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No One Can Do It Alone
– Warren Bennis, a pioneer of modern leadership, said, “The most dangerous leadership myth is that ‘leaders are born’; That there is a genetic factor to leadership. That’s nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.”
– I think everybody has a story of a terrible boss or leader they’ve had before.
– The style of, “The beatings will continue until moral improves…”
– For a definition of leadership, I turn to John Maxwell: “5 Levels of Leadership”
– #1. Position: People follow you because they have to. (This is a title.)
– Stereotypical military style, barking orders, etc… only gets temporary results, but can’t survive long term.
– This style is often used because it is WHAT WAS MODELED TO THEM. They simply don’t know what leadership is.
– Example: Old Fire Capt. talking about how he was treated “back then”. But did it make you better, or just bitter? Then why do it to the next guy?
– #2. Permission: People follow you because they want to. (This is your friend.)
– This is “relationships”. People know you care about them so in tern they are willing to listen to you. This is the key to leading volunteers.
– #3. Production: People follow you because you get results. (This IS a leader.)
– Solid place to be! People know you care AND know you have the skills to get the job done.
– Even in the military it takes more than rank. To have someone be willing to risk their life for you, they have to know you value their life even over your own, and have the skills to accomplish the task.
– #4. People development: A leader who creates other leaders. (This is a force-multiplier!)
– Through mentoring and teaching, you take a #3 and make them a leader who makes other leaders, that will make other leaders.
– People follow you, and trust you, because of what you have helped them become.
– #5. Pinnacle: People follow you because of what you represent. (This is a game changer.)
– You are more than a leader. You are a movement!
– These leaders change the course of human history. Their impact transcends time.
– People like: Martin Luther King Jr., Theodore Roosevelt, Joan of Arc… Jesus!!
– Moses is destined to be a level 5 leader, but at this point in scripture he is struggling. He is operating at level 1. He needs some help. He can’t do it all alone!
Context/History
– Moses: Born a Hebrew, raised by Egyptians, fled to Midian, worked for Jethro for 40 years and married his daughter, left there and went to free Israel from Egypt.
– Now he leads them in the desert, towards the Promised Land. (600k up to 2 million people)
– Jethro: Priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law. He has heard of all that God has done for Israel, and has now come to visit Moses in the desert.
– At this point: Moses spends every day, morning to night, sitting there while the whole community waits in line to have HIM solve all of their life problems and relationship disputes.
– Moses displays level 1 leadership. He says it, they do it.
– People follow him because they have to. If they don’t they will starve and die in the desert.
– They have already shown their desire to defy his leadership, the moment he turns his back. They complain constantly. (They are not “enrolled” as we say in the business.)
(READ) Exodus 18:14-18
- Godly Leaders are Teachable. * What Moses was doing WASN’T WORKING! *
– Andrew Carnegie once said, “No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.”
– Moses was leading the only way he knew how… by doing everything himself.
– Look at his examples: There is God, you know Him. (The chain of command goes God, Moses, then everyone else on the planet.)
– There is Pharaoh, Ruler over Egypt. (Archeologists haven’t found any evidence suggesting that there were any laws written in ancient Egypt, implying that the only law was the words from Pharaoh’s own mouth.) Autocratic. Positional leadership. Level 1.
– The people lived under that rule for 400 years, so it probably felt natural to them.
– Proverbs 29:18a (KJV), Where there is no vision, the people perish.
– How can Moses “cast vision” and “enroll people” if he is spending all of his time down in the weeds trying to fix every little problem.
– People won’t follow, if YOU don’t even know where you are going. (Share & Sell your vision!)
– If Moses doesn’t get some help he will burn out, and take the whole nation with him!
– Moses needed to focus on his teaching and spiritual functions, without being weighed down by the administrative duties, and Keep the mission primary by enlisting more help for the details.
– Moses was humble enough to listen to Godly advice.
– Psalms 25:9, He (God) leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way.
– Moses was the leader of many, worker of miracles, and friend of God, but he wasn’t too proud to let Jethro speak into his life.
– Recognize that God will use the people in your life to speak His wisdom to you.
– Is there something in YOUR life that isn’t working? *DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT!*
– Romans 12:3b, Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
– The one thing all your failures have in common is YOU, and your problem solving strategies!
– If you have recognized that you are failing, there are only 2 reasons you won’t take godly advice:
- You are too prideful to admit to anyone you need some help.
- You are too lazy to do the work that is required make it right.
– Maybe there is one more: You just feel ill equipped? Well… Get equipped!!
– 2 Peter 1:3, By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.
– Not everything you decide to do will be successful, but everything God’s call you to do, for His glory, and by His strength, WILL be successful!
– Prov. 19:20, Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.
- Godly Leaders Accept Godly Advice.
– This is Jethro’s advice: (read) Exodus 18:19-23
– This is what good advice looks like:
- It comes from a credible source. (Jethro is a priest and leader, and cares for Moses)
2- It doesn’t contradict the Word of God. (The Bible)
3- It doesn’t change the mission God has called you to.
– Jethro’s 1st concern is understanding the mission. (v14) “What are you trying to accomplish?”
– The advice Jethro gives Moses concedes to God’s will, and the purpose is to fulfill the mission.
– (v23) “If you follow this advice, and if God commands you to do so, then you will be able to endure the pressures, and all these people will be able to go home in peace.”
– The mission and vision stayed the same, only the method changed.
– Theodore Roosevelt is quoted as saying, “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”
– Is someone giving YOU godly advice that you aren’t listening to?
– Advice can come from many sources: The Bible, pastors, sermons, your fellow believers in Christ… But you have to be open to receive it.
– Proverbs 12:26, The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray.
– Question: Is the advice you are getting leading you to God, or away from Him?
* It’s not enough just to listen to Godly advice, you have to put it into practice.
- Godly Leaders don’t try to do it Alone.
– Phil. 2:13, For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
– The Holy Spirit inside you gives you the ability to live and lead in a way that glorifies Him!
– Moses had God’s presence with him to be his guide also.
– Moses had Jethro to speak into his life. You have Spirit-filled believers all around you that can speak into your life!
– Obviously you have your pastors here. (They love you a lot!)
– But, just like Israel, if the Pastor is the only one who can solve your problems, then you are ignoring the “Jethro” God has sent to YOU! (And you’ll burn out the Pastors, eventually.)
– Eph. 4:11b-12, the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
– The Pastors’ job is to equip YOU to do the work of the ministry!
– They teach you, then you teach others… that’s force-multiplying (Level 4)
– As a “spirit-filled believer” you should be ministering God’s word and promise to others.
– You don’t have to be a “born-leader”, or have a “title”.
– You only need the Holy Spirit, and some wise council to be what God has called you to be!
– You can start right where you are at. There is always someone behind or in front of you. (Give help to one, get help from the other.)
– Remember,* No one can do it alone.
– prayer –