Amsterdam Lesson Two
I am good at a lot of things that build up and help other people. I am a good encourager, for God allows me to see more in people than they see in themselves. That also makes me a gifted healer; in fact, the ability to heal others’ hearts is the only spiritual gift I really claim. I am an experienced evangelist. I am a good friend, or so I have been told, and while I do not like to serve, when called upon to do so I serve faithfully and fully.
I have other strengths, of course, but I also have my weaknesses. Some of these are moral weaknesses, such as my tendency to tell small lies when I am unexpectedly embarrassed, and others are simply a lack of skill. One such weakness and my struggle with it has given me a new perspective, one which I am sure will be somewhat controversial for many people in GCM. I have thought about this lesson in my life, and there is a suggestion toward GCM and other organizations that is inherently wrapped up in it. At least, the circumstances which brought about this lesson are. I therefore want to begin by saying how glad I have been to be a part of GCM, how much I have loved it, how wonderful an organization I think it is, and how much I desire to say what I have to say in absolute love. No group is perfect, and I know that those who read this outside of GCM will not lose respect for it because of this, nor will those inside it be ashamed to know the group can still grow, for they know it already. What you decide to do with this particular suggestion is up to you: I do not claim to know more than my small part of GCM, and even that may be colored by my own perspective. And from what I’ve seen, GCM is doing better than most other ministries.
Ever since I first became a Christian in GCM, I have heard about the desperate need in our churches for leaders. And the need is real: I know all too well how difficult a job it is. Few people are willing to stand up and become leaders, or even train to do so. It takes a lot of time, a lot of patience, a lot of courage. I have been to many conferences specifically designed toward making better leaders, and I have been to weekly meetings with the same purpose. These are good things! So where is the problem? I would like to say I saw it when I looked at how things were going, but to be honest, I only noticed it when it really started to negatively impact me.
I am a poor leader. I believe I have the integrity of a leader, I believe I have enough training to be a leader, but still nearly every time I have ever tried to lead, I have failed miserably. I have been apprenticed on more than one occasion, and have had plenty of opportunities to lead. I led a small group for a very short time, and a life group a little longer than that. I have led in many ways at many times, and I have no doubt I will still be called upon to lead in some ways. I have often had a vision I sincerely believed in, and which I have tried to share with others. I still keep trying every now and then - if I feel God gives me a message, I will share it - but while people often listen, and often take to heart what I say, they will almost never follow me.
I tried very hard for many years to be a good leader. I went to the classes, I read the books, I talked with those more gifted than I. This has made me a better leader, but it has not made me a good one. I can’t tell you how many times I would hear about someone who was maturing in Christ, “I wonder how long it will be until they’re leading?” Since integrity was considered the single greatest requirement for leadership, as it ought to be, many of us unconsciously believed that a righteous person would inevitably become a leader of some sort in the church. I know I believed it, and most of the people I encountered did, too. We often were told to pray for our leaders, for their protection. We believed they would receive the greatest spiritual attack, since they did the most vital work, and thus the devil could do more harm by harming the leaders.
I was not a leader, despite all my efforts, and this could make me feel inadequate sometimes. It was not a big problem, for I knew I had my place and I knew I had my strengths. Still, I felt I had more to live up to, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t.
One day, I read what Paul had to say about the subject:
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. (Taken from Romans 12)
Paul, it seems, valued leadership greatly, but no more than he valued teaching, serving, giving, or encouraging. To him, the different gifts and abilities are like different colors in a picture - each is stronger because of the presence of the others. Here, he only encouraged a select few to really pursue leadership. Here, he encouraged more to do other things, such as serving, teaching, and encouraging.
I thought of Barnabas. I think he was mentioned more often in the New Testament than most of the Apostles. What was he so known and admired for? It wasn’t his leadership: it was his encouragement. In fact, he was so known for it that he is almost never called by his real name. Instead they use his nickname, Barnabas, which means Son of Encouragement. Here was a man of God who was greatly revered without ever leading anything, but by being a part of everything. He strengthened the leaders, the servants, the evangelists, the prophets. Through verses such as these, and examples such as Barnabas, I was finally able to see that perhaps God never really wanted me to be a leader. He gave me other gifts, and wanted me to do other things. Through this, I came to see that those other gifts are just as needed, just as necessary, just as important. I learned that I had just as important a part to play without ever being a leader.
Now I do not believe for a moment that this means I should never lead. I have before; I will again. Someone who is not a gifted servant, such as myself, must still often serve. God will use us in areas where we appear to be poorly suited. I myself will follow God wherever he leads me, even if I know it is in an area of weakness. But I will not be ashamed of that weakness, and when God is silent, I will pursue other ways of contributing.
But all this is only the beginning of the lesson. Later on, I learned through another set of verses such overemphasis on leadership doesn’t just hurt those of us who cannot lead well; it also hurts those who can.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. (Taken from 1 Corinthians 12)
Our leaders are often expected to be superheroes. They are expected to lead by example, and when it comes to leading with integrity, I believe that’s good. But often, they are also expected to be the ones who pray the most, serve the most, do everything more than others, because that was supposed to be leading by example. They are expected to be the most giving, the most wise, the most patient, and the most godly. In how many small groups, I wonder, is the leader not considered to be the most spiritually mature person in the group? Or how often is the wisest person not leading? The pressure leaders are under is great, and I have seen many people fall away from leadership, the church, or even Christ because of it. Where, I wonder, are leaders allowed to be weak? Where are they allowed to be weaker than those who follow them?
I do not believe leaders need to have half the abilities most other people seem to feel they need. Do you see, in Romans, how Paul encourages the leaders to lead and the teachers to teach? Notice how they are talked about as two different groups of people. Now, a leader may well have the ability to teach, but more often I see it considered a requirement. How long has it been since someone who wasn’t a pastor, or a ministry leader of any kind, spoke in front of your church? For most churches, that is never.
But I digress; I am here more to talk about the lesson I learned, and I have pressed the correction enough. For the lesson I learned in accepting my poor leadership abilities was complimented by learning no leader is strong in all ways. What I learned, simply, was that we were designed in such a way as to need each other. Whether we are a leader, an evangelist, an administrator, or whatever, we need the people around us, and we need the gifts they bring to us by the Holy Spirit. All need all. The leader is not higher or lower than the servant; not more important, not less. The work they do is neither more nor less essential. Remove a hand or a foot, and the body will still be handicapped. Remove a leader or an encourager, or anything else, and the body of Christ will still be sorely lacking. Each gift provides a part no other can, and we need to express our gifts as much as possible, as well as encourage others to do the same.
I believe I have seen this lived out. The Zolder was the living example of this lesson. All gifts were valued, and I’m not sure any particular gift was considered greater than the next. Every single person was recognized for what they brought to the group, and every contribution was appreciated. There, they also took a different view of what a leader was really supposed to do. A leader, I heard, mostly helped others to live out their gifts and their calling. When our leader suddenly left us, it was the hardest blow we received the entire time I was there. We reeled from it, but we did not fall. We persevered, and continued to follow God and continue the work he had for us in Holland. Each of us still had our role to play, and we all knew how much we needed those people who had the gifts we lacked.
The lesson in short:
We all have some gifts and some weaknesses. Everyone has just as important a role to play in building up each other, and no one has everything it takes. Everyone needs everyone else.
So there it was. I felt this would be controversial, and I encourage you to add your opinion to this. Do you agree? Disagree? Let me hear so, and why.
I have other strengths, of course, but I also have my weaknesses. Some of these are moral weaknesses, such as my tendency to tell small lies when I am unexpectedly embarrassed, and others are simply a lack of skill. One such weakness and my struggle with it has given me a new perspective, one which I am sure will be somewhat controversial for many people in GCM. I have thought about this lesson in my life, and there is a suggestion toward GCM and other organizations that is inherently wrapped up in it. At least, the circumstances which brought about this lesson are. I therefore want to begin by saying how glad I have been to be a part of GCM, how much I have loved it, how wonderful an organization I think it is, and how much I desire to say what I have to say in absolute love. No group is perfect, and I know that those who read this outside of GCM will not lose respect for it because of this, nor will those inside it be ashamed to know the group can still grow, for they know it already. What you decide to do with this particular suggestion is up to you: I do not claim to know more than my small part of GCM, and even that may be colored by my own perspective. And from what I’ve seen, GCM is doing better than most other ministries.
Ever since I first became a Christian in GCM, I have heard about the desperate need in our churches for leaders. And the need is real: I know all too well how difficult a job it is. Few people are willing to stand up and become leaders, or even train to do so. It takes a lot of time, a lot of patience, a lot of courage. I have been to many conferences specifically designed toward making better leaders, and I have been to weekly meetings with the same purpose. These are good things! So where is the problem? I would like to say I saw it when I looked at how things were going, but to be honest, I only noticed it when it really started to negatively impact me.
I am a poor leader. I believe I have the integrity of a leader, I believe I have enough training to be a leader, but still nearly every time I have ever tried to lead, I have failed miserably. I have been apprenticed on more than one occasion, and have had plenty of opportunities to lead. I led a small group for a very short time, and a life group a little longer than that. I have led in many ways at many times, and I have no doubt I will still be called upon to lead in some ways. I have often had a vision I sincerely believed in, and which I have tried to share with others. I still keep trying every now and then - if I feel God gives me a message, I will share it - but while people often listen, and often take to heart what I say, they will almost never follow me.
I tried very hard for many years to be a good leader. I went to the classes, I read the books, I talked with those more gifted than I. This has made me a better leader, but it has not made me a good one. I can’t tell you how many times I would hear about someone who was maturing in Christ, “I wonder how long it will be until they’re leading?” Since integrity was considered the single greatest requirement for leadership, as it ought to be, many of us unconsciously believed that a righteous person would inevitably become a leader of some sort in the church. I know I believed it, and most of the people I encountered did, too. We often were told to pray for our leaders, for their protection. We believed they would receive the greatest spiritual attack, since they did the most vital work, and thus the devil could do more harm by harming the leaders.
I was not a leader, despite all my efforts, and this could make me feel inadequate sometimes. It was not a big problem, for I knew I had my place and I knew I had my strengths. Still, I felt I had more to live up to, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t.
One day, I read what Paul had to say about the subject:
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. (Taken from Romans 12)
Paul, it seems, valued leadership greatly, but no more than he valued teaching, serving, giving, or encouraging. To him, the different gifts and abilities are like different colors in a picture - each is stronger because of the presence of the others. Here, he only encouraged a select few to really pursue leadership. Here, he encouraged more to do other things, such as serving, teaching, and encouraging.
I thought of Barnabas. I think he was mentioned more often in the New Testament than most of the Apostles. What was he so known and admired for? It wasn’t his leadership: it was his encouragement. In fact, he was so known for it that he is almost never called by his real name. Instead they use his nickname, Barnabas, which means Son of Encouragement. Here was a man of God who was greatly revered without ever leading anything, but by being a part of everything. He strengthened the leaders, the servants, the evangelists, the prophets. Through verses such as these, and examples such as Barnabas, I was finally able to see that perhaps God never really wanted me to be a leader. He gave me other gifts, and wanted me to do other things. Through this, I came to see that those other gifts are just as needed, just as necessary, just as important. I learned that I had just as important a part to play without ever being a leader.
Now I do not believe for a moment that this means I should never lead. I have before; I will again. Someone who is not a gifted servant, such as myself, must still often serve. God will use us in areas where we appear to be poorly suited. I myself will follow God wherever he leads me, even if I know it is in an area of weakness. But I will not be ashamed of that weakness, and when God is silent, I will pursue other ways of contributing.
But all this is only the beginning of the lesson. Later on, I learned through another set of verses such overemphasis on leadership doesn’t just hurt those of us who cannot lead well; it also hurts those who can.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. (Taken from 1 Corinthians 12)
Our leaders are often expected to be superheroes. They are expected to lead by example, and when it comes to leading with integrity, I believe that’s good. But often, they are also expected to be the ones who pray the most, serve the most, do everything more than others, because that was supposed to be leading by example. They are expected to be the most giving, the most wise, the most patient, and the most godly. In how many small groups, I wonder, is the leader not considered to be the most spiritually mature person in the group? Or how often is the wisest person not leading? The pressure leaders are under is great, and I have seen many people fall away from leadership, the church, or even Christ because of it. Where, I wonder, are leaders allowed to be weak? Where are they allowed to be weaker than those who follow them?
I do not believe leaders need to have half the abilities most other people seem to feel they need. Do you see, in Romans, how Paul encourages the leaders to lead and the teachers to teach? Notice how they are talked about as two different groups of people. Now, a leader may well have the ability to teach, but more often I see it considered a requirement. How long has it been since someone who wasn’t a pastor, or a ministry leader of any kind, spoke in front of your church? For most churches, that is never.
But I digress; I am here more to talk about the lesson I learned, and I have pressed the correction enough. For the lesson I learned in accepting my poor leadership abilities was complimented by learning no leader is strong in all ways. What I learned, simply, was that we were designed in such a way as to need each other. Whether we are a leader, an evangelist, an administrator, or whatever, we need the people around us, and we need the gifts they bring to us by the Holy Spirit. All need all. The leader is not higher or lower than the servant; not more important, not less. The work they do is neither more nor less essential. Remove a hand or a foot, and the body will still be handicapped. Remove a leader or an encourager, or anything else, and the body of Christ will still be sorely lacking. Each gift provides a part no other can, and we need to express our gifts as much as possible, as well as encourage others to do the same.
I believe I have seen this lived out. The Zolder was the living example of this lesson. All gifts were valued, and I’m not sure any particular gift was considered greater than the next. Every single person was recognized for what they brought to the group, and every contribution was appreciated. There, they also took a different view of what a leader was really supposed to do. A leader, I heard, mostly helped others to live out their gifts and their calling. When our leader suddenly left us, it was the hardest blow we received the entire time I was there. We reeled from it, but we did not fall. We persevered, and continued to follow God and continue the work he had for us in Holland. Each of us still had our role to play, and we all knew how much we needed those people who had the gifts we lacked.
The lesson in short:
We all have some gifts and some weaknesses. Everyone has just as important a role to play in building up each other, and no one has everything it takes. Everyone needs everyone else.
So there it was. I felt this would be controversial, and I encourage you to add your opinion to this. Do you agree? Disagree? Let me hear so, and why.