Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the month “October, 2020”

26 Oct 2020

Relating to Civil Authorities

We, who live in the United States, will soon be selecting our civil authorities as we carry out our citizenship responsibility to vote.  This year, our national and local elections have caused much turmoil and created anxiety in the hearts of many as we ponder the possible outcomes.

Below are some passages that guide me as I relate to the civil authorities over me.  My confidence is in Him, not in governments or civic leaders, for they too are all under His powerful hand.

Mark 12:14-17 (ESV)   And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion.  For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?  Should we pay them, or should we not?”  But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test?  Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.”  And they brought one.  And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”  They said to him, “Caesar’s.”  Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”  And they marveled at him.

Romans 13:1-7 (ESV)  Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.  Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.  For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.  Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience.  For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.  Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

1 Peter 2:11-17 (ESV)  Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.  Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.  Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.  For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.  Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.  Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood.  Fear God. Honor the emperor.

May we all model a God-confidence and faith during these challenging days!

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks and tagged , , , , , , , ,
19 Oct 2020

John Wycliffe and the English Bible

Oxford scholar and priest, John Wycliffe, translated the Bible into English in the 14th century, decades before the invention of the printing press in Europe.  His action helped birth the modern world as we know it and earned him the title, ‘the Reformation’s Morning Star.’

“During Wycliffe’s time, England was a three-tiered literary hierarchy.  Like the rest of Europe’s elites, England’s intellectual elite spoke Latin.  The Bible was their book… Church leaders, including Wycliffe, were a part of this exclusive club.  Below them were the nobility, who spoke French or its Anglo-Norman dialect.  They had some portions of the Scriptures available to them in their declining dialect.  At the bottom of the social ladder were the illiterate peasants, who spoke primitive English.  Hardly anyone thought of enlightening them… Most of Wycliffe’s contemporaries scorned the idea that the Bible could be translated into a rustic dialect like English…

“Some people ridicule the Protestant Reformers but relish the notion of human equality.  They do not know that the Reformers paid with their lives to make the biblical idea of equality a foundational principle of the modern world.  Today, we take it for granted that uplifting the downtrodden is a noble virtue.  In Wycliffe’s England, the idea of raising peasants to the status of aristocracy was abhorrent…

“… Wycliffe was a hero who disowned his class and sided with the ‘swine,’ the underdogs.  Why?  Not because he was trying to win a democratic election.  Democracy followed in his trail.  Rather, Wycliffe was following Moses, who ‘chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.’ [Hebrews 11:25]  He followed Jesus, who preached the good news to the poor. [Luke 4:14-21]  It was neither pursuit of career nor political correctness but commitment to truth that inspired Wycliffe to begin translating the Bible into English.  The same commitment empowered people to copy by hand that banned translation at the risk of their lives.  Even reading that translation required special permission, and anyone caught with a copy could be tried for heresy and burned at the stake.” *

Don’t take your English Bible (or any translation) for granted, for many have paid a great price to put that translation into your hands.

*  The Book That Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization by Vishal Mangalwadi, pages 145-147

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12 Oct 2020

Leaders and Interpersonal Communication

Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.   Matthew 12:33-35  ESV

Kingdom leaders are constantly communicating to those they lead and influence.  Developing the skill of interpersonal communication should be high on our ‘to do list.’  Here’s some practical ideas to that end.

  1. Remember:  We speak at a volume of 2, but are heard at a volume of 9!
  2. We are always communicating something. Even not communicating communicates something! Non-verbal communication is always happening.
  3. Think before you speak! Act; don’t react! You can’t take back something once it has been said… the effect will inevitably remain. A Russian proverb says, “Once a word goes out of your mouth, you can never swallow it again.”  Watch those text messages!!!!!
  4. No form of communication is simple. Even simple communication is complicated by many variables. Words do not have inherent meaning; we simply use them in certain ways… no two people use the same word exactly alike. Don’t assume that just because you told them they now understand!
  5. Communication does not happen in isolation. There are many contextual factors: psychological, relational, situational, environmental and cultural… all influence communications significantly.  Adjust your communication style to fit your audience!

 Tips for Understanding Non-verbal Communication

  1. Recognize that people communicate on many levels… facial expressions, eye contact, body posture, voice level, hand and feet movements, use of space/distance, body movements and placement, culture and appearance as they walk toward you.
  2. If a person’s words say one thing and their non-verbal message says another, you will tend to listen more to the non-verbal message … that is the correct decision.
  3. Non-verbal communication can provide up to 85% of the meaning of any conversation. Pay particular attention when doing interviews.
  4. Probe non-verbal communication during a conversation in which you need facts and believable statements. Again, the non-verbal may reveal more than the person’s spoken words.
  5. When leading a meeting or speaking to a group, recognize that non-verbal cues can tell you:        when you have talked long enough; when someone else wants to speak; and the mood of the group and their reaction to your remarks.

Becoming a skilled interpersonal communicator is a developmental goal for Kingdom leaders.  Start today!

Posted in #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , , ,
05 Oct 2020

Fire Casts No Shadow

 

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.   Hebrews 12:28-29  ESV

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.  James 1:17  ESV

It’s amazing that a pure flame will not cast a shadow unless it is contaminated with soot or smoke.  Because the living God is pure and holy, there is no shadow of change within Him.  His purity is immutable and this reality brings great security and hope for all Kingdom people. The holiness of God and His unchanging character cause us to fall at His feet and worship Him with reverence and awe!

Kingdom leaders are His ambassadors who also reflect the light of God that shines into the darkness John 1:4-5 (ESV) says, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”  As His agents we too must strive to reflect the purity of God in our thoughts and deeds.

Paul describes his pursuit of this goal in Acts 24:16 (NIV) – “So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.” He was concerned about his conscience before God first, but also with regards to what others may think or even accuse him of.  Again when discussing his handling of a monetary gift for the poor, he says, “We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.” (2 Corinthians 8:20-21 NIV)  Note the two-fold aspect of his actions – doing what is right before God first, but also seeking to be above reproach before others.

In 1 Timothy 3:2 (ESV) we read that one of the qualifications for the selection of Kingdom leaders: “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach…” That is, they are not to have anything in their lives that can cast as shadow or disparage the King or the Kingdom. They are to be pure and holy for they represent a Holy God.

May we too pursue this same goal in our lives and leadership – seeking to be above reproach; seeking to please both God and people, for He is worthy!

 

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged , , , , , , ,

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