‘Hallelujah’ was my response on the phone, when I heard it was the CS at the other end. We had just completed an inspirational seminar for officers, and I thought she was calling to thank me for my participation in arranging it. I must admit my mood changed somewhat when she replied ‘Let’s hope it is also hallelujah at the end of this conversation.”
It turned out it was one of those phone calls one never forgets. We were, totally out of the blue and unexpected, told we would be moving. We were shocked and shattered. Maybe revival is exaggerating too much, but God was blessing our corps in a most amazing and unique way and now, suddenly, we had to leave it all behind. I felt a bit like Philip must have done, when he in Acts 8 he was led by the Spirit away from a fantastic ministry time in Samaria and into the desolated desert.
Anyway, we of course accepted the new appointment and while it was very painful at the time then God showed himself faithful. Since then there has been more of similar phone calls, not just concerning moving, but also with shock and questioning involved. I have, however, over and again had to come to the realisation that only as I submit to authority, do I myself have any authority. Only as I am obedient to my leaders, can I expect anyone to be obedient to me. If I am not willing to submit to leadership, then I have no integrity what so ever in my own leadership. This is what the Centurion in Matthew 8 knew. He was used to giving orders and expected his men to come and go at his command, but he knew they did so, because he himself was “a man under authority”. He knew his authority did not rest in himself, but that it was given to him; his authority flowed not from him, but through him.
So it is with each one of us. In ourselves we have no authority. Whatever we might have, is because it has been given to us .Only as we submit, ultimately to the authority of God, can we expect anyone to accept our leadership.
This is ultimately not about giving or receiving appointments, this is about a life and leadership style, which definitely is in direct opposition to the spirit of the time. Individualism is the one of the main religions of our age. It is about me, what I can get and do, what I want and what is best for me. It is easy for us to be caught up in this, but we are admonished not to ‘let the world squeeze us into its form” (Romans 12, 2 J.B. Phillips paraphrase). This is true in every way, and also in our leadership. We know how it is in the world, but, as Jesus says ‘Not so with you….” (Mark 10: 42-45).
We are primarily called not to lead, but to follow, not to be leaders, but to be servants. We are called to let the seed of our own ambition, our longing for recognition and power, fall into the ground and die. This is the leadership of Jesus, exemplified at Easter, and this is what we are called to imitate. We do it not because we hope that God will raise us up as leaders, nor to obtain power and glory, we do it because we ‘consider everything rubbish’ compared to knowing Jesus and being found in him (Phil. 3:8-9) and that is all that matters.