Recently, in my time with God, I have been studying the books of the Kings and Chronicles. God spoke to me personally concerning my role as a spiritual leader. Amid volumes of leadership books these days, God's Word gives us refreshing insight in this area. God is very clear about what kind of spiritual leader He has called us to be.
"My sons, do not neglect your duties any longer! The Lord has chosen you to stand in His presence, to minister to Him, and to lead the people in worship and present offerings to Him." 2 Chronicles 29:11 (NLT)
Stand In His Presence
The first calling of spiritual leader is NOT to stand before people. My calling is to stand before God. The New Living Translation reads, "Stand in His presence." I cannot stand before men if I have not stood before God. I must spend time in His presence. I must be continually filled with His Spirit. I must be able to stand blameless before Him in His righteousness, but also in my own practical and personal holiness. I must stand before God on behalf of the people as well. Someone has said, "You have no right to stand before a people for whom you have not labored in prayer."
Minister To Him
The calling of the spiritual leader is NOT to minister to people. It is to minister to The Lord Himself. My fear should be of Him, not men. When My focus on ministering to Him is replaced by meeting the needs of people, I will become quickly discouraged when people don't approve of me. This is the root of burnout in ministry. All my service and love should go to Him alone, not the people He has placed in my life to touch. In fact, it is impossible to truly minister to people if it does not flow out of my ministering to God. Jesus said, "If you love Me, feed My sheep." He did not say, "If you love people, feed them." I cannot "feed" anyone if I am not loving Jesus above all.
Lead The People In Worship
The calling of a spiritual leader is to lead people to Jesus - to point people to Him. This takes place primarily off the platform. It is the duty of a spiritual leader to lead by example; to live in such a way that brings glory to Jesus, and thus, pointing people to Him. So, to be able to lead people to worship God, I must first be "standing in His presence" and "ministering to Him."
Present Offerings To Him
The calling of a spiritual leader is to present all His work and fruit in ministry to God as an offering. Think of it as burning all your good works on the altar as an act of worship to Him. I must remember that any work done in my power is not pleasing to Him. Only the work done by Him through me is pleasing to Him. Only ministry done in the power of the Spirit is a sweet-smelling aroma to God. My efforts just stink! I must count all my accomplishments as "dung" (Philippians 3:8). Even the good things that God has used me to do must be considered as garbage to me. If not, I will begin to hang the trophies that rightfully belong to God, on my own walls.
These simple truths have transformed my thinking and my walk. My ministry will never be the same. In fact, my ministry will cease. The only fruit this "branch" can bear is that which flows from the Vine (John 15:5). Let's stop "trying" and just start "abiding."
