On Leadership III

On Leadership III

Have you noticed there is a call to
individual leadership within the Bible, and the call follows a consistent
pattern?

Time after time in the Bible, God
lifts up one person rather than a crowd, to lead His people. When God created a
nation of His own, he did not call upon the masses to do it. He rose up one
leader—Abraham. When God wanted to deliver His people out of Egypt, He didn’t
appoint a committee to guide them. He rose up one leader—Moses. When it came
time for God’s people to cross into the Promised Land, they followed the
leadership of one man—Joshua.

Every time God has an important
task to be completed, He calls a single leader to step forward, not a group. If
that was the pattern of God before today, should it be any different today?
Although it should not be any different today, unfortunately some people think
it is. Why?

One of the things that have changed
since the age of Abraham, Moses, and Joshua is our tendency today towards
tolerance. Unfortunately, tolerance can paralyze leaders. Why lead people? Just
invoke “tolerance” and anything becomes normalized in society— and I mean
anything. And what if Moses had been just tolerant enough to hang around Egypt?
Get the picture? Is it reasonable to think God has changed His call for
individual leadership?

I don’t think so.

In a difficult situation, is it
reasonable to believe God no longer rises up some individuals to lead His
people?

I don’t think so.

Do you see any signs that God now
prefers leadership by mob, or popular opinion as expressed through the media?

I don’t think so.

So, why have we today drifted
towards tolerance? Because we have
drifted towards mediocrity, which is the precursor to tolerance.

Cardinal Gibbons, who when
consecrated was the youngest Bishop in the world, and at his death in 1921 was
the oldest, had mediocrity nailed long ago. Cardinal Gibbons said:

“The higher men
climb the longer their working day. And any young man with a streak of idleness
in him may better make up his mind at the beginning that mediocrity will be his
lot. There are no office hours for leaders.”

We already have the Gospel message. We don’t need a new message.
What we need immediately are more of
the no exception, no excuse, leaders God has created to step forward and lead,
first in their own household, as examples within their own family, and then
beyond.

Why the sense of urgency for leaders to step forward today? This is
why:

 

 

First they came for the
Jews

 

And
I did not speak out –

 

Because I was not a Jew.

 

Then they came for the
communists

 

And
I did not speak out –

 

Because I was not a communist.

 

Then they came for the
trade unionists

 

And
I did not speak out –

 

Because I was not a trade unionist.

 

Then they came for me –

 

And there was no-one left

 

To
speak out for me.

 

Homily by Pastor Niemöller, 1938

 

 

What is today’s
version of Pastor Niemoller’s homily?

First they came for
the unborn

And I did not speak out–

Because
I was already born

Then they came for the infirm and
elderly

And I did not
speak out—

Because
I was of good health

Then they came for prayer in the
schools

And
I did not speak out—

Because
I was not in school

Then they came for all God’s truth

And
I did not speak out—

Because
I was too busy

Then they came for my eternal soul

And
there was no-one left

But
the tolerant