Six Characterstics of Emerging Leadership

Six Characteristics of Emerging Leadership

Pastor David M. Lermy, doctoral candidate, Liberty University

AY by You, Summer Internship | June 22, 2023

INTRODUCTION

“Leaders live by choice, not by accident.” ― Mark Gorman

“In the end, it is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be, by remaining what we are.” ― Max DePree, Leadership Is an Art

“We’re here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark.” ― Whoopi Goldberg

“And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”

― The Bible

Scripture Focus

1 Timothy 4:11-5:2 (NASB)

11 Prescribe and teach these things. 12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. 13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. 14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. 15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. 16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

5:1 Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, 2 the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity

Six Characteristics of Leadership

  1. Character (4:11-12)

  2. Calling (4:13)

  3. Charisma (4:14)

  4. Consistency (4:15)

  5. Capacity (4:16)

  6. Chemistry (5:1-2)

 

  1. Character – our foundation (4:11-12)

11 Prescribe and teach these things. 12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.

  • Teach these things = we spread the words of Jesus
  • Let no one look down on our youthfulness = we are given Christian authority beyond our years, so be careful and faithful.
    • Threats = rejection, jealousy, immaturity, elderly

So how do we learn character?

1 Thessalonians 1:6 (NASB)

6 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit,

2 Thessalonians 3:7 (NASB)

7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you,

2 Thessalonians 3:9 (NASB)

9 not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example.

Philippians 3:17 (NASB)

17 Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.

1 Corinthians 11:1 (NASB)

11 Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.

FIVE MAJOR AREAS OF CHARACTER

  1. Speech (words)

  2. Conduct (deeds)

  3. Love (attitude)

  4. Faith (beliefs)

  5. Purity (relationships)

Therefore, Christian leaders invite people to join them on the journey by example, not by force or abuse of power.

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. –Helen Keller

  1. Calling – our lifestyle (4:13)

13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.

  • Every single Christian is called to two things: encouraging and educating.
  • Encouraging = making sure the best care is given to others
  • Education = sharing what we are learning and applying

But we have to deal with teachings that have become erroneous.

  • There is NO SINGLE ONE CALLING for our lives.
  • We don’t miss the ONE BIG WILL and thus live a life without purpose.
  • Our life is one small will after the other that make up a life of adventure and mystery and of the unexpected.

Ephesians 2:10 (NASB)

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

I don’t know what my calling is, but I want to be here for a bigger reason. I strive to be like the greatest people who have ever lived. –Will Smith, musician and movie star

When you have a sense of calling, whether it’s to be a musician, soloist, artist, in one of the technical fields, or a plumber, there is something deep and enriching when you realize it isn’t just a casual choice, it’s a divine calling. It’s not limited to vocational Christian service by any means. –Charles R. Swindoll, pastor and author

  1. Charisma – our energy (4:14)

14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.

  • Greek: charisma or charismata
  • Charisma = the gifts of God that flow through us to get done the kingdom work he has for us in life and through the church.
  • Timothy’s gift = teaching ministry
  • Charisma = the authority and power to exercise his gift

There is no specific way to discover our gifts:

  • We can pray
  • We can read scripture
  • We seek God
  • We have someone prophesy (use their gift) to help us identify ours (as in Timothy’s case)

One powerful note here is that the Church (capital C) was given the authority to recognize and approve the gifts.

In 2 Timothy 1:6 Paul later urged Timothy to not neglect his charisma but to “fan it into flame!”

Theologian and pastor, John R.W. Stott said, “From this we learn that a charisma is not a static or permanent endowment from God; its human recipient must USE it and DEVELOP it.”

I like to say we need to Discover, Develop, and Deploy our gifts.

Therefore, with these three in mind, we realize that God:

  • Called, Equipped, and Commissioned Timothy into ministry beyond his years.
  • God’s confirmation is always on a higher plane than human opinion, yet we must never forget the authority of the two things that keep us in check as we learn:
    • Scriptural authority (The Bible)
    • Ecclesial Authority (Church leadership)

I believe that God has put gifts and talents and abilities on the inside of every one of us. When you develop that and you believe in yourself and you believe that you’re a person of influence and a person of purpose, I believe you can rise up out of any situation. —Joel Osteen

  1. Consistency – our growth process (4:15)

15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.

  • We are all to be lifelong learners.
  • Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders read.
  • Being able to do things over and over again, helps us master them, allowing us to move on to master other things.
  • There is never a season of life where we should ever stop growing.

“It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It’s what we do consistently.” ― Tony Robbins, author and leadership coach

“Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.”― Jim Rohn, American businessman and author

One things guys have to remember is consistency… You can’t make up for three years of eating poorly in just one workout. –Apolo Ohno, USA Ice Skater, 8-time medalist in the Winter Olympics

  1. Capacity – our skills and abilities (4:16)

16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

  • Do you want to be a 4-cylinder or a V6 or a V8?
  • We are born with natural abilities.
  • We are all born-again with spiritual abilities.
  • Often the spiritual is enhancing our natural ones.
  • No matter what, we are all a 10 in at least one area.
  • Nevertheless, we need to learn to grow into a 10 in other areas of our lives.
  • When we stop growing in this area, we hit what is called a leadership lid, a ceiling, which cannot be broken until we increase our capacity in the area of concern.

The average person puts only 25% of his energy and ability into his work. The world takes off its hat to those who put in more than 50% of their capacity and stands on its head for those few and far between souls who devote 100%. –Andrew Carnegie, famous American businessman

  1. Chemistry – our relationships (5:1-2)

5:1 Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, 2 the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity.

  • This can be one of the trickiest leadership areas of all. Why? Because we do not control the other part of the conversation.
  • Each relationship is unique.
  • Lately, more and more universities are teaching classes on what is called Emotional Intelligence. You can even get not only an IQ but an EQ evaluation.
  • In a nutshell, EQ is the way you typically operate in a relationship, with tips on how to do that better and more tips on how to work on other areas that could be considered weak areas (that need to be masters in your particular field).

Paul teaches Timothy to focus on elders as parents and peers as brothers and sisters. In ALL relationships PURITY and UNITY are the goals.

Yet with any relationship, you have two powerful forces coming together, and if the chemistry is right you get a transformation into something new, or when the two oppose each other you get an explosion.

Truth is, I’ll never know all there is to know about you just as you will never know all there is to know about me. Humans are by nature too complicated to be understood fully. So, we can choose either to approach our fellow human beings with suspicion or to approach them with an open mind, a dash of optimism and a great deal of candor. –Tom Hanks, movie star and author

We’ve got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can’t just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it’s going to get on by itself. You’ve got to keep watering it. You’ve got to really look after it and nurture it. –John Lennon, The Beatles

“You do not lead by hitting people over the head — that’s assault, not leadership.” –Dwight D. Eisenhower, president

CONCLUSION RECAP

Six Characteristics of Leadership

  1. Character (4:11-12)

  2. Calling (4:13)

  3. Charisma (4:14)

  4. Consistency (4:15)

  5. Capacity (4:16)

  6. Chemistry (5:1-2)