros, was used to indicate spiritual maturity, not based upon age, but on Christian spiritual growth seen in dedication, maturity and walking with God. 3. Pastor, Greek poiemen, originally was used for a “shepherd”. It describes a man with a heart of concerned compassion for those over whom he has been placed as their key spiritual leader. He may or may not have a stellar resume but he will have heard and received a clear call from God, have clear vision and conviction, have the ability to preach powerfully, teach authoritatively, to pastor and keep his church growing and thriving, ably satisfying the spiritual hunger and thirst of his sheep. A pastor is a dedicated man who can counsel wisely, who has been proved to be flawless and trustworthy in administration, an honest man who relates equally to all ages in his congregation, who builds relationships easily, who joyfully sings praising the Lord in his daily life, who knows a little about almost everything from horticulture to agriculture, mechanics to motherhood, and how to help people through the havoc caused by disasters in human life. While doing all of this to the best of his ability, he must live above reproach, respecting everyone and everything, and most importantly live Christianly by feeding on the living word of God daily, meditating on it diligently so that he can be apt to teach the congregation, making fervent, persevering and earnest intercessory prayers. This will keep him from falling into the temptations and snares of the devil, the lusts of the flesh, and the love of the material world. In a nutshell, according to Paul’s emphasis, the bishop, the elder and the pastor must be men who primarily exhibit godliness in attitudes, way of life, morality, ethics, character and relationships with women and girls. The way they dress must be modest, discreet and acceptable. Their spirituality must indicate continual growth into Christian maturity. In this short endeavour to describe the pastor’s own life, I will solely depend on the Holy Bible, Bible dictionaries and commentaries for explanations of the theologically difficult terms. I will also use my pastoral and administrative knowledge and expertise, which mainly comes from the Sudanese/African context. I will also use explanations from my current pastor at Westwood Baptist church, Fresno, California. Pastor Sam Farlow’s teaching on the “Qualifications, Conduct and Characteristics of a pastor”, found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, I have found very useful. I am tempted to quote word for word some of his sentences, as I do not want to lose the effect of his teaching. I want the same benefit and blessing to extend to my colleagues and friends, the Sudanese and South Sudanese pastors. By excerpting from my pastor’s teaching, I am not seeking celebrity, fame or financial gain. These will never be my intention. My sole aim is to present what God has put on my heart to share with my co-partners in the Lord’s vineyard. It is my prayer that by reading this article your own spiritual growth, maturity and perspective will be widened and you will gain greater understanding of your pastoral duty. To fully attain this, pray much, be loyal to your Lord Jesus, be faithful, obedient to your Lord Jesus and worthy of His trust. I will mainly shed light on the essential qualifications and characteristics of the pastor based on 1st & 2nd Timothy, Titus and a few Bible portions elsewhere. These biblical and spiritual qualities are basic prerequisites for the men whom God calls to serve in the office of a pastor. Before I end my introduction let me remind all Christians that these abilities to do the job, life qualities and things that must be seen before Christian ministry can be successful, are mandatory for all lay Christians, both males and females. They should be seriously, observed and applied, then obeyed with absolute honesty and reverence. Together as local congregations, we should strive to exhibit these practical godly qualities throughout all our earthly life and ministries. The pastor’s calling is a divine calling Divine calling is a method used by God, through which a person is elected and ordained to serve in a certain church office, as God is seen to direct. The person then uses the abilities and qualifications that God has given them. The individual who is called by God must clearly receive the call, just as the Old Testament prophets and New Testament disciples did, see Jeremiah 1:4-10; Mark 1:14-20, 3:13-19. Often time divine calling includes both spiritual leadership and political/civic responsibilities. This divine calling was demonstrated by Jesus Christ who Himself was the Messiah, the Prophet, the King, Son of God and Son of Man. Paul declares that he became a servant of Jesus Christ by the commission God gave him so that he may present the word of God to the Gentiles in its fullness, Colossians 1:25. He was affirming to his readers that he did not appoint himself, but he received the divine calling from our Lord Jesus Himself, Acts 9: 1-31; Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1. Notice carefully how the words “servant” and “apostle” come together in Romans 1:1. In 1 Timothy 3:1-7 Paul starts with the term bishop/overseer which carries the administrative and leadership role, since Timothy was appointed as the leader of the church in Ephesus and was given the authoritative mandate to organise and lead the church spiritually and administratively. Contemporary use of the term pastor varies throughout Christian denominations. The Church of England/Anglican/Episcopal churches use it beside priest, vicar and curate; Roman Catholics beside the title of Pope, cardinal and priest; the Orthodox and Coptic Orthodox churches alongside Pope, priest and deacon. Methodists use the term District Leader with superintendent and minister; Presbyterians and Evangelicals use moderator with minister and elder; Baptists use general superintendent, area superintendent, minister and pastor. In the Sudanese Church of Christ and the Sudan Interior Church the terms used are president, pastor, elder, evangelist and deacon. All these terms carry spiritual and leadership responsibilities that must be clearly bestowed on, and received by, an individual from God. Whatever the job title, spiritual and administrative roles are to be performed by the key spiritual leader. He must be the embodiment of his role, spiritually mature and have attained an always deepening relationship with God, presbuteros. He must be wise enough to rule well over the flock as the spiritual leader, episkopos. He must be a man who has an always growing shepherd’s heart of concern for the spiritual well being of his people, poimen. Notice this divine calling is limited to men only, 1 Timothy 3:1 quoted above. Bible versions like the NIV, the NLT, ESV and CEV all use “anyone” or “whoever”. But the KJV and NASB choose to use the word “man”, similar to “This is a true saying, if any man desires the office of a bishop, he desires a good work”, AKJV. Grammatically the word “any” is a masculine form and we can see all the pronouns of verses 2-6 are also masculine (he, his), which clearly denotes that this divine calling is mainly for men as it was practised in Old/New Testament times. Today some liberal churches and traditional western churches violate this divine calling by ordaining women into the office of priesthood, claiming that women have equal rights. If their claim is true, why did God not clearly call and appoint a woman to the priesthood and why did Jesus not include women among the twelve closest disciples? The apostles observed and taught the same principle they received from our Lord Jesus Christ. They had women who helped and served them with their physical and social needs but taught that men were to lead churches. Some liberal and conservative churches argue that in the Old Testament there were prophetesses and political or civic women leaders such as Anna who was a prophetess in the Temple, Miriam – Aaron and Moses’ sister, who was also a prophetess; and Deborah who was a prophetess and judge.[3] Yes, true! But no women held any priesthood office or played priesthood roles did they? We should lovingly and fearfully follow the Bible’s examples of divine calling into Christian ministry; walking circumspectly rather than carelessly, imitating God rather than men and living carefully in Jesus Christ’s love. Bear in mind that the keys to successful ministry are only achieved through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who enables us to walk in a way that honours God, Ephesians 5:1, 15-17; Exodus 20:20; Proverbs 16:6. Pastors, we ought to be extra careful regarding how we live our lives as we walk daily among possible dangers that snare our way. Struggle manfully to climb the perfection ladder while in this mortal life. It is vital we take each step with Jesus wisely and cautiously, not as a fool whom the Bible says walks carelessly. The wise person watches each step so they do not stumble and fall. Let our ultimate goal be to imitate God in holiness, love, kindness, mercy, humility and faithfulness. As we continue trust God to rule our hearts. Seek to serve Him and our feet can walk with Him on His way, one step at a time. Let us all adopt this short prayer: “Consistency! How much we need to walk a measured pace, to live the life of which we speak, until we see Christ’s face”. The divine calling must be a passionate calling The phrase “If a man aspires”, 1 Timothy 3:1 AKJV, literally means if a man reaches out after something, to stretch out oneself to grasp something. The term has nothing to do with internal motives and inclinations. It rather indicates the hearty burning desire driving the external act of taking steps to become an overseer and serve God faithfully, after receiving a clear call from the Lord our Master. The word “desires”, used in other Bible versions, denotes that a pastor must have a true inward motivation that drives him to continue tirelessly and relentlessly. In other words the term means he must have a passionate compulsion. Paul, in using this term, was saying if the pastor doesn’t have a passion for being in the ministry, he had better find a secular job he can enjoy. Let me clearly warn contemporary pastors who are now in the Christian ministry this is a sacred and crucial ministry given by Jesus Christ only to the faithful servants whom He has called into service in His vineyard. Be sure that you have received the divine calling. Those who have appointed themselves and entered into the sacred ministry are thieves, false teachers and prophets who will receive much greater punishment at the judgement, Matthew 7:15-20; James 3:1, Jude 3-16. It has been proven in our generation that many have accepted the appointment into the office of a minister of the church just because they failed in the secular sector, or they did not do well academically, thus finding it impossible to find a job. So they found their way into the church to gain a guaranteed living for themselves and their families. These are the false teachers, prophets and evangelists who have invited, appointed and employed themselves in the church using cunning, outward pretence. It is simulation to try and convince the members of the churches and denominations in which they serve, not because they want to serve the Lord, but because they are attracted by large numbers in the congregations which imply larger amounts of tithes and offerings, giving perhaps a good salary, a large house, and big luxury car. Some of them are trying to avoid their academic failure and inferiority complex that haunts them. They will be called upon to preach to large lay congregations who will give them honour and applause for their eloquent and rhetoric speeches thus achieving their goal of fame, which they did not obtain through education. Sadly some ministers found their way into the ministry just because their relatives and friends convinced them to join the church, or because they are pastors’ children, missionaries’ children, elders’ children, evangelists’ children or their relatives are involved in Christian ministries. Such men entered the ministry under pressure and conviction from human beings rather than receiving any divine calling from the Lord of the vineyard. To give an example of this last group of ministers, I share this illustration: “In 1988 a missionary and his wife who served ten years in Taiwan then returned to USA and joined a pastor and his wife in their church in California. The pastor and his wife were very glad to have him and his family help them, but quickly they found out that the missionary, i.e. the husband, did not have much interest for ministry. In fact, by the time two years had passed by, the pastor really wondered why he had chosen the pastorate for his occupation. In the end, the mission agency that both families were with asked him to resign because they did not sense a genuine burden for ministry with a passion for people’s hearts. When the pastor asked him about his dismissal decision he said, “It was actually a bit of relief for me, because all these years I have been trying to convince myself that what my Bible College and my wife had wanted me to do was what I really felt God calling me to do”. The reality was that he was influenced by his service as a military man in Japan, then marrying a pastor’s daughter who always wanted to be married to a pastor or a missionary. So, when he heard the plea for missionaries to Taiwan, he assumed he was called by God to become a missionary in Taiwan, assuring himself by saying, “surely this must be God’s direction to utilise my wife’s experience”. But he never did really feel a divine calling to pastor God’s flock”. This missionary is from the group that the apostle Paul warned the pastors and elders of Ephesus about saying, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I did not stop warning each of you night and day with tears. “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’.”, Acts 20:28-35. The divine calling is a demanding calling The divine calling is usually demanding, accompanied by responsibilities, and achievements become known by expected end results. Employers always set vision, objectives and goals, showing the end results they expect to achieve through all hired employees. When God calls a servant into His service, He expects him to be active, productive and successful. When the apostle Paul addressed the Thessalonians regarding work, he used a term that means, “to labour to the point of exhaustion”, 1Thessalonians 5:12. Christian pastoral life is not, and will never be, a life of ease and laziness, 2 Timothy 2:1-10, 15; John 15:16-17. Sadly, many pastors in Sudan and South Sudan today regard the Christian ministry as a means of accumulating wealth and getting rich, 1Timothy 6:9-10. What Paul describes in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 does not describe them. God’s calling demands that a pastor should: be totally dedicated to the ministry of God be concerned with people feed and care, spiritually and practically, for those who have been put under his care know that he will give full account to God regarding his task Such a demanding calling becomes a target of the devil, who usually attacks the most faithful and dedicated men of God. Therefore as a pastor, when you are doing your duty effectively, be sure you will become increasingly a target of Satan. He will use the mean-spirited criticisms of unbelievers, and most likely, some negatives from carnal and disobedient Christians. Finally, you will be compared to near impossible to attain standards of righteousness. Let me advise you to be thick-skinned enough to stand firm without wavering so that you may be able to handle all the devil’s darts, which he throws at you to discourage you and thwart your work for Jesus Christ.[6] You will be overwhelmingly bewildered to find your own colleagues, pastors, elders, evangelists, plus members of your own church, turn against you and falsely accuse you of different flaws and misconduct, just because they envy your faithful, loyal, honest and successful ministry achievements. This has happened to me personally three times: 1. In 1992 I was accused of 21 wrongdoings by the then Sudanese Church Of Christ (SCOC) president, who was upset with me because I was too strict on controlling the church’s finance and vehicles. Some were not used for church work, but for family purposes. He was able to convince a majority of the General Church Council (GCC) members with these accusations. They voted and sent me out of office. 2. In June 1996 the elders and some members of the Local Church Committee (LCC) filed nine accusations against me, although they later dropped three and kept ‘the six agendas’. Three then Zagalona local church elders, with some members who were persuaded by some pastors who envied the ‘Zagalona sewing centre and workshop’, tried to get hold of it by force. Again the SCOC president, two pastor colleagues, and members from other local churches joined my elders in these false accusations. I am so sad to mention this action cost SCOC dearly, resulting in properties being damaged and lost, the closure and occupation of our church headquarters office and compound by the police for eight years, and most grievously of all the experience SCOC went through of internal division during those eight years when the security occupied the headquarters compound. The church was dragged to the secular court by church leaders, who hoped that the court would decide which party was legally right, A or B. Unfortunately it was just a waste of time, money and energy, because the court did not rule in favour of any group. The judge sent us to go back and resolve our own differences, which we did during the joint GCC meetings in Kauda town in 2005, under the presidency of Pastor Nabil Kodi Omar, when the SCOC churches reunited again. 3. In January 2003, during the GCC meetings in Mayo local church under the presidency of pastor Bolos Suleman Bushara, a group of pastors, elders and some members of the GCC voted me out of office again as the General Secretary (GS) of SCOC, claiming that my term of office had ended, while constitutionally I had another 18 months to go. This group had vested interests in the office of the GS and they also wanted to get hold of the education funds and the schools, which were primarily established for the displaced children of SCOC and their communities. They successfully plotted and voted me out of office. It is worth mentioning that during all of these accusations I pleaded for the church to prove me guilty, saying that whatever I had taken from SCOC I would readily repay to the church or to any individual from whom I had taken it. To this day no one was able to prove anything against me. Moreover I want to point out that during all of these three times I remained calm and I sought to obey the Bible and the SCOC constitution. I did not fight back although the groups tried to provoke me to anger. I readily respected their decisions the first and the third times. For the second I suspended my pastoral and spiritual work until I was proved not guilty by a committee appointed by the acting President of SCOC during that period. Extremely sad to mention is the court case in which a pastor and several elders and members accused me with six members of Zagalona local church committee for accepting, receiving and welcoming a group of Zagalona members, who returned to Zagalona local church after they defected and went away during the period of the SCOC division. The allegations made were: Causing irritation, turbulence and commotion in the church during worship services Convincing members to return to Zagalona local church, by persuasion Confiscating their worship centre. Based on these accusations, three members were arrested after the revival programme and were held at a police station. When I went to release them I was also arrested and joined them in custody. The police asked me to inform the remaining three of my members to come. With joy and euphoria I did. Immediately they came and all seven of us were held for seven hours of grilling and interrogation, 5:00pm to 12:00 midnight, before we were released on a financial bond posted by another elder. With apparent malice, hatred, envy and pride, the accusing pastor and his group shamefully perjured themselves to substantiate their allegations to the court. The process continued for one full year before the pastor and his group withdrew the case when they failed to substantiate or prove their allegations against us. By God’s grace we never questioned, nor fought back or retaliated until this day. The accusers adamantly rejected the Kauda GCC resolution No.1, “All defected groups must return to their local churches”. This group refused to comply and formed their own local church instead. Friends and colleagues, I am writing this sadly, with candour, authenticity and pure heart. I only want to set these personal experiences before you as a warning for you, pastors. I do not want you to be taken by surprise, to be confused, annoyed or impatient as I was the first time I faced these challenges from within the church, even from my fellow Christians, elders, evangelists and pastors. In time I discovered that it was the devil who was fighting against the church and against me, using the closest individuals with whom I worked and served even from within the church. If you have received the divine calling and you are diligently faithful and successful at your work in God’s eyes, you will become the direct object of Satan’s warfare. Therefore watch out and pray so that you may not fall and enter into the temptations of similarly evil men, Matthew 26: 36-42. Please do not misunderstand me by thinking I am trying to boast by these examples. I am not. I will never boast because as a human being I am not perfect. I have my own weaknesses and have made many mistakes. I just intend these examples as a warning for those who have sensed and received the divine calling, and who aspire to the fine and noble work of Christian servant leadership, so that you may not fall into the temptations and snares of Satan. Be watchful and pray for wisdom, discernment, guidance, protection, patience, with the power to stand and fight the good fight without reproach, defeating Satan and his agents who are looking for reasons to attack you and destroy your ministry. Beware! Be vigilant! Watch out! And pray! Characteristics and qualifications of a godly pastor “Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgement as the devil. He must have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap”, 1 Timothy 3:2-7. We will now examine these absolute requirements for those in church leadership. 1 Timothy 3:2 begins, “the overseer must be”. Notice the word “must” means the things listed are necessary and essentially important. There is no negotiation over these issues. A pastor must be above reproach A godly pastor is required to be “above reproach”, vs2. This literally means, “not able to be held guilty”. The man who is above reproach could not legitimately be arrested and held by people as if he were a criminal. There must be nothing for which he can be fairly and reasonably accused of regarding his moral and ethical life. This quality is asked of all Christians, but most especially of pastors, because if one were taken by some obviously sinful moral defects they would preclude him from setting the highest standard for godly conduct. He must be a model for the congregation to follow and he must not give the enemies of the church legitimate reasons to attack it. Let me make it very clear that God is asking all Christians to be above reproach, but obviously pastors must take extra care for the following reasons: 1. Godly pastors are targets of Satan and he exerts effort using his cunning ways and powers to assault them, often with more severe temptations than others, especially using money, adultery, wine and pride. On battlegrounds it is expected that those on the front lines will bear the brunt of the opposition. Just so godly pastors are on the front lines in spiritual warfare. 2. The fall into sin of a pastor has greater potential for shameful harm to the cause of Christ. Satan knows that when a shepherd falls, the effect on both the sheep and watching unbelievers is devastatingly great. 3. The pastor’s deeper knowledge of the truth brings accountability to live out truth and will bring greater chastening if and when he falls into sin. 4. The pastor’s sins are hypocritical because while preaching against them, he actually lives in them. The pastor must be the husband of one wife Still in 3:2 this literally means he must be, ‘a one-woman man’, that is he cannot be a polygamist. He cannot be single or a widower. He cannot be married more than once, unless he is divorced and remarried in the case of his wife’s unfaithfulness, or due to widowhood. The clearest biblical interpretation is that he can only have one wife during his lifetime and be of a ‘one-woman’ mindset. Sadly many men of Christian ministry find these conditions very difficult to respect. Although a pastor may be a monogamist, he can still be as immoral as a polygamist, or as nominal Christians, or even as unbelievers. He may have one or more ‘other women’ with whom he continues to have secret affairs. Please note that the biblical concept of a ‘one-woman man’ means a pastor must have a ‘one-woman mindset’. This is the most stringent interpretation of any because it demands that a man must be morally and emotionally loyal only to his wife. More specifically: His romantic and physical affections must be given only to his wife He must make sure that there is no fantasising about some other women He should not be prone to pornography, homosexuality, or the visual stimulation of any other woman He ought not to be a flirtatious type of man, with the danger of wandering emotional intentions He should be absolutely faithful to this one woman, his wife. His faithfulness must be so strong that he never even gives a second thought to having an affair with another woman With such mindset a pastor should never desire to be as immoral as they come! Rather he ought to desire to be as moral as he can possibly be. Friends, here is the dilemma of most of us ministers of the word. Many of us struggle with lust and immoral thoughts as we interact with females in our daily lives. Sadly, some pastors who did not dedicate their lives to a living relationship with Jesus by fervent and earnest prayers have been lured into adultery. Serene women have cunningly enticed and destroyed many strong men of God. So, watch, watch again, and watch out! Be extra careful in dealing with the female members of your church, the community, the neighbourhood; your female secretary, female youth, and especially single women, needy widows or hurting women. I personally know a minister who had a successful ministry. Sadly, at the same time, he was living in sin, living an adulterous life with another woman until God sent a ‘Nathan’ to confront ‘David’ and tell him, “you are the man”! 2 Samuel 12: 7. Thank God, like David, this minister repented and confessed his sin, but despite God’s absolute forgiveness, the marks and effects of his sin continued to follow his household, 2 Samuel 12:8 to 18:33. My dear co-partners, ministers of the word, let us get down on our knees and seek God’s grace and power so that we can stand up against this lethal temptation, which has led many mighty men and women of God to fall, ruining their spiritual lives and their ministry impact. The apostle Paul himself struggled with sin in his life while ministering as we read in Romans 7:7 onward. He concludes, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!”, verses 24-25. Let me spur my readers on to be men and women of prayer so that you may continue to be a ‘one-woman man’ (or ‘a one man-woman’) through and through, bearing in mind that this is the highest standard of moral character for the people of God. Ask yourself this question daily, “What should I do to make sure that my heart and my eyes are not attracted by the affections and beauty of the opposite sex, in order to stay above reproach?” One thing is certain, you cannot pray too much. The pastor must be temperate The term temperate in 1 Timothy 3:2 denotes the idea of wineless or unmixed with wine. The Greek word nephalios means “free from the influence of intoxicants”. In some Bible translations the term is translated as “sober”, “sober-minded”, “sensible”, “watchful” or “vigilant”. Sometimes the Bible speaks about wine in a positive way, for example Psalm 104: 15, where God makes “wine that gladdens the heart of man”. But in most cases wine is described as a dangerously destructive weapon and it kills millions of lives each year. Solomon wrote: “It is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights”, Proverbs 31: 4-5.[8] This means that a pastor is to be alert and watchful at all times, because if he is affected by wine, it will hinder him from being a sober, temperate and vigilant minister. Wine may lead to weariness, dizziness and drunkenness. Pastors need to be clear headed, alert and watchful, avoiding any excesses that would hinder their capacity to serve in a godly way. Whatever might interfere with his spiritual life, or control him physically, should be avoided, totally eliminated from his life. In a nutshell, he should not allow anything such as the effects of wine, other alcohol, drugs or even taking excessive hobby time to diminish his clear-headedness for a God-honouring, even-tempered Christian ministry. The pastor must be prudent Prudent in 1 Timothy 2:3, means acting only after careful thought or planning. A person who is well disciplined and knows how to correctly order his priorities when making decisions sensibly with his right mind, ably making a balanced judgment, is a prudent person. This is referring to a self-controlled person, who is serious about spiritual matters, and typically has well-thought out plans without the need for snap judgements. He is not cold or humourless, but he views the world around him through God’s eyes. This is the person who sees little frivolity to be found regarding the prospect of unsaved persons ending up in hell for eternity. A prudent pastor will discipline himself in order to have a steady mind about the things of God. He must never rush in judgement, but rather be thoughtful, earnest and cautious in all his plans, be it administrative, pastoral or financial. He must put foremost his care for his church and his family. These are the kind of ministers who excel in their work, thus setting good examples of servanthood, being godly men of God, men who are obediently fulfilling God’s will and purpose in calling them into the divine and noble Christian ministry. The pastor must be respectable The Greek kosmios from which the English cosmos (universe) is derived denotes the sense of order, definitely the opposite of chaotic. In our context, 1 Timothy 3:4 does not mean neatness in housekeeping, but rather refers to someone who is not confused but deliberate in what he does. It describes a person who is not characterised by disorderly behaviour. The term also carries the idea of prudence and denotes the idea of using good self-discipline with the ability to determine the steps necessary to bring order to the church. This enables him to be responsible both inside and outside of the church family, as he shows integrity, honesty, humility, respect and love for all humanity. To be a respectable Christian means to live by the accepted moral standards of a genuinely Christian society. Church members are all called to do this within the larger community in which God has placed them. We are still looking at 1 Timothy 3:1-7, especially verse 2. Having seen key characteristics and qualifications for a Christian pastor, shepherd or overseer, we are moving on through their duties and especially their own discipleship. The pastor should work hard to fulfil the following required duties that will prove to himself and to others if he is a true servant of God or not. Please take time to carefully meditate on these responsibilities. Make sure you, as a pastor, know them, apply them and show them in your daily life. The pastor must be hospitable The Greek word philoxenia is a compound word that literally means, “a love for strangers”.[9] It is an often-mentioned virtue in the Scriptures. It is easily misunderstood when taken to mean ‘entertaining friends’. But it does not mean this. The intended meaning in the days of the New Testament context is, “showing hospitality to strangers”. Because of persecution, poverty, orphans, widows and the travelling Christians of the early church, hospitality was essential. The followers of Jesus were advised to welcome strangers into their homes. Ancient inns were notoriously perverted, bad and dangerous! Many were brothels or places where travellers may be robbed or beaten. Even today many of us hesitate to welcome and show hospitality to strangers because of our concerns about rampant crimes. We are uncertain of someone we have never met before to the extent we have developed a paranoia, so afraid that we are no longer willing or prepared to be hospitable to strangers, to the poor, to orphans, to widows or to the elderly who are in and around our communities. To obediently fulfil this biblical virtue, few Christians today are willing to put aside some money for booking a place in guesthouse or hotel for the visiting stranger, if we do not have enough room in our own home. The majority of Christians appear neither willing nor prepared to assist a stranger. They hope that a stranger will never come their way. Given the fact that contemporary incidents of robbery, killings, rapes and assaults are many, it is perhaps understandable. But it has become too convenient for many Christians to overcautiously avoid these latent dangers when dealing with strangers. This may sound acceptable to most Christians in the Western world and in some big cities around the globe, where living standards are too costly thus forcing those who are desperately in need of the essential needs for survival to commit atrocious crimes. But we must always ask, ‘what would Jesus do in such cases?’. What does He want us to do for any given stranger who crosses our path with a simple need that we can actually meet? He definitely wants us to show hospitality to strangers. Remember He said: “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me”, Matthew 25:35-36. As pastors we should set the example in showing hospitality to strangers before we ask other followers of Christ to fulfil this biblically important obligation themselves. A story was told of a godly Christian who welcomed a vagrant who was passing in his neighbourhood and needed some place to stay. Although he had never met the needy person, nor did they have a room in their house to have the stranger stay, he welcomed the man overnight. He trusted the stranger’s claim to be a born again Christian when he saw a demonstration of trustworthiness on the surface of his life. This godly Christian was mindful of the story of the Good Samaritan that Jesus told His followers. He mimicked that example remembering Jesus told His followers to go and do likewise, Luke 10:25-37. The family had taken a big time chance of being ripped off or being attacked and robbed by someone who had neither credentials nor references, just because they were willing to joyfully be hospitable to someone in need. Friends, this is the kind of spirit the apostle Paul is saying that all pastors and their wives should have. We may ask the same question as the lawyer did to Jesus, “who is my neighbour?” Luke 10:29. The answer to our question is this. Our neighbour can be: · the person you find going door-to-door seeking help · the person who just shows up at a worship service unexpectedly · the house neighbour whom you have never had a chance to meet · the fellow worshipper whom you have never known well · the elderly person whom you know and are aware of his spiritual needs · the disabled person with all of her physical needs To meet this required hospitality – as long as they lead by example – pastors should spur on their members to form groups of “Friends Loving One Another Together” This F.L.O.A.T evening/night ministry is where church members get together, and deliberately sit next to various people they see in our church Sunday after Sunday, yet with whom they remain virtual strangers. Opening homes to one another and sharing meals together will strengthen our love for each other and help us to be prepared to show hospitality to strangers, and especially to the “moderate strangers” within our own fellowships”. Therefore, a pastor must be characterised by a desire and the practice of opening both his heart and his home to show love to strangers. This is one of the most effective ways to present the good news and love of Jesus to strangers. They sometimes come off the streets for a meal and a warm bed, but of course they do need to hear the Gospel of salvation, the love and care Jesus has for them. There are many other ways a pastor should use in attempting to reach out to the strangers in his neighbourhood, encouraging them to come to Christ and join the church. By so doing a pastor will prove to his members and to the community that he genuinely has a philoxenia ‘hospitable’ heart, being a man who is willing to truly demonstrate Christ’s loving, friendly, generous behaviour towards strangers. A pastor must be able to teach Teaching is one of the components of the Great Commission, “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”, Matthew 28:20. Paul was keen that Timothy and other younger ministers could teach. “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable men, who will also be qualified to teach others”, 2 Timothy 2:2. “Command and teach these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in spirit, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers”, 1 Timothy 4:11-16. Based on these references above we realise that this is the only qualification in Paul’s list for Timothy that relates specifically to the pastor’s giftedness and function. It is also the one qualification that sets him apart from the office of a deacon, 1 Timothy 3:8-10. This entails a pastor should have the spiritual gift of teaching, which is completely different from the mere human capacity to impart truth. This teaching is only possible with spiritual giftedness. In secular education we find a lot of teachers who have excellent ability to convey information, but that does not make them pastor-teachers. The pastor-teacher has a Holy Spirit given enabling to teach truths from the word of God applicably and effectively. This spiritual gift is not just ‘the gift of the gab’. It is the gift given to a person when he stands in the pulpit, or leads the Bible study, to always present a clear, authentic, genuine, life-changing message for the audience. He himself will sense God’s direction and guidance in giving the message. His teaching is always an outcome of the hard work of his Bible studying and sermon preparation, from which he proclaims the whole truth of the word of God. Therefore a pastor should never cease from studying the word, meditating upon it daily, obeying and applying it to his own life before teaching it to others. By so doing he will dramatically grow in knowledge of the word, in wisdom, in grace, in love, and he will thrive spiritually until he reaches toward maturity, becoming more and more like Christ. Let me warn you from one pastor to another, never, never, and never merely go through the motions of preaching a bunch of old sermons because you have no time to pray, study, and prepare a message, to let the Holy Spirit lead you and speak to your own heart afresh. Many ministers are so lazy, reluctant to do the preparation until Saturday night for Sunday’s services. Then they will take the Bible and browse through it before going back to their old preaching notes to quickly choose a message without any prayer or application to their own hearts! Such practice will preclude the precision and power that God intends to impart through the pastor to His (God’s) children. A pastor must always maintain the habit of diligent studying the word, in order to teach it with effectiveness and with humility, honesty and holiness. For a pastor to teach without preparation but with arrogance and pride will be to undermine the very truths he is trying to get across to his people. Friends, only teaching with holiness will allow your life to be a prototype of what you are asking members of your congregation to be. Please do not be the kind of a pastor who says to his congregation, “Do what I say, but do not do what I do”! The bottom line is that the pastor-teacher should fulfil what Paul asked Timothy to do, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth”, 2 Timothy 2:15. This means a godly pastor-teacher should diligently seek to avoid teaching error and should be willing to humbly admit it, if by ignorance or choice, he makes such a mistake while neglecting this role of his office as a minister of God’s word and a shepherd of God’s flock. Pastors, please take this truth from me that, “If a pastor cannot feed his flock from the word of God, it is better for him to leave the ministry and look for other work to do. If you insist to remain in the ministry of the word, your sheep will either starve or get irritable or both”. So, regularly check your divine calling and your ability to teach the word of God. Let us all make this prayer by Joe Stowell our personal prayer as we continue to serve the Lord, “Lord, remind me often that You have been exceedingly generous to me. Help me to extend that generosity of Spirit toward those around me, so that they may know who You are and rejoice in You”. A pastor should not be addicted to wine The term wine refers to all alcoholic strong drinks usually made from the fermented juice of grapes, grains, other fruits or vegetables. Millions today around the globe including Sudan and South Sudan are victims of wine addiction, which causes them to lose their memories and equilibrium when they are drunk, and become easily irritated and quarrelsome all of the time. As a result of wine many households are devastated. Many marriages end in divorce just because the father or mother is addicted to some alcoholic drinks. Many Christians today in our contemporary generation use some Bible references to justify the use of alcohol, such as 1Timothy 5:23 and John 2:1-11. Sadly some eventually end up destroying their lives, their families, friends and most sadly they forfeit their salvation and eternal life by showing they were never saved. They also argue that the Bible is not against wine, but it is against drunkenness and addiction. This is true, but then these people continue to drink until they reach drunkenness and the addiction level thus disobeying God’s word: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead be filled with the (Holy) Spirit”, Ephesians 5:18. Numbers 6:1-5 explains the Nazirite vow for those separated to the Lord. In the context of the characteristics of the pastor, the Bible speaks less about wine and more about the addictive aspect of all alcohol. It is obvious that when a man is given to drunkenness he is clearly disqualified from being a pastor. In fact the Bible condemns his affinity towards alcohol. A pastor, indeed any Christian, should not be one who has a reputation as a drinker, or one who frequents bars whether he gets drunk or not. Christians should not involve themselves in places where alcohol is a primary element of the social atmosphere, nor should he ever store alcoholic beverages in his home for all too regular usage. The Old and New Testaments are replete with references that are against alcoholic drinks and drunkenness. For example in Isaiah 28:7 the prophet spoke about how bad things were among the spiritual leaders of Israel in the 8th century B.C., “And these also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions”. In Sudan and South Sudan we all experience death. We have lost hundreds of our beloved family members, friends, colleagues and our neighbours, some of who have died as a result of the local wine brewing. “Marisa” is wine made from different types of sorghum/grains. “Aaraqey” is date wine. “Aasalia” is wine made from sesame seeds. Add to these the western liquors such as beer, whisky, etc. They can all be potent killers. I was involved in counselling many alcoholics in my clan and other clans in my community, and also in other places whenever I met an alcoholic person. All of them speak one answer for their situation, “Marisa, Aaraqey or Aasalia are part of the food”. My response to each of them is, “The wine contains ethanol[13] that poisons your blood and eventually destroys your liver, brain and the whole life”. It is much the same as nicotine in cigarettes that damages your lungs. Their common reply again is, “I am not the only one who will die. Many have died”! Sadly they do continue to drink until they kill themselves. Friends, it is a common observation that when a person is under the influence of alcohol, his ability to make wise judgements is impaired, his personal example demonstrates he is one who invites others to indulge in unrighteous conduct. It must be apparent to all pastors that craving wine or other alcohol leads to the destruction of life and ministry. Alcohol will affect your relationship with Jesus and force you to join the drunkards rather than clinging to the Lord. It will shift your thoughts in the direction of a drink when you are down or get challenged, thus disobeying God’s commands. You will neglect your task; forfeit your prestige, honour and respect as a minister and servant of the Lord. Let me remind you of what the wise Solomon has written about wine, “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; and whoever is led astray[14] by them is not wise”. “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags”, Proverbs 20:1, 23:20-21. And see 1 Timothy 3:3; 1 Peter 4:3-5. Please read also about the effects of wine in Genesis 9:20-27, 19:30-38; then decide whether wine and alcoholic drinks are permissible for a believer to drink, or is doing so an abomination abhorred by the Lord? If you are a faithful and obedient servant of the Lord, you will agree with me that wine and all kinds of alcohol are an abomination,[15] abhorrent,[16] heinous,[17] devastating and shameful, and all faithful and obedient Christians must avoid them! Pastors, we should try and exert our efforts to counsel the alcoholics and the drug addicts in our neighbourhood, because alcohol and drugs devastate thousands every year even in our Sudan and South Sudan, including accidental killings, gun-shootings and overdoses. It is absolutely unfortunate that in many nations of the world the devil has enticed and misled most government authorities, in the name of freedom and human rights, to make alcohol and drugs legal. Now to their disappointment they face the consequences of numerous deaths as a result of drunkenness and associated diseases. The pastor should not be pugnacious The term pugnacious, (“not violent” 1 Timothy 3:3 NIV), is an adjective referring to a person who is fond of, or in the habit of fighting. He is a person who is cantankerous. Literally the term can be understood as a giver of blows, a striker or a brawler. This characteristic for a pastor requires that he who seeks the noble work of God’s word must be patient, humble, peaceful, loving, kind, meek and self controlled, and definitely not hot tempered. Unfortunately I am mindful of shameful incidents in which some bishops, pastors, evangelist, deacons, elders and members of Christ’s body, the Church, were physically engaged in fighting, brawling, using abusive words which are not supposed to come from the mouths of followers of Jesus Christ, Ephesians 4:29-32. Most of these incidents began with nasty harsh words which led to irritation and bullying. The apostle Paul urged Timothy, who was the pastor of the church in Ephesus, to, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you”, Ephesians 4:31-32. It is clear that a leader of the church must not be quarrelsome, a fighter or a brawler. He should not be given to physical outbursts of anger or have a tendency to resort to physical violence. If a pastor wants to decide a disagreement with deacons, elders, evangelists or even with other members in church meetings by a fist fight, then he is not qualified to be a pastor. The church must rebuke and discipline him. If he confesses his sin and genuinely repents he should be given a second chance. But if he adamantly refuses to obey the church, then he must be dismissed. A godly pastor should be able to react to all situations calmly, with a cool head, gentleness and humility. Pastors must follow the example of Jesus Christ and His apostles who did not react to the insults, harassment, rejection and mockery of those who were against the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His followers, Matthew 27:27-44; Luke 9:51-56. Please note that bullies and fist-fighters are not eligible for pastoral ordination. Neither is a brow beater eligible, that is a man who verbally frightens or bullies people. Such a man cannot be trusted to tend God’s sheep. Please set your mind wholeheartedly on serving God obediently. Set your own Christ-like example for those whom you pastor. It will bring a tremendous blessing to your own family, the church and the community. Then the glory and honour will be to the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. They will reward you accordingly. Please let me encourage you to place your confidence in God so that those who are around you will witness your faith and decide to trust Him too. Remember what the Israelites did when Joshua blatantly told them to choose for themselves whom they should serve, Joshua 24:15-27. Joshua decided to serve God alone. He was determined to teach his entire household to honour his Lord as well. He had trusted God for victory over his enemies and God helped him to conquer and divide the land between his people. Since he understood and trusted God’s power and faithfulness, and was given victory on the battleground, he knew that God would give him the spiritual victory too. Therefore, like Joshua, choose to serve God faithfully, unashamedly with all your heart and obediently. Then watch and wait to see how God blesses you, your family, your church and the community. After all, church work is His work. The pastor must be gentle We are still in 1 Timothy 3:3. “Gentle” refers to a person who is kind, friendly, the opposite of rough and violent. This characteristic refers to a man who shows consideration for the feelings of others, who is honourable and understands the behaviour of others. He is a man with a respectable social position, who deals in a kind, calm, pleasant and polite way with every person in his community. The term describes a person who is considerate, genial, forbearing and gracious, a person who is prone to pardon others who are disagreeable or those who fail. A gentle person is one who is most likely to keep a mental record of good things done by others rather than of wrongs committed against him or against other people. This means he does not keep grudges. He is not full of resentment. He never thinks about how to retaliate against others. Instead he shows kindness, love and forgiveness towards his antagonistic rival. Many people today regard gentleness as weakness, but the truth is that gentleness is not vulnerability, wimpiness, or weakness. Rather it is self-control, which itself is power under control. If we take our Lord Jesus’ gentle spirit it does not indicate weakness, but power and might. When He wanted to confront sin, satanic powers, or even the natural world, He demonstrated awesome power with the ability to bewilder all those around Him. The Jewish religious leaders regarded Him as the mere son of a carpenter from Nazareth, Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3; but He made a whip and drove the people of commerce out of the Temple, Matthew 21:12-13; Luke 19:45-48. He also amazed them with His authoritative teaching and the miraculous work of healing, expulsion of evil spirits, and raising of the dead, Matthew 7:29, 9:35; Luke 7:21; John 11:43-44, 12:17. Friends, if we are faithful, having sincerely and humbly committed our lives to Jesus Christ, and we continue to apply His commands and trust His promises, He will give to us His power and the ability to do even more as He did, John 14:11-12. This will only be our experience when we allow the Holy Spirit to control, guide and empower us, as we fervently pray and remain securely connected to our Lord Jesus. A pastor should not be contentious (not tending to argue or quarrel) The Greek word used in 1 Timothy 3:3 is amachos. This is possibly derived from amaxira, which is a short sword used for fighting. Machomai is to fight, hence our English word ‘macho’. In amachos the “a” means “not” or “against”. It refers to a person who is reluctant to fight, a peaceful person, someone who is not contentious. This character is the opposite of the term “pugnacious” above which we saw emphasised a readiness for physical fighting. A non-contentious person has chosen to avoid being a quarrelsome person. He or she is someone who will not be easily irritated or provoked to verbal combat. An incident was reported of a pastor who was asked to support another church by raising financial support, but the elders of that church eventually accused him of embezzlement. He became so irritated and provoked that he responded with multiple verbal tirades to the accusing elders and his deacon board. He also made false accusations against one of the members. This pastor, clearly not having this character quality of a godly pastor, nearly split the church into two groups in less than 9 months! In fact the sad result was that this church lost over 100 people, one third of the church membership, due to his lack of self-control and poor anger management. I wonder if this pastor ever came across what God says about a person who creates divisive turmoil in a church, leading to its demise? The apostle Paul firmly states, “If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple”, 1 Corinthians 3:17. Please take note that the temple in this context is in plural form. It refers to the corporate body of believers in a local church, “You yourselves are God’s temple”, verse 16. See also 1 Corinthians 3:3, 16-17; 5:3-13; Proverbs 6:12-19. A pastor should always remain calm and self-controlled whenever he faces a situation that may irritate or provoke him into anger. God will help him. A pastor ought to be free from the love of money From the outset let me make it very clear what the Bible teaches about money and wealth. It never teaches against money or wealth, but against the love of money, explained in 1 Timothy 6:6-10. We can give several examples of godly persons in the Bible who had a great deal of money. Abraham and Lot were very wealthy with many flocks, herds and servants who served them, Genesis 13:1-7. Job was a man of substantial means, Job 1:1-3, 42:12-13. King David and King Solomon both had much wealth, 2 Samuel 7:8-9,18,28-29; 1 Kings 10:23. Remember also the apostle Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthian church, 1 Corinthians 16:1- 4, and to Timothy, 1 Timothy 6:17-19. We can see that God does not consider “money” to be evil, does He? Never! Neither did the apostles during their teaching ministry. Sadly at the beginning of Christianity in our area, that is Sudan’s Nuba Mountains, wrong teaching was given to the first converts. They were told that money and wealth were bad and anyone who was rich would not enter the kingdom of God! I think the first missionaries missed the point. Paul was telling Timothy to be careful about avoiding the love of money, the love that is the root and source of all evil, 1 Timothy 6:10. The Jewish religious rabbis taught an opposite wrong concept in Old Testament times. They thought that if a person was wealthy, well off and seemingly blessed financially by God, he was probably a man right with God. This was a wrong notion about finances and wealth that many Jews held about money. It became an idol that replaced God. Wealth was worshipped rather than worshipping God the giver of wealth and health. They believed, as many do today, that if a person is blessed with wealth and with good health for his family, then it is an indication that this person is right with, and blessed by, God. But Jesus shot down this concept by rebuking the wealthy about their suspect spiritual lives, and by warning the listeners about the danger of trusting in personal wealth, and finally by exhorting the folks not to worry about worldly things, but to first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness! We can be assured by Jesus’ teaching. He taught that people should first seek the kingdom of God and not worry about possession of things, thus questioning the wealthy, see Luke 6:24, 8:14; Matthew 6:25-34; 19:16-30. Sadly and shamefully many ministers of the Gospel today, in Sudan and in South Sudan, fall into temptation, trapped by a love of money due to their low salaries and lack of support given by their local congregations. When finance becomes the reason why pastors, evangelists, elders and deacons strive to be elected, or ordained as pastors even if a person did not clearly receive the divine calling into ministry, then the churches are in serious trouble. In the Western world money has become the force that drives most of today’s ‘televangelists’ and some mega-church pastors with health and wealth prosperity gospel preachers. They have tainted the church and caused much harm to the cause of Christ. There are bishops, pastors, evangelists, prophets and apostles whose messages are mainly centred on a “prosperity gospel” in which the preacher encourages the listeners to name what they want from the Lord, and then to claim it, assuring them that they are going to receive their requests after they sow a seed of faith by first sending that ministry one hundred dollars, (even up to one thousand dollars). Be it to get a house, a car, a job, to pass exams, to have children, to experience healing from disease and deliverance from satanic or evil spirits, many people sign up and give their ‘seed faith gift’. By doing so they show that their hearts are still set on earthly things and not on heavenly things, Colossians 3:1-2. Beware of people influenced by these preachers now coming into Africa. Be careful of the disciples of Benny Hinn, Oral Roberts, Robert Tilton, Creflo Dollar, Reinhard Bonkke and Joel Osteen, to name but a few. Protect yourself and your people. Pastors, please take heed and check your own motives for being in the ministry. If you are in the ministry for what you can make out of it financially, then you are clearly in violation of this qualification. You are a lover of money and that becomes a snare for you. You will know the temptation to seek pleasure for the flesh and joy from the world more than seeking the kingdom of God. Please read slowly and carefully Hebrews 13:5-6, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” See also Deuteronomy 31:6; Psalm 118:6-7. Greed, covetousness and envy are common temptations that face most Christians. Giving in to them brings a fall into financial scandal which in turn leads many to commit adultery, drinking too much wine, addiction to drugs, following the craving for a luxurious life. This sickness has no cure until you are freed from the love of money and from greed. Then you realise that the sole antidote for greed is contentment, Hebrews 13:5. The following indicators will help us to know if the pastor is a lover of money or not: He should be generous as Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive”, Acts 20:35. The pastor should believe this wholeheartedly and practice it himself. His focus should be on trusting the Lord, not worrying about money. He must consider handling both church and his own finances as stewardship only. The money was entrusted to him by God and the people, so he must be concerned about using everything wisely that God has entrusted into his care. He must be a good manager of that which God has blessed him with. He should not be greedy, nor stingy or a hoarder. He should not expect everyone else to be sacrificial in giving generously to the needs of others, while he is not so himself. He should not spend excessive time thinking and planning ways for getting more money and luxury things, for example a house, furniture, car and other equipment. Rather, he should be showing a trust in the Lord that gives him total peace about God’s providence and God’s provision for his own and his family’s needs. He must have a willing and concerned heart to help care for widows, orphans, the elderly, the poor, the sick and the disabled. He must willingly and joyfully pay his tithe monthly, which is at least 10% of his salary. This is not optional, rather it is the starting point for giving with God, Malachi 3:8-12; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8. Then he will certainly experience the fulfilment of the promises of God mentioned in these two passages and other places in the Bible. What is your status regarding the love of money? Are the qualities mentioned above yours as a pastor or are you lacking some of them? Please be sincere with yourself in answering these questions and then ask God to help you to settle your problems with finance. I concur with John Calvin who once said: “He, who desires to be rich, desires to be rich quick”.[19] It is true that such inclinations will taint a person’s pure desire to minister selflessly and sacrificially. I am also reminded of what Geoffrey Wilson wrote when addressing the issue of money and wealth, “The earth-bound desires of a covetous spirit always clip the wings of faith and love”.[20] My friend and colleague pastor, let me warn you as Paul did warn Timothy against the love of money, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction”. 1 Timothy 6:9. Paul explained to Timothy that nobody brought anything with us into this world when we were born and we will not take anything with us when we die and move on. Therefore if we have our daily bread and clothing we should be content and be grateful to our God for His providence and for sustaining our lives with reasonable health and protection. Sadly and shamefully we struggle and even disobey God’s commandments in the Bible. We violate our church constitutions in order to gain money and wealth. This ought not to be so. Our Lord Jesus gave us quite a number of good illustrations regarding money and wealth. Please read about the rich young ruler in Luke 18:18-30, with the emphasis on verse 23. The young ruler was committed to his money, wealth and power, so much so that when Jesus told him the only solution to his spiritual problems was to sell all of his possessions and give the resulting cash to the poor, and only then come and follow Jesus, he actually chose to keep his money and he walked away. I want to share a few examples from the Sudanese churches to illustrate this lesson. I begin with my own church, which is the Sudanese Church of Christ, (SCOC). Some time ago we encountered serious biblical, doctrinal and constitutional violations by a certain SCOC President, a General Secretary, and some pastors who were members of the Executive Committee. They had mandated an elder to sue one of the schoolteachers, an act that caused irritation, unsettlement, anger and unrest among other members of SCOC, who for the first time were experiencing a sad and heinous situation. The head of SCOC delegated the director of our education department to sue one of our teachers because she refused to give them her school’s registration money. She informed them that the school’s headmaster did not mandate her to do so. He was away at Bible School. I tried by all means to convince the President, the General Secretary and the Executive Committee that she was acting correctly, but to my disappointment my effort was in vain. The leadership adamantly rejected my counsel and that of others. Fortunately the court case ended by declaring the schoolteacher innocent and freeing her from all accusations. I believe this intentional action from the SCOC leadership was because, sadly, they loved money more than they loved God. Remember what Paul wrote, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil”. 1 Timothy 6:10. Another sad incident is the on going strife and contention within the Evangelical Church. It is currently (2014) divided into two groups each exerting all their power to control their church properties and revenue from them. They shamefully accuse one another to the extent they have taken their case before the civil court to decide which group is legally the leader of the Evangelical Church in Sudan. Even more disgracefully and shamefully, according to my reading, some members continue to write on the internet using nasty harsh words to justify their own legality and right to lead, and therefore to control the revenue money from the church properties, plus the financial support given by some external Christian organisations and Mission groups. This is all in public for the world to see. Also, based on information through some of my sources, I was recently informed (2014) that some misunderstandings arose in the Episcopal Church of Sudan, the Coptic Orthodox church, the Pentecostal church, the Sudan Interior Church and the Africa Inland Church, all due to financial crises including dishonesty, fraud and embezzlements, the results of people who cannot resist the ‘love of money’. What a tragedy for the Church in Sudan. The last sad example of love of money I will share is when a late, respected Mission Society director retired from the Society and sued them, claiming a large amount of money from them for his years of service. The Sudanese court ruled in his favour, against the Society’s board. But immediately after he received the money, he passed on leaving everything behind. I am reminded of our Lord Jesus’ parable in Luke 12:15-21. I am candidly setting these vivid examples before you, which some of you have experienced or at least heard about, so that you as pastors and people may take heed. Be very careful and sensitive when dealing with money in order to avoid any suspicion, embarrassment, and temptations that spring from the love of money. Ask God to guide you and set you free from the love of money, and enable you to overcome this sin, which appears to continually haunt many of today’s pastors! What is your attitude towards dealing with finances? Does your attitude reveal that you are really a true follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, or are you only a fair-weather friend of God? If perchance God does not take care of your financial needs as you think He should, then by folly, may be you will just do as the rich young ruler did and walk out on Jesus, Matthew 19:22. Please let me remind you that even pastors are capable of being false converts, men who actually love material things more than they love God. See Matthew 7:15-23; Jude 4-19; 1 Timothy 1:3-11, 3:3; 6:1-10; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Titus 1:5-16; 2 Peter 2:1-22; Acts 20:29-35; 2 John 7-11; 3 John 9-11. Assuming that a pastor is a true convert, he may still be overly or covertly wrapped up in financial ambitions. These may steadily lead him further into the love of money and down the slippery slope of dishonesty. So, watch out and pray in order that you do not give in to temptation, Matthew 26:41. A pastor should manage his family household well The word ‘to manage’ means to control, preside over or have authority over. So, to manage a household well denotes the responsibility of ruling, presiding, controlling and having authority over the household, accountable to God, see “direct the affairs of” in 1 Timothy 5:17.This biblical characteristic involves a man’s family. Paul was referring precisely to the pastor’s family, which must be an example of a godly family so that members of the church he is pastoring may follow his family’s example in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus. The husband/father is the head of the family, that is his wife and children. Therefore he has great responsibility to train and discipline his children well, in the fear, obedience and love of the Lord, so that when they grow up they will continue to love and serve God with full obedience and respect, Proverbs 22:6. His parental role requires that he should teach his children by his exemplary behaviour, not only by his words. His character of faith, in obedience to, with love and the fear of the Lord, will consistently produce a life of godliness. He can inspire admiration from his children as he moves in the right direction even though he is not yet perfect. The great desire for good that is seen in him will reflect the character of God and thus influence his children. This parental role is absolutely important to all parents, as well as being challenging to pastors. It is why Paul urges us to be strong in the Lord and His mighty power, Ephesians 6:10. Without divine protection Satan will snatch and control all of our children. All parents should take extra care to teach their children by how they live, not just by what they say. Children learn far better from what they see us doing and observing how we live, rather than by listening to what we say. The word “well”, 1 Timothy 3:4, is an adjective meaning ‘better or the best’, and it refers to a satisfactory and integral condition. The Greek word is kalos. It has a similar but richer meaning than another Greek word agathos, which literally means morally or practically good. Kalos goes one step further and adds the idea of aesthetically good, beautiful, pleasing to the eyes. Taking a close and deep look at the text, we discover that Paul was not talking about the way we dress or the external features of ‘well’. Rather he was referring to the way we maintain order in the family, the respectfulness of members of the household for one another, and the appropriate responses to each other both inside and outside the home. So, when we speak of a pastor who manages his household well, we are talking about his care, control and the ruling over his children, as well as, of course, his love and respect for his wife. Paul emphasised this important role of the pastor by adding the phrase, “with all dignity”, verse 4 (NASB). This gives power and importance to this characteristic role. It refers to the method he uses to keep order and respect within his family, rather than how his children respond to the parents, as some commentators suggest. The whole objective in this context asks, “Does the pastor manage his children with dignity or in violation of any one of the other character qualities already mentioned above? Does he manage gently? Does he avoid violence? Does he control himself in his dealings with his family?” “Dignity” carries the sense of respect or stainlessness. The Bible teaches that parents should not provoke their children to anger, Ephesians 6:4, yet many parents, including pastors, in their efforts to keep children under disciplined control use various wrong means including intimidation, threats, physical abuse, screaming, and the denial of rewards and privileges. These can violate the virtue of ruling, “with all dignity”. Some parents seem to apply the Greek military term upotage, which brings the idea of ‘lining up in rank under one who is in authority’. But this is not what the Bible teaches as is clear in the following Scriptures, Deuteronomy 6:1-9, 20-25; Proverbs 22:6; 2 John 4; Ephesians 6:1-4; Colossians 3:20-21. So, if the pastor is known to blow his stack often while trying to get his children under control, I wonder how he is going to turn out in the way he manages the flock of God? 1Timothy 3:4-5. Please note that the idea of children being under control realistically means children are to be respectful, responsive to parental authority in obedience and love, always willing to obey parental rules (even if they are not thrilled about them), and most importantly, they should not be in open rebellion against their parents’ authority. Of course this does not mean that the children have to be perfect angels, that they are never disobedient to their parents, that they never make mistakes, bad choices, neither that they never question spiritual things. No. God did not say that pastors’ children should by-pass the normal developmental moral stages of human life. We should remember that even the baby Jesus had to grow up physically, in wisdom, in obedience and in His maturity, but in His case only, without sin. God does not expect pastors’ children to be robots, computerised and programmed only to do what is right. Nor did God expect pastors’ children to merely be parrots, who mimic their parents’ words and actions. God has left us all with the freedom to choose at our discretion so that we can make our own decisions. Yet the children are commanded to be respectful and honourable in how they treat their parents and observe their authority. It is heart-breaking that many pastors’ children nowadays become extremely rebellious and disobedient to their parents, the elderly, their own siblings, friends, and even to God. Many, after they reach the teenage years, live miserable, destructive, sinful and dishonourable lives, which bring shame to their parents, the churches, their community and ultimately, to God. Some parent-pastors give their reasons for leaving the ministry by saying, they want to rescue their son(s) or daughter(s) from the terribly sinful and destructive direction chosen for their lives. Moreover, they add that it is not just because of a violation of one of the biblical qualifications for pastors that they are leaving the ministry, but due to their much love for the child they cannot standby and do nothing to try to redirect their child’s path away from its destructive and spiritually fatal direction. Dear pastor and other Christian parents, this spiritual battle against us and our children should not surprise us, or make us give up our hope in exhorting and advising them. We should earnestly and fervently pray for them, pleading with God to rescue them from the powers of the devil and darkness. We have many sad examples in the Bible of priests’ children, for example Eli, 1 Samuel 2:12-17, 22-36; King David, 2 Samuel 13:1-2, 15:1-6, 16:11, 18:1-33; Noah, Genesis 6:9-10, 9:1, 18-29, 10:32. This third example is the one parents should aspire to follow with their children. Although Noah lived in a world where everyone blatantly disregarded God and wickedness was the norm for that generation, his children were faced with a significant decision, either to join the society and live evil lives like the rest of their people, or to follow their father who was the only man walking with God. By his godly example Noah influenced his sons to join him in obeying God. They helped him build the ark, which took them a hundred years to complete. Noah’s sons were tempted to believe those around them instead of their father, but their father greatly influenced them. Eventually they saved their own lives together with their wives, Genesis 6:1-9:28. From Noah’s example, parents should make sure they influence their sons and daughters to obey, fear, love and serve God, and in turn influence those around them to follow God too. As a Christian parent your life should stand out in bright contrast to those around you. You must clearly be a righteous person, who listens to what God tells you to do for your children. In so doing your best with God’s help, the positive effects of your obedience will definitely have a great impact and bring a drastic change to your children’s lives, even if it is only seen when they are much older. Sadly I heard of some servants of God, who because their children were not under control, have left the ministry either temporarily or permanently. Brethren in Christ, based on my personal experience with my own children, I can candidly assure you that being a pastor can bring out the worse in a man’s demand for respect and authority! In my personal experience of counselling with parents whose children are in rebellion to them and to the Word of God, I have come to the conclusion that Satan is directing all his powers, plans and programmes to fight against God’s children, and in a special way the children of bishops, overseers, moderators, pastors, evangelists, elders, deacons and Christian church members, Revelation 12:1-17. Please let us as parents be patient with our children bearing in mind that the apostle Paul did not use any term that refers to a certain age of child, such as nepios infant, paidio child below 7 years, or pais 7 to 14 years. Rather he used the term teknon child in general, not referring to any specific age, but simply to the relationship of the father to the child. So, as long as the child is in the household of the pastor (or any other Christian parent), regardless of their age that child should show respectful honour for his parents’ and their authority, Exodus 20:12; Proverbs 13:1, 15:20-21. As parents we should also treat our children with love and dignity all through their lives, so that they may follow our own examples of respect, integrity and dignity, and therefore honour God. I hope and pray that God the Father will enable us as pastors to assist our church families in bringing up their children in a biblical and godly way, as I wholeheartedly believe that if you faithfully seek God’s face on behalf of your children, and those of your membership or of the community, the Lord will listen and rescue our children from the grip and power of the devil. The pastor should not be a new convert The Greek term used here to describe this characteristic is neophutos, which literally means a ‘new plant’, a novice and a recent convert, 1 Timothy 3:6. This word is only used once in the New Testament and is importantly used here for two explained reasons: 1. A new-Christian pastor may become conceited. This adjective is a colourful word the root form of which means ‘smoke’. So this means he may be puffed up like a cloud of smoke. In other words a conceited person becomes much too proud, arrogant in himself or his own abilities. He will have too high an opinion of himself. Like smoke rising into the sky he will soon fade away. Therefore the apostle Paul in this context is warning Timothy not to ordain a newly converted person into a position of spiritual leadership and authority. It takes time to become spiritually mature and strong in faith and in the knowledge of God and His word. The temptation to pride will bring with it the danger of falling into the condemnation incurred by the devil, see the end of 1 Timothy 3:6. This does not mean that he could lose his salvation, because God has promised that we can never lose our salvation, which He has given to believers freely. He will never take it from us unless we did not actually believe and did not ever have genuine trust in Him. Satan’s prime sin is pride. That made him puffed up to the extent of trying to be like the Most High God! Isaiah 14:12-14. Satan uses that same sin to deceive people who fall into arrogance and pride and refuse the gift of salvation provided by Jesus Christ who paid for our sins by His precious blood. 2. The second reason a pastor must not be a recent convert is that he must have a good reputation with outsiders and not fall into disgrace and the trap set by the devil, 1 Timothy 3:7. What this refers to is the prospect of a new convert, not understanding his belief in Jesus Christ, being elevated too quickly to the position of pastor, Matthew 13:5-6. Every new convert needs time to feed on God’s word, to grow in faith and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus, to become spiritually mature, and to show some aptitude for pastoral work. Only then can he be a legitimate candidate for this noble work, which is undertaken following a divine calling. When the devil in his pride refused to seek God’s glory, God had to humble him by removing him from his high position as the chief archangel of God. Similarly the new convert who becomes sinfully proud of himself because of his high position, God might have to use some radical means by which to humble him, because he has not recognised Who is really in charge and Who is the only One Who can make anything of eternal value happen in and through our lives. From my experience many who became Christians and were active in Christian and church activities became victims of pride. Self-centredness can then lead to adultery, fornication, or strife, ending up with division in the church. It could all have been avoided if people took time to study the word of God in depth, to grow in personal faith into spiritual maturity, and to be tried and tested to make sure they can withstand the fiery darts of the evil one, such as come through temptations, persecution, and suffering for Christ’s sake. A mature pastor is better able (though not immune) to handle temptations and the challenges of pride, which usually come with spiritual leadership and authority. A newly ordained minister may quickly fall back into the temptations of the flesh and the devil. This immediately brings everything he has said and taught to the people about the power of God during his short ministry into a huge cloud of suspicion and shame. Instead of helping the cause of the gospel of Christ, he becomes a stumbling block for those watching, who were on the verge of believing and accepting Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour. Because of the fall of the new Christian pastor, or some Christians in the community, onlookers will walk away back into the worldly life. Their usual comment is, “If there really is something about this person named Jesus, whom people claim to be God and submit to Him, this pastor or that Christian would have continued and remained in their faith”. Pastors and Christian brethren, we should always watch carefully those who so powerfully give speeches, preaching at Christian conferences, rallies, youth camps, church occasions and the like. Many of these men and women, who appear to be godly men and women, have ended up in disgracefully bad experiences of adultery, fornication, embezzlement of funds, backsliding or even recanting their Christian faith. We have many examples among Sudanese brothers and sisters who recanted faith in Christ and joined or re-joined Islam just because they wanted employment, marriage, worldly materials, or financial assistance! This is shameful. Such experiences are a clear indication that these brethren were not grown up or mature enough in their faith to withstand the challenges and temptations that came to them, due at least in part to their immaturity or love of worldly things. How are you doing with money, with your office as a pastor, in your relationship with your wife, and with other female believers, and the new converts who have just joined your church? Pastor and all you Christians, be always alert in dealing with worldly and material things, in living with your family, in ministering to the church and the community. Watch out and pray, because the devil is still walking around, roaring out aloud, seeking some Christian minister to tear into shreds, 1 Peter 5:8-9; James 4:7-10. Do not be a victim of the devil, resist him and he will flee from you, because He who is in you is mightier and more powerful than Satan, his agents and his forces. Jesus has overcome him and we too can overcome him by the power and by the blood of the Lamb, Revelation 12:11. Conclusion We have been looking at the pastor’s key characters and qualifications that are crucial requisites for any man who longingly seeks the noble work for God. It becomes unequivocal that God is looking for faithful, honest, obedient, trustworthy, candid and humble servants to be His workers in the vineyard and to save lost souls. All the characters and qualifications mentioned above set the standard for all who desire to be ministers of God’s word. Pastors shepherd, care for and feed God’s flock. They must do it God’s way. Therefore every church must take it as a serious business to pay attention, pray, examine, approve and then consider accepting a person seeking ordination. Proceed only if you are convinced that he has received and heard a divine calling into ministry. God’s word warns us while encouraging us to follow God’s way leading to life, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death”, Proverbs 16: 25; Matthew 7:13-14. The easy way will turn out hard! This means that we should be careful in whatever we do for the Lord, because many times we are deceived into believing that we are going down the right path, yet we are actually heading in precisely the opposite direction from God’s plan, Romans 3:10-18; 1 Corinthians 1:18-20. Please take heed, act cautiously, so that you do not assume that every arising opportunity comes from the Lord. Be aware that Satan will always disguise himself as an angel of light to deceive you. His invitations will seem to be in your best interest, 2 Corinthians 11:14, yet his way leads only to death, John 8: 44. Brethren and sisters, our Lord Jesus Christ tells us it can be extremely perilous to follow a path that seems right without first consulting the Holy Spirit for guidance, John 16:13. Therefore we should take time to seek the Holy Spirit’s direction when we face challenges, choices and decisions. Then we can make wise choices, based on God’s guidance because He knows the full intricacies and ramifications of our choices. He will help us understand the truth, the right things to do, and we will experience abundant life. We should always allow the Holy Spirit to awaken our hearts to the person of Jesus Christ. Then we only desire to aspire and follow God’s guiding will. Trust Him as He leads you in your ministry. Pastors who have truly received the divine calling are willing to follow Christ’s model of servanthood rather than the world’s measure of esteem that demands the adoption of the master model based on riches, power, celebrity and egotism. Jesus Christ’s model of life and service seeks love, humility, self denial, the serving of others, faithfulness, trust, fearing and obeying God, John 13:1-17; Luke 22:27. Sadly as pastors, or as Christians generally, we like to refer to ourselves as servants while seldom being content to be treated as servants! We are tempted to adopt the world’s evaluation of esteem and importance. But when we look to the Lord Jesus as our model, we see that it takes a far more noble character to serve than to be served. It is evident to us that the world will always esteem human importance by the number of people serving a person, by his education, her wealth, and their social and political positions. But as God’s measures, He is far more concerned with the number of people we love and we serve. Brethren, if we struggle to be servants of others around us, then we should check our calling, and our hearts, which may have shifted away from the heart of God. Ask the Lord Jesus to teach you again, selflessness and self denial, and to give you again the strength and ability to follow His example by serving others. Watch out in faith and confidence, trusting God’s promises to be fulfilled in your life, and He surely will remodel your life conforming it to your Master. The church should never put their hands in haste on any person to lead because he may become puffed up, arrogant and conceited, eventually falling shamefully into temptations and snares of the devil, 1 Timothy 5:21-22, 3:6-7. Please be mindful that pastors are not perfect creatures, no more than any other human being. Pastors are vulnerable, weak, sinful, prone to temptations, fears, anxieties, depression, pains, disappointments, discouragements, sorrow, sickness and suffering. Consequently they need continued support from their church congregations, who must daily pray, encourage, advise, and if necessary from time to time rebuke their pastor, so that he may withstand the forces of the evil one who continually targets him to bring the downfall of his ministry or his family. Prayers and support for a pastor are crucial, essentially needed if he is going to be successful, sustained and enabled to bless the many lives he serves. Here is my prayer for you: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace”, Numbers 6:24-25. “To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen”, Jude 24-25.