ChuaWeeHian, The Inner Life of Leaders, 새 힘을 길어 올리라

7. The Inner Life of Leaders

ChuaWeeHian, The Making of a Leader

 

1. Hypocrisy and true spirituality

Leaders are public figures. As such we occupy centre stage and all eyes are on us. We are expected to lead from the front and people look to us for direction. This puts us in a dangerous position. To gain the respect of others, we are tempted to project an image of spirituality.

Read Matthew 6:1-8; 16-18

1“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

- Have you ever been tempted to show yourself to impress others and be respected? When and why?

- Why does Jesus warn us against hypocrisy? Think of Pharisees’ way of prayer, fasting and helping others. What is the problem of their spirituality?

Jesus counselled his disciples to cultivate a devotional life in private, not seeking publicity or the praise of men. They were to withdraw to their rooms so that they could spend time in the presence of God.

2. Sustaining our inner lives

Our inner lives are like the roots of a tree. Though hidden, strong, healthy roots sustain and nourish the trunk, branches, leaves and fruit.

Read Jeremiah 17:7-8

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

 

If we are not drawing fresh strength each day from the Lord, we can easily dry up. But if we want to be his fruitful servants, our union with him is vital (John 15:1-8, 16). Leaders have to give themselves to meet the needs of their people. Unless our inner lives are renewed, there will be little depth to our ministry.

 

- Are you drawing fresh strength each day from God? If you easily dry up, how does it affect you and your ministry?

 Think about the depth of your spiritual life and your ministry. What would you need to do for your inner life to be deeply rooted in the Lord?

 

3. The priority of prayer

Our inner life can be built up only through daily communion with God. This means that we have to feed on his Word and be people of prayer.

We find it much more conducive to run around doing things, busy with work that God has given us… and we feel good when we minister to people and run from one meeting to another. But we neglect the most important feature of our lives: time spent with God in worship and prayer… But God is more concerned with who I am than what I do. Let’s never forget that he delights to meet us, and our relationship to him matters infinitely more than the work we do for him.  

Read Mark 1:35-38

35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” 38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”

 

- Why did Jesus go off to a solitary place early in the morning and pray? How did Jesus respond to people’s demands and discern His priorities?

 

Jesus often withdrew to a quiet place for prayer. It is good to observe the rhythm in the life and ministry of Jesus. He worked hard, but he also withdrew to be alone with the Father. We detect an interesting balance between work and withdrawal. This was deliberate.

- What hinders you from praying? What definite action can you take for your time with God?

 

4. Praying for and with others

God calls us to work alongside our fellow labourers. Leaders should covenant to pray for one another. We work best with those we pray for.

The meetings can become battlegrounds for clashes between Christian leaders. It is always wise to integrate prayer into our committee meetings. Prayer should not be used simply to open and close meetings. A sizeable proportion of our time should be spent praying over items on the agenda, particularly leadership appointments. It’s thrilling to work in a committee that knows how to pause for prayer in between items.

If we are in constant touch with God, we know that he delights to answer prayer. Armed with this confidence, we rally people to worship him and we present our petitions with boldness before his throne of grace. Wise leaders will invest time in preparing to lead prayer meetings. Christians need repeated reminders that we worship the Sovereign Lord. He does listen to our prayers. Believers are encouraged when they receive reports of answered prayers.

- How do we pray in our current meetings? When facing conflicts between leaders, how do you pray together?

 

- How can you plan time for prayer in our meetings to seek God (e.g. staff meeting, committee meeting, student leaders meeting)? How can you encourage people to pray together?

  

5. The pursuit of holiness

As leaders, we long for God to use us and to bless our service. But He can only use clean vessel.

Read 2 Timothy 2:20-22

In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. 21 Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. 22 Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

 

Leaders are marked by lives of holiness. This means saying ‘no’ to sin and ‘yes’ to God. To be holy involves a renunciation of selfish and evil habits. It means yielding ourselves daily to the Lord because we are his. It has to do with the renewal and transformation of our minds and attitudes, and a growing likeness to Jesus Christ.

 

- To what sins and evil habits do you have to say ‘no’? What do you need to do to be a clean vessel that God uses?

 

“It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.” (Robert Murray M’Cheyne)