Real, authentic behaving, helpful people who influence others are learners.  As a young adult believer who was learning and striving to grow in the ways Jesus taught us, I watched as those I once admired as a leader stopped learning and growing. I was saddened when their lives fell apart spiritually while making excuses.  It broke my heart when people worshiped being the busiest as a measure of their “good work” while promoted themselves as working the hardest in the Kingdom.

Looking back over the years of service to God and His church, I learned and experienced the destructive, distasteful, heartbreaking outcomes of ceasing to learn.  I confess I fell for it myself as a leader and as a follower.  It’s easy to fall for this attitude when you grow weary in the demanding work placed on your shoulders—by others.  Fortunately, God stepped in and gave me mentors to pull me back to my spiritual senses; reminding me that the “yoke” of Jesus is lighter and that pleasing God is who centers us in HIS work!  I praise God for these loving, caring people who put me back on the learner’s track of being with God before doing anything for God!  Just like Jesus did! 

Falling to our knees before Jesus daily helps to avoid falling for evil’s schemes that distract us.  Listen to Him!

God-led leaders are humble learners for life.  They know they don’t know it all.  They know their weaknesses and their God-given strengths.  They know their only confidence is in Christ, not in themselves or their own meager abilities, but in God’s power and might.  People are drawn to people who know truth. But when arrogance and pride seeps in, because of popularity—look out! Evil uses these human weaknesses to get a foothold into our being and doing.

Paul’s letters to Timothy boldly and passionately warned him to “watch out, keep the faith, guard your heart, avoid mindless chatter.”  These and other directives were passed on from a caring, compassionate mentor who learned about Jesus from his mentors as well as from Jesus, Himself!  This style of passing it on comes from the way Jesus taught His disciples!  This mentor to apprentice form of teaching other upcoming leaders is at very heart of one who hopes to teach others to believe and follow Jesus, God helping us, by the power of His Holy Spirit, while avoiding the enemy.

Paul’s letter to Titus, his “son in the faith”, is delivered to him in Crete.  The same Kingdom of God thinking and behaving traits are given to Titus so he also can pass these leadership traits to others who seek to grow in their faith in Jesus.

Titus 1, The Message

^1-4 I, Paul, am God’s slave and Christ’s agent for promoting the faith among God’s chosen people, getting out the accurate word on God and how to respond rightly to it. My aim is to raise hopes by pointing the way to life without end. This is the life God promised long ago—and he doesn’t break promises! And then when the time was ripe, he went public with his truth. I’ve been entrusted to proclaim this Message by order of our Savior, God himself. Dear Titus, legitimate son in the faith: Receive everything God our Father and Jesus our Savior give you!

A Good Grip on the Message

^5-9 I left you in charge in Crete so you could complete what I left half-done. Appoint leaders in every town according to my instructions. As you select them, ask, “Is this man well-thought-of? Is he committed to his wife? Are his children believers? Do they respect him and stay out of trouble?” It’s important that a church leader, responsible for the affairs in God’s house, be looked up to—not pushy, not short-tempered, not a drunk, not a bully, not money-hungry. He must welcome people, be helpful, wise, fair, reverent, have a good grip on himself, and have a good grip on the Message, knowing how to use the truth to either spur people on in knowledge or stop them in their tracks if they oppose it.

^10-16 For there are a lot of rebels out there, full of loose, confusing, and deceiving talk. Those who were brought up religious and ought to know better are the worst. They’ve got to be shut up. They’re disrupting entire families with their teaching, and all for the sake of a fast buck. One of their own prophets said it best:

The Cretans are liars from the womb,
    barking dogs, lazy bellies.

He certainly spoke the truth. Get on them right away. Stop that diseased talk of Jewish make-believe and made-up rules so they can recover a robust faith. Everything is clean to the clean-minded; nothing is clean to dirty-minded unbelievers. They leave their dirty fingerprints on every thought and act. They say they know God, but their actions speak louder than their words. They’re real creeps, disobedient good-for-nothings.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“Those who were brought up religious and ought to know better are the worst.”

Sometimes we who were brought up into the “culture” of churchgoing can be the worst judges of those who did not.  We all sin with all kinds of sins that must be repented to God.  Believers, who are leaders and followers, who tell new believers in Jesus that they must dress, talk, and act like exactly like them to please God actually impedes, discourages and confuses the spiritual growth of a new believer who hears from the platform we must become like Jesus.

Remember only Jesus saves and reconciles us to God. God’s Holy Spirit comes to live in us and begins His work to transform our thinking and behaving.  Our work is to pray for His Kingdom come, His Will be done in each of us.  We are all at various stages and phases of growing in our love and lifestyle in Jesus. Even when the flock of sheep are openly attacked by the Deceiver, God will call His leaders to protect and lead the flock with His wisdom and give direction.  Seek God first.

“Christians are quite serious in believing that when they gather together for worship and work, God is present and sovereign, really present and absolutely sovereigns.  God creates and guides, God saves and heals. God corrects and blesses, God calls and judges. With such comprehensive and personal leadership from God, what is the place of HUMAN leadership?”

“Quite obviously, it has to be second place.  It must not elbow its way to the front, it must not bossily take over.  Ego-centered, ego-prominent leadership betrays the Master.  The best leadership in spiritual communities formed in the name of Jesus, the Messiah, is inconspicuous, not calling attention to itself but not sacrificing anything in the way of conviction and firmness either.”

“What he learned so thoroughly himself, he was now passing on, and showing them, in turn, how to develop a similar leadership in local congregations. This is essential reading because ill-directed and badly formed spiritual leadership causes much damage in souls.   Paul in both his life and his letters show us how to do it right.”—Eugene Peterson, Introduction to Timothy and Titus, The Message Bible

Paul is showing and developing servant leadership, the kind of leadership that mirrors our Master, Jesus.  (Philippians 2)

Lord,

We are all called to seek Your first in all we think, say, and do.  We know enough to know to call on your Name for help in all circumstances.  May your Kingdom of God thinking come to dwell in our hearts as followers and leaders.  May your Will be done in every detail of our lives on earth as it is in heaven.  YOU are first. We are second.  Give us this day eyes to see you at work and give you praise consistently as you reveal Yourself to us.  Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.  Lead us not into the temptations to please self and others. Deliver us from this evil.  Help us, by your power flowing through us, to seek You first with a desire to please you alone.  To YOU be all the glory, honor, and praise forever!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen