BOSKET TA PROBATA MOU
(“TEND MY SHEEP”)
BY
BRO.
ANDY-PHILIP, NESTA
A
PAPER PRESENTED FOR THE LEADERSHIP TRANFORMATION SEMINAR ORGANIZED BY THE
ETERNAL SACRED ORDER OF THE CHERUBIM AND SERAPHIM, LAGOS PROVINCE, ON THE THEME “CHURCH
LEADERSHIP, MANAGEMENT/ADMINISTRATION”
HELD AT MOUNT ZION NATIONAL HEADQUATERS, 38 TEJUOSHO STREET, SURULERE, LAGOS,
ON SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015.
PREAMBLE
I give thanks to
God and the leadership of the Lagos Province, especially the Provincial
Chairman for this great privilege given unto me for carrying out this spiritual
assignment. This is my second coming since my first appearance here in 2009. I
am particularly thankful to God for my spiritual experience in ESOCS, since my
contact with the Church in 2009; the LORD God has been very faithful. I have
seen the hand of God in my spiritual life; it has been a rewarding experience.
I love the Church, and will continue to serve God here as He grants me grace.
Once again thank you for the privilege to serve.
INTRODUCTION
The proper grasp
of the concept of the Church is a prerequisite for Church leadership,
management and administration. The knowledge of the Church and the purpose of
the Church is the impetus for successful Church leadership.
The Hebrew word
qahal means assembly, congregation, and gathering, a band of people or group of
people. The word suggests the idea of Church, expressed in the following ways;
congregation of God’s people, the Assembly of God’s people, the band of the
LORD’S prophets and the Assembly of God’s chosen people-Israel. Similarly, the
Greek word ecclesia means assembly, congregation and a gathering. It is the New
Testament word for Church. The word has three parts, the first part is ek-it is a preposition out of, the
second part is kle- from the verb kaleo-I
call, and the part sia is ones.
Looking at the word as a component it can be giving a literal translation to
mean called out ones. It implies then that, the Church is called out people,
from where? From the world. Called by whom? Called out by God set apart for
this purpose. Considering the etymology of both Hebrew and Greek words, the
question, what is the Church? Changes to, who is the Church? Both questions
bring to our minds two ideas namely metaphoric and personified application of
the word.
What is the purpose of the Church? The
purpose of the Church is the same thing as the purpose of a believer on earth.
A quality of believer’s life depends on his execution of God’s plan after
salvation. Eternal salvation becomes an accomplished fact at the moment of
faith in Christ. Heaven is guaranteed for anyone who has believed in Christ as
Savior and Lord (Ro. 8:38-39; 1 Pet.1:4-5).
After salvation what? The primary assignment
of every believer and the Church is evangelism. The etymology of the Greek word
eungelion from which the word evangelism is derived, suggests the work and the
content of evangelism. The word means Gospel. Gospel means Good News. The
spreading of this Good News to all sundry for the salvation of their souls is
what evangelism entails. And this is the purpose of the Church. Our LORD God
initiated it. Evangelism began with the fall of Man when Adam and the woman
needed the Gospel. The LORD sought them out in the Garden and personally
presented them with information about the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15). The
Bible itself records numerous instances of evangelism throughout the world. For
example, we know from 1 Tim.3:16, Col.1:16 and Acts.17:6 that the world was
evangelized in the 1st Century.
Evangelism,
leads to the conversion of souls and conversion of souls leads to Church growth
and the Church keeps growing through purposeful leadership and management to
the glory of God. This is our concern in this seminar.
FOUNDATIONAL
COMMAND ON CHURCH LEADERSHIP
The focus of the
seminar is on Church Leadership, management/administration, in line with this,
I have titled my paper “Bosket Ta Probata
Mou.” this is the Greek New Testament expression for “Tend my Sheep” or
“Feed my sheep” (John 21:17). Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him.
The first time Jesus said “Do you love me more than these (Greek agape: volitional self sacrificial
love)? The second time, Jesus focused on Peter alone and still used the word
translated into Greek agape. The
third time, Jesus used the word translated into Greek, phileo (signifying affection, affinity, or brotherly love) and
asked in effect, “Are you even my friend?” Each time Peter responded with the
word translated into Greek as phileo.
Jesus doesn’t settle for quick answers. He
has a way of getting to the heart of the matter. Peter had to face his true
feelings and motives when Jesus confronted him. How would you respond if Jesus
asked you, “Do you truly love me?” Do you really love Jesus? Are you even his
friend?
The first time when Peter responded
“Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” In Peter’s
second response, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” In the
Peter’s third response, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said “Feed my sheep.”
In the first command to Peter, Jesus used
the noun lambs (Greek ania) and the
verb feed (Greek bosket) this
suggests provision of spiritual nourishment for constant or steady growth. The
Second time Jesus used the noun-metaphor sheep (Greek probata) and the verb take care (Greek poinaine) the implication here is that of shepherding, leadership
and management. The third time Jesus repeated the noun-metaphor sheep (Greek probata) and the verb feed (Greek bosket) was repeated, this suggests
constant or continuous provision of both physical and spiritual well fare.
THE
MASTER’S MASTER PRINCIPLE
“Whoever wishes
to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first
among you shall be slave of all” (Mark: 10:43-44). Although Jesus was not a
revolutionary in the political sense, many of His teachings were startling and
revolutionary, and more so than those on leadership. In the contemporary world,
the term servant has a very lowly connotation, but that was not so as Jesus
used it. Indeed, He elevated it, equating it with greatness, and that was
certainly a revolutionary concept. Most of us would have no objection to being
masters, but servant hood holds little attraction. Christ’s view of His kingdom
was that of a community of members serving one another –mutual service.
The contrast
between the world’s idea of leadership and that of Christ is brought in sharp
focus in Mark 10:42-43. From this story Jesus revealed that:
There is
sovereignty in spiritual leadership (Mk 10:40); there is suffering in
leadership (Mk. 10:38). Thus the thoughts of suffering and servant hood are
linked, even as they were in the life of the Lord.
Therefore, as a
spiritual leader you need:
i.
The Spirit of Servant hood (Isa.42:1-5)
ii.
Dependence (Philipp.2:7)
iii.
Approval (Ps.40:8)
iv.
Modesty (Isa.6:2).
v.
Empathy (Isa.42:3)
vi.
Optimism (Isa.42:4)
vii.
Anointing (Acts 10:38).
NATURAL AND SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP
“When I came to you…my message and my
preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the
Spirit of power” (1Cor.2:1, 4). Leadership is influence, the ability of one
person to influence others. One man can lead others only to the extent that he
can influence them to follow his lead. Spiritual leadership is a matter of
superior spiritual power, and that can never be self-generated.
There is no such thing as a self-made
spiritual leader. He is able to influence others spiritually only because the
Spirit is able to work in and through him to a greater degree than in those
whom he leads. It is a general principle that we can influence and lead others
only so far as we ourselves have gone. The person most likely to be successful
is one who leads not by merely pointing the way but by having trodden it
himself. We are leaders to the extent that we inspire others to follow us.
Some
appear to attain leadership purely by reason of a series of fortuitous
circumstances. They happened to be available at the crucial moment, and no one
better qualified was on the horizon. But closer investigation will usually
reveal that the selection was not accidental. Behind the scenes a hidden
training had been taking place in the life of the person involved that fitted
him for the position. Joseph was a perfect example of that. His elevation to
prime minister of Egypt seemed to be purely fortuitous, but in fact it was the
outcome of thirteen years of rigorous though hidden training under the hand of
God.
Natural leadership and spiritual leadership
have many points of similarity, but there are some respects in which they may
be antithetical. That is seen when some of their dominant characteristics are
set over against one another.
Natural
Spiritual
Self-confident Confident
in God
Knows
men
also knows God
Makes
own decisions Seeks
to find God’s will
Ambitious Self-effacing
Originates
own methods
Finds and follows God’s methods
Enjoys
commanding others
Delights to obey God
Motivated
by personal considerations Motivated by love for God and Man
Independent
God-dependent
Although
conversion does not normally make leaders of people who would never become such
otherwise, church history teaches that in the hour of full surrender the Holy
Spirit sometimes releases gifts and qualities that have long remained dormant.
It is prerogative of the Spirit to bestow spiritual gifts that greatly enhance
the leadership potential of the recipient.
CRITERIA OF LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL
“Send
out for yourself men…everyone a leader among them” (Numbers 13:2). Because qualities of natural
leadership are by no means unimportant in spiritual leadership, there is value
in seeking to discover leadership potential both in one and in others. Most
people have latent and underdeveloped traits that, through lack of
self-analysis and consequent lack of self –knowledge, may long remain
undiscovered. An objective study of the following suggested standards of
self-measurement could result in the discovery of such qualities where they
exist, as well as the detection of incipient weakness that would make one unfit
for leadership:
1.
Have you ever broken yourself of a bad
habit? To lead others, one must be master of oneself.
2.
Do you retain control of yourself when
things go wrong? The leader who loses self-control in testing circumstances
forfeits respect and loses influence. He must be calm in crisis and resilient
in adversity and disappointment.
3.
Do you think independently? While using
to the full the thought of others, the leader cannot afford to let others do
his thinking or make his decisions for him.
4.
Can you handle criticism objectively and
remain unmoved under it? Do you turn it to good account? The humble man can
derive benefit from petty and even malicious criticism.
5.
Can you use disappointments creatively?
6.
Do you readily secure the cooperation
and win the respect and confidence of others?
7.
Do you possess the ability to secure
discipline without having to resort to a show of authority? True leadership is
an internal quality of the spirit and requires no external show of force.
8.
Have you qualified for the beatitude
pronounced on the peacemaker? It is much easier to keep the peace than to make
peace where it has been shattered. An important function in leadership is
conciliation-the ability to discover common ground between opposing viewpoints
and then induce both parties to accept it.
9.
Are you entrusted with handling of
difficult and delicate situations?
10.
Can you induce people to do happily some
legitimate thing that they would not normally wish to do?
11.
Can you accept opposition to your
viewpoint or decision without considering it a personal affront and reacting
accordingly? Leaders must expect opposition and should not be offended by it.
12.
Do you find it easy to make and keep
friends? Your circle of loyal friends in an index of the quality and extent of
your leadership.
13.
Are you unduly dependent on the praise
or approval of others? Can you hold a steady course in the face of disapproval
and even temporary loss of confidence?
14.
Are you at ease in the presence of your
superiors or strangers?
15.
Do your subordinates appear at ease in
your presence? A leader should give the impression of sympathetic understanding
and friendliness that will put others at ease.
16.
Are you really interested in
people? In people of all types and all
races? Or do you entertain respects of persons? Is there a hidden racial
prejudice? An antisocial person is unlikely to make a good leader.
17.
Do you possess tact? Can you anticipate
the likely effect of a statement before you make it?
18.
Do you nurse resentments, or do you
really forgive injuries done to you?
19.
Are you reasonably optimistic? Pessimism
is no asset to a leader.
20.
Are you in the grip of a master passion
such as that of Paul, who said, “This one thing I do? Such a singleness of
motive will focus all one’s energies and powers on the desired objective. Do
you welcome responsibility?
QUALITIES
ESSENTIAL TO LEADERSHIP
When Jesus was
preparing His disciples for their future role, He displayed a superb training
method. He taught them by example as well as by precept, and His teaching was
incidental rather than formal. He arranged retreats for special instruction,
but in the main their characters were developed in the highways of life rather than
in isolation. Their experiences in daily life afforded the opportunity of
inculcating spiritual principles and values. He employed the internship method
(e.g., Lk. 10:17-24; Mk.9:14-29).
In preparing a
man for leadership, God always has in view the sphere of service to which He
purposes to call him. He is able therefore to adapt the means to the end and
endow him with gifts of nature and grace that will best fit him to fulfill his
commission. Here are general qualities that go to make a man a spiritual leader
and that require to be continually developed by the possessor.
Discipline; Vision; Wisdom; Decision; Courage;
Humility; Integrity and sincerity; Humor; Anger; Patience; Friendship; Tact and
diplomacy; Inspirational power; Executive ability; Therapy of listening and Art
of letter writing. Paul summarizes the
qualities “An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,
temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to
wine or pugnacious, but gentle; non-contentious, free from the love of money.
He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under
control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own
household, how will he take care of the
church of God?); and not a new a convert, lest he become conceited and fall
into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation
with those outside the church, so that he may not fall into reproach and the
snare of the devil (1Tim. 3:2-7).
CONCLUSION
“For not from
the east, not from the west, not from the desert comes exaltation; but God is
the Judge; He puts down one, and exalts another” (Ps. 75:6-7). Let me conclude
in the words of George Liddell:
Give
me a man of God-One man,
Whose
faith is master if his mind,
And
I will right the wrongs,
And
bless the name of all mankind.
Give
me a man of God-One man,
Whose
tongue is touched with heaven’s fire?
And
I will flame the darkest hearts,
With
high resolve and clean desire.
Give
me a man of God-One man,
One
mighty prophet of the Lord,
And
I will give you peace on earth,
Bought
with a prayer and not a sword.
Give
me a man of God-One man,
True
to the vision that he sees,
And
I will build your broken shrines,
And
bring the nations to their knees.
Beloved,
the Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim and Seraphim, Lagos Province is in search
of a leader-a man of God-one man. The big question is “Are you that man of
God?”
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