Dictionary Definitions for “Lead:”
- To show the way to be going in advance
- To guide by taking the hand
- To cause to follow some course of action; to induce
- To direct the activities
To truly understand leadership let us examine leaders from the past and present. Consider the following people and ask these questions:
What did God call them to?
Did they fail?
Did they succeed?
Noah (Gen. 6:13-21
He was given a vision of God’s impending destruction of earth’s people
He was told to build an ark of a specific material and size
He was told that God would bring the creatures to the ark
He was told that his family would be saved.
Noah chose to be obedient to God and acted upon the God-given vision, and God’s purpose came to pass.
Abram (later called Abraham) (Gen. 12:1-5)
Was told to move to a new land
That God would bless him and all nations would be blessed through him
Abram was obedient to God’s call and a nation that would bring God to the world was born.
Moses (Exodus 3:1-22)
Called by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt
He had concerns about his abilities and credibility, but God empowered him for the call
Moses was obedient to God’s call and the nation that Abram started was freed from bondage
Joshua (Joshua 1:1-9)
Called by God’s vision of the territory that God was going to give the Israelites
Encouraged by God to be strong, courageous and obedient to the law
Joshua was obedient and the nation prospered and became successful
Esther (The Book of Esther)
She became a wife and queen to a Persian king, a choice out of her control
Was asked by God to risk her life to save the Jews from death
Esther was obedient and the nation of Israel was delivered from genocide
Ananias (Acts 9:10-18)
A leader in his own community was called by God to go lay hands on the man that was having believers killed.
God told him that this man was a chosen instrument of Him to bear His name before gentiles, kings and the Israelites
Ananias was obedient to God’s call and the ministry of the Body of Christ’s first great evangelist was born.
Dr. David Livingston (the great explorer)
Called by God, as a young man, by being shown a map of Africa that no missionary had ever been 700 miles inland
Already a Christian, set out plans to prepare for the journey (becoming a medical doctor, learning languages)
He traveled to Africa and implemented the plan developed in his youth, healing the sick, learning new languages and teaching people about Christ.
Dr. Livingston was obedient to God’s call, working 37 years in the interior of Africa and brought Christ to many, also providing the foundation for future missionaries to the interior of Africa.
George Washington Carver (inventor & innovator)
Although born to slaves, Carver excelled at learning (a gift God gave him to fulfill his call). God provided opportunities for education when people of his race were not allowed to go to school. Wherever he went he shared his love for Christ. He was remembered as a man of prayer, submitting all of his research to the Lord and waiting for God’s answer. He discovered uses for the peanut other than eating it resulting in a number of products still in use today:
· Lard
· Vinegar
· Relishes
· Printer’s ink
· Dyes,
· Plastic, Soaps, Coffee,
· Soft Drinks
· Wood stains
Billy Graham (famous evangelist)
Became a Christian as a result of Billy Sunday’s ministry in the early 1940’s
Felt a calling but waited on the Lord.
Received a vision for his evangelistic ministry by 1948
Rev. Graham was obedient to God’s call and hundreds of thousands have been saved around the world
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (minister and civil rights champion)
Already a believer and minister God called Dr. King to become a champion for civil rights
Waged war against conditions, not people
By his non-violent creative efforts many unjust laws were overturned allowing equal opportunity and equal protection for all people
Remained persistent (even under death threats) to see his vision of every man and woman of every race be treated as they should be, as individuals created in the image of God.
Dr. King was obedient to God’s call and his work still continues through those who have taken up his dream
Dwight (D.L.) Moody (famous evangelist)
His goal as a young man was to become rich, yet by age 18 God called him to something better
He studied his Bible to become proficient at sharing his faith with young people
His meetings eventually lead him to build a church
Rev. Moody was obedient to God’s call and hundreds of thousands were saved in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States
Jimmy Carter (farmer, humanitarian & President of the US)
Already a believer, God called him to run for the President of the US
He chaired a Billy Graham crusade that brought blacks and whites together at a time and place where racial separation was the norm
He spent countless hours as a volunteer for an organization building homes for low-income people
He was open about his faith before his election and throughout his presidency
Carter was obedient to God’s call and many people examined their own relationship with God after seeing him live out his faith.
And more...
It is easy to recognize that these great Christians and even our own Pastors, Sunday School Teachers, Department Heads, etc. are called to lead. In our churches you can see these qualities in all of them, but I believe that EVERY BELIEVER is called to lead and to follow. In obedience to God we follow the leaders He set over us. For the most part, we have the following role down pat. Yet what is the most important role we enact while on this earth?” Leading the lost to Christ! Can you imagine if every believer were obedient to this call of leadership what would happen in the world? Can you imagine hundreds of thousands D. L. Moodys or Billy Grahams? We each need to examine ourselves and ask the Holy Spirit to enable us to be the leaders He is calling us to be!
