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Effective Leadership

Be Humble! Ephesians 4: 1-6

By Dr. Richard J. Krejcir
To create a church of unity, leaders should be grateful to share our kindness and humility in Christ as we display His Glory. So, let us learn and grow, so we can be better at knowing Him and showing Him as we depend on Christ and His Mighty Work in us--empowering us! In this way, we will grow and be a church unified and impacting.

 

Ephesians 4: 1-6

"… Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love…"

Key point: To create a church of unity, leaders should be grateful to share our kindness and humility in Christ as we display His Glory.  So, let us learn and grow, so we can be better at knowing Him and showing Him as we depend on Christ and His Mighty Work in us--empowering us!   In this way, we will grow and be a church unified and impacting.

Paul is a man in prison for a crime he did not commit.  The Holy Spirit revealed to him that our true life is not in our circumstances or material goods; rather, the authentic life is who we are in Christ.  The life in Christ is one where we do have an effectual calling, a life that matters and with a purpose, no matter what we have been through, what we are going through, or what is ahead of us. So, we can live our lives, no matter what, worthy, in a determined way to know more about our Lord.  

What we exemplify and teach is our spiritual growth!  We must grow more in our Lord and be as He has called us to be--being humble in our personality and dealings with others so we are not easily angered.  Be gentle in how we treat others so we are not anxious.  We are to be merciful and kind especially to those who can do nothing for us and to those who are the infirm, the elderly, and the children.  We are to be gentle and kind to even those we do not like.  

What we exemplify and teach is our trust in our Lord Jesus Christ!  By Christ working in us, we can have patience on God's timing with our desires and needs and with others. This will transform our personality and temperament, so our Christianity is authentic; this transformation will help us so that we are not irritable or selfish.  We can be caring and not rude, compassionate and not jealous, constructive and not prideful.

What we exemplify and teach is how we show love!  By Christ at work in us, we show our love from our kindness and a lack of conceit so we can look for the best in our situation and in others, too.  This will help us be true and real in Christ, to have a sense of serenity, and be able to endure through it all.  How do we do this?  By keeping our step in Christ working in us and by the Holy Spirit's enabling.  By knowing we, as Christians, are in One and are one in unity, bounded by love, and we all have His hope. 

What we exemplify and teach is our call to live a life worthy!  This means 'go' and 'live' in the manner of what we know and believe--and, do it consistently.  This refers to our conduct and character. We do this when we are pursuing God and His righteousness and believing His precepts.  We do this when we live in such way so He is more, and we are less in our will.  This is our "walk with God", and it means living out the daily Christian life as He has called, behaving in response to our gratitude to His Work in and for us.  In context, it is also being empowered by the Holy Spirit.  It is never the walk in our own will and strength; such a thing is pride and disobedience to our loving Lord (Lev. 26:3; Ezek. 36:27; Mark 10:29-31; John 3:30; Gal. 2:20-21; 5:16; Eph. 4:1, 17; 5:1-2, 8, 15; Phil. 3:10-14; Col. 1:10).

What we exemplify and teach is how we treat one another!  By being Gentle, this is how the Holy Spirit works in us and through us, by grace being interwoven into our soul, so that we are transformed; humility brings character. Gentleness and meekness indicate that our strength is under His control so that we encourage and uplift others with manipulation or deceit (Psalm 37:11; Matt. 5: 3-5; 11:29; 2 Cor. 3:12; 10:1; Gal. 5:23; 6:1; Col. 3:1214; 2 Tim. 2:25).

There is no true Christianity without the practice of being humble and kind.  If we are not humble and kind, if we come across as prideful, selfish or conceited then we display our depravity and not the work of the Holy Spirit.  If our depravity comes in contact with a fellow pseudo-Christian's depravity, where the work of the Holy Spirit is amiss or backslidden or never has taken place, the only outcome that can occur is strife and conflict in our homes and church.  Pride does not like pride.  One's pride despises another's, so turmoil will be in Christ's house.

 

© 2016 R.J. Krejcir, Ph.D., Francis A. Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership Development www.churchleadership.org/

 

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