People mobilize for a cause, and then they follow leaders in pursuit of that cause. In the case of an army, the possibility of future conflicts could result in injury or even death, so for one to mobilize, there must be a high degree of belief in the cause. To endure the daily discipline and training that is required to become part of an army also requires a continuing, deepening, and enduring devotion to the cause. Articulation of the cause and then building on the foundation of devotion to a noble cause is crucial for leadership.
In Christ, we have the most noble cause. Articulating and projecting the cause is basic to leadership. Because “the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart” (see Matthew 12:34), the most basic qualification of leadership in God’s army is having His cause, which is His gospel and His kingdom in our hearts. The deeper and more real it is in our hearts, the more powerful the articulation will be because living waters come out of the innermost being or heart (see John 7:38).
Of course, the purest water is the most untainted and unclouded. Because the army of God is also His bride and we know that by the end of this age He will have a pure bride “without spot,” we can expect her leadership to be both deep and pure in their motives. The deeper we go in our understanding and love of the Lord and the gospel of His kingdom, the more it should also purify our motives.
When the angel released the apostles from prison in Acts 5, he exhorted them to return to the temple and preach “the whole message of this Life” (see verse 20). After our call to the army by the gospel, which is the commitment to give our lives to the Lord, to obey Him and follow Him, there is the need for the continual reiteration of the cause and “the whole message of this Life,” including how we should live to represent His kingdom. This, too, must be done from the heart because it takes “living water” to motivate the soldiers to excellence in their training, which in our case is all life skills.
Enlistment in the army of God is not over after a four-year stint or after a conflict is decided because we know this conflict will continue until the Lord returns. Therefore, it is crucial for the leadership in this army to be skilled at projecting the message on every level as a continual motivation of the army. Morale is crucial for the performance of any army.
A person in love will not quit. Those who truly love the Lord above all things will do all things for the Lord. Those who have kept their first love wake up thinking about Him. The primary devotion of their lives will be to get closer to Him, to know Him better, to know His voice better, and to obey Him in all things.
If this is not our most basic devotion, then something less than God has eclipsed our affections for Him. The first and greatest commandment is to love God above all things. Anything else but this means we have departed from the path and have become deceived because there is no person or thing that is more lovable than God. Who could possibly perceive His great love, His great heart, and all of His ways and not love Him more and more? To let anything else eclipse that love is to make it an idol in His place.
This is one reason why lukewarmness is so offensive to the Lord. How could anyone really know the living God, the consuming Fire, and not be on fire for Him? To be lukewarm means to be shallow in our devotion, and if that has happened to one who knows the most noble cause there is, there must be a most serious character flaw or deception.
We should appreciate preachers and leaders who study how to be more articulate or effective in their preaching just as we should appreciate those who seek to do their jobs better. Even so, true greatness in preaching or teaching will be the depth of love that we have for the message.
We should appreciate the preachers and leaders who take courses or seek to learn better leadership and management skills. This, too, is necessary to lead well. We should want to do the best job possible leading those who have been entrusted into our care. Those who are trying to improve their leadership skills are to be commended and will likely also be the ones who are promoted by the Lord. We should do this first because we love the Lord and want to do the best possible job for Him, but the best leaders will also love the people entrusted to their care. It should be the love in our hearts for the Lord and His people, not just promotions, which compel us to always study and try to do a better job.
We should care for the resources that have been entrusted to us enough to be the best stewards of them that we can be by managing them well. We often hear the saying, “seek the Giver, not the gifts,” but that is not biblical because the Scriptures exhort us to seek the gifts. This is not an “either/or matter,” but one way we seek the Giver is by letting Him use us for His gifts and ministries to operate through. The Scriptures also exhort us to seek Him for our provision, our daily bread, and other things that we need or even want. This binds us to Him even more closely as our Source.
Of course, we must not let the seeking of His gifts and provisions eclipse our seeking Him personally. Also, if we love Him we will esteem and honor what He trusts us with and will want to be the best stewards possible. If we love the gifts, we will treat them with more respect and take better care of them. This is why it is right to “earnestly desire” (see I Corinthians 12:31) the gifts, just as Paul exhorted the Corinthians.
It is not wrong to love our ministries; it is wrong not to. It is not wrong to love the gifts; it is wrong not to. It is not wrong to love anything else He has entrusted to us; it is wrong not to, but in all things we must love Him more. We will also find that the more we love Him, the more we will tend to love other people and things. Love, passion, and compassion will all be the basis of the zeal for the message of His true messengers.
Certainly other factors contribute to becoming a good leader, but heart is the first. Therefore, we must guard our hearts and its affections, but we must also use them. Have you heard people say that love is not a feeling but a discipline? Try telling your spouse that you no longer feel anything for them but are just loving them in obedience to God. That is actually promoting “cold love.”
Leadership in the kingdom is built upon loving the King, loving His people, and loving His purposes. You cannot truly love someone or something without feeling it. If you feel it, it will come out in your words. Words without feeling simply will not motivate, and motivation is crucial to leadership.
