As we continue our study on the Holy Spirit, we are now specifically looking at the gifts the Holy Spirit gives to the church for the profit of all. And so if you would, please turn to Romans chapter 12, and lets begin reading in verse 4. We read "For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence..." Romans 12:4-8b. And so in this study we are going to be looking at the gift of leadership, or as Paul calls it in I Corinthians 12:28, the gift of administrations or the gift of governments.

Now we all have an idea of what a leader is, and I’m sure we all have an idea of what a leader is not. But what is Paul speaking of, what does Paul mean when he speaks of the gift of leadership? The Greek word that Paul uses in Romans 12:8 is PROISTEMI, which means "to stand before". This word carries with it the idea of someone who stands before the people. Then, in I Corinthians 12:28 the Greek word that Paul uses is KUBERNESIS, which means "to steer a boat". The idea here is someone who is steering a boat making sure it is still on course, heading in the right direction.

And thus, we see Paul speak of who a leader is in Romans 12:8, "one who stands before the people". And what He does in I Corinthians 12:28, "to steer a boat". Both thoughts encompass what a leader is all about. And a good biblical definition of what a leader is, would be one who stands before the people to steer them into and keep them on the right course.

Now we need to understand that this is not just speaking of the pastor or the elders, it is far more encompassing than that. Those that over ministries, like Sunday School, Worship, Usher, Sound, and-so-on should all be leading in their ministries. And we must also remember there are leaders in the home, at work, and-so-on. The results when people aren’t leading is things become chaotic, no one knows what they are doing. But, the results when people are leading in the various ministries they are in is things function smoothly, that the coarse has been set and it is easy to follow.

Personally, and I think biblically, as you will see, the church could not function without the gift of leadership or the gift of governments. One of the problems we see today is that the church, the body of Christ is seen as an organism, which it is, but that is as far as they go. When it comes to organization they see it as worldly and want nothing to do with it.

Interestingly enough, the Dictionary defines an "organism" as "anything resembling a living thing in its complexity of structure or functions." In other words an organism must have some kind of organization to function properly.

The body of Christ is no different. Yes the body of Christ is a living organism, but it is also organized. Think of it this way, in the human body we have a skeletal system. Without it we would be a blob! With it there is form, structure, and working with the muscles we have movement, and-so-on. The body of Christ, without organization, would be a shapeless form, a blob! Structure, organization in the body of Christ allows us to function and move in a way that God wants us to. There is direction!

Even in society, as much as we may not like it, there needs to be organization in the form of government and laws. Without that, with unbridled freedom, you have anarchy. To have freedom you need to have laws and government. Thus, freedom is doing what is right, not what is wrong!

The question that comes up is "Who decides what is right and what is wrong?" The world says that man himself decides, and because of that we have laws that are constantly changing. At one time homosexuality was wrong, today it is right, according to man. You can even murder people in some parts of the world who don’t believe what you believe, and that is right in their eyes, there is nothing wrong with that.

But the standards are not set by man, but by God, as much as some would like to argue. From God flows righteousness, truth. It is as Psalm 119 says, "Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your law is truth...You are near, O LORD, and all Your commandments are truth. Concerning Your testimonies, I have known of old that You have founded them forever...The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever...My tongue shall speak of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteousness." Psalm 119:142, 151-152, 160, 172.

Now listen carefully to this, you can’t have a society that has social order, has peace, has freedom outside of God. As much as some like to argue that, a society that attempts to move away from God will manifest the following characteristics, just as did the nation of Israel in the book of Judges. We read in Judges 21:25 "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes." When you take God off the throne of your heart and off the throne of leading this nation, that is the result, everyone does what they want and feel that it is right to do. That is what we are seeing in America today as we move away from God!

Now this may surprise some of you, but our government is not a democracy! Now hear me out before you turn me in as a communist. When you look at the history of our nation, our founding fathers hated democracy and did what they could to prevent this nation from becoming one. You see, in a democracy, if the people are wicked, if they have moved away from God and are doing what is right in their own eyes, they will vote along those lines and make that which is wicked legal. On the other hand, if the people surrender themselves to the authority of God, then yes, a democracy can work. But we are a nation that is far from God, we refuse to surrender to His authority, and thus, we pass laws that are contrary to what God has said.

That is why our government was formed as a republic. A republic is built upon moral absolutes that can’t be changed, they can’t be overthrown by popular opinion, by popular vote, just as God’s Word can’t be. Do you remember way back in grade school, as the day began and you would stand to say the Pledge of Allegiance? It went like this, "I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of America. And to the republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

And you see, it is a republic, not a democracy, for as I have said, in a republic the government is built upon moral absolutes, laws that can’t be overthrown or voted down by popular opinion. It was a safeguard measure to keep this nation on track, to steer it in the right direction, as our forefathers were standing up for the people, preparing for what future generations might be like, never thinking that our history and our morals would be changed like they have. Since we have moved away from God we have changed what this nation is all about, being under the one true and living God, and out of that rebellion against God we have deteriorated into a state of confusion where people don’t know what to believe, and we are on the verge of anarchy!

Interestingly enough, Robert Winthrop, who was once the Speaker of the House of Representatives many years ago, said: "Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled by a power within or a power without them. Either by the words of God or by the strong arm of man. Either by the Bible or by the bayonet." Interesting insight he had, and how true his statements are especially today!

Now should we as Christians submit ourselves to the authority, the leadership of man, even when they are wicked? That is an interesting question today, for there is a growing Christian militia that is willing to kill for their rights, they are refusing to submit to the authority of the government, even refusing to pay taxes. Lets take a look at what the Scriptures say regarding these things. Turn to Romans chapter 13 and lets begin reading in verse 1 to get a clear perspective of these things.

ROMANS 13

VERSES 1-2

Paul is saying that if you have a soul, which all of us do, then we are to submit to those who are in authority over us. Again the question comes up, "What if the leaders are evil?" You still must submit to them unless they force you to do something that is contrary to God’s Word or they forbid you to do something that God wants us to do. Two examples of these might be as follows, one to force you to have an abortion, and the other might be that they forbid you to speak of Jesus. At that point we follow what God tells us to do, as we read in Acts 5:29, "...‘We ought to obey God rather than men.’"

Now why would God say we are to submit even to wicked leaders? Because, like it or not, God has appointed them into that position for His plan, for His purpose. And thus, when you fight against them you are fighting against God. That does not mean that God approves of their actions, their deeds, nor should we, but we are to respect their position of authority. During the time of Jesus and in Paul’s day, the Roman Government was wicked, and you will find no revolt lead against them, the focus was God and a relationship with Him. And God has established human government, He allows them to continue on, which we will see in a few minutes.

VERSES 3-4

Human government is needed to keep the laws of the land. In every ordered society there must be authority and there must be submission to that authority or else you will have a state of anarchy. Any government then, is better than no government, as bad as they may be. Thus, if you obey the rules of the land you don’t need to fear. If you break the law, then you do have something to worry about. Think about it this way, your driving down the interstate with the speed limit being 65 miles per hour. But you are traveling 90 miles per hour, rationalizing that you are keeping up with the traffic, you don’t want to be in anyone’s way by going too slow. Sound familiar? And you feel great until you pass that police car with the police officer pointing his radar gun at your car. And as soon as you pass him, trying to apply the brakes but not looking to suspicious, which you are, a sudden fear builds up inside of you and you begin to look in the rearview mirror to see if his lights are going on and he is coming after you. Why do you feel that way? Because you broke the law! If you went the speed limit, you wouldn’t have to fear the law!

VERSES 5-7

We are to respect those in authority over us even though their actions may be evil. It doesn’t mean we support what they are doing, but the position of authority that they have. Remember king Saul and how wicked he became, going after David and trying to kill him. And yet in all of Saul’s evil, David respected Saul’s position as king, not his actions, and thus, David refused to kill Saul, or even ridicule him. That is something that is easy to do, and we must be careful that we don’t get caught up in that kind of activity, ridiculing those in authority over us. As Paul said in Acts 23:5, "...‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’"

And so we see Paul tell us to respect those in authority over us, not only in words we speak, but in the things we do, like paying taxes, obeying the law. If you don’t you are fighting against God, who placed or allowed these men, these governments into power.

Now I do understand that many have a problem with government or organization, but God has established them. In the angelic realm you have various rankings of angels who submit to those who are in authority over them, and all submit to God. Even Satan, who was the highest ranking angel before he fell, was still respected for his position after his fall, not for his actions, by Michael the Archangel, another angelic ranking.

In Jude 8-10 we read "Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’ But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves." Jude would not come against Satan because of his position, but the Lord would take care of it. We, again, need to be careful of how we speak of those in authority over us!

In I Corinthians 11:3 we see once again some more organization. We read "But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." Notice, in the family, man is the head of the house and he is under the authority of Christ. The woman or the wife is under the authority of her husband. And for all of you who think that is unfair, he goes on to say that Christ, even though He is fully God, even though He is equal with God the Father, has freely submitted Himself to the authority of the Father!

Lets look at the establishment of human government in Exodus chapter 18. You remember the story, Moses has lead the children of Israel out from their bondage in Egypt and they are on their way to the promised land. And Moses, being a man of God, was overwhelmed with the work of judging between the various problems the people had and were bringing to him. In fact, the people lined up early in the morning and sometimes waited all day, till it was their turn, and then they could present their problem to Moses who would make a judgment upon it.

We read in Exodus chapter 18 beginning in verse14, "So when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, ‘What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?’ And Moses said to his father-in-law, ‘Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.’" Exodus 18:14-16.

And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, told him that this was not a good thing to do. Not only will the people get worn out, but so would Moses! And Jethro tells Moses beginning in verse 19 of Exodus chapter 18, "Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace." Exodus 18:19-23.

Jethro is telling Moses to delegate, to create a hierarchy to assist with the work. And this is how this human government was to be established: God was the head, it was a theocracy, governed by God, which was what "Israel" meant. Under God was Moses. Under Moses were two branches, the 70 elders to help rule the people, dealing with the civil matters. And the priests, who dealt with the religious aspects. And under them all the people.

This is how God dealt with His people, for the most part, all the way till Samuel, the last Judge. And if you remember Samuel’s two sons, Joel and Abijah, they were very wicked and the people saw that and had rejected them to rule over them as Samuel was up in the years and ready to pass on the mantle to his sons. And the people saw the other nations, that they had a king over them, and they told Samuel "...‘Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.’" I Samuel 8:5.

And Samuel was very upset by this and as he began to pray we read in I Samuel 8:7, "And the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.’" In other words, God was telling Samuel that they haven’t rejected him, but they have rejected Me, the Lord God! They were moving from a theocracy, governed by God, to a monarchy, governed by man. And they got a king, but not exactly what they wanted as we shall see in a few minutes.

Now as we move into the New Testament, I think the pattern is very similar to what Jethro told Moses, what we saw in the Old Testament. You have Christ who is the head of the church, the Chief Shepherd. Under Him are the pastors or what we would call the senior pastors or under shepherds. (I Timothy 3:1-2, Bishop is singular, speaking of senior pastor). Then, under him you have two branches once again. One branch is the elders who are broken down into teaching elders and administrative elders. (I Timothy 5:17). And the other branch are the deacons who deal with the physical aspects of the church. (I Timothy 3:8). And under them are the people.

Now don’t think because of the position you have you are more important than someone under you. Not at all. In God’s eye’s we are all equal, and He has, by His grace, placed us in various positions within the church. Peter, in I Peter chapter 5, is speaking to the elders, and really he is speaking to all of us who are leading someone. He said beginning in verse 1, "The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away." I Peter 5:1-4.

In other words, don’t think of yourself more highly than you ought. Do the work not for earthly gain, not out of constraint, don’t lord over the people, but led them like sheep, don’t drive them like cattle.

In Romans 12:8 Paul says that when we lead people we are to do so with "diligence". The Greek word that Paul uses is SPOUDE, which means "in eagerness, earnestness" and it carry’s the idea of speed. It is hard to lead the people if you are lazy or if you are doing something halfheartedly. Give it your all, lead with the proper perspective, the proper attitude. Paul said in Acts 20:28 to the Ephesian elders, "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood."

Now the world, as they look for leaders, they look for someone who is a visionary, action oriented, a good communicator, knowledgeable, charismatic, not afraid to take risks, object oriented instead of people oriented, egocentric, and indispensable. They call these people SNL’s or Strong Natural Leaders.

But if that is how you pick your leaders you are going to be in trouble. Those characteristics lead to tyrant leaders because power goes to their heads. As the saying goes, "Power corrupts, and absolute power absolutely corrupts!" Remember the story of king Saul, he was the people’s choice. Why? Because he was tall, dark and handsome! They looked at the outward just like the world does, and not the heart as God does.

In saying that, lets see how well you do at picking a leader. Here is a resume sent in for a senior pastor position. Listen carefully and see if you would hire him. The resume goes as follows:

Gentlemen:

Understanding your pulpit is vacant, I should like to apply for the position. I have many qualifications. I’ve been a preacher with much success and also have had some success as a writer. Some say I’m a good organizer. I have been a leader most places I’ve been.

I’m over 50 years of age and have never preached in one place for more than three years. In some places, I have left town after my work caused riots and disturbances. I must admit I have been in jail three or four times, but not because of any real wrong-doing.

My health is not too good, though I still accomplish a great deal. The churches I have preached in have been small, though located in several large cities.

I’ve not gotten along well with religious leaders in the towns where I have preached. In fact, some have threatened me and even attacked me physically. I am not too good at keeping records. I have been known to forget whom I have baptized.

However, if you can use me, I promise to do my best for you.

—The Apostle Paul.

Now compare Paul’s resume, which is not too impressive in the eyes of the world, and compare it with Saul’s. This man was head and shoulders above all of Israel, and he looked good outwardly, and he started out good, he started out very humble. But once he became king, once he had that authority, it went right to his head. He began to see himself as the only authority in Israel.

One day, as the Philistines gathered against Israel, Saul was very nervous, and the people saw that and ran for their lives, hiding in caves. And the king was waiting for Samuel to come and offer a sacrifice to God and to intercede in this matter. And Saul couldn’t wait any longer, and he did that which was not lawful for him to do, he offered the sacrifice to God. And as soon as he finished the sacrifice, in walked Samuel, who couldn’t believe what he saw. And Samuel told king Saul "...‘You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.’" I Samuel 13:13-14. God took the kingdom away from Saul and gave it to David, a man after God’s own heart!

What does God look for in a leader? Interestingly enough, it is the opposite of what the world looks for. In Matthew 20:25-28 we read "But Jesus called them to Himself and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave--just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.’"

First of all you are to be humble, not lording over the people but leading them by example. And as Paul said in I Corinthians 11:1, "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." As you follow after Christ, you are leading people to do so. If you are not following Christ, then you are leading people in that direction. Humble yourself before God and seek after Him. Humility is a characteristic of a godly leader.

Secondly, you are to be a servant. Paul, in I Corinthians 4:1-2 said, "Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful." Paul used the Greek word HYPERETES when he spoke of "servant". This word means "under rower" or "galley slave". They were the slaves who were placed on the lowest level of the ship, doing the majority of the work, propelling the ship to its destination by their rowing. A leader is a servant, a slave!

And thirdly, he is a person who is willing to sacrifice his life for the sake of others. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:38-48 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." A leader is to sacrifice his life for others!

As leaders, we need to be careful not to place on people heavy burdens, to compel them to go where you aren’t willing to go. Jesus came against the religious leaders who were doing this in Matthew 23:2-4, "...‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers."

That is a false concept of ministry and that is driving the sheep like cattle, not leading them like a shepherd!

As much as people may not like government, they may not like leaders, even in the kingdom age we see this institution. In Isaiah 9:6-7 we read "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."

Thus, once again we will see the people governed by God, a theocracy. And what a joy that will be. But until that day, individually we are governed by God and as a nation, instead of mocking, telling jokes, ridiculing our leaders, we should be praying for them for we are under their authority!

We also need to remember that we are all under authority of someone. None of us are lone rangers! As Peter said in I Peter chapter 2, beginning in verse 13 "Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme,

or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men--as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king." I Peter 2:13-17. Let us not forget that!

In closing, remember the Greek words that Paul used in Romans 12:8 and I Corinthians 12:28 for "leader" or "government". We are to stand before the people and steer them down the right path, down the right coarse, and keep them on that right coarse by being an example to them, we are to lead them to Jesus!