Leadership Defined: Leadership Redefined and Reinvented by the Media

Without a doubt, there exists a crisis in human leadership. True, honest, Christ-entered leadership is at an all time low. While many professors of religion claim to be leaders of the people God-ward, they are often found to be self-seeking liars. These are not leaders, but ravenous wolves - blind leaders of the blind. While they may be charismatic, and profoundly influential, they are not leaders in the truest Biblical sense. What passes for leadership today is not leadership at all, but rather a series of influential actions which have a form of leadership qualities void of the integrity of wisdom.

 

When Godly leadership is evidenced, however, it is usually found in small, sometimes even obscure segments of the social order. These God fearing leaders are not readily embraced by the common people, therefore they remain hidden. Whenever the wicked rule, often as a result of an ignorant and arrogant culture, those who are righteous, and most capable of productive leadership, are hidden. A society which is kept captive to ignorance, will find themselves inundated with Godless leadership. Ignorance gives way to the flourishing of despotism.  

 

The Christo-centric leadership crisis is both universal and comprehensive. It is also highly indiscriminant. Leadership maladies exist in every area of modern life. It has no favorites nor exclusions. It infects all spheres of life.

 

Today, leadership has been re-defined to the point of extremism, where even the most reprobate and godless people have come to be known as leaders. This re-definition results in the re-invention of leadership which consequently results in the death of the true meaning of leadership. If leadership role models are re-defined enough, through powerful and  consistent means, the re-invention of leadership is inevitable.

 

 

Leadership Redefined and Reinvented by the Media

One powerful tool used by the godless is the media. Vehicles such as movies, television, music, sports, and journalism have been on the cutting edge of the disintegration of the true leadership meaning. Godless, secular leadership models are being established, and reinforced, through the media like never before in history.

 

It has been rightly asserted that if people hear the same thing again and again, over an extended period of time, they will accept it as fact. Even in the community of Bible believing Christians, "group think" mentality is prevalent. This truth is multiplied exponentially in our modern day.

 

The liberal humanistic agenda has been both defined and established through the use of the mass media. Only recently, as a response to this onslaught, has there been a wave of Biblical and Conservative based information available through radio talk programs, TV journalism and the Internet. If true leadership is to be reasserted it will be done so through the use of these technological venues.

 

Safe Guards and Protection : A Disciplined Approach

In light of the onslaught of liberal, and anti-Christian propaganda permeating our culture, the Christian Home must be insolated from these lies. Whether you are a single man or woman living alone, a married couple without children, grandparents or have a large family, proper, Christ-centered information must permeate your intellect. The atmosphere of your entire household must be carefully monitored.

 

In order to develop a clear and usable Biblical World view, one must be exposed to information and logic which is based upon a Biblical World view. The liberal media does not provide this - it will not provide this - it cannot provide this. This is why the Covenant Home needs to eradicate all promiscuous media influences from their environment. Counsel and ideology from any ungodly source must be shunned at all costs. While this is true, and needs to be practiced, this does not suggest that there can be no knowledge or needful information gained from secular sources. Facts and figures can be gleaned from a variety of sources provided they are accurate. Biblical counsel, on the other hand, can only be gleaned from the Word of God. Advise upon ethical actions, and/or Biblical decision-making cannot be gained, nor should it be sought, from any secular source whatsoever. The basic world view of all secular humanists is antagonistic against Christ and is of no profit. All things must be decided upon, and viewed from, the foundation of Theonomy - i.e. God's Law.

 

The first step in developing Christ centered Covenant leadership is through Christ centered Covenant Education. There are many simple ways to do this.

 

Clean up the atmosphere

The media influence of TV and music should never be underestimated. Introduce into your home environmental influences that exemplified doctrinal integrity and Biblical truths. If you have a habit of allowing your children to view television without being monitored, you have set yourself up for a series of terrible consequences. Instead, use the VCR or DVD player to regulate and control what your children watch. Even then, be careful, there are many ideas and liberal doctrines which categorically undermine the Christian faith. Beware.

Do not be lulled into a false sense of security by the fact that a movie is rated G, or that is an animated cartoon. Many G movies, and cartoons, are especially directed toward the re-indoctrination of the child into embracing godless ideas. Remember the rating commission is packed with secularists who do not use the Biblical standard. Watch the carefully selected video with your child. Know what is being shown, and spoken of. Discuss these with the children and turn the attempt to re-indoctrinate them into a lesson in debate and critical thinking in defense of the Christian faith. Use your video player into an educational tool for Biblical dominion. Build a video library which is wholesome and useful. Train and teach your child to spot the wicked and to be able to defend against it in argument and debate. The duty of the parent is to protect and train the child. Unsupervised media influence is a breach of Covenantal duty.

The movie industry can be a good tool for adults to use in establishing a strategy for Biblical argument. Whatever the movie industry is promoting on film, you can be sure the liberal anti-Christian humanists are promoting in Congress and amidst society. A skilled Christian apologist can sometimes use the movie industry to identify the direction of the enemy.  They always telegraph their next move. Movies are a social indicator. Those proficient in Biblical thinking can often frustrate anti-Christian agendas before they take root by understanding the thematic direction of Hollywood movies, television shows, music, art and literature.

 

Direction and Tools

Equipping the Covenant child with both direction and tools is essential. Every child needs direction. The child also needs tools which will enable him or her to profitably advance in the direction that Providence dictates. Whatever interests the parents usually, at least at first, interests the child. The child is molded after the parent, either directly or indirectly - actively or passively. Do not allow your child to be molded by accident. Be involved!  Make no mistake - everything the parent does influences the child. Be careful as to what direction your child is pointed.

 

Too often, parents do not have a Biblical Vision for their child. How many times have we seen fathers purchase, for their newborn sons, a baseball, bat and glove?  Or cars and trucks? Why not books? Why not teach the child to read early so that he may be able to think productively, logically and creatively?

 

How many parents expose their children to the various disciplines of life? - the arts, sciences, horticulture, agriculture, husbandry, industry, literature, music, logic, etc. Today's modernized parent exposes the child to a barrage of Nintendo games, filled with images of violence, perversion, sexually explicit icons, death and mayhem. The American mind is either typically stagnated or over-stimulated with negative experiences. If it is not sporting events, Nintendo, rock concerts, NASCAR, or the latest movie craze, the American people would be utterly bored with life. It is no wonder why Las Vegas is the second most traveled location in the World, second only to Mecca.

 

The Covenant home must be established upon God's Word and in God's Created World. They cannot allow themselves to take their direction from the worldly concerns and fads of the ungodly. To do this is to deny both God and His Word's commission for the saints to have Cultural Dominion. Furthermore, a worldly practice will always lead to a worldly family. This, by definition, is idolatry. It is the epitome of Covenant breaking. If leadership is to be True, it must be Biblical. In order for it to be Biblical, it must use the Standard of God's Word alone - then it will be blessed. There is no other way.

 

Soli Deo Gloria

Originally published in 2003

 

This is part three in a three part series on leadership defined.

Leadership Defined Part 1Leadership Defined Part 2

The Dominion Covenant: The Importance and Intent of God's Law

The crisis facing Christianity today is largely due to the modernized Christian movement known as Anti-nomianism. While this destructive heresy is as old as the first century Church, it is as much a problem now as it was then. Antinomianism is a theological word derived from two Greek words, anti and nomos, against and law. Antinomianism is the doctrine of anti-law.

Modernized Evangelical Christianity has both failed to accept the absolute standard of God's Will, and also to properly understand and apply God's Law to everyday life as a result of this destructive teaching. Consequently God's Law is reduced to an antiquated system of "dos and don'ts" which is snubbed by many Christians as legalistic and unnecessary for the New Testament Church.


Biblical phrases such as "we are not under the Law, but under Grace" have been used perversely to justify a system of behavior void of faithful obedience to the Biblical Standard of God's Law. Christian obedience is reduced to a vacillating standard based upon emotional feelings, and not upon God's perfect Law-order.


Furthermore, modernized Christianity has also compartmentalized the Christian life to include only the personal and the ecclesiastic, shunning any responsibly to the social order of the culture. A individualized standard of ethics based upon the antinomianism mindset is not a Biblical approach to True Christianity. When every man does what is right in his own eyes, apostasy and judgment results.

The Law of God is the Perfect Standard of Behavior

The Law of God is the basis for all acceptable behavior. The only part of the Law which the believer is exempt from is its condemnation not its standard. The regenerated soul is not under the "condemnation" of the Law, but under the forgiveness of Grace. As Greg Bahnsen states it in his "Theonomy in Christian Ethics,"

"The redemptive work of Christ did not end the function of the Law but rather established man in obedience to the Law. We are redeemed [so that] the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us."

If God's Law is separated from God's Grace, then Grace also disappears. The two are uniquely inseparable. What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.

 

The Apostle Paul makes it clear that the Law should not be made void through faith but rather established through faith. cf Rom 3:31  The Commandments of God are the perfect tools for Biblical Conquest and Dominion.

"Where there is no vision the people perish: but he that keepeth the Law, happy is he." Proverbs 29:18

 

The alternative is based upon two choices, Theonomy or autonomy. It is either God's Law or man's law which by definition is anti-law.

 

In The Beginning Was The LAW-WORD

Genesis 1 establishes the Sovereign position of God as the Legislator King. Since God is the Creator, and owner, of the entire universe, He is also the legitimate Lawgiver. His perfect Law is the Divine expression of His will, nature and being. It sets forth the divine order of the universe in a framework of justice and righteousness. To reject God's Law is to reject God.

 

All creation was made to be in obedient subjection to the Will of the Creator. Adam's Covenant with God was both a Covenant of Grace, and a Covenant of Law. Both Grace and Law are Covenantal Blessings. Adam's relationship with God was not a Covenant of "works", as if to imply that Adam needed to "work" for God's Grace, but rather it was a Covenant of Obedient Action in dominion and subjugation of his environment. Adam's work in the garden was a response to the Grace of God.


The modern understanding of God's Law is not accurate. God's Law is more than a legal code of moral righteousness. It is a Covenantal mandate which establishes the parameters for a proper relationship between God and man. Re-created man, born again after the image of the Last Adam, Christ, is obliged to obedience according to the Law's moral standard. Regenerated man must live by every word which proceeds forth from the mouth of God. Lawful obedience to God's Word is a result of God's regenerating Grace, not a condition for Grace. Therefore, the only acceptable behavior of the Christian is lawful obedience, which is structure according to His reveled Will. Lawbreaking is the blatant refusal to live within the relationship established by the Covenant of God.

 

God's Law Is Not Restrictive

If the Law of God is viewed in the negative, it is then seen as a code of restrictions. Thou shalt not seems to predominate the life of obedience. This un-Biblical perspective on the Law renders the Christian powerless and oppressed. Yet, the Law is actually an empowering tool and a liberating tool, rather than a restrictive set of ordinances. A misunderstanding and misuse of God's Law always causes bondage, weakness and spiritual poverty.

 

The apostle testifies that those who are born of Grace do not view God's Commandments as grievous. cf 1 Jn 5:3

 

Paul declares that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds and every high thing that exalts itself above God and His majesty. Those weapons are God's precepts and commandments. As Paul, by the Spirit, also declares, the Law-Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit. It is the Law which is mighty through God and which is spiritual in power and efficacy. What the modern Christian's must understand is that God's Law is not a legalistic doctrine but a rule book of instructions for daily living. The Law is given so that men may walk prosperously and productively as kings upon the earth, treading down the wicked of the world.

 


Another misconception of the modern pseudo-Christian - antinomian movement is that the Law is not personal. In other words, it concerns everyone
outside of the regeneration Covenant, but exempts all within the regeneration power of Grace. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Both Grace and Law are personal since they both are given by a personal God to people in particular.

 

The Extent of the Law

The Law is exhaustive and comprehensive as it is universal. It includes every and all areas of life. God has something to say about everything, and His Law is given to bring Divine order to a Divine Created Universe.

 

Since God has created all things, including all institutions, He reserves the right to legislate over all things. His rule, and legislative authority, is Total. This was a common understanding and practice of the early church. At one time, Christianity recognized God's Law as the governing standard for both men and nations. Peasants, priests and kings were bound to God's commandments. Today the revolt against the authoritative standard of God's Law is resisted and often abandoned.


There is a revolt underway to undermine the Law's authority both in the secular community as well as the Christian community. No longer is the Law seen as a blessing from God. Cf Deut 10:13. It is now shunned as a restrictive yoke.

 

Those Who Practice Lawlessness

Unlike David, son of Jesse, who loved the Law of God, only those who are false apostles hate God's Law. These wondering souls spew forth the idea that God's Law is an Old Testament notion, only to be disregarded in the New Testament dispensation. Yet, the Lord Christ condemns the false Christian in Matthew 7:23 for this exact doctrine, declaring them workers of iniquity, i.e. "lawlessness". (Gr. 458 lit. lawless, transgressor, [root 459] without law, destitute of the Mosaic Law)

 

Why Do Men Hate the Law?

Men hate the Law because it condemns them of their sins. The Law is an offense to those who want freedom to sin rather than freedom from sin. It also shows them that there is a standard of Truth higher than their own. Remember, sinful men wish to be god-like. Their philosophies take on a Messianic flavor. Yet, without the Word as the source of Truth, righteous law and public policy, cannot be achieved. Autonomy is a sin against God and traces back to the sin of Adam in Eden.

 

The Solution

The solution lies in simple obedience. Legitimate Law-keeping is done from the position of regenerating Grace and not from the desire to merit regenerating grace. By the deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight...cf Rom 3:20


Through the proper application of God's Law to each and every area of life, the saint can begin to overturn the antinomian poisoning of the culture. The Lawful intent and purpose of God's Law needs to be re-examined and re-embraced. Like Josiah of Judah, the Law must be read and followed unto full repentance so that restoration may take place. This must be accomplished on a personal, familial, ecclesiastic and national level. Every area of the culture must be infiltrated in order to bring the full weight of the Law's truth upon it. No discipline should be avoided. Each should be confronted and restructured according to the absolute Truth of God's Holy Standard.


The True Christian must be of Grace
and of Law. His work must be executed upon the earth according to the perfect system of moral righteousness as a result of the Work of God's intervening power of regeneration. To reject God's Law is to reject God's Grace.


Soli Deo Gloria

Originally published in 2003

 

Further reading: The Grace of Law: A Study in Puritan Theology  and The Moral Law by Ernest Kevan

 

This is part three in a five part series on the dominion covenant.

 

Leadership Defined: The Leadership Pattern

All leaders, to some extent are led. To be an effective leader, one must be a faithful follower. Every leader has a mentor, someone who they have learned from, and respect. Effective leadership uses effective leadership as an example. This is true in every case.

 

The dynamic is simple. Good leadership produces good leaders, whereas, evil, self-seeking and tyrannical leadership produces evil, self-seeking, tyrannical leadership. Every leadership model develops other leadership models "after its own kind."

 

 

The Leadership Pattern

Thus, it is important to have a leadership pattern which is an accurate example of True Leadership. In order for leadership to be true, it must have, as its root and focus, ethical, Christ centered integrity. Sadly, today's culture erects "leaders" which are, by definition, not True Leaders. Modern "leaders" often practice pragmatism and are, in many cases, entirely unethical, or at best, selectively ethical. While they may lead others, and are often followed by others, they are void of authentic goodness, making them destructive examples rather than good leaders.

 

Many of the so-called American leaders of the 20th and 21st century are immoral, and dysfunctional self-seeking  baboons. This includes those who are now dead, and those who are still living. Both the sports industry and the entertainment industry have sought to elevate God-less, disrespectful "low-lifes" as a driving force in American culture. These men and women are considered the new leaders.

 

Even after their wickedness is openly manifested, the public still loves them - sometimes even more-so. These god-hating icons, ironically called "stars" (a reference used By God to identify the True Saints of His Kingdom), are consistently paraded before the public for the express purpose of emulation. The underlying message is, "be like them, and you will be both happy and successful." Nothing could be farther from the truth.

 

True leadership is based upon an absolute standard of ethical and moral Righteousness. This standard is complete and comprehensive. It is a universal standard which engages every sphere of life. That absolute standard is the Holy Law-Word of God.

 

Only those who conform to that standard are worthy of being called leaders. George Washington therefore, can be called a leaders while Bill (Caligula) Clinton cannot. Likewise, John Quincy Adams can be called a leader, while FDR cannot. Although it is true that each of these men were placed in "leadership" positions, they were not all good leaders. If they were not good leaders, then, by definition, they were not leaders at all since they led the people on a destructive path.

 

Leaders vs. Influential People

It should be obvious, by now, that there is not only a crisis in leadership, but a crisis in understanding what leadership really is. If no one knows what leadership truly is, then no one can truly be a leaders. If there is no pattern of true leadership, then any pattern will do. If the American people expect to be governed benevolently they need to understand the nature and anatomy of true leadership. The liberty of the individual and the nation hinges upon leadership.

 

There is also some confusion concerning the distinction between leaders and influential people. Generally speaking, everyone is influential to a certain degree. Every father and every mother directly and dramatically influences their children. Siblings and relatives also create a certain amount of  behavioral pressure, as does the schoolteacher, babysitter, news reporters, media commentator, novelist, legislator, clergyman, policeman, poet, historian, even the local shopkeeper. All human interaction holds some degree of influence. Each of these positions, among many others, effects the individual according to some level of power.

 

While the father may exercise a great influence and authority over the child, the news commentator, of the nightly liberal news network, may exercise great influence over the father. Even though the newsman does not directly influence the child, he does so indirectly and with potentially a greater force since his ideologies are brought to the child through the father.

 

If the infectious ideology poisons the father's world-view, the father may "influence" the child yet, he is not leading him properly. likewise, the news commentator may have the Lead Story and may be the Leading anchorman, yet he is not leading. He is however, tremendously influencing. This is why it is so important for fathers to be True Leaders so as to influence for Good rather than evil.

 

Attila the Hun : A Great Leader?

In 1995 I happened across a book by Wess Roberts, PhD, "Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun. It was endorsed by Ross Perot as a book which embodied "timeless leadership principles." After skimming the table of contents I thought I would read it. Perot was correct. Wess put his finger upon a great many useful principles of "truth" concerning leadership. Yet, like James MacGregor Burns, he missed the most crucial element - God.

 

Attila was, humanistically speaking, an influential leader. He was not a true leader, according to the standard of Scripture. Remember influential does not necessarily translate into Leader.

 

Wess' Premise and Execution

Wess' book was geared toward the business community. It was well written and included a vast array of situations any executive in corporate management would face in the affairs of everyday business.

 

Although many of the principles were helpful and enlightening, as I read the book, I kept going back to the opening statement Wess made in his preface.

"Attila the Hun is a dubious character...  He's been portrayed as a barbaric, ugly little tyrant whose hordes, in total disregard of accepted principles of conservation, ruthlessly destroyed the beautiful and tranquil countryside, then went on to plunder and pillage numerous cities and villages inhabited by more civilized citizens of European nations."

 

Wess does confess that to use Attila as an example of a brilliant leader is not widely culturally accepted. Usually examples of leadership skills and qualities are reserved for men of a more noble stature. Yet, what is the standard that distinguished a more noble stature? What is the standard used to characterize a man of leadership? Is it that he is more socially acceptable? Handsome? Knowledgeable? Funny? Wealthy? Has many friends? A distinguished family pedigree?

 

Then we must ask the question, "What makes one distinguished from another?" Certainly Jack the ripper was a distinguished individual, even influencing all of London during the nineteenth century, but that doesn't mean he is a distinguished leader.

 

The point again is this: True Leadership is dependent upon ethics and motive. Attila led his men for selfish gain. They were treacherous and evil. He was a barbarian-tyrant. He was not a great leader. He was a murderous wicked sinful man. He was no more a great leader than Hitler or Diocletian.

Yet, he did portray "leadership qualities". By filtering Wess' book through a Biblical God-centered world view, Leadership Secrete of Attila the Hun became one of my favorites. Not because it spoke of Attila, but because it spelled out well-known Biblical truths. Through the eyes of Scripture, Wess' book was a great experience for me.

 

David and Gideon

Every leadership principle spelled out by Wess I transposed over to King David or valiant Gideon. It was glorious. I began to read the Battles of the Bible with a view to leadership motives, goals, strategies and characteristics. It began to learn the true nature and end of Godly leadership, and it was all about God, His Christ, His Law, His World, and the Glory and Righteousness of His kingdom.

 

The Leadership Cover-up

History is full of all kinds of "leaders". Some of them can be considered true leaders. Others should be considered as evil, or inept leaders. Those who are inept or ungodly do not deserve the noble title of leader - but rather "a destructive influencing force in society". Yet, the history books are often given a bias and clouded account of facts, especially if God-hating authorities are issuing the history textbooks. But facts are facts. They are unchangeable. Either a man is a leader or he is not. As John Adams once stated, "facts are stubborn things."

 

Case in point: A modern American high school textbook once devoted a single page to George Washington while devoting almost 10 pages to movie actress, singer, and renown harlot, Marilyn Monroe. This example may be extreme and isolated, but the pattern of historical cover-up is pandemic. Today's mainstream media and educational institutions have exchanged the truth for a lie, broadcasting evil men as leaders and Godly leaders as fanatics and idiots. Even sports figures and music performers such as the Beatles, Puff Daddy, Michael Jackson, Oprah, Elvis and Madonna are found in high school history textbooks while little attention is given to the true substance of American culture - its founders and heroes.

 

This nation was forged by Godly Leadership not hip hop media icons. In a 1954 speech by Chief Justice Earl Warren, addressing the annual prayer breakfast of the International Council of Christian Leadership, he stated:

I believe no one can read the history of our country without realizing that the Good Book, and the Spirit of the Savior, have, from the beginning, been our guiding geniuses... Whether we look to the first charter of Virginia.... or to the Charter of New England.... or the Charter of Massachusetts Bay... or to the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut... the same objective is present: A Christian land governed by Christian principles.

I believe the entire Bill of Rights came into being because of the knowledge our forefathers had of the Bible, and their belief in it - freedom of belief, of expression, of assembly, of petition, the dignity of the individual, the sanctity of the home, equal justice under the Law, and the reservation of powers to the people. I like to believe we are living today in the spirit of the Christian religion. I like also to believe that as long as we do so, no great harm can come to our country.

America is a Christian nation in the same way Israel is a Jewish nation, Saudi Arabia an Islamic nation and India a Hindu nation. This fact should be irrefutable. Yet, the forces of wickedness refute it everyday.

 

Principled Centered Leadership

Author Stephen R. Covey is a nationally known author and leadership consultant. Of his many books, Principled Centered Leadership, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families, and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, Covey sets forth an important principle. He speaks in secular terms, yet his Biblical premise, and message, is clear. All leadership must have a "True North" standard. That true north must be the absolute standard of the Holy Scriptures. Covey explains that maps are not always reliable as a navigational tool since the terrain (i.e. the situation) often changes. But a true north compass will always show the way north.

True leadership boils down to "True North" principles. Those principles are God inspired, God-centered and God-ward. Then, and only then can they be good for the people. This, by definition, is proper leadership.

 

Leaders have a Destination

All leaders know where they are going. If a person doesn't know where he is going, "any train will get them there." Goals are essential for leadership. Leadership skills require that all leaders see the end before they refine the means by which to achieve that end. This requires vision.

Covey identifies this lack of direction as a fundamental problem with would-be leaders. Leadership needs a destination. Various Biblical principles testify to this fact. In Proverbs 29:18 Solomon declares,

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the Law, happy is he.

All true leaders have two things in common. They have both a vision and a perfect standard of Truth by which to execute that vision. Unlike Cain, who was a vagabond and wanderer, leaders have a precise direction as a result of a precise understanding of God's will for their lives. They may not know every detail, but they are generally sure of their purpose in life. Theologically speaking, this is known as "the calling." Perhaps the most important question a Christian can ask is, "What has God called me to do with my life?"

 

While every individual needs to define, understand and undertake his or her calling  under God, so too does each and every family unit. Every family should have a mission statement which identifies their calling as a family unit. This statement is very much like a creed or a confession. It identifies, in clear and simple terms, the family culture. It also spells out the goal which that family is striving to achieve. The mission statement is the family constitution. Since God works through Covenant families, those families need to be especially mindful of their calling before God.

 

Five Initial and General Commandments Concerning God's Calling

God's call can be categorized into 5 distinct general headings.

 

  1. God calls His people to faithfulness. This includes, but is not limited to, a turning from evil, an embracing of good, and a universal practice of righteous obedience.

     

  2. God calls His people to a new way of life which is structured according to His Law of Ethics.

     

  3. God calls His people to full ethical fellowship with Him. God's people are adopted through the restoration and resurrection power of the Lord Jesus Christ making them His Sons. Thus, whatsoever the Son sees the Father do, he does likewise. God is our example, in the person of Christ.

     

  4. God calls His people to labor. Six days shalt thou work. This work is vocational. That is to say it is dedicated to the Glory of God, in His service according to His ethical standards of Law. This vocation is found in every area of life's work. The carpenter has a holy vocation on par with the clergyman, as does the plumber and store clerk. There is no distinction if both execute their work in the service of God as a life's devotion to Him. By this labor Christian Dominion is accomplished.

     

  5. God calls His people to competence. Learned skills, and the ability to perform those skills with diligence and competence is essential. God's people should never think that simply because they are of the regeneration, that God will tolerate sloth and incompetence. Sloth and incompetence only bring dishonor to the Kingdom of His majesty.

 

To those who earnestly and prayerfully seek to better themselves and their performance of their tasks, God blesses. God rewards competence with more competence. He also blesses devotion and "stick-to-itiveness" if it is done from a pure heart. Christians need to understand that every job, no matter how insignificant it may seem at the time, is to be done well, unto the glory of God. Whatever we eat or drink, it is to be done to His Glory.

Soli Deo Gloria

 

Originally published in 2003

This is part two in a series on leadership defined. Part three will be published next week.

 

Leadership Defined - Part 1

 

 

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