Jump Start # 2473

John 10:3 “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out.”

Yesterday in our Jump Start we discussed the Good News of the Gospel. The idea came from a statement from Robert Iger’s book, “The ride of a lifetime.” Iger is the CEO of Disney. The book not only tells his journey and steps in becoming the top at Disney, but it’s also shows us the characteristics of corporate leadership. Leading people, whether as a CEO, a coach, an elder in the church, or a dad at home, has some common basic principles. This is what drew me to this book. It ought to be read by all who are serious about leading others.

We quoted yesterday, and I repeat it again today, from Iger’s book, “No one wants to follow a pessimist.” Let’s put that thought into leading God’s people. It is true that among the qualities or qualifications of being a bishop or elder in God’s church one won’t find “optimism.” Technically, a pessimist could serve as an elder. I have known a few through the years.

The pessimist and the optimist are wired differently. They can see the same thing, be presented with the same idea, and the pessimist is against it from the get go. It’s different. The group has never done that before. And, besides all this, he just doesn’t want to do it, even if it would help the congregation. The pessimist is always worried that trouble is on the horizon. He’s fearful of church splits and error being spread among the brethren. And, what he doesn’t realize is that through his attitude, an atmosphere of negativism and pessimism is filtered through the congregation. People serve out of duty, rather than love. People are afraid to talk to the elders, and if one were to ask “Could we get together,” it is perceived as a trip to the principal’s office. And, after several years of this type of leadership, the joys of salvation and the warmth of fellowship has turned into little more than serving your hitch in the military. It’s just something you do, and nothing more.

And, if what Iger says is true, then with a pessimistic leader, the followers line up out of fear and they really do not want to follow. I understand there are limitations and extreme concerns in bringing corporate ideas into the church, but is it possible a successful businessman recognizes something that we do not? Is it possible that we have stuck with the qualifications and looked at nothing else, such as natural ability to lead others?

Our verse today, from the section of the good Shepherd, shows that Jesus not only knew His sheep by name and called them, but He lead them and the sheep followed. We notice a goodness, kindness and hopefulness about Jesus. We worship, not because of fear or duty, but because it is a wonderful thing to do.

Could it be, within such Biblical qualifications, such as, “manages his own household well,” there is built into that the thought of leading as Jesus would lead. We all have known homes and dads who had problems with this. They shouted more than they showed. They compared the children with each other. They were never pleased. They demanded perfection. They were inconsistent. And, those who came from homes like that, often spent the rest of their lives dealing with insecurity, trying to prove themselves and having to live in the shadows of a more successful brother or sister. To be honest, pessimism was the norm in those homes. And, years later, ‘home for the holidays,’ is hard for some because they know along with the mashed potatoes, there is going to be an extra heaping of guilt, shame and “you never could do anything right.” Yet, brethren will take such a dad and put him in the position of leading God’s people, simply because he happens to meet the qualifications of Timothy and Titus. And, in just a few short years, the spirit of the congregation has turned pessimistic and negative.

I expect some will declare, “You are adding to the qualifications.” But it seems we ought to look at a person’s ability to lead. We wouldn’t want medical advice from a guy who flunked out of medical school. We wouldn’t ask someone who filed bankruptcy this year about good financial planning. We wouldn’t ask an overweight person about diets. Why would we consider someone for a leadership position who can’t lead or the people won’t want to follow?

The devil strives in pessimism. That’s the first conversation he has in the Bible. He told Eve that she couldn’t eat from the trees in the garden. Actually, she could eat from all the trees, except one. You can’t. You won’t make it. You’re no good. Everything is wrong. Nothing is right. All the young people are disrespectful. All the old people complain. All the young marrieds are getting divorced. Problems. Problems. Problems. That’s the spirit of pessimism. It beats one down. It thrives on guilt, fear and shame. Is that the voice that you want to hear over and over?

I’ve known some real gems when it came to pessimistic leaders. You bring a friend, and that friend is grilled with thousands of personal questions. They feel uncomfortable and not surprisingly, they do not come back. A young man tries to serve in public worship. He is criticized from the way he is dressed, to how his hair is combed, to how he stood, to the translation he used. The young man is so paralyzed with guilt that he never again serves. Another one ruined by the pessimist. The song leader gets it all the time. The preacher gets it all the time. I know. I was on the receiving end of the pessimist’s boot for more than a decade.

But, flip all of this around. You put a qualified man into the role of leading the people of God who is compassionate, kind, thoughtful and a real leader. He listens. He smiles. He makes you feel good to be there. He talks to the little ones. He talks to the old ones. He even sits with the teens, once in a while. The people know that they are loved. They trust such a good man. And, an atmosphere builds. It’s hopeful. It’s Biblical. It’s Jesus. People want to be there. People stick around and stick around. Friends come and they keep coming.

We’ve known homes just like this. You can see the love. People jump in and help out, not because they are yelled at, because that doesn’t happen. There is a spirit of team work, unity and joy. It is out of those homes that qualified men make wonderful leaders of God’s people.

Leading is hard. It means knowing where you are going. It means making tough calls. It means putting in the hours. It means sticking to your guns, even if it is going to be hard. It means going out of your way. It means showing others. It means being there. It means listening. It means having a heart that cares.

“No one wants to follow a pessimist.” Maybe it’s time we put some thought to that.

Roger

Jump Start # 2319

John 10:3 “To him the doorkeeper opens; and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out.”

Our verse taken from the good shepherd description of Jesus teaches us about leadership. Leadership is so important and leadership is sprinkled throughout our lives. The president leads our country. Coaches lead their teams. Teachers lead students. In the home, parents lead the children. In the church, elders or shepherds lead the congregation.

Some people are wired to be natural leaders. They are the take charge kind of people who understand what needs to be done. They have a natural vision about them. Others learn leadership. John Maxwell has built an empire on his leadership books and seminars. Some who are in the position of leadership are not leaders. We see this in the lives of many parents. Screaming, threatening, having meltdowns doesn’t lead to positive behavior. There are some bosses that are just bad bosses. They may understand how to make a product, but they do not understand how to lead people. There have been politicians that were terrible leaders. They took advantage of the people that trusted them, embezzled money to their own advantages and ignored the people that put them in office. Selfish and unconcerned are the very characteristics that destroy positive leadership. And, very sadly and tragically, there have been churches that put non-leaders in leadership roles. These men may be very capable of paying bills on time, making decisions about adding on to the church building, but what they lack is the qualities to lead people closer to the Lord. They don’t know how to do that and the church suffers.

Inherent in the concept of leading, is following. That’s what the context of John ten brings out. The good shepherd, Jesus, knows His sheep. He knows them by name. He calls them. He goes before them. And the sheep, recognize the good shepherd, trust the good shepherd and are willing to follow the good shepherd. What’s not found here, is the shepherd using pressure, guilt and fear to get people to follow him.

The thought behind these verses, borrowed from real shepherds in Judea, is that a shepherd would walk through the gates, calling his flock by name and his sheep would follow him out of the gates. The other sheep would remain. They don’t know the voice that is speaking. This describes a relationship that has been built through time. The shepherd knows the names of the sheep. The shepherd has spoken to the sheep many times. And, now, when it’s time to leave the pens and head out to the fields, the sheep follow, because they know that voice going before them.

From this a few thoughts:

First, we must recognize the voice of God. These days God does not speak directly to us. Few understand that. The common thought is that God still speaks to people, like He did to Moses or Abraham. The Scriptures teach us that in the last days, these days, God speaks through Jesus. For God to tell you something directly and personally, and He doesn’t tell me, makes God favor you over me. It makes following God confusing and defining righteousness an impossible task. How can we stand united with one mind and one voice as the New Testament teaches, if you are going left and I’m going right as a result of what God has told us personally? What’s God’s message? For you it may be this and for me it may be something different. Now, many folks equate their feelings as the same thing as God telling them things. So, someone says, “I really feel that God wants me to do this,” when truth be said, this is what they want and how they feel. They think if they feel a certain way, that’s God leading them. God’s message is never fuzzy and hard to figure out. It’s clear. God speaks through the words of the Bible. Words that have definitions. Words that can be translated. Words can be understood. Feelings are different for all of us. I could say, “You know how you feel on a dark rainy day…” Some would think, I love those days. Wrap yourself in a blanket, grab a book and have some quiet time. Others would say, “Oh, I know what you mean. I hate those dark rainy days.” We don’t feel the same.

How do we recognize the voice of our shepherd? We read the Bible. We put things together. And we start seeing, and understanding that God wants me to be holy and righteous. Those things do not fit together with a guy who is cheating on his marriage. Maybe he’s miserable. Maybe he’s told himself, “God wants me to be happy. And, I’m certainly never going to be happy married to the one that I am now. So, I’ll find my happiness elsewhere.” He’s not listening to the Shepherd. The shepherd never tells us to seek happiness, even if you have to violate Scriptures to accomplish that. He’s listening to Satan, and not to Christ.

Second, we learn from the Good Shepherd that we need to spend time and build trust with those we are leading. There is a relationship implied here. Voices are recognized. Trust is understood. Without those foundations, the leader must push, drive, scream, shout and force people to do things. The image of the Good Shepherd isn’t one of a drill sergeant chewing out a new recruit. We find love, care, and tenderness.

How do we move people to the next level? How do you get your kids from having to do things because you told them, to getting them to want to do things because they see what needs to be done? How do you get people off the sidelines spiritually and engaged in the work of the kingdom? Leadership—Jesus’ style of leadership.

The leader is before the sheep. That is example. The leader calls them. That’s teaching. The leader knows their name. That’s relationship. And, with those building blocks, parents and elders can lead those in their charge to a greater and better relationship with the Lord.

Forcing people usually fails. People don’t like to be pushed into things. They will generally resist. This method most often backfires. Rather than getting people where you want them to be, they will mutiny. They will rebel in the home and in the church they will leave.

The shepherd is good because of the way he leads. Give this some thought for our homes and our congregations.

Roger