Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the month “July, 2019”

29 Jul 2019

I’m Free …. But …

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.    John 8:36 (NIV)

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.       Romans 6:18

Those who have put their faith and trust in Christ have been set free from sin and given the promise of eternal life.  Yet, this freedom has limitations and responsibility that comes with it.  God’s grace poured out upon us is not the freedom to do what we want, but rather the power to live as we ought.

Here are some sobering reminders on the exercise of our Christian freedom:

  • Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.    1 Corinthians 8:9
  • “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.            1 Corinthians 10:23
  • You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.    Galatians 5:13

Because of the influence we leaders have, others will be watching and imitating our example.  We are reminded that those who lead and influence others will be held to a higher standard.  James 3:1 states, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”

Yes, we have great freedom in Christ!  Hallelujah!  But… with our freedom comes responsibility to exercise it wisely for the glory of God and for the service of others, not ourselves.

Therefore…

Watch your life and doctrine closely.  Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.       1 Timothy 4:6

Posted in #2 BE - Who a Leader Is, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
22 Jul 2019

The Battle for Your Minds

Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.                                 Ralph Waldo Emerson

… clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.      Romans 13:14  (NIV)

The battle is raging for the control of your thought life.  For if the enemy can gain a beachhead within your thoughts, that front will eventually expand to control more and more territory, finally expressing itself in our actions.

Often, we tend to minimize what goes on within our thoughts, saying to ourselves, “Well, at least I didn’t do it!  Yes, I may have thought it, but I didn’t act on it.”  This rationalization can lead to self-delusion, for the Lord Jesus reminds us that even to lust after a woman is the same as committing the sexually immoral act of adultery (see Matthew 5:27-30).

So, what to do when the battle rages within for control of our thoughts?  Here’s some practical suggestions:

  1. Determine to fix your thoughts upon Christ
    • Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.     Hebrews 3:1   (NIV)
  2. Arm yourself for battle by storing away God’s word within you
    • How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
      By living according to your word.… I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.    Psalm 119:9,11
  3. Ask God for help as the battle rages – it is not a matter of our will power, but rather His power
    • … call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.        Psalm 50:15 

The enemy is waging war against you seeking to gain a foothold within your thoughts that he might exploit further into your leadership actions.

Resist the devil and he will flee from you.   James 4:7

How’s your thought life today?

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #2 BE - Who a Leader Is and tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,
15 Jul 2019

Forms and Functions

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”     Mark 2:22  ESV

As Kingdom leaders seek to advance the gospel, they take new initiatives and seek the Lord’s guidance as they pioneer.  For many, one of their greatest challenges is their own success.  What?  How can that be?

When we are trying something new and different, we are sensing a real need for the Lord to help us – to intervene on our behalf as we try new ways and means.  And, when the Lord does answer and intervene on our behalf, we rejoice and continue seeking to ‘push’ the advance further and further forward, enjoying the Lord’s favor.  But, after a period of some ‘success’ a new, more insidious challenge appears.

Our ‘success’ can cause us to focus on efficiencies and methodology.  We double down on economies of scale, leverage points, and look to maximize opportunities.  Now, in and of themselves these things are not wrong, but we can drift from our initial dependency upon the Lord and our focus now moves to our own abilities instead of seeking the Lord’s blessing and help.

When our tried and true ‘methods’ no longer seem to yield the same results, instead of seeking the Lord’s guidance for new ideas – new ‘wineskins’ – we simply put our heads down and try harder.  We think, “Well, it worked in the past, certainly it will work now; we just have to try harder.”

What we don’t understand is that we have entered into a new reality that will require a new way of serving.  It’s a new day that needs new forms for this new context.  The ‘new wine’ must find new forms for connecting with our new context.  Given the rapidity of change today, if we are not continually evaluating our ‘forms’ we are doomed to be marginalized and irrelevant very quickly.

Functions (truths anchored in the Scriptures) remain true, but the forms they take are constantly in need of updating, improving, or at times, being discontinued or replaced by more contextually relevant ‘wineskins.’  It’s not a matter of working harder or more efficiently.  It’s just that our audience is constantly changing and needing to be reached with new ways and means.

Wise Kingdom leaders will understand this process and lead out in discerning forms from functions, continually updating the former and staying focused on the latter.

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks and tagged , , , , , , , ,
08 Jul 2019

Continuing the Pursuit of Godly Wisdom

Spiritual, godly wisdom springs from the knowledge of God, His character, and His Word.  This spiritual knowledge leads to spiritual understanding of how God works—the ways of God.  And spiritual understanding translates into spiritual wisdom, the final application of our knowledge of God and His ways into our daily decisions.  It is this spiritual wisdom that God gives to Kingdom leaders to help us accomplish His purposes in us and through our leadership.  It arises from spending time with Jesus and His Word, being taught by His Spirit, and learning from others who have done the same.

The catalyst for turning spiritual knowledge and understanding into spiritual wisdom is the Holy Spirit Himself, who lives within those who know Christ.  He guides us to truth, helps us discern root issues, provides creative solutions to problems, and seeks to glorify Christ in and through us.  He will bring the help that Kingdom leaders need.  In Luke 2:46-47, the Jewish religious leaders were amazed at Jesus’ answers, given His age of twelve.  It was no doubt a similar observation made about Peter and John when they were brought before the Jewish leaders, who “recognized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).

Godly wisdom allows Kingdom leaders to accomplish God-given tasks in such a way that people thrive and God is glorified.  They don’t seek credit for any success because they acknowledge that success comes from Him.  They thus share the spotlight with those who serve with them.  Such leaders are attractive; people move toward them not because of their charisma but rather because they sense that God is with them.  They willingly submit to that leader’s influence.

Becoming a wise leader can help in your recruiting of talented people to your mission.  Many have an internal, Spirit-discerned ‘radar’ that can detect wisdom in others, especially other leaders.  And we move towards wise leaders, wanting to join up with them and the vision that they project.  This same ‘radar’ can also detect foolishness and warns us to stay away from those who do not project God’s wisdom.

So, are you continuing in your pursuit of God’s wisdom for your life and leadership?

For more thoughts on leading with Kingdom wisdom:  Growing Kingdom Wisdom

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #2 BE - Who a Leader Is and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
01 Jul 2019

The Pursuit of Godly Wisdom

Godly wisdom is applying knowledge and understanding to life situations
by considering what is pleasing to God. Our goals are measured
against the ultimate goal: a life that ends with Jesus telling us
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

We never “arrive” when it comes to wisdom. We can always grow
in wisdom, for we encounter it in God Himself, who is infinite, and
therefore the wisdom He offers us is inexhaustible.

Kingdom wisdom doesn’t just happen; it must be pursued. We
can ask God for it (see James 1:5) and it will be given to us, because
He has promised to do so. Therefore, even young people with limited
personal experience can be considered wise if God has given
them wisdom from above. This is what happened with Solomon. He
acknowledged that he was young and inexperienced (1 Kings 3:7)
yet boldly asked God for “an understanding mind to govern [God’s]
people” so he could “discern between good and evil” (1 Kings 3:9).

We can and should, regardless of our age and experience, learn
godly wisdom from others. Wise spiritual mentors are invaluable to
our development. They help us continue growing throughout our
life. As we age, our mentoring needs change, moving from a whole-life
perspective to a more focused, targeted mentoring later in life.
Asking others for help in your growth and development is wise. If
you are beginning your spiritual journey, look for someone to disciple
you, helping you to become a follower of Christ. If you are
well established in your walk with Jesus, then look for someone who
demonstrates spiritual wisdom in an area that you can learn from,
someone who is strong and wise in a specific aspect of life that you
feel you lack.

Proverbs 3:13-15 reminds us, “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold.  She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.”

Have you committed yourself to the life-long pursuit of God’s wisdom?

For more thoughts on leading with Kingdom wisdom:  Growing Kingdom Wisdom

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #2 BE - Who a Leader Is and tagged , , , , , , , , ,

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