CHAPTER 17: TESTS OF LEADERSHIP

There are five areas in which the true spiritual leader is tested by God: compromise, ambition,

impossible situations, failure and jealousy.

1. Compromise is the waiving of “a principle to reach agreement”. Spiritual leaders must not

compromise their principles. One must be able to fully rooted in God’s word to fully embrace

his commitment to the tasks or God’s plan for him. Moses did not compromise but Pharaoh

did.

2. Ambition is rooted in pride and seeks self promotion. One must not negatively take

advantage of the opportunity that was entrusted to him in a ministry. Humility is one of the

key to see God’s promotion. Moses showed selfless nobility when God offered to make of

him a nation.

3. Impossible situations must be faced and their solutions sought with the help of God. We

must deal with impossible tasks rather than easy ones. Ignore minor tasks that can be

accomplished by others and view the difficult as commonplace. God delights to lead people

and, in response to their trust, show them great power. Perseverance through failures in

ministry marks a true spiritual leader.

4. Failure must not be a reason to stop but as a reason to take the challenge to please God.

According to Hudson Taylor, three phases in most great tasks undertaken for God:

Impossible > Difficult > Done. Always remember that God is a God of second chance.

No failure need to be final.

5. Jealousy The spiritual leader must not be jealous of a rival, nor defensive or arrogant against

one whose jealousy is directed toward him.

We must no longer be bothered with any trivial matters for all areas of the spiritual leader’s life.

Leadership is not expressed in minor matters, but in the weighty opportunities of daily life and

ministry that can so often be overlooked when one is too immersed in taking out the trash or

rearranging the sock drawer.

Some of the greatest characters in the Bible faced failure and survived to serve in every greater

capacities of leadership and ministry. They are manifested with their true perseverance in all

spiritual tests. We must always rely upon God’s vindication when jealousy and treachery attack,

not needing to take matters into our own hands, for this can only lead to the sin of pride.
 CHAPTER 19: REPLACING LEADERS

This chapter discusses the issue of replacing the leader who departs. I firmly believe that most

often, the test of one’s leadership is found in the health of an organization after a leader leaves

(Joshua 1:2, 5.) I believe that God sovereignly prepares and selects His own leaders (Mark

10:40). We must understand that all leaders, is indispensable. Even the best leaders have

“liabilities and limitations”. We must always remember that only one leader holds office forever,

and He is Christ who is working out His will. Some of the insights I got are the following:

 Only after a removal of a leader, are the character and achievements of a leader fully

revealed. By the time a person finds himself in a position of spiritual leadership, he can

rest assured that God has already been preparing him for this very moment. This gives

the new leader great confidence, not in self, but in God.

 When the crisis comes, God places his appointee in the place ordained for him. Often

when the weight of responsibility falls suddenly on his shoulders, a subordinate develops

abilities and qualities he and others had not suspected he had.

 A leader’s success was developed under the shadow of a great leader with all the

encouragements he brings. It is not where one comes from, but where one is going that

counts.

 If a man who possesses great gifts will not place them at the disposal of God, He will

take a man of lesser gifts that are fully available to Him and will supplement those gifts

with His own mighty power.

 CHAPTER 20: REPRODUCING LEADERS

II Timothy 2:2 Leaders are responsible to train other leaders. Identifying, developing and

promoting young leaders is the subject of this chapter. To fully fulfill his trust, the leader must

devote himself to this endeavor. Subordinates need opportunities to spread their wings. They

must be trusted, given room for failure and praised well for good performance. Young leaders

should be stretched with responsibilities.

Timothy is an example of a young leader trained by Paul using these methods. He became a

successful pastor and leader. Not all leaders will fit the mold. It is important to look for and

recognize unique but competent young leaders. God will ensure that His leaders are properly

prepared for the work He calls them to.

God desires humble men who seek His praise and His will. It is perhaps more important for

modern missionaries to devote themselves to the development of others rather than evangelism

which is currently being implemented in our church. One good trainer of leaders can multiply his

work exponentially if he trains leaders and delegates the work of ministry to them, rather than

attempt to go it alone.

Age is less important than spiritual maturity. A young leader may show signs of deep spiritual

insight and maturity which may be lacking in more seasoned men. A developer of leaders should

keep an eye open for potential leaders, and rule out no one until he has been thoroughly vetted.
 CHAPTER 22: THE LEADER NEHEMIAH

Nehemiah was a fine example of an effective spiritual leader. He was prayerful and courageous.

He had a genuine concern for others and a keen insight. He was both cautious and bold, and yet

decisive. He was an excellent administrator and crisis manager, a realist, and empathetic toward

others. He faced and solved problems. He knew how to devise, organize, launch and see a project

through.

Other insights:

 “The spiritual leader’s task is to build the faith of others”. Rather than focus on the

impossibility of a situation, Nehemiah led others to focus on God. He was a great

encourager of people.

 Nehemiah was the champion and defender of his people. He did not allow anyone to take

advantage of them and worked continually for their welfare and benefit.

 Nehemiah was not discouraged or distracted from his mission by naysayers, critics or

opponents. He trusted God, used all the resources available to him, persevered and

finished the job.

 Nehemiah 13:31 His methods were effective only because of the quality of his

character. is a man of prayer. An ordinary part of living and working. Prayer was his

first reaction. Courage in the face of danger. Nehemiah 6:11.

 Raised the morale of his colleagues. Built up their faith by redirection focus away from

the impossible towards the greatness of God. Faith builds faith. Pessimism dismantles

faith. Build the faith of others!

 Kindled hope. He has genuine concern for the welfare of others. Nehemiah 2:10.

Expressed in fasting, prayer, and tears. Nehemiah 1:4-6. In Nehemiah 2:18. Promptly

faced potential weaknesses in his plan. Led people to repentance through the reading of

the Law. Encouraged tithing. Established Sabbath rest. Organized projects and people.

Before making detailed plans he conducted a careful survey. 2:11-16