Few Differences between a Good Leader and a Weak Leader

Here are some differences between a good leader and a weak leader: 

Before I proceed: By the term 'leader', I refer to an author, preacher, teacher, pastor, a commenter on a social media platform or anyone who is given an ear to.

A good leader's heart is to (among other things) simply be a conduit that awakens people to their original identity in Christ; to proclaim that we are indeed, in union with God; that the same resurrection power abides in all; that God is not mad at anyone; that unconditional love means just that; not heap guilt and condemnation and most importantly - let them be! 

The business is run by the Holy Spirit. He is the teacher (we often mistake Him for the faces we see on Christian TV and/or the books). Once a person is lit, the fire spreads out, one person at a time. True leaders beget leaders, not sheeple. There is only one Shepherd. 

A weak and an insecure leader on the other hand, forever sees his/her listeners as immature babes that need to be spoon-fed, manipulated, shamed, bullied and/or controlled.

The good news is, that won't fly anymore, especially in this age of Internet, where more and more people are asking questions, waking up from the deep religious slumber and connecting through various social media platforms. The Kingdom of God is here and no gates of religion shall hinder its advance.

Hospital vs Courtroom

"We paste on the outside of our churches that we're a "hospital" yet when people come inside, they find out we're more like a courtroom." 

- Ted Haggard

Without love, unconditional love, we are nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate, as Eugene Peterson puts it.

How to Judge Someone:

Here is a rough guide on how to judge a person. Feel free to improvise:

1. Make sure that we don't know the person from Adam and/or have had only very minimal interactions with him/her. 

2. Observe the person closely through the filter of preconceived notions. 

3. Without trying to understand where his/her views might be coming from, choose to be offended by his/her comments or actions.

4. Conclude that he/she does not fit "my" mold of how he/she "should be".

How to be free from the plague of judging:

Love unconditionally - because we don't have the slightest clue of what someone may have been through in life. This may not necessarily be easy as it sounds, but it's so worth it.

Spurgeon's Cigar

Allegedly, Charles Spurgeon invited D.L. Moody to speak at an event he hosted.

Moody accepted and preached the entire time about the evils of tobacco, and why the Lord doesn’t want Christians to smoke.

Spurgeon, a cigar smoker, was surprised at what seemed to be a cheap shot leveled by Moody, using the pulpit to condemn a fellow minister.

When Moody finished preaching, Spurgeon walked up to the podium and said, “Mr. Moody, I’ll put down my cigars when you put down your fork.”

Moody was overweight.

 

“Christians get very angry toward other Christians who sin differently than they do.” - Philip Yancey

The above story and the quotation is an excerpt from Frank Viola's new book - Beyond Evangelical.

 

One may argue that Spurgeon was not right to respond to condemnation with condemnation (actually, someone did mention this in a thread on Facebook). My take on that opinion is that there is a difference between condemnation and popping the self-righteous bubbles. Jesus constantly popped the Pharisees' self-righteousness when they judged and condemned from their high thrones (I'm not implying that one has to make a vocation out of popping the bubbles). 

We can only speculate if Spurgeon was doing either here. Regardless of what his intent may have been here, the best antidote to self-righteous judgments is the Law itself - the same tool that is used to pronounce the judgement. This is one reason why the Law is a greasy slope. The moment I judge or condemn a person using the Law, I slide myself alongside with the same person, for the Law is partial to no one.

Fortunately, we don't have to judge or condemn anyone, because sin was nailed to the cross and without the sin, there is no need for the Law. Without the Law, we do not have an ammunition to judge and/or condemn another.