Two Things Every Leader Must Do
“People need the Word more than they need our opinions, illustrations, or stories.”
We have no more perfect example for doing ministry than we have in Jesus Himself. He is our best model and Scripture gives us enough explanation of how Jesus did ministry for us to follow in His example. Not long ago I discovered a great job description for us in the Gospel of John.
John 3:34 - “For He whom God has sent speaks the WORDS of God; for He gives the SPIRIT without measure.”
The best leaders will do these two things. If we are really sent by God, these two things will be evident in our ministry. If we want to be life-giving leaders and lead life-giving ministries, we need to do these two things. We must speak the words of God to people and we must give others the opportunity to receive the Spirit without measure.
First, we will speak the words of God. God wants to put His words in our mouths. This is central to the New Covenant as prophesied in Isaiah 59:21 when God says, “My words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth.”
It is the hands and arms of God that intervene on earth and save people. Do you want to see the harvesting hands and arms of God active in your nation? Pray this prayer of calling on God to intervene.
John 1:1 - “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”
John 1:14 - “And the word became flesh and dwelled among us.”
Jesus came in a body and spoke the words of God to us. We are now left with the responsibility of speaking the words of God to others. People need the Word more than they need our opinions, illustrations, or stories.
Scripture also states that Jesus became a life-giving Spirit, and He came to give the Holy Spirit without measure. All four Gospels introduce Jesus as, “The one who will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.” That is a significant statement about why Jesus came and what He came to provide for us. Our text also adds the words “without measure”. This is an important addition as Jesus is not content for us to receive a little bit of the Holy Spirit but as much as we want. The term “measure” refers to giving out a predetermined amount or allotment of something. The effect of a measure is that we get some but not as much as we want. This is not how Jesus gives out the Holy Spirit.
According to our text, those sent by God should also give people ample opportunity to receive the Spirit abundantly, as needed and as desired. Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink…and streams of living water will flow from within him” (John 7: 37-38).
Even our sharing of the gospel should include Word and Spirit. If you check, you will notice that every time Jesus sent people out He told them the same thing. He gave the same, very simple instructions to everyone who He sent.
He told them to do three things:
1) Preach the Kingdom
2) Heal the sick
3) Cast out demons
And the same holds true today when we attempt to introduce Jesus to unbelievers. They need to hear the words of the Kingdom's message, but they also need to experience and encounter the Holy Spirit that heals them and sets them free. They need WORD and SPIRIT.
