Leading in an Upside-Down World -- Leaders in Israel
Sabbath School Study
Larry R Evans
December 30, 2019
Introduction
I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to
offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your
true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:1,2)
A small group
of nuns reside in a French countryside convent outside Le Blanc, France. They are known as the Little Sisters
Disciples of the Lamb. Their purpose for
existing is very unusual. This Catholic
convent exists so that there is a place where these nuns have a place to
serve. Strange isn’t it? We don’t normally create a place where leaders can
serve. We do it the other way
around. We send leaders to places that
need leadership. But as I suggested, the
purpose for this convent is unique.
As it turns
out, the convent’s purpose is to be a place where “those who are in last
place in the world” can serve. Pause
for a moment and consider, “Those who are in last place in the world?” What does this mean?
You see,
eight of the ten nuns in the convent are women with Down syndrome. In their simple innocence, they reveal the
power of unconditional love and trust. They sense a calling to minister and a
place was made for them. Sometimes granting
“empowerment” is more than giving the “rights” to lead. It is also providing “opportunities” to live
out one’s calling to serve. I have yet
to find a person who doesn’t want to have a purpose for living. We all want to
make a difference in some way.
In striking ways,
these Down syndrome nuns are examples of how we are meant to live with one
another. Perhaps, and I think so, they
have something to teach us about a new kind of leadership—the kind needed in an
upside-down world. Maybe what we thought
was a disability, a curse, is, after all, a blessing hidden behind our own cultural
expectations. Hidden no longer. Many are discovering the blessings of
service. We’ve changed the name of our ministry from special “needs” ministries
to “possibility” ministries.
This week we
have been studying examples of leadership as found in Israel. We will review today their kind of influence that
they had--both good and bad. We will
look at their examples of courage and empowerment. We will also see how they
revealed their purposes and passions for leading and this will be coupled with
needed humility and perseverance.
Show Video
Frank Stephens in the U.S. Senate
“Let’s Make the World Alzheimer Free,
Not Down Syndrome Free”
[APM Seminar: “Broken in All the Right
Places”]
As we begin
our review of examples of leadership, consider the following:
Jesus was given to stand at the head of humanity, that by His
example He might teach what it means to minister. His whole life was under a law of service. He
served all, ministered to all. Thus
He lived the law of God, and by His example showed how we are to obey it.” --Ellen
White in The Desire of Ages, p. 649.
In our
review, let’s not get so sophisticated and academic that we devalue the obvious
“gifts” God has given to those like the nuns with Down syndrome. If Jesus
ministered to all, shouldn’t we. If we
believe that of ourselves, then shouldn’t we also let them minister to us as
well and not just us to them?
INFLUENCE
“Bad leaders, at times, have done some good
things, while good leaders, at times, have done some bad things” (SS Guide,
p.105). Granted, a leader has influence but can those whom he or she is leading
have an influence on them? Such was the
case with Rehoboam.
The story of
Solomon, Rehoboam, and Jeroboam is a critical historical turning point in the
history of God’s people. The experience
of the newly appointed king, Rehoboam, provides some insights relevant to our
personal and corporate lives. His impulsive action as a leader had a lasting and
negative influence on the nation.
While Solomon
began as a wise king, he set in place the seeds for a division. After 40 years as king of Israel, he died
leaving behind memories of a harsh rule. With a new king, some hoped for a
change in policies. Experienced counselors approached Rehoboam and suggested
that some of the harsh policies be repealed. They knew loyalty would come from authority and power that gave priority to service to those being
governed.
As is often
the case, leaders receive conflicting advice. In Rehoboam’s case, he listened to
those who thought as he did,
But Rehoboam
rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had
grown up with him and were serving him. He asked them, “What is your advice?
How should we answer these people who say to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father
put on us’?” 1Kings 12:8
It wasn’t just that he listened to the
wrong counselors, he insulted those whose counsel he refused.
The king
answered the people harshly.
Rejecting the advice given to him by the elders, he followed the advice of the
young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even
heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.”
So the king did not listen to the people (1Kings 12:12-15)
Then came the
devastating reply that rocked the kingdom:
What
share do we have in David,
what
part in Jesse’s son?
To
your tents, Israel!
Look
after your own house, David” (1 Kings12:16)! Basically, Rehoboam, said it is my decision. It’s none of your business. The elders left
and the once the United Kingdom divided into the northern and southern kingdoms. One
Bible commentator wrote, “As so often, rigid stupidity by one party forces the
other to make an impulsive decision.” (Tyndale Bible Commentary)
If only there had been an Abigail present! You remember how she was the peacemaker
between her scoundrel of a husband and David and his 600 men. Her influence that day saved many lives. (1
Samuel 25).
Jesus addressed influence by talking about a
different kind of leadership. It is the
kind of leadership that will make a lasting difference and one that is needed
in an upside-down world.
Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who
are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high
officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead,
whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants
to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be
served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mk 10:42-45
When I arrived at my assignment in the
Georgia-Cumberland Conference, I found this quote under the glass on the desk:
The mark of a true servant is when we act like one when we
are being treated as one.
In the upside-down
world, leadership is about the legacy you will leave behind. The leader works
to shape what he/she wants to be known for. The “Me Syndrome” can easily neutralize
any list of accomplishments the leader may achieve. The key to the leadership
of Jesus was His relationship with his Father.
The legacy came as a result of that relationship. During the temptation
account, Satan sought to minimize the leadership and influence of Jesus. He did it in at least three ways:
1. There is an easier way, with a lower
personal cost.
2. God’s way is not necessarily the only
option to achieve the desired outcome.
3. Saving the world was his [Jesus’]
job so he should develop his own plan to get the job done.
Jesus did not
succumb. His leadership was to
facilitate the relationship between his disciples and his Father. What Jesus
tried to teach us was that leadership is more about “being” than about “doing.”
Peter Senge,
in his book, The Fifth Discipline observed “that what distinguishes [leaders]
is their clarity and persuasiveness of their ideas, the depth of their
commitment, and their openness to continually learning more. (p.359)
Influence is
directly related to our own personal preparation and commitment to whatever the
Lord has given us to be and do.
My favorite
definition of leadership is by Henry Blackaby, “Spiritual leadership is moving people on to God’s
agenda.” (Spiritual Leadership, p.20). “When spiritual leaders
have done their jobs, the people around them have encountered God and obeyed
his will.” (p.21)
We sometimes
allow the business world to define for us what is influential.
“Reaching goals is not necessarily a sign of God’s blessing. Spiritual
leaders do not use their people to accomplish their goals; their people are
their goal. Spiritual leaders have a
God-given responsibility to do all they can to lead their people on to God’s
agenda.” (p.122).
LEADER’S
WHO HAD THEIR OWN AGENDA LEFT BEHIND A DESTRUCTIVE LEGACY.
1Kings 15:3 speak of Nadab and Jeroboam this
way:
He [Nadab] committed all the sins his father had done before
him; his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God.
The sins of
the father were passed onto the son. The influence of parents is powerful.
COURAGE,
EMPOWERMENT, INFLUENCE
One of the
outstanding examples of leadership referenced in the Old Testament may surprise
you. It is found in Judges 4:1-16.
The chapter
begins by saying that “the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” (v.1).
Because of this, they were sold into the hands of the Canaanite king, Jabin. For twenty years they were cruelly oppressed. God’s people earnestly prayed for
deliverance. Then the Lord intervened through a prophet named Deborah. People had been coming to her to settle
disputes. Her influence was definitely felt.
Sensing the depression and the desperation of her people she told Barak
to take 10,000 men to confront Jabin’s army and 900 chariots. Barak replied, “If you go with me, I will go,
but if you don’t go with me I won’t go.”
Say what you will, but when God has a job that needs to be done, He uses
the best he has and in this case, the leader was clearly Deborah. She went with Barak. So successful was Barak, that despite the
chariots and army, the Bible says, “not a man was left” (v.16).
PURPOSE
AND PASSION
This quarter
we’ve studied looked at the leadership of Nehemiah and Ezra. God used them in a mighty way. This was made possible because they were
clear regarding their purpose and their passion was rooted in their obedience
to God.
1. Nehemiah – wept, mourned, fasted and prayed
for the exiles. (Neh. 1:4)
2. Ezra – devoted himself to study and observance of the law of
God and to teaching.
LET’S REFLECT TOGETHER
I received
the following questions from a member outside of the United States. Help me answer his or her questions:
1. Why is it hard for any of us to lead
as a servant?
2. What is it that gets in the way of
being a servant?
3. What is being a servant leader so
rewarding?
4. What makes it so important for a Seventh-day
Adventist Christian to be a servant-leader?
A CLOSING CHALLENGE
What kind of
leadership does it take to respond to this challenge:
April 4, 1893—EGW Address to the
Church
When professed Christians feel no burden to enlighten the
minds of those who are in darkness; when they fail to make use of the rich
grace of Christ, and cease to impart the knowledge they have received, they
become selfish, narrow, bigoted, and their capacity to receive more and more
heavenly illumination decreases rather than increases. They become less
discerning, lose their appreciation of the richness of the heavenly endowment,
and failing to value it themselves, they fail to present it to others. It
is only as God sees his professed people eager to be laborers together with
him, that he can impart to them light and grace; for then they will make every
interest secondary to the interest of his work and cause. With such
workers the heavenly intelligences will co-operate. Jesus says, “Ye shall
receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be
witnesses unto me.” It is the union of the Holy Spirit and the testimony
of the living witness that is to warn the world. The worker for God is
the agent through which the heavenly communication is given, and the Holy
Spirit gives divine authority to the word of truth. { RH April 4, 1893, par. 9
}
Does this statement have anything to say about the
conviction of the Down syndrome nuns? How relevant is this statement to
spiritual leadership which is defined as:
“Spiritual leadership is moving people on to God’s
agenda.”
Is this the kind
of leadership needed in an “upside-down world?”
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