Leadership and Integrity

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. -Acts 20:28, ESV

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you."
-Hebrews 13:17, HCSB

Before learning about the U. S. Constitution in History class, my teacher would always ask me: "Why do we need rules to run a country?"  I would hear different answers, both sarcastic and genuine.  Although we live in a free country where we can essentially do whatever we want, our Founding Fathers established rules so that the country will have guidelines to follow.  If people have guidelines to follow, there will be less chaos and more time for improvement and success.
Leaders are ordained by God to establish rules and encourage others to follow them.  Since before the flood, God has picked leaders to tell others what to do.  He told Noah to build an ark and get his family on the boat so that they would be safe from the flood.  He commanded Moses to lead the entire nation of Israel out of Egypt, and then asked Joshua to lead Israel into the Promised Land.  God anointed judges to lead the people of Israel once they were established in Canaan.  God knows that without leadership, we are doomed to fail.
Leaders are meant to lead with integrity and boldness.  Integrity simply means to be whole and complete in one's actions and character (a paraphrased version of the dictionary.com definition).  I feel like the term "boldness" is a lot harder to explain.  In today's world, boldness could be translated as obnoxious, cocky, or overly confident.  To be honest, I thought this way for a long time.  Any leader who talked too much or who acted in a way to get attention was labeled "obnoxious" in my mind. 
In my devotional time this week, God showed me that Paul had boldness in his ministry.  Paul was clearly a man who followed the teachings of Jesus and submitted to the will of the Holy Spirit.  Everything he did, he did with godly wisdom.  God had surely ordained Paul to be a leader in preaching the gospel and setting an example for other disciples to follow.  In Acts 27, Paul tried to consult his group while he was on a ship.  Although his specialty as a leader was in preaching the gospel, he wanted to use his godly wisdom and love as a leader to warn the crew that destruction was going to come on them and the cargo.  But the people on the ship wanted to listen to the pilot of the ship, because he actually knew more about ships than Paul did (vv 11-12).  Later in the story, however, they discovered that Paul was right; a storm came and damaged their possessions.
At first glance, it seemed like Paul was just trying to boast in his own strength.  I'm sure the people on the boat were rolling their eyes at him and questioning his authority.  Why did he have to know everything?  Can he just be quiet for once?  There is probably a "Paul" in all of our lives: that one guy who knows everything about anything.  I have a few friends that, when they talk, I find myself rolling my eyes.  They just know everything. 

Unfortunately, this is how society views people who are called to be leaders.  They think: "Why do you always have to be right?" or "Why are you always telling me what to do?"  Sure, there are definitely ways to say things without offending others, but the bold attitude that Paul had was the type of attitude that all leaders should have.  Paul may have appeared obnoxious, but he was just using his boldness and authority as a leader to lovingly help people.  Think about what would have happened if Paul did not have the boldness that he had.  He would not have been able to prepare the people on the boat; with his help, everyone got off the boat safely (Acts 27:44).

Aside from this incident, Paul also used his boldness to help people throughout his ministry.  While in Damascus, Paul spoke boldly in the name of the Lord (Acts 9:28).  With his authority in the Holy Spirit, Paul rebuked the magician who opposed them in Salamis; as a result, the proconsul that was accompanying him believed in the Lord Jesus (Acts 13:8-12).  In Antioch of Pisidia, Paul did not compromise the truth that he had come to know; because of his boldness, many Jews became Christians that very day (Acts 13:16-41).  Imagine if Paul had arrived at the Gentile countries and simply said: "I don't want to bother you, so...here's my story. Take it or leave it. I have to get going now. Good luck running your churches."  Did you know that Paul spent years planting churches and encouraging them to grow?  After he left the churches, he would travel around and then come visit them again when he had time.  I am confident that, if Paul did not use his boldness and confidence as a leader, the churches we have today probably would not be as effective.  Paul not only encouraged the churches to grow; he also set a precedent for churches today.
People today are called to be leaders just like Paul.  Husbands are called to lead their families by making decisions based on what God speaks through him.  Teachers are called to guide students to learn and live the life that God has planned for them.  Presidents and other political leaders are called to protect the country with a prayerful heart.  Bosses are called to make rules and guidelines for everyone to follow so that the company does not end in chaos.

Sometimes we are not satisfied with the leaders in our lives.  I hear people everyday criticizing the President for another mistake that he made.  People post on Facebook about how they hate their job and how their bosses do not know what they are doing.  Wives gossip about their husbands when they are out with their friends.  As a result of this complaining and lack of respect, nothing gets better.  As a matter of fact, insulting the leaders in our lives actually makes things worse.

It is very important to remember that every boss that you have comes from God. Ultimately, your job is to serve God and submit to everything that He says.  However, He puts bosses in our lives to give us direction on how to do that.  As Hebrews 13:17 says, leaders "keep watch over your souls." Clearly, God has given leaders the ability to handle keeping watch over your soul. 

One of the leader's job is to encourage.  However, if no one is encouraging him, he will eventually drain out and become weak.  Our job as the followers is to encourage.  Sometimes, all it takes is just a "thank you" or "you really helped me."  Just make sure that it is genuine. 

It is so easy to encourage leaders that are actually doing a good job.  Like I mentioned before, the President makes mistakes everyday.  Fathers walk away from homes.  Bosses do things that do not line up with the Word of God.  However, God still calls us to submit.  First Peter 2:18 says to submit to those in authority with all respect, whether they are good and gentle or they are unreasonable.  You do this not just to receive guidance, but also to glorify God.  Ultimately, your work is for the Lord, no matter whom you serve (Colossians 3:23).

If you yourself are a leader, walk in integrity and boldness.  God has given you the authority; now use it!  Remember, however, that your strength and authority comes from God.  This means that God is YOUR leader.  The centurion in Capernaum shows this example when he asks Jesus to heal his servant.  When Jesus agreed to go to the centurion's house, the centurion replied: "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.  And I say to one, 'Go' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it" (Matthew 8:9, ESV).  Although you may have the authority to tell people what to do, you need to understand that you fit into a ranking system, just like the whole world does. 

If you are a leader in some way, thank you for all the hard work that you do!  Continually pray to God for wisdom and guidance.  Think of this picture: when you are leading, one arm should be extended up, so that you can receive guidance from the Father, and the other arm should be extended downward, so that you can give the guidance that you have received to those who are looking to you for help.  Once you receive God's message for you, be confident in your leadership and authority!  The best kind of leader is one that is bold.  If there was chaos around me, I would want someone who knows what he/she is doing to lead me. 

If you are not called to professional leadership (such as being the CEO of a company or the principal of a school), you are still called to be a leader in this world.  In everything you do, live by the Holy Spirit.  Submit to God as your leader.  Then use the boldness that He has given you to be a light to the rest of the world.  Regarding the leaders that God has given you, leaders receive their strength from God, but they also need encouragement.  Think about the leaders in your life.  Do you attend a small group with facilitators guiding the conversation?  Do you belong to a worship team with a person that organizes all of the songs for you to sing?  Do you live in a country with a political leader who takes care of you?  Do you have a parent or a guardian that loves you and makes sure you are safe?  Do you have a professor that spends hours preparing lectures for you to learn every week?  Instead of bashing them behind their back, thank them.  Take time out of your day to pray for them, and if you see them, tell them how much you appreciate their efforts.  If you feel led, you can tell them specifically how they have helped you.