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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I am Won KIM, voicing Pastor Caleb Soo Lee Chong. Shalom. Today, we’ll continue with our discussions on “Leadership Views of Peter and Paul”. Last week I shared how Jesus Christ views the leader as a suffering servant, a complete humbling of oneself to serve others. Today, let us move on to the views of Peter and Paul.
Leadership View of Peter
In the Bible in the book of 1 Peter chapter 5 verses 1-4 show clearly Peter’s view on what leadership is all about:
1 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed. 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve;3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
One: to minister to God’s flock and care for their welfare well. Their concern is not drawn towards themselves, as in what benefits will accrue from this, what my earnings would be, and my position would be within the church’s hierarchy. Rather, it revolves around shepherd-like duties: caring for the sheep so they may have peace of mind and have their burdens shared with others, letting them in on what lies ahead and how to put in practice the teachings for the day.
Two. Taking up pastoral responsibilities with pure motives -- not to benefit oneself, let others supply more wealth, give me greater power and so on. No, it’s none of these, but solely to shepherd the flock well and according to the will of God. It should, therefore, be carried out with a truly joyful and willing heart, without coercion, whatsoever.
The work of church leaders should be carried out with a truly joyful and willing heart as it is a contribution towards ministry service - it would turn into a burden, otherwise. That is because he would be rewarded differently from what worldly workers bring home – even disproportionate, at times. You are a servant of God if you have been called and are willing to truly serve with joy and willingness of heart, despite the big salary gap between a pastor in church and a worker in the corporate world, with its perks and trappings, before taking the leap.
Three. No despotic decision- making, no playing the tyrant. On the contrary, church leaders should take to ministering his flock with humility. We may be better schooled than many fellow believers while some senior pastors could be more experienced than these young people. However, on no account should these assets cause one to play the tyrant, as though we are trying to control them or outdo them. Instead, we are to humble ourselves, empathize with and look after them as we gain more insight into their inner worlds.
Four. Set a good example. These days, the leader the world needs is not one who peppers his speech with high-flown words on stage. People are hungering for someone who is able to serve / minister to them in true humility off stage.
Some leaders endowed with leadership gifts and talents take on brilliant speakers on stage. Alas, it turns out that their family life is a mess; the couple fails to get along with each other, while their indulgent children show no fear towards God at all. Are such people fit to lead the flock?
A pastor needs to put up a good example for his flock to follow. We will have to be exemplary in spreading the Gospel as we urge our followers to do this work. Evangelistic culture in a church will have to come from the pastor’s efforts to execute and grow these missions. I want family members of my fellow believers to fear God, love their spouses with children following the Lord. Likewise, as their pastors, all the more we have to lead harmonious family lives and bring up God-fearing children to show that our deeds match our words.
May our Heavenly Father help us! Setting good examples is a matter of primacy for church leaders. As victims of 24/7 bombardment from media, people in this post-modern era no longer believe their own ears. Instead, they go by sight which is where “setting an example” comes in.
Leadership Views of Paul
Next, we visit the book of 1 Timothy chapter 3 verses 1-7 in the Bible to take a look at the leadership views of Paul, where we see the multi-faceted views of these church leaders.
1 Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. 5 If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
One: Social Credentials. Note Verse 2: the overseer (leader) is to be above reproach, and Verse 7: He must also have a good reputation with outsiders. Both qualities -- a good reputation within social circles and being above reproach within the church – are the core issues highlighted here. How can someone become a church leader when others are constantly passing remarks about his immoral lifestyle? If his name crops up instantly when outside people mention the church he is in and proceeds to dredge up his scandalous behaviour, would this bring blessings to the church?
Two: Morals within Marriage. Verses 2 - 3 mention “... the overseer is to be…faithful to his wife…self-controlled… not given to drunkenness” in the same breath. One must be able to exercise self-control and distance himself from extra-marital relationships, as these run counter to the teachings of God. Light drinking may not be harmful per se, but note that it is all too easy to slip down the slippery slope and end up in a disgraceful state.
Three: Personal Character. To be “self-controlled, respectable and hospitable” is to maintain a healthy state of mind. Being temperate and gentle are brought up as well, indicating that he is not a die-hard combatant. The word “hospitable” conveys a willingness to serve and help strangers from afar. In those days, such hospitality is something that church leaders must learn to provide, as many Christians face hostilities and are constantly on the run. The leaders in these places have to provide them with food and shelter to ease their sufferings. This is why the trait of hospitality is mentioned. Likewise, we must learn to help servants of God and those brothers and sisters in similar straits and care for them in an alien land.
Four: Matters of Biblical Truth. It is mentioned that “the overseer…is to be… able to teach”. Such an ability is especially important for the serving elders and stewards within the church leaders. A teacher would have a good grasp on biblical truth. God is thus able to use him to spread the Truth as he teaches the Word of God. He would be favorably poised to live, guide and help others accordingly.
Five: Money matters. The overseer is not to be a lover of money. We know that the love of money is the root of all evil. Covetousness of wealth causes one to lose focus on ministry work; many are those who quit their positions on account of this. Some covet things they never should and frustrate the harmony and witnessing within the church. Hence, we see how the love of money leads to disastrous consequences. We must put aside such greed, maintain our self-control as we live in the grace of the Lord.
If truth be told, we do not need that much to get by. Just be content with what is sufficient. Going after something non-stop is like chasing one’s tail. He who does not know what satisfaction is will never be satisfied. When one recognizes satisfaction when it is time to be satisfied, he will be satisfied. It is like asking why someone is not happy. That is because when he should be happy, he still isn’t happy. For many people, it is not that they are not happy, it is that they want to be happier than the next guy. Similarly, it is not so much as one not having enough money to get by, it’s that he wants to have more money than others. This would lead to many problems. May our Heavenly Father help us not to covet money.
Six. State of the family. Verses 4-5: One must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. Managing one’s own family well is something fundamental. He who does not know how to manage his own family will not be able to take care of God’s church either. This is clear from Paul’s message. Our family is a little church of its own. If we are able to manage it well, then we are in a position to manage the larger church of God. May God confer this wisdom upon us!
Finally, Spiritual maturity. Verse 6 states that an overseer must not be a recent convert, but have spiritual maturity. Recent converts need to go through a battery of tests. My observations tell me that these recent converts, or new transferees from other churches, should only be installed as church leaders after a period of time. That is because they are still unfamiliar with how things are being run in the new environment. More importantly, his spirituality has not been subjected to tests as yet. In other words, he is not well prepared to take on the tasks until his foundation has been established. Let him go through a few years of tests and challenges before considering his election as a church leader. This is the wisdom from Paul on how to manage the church well.
May our Heavenly Father help those who have become church leaders to be good examples in the aspects as outlined, vis a vis., personal character, social credentials, matters of truth, morals within marriage, view of money, state of the family and spiritual maturity.
Let us Pray
Dear Heavenly Father,
We are indeed truly thankful for your teachings today. You have directed us on what one must have to become church leaders through the leadership views enunciated by Paul and Peter. I am willing to offer myself as a living sacrifice. O, Lord, take away covetousness and help us to retain emotional control within us. Take away the discontent that has been bedeviling our souls, and replace it with a grateful heart as we carry out your work in a servant-like manner, to serve you in the church and family, so that our families may be transformed to bring you glory. May you bless our service and ministry too. This is our prayer. May God help every brother and sister, and those who serve you so that their families are managed well. We would then be free from worldly worries within our own backyard and be able to serve and glorify you in all we do. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!
Recommendations by Rev. Dr Caleb SOO Lee Chong
The three books “The Gospel for the Modern Man”, “Faith of the Modern Believer” and “Values for the Modern Disciple” by Rev. Dr Caleb SOO Lee Chong are worthy books to edify disciples. In order to minimize differences in the qualities amongst Christians, our churches need to set up basic courses to address these issues. In turn, this will enable all disciples to incorporate their faith into their lives and allow changes to take place through renewal of minds. May God make use of these basic courses to edify more disciples to strengthen His soldiers and claim victory on His battle-ground!
The three books “The Gospel for the Modern Man”, “Faith of the Modern Believer” and “Values for the Modern Disciple” are suitable course materials for anyone who wish to acquire understanding of the Christian faith in a more comprehensive manner. The contents are easy to grasp and relate to the real world that we are living in. They are written with an eye for the man-in-the-street and explore how to make our faith come alive in our daily social interactions.
In particular, these are suitable if you
1. are someone who wants to understand the Christian faith or,
2. are someone who has just accepted the Christian faith or,
3. have been a Christian for many years but still hungering for a firmer grounding in the faith or,
4. are a pastor or co-worker who plans to use these materials for teaching purposes.
If you need to take up learning or use these materials in a systematic manner, please us contact at this email address.：[email protected]