Spiritual Gifts, 18

 ~ The Spiritual Gift of Leadership / Ruling ~

Opening Comment  ~  “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.  Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (James 1:16-18). 

Serving Gifts  ~  Within the Service Sector we compared the Spiritual Gift of Serving with non-profit organizations in society.  The Gift of Going / Mercy was likened to Missionaries, while the Gift of Helps is a parallel for food banks and similar organizations.  The Gift of Hospitality was compared to the travel industry, and the Gift of Leadership is a direct parallel to leaders throughout society. 

Gift of Leadership  ~  “The God-given gift of spiritual oversight of a flock of God's sheep or a particular work of God.” –Robert Lloyd Russell  

“The God-given executive ability to stand before people and to inspire followers by leading them aggressively but with care.” –Pastor Loren Fischer

“God’s work needs well-taught elders, able to preside over the work in a given church and guide it into Scriptural and fruitful paths.” –John Phillips

The essence of leadership is to provide spiritual guidance to the individuals or flock you are responsible for. 

Scripture  ~  “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.  For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;  he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness” (Romans 12:3-8). 

“‘He that ruleth, with diligence’ refers to the gift of leadership.  There are certain men who are leaders, and they need to exercise their gift in the church so that everything might be done decently and in order.  The business of the church requires a man with the gift of administration.” –J. Vernon McGee

There is a great need for such men in the church today!

Biblical Examples  ~  In the Old Testament it is said of the men of Issachar that they: “had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chronicles 12:32).  

The elders at Antioch understood the Spirit’s leading and of the times in which they lived when they laid hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them forth to evangelize the western world for God.

“Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.  As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’  Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away” (Acts 13:1-3).

Traits  ~  Those with the gift of leadership typically, 1) employ organizational skills to encourage people to participate in worthwhile projects, 2) assume responsibility to see a job is done correctly, 3) stay the course of action to get work accomplished, 4) find it necessary to speak harshly when people fail to do their part, 5) confront people enthusiastically, thus encouraging team members to a higher level of productivity, 6) strive to help each member of a project involved a task.

Closing Comments  ~  “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.  Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.  Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.  Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.  Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.  Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:12-16).

“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:6-7).

“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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