Singapore Bible College

REFLECTION PAPER ON THE CLINTON READING

Jovan Paul Chirakkarottu

CMCM4040: Theology of Worship

Dr. Myrleene Grace Yap

7-November -2023
 Introduction

After reading this book last semester, I learned how to be a partner in God's work as
well as a leader through this book. God alone has the power to make me a great leader;
my job title, education, and training won't do it for me. However, The Making of a Leader
might assist in determining my current position and the next course of action. Later I
understood from this book, that studying the unique phases that God specifies showed
me how to. I would like to share what God has shown me in this reflection paper.

Main Body

A leader is shaped by God over a lifetime. A lifetime of learning from God is leadership.
It will be distinct. Leaders who have decision-making authority over others need to
understand the different elements that enable convergence, such as role compatibility,
spiritual maturity, experience, giftedness, destiny, location, etc. They must take into
account both the requirements of the organization and those of the individual:

Realizing that I am taking part in God's training program is wonderful. God guides me
through many stages to encourage our spiritual growth and establish His Kingdom.
Each time he revises the situations in ways that suit me and in ways that don't suit me.
Even though ministry may be fruitful, God's primary work is being done in and through
the leaders, not through them. The majority of future leaders are unaware of this. God is
quietly, and frequently in unique manners, attempting to convince the leader that one
ministers from one's own self. God cares about our identity. It's not always easy to see
or define ministry tasks clearly. They do, however, serve as stepping stones for other
ministries. In all of this, submission is the most important factor. Testing of submission
only occurs when something is undesired.

As a leader I realized that the importance of praying to God and listening to God's voice
in this phase of inner life growth is very important. Then I understood, As the leader
develops in their ministry, they begin to assist others. His or her teachings will frequently
focus on interpersonal relationships or the shortcomings in one's own life. The different
phases do not center on fruitfulness or ministry activity. Not through the leader, but
primarily in him or her, is God at work. His message is that we minister from the center
of who we are. Later I learned that in the maturing phase of life, acquiring spiritual gift
priorities is just as important as learning what to do. The idea that "ministry flows out of
being" takes on new importance as the leader's personality softens and develops. The
leader is developing their experiential understanding of God during this phase. Being in
communion with God becomes fundamental; it takes priority over ministry success. And
God gives leaders the ability to influence others; it is the very essence of leadership. I
understand as a leader that God is always growing me throughout my life. A leader
needs to be able to hear God's truth. Along with other gifts that comprise their gift mix,
leaders always possess at least one-word gift. Teaching, prophecy, and exhortation are
the three main categories of gifts.

Then I grasp, God takes a potential leader through four phases to develop his
leadership skills as he enters the ministry. (1) The leader is called by God to ministry.
We refer to this as an entry. (2) He cultivates abilities and spiritual gifts to increase the
efficacy of the leader. We refer to this as training. (3) He makes it possible for the leader
to interact with others in a way that inspires and persuades them. He also shows him
how to organize the resources needed to achieve these objectives. We refer to this as
relational learning. (4) He assists the leader in seeing the spiritual precepts that guide
ministry in a way that pleases God. We refer to this as discernment. God chooses
people who are obedient and gives them ministry responsibilities and assignments
when they enter the early ministry sub-phase. In the process, he gains some experience
in ministry. A growing leader will typically find it difficult to work with an authority figure.
Emerging leaders must first learn to submit because it is essential to understanding
what authority is. The selection and training of future leaders is one of the main duties of
leadership. When it comes to particular needs and ministry opportunities, mature
leaders should politely and consciously challenge aspiring leaders.

When I read chapter 5, A leader means Someone who motivates a particular group of
people to go in a direction determined by God is a leader. A leader needs to have
effective interpersonal relationships in order to inspire and influence others. And Conflict
with others teaches a leader facing backlash from below to submit to God on a deeper
level. Backlash against a leader puts their faith, perseverance, and vision to the test.
In general, God uses difficulties to bring about inner-life maturity. A type of integrity test
known as "leader backlash" allows the true motivation of the leader to come out.

But the ability to recognize spiritual reality in general and spiritual warfare in particular is
a must for all leaders. Some leaders have a tendency to overreact, attributing spiritual
warfare to every disagreement and issue. They see spiritual energies underlying all
human experiences. Some leaders lack spiritual awareness and fail to recognize the
spiritual influences guiding human behavior. The Bible finds a middle ground between
these two extremes.

Throughout the ages A leader receives a revelation from God that includes him in the
outcome and challenges him to pray about it.
God-leader communication is the fundamental component of leadership. Before a
leader can convey God's intentions to a group, he must first understand them.
It serves as a reminder that prayer is an essential habit for leaders that secures vision
for ministry and improves communication with God. People with God-given vision are
leaders, and one of their primary roles is to motivate followers with that hope and vision.
They need faith to carry out this duty.

It is obvious that both weak and strong leaders require ministry validation. A successful
ministry incident, vision, sign, human expressions of gratitude, inner fulfilment, word of
wisdom, word of knowledge, prophecy, promotion, and sphere of influence expansion
are examples of ministry affirmation. Real discernment growth occurs when a leader
can sense God's approval through less spectacular affirmations, such as human
expressions of appreciation and inner satisfaction. Vision, signs, and promotions are
easy to see. Isolation is one way God pushes a leader into self-reflective assessment
and the "being" stage of the upward development pattern. It is among the best methods
for a leader to develop. A leader may be taken out of their regular ministry several times
during their lifetime. Crises, discipline, providential events (like a conflict, repressive
government policy, or illness), or self-chosen circumstances are some examples of
causes. The main focus of the process is realizing that God is at work in isolation and
that it is a call to a more intimate relationship and understanding of God.

One of the most important aspects of leadership is guidance. A leader needs direction
at every stage of their life. You can expend a lot of energy on things that are not your
calling. Knowing that you are where God wants you to be, doing what he wants you to
do, at the exact moment he wants you to be doing it, is crucial.

Conclusion
The Leaders in any field try to rule from the top down, but Jesus led from the bottom up.
As a Christian leader, what I understand most is following Jesus. For that I need the
attitude of Christ Jesus, the form of servanthood as Christ lived in the world, a life
surrendered to God, a state of non-self, obedience to God, remaining in the word of
Christ and being freed from sin Only when all these are combined can a true Christian
leader be made. However, building the kingdom of God is God's purpose and it can only
happen in God's plan. That's why there is that statement in Lord’s Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. I would like to conclude by writing this Bible
verse;

Isaiah 46:10
make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.’