Jump Start # 971

Ezekiel 34:4 “Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them.”

Our look at leadership among God’s people continues. Before we leave this verse, we must comment on the last phrase. It is shocking, sad but so true—back then and today. It says, “but with force and with severity you have dominated them.” Force, severity, dominated. Those are not good words. About the only context we would use those in a positive manner would be in a football game or in a military battle. Those words do not belong in the workplace, the home, and especially in the church.

Ezekiel’s picture is of sheep who are in trouble. They are sick, lame, and scattered. They are a mess. The leaders of Israel were not tender with them. They had little or no compassion. It seems that they were bothered to have to tend to the sheep. It was their job, but they didn’t like it nor do it very well. Sheep are not wired like cattle. Those old cowboy movies would show the cowboy yelping and slapping his rope on the side of the horse to drive the cows. What they were doing was called a cattle drive. They drove the cattle to the stockyards. Those were the COW-BOYS. God’s leaders are shepherds—not SHEEP-BOYS. Cattle and sheep are different. They look different. They act different. They need to be treated differently. What works on cows doesn’t work on sheep. Shouting and yelping and driving only scare sheep. They will run every direction. Fear will affect their diet. They will suffer. Sheep can’t be forced. They follow. They must be led.

Ezekiel says that these leaders were “Dominating” the sheep. That’s not hard to do. Sheep are timid by nature. You don’t have a rodeo with sheep. You don’t rope sheep, flip it on it’s side and put a brand on it. That happens to cows, not sheep.

God felt for those sheep. They were being oppressed and abused. Severity is not necessary. Force is not necessary. Dominance is not necessary. Why would shepherds do that? Seems like they were angry for the sheep being sick and broken and wandering off. It seems that they thought severe pressure would keep them in line. They sure missed it. The failure to be leaders is partly the reason the sheep wandered away and were now sick and broken. Had they been on the ball, much of this would not have happened. This is textbook example on how not to lead. Certainly, the sheep fell in line. They were afraid. The shepherds could rest at night knowing that no one would dare take a step. If they did, it would be bad. The shepherds would beat that sheep.

Unbelievable as it may seem, some church leaders operate under the same concept. The members attend, out of fear, not reverence for God. When someone says or does something unusual or out of the ordinary, threats are uttered. No one thinks. No one expresses ideas. The leaders dominate. The church feels more like a prison than a family of God. When one brave soul finally gets fed up, he breaks out. He leaves. He is treated harshly and under most circumstances never returns the rest of his life. The shepherds aren’t bothered by that. He was weak, they tell themselves. He didn’t fit in, they are convinced. These shepherds operate more like wardens of a prison. They walk the halls and are ready to bust the knuckles of anyone who dares to challenge them.

There is a time for discipline. Without discipline there is no accountability. Discipline at home and discipline within God’s family, is part of God’s way. This discipline however is to be helpful, not harmful. It is to instruct and not destroy. It is make better, not drive away. It is not used not as a threat but as a consequence. Severity, dominance and force is not the spirit that God wants. It is not the form of discipline that God wants.

The sheep in Ezekiel’s passage were in need of help. They didn’t receive it. They were made worse. There is nothing good about the way those shepherds did things. There is something wrong when a person goes to God’s leaders for help and they are made to feel worse. Some people do not want to change. Some people want a sign of approval for wrong actions. Some people want a handout when they ought to get a job. Shepherds have to say, “No,” just as a parent does. But with force? With severity? With dominance? I don’t think so. Use the occasion to teach. Use the time to show them how they can get better. Some people are quick to make a mess and then want someone else to clean it up. The expression, “You made the bed and now you must sleep in it,” is meant to illustrate that the problems we have created must be lived by us.

Consider the opposite of Ezekiel’s three words:

Force: lead them, walk with them, be there, be helpful

Severity: kindness, gentleness, compassion, love, tenderness

Dominated: work with, help them see, get them to contribute to the solution, teach them

Those that dish out force and severity generally do not like others to treat them that way. Most people do not like someone screaming in their face, making demands and being forceful. That’s not the way to get people to change. It doesn’t accomplish what the person thinks it will. It illustrates poor communication skills and a lack of leadership ability.

Jesus said, “come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls.” If anyone had a right to dominate, use force and be severe, it was Jesus. But He didn’t. Jesus said, “I am gentle.” Have we forgotten that? Leaders need to learn from Jesus.

Roger

Jump Start # 970

Ezekiel 34:4 “Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them.”

We continue our look at leadership, especially now focusing upon leadership in the church. The New Testament gives us a series of words that are descriptive of the nature of the work of God’s leaders among His people. These words include: elder, which signifies experience, especially spiritually; bishop or overseer, which carries the idea of watching and protecting; shepherd or pastor, which implies a feeder, caretaker or nourishment to the flock. It may be surprising to some of our readers to know this, but the word “pastor” is used only ONE time in the N.T. and it is used for the eldership and not the preacher. The preacher is not the pastor. If a person wants to be accurate with the way the Bible speaks, then he will recognize that.

Our verse today, from Ezekiel, reminds us that shepherding God’s people involves messy work and it requires patience. Notice the condition of the sheep found in this passage. They are diseased, broken, scattered and lost. Not good. They are a mess. They have issues and problems. Everything isn’t neat and tidy. Everyone is not in their place. These sheep need attention. They need a real shepherd. Unless the current situations changed, many of these sheep would not make it.

I’m not sure what exactly came to Ezekiel’s mind when he spoke those words, but they are all connected to sin. The consequences of sin will leave one sick, broken, scattered and lost. Sin cripples us. There are addictions. There are broken homes. There are those who quit and must be chased after. People problems are the worst problems of all. Sin problems make people problems very complicated. A pill won’t fix these problem, nor will simply giving a Bible verse. Lessons have to be taught. People have to learn the wrongness of their choices and the forgiving nature of God. They need to be strengthened so Satan won’t dominate them again. In our world, this requires phone calls and giving up a Saturday morning and meeting families at the church building on a Tuesday evening. The journey to recovery and fellowship with God takes time. It takes just a few moments to make a mess. A day of heavy rain can flood a basement and what a mess there is. It will take longer than a day to clean it up. A person can fall and just like that break a hip. The process to heal can take a long, long time. The leaders of God’s people must be patient. There is no quick and easy way to fix some problems. Those who are annoyed because they have to meet with someone and miss the ballgame on TV will not have the listening ear nor the compassionate heart that is necessary to begin the road to recovery.

Sheep, and that’s us, can really get in messes sometimes. It seems that we get sick, broken and lost fairly often. The shepherd’s work is two fold. First, help mend and heal those that are in a mess, and then try to prevent this from happening again. There are others who might be just a step away from being sick or broken. Preventative measures can ward off a bunch of problems. Instead of following messes with a broom to clean up, shepherds’ do well to anticipate coming problems and lead the flock away from those areas.

What we are seeing is that the work of God’s shepherds involves leading us and helping us stay healthy and on the journey to Heaven. That’s the attention that elders need to be focusing upon. Budgets and buying supplies and seeing after the care of the church building can take all the time and energy of elders but at the end of the day, the yard is cut, the lights turn on, the heat works, the roof keeps the water out and all the pencils are sharpened yet the sheep remain sick, broken and lost. A clean church building doesn’t produce clean sheep. God’s shepherds need to be about healing the sick and broken sheep. This is their work. This is the greatest thing that they can do. This changes lives and can change family destinies. Through their efforts a divorce can be headed off and a marriage turned around. Through their work a heart that is discouraged and ready to quit can be revived. Their influence can stop an addiction. There is so many wonderful and powerful things that they are capable of doing.

Shepherds must believe in the sheep. They must see the good that the sheep have a potential of becoming. Too often all we see is the mess. Dirty sheep. Sheep with tumors. Sheep that limp. Blind sheep. Deaf sheep. Old sheep. Slow sheep. Sheep with attitudes. With patience, teaching and examples, the shepherds can turn these sheep around into what pleases God.

To be a shepherd is to know sheep. To be a shepherd is to understand what affects sheep and what sheep need. To be a shepherd is to know what God wants from His sheep.

The work of shepherding is incredible. To see a healthy sheep that was once sickly and broken is amazing. The shepherd did not give up on the sheep. The shepherd did not shoot the wounded. There is such great satisfaction in seeing sheep turn around.

This is God’s work for the shepherd. God bless those who understand this and are trying.

Roger

Jump Start # 969

Ezekiel 34:12 “As a shepherd cares for herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for my sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.”

We are looking this week at the powerful theme of leadership. In Ezekiel’s day, the leaders of the nation failed. The nation was drifting into idolatry and lackluster attitudes toward the Lord. The leaders were doing nothing. God was angry with the leaders. Our verse shows that God was going to take over the leadership. God cared. His heart was for His people.

All of this brings up an interesting thought: How does one become a leader? There are three ways a person gets to be a leader and only one of them is the best suited for the job.

• Some are chosen leaders because of charisma, charm or power. Good looking people that have a certain appeal. They win elections. Are they the best person for the job? Often not. Others get into leadership roles by a powerful political machine that pours tons of money into advertising. In many ways, these kinds of leaders bought their way into that position. They knew the system and used it to their advantage. These folks do not make good leaders because they have sold themselves out and are puppets to the system. They make good politicians but not good leaders. Some can talk a good story, but fail when it comes to actually leading people.

• Some become leaders because of nature, not ability. Many men have become dads because of relations that they have had with women. They did not think about being a dad and many of them have no idea what a dad is supposed to be or do. In fact, some of them, want nothing to do with the child. They are now a dad, whether they like it or not. They are in the position of being a father and God charges them with the role of leading that child to Heaven. Selfish men who have layers of issues and are addicted to everything but God make lousy dads. Others have taken on the role of dad very seriously. They spend time with the child and mold and shape that child. They are responsible and are doing a fantastic job of leading their home. God bless their number. There is no test to take before one becomes a dad. There is no membership card, fees you have to pay, classes you must pass in order to qualify to be a dad. One of the most important leadership roles is the world is often run by those who are inept and indifferent to the role given to them. There is a current movie out called, “Bad Grandpa.” I’ll be passing on that one. The title says it all. Bad grandpas usually were bad dads. There is nothing funny about that.

• Some are put into the role of leadership because of their ability and their track record. They have shown that they are leaders. They have a heart of a servant and are compassionate. They spend many hours helping others. They put self on the back burner and concentrate on making a difference in the lives of others. They are worthy to lead because they have proven themselves.

Our personalities have something to do with being a leader. A leader must be decisive. A wishy washy type of guy will flounder as a leader. A leader must be able to stick with principle. People will always try to move a leader off of principle. Kids want their bedtime pushed back. Workers want to change company policy. A leader will get pressure from the sheep he leads. They will want this or that. Some that are closest to the leader will try to influence the leader in their favor. A good leader will stick to what is best. This will make him unpopular with some. This will make him the target for cheap shots and criticism. The leader must have some back bone and see the big picture. His leading is based upon what is best for the people.

A person learns leadership skills from others and especially from the Bible. God has led His people for a long, long time. He knows how to do the job. When we look at how Jesus led the disciples we learn valuable tools about leadership. Jesus made time for people. Jesus allowed interruptions. Jesus stayed focused upon His mission. Jesus wouldn’t get trapped into taking sides or having favorites. Jesus led. There was something about Jesus that attracted people. He had something to say and He said it in such a way that people followed. Don’t you think we can learn something from that? Jesus was a servant. Jesus showed by example. There is nothing that God asks of us that Jesus did not first do himself. He understood the success in following the leader. The politician who is out of touch, the CEO who is locked away in the corporate office, the dad who screams orders during commercials of a ballgame would all do well to spend some time looking at Jesus. There must be a trust factor between the leaders and the followers. If the followers do no like, trust and or believe in the leader, they will not follow. Rebellion is what takes place. In the old days, aboard a ship, there would be a mutiny. The captain would be set afloat on a small boat and the crew would turn the ship around and go a different direction. Leading by mob mentality is a sure mess. The moment determines the direction. Force and power become the attributes of choice.

The heart of the leader is for the wellbeing of others. This is where leadership begins. It’s not a position or power thing. Not at all. It’s about helping others. It’s about helping the company, the church, the family. It’s about doing what’s best for the people. In doing so, the leader will do things that may not be on the top of his list of things he would like to do, but he will choose those because they are best for the others. It’s not about self, it’s about others. This is where leadership begins and thrives.

A selfish person should never be in the position of leadership. They will abuse the position and destroy any good that is before them.

Leading is a privilege. Lead with honor and dignity.

Roger

Jump Start # 968

Ezekiel 34:2 “Son of man, prophecy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ‘thus says the Lord God, ‘Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?’”

We begin a series of Jump Starts looking at the theme of leadership. This is not a new subject nor a a concern just for modern times. Our passage today, taken from the days of Ezekiel, demonstrates that the people of God had leadership problems.

In a few settings, poor leadership is resolved by the leader being fired. A coach that can’t lead his team to victory is released. Managers that do not lead are canned. However, in too many other situations, poor leaders remain in their positions and others suffer because of this.

• We see this in politics. Candidates run on the platform of representing the people, but once they are elected they are clueless as to how most of the people live and what issues they face. Unless a politician violates the law, the people are stuck with a poor leader with the only hopes of voting them out of office, which often doesn’t happen.

• We see this in the home. Fathers are placed in the leadership role by God. They are the head of the house. Too many do not understand that concept and they simply do not feel like getting involved with the day to day things of leading a family, so they don’t. They park themselves in front of the TV and watch sports every night while the family drifts because no one is at the helm. Can’t fire dad, although that would help many homes. Eighteen years of a leaderless father turns a kid loose on society who does not respect authority, has an attitude and does not know Jesus.
• We see this in the church. Men are appointed as shepherds of a congregation. Many have never given that role much thought before. They see it as a power thing and start barking out orders to others. The church suffers because there is no leadership. The ideas change constantly, there doesn’t seem to a direct vision or path that they are following, inconsistencies, favoritism, and a hands-off approach kills the passion and enthusiasm. The church stagnates. People leave. The clueless shepherds blame the preacher and he is fired and has to move his young family to another place. Another preacher is hired with the hopes that things will turn around and they do for a few months until the lack of leadership again causes a return to the same feelings and problems. Another preacher is fired and the cycle continues. The leaders never look in the mirror. They never consider that the problem is their lack of leadership. Decades of this pattern is common for many congregations. It is sad. The members wish they could fire these incompetent elders, but they can’t. More of the same are appointed and the cycle continues. The leaders seem more interested in paying bills than building a kingdom of God. Young people grow up distant and alienated from the work of God. A generation is lost. The church suffers.

In the days of Ezekiel, God had enough. He sent the prophet to the leaders. The leaders were getting a rebuke from the Lord. What follows is a check list in how NOT to lead.

• They did not feed the flock (3)
• They did not strengthen the sickly (4)
• They did not heal the diseased (4)
• They did not bind up the broken (4)
• They did not bring back the scattered (4)
• They did not look for the lost (4)
• They dominated the flock with force and severity (4)
• The flock of God wandered away and became food for every beast of the field (5)

Understand God is not talking about real sheep. He’s talking about his people. His people were falling to pieces and the very people who were put in position to help them, were responsible for causing the problem. The leaders took care of themselves. They were selfish, unconcerned and uncommitted to the task before them.

We know what would happen if this were true of a real flock of sheep. There would be no flock. Crippled and diseased sheep have little value. Sheep that have wandered away are gone. If things did not turn around quickly, there would be no sheep left. And this is exactly what is happening in too many places today because of poor leadership. One day, the leaders look around and discover that people, profits, spirit or hope has vanished away. They discover this too late. They wonder what happened. They don’t have a clue. They blame the times. They blame the economy. They blame outside circumstances. It never dawns upon them that people were discouraged and quit. It never occurred to them that everyone jumped ship because the ship wasn’t going any where.

Leading people, whether as a politician, a shepherd among God’s people, or as a dad, isn’t a right, it is a privilege. Honorable people who recognize this great responsibility will take the task with great hope and care. They will earn the trust of those under them. They will grasp that leading begins by being an example. The heart of a servant is the key to leading God’s way.

There are many great leaders today, in business, politics, in the church and in the home. Have you taken time to thank them and lift their names up to God? You ought to. It is a blessing to be led by true leaders. The pitiful flock that Ezekiel described lives on today. We must work on being leaders the way God wants.

Roger