Go-to Spiritual Leadership with a Focus on Spiritual fatherhood
Key Thought
In times of recession and hard times, we need spiritual leaders to take the responsibility to lead us and especially we need Christian Men to stand strong in the face of adversity to be the spiritual leaders that we need them to be.
Key Verse
“And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.”
In 2 Corinthians chapter 11, Paul is continuing his defense as the true spiritual leader of the Church in Corinth. Apparently, there were some influential leaders within the Church of Corinth that believed that Paul did not have the “right” to lead the Church of Corinth with Apostolic authority. “For they say, His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account (2 Cor. 10:10). Paul gave a defense with a lot of audacity to prove why he was the true leader of the Church of Corinth. “Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things…Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one (2 Cor. 11:6,23).”
In the beginning of Chapter 11 Paul clearly communicates his relationship with the Church of Corinth. “I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness; but you are already doing that. I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ (2 Cor.11:1-3)”
This jealousy that Paul talked about was a jealousy similar to a husband’s jealousy toward his wife. Paul, as an Apostle of Christ felt that his self-commendation in chapter 11 was honorable just like a husband would pull rank against any other man who tried to build an intimate relationship with his wife. A husband would say that, “I am the true husband of this woman; you have no right to develop a husband-like relationship with my wife.”
I think that the local Church today needs Christian Men to stand up and declare to be the true spiritual leaders of their families and in their communities. We need to have a godly jealousy for our families and for our communities as false leaders invade our areas of influence. As followers of Christ we have the authority and ministry given to us by Christ to stand in the position of the true spiritual leaders in our communities. “ I will give you the keys [Keys represent Authority] of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven…All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation (Matt. 16:19; 2 Cor. 5:19).”
People will only look to us as true spiritual leaders if we have credibility. Paul’s credibility is listed in 2 Cor. 11:23-28. We have been given the keys of true spiritual authority in our areas of influence, but if we not willing to take responsibility for spiritual leadership in the hard times, we lose our credibility. . If we drop the ball in these hard times, there will be other leaders who will pick it up and proclaim another way of salvation (2 Cor. 11:4) Let us look at hard times not as roadblocks, but as opportunities to be the “go-to” leader to lead our families and communities.
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him (James 1:2-5).”
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