E92 - Hope’s Harbor Gritty Bible Devotions - Discovering Your Spiritual Gift - Part 6 of 7 - Leadership (Organization)
Hope’s Harbor
Gritty Bible Devotions
Episode #92
Title: What is your spiritual gift? Part 6 of 7 – Leadership (Organization)
Date: February 6, 2023
Contact: info@hopesharbor.net
Key verse: Titus 1:7 – ‘For a bishop must be blameless…’
The role of bishop is one of leadership. In some denominations, a pastor holds the biblical role of bishop. We’ll look at a pastor’s role for an example of Christian leadership.
The word bishop is taken from 2 Greek words, one of which means sentry. One definition of bishop I like is ‘A Christian officer in general charge of a church.
Other descriptions found online for leadership include shepherd. Shepherds watch over and protect. This is ideal when you think of a pastor in his leadership role.
Intro: An online search for the ideal characteristics of leadership within the church opened a Pandora’s Box of information. From the three C’s to the five P’s, to the seven principles, to the 5 essentials, and on and on. Wow!
There was one description that fit nicely:
The Golden Rule of leadership: Leading others is a privilege that is earned, it is not a right. Leaders, who understand that leading others is a privilege, understand that leading first and foremost is about service.
Devotion focus: What a good Christian leader does – this includes not only pastors but others in leadership roles within the church.
Here is the full passage concerning leadership in Titus chapter one verses 7 - 9, where our key verse is found:
‘For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money,
‘but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled,
‘holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.’
So here are the negative traits from Titus 1:7 a leader must avoid: being self-willed, having a quick temper, drinking alcohol, being violent (being quarrelsome), and being greedy.
Here are positive traits from verses 8 and 9 - a good leader will exhibit hospitality and I wonder, can a leader be hospitable if not friendly?
He must seek all that is good, in that he is fond of good men, and he promotes virtue in them. He promotes virtue by his own example in the way he lives.
He must be sober-minded. This means he is of a sound mind, he protects and is discreet – he is not given to gossip.
A good leader is just. This means he is equitable in his actions, he deals fairly with people.
He is holy… by being consecrated to purity.
And he is self-controlled. This may be evidenced by his control over his appetites. Examples of appetites are food, possessions, power, and so forth.
If he has self-control it reveals strength, inner moral strength.
Finally, he stands firm on the Word of GOD so that he may be able to teach sound doctrine. This enables him to exhort and convict those who contradict the teachings of the Bible. A leader who does not stand firm on GOD’s Word will have no power when it comes to taking a stand against those people who attack the Bible by contradicting the plain teachings of Scripture.
Now, this is a good summation of a good church leader. But what about you and me? Are we expected to be leaders outside of the church? We are if you consider our responsibility to our fellow men and women going about life all around us, and doing it in darkness. What darkness?
How about the darkness of alcoholism? Or the aftermath of abortion? Or chronic depression? Or the loss of a marriage, child, health, etc.?
We are to be leaders in the area of hope. To exercise leadership in hope is to simply give hope by sharing the Gospel. And by the way, I don’t mean to rap out a plan of salvation. I mean the Gospel, the good news that GOD made it possible for all people to be reconciled to Him, to come into the deep love He has for all who will believe in His Son, Jesus. The Gospel is that I can become GOD’s child, adopted into His family. If we will study the Gospel deeply in all its aspects and come to understand its meaning, then sharing that good news is easier. Especially in light of eternity.
Summary: Biblical leadership, also referred to as administration in some Bible translations, is seen in our day in the role of pastors. And then you and I as Christians have a leadership role to fulfill within the humanity surrounding us every day. If we use Titus chapter one, verses 7, 8, and 9 as our guide, we’ll do well in the way we lead others to want to seek the love of GOD our Savior.
Action to consider: Study the Gospel as it relates to all Jesus accomplished on that cross. Study the definitions of words such as atonement, redemption, justification, sanctification, reconciliation, and propitiation. Understanding the importance of each of these accomplishments Jesus brought about when He died and rose again, will help you as a leader bring light into someone’s dark world.
Next week’s devotion: The Spiritual Gift of Mercy
More notes for study:
https://www.fba.org/discipleship/guide-to-spiritual-gifts
· Prophecy
· Service
· Teaching
· Exhortation
· Giving
· Organization
· Mercy
Prophecy:
Characteristics of the Gift of Prophecy
• Need to express themselves
• Quick impressions of people
• Alertness to dishonesty
• Desire for justice
• Openness about their own faults
• Wholehearted involvement
• Loyalty to truth vs. people
• Willingness to suffer for right
• Persuasiveness in defining truth
■ Misunderstandings of the Gift of Prophecy
• The individual’s sense of right and wrong may be judged as intolerance
• The strong desire to proclaim truth may be interpreted as disinterest in listening to another’s point of view
• Frankness may be viewed as harshness
• Interest in groups may be interpreted as disinterest in individuals
• Efforts to gain results may be seen as using gimmicks
• Emphasis on decision may appear as neglecting spiritual growth
• Public boldness and strict standards may hinder intimate personal relationships
The Gift of Prophecy in the Spirit vs. the Flesh
Spirit Flesh
Truthfulness Deception
Obedience Willfulness
Sincerity Hypocrisy
Virtue Impurity
Boldness Fearfulness
Forgiveness Rejection
Perseverance Contentiousness
Service:
Characteristics of the Gift of Service
• Sees and meets practical needs
• Frees others to achieve
• Disregards weariness
• Has difficulty in saying “no”
• Is alert to likes and dislikes
• Has a strong desire to be with others
• Needs approval
• Likes short-range projects
• Puts extra punch to jobs
• Meets needs quickly
• Tends to feel inadequate and unqualified
■ Misunderstandings of the Gift of Service
• Quickness in meeting needs may appear pushy
• Avoidance of red tape may result in excluding others from jobs
• Disregard for personal needs may extend to one’s own family needs
• Eagerness in serving may prompt suspicion of self-advancement
• May react to others who do not detect and meet obvious needs
• Insistence on serving may appear to be rejection of being served
• Desire to sense sincere appreciation may result in being easily hurt
• Quickness in meeting needs may interfere with spiritual lessons God is teaching those with the needs
• Meeting practical needs may be judged as a lack of interest in spiritual matters
• Enjoyment of short-range goals may result in leadership positions and frustration or disorganization with long-range objectives
• Inability to avoid others’ needs may result in sidetracking employer’s directions
The Gift of Service in the Spirit vs. the Flesh
Spirit Flesh
Alertness Unconscious
Hospitality Loneliness
Generosity Stingy
Joyfulness Self-pity
Flexibility Resistance
Availability Self-centered
Endurance Giving up
Teaching:
Characteristics of the Gift of Teaching
• Presents truth systematically
• Requires thoroughness
• Needs to validate information
• Checks out the teacher
• Has great delight in researching
• Relies on established resources
• Is uneasy with subjective truth
• Clarifies misunderstandings
■ Misunderstandings of the Gift of Teaching
• Appears to neglect practical application
• Knowledge may appear as pride
• Appears critical
• Appears boring with unnecessary details
• Appears dependent on research
• Appears to despise wisdom of uneducated teachers
• Appears to lack warmth
The Gift of Teaching in the Spirit vs. the Flesh
Spirit Flesh
Self-control Self-indulgence
Reverence Disrespect
Diligence Laziness, slothfulness
Thorough Incomplete
Dependable Inconsistent
Security Anxiety
Patience Restless, push work aside
Exhortation
Characteristics of the Gift of Exhortation
• Is committed to spiritual growth
• Is able to see root problems
• Prescribes steps of action
• Raises hope for solutions
• Turns problems into benefits
• Desires to be transparent
• Gains insight through experience
• Urges action on clear steps
• Desires to share face to face
• Desires to bring harmony between diverse groups
• Tends to avoid systems of information that lack practical application
■ Misunderstandings of the Gift of Exhortation
• An emphasis on steps of action may appear to be an oversimplification of the problem
• The urgency in giving steps of action may appear as having overconfidence in them
• May appear to be un-evangelistic because of an emphasis on the importance of spiritual growth and being
a living example
• The desire to win non-Christians through living example may appear
as a lack of interest in personal evangelism
• The use of Scripture for practical applications may appear to take it out of context
• The emphasis on steps of action may appear to disregard the feelings of those being counseled
The Gift of Exhortation in the Spirit vs. the Flesh
Spirit Flesh
Wisdom Natural inclinations
Discernment Judgment
Faith Presumption
Discretion Simple mindedness
Love Selfishness
Creativity Underachievement
Enthusiasm Apathy
Giving
Characteristics of the Gift of Giving
• Is able to see resources
• Desires to feel a part of the work
• Desires to give high quality
• Hopes the gift is an answer to prayer
• Desires to give secretly
• Prefers to give without pressure of appeal
• Is concerned that giving will corrupt
• Exercises personal thriftiness
• Gives to motivate others to give
• Confirms amount with counsel
■ Misunderstandings of the Gift of Giving
• The need to deal with large sums of money may appear to be a focus on temporal things
• The desire to increase the effectiveness of a ministry by a gift may appear to be an attempt to control the work or person
• The attempt to encourage others to give may appear to be putting pressure on people who have less to give
• The lack of response to pressure appeals may appear as a lack of generosity
• The personal frugality by which the individual lives may appear to friends and relatives as selfishness in not meeting their wants
The Gift of Giving in the Spirit vs. the Flesh
Spirit Flesh
Thrifty Extravagant
Resourceful Wasteful
Contented Covetous
Punctual Tardiness
Tolerant Prejudice
Cautious Rashness Giving – Unthankfulness
Organization
Characteristics of the Gift of Organization
• The ability to see the big picture and visualize the final results of a major undertaking
• The ability to break down the major goals into smaller, achievable tasks
• The motivation to organize that for which he or she is responsible
• The ability to know what resources are available and needed to reach a goal
• The ability to know what can and what cannot be delegated
• A tendency to remove him or herself from detracting details in order to focus
on the ultimate goals
• A willingness to endure reaction
• A need for loyalty and confidence from those who are being directed and served
• A tendency to assume responsibility if no structured leadership exists
• A desire to complete the task as soon as possible
• A joy and fulfillment in seeing all the parts come together and others enjoying the finished product
• A desire to move on to a new challenge when the previous task is fully completed
■ Misunderstandings of the Gift of Organization
• The ability to delegate responsibility may appear as laziness in avoiding work
• The willingness to endure reaction may appear to be callous
• The neglect in explaining why tasks must be done may prompt workers to feel like they are being misused
• The viewing of people as resources may appear that projects are more important than people
• The desire to complete the task swiftly may appear to be insensitivity to the schedule, weariness or priorities of others
• Singling out people the individual thinks is specially important to his goals may appear to be showing favoritism
The Gift of Organization in the Spirit vs. the Flesh
Spirit Flesh
Orderly Disorganization
Initiative Apathetic
Responsibility Unreliable
Humility Dictatorial
Decisiveness Double-mindedness
Determination Faintheartedness
Loyalty Unfaithful
Mercy
Characteristics of the Gift of Mercy
• The ability to feel an atmosphere of joy or distress in an individual or group
• A tendency to be attracted to and understand people who are having mental or emotional distress
• A desire to remove hurts and bring healing to others rather than to
look for the benefits of the hurts
• A greater concern for the mental distress than the physical distress of others
• A sensitivity to words and actions that will hurt others
• A tendency to react harshly when intimate friends are rejected
• An ability to sense genuine love and a greater vulnerability to deeper and more frequent hurts from the lack of love
• A need for deep friendships in which there is a mutual commitment
• A need to measure acceptance by physical closeness and quality time together
• An enjoyment and unity with those who are sensitive to the needs and feelings of others
• A tendency to avoid firmness unless the individual sees how it will bring benefit and eliminate greater hurt
• A closing of the spirit to those who are insincere or insensitive
■ Misunderstandings of the Gift of Mercy
• The avoidance of firmness may appear to be weakness and indecisiveness
• The sensitivity to the spirit and feelings of others may cause some to feel the individual is guided by emotion rather than logic
• The attractions and understanding of those in distress may be misinterpreted by those of the opposite sex
• The sensitivity to words and actions that cause hurts may appear to be taking up another’s offense
• The ability to detect insincere motives may cause some to feel he or she is hard to get to know
The Gift of Mercy in the Spirit vs. the Flesh
Spirit Flesh
Attentiveness Unconcern
Sensitivity Callousness
Fairness Partiality
Compassion Indifference
Gentleness Harshness
Deference Rudeness
Meekness Anger
____________________________
Ben Mandrel
Ben is the president and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources.