7 Keys for Better Spiritual Leadership
Exodus 18
As we concluded our verse-by-verse study of Exodus chapter 18, I shared “seven keys for better spiritual leadership.” I looked at the challenges and responsibilities of spiritual leadership, drawing from Moses’s experiences and the wisdom imparted to him by his father-in-law, Jethro. Before we look at 7 Keys for a Better Spiritual Leader, I want to remind you of some other things.
The Importance of Worship in Leadership
Did you know that a crucial element for spiritual leaders is maintaining an atmosphere of worship? In our study of Exodus 18, we uncovered how Moses’ moment of worship with Jethro revitalized his spirit and provided a much-needed pause. Worship isn’t just a ritual; it’s a fundamental part of leadership that ensures our service flows from our relationship with God. We must take in before we give out. So, next time you’re feeling overburdened, take a moment to worship and reconnect with your purpose.
Let’s detail each of these keys to help you grow as a spiritual leader.
#1: PRAY
Bring the difficulties to God. We see Moses stand before the people, but make sure you take those issues to the Lord first. A Spiritual Leader is a man or woman of prayer. Truly, the more you’re in ministry, the more you PRAY!
#2: TEACH
Teach the people what you know. Moses passed on the truths he learned to those who came alongside him. The same is true for you and me. When people come alongside you in like-mindedness, teach them.
#3: LEARN
Moses faced immense leadership challenges while guiding the Israelites, and one key lesson we unpacked was the importance of seeking and yielding wise counsel. In Exodus 18, Jethro’s advice to delegate was pivotal for Moses. This reminds us that no leader has all the answers. We must be humble enough to accept guidance from others. Authentic leadership involves listening and being open to wisdom, as echoed in James 3:17.
#4: SHOW
Leadership is not just about imparting knowledge but also about being an example. There are two kinds of teaching: by word and by deed. Jethro tells Moses to do both. We are called to be an example. So it does matter what movies you watch, where you hang out, what you drink and wear, how you behave, and the words that you use.
#5: SELECT
One of the jobs of a spiritual leader is to identify and utilize Spiritual gifts in others.
I heard it said that we are “spiritual talent scouts.” Part of leadership is identifying the gifts and talents within your church family and making sure people are in roles where they can thrive. Every role, no matter how small, contributes to the growth and strength of the Church. Discipleship is the key here. It is vital, essential, and absolutely necessary.
#6: DELEGATE
This is often overlooked but absolutely essential in leadership. We must delegate to others. Remember how Moses was overwhelmed by the needs of the Israelites? His father-in-law, Jethro, advised him to delegate responsibilities. This simple yet profound advice helped Moses prevent burnout and effectively manage the Israelites. As leaders, there are some jobs that only we can do. But there are so many others that we can delegate. When we delegate tasks to trusted individuals, it allows God to use them and frees us up to do the things that only we can do.
#7: OVERSEE
Moses, didn’t walk away and leave everything to others. It is important to stay involved in the ministry you’ve been called to. Check in with those you’ve entrusted and remain available to handle the tough ones.
Avoiding Burnout in Ministry
One of this chapter’s most critical and practical lessons is recognizing the dangers of burnout. In the story of Moses, burnout was a real threat as he tried to handle everything himself. Jethro’s counsel to delegate wasn’t just about efficiency but sustainability. Remember, being constantly exhausted doesn’t equate to being a good leader. Protect your energy, delegate tasks, and ensure you’re in it for the long haul. Galatians 6:9 reminds us not to grow weary in doing good, for in due season, we will reap if we do not give up.
Our leadership is not about us; it’s about fulfilling God’s purpose and serving His people. True promotion in God’s kingdom comes from Him alone. Staying focused on God’s calling ensures that our leadership remains effective and aligned with His will.
As we reflect on these principles, let’s consider how we can apply them in our lives and ministries. Whether in a formal leadership position or simply seeking to influence those around you, these keys can help you grow and serve more effectively. Remember, it’s not about titles or positions; it’s about being faithful to what God has called you to do.
I hope this study has encouraged you and provided practical insights for your spiritual journey. Let’s seek the Lord together and strive to be the leaders He has called us to be.
FULL TRANSCRIPT:
Amen. Open your Bibles to Exodus chapter 18. I’ve on titled our Bible study tonight, “Seven Keys for Better Spiritual Leadership.” The end of our Bible study today will be a list of seven things that are simple enough, but also profound, and will help you and me as we pay attention to them, be better spiritual leaders in every realm of our life. But you’ll remember the last time we were together? We studied chapter 18 in its entirety. It was very encouraging. Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt into the Promised Land the best that he can. But there were still problems, and we may just need to pause there for a moment and understand as you move forward, as you give God your best, as you live in obedience, there are still problems.
Problems will always be with us. There will always be challenges. And so don’t equate, like, perfect obedience that’s going to eliminate every single problem. Because as we are learning in in other studies, hey, while you’re in the middle of a trial, the enemy comes with the second and the third and the fourth just to get you off your game. And here Moses is doing the best that he can with, I believe, the purest motives that he could have – he just wants to serve them. You remember, we’ll see it in a moment, but Jethro said, “what are you doing?” And he goes “well, they come to me. That’s what I’m doing. I’m just responding to the people. I don’t want to send them away empty handed.” And, “from morning to night,” the people are coming to him with their problems, and he helps them and he moves them along personally and powerfully; gives them insight from the law. And he does have some elders that are overseeing the various tribes. But really, of two-and-a-half, three million people, the leaders that have been mentioned thus far by name are just four. You have Moses, Aaron, Hur, and Joshua. I believe there are more, but they’re yielding to the leadership of Moses.
And Moses needs insight. So let’s just pick up in verse six and verse six of chapter 18. Now he said to Moses, This is Jethro, his father-in-law,
I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her. So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and kissed him. And they asked each other about their well-being, and they went into the tent. And Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them on the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. Exodus 18:6-8
Jethro brings back his wife and children. They talk about all the great things that God has done. I love verse eight, if you haven’t marked it, you need to, because this needs to be a habit in our lives. When somebody asks us our well-being, they ask us how we’re doing, it is an open door to share, notice, “all that the Lord had done.”
It’s a great open door for anyone, believers and unbelievers alike. It’ll also be encouraging to you as you share in the midst of whatever you’re going through, whatever you’re facing, to be able to share, “no, this is what the Lord is doing; this is what he has done.” And I’m sure this was very encouraging. Verse nine, “Then Jethro rejoiced for all the good which the Lord had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. And Jethro said, ‘blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of Pharaoh, who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods, for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them.’ Then Jethro, Moses father-in-law, took a burnt offering, sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses father-in-law before God.”
They’re rejoicing in all the good that God has done. And that night, I believe, Jethro becomes a believer. In the atmosphere of worship and the atmosphere of thanksgiving and the atmosphere of the power of God. It was noticeable. It was obvious there, surrounded by 2.5 million people, the noise in the camp must have been unbelievable. It was amazing what God has done. Which reminds me to remind you that worship, especially in song, is a key component for a leader. It is not just enough to serve, serve, serve and find more things to serve. We must, “take in,” before we can give out. There needs to be that healthy rhythm of coming to there…our service always grows out of a relationship with Christ and this is a big mistake. You have to understand, the reason why God raised you up in the first place is your faithfulness in the little things. You are faithful in the little things, He gave you more, and He gave you more. And so, you know, you see the breadth of the responsibilities been given to you, but what happens is and what can happen is it can get to someone’s head, they become very prideful or they can begin to think that they…. “Here I am. I’ve got a title, I’ve got a position. Now my job is no longer to be a worshiper. My job is to be a boss.” But that’s not from the Lord. We never stop worshiping and we never, listen, especially in the Church of Jesus Christ, we never become a boss. There is there is no room…the church doesn’t need more bosses, the church needs more servants. And we want to follow the leader and not even Jesus. The head of the church is our boss. He’s our shepherd. He leads and guides and takes care of us. It’s not good that we leave the sanctuary and we leave the time of worship, and we leave the time of communion, and we leave the time of pressing in.
It’s not good that we serve, serve, serve, and we’re not in the rhythm of receiving and worshiping. All true Christian service comes from true Christian worship. Whether that be in song, whether that be in prayer, whether that be in reading of your Word, abiding in Christ, developing your, first and foremost, your personal relationship with the Lord.
Verse 13, “And so it was on the next day that Moses sought to judge the people, and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. So when Moses father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, ‘What is this thing that you’re doing for the people? Why do you alone sit and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?’” And you gotta love Moses’ answer, he says, “because the people come to me to inquire of God, and when they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another. And I make known the statutes of God and his laws.”
He’s not defensive. He’s not upset. Moses answers the question, “why am I doing what I’m doing?” Because this is what happens every day. I get up and the people find me. So I found a place to sit down so they could all find me easily. And they bring all their problems to me. And essentially what he’s saying is, “I feel such a responsibility to God that I want to help them with their problems. I realize my leadership. I realized God’s hand upon me and I just want to help them.” But, you know, as we studied last time, this is not what Jethro is speaking to. He’s not speaking to the what that Moses is involved in, he’s speaking to the how.
What he was doing was very good, very honorable, very reflective of a man in tune with the Lord. A man that cares for the flock. As Peter would say later, someone who, “shepherds the flock of God, that’s among him.” That’s Moses. Jethro is not calling into question the what, he’s calling into question the how. You see, Moses had set up a system to oversee the needs of the people. And as ministries grow and as organizations grow and as groups of people grow, systems naturally develop – or unnaturally. But it’s necessary, as Jesus, as the Bible tells us, that God, he’s a God that does things, “decently and in order.” Not even systems are the wrong thing to do. Creating a system isn’t wrong. Although we can create “wrong systems,” we can have the “wrong functionality,” that exists. But the idea to organize so that you can do things more effectively, the idea to organize so you can serve more people – organization’s a good thing. God loves things done decently and in order.
But Moses’ system had him sitting all day, listening from morning to evening. What he had was a functional, and in the beginning, I believe, a very manageable system for Moses. But it created problems. He didn’t think ahead; he was only in the moment. And he answers Jethro, “I’m here because they’re coming to me.” Which is an accurate answer. It’s true because Moses was God’s representative, and the people did come to him. He was the right man to come to. He was the one that God recognized and elevated among the people, even as you read later in Joshua after the death of Moses, the Bible says that God “elevated Joshua,” among the people to take his place. And Moses was the right man to go to. But he set himself up for failure, and God sent him a messenger to help him, if he would listen.
And notice with me in verse 17, the assessment of Jethro, verse 17, “His father-in-law said to him, ‘the thing that you do is not good, both you and these people.’” So the system that you’ve set up is affecting you, and it’s going to affect the people in the future, in the near future, he says, “you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out.” Jethro could see something that Moses couldn’t see. He could see down the road a little bit farther than Moses could see down the road. A little bit farther. And Moses needed Jethro’s advice. He says, “this thing is going to be too much for you,” verse 18, “you are not able to perform it by yourself. Listen now to my voice and I’ll give you counsel, and God will be with you. Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. You shall teach them the statutes. The laws show them the way in which they must walk and the work that they must do.”
So it’s not good, Moses. It’s not good. Jethro is bothered by what he sees. He’s not impressed with Moses leadership style or the fact that he was there all day and night. You know, sometimes there’ll be those that put in hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours, and part of their expectation is people will be impressed by all the hours that they put in. And then you’ll get somebody like Jethro, who goes, “bro, I can get that done in two hours. You don’t need to spend 15 hours. I can show you a way to get it done in two hours.” And if you’re not careful, you go, “Wait a minute. Don’t you know all that I’ve done?” And then, Jethro, you need someone like Jethro. You need to be someone that will listen to a guy like Jethro, where Jethro goes, “Hey, what you’re doing is not good.” What do you mean, it’s not good? 14-hour days. 16-hour days. I’m giving my life to the Lord, but it’s not good. You’re not going to make it. This isn’t going to last. You’re going to be worn out. The people are going to be worn out. And then what good is that? You’re not going to be there for them. They’re not going to have anybody to come to. He’s not impressed with Moses leadership abilities or style. Moses has a blind spot here. Even as all we, every one of us have our own blind spots, and we need those around us, like Jethro, to help us out so that we can see what we can’t see.
Isn’t that amazing? There are things in your life right now. There are things in my life I can’t see. I need to see it, but I can’t see it. And that’s where collaborative, cooperative leadership is so important. Here’s what Jethro saw, if you’re taking notes, I think a few things to consider. I believe he’s viewing Moses here and he sees Moses became a problem shuffler. A “problem shuffler,” what do I mean? That all day long, all he did was take care of problems. He heard the complaints, he heard the issues, the problems, the misery. But once one got solved, he had five more. And then once five got solved, he had ten more. And once word got out that Moses was “the problem solver,” then everybody with problems came to him and they didn’t attempt to solve their own. And it wore him out and took him away from things…here’s something a leader you need to understand. You need to understand this. As a spiritual leader, especially in the church, but anything, there are things in your role and responsibility that only you can do, and you should be the one doing them. But there are far more things that other people can do and you should delegate them. You’ve got to give them away.
There are things, and what happens is either, ‘A,’ leaders don’t delegate things because they’re just afraid and insecure and they don’t want to see, or [‘B’] they find themselves in a place where they don’t even do the things they’re supposed to do, and it just creates chaos. Leaders, there are things that only you can do and should do, and all the rest you can give away. And what the world calls delegation, what do we call that in the church? Discipleship. God is calling up people around you to help you so that you can do more, not less. So that you can be entrusted with more and not less. So that God can accomplish more through more people. If you will learn to let go, and if you will learn just to say, “Hey, I think that you are someone that God’s hand….” Like, you know, like my brother Gene put a hand around me, “Hey, I thought that was a great devo, but,” And he had something to share into my life. “The thing that you do is not good.” What do you mean? What are you talking about? “Well, I think I think I’ve got a tool. I’ve got something that can help you. And I want you to come alongside. I want to help you for the long haul.” Jethro, he speaks the truth, and he’s reminding them that this isn’t just a functional solution. It’s too much for you.
Here’s what happens when men and women especially. I’ll speak to the church. But I saw it in the corporate world as well. But this is what happens in the church, in the leadership. Men and women take too much upon themselves and they create undue stress in their lives. There’s a lot of stress, a lot of talk about stress in the world today, and there’s a lot of talk about stress in the church. I mean, you could see it on people’s face. You just look at it man, “Man, that bro, he’s stressed out!” And you want to get to the bottom of it.
What is wrong? Is it something out in the world? Is it something in the church? What is it? As the demands of life and the expectations in this world press in against us, you can expect the stress levels to increase stress, as they study things, has been related to everything from divorce to discouragement, from heartburn to heart attacks. And here’s the danger: sometimes it’s like that in the church.
I mean, it’s pretty obvious to see a stressed out leader or a stressed out servant. They usually wear it on their sleeves, on their face. And there seems to be a philosophy that’s been adopted. Not around here. We do not subscribe to this at all. At all. That’s why I’m teaching you the alternative way. But in some churches, it just seems like the badge of honor in a church leadership is to be the most exhausted. Somehow the most exhausted means that you’ve worked the hardest and the best. They think…the saying goes, “exhaustion is next to godliness.” It’s not true.
Others might even say, I’ve heard this phrase, so it’s not just something I picked up. I have literally heard people say this, “I want to burn out for Jesus.” Or, “I would rather burn out than rust out,” they would say. So let me just ask you a question: What good is a burned out Christian? “Well, that’s your end result. That’s what I want to be. I want to be somebody that’s so miserable, so stressed out, so exhausted that I’m no good to the body of Christ.” What do you mean? You want to be a burned out Christian? Why? Why would you say such a thing? I don’t believe it’s okay to burn out. I don’t believe that’s God’s will for your life. So if you’re headed for that right now, here’s the voice of Jethro, through the Holy Spirit, in my voice. “The thing that you’re doing is not good.” It is not good, I don’t want you burned out here. Quitting. Giving up.
You know what burnout does when you get tired and you’re doing too much and you’re exhausted and stressed. You know what that does? It makes you angry at the very people that you’ve been called to serve. Amen. I’ll give you an example. You sign up, I don’t know, we put out something in the Connect, “Hey, we need your help.” And we need this many people to sign up. And you’re the one that signed up. And you heard in the announcement we needed 20 people to sign up. And when the day comes, you’re the only one that shows up and you’re like, “I thought you needed 20?” We did. “I thought you said 20 signed up?” They did. “Well, where are they?” Right here. You’re the one. Didn’t you sign up? “Yes.” Aren’t you one? “Yes.” Then what’s your problem with the other 19? “Well, because they didn’t show up and I did.” Yeah, but the Lord has you; you don’t need to be upset with the 19; God will take care of them. Why are you even worried about them? Well, why is that even an issue for you? I thought this is how it worked. You heard an announcement, you heard a bunch of things around it. But the Holy Spirit said, “I want you to sign up.” And you said, “OK, Lord, I will sign up and I will show up and I will serve.” I didn’t know that all those commitments were okay. “Lord, I hear you. I will sign up (if 19 other people do) and I will serve (if 19 other people do). And I will be happy (if 19 other people serve with me).” And before you know it, you’re upset with 19 people you haven’t even met yet. And so now you’re walking around the church. Are you one of the 19? Are you 1 or 19? You rotten sinner, you said you would be here, and before you know it, like, stop! It’d be better that you don’t even show up and sign up. And that zero showed up and we just shut something down.
It’s not okay to be all stressed out in ministry. Not only you become angry with people you’re supposed to serve, but you also begin to resent ministry, or resent church, or whatever that represents to you. Because you’ve forgotten that there’s a pace that God has for you and you just want to be faithful. I believe that God has given us enough time and enough energy and enough wisdom to do exactly what He wants us to do. Not more and not less. Now, will we be tired at times? Of course! Of course we will. You know that because we’re warned against weariness and the step before weariness, is tiredness. And the Bible says in Galatians 6, you can jot it down. It says, “Let us not grow weary in well-doing, (or “while doing good”) for in due season we will reap if we don’t lose heart.” And it’s this principle that we learned and that we’ve adopted that, “We Is The Language Of Ministry,” like, we do it together.
But we do it together individually. We’re serving the Lord. I don’t make the commitment to serve if 19 other people do because God’s ministering to my heart. I don’t make the commitment to serve if I get what I want because I already got what I want – Jesus forgave me on my sins. I don’t make the commitment to serve if some outcome takes place. I’m not here for the outcome, I’m here to be faithful and let the Lord sort that out. He says, “I’ll reap if I don’t lose heart; in due season.” I don’t know when that season is. I just got to wait for the Lord to give me the season. All I know is I need to watch myself. I need to not grow weary. I need to slow down. I need to take what’s been asked of me and I need to really pray: should I be doing that? Should I not be doing that? But ministry is always teams. It’s always teams. Even Jesus sent out two by two.
But teams are only made up of individuals: personal commitments. And we don’t want to become angry or resentful toward the people that are around us. And so, notice, the answer to the issue in verse 21. I want to spend a little bit of time on this, and then we’ll go through a list of things that will help us serve in a few moments. But here is the direction. Actually jump back up to verse 19. “Listen now to my voice. I’ll give you counsel. God will be with you. Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. You shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. Moreover, you shall select from all the people able men such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness, and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, rulers of tens. Let them judge the people.”
You see that phrase in the English? “Let them.” Empower them, encourage them, help them, release them. But you got to let them, Moses. You got to let them do it. Let them judge the people at all times, and then if there’s any great matter, they’ll bring it to you. But every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this thing,” verse 23, “and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure. And all this people will also go to their place in peace.”
We, mark that, we is the language of ministry. We want to do things together. And as a solution to the problem, Moses chooses God’s new direction. He did get confirmation. Jethro was speaking from the Lord. It was wisdom. And what does he do in verse 21? He selects and appoints men who feared God. Men of truth. They feared God, but they didn’t fear men.
“The fear of man is a snare.” They were men of truth. They hated covetousness. And Moses gave them responsibilities consistent with their callings and abilities. We see that in the distinction between some could oversee more than others. Like Jesus would teach us later, some have greater capabilities than others. It doesn’t mean that they’re better than others. But let’s just say you have responsibility over a thousand and you have a responsibility over ten. You go, “Oh man, I wish I had more – a thousand!” No, God made you for ten. Be faithful with the ten. But this brother over here, this sister, she can handle a thousand. And then, you know, you go, “Well, look at me, I can handle a thousand!” No, no, no, you got to understand, the only reason you can handle a thousand is because God is faithful. That’s it. And you’re faithful to Him, and He’s faithful to you. It doesn’t make you any better than the ten. The person that oversees ten faithfully, and the person who oversees a thousand faithfully is on the same team. And we all make progress together.
Nobody’s better. Nobody’s better than anyone else. And that’s what he says. There’s going to be distinctions. There’s 1000s and 100s and 50s and 10s. I just want to be faithful to what God has called us to do. The important thing about delegating is the responsibility to have people demonstrate both their abilities and their proven character. The essence of anyone serving is their character. Their relationship with the Lord. That is always more important than ability. No one should ever be chosen for their abilities. They should be chosen for their character and the integrity of their lives. We see that throughout the Scripture. Now, I want to pause here for a moment. As you’ll recall in our study last time, I mentioned how many people will come to this passage of Scripture, and with the phrase, “Moses model of leadership,” they’ll create a caricature of some man that failed as a leader and then automatically come back and go, well, you know, “Moses model of leadership,” it’s just not today. It’s not New Covenant.
And I want to show you that this is a model throughout the scripture. And here’s the model: God chooses a man to lead and then surrounds that man with capable men and women to help him lead. It’s all throughout the Bible. You cannot miss it if you’re looking for it. So let me just share a few things for you so you can see it if you want to jot it down. God raising up a man to lead his people, giving him delegated authority, then to, “select able men,” and women to serve alongside of him. It’s repeated throughout the scriptures. If you’re taking notes, just jot them down. I’ll read them to you because there’s quite a few.
2 Corinthians 10:13, Paul says, “We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God has appointed us.” So God is the one that places the limitations upon us, and he limits our sphere. 1 Timothy 2:7, “For which I was appointed,” Paul says, “I was appointed a preacher and an apostle speaking the truth in Christ.” Jesus himself was given authority and He chose able men. Remember, Luke chapter 6:13, “when it was day he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose twelve.” John 15:16, “You did not choose me,” Jesus said, “but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit.” The early church, we learned in depth not too long ago in Acts 6, the first big problem in the church was this revelation of what Moses was dealing with thousands of years earlier.
In Acts 6:1,
Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.” Acts 6:1-3
Seek them out. Find them. Paul chose Titus and Timothy remember to lead churches. It was Paul’s choice as the leader. In 1 Timothy 1:3, “As I urged you, when I went into Macedonia, remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine.” Titus 1:5, “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking in appoint elders in every city, as I commanded you.” Then you’ll remember that Paul instructed both Titus and Timothy for them to choose elders. He said this in 2 Timothy 2:2, “The things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” Titus 1:5, “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you.”
This is a common theme throughout the scriptures and what we learned. What we’ve learned is that if the system of government or leadership fits within the pale of scriptures, then what’s most important…. Because there’s primarily three forms of government, if you’re taking notes within the scriptures, one is what’s known as an “elder-run,” type of church. You may have come from that, where there is a plurality of elders and no one elder is more important than the other, and they’re the ones that get together and vote on things for the direction of the church. Very simple explanation, but an accurate one. I believe. Another form of government is a “congregational-led,” government within the church, and the way that works is all the issues come up through committees and different meetings, and then the church votes on everything. What color the carpet, what color the chairs – they vote on everything, which creates a lot of division, a lot of difficulty and a lot of slowness, and it really removes any power from the pastor, and he becomes a politician trying to form everyone and trying to help everyone, that that really isn’t a form of government that you see in the scriptures, by the way, you don’t really see in the scriptures this idea of everyone voting on everything. It’s nowhere actually in the Bible. It’s more informed, I think, from our current cultural pressures and than anything, than biblically.
And another form of government could be the “episcopas” type of, form of, government, where there is a leader, a pastor leader. Now, sometimes the older form might say there’s one elder that’s equal. But above all, and I understand that they’re trying to accomplish what a pastor-led or what a Moses-led, or what a Jesus-led, or what a James-led, or what a Titus-led, or a Timothy-led church all throughout the scriptures, that there is conveyed authority in a man and collaborative and cooperative ministry of accountability among many. But there is one leader. And in the church that you’re in right now, listening to me or listening on the radio, this is a pastor-led church. It was a pastor-led church when we moved here, and there were only 30 people attending this church, and it’s going to be a pastor-led church for the foreseeable future. This is God’s will for our lives.
And God has raised up over the years capable, faithful men as elders and pastors and board members to help lead this church into the future. And as we come and celebrate almost 25 years, we look back and we just thank God for the faithful men and women of the church over the years, that that is a viable methodology. Here’s what happens. Just because there is a lack of integrity, or gross sin and immorality in the leadership, doesn’t necessarily mean that “the system is broke.” It means, “the person is broke.” As a matter of fact, if someone in, let’s say, a Moses model of leadership gets found out to be in gross sin and is exposed and is required to repent. It sounds like the Lord’s in that church, doesn’t it? When something gets found out and somebody can’t get away with sin, they don’t have free reign because the Lord is the Lord of the church and he won’t let anyone get away with anyone. You just remember that – that might be a word for someone right now, where you’re on the other side of something and you’re just thinking, “Man, I just got a raw deal, and I don’t think it’s ever….” Look, God will not allow anyone to get away with anything.
You just have to understand that there’s going to come a day when every hidden thing is revealed. And for some of you, that’s a real positive thing. Some of you are a little scared by that, but you don’t need to be. Just come clean before the Lord, and you don’t have to worry about anything being revealed because you came clean before the Lord and you followed and you took God’s soap. You know, 1 John 1:9, and you washed away, “If you confess your sins, he is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” To forgive us. The blood of Jesus Christ. Some of you need to take a shower tonight with 1 John 1:9, and just be freshly clean and confess to the Lord and just come clean. Some of you won’t come clean because you know that it’s going to cost you. That’s why you’ve been lying and that’s why you’ve been cheating, and that’s why you’ve been hiding. And the Bible says, because something isn’t judged right away, then you start thinking you’re getting away with it and it’s going to be okay. And the farther I go, the more in the past it will be.
The problem is, is it’s with you right now. Sin is like, it’s like dirt, man. It just sticks to you. But God is ready to cleanse you and refresh you. There’s no need to hide. There’s always an opportunity to come clean before God. And in the church under the words, you know, under the banner of collaborative, cooperative. It’s never okay for a pastor to lord over the flock. It’s never okay for a pastor or a leader or an elder to take advantage of position. No position exists in the church that hasn’t been conveyed from Jesus. It’s His church. It’s His blood. He died for this church. I didn’t die for this church. You didn’t die for this church. He died for his church. And we would do well to walk in His self-sacrificial ways, not really promoting whether you’re the boss or you’re important. I mean, you just know when someone tries to lead like that and they’re just letting you know their title and their position and everything, you know, in that moment, they’re not “leader,” anymore. They have lost it, and they’re trying to get it back through guilt and manipulation and power. Like there is no room for that in the Church of Jesus Christ, because it will slow us down. It will hinder the work of the Gospel if we get all caught up in titles and positions and importance. Nobody’s important here, only Jesus is. He alone is deserving of our praise, our honor, our worship, and our humility.
All right. With that in mind, let’s go through the seven things now that we’ve kind of summarized. Exodus 18, I love this chapter. There’s even another angle you can take in this chapter, but we’ll do that some other time. Here’s seven things in this section that are keys for effective ministry. They’re not only seven, but I pulled them out. And remember it’s for all of us, not just those with responsibility or positions. This will help all of us.
Number one, verse 19, you want a key in spiritual leadership is prayer. That’s what he’s, in verse 19, “Listen now to my voice, I’ll give you counsel. God will be with you. Stand before the people that you may bring the difficulties to God. How do you bring difficulties to God through prayer? Prayer is very important. Moses, stand before the people, but make sure you take those issues to the Lord. And so a spiritual leader is a man or a woman of prayer. Truly the more you’re in ministry, the more you pray.
Number two, verse 20, “teach.” You pray and you teach. It says right here in verse 20, you shall teach them the statutes. Moses, pass on the truths that you’ve been taught, so that the people might come alongside of you in like mindedness. We already read Second Timothy two two to find men. Come, give them the truth. I mean, really, if you were thinking about church growth and church planting, 2 Timothy 2:2 is one of the best verses in all the Bible on church growth. This is how church grows. This is how churches multiply. This is how men and women are used greatly of the Lord. “The things you’ve heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men and women and be able to teach others also.” Whatever you’ve received, That means everyone, after one Bible study, you have enough to give someone else. Did you know that? After just one Bible study! How about 52 of them? If you come to everyone this this year, how about 104 of them? If you hit midweek, too, how about 156 of them? If you come Saturday nights, too, and you just want double dose on the weekends, like you have enough to give away? The question is, are you giving away because that’s part of leadership. Give away what you know.
Verse three, “learn.” So we have pray, teach, learn. Notice Moses yields to wise instruction. This is so, so important. He yields to wise instructions. Because we see in verse 24, “Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.” He prayed. He confirmed this was from God, and he yielded. He listened and received. The danger, of course, of any spiritual leader is this idea that “I’ve arrived,” and, “you can’t teach me anything,” and, “I’m the boss and you’re the follower.” It’s just all nonsense. Don’t follow that kind of leadership here or wherever you go to church or don’t follow that. That is not leadership. That is insecurity and a variety of other things. But it’s not leadership; not pointing you to the Lord.
Jot this down. Hold your places. We haven’t turned at all. I want you to see this because this is such, like, probably the most important point. I mean, I don’t know if I can, which one’s most important, but this one’s super important. Turn over to James chapter three. Because if Moses’s whole ministry hinged on this point right here, he could have prayed, he could have received. He could. There’s a lot of things he could have done. But if he didn’t do this, no effective change would have happened. And, notice, we get insight on what wisdom is from God right here in James 3:17, “the wisdom that is from above his first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield. Full of mercy. Good fruits. Without partiality, without hypocrisy.”
Are you willing to yield when you’re wrong? Are you willing to yield when you’re partially wrong? Are you willing to yield when you’re not wrong at all, but someone has a better idea than you do? Are you willing to yield? It’ll be the hinge on which your ministry and your leadership – the door turns on that hinge: if you’re willing to yield. And if you’re willing to yield, if you’re willing to listen, you’re willing not to be so defensive and put up a fight and push your agenda, then you could be used really greatly from the Lord. It’s so important. We need to learn to make our decisions in the wisdom of God.
So far we have pray, teach, learn. Number four: show. That’s what he was to do, “show them the way that they should walk.” Verse 20, “teach them the laws and show them the way.” You know often what we will talk about teaching, but then showing is what? Your example. They need to be able to see it. What did Paul say? Imitate me as I imitate Christ. He says, “Look at me and follow me,” and the things that represent the character of Jesus, I want you to follow that. I want you to adopt it into your life. There are two ways of teaching by word and by deed. Jethro tells him to do both. He says, I want you to teach, but I also want you to live it. The minister, the spiritual leader, is an example of God’s wills, ways, and work, not just in the church, but also in the world.
Do you exemplify the wisdom of God as mentioned in James, at work? Do you exemplify the wisdom of God, as mentioned in James, at home? With your parents? With your siblings? Your brothers and sisters? Are you exemplifying the wisdom of God in your marriage? And your singleness? To the person you’re renting a room from? It’s very important. Your ministry will not progress unless you learn how to show by example.
Notice the next one. Number five. Another key is select. Select. “Choose able men,” he says in verse 21, “select from all the people.” Able men. Select. You need to be looking. Your eyes should always be looking for someone to pour your life into. We exemplified that last time by as a leader, a Paul would always have a Timothy, and as a Timothy you always have a Paul. Now, that doesn’t mean you have this one-on-one relationship always at your…you can watch Paul’s and learn from them.
But for a , you always want to have someone that you’re training and developing and pouring into. One, two, three, five. You’re always your eyes should always be on the lookout. Who God raising up, who has potential. Come on. Come with me. Let’s take out the trash together. Oh, “I do not take out the trash.” All right, bro, it’s going to take a while. You got a lot to learn. I don’t know why it’s okay for me to take out the trash, but you don’t take it. But I’m going to do it because that’s what God’s calling me to do. And you just, you know, the best thing that I share with the pastors all the time is just invite people to come along with you. You don’t have to sit them down and like, give them a Bible study. Just let them hang out with you, serve with them, talk with them, be among them.
And they had special qualities. So it’s not just anyone, notice it, “they had to fear God.” They had to be men of truth so they could be trusted. They had to hate covetousness. Why do they have to hate covetousness? Well, primarily, this is very interesting, isn’t it? It’s a very early test, primarily because other leaders will have different responsibilities. So you got to be really careful. The ten might covet the thousands. But, you know, there are times when people have responsibility over the thousands and they covet just having ten. It goes both ways. It’s not just one. What’s the antidote to covetousness? Contentment. Whatever God has for me, I want it, and I’m happy with it. I don’t need anything more, and I don’t need anything less. I have the Lord.
Number six, we mentioned this already, but a strong spiritual leader will delegate – or place people on the right positions. I think it was Skip Heitzig that I got this from, but I made it my own, like, he described us leaders as “spiritual talent scouts.” Where our responsibility is to discern what your gifts and talents are and make sure you’re in the right place doing the right thing. Many of the times people in the church love that, but when there needs to be a correction or a movement, like you like what you’re doing but I see, or one of the leaders says, “I think you should be over here.” If you’re not humble about it, you can get all beat out of shape and forget that the Lord put us in your life to help you get in the right place to do the right things. Even if you don’t like the role or position, just know the Lord has something for you there. He has something right there. When I was assigned, in Bible school, learning Greek and learning all kinds of things about the Bible, and I was assigned to go hold screaming babies in the nursery, let me just say I wasn’t too happy about it. I just have a baby at the house and he’s in diapers and he’s still young and now I got a baby in the house. Now I go to church and I’m holding other people’s babies. But I had a lot to learn. And by the way, babies don’t care about the Greek or the Hebrew. They could care less. They speak Greek and Hebrew! You gotta learn what they’re trying to say to you. But you do – you learn. God has something for you to learn in the role that you’re in. And it’s almost like, if you don’t want to learn it, then it’s going to be a miserable experience. You’ve got to go into everything not just because you want it or like it, but because you love the Lord and you’re willing to do anything and go anywhere for Him.
And that’s a great place to be. There’s a lot of contentment there. And so as a leader, we need to learn how to delegate. And that means we also trust the ministry. It’s a very painful thing, by the way. It’s been very painful for me over the years where on the one hand, it’s been wonderful where the numbers far outweigh and the positive side of the delegated ministry that’s happened here, that there’s been much fruit and much, just, blessing in the church. But there have been men and women over the years where I’ve delegated ministry to them, and they’ve hurt other sheep – and it stinks. It hurts sometimes. It makes me angry. Where they don’t love the church like I love the church. Or more importantly, they don’t love this church like Jesus loves the church.
And I just want you to know that as you’re stepping in, like we take the ministry seriously here. We don’t want people hurt. We don’t want people taking advantage of. I mean, if that’s your deal and that’s what you want, you come to our church and go “It’s big and I can find a place that…. Then just go! No, don’t go somewhere else, repent! You’re wrong. You’re in sin. And even if you go off, you try to do your own thing – God is not going to bless it. I promise you, He’s not going to bless it. I don’t care how you describe, “well, look at what God is doing, Look what He’s doing. Look at it.” It’s not the blessing of God, it’s the work of man. And you know, people will be happy in all those pictures you take, and people will be blessed. You know why? Because God loves those people. But he’s not blessing your ministry. He’s blessing the people He died for. And so over the years, I have delegated to people, and I’m sure I will in the future, where we thought they had these characteristics, we thought that there was that integrity, but there wasn’t. And so just take this Bible study and get right with the Lord. You’re pressing in. Get right with the Lord.
The seventh thing is to oversee. So let me just repeat them for you. prayer, teach, learn, show, select, delegate, and oversee. Because remember, whenever you delegate something, that doubles your work. It doesn’t half your work. Did you know that sometimes you think when you’re delegating. Oh, I good to do less? No, no. You get double work now because you get to train someone and teach them how to do it, and then you must… follow up! And make sure they did it the way that they were supposed to do it, especially in the church, because the people matter. People matter. Titles don’t matter. Positions don’t matter.
“Well, you know, I am, you know, I’m an elder.”
Did the Lord put you in that place?
“Oh, yeah.”
But nobody affirms it. Like nobody thinks you’re an elder.
“Well, you know I am. I made my…”
No, nobody thinks you are. You won’t even take out the trash, bro.
Listen, you need to stay available, and you need to stay involved and remain humble. I mean, we could do a list up to 10- 15 things, but it’s important that, like Moses here, we learn in Numbers 11, he did select 70 men. He did get the help. They were able to handle the regular stuff. For me, we fast forward to the New Testament and, you know, it’s not good for me to leave prayer and the study of God’s Word to serve tables, because that’s the only thing I can do in the role that I have is to pray…I’m the only one that can do that in the realm of pastor teacher that God has given to me. You can’t do that for me. I can’t just speak into my phone, “AI, give me a sermon.” What kind of nonsense is that? You guys, you guys don’t want to show up to a church that some computer wrote for you, because it could be all polished and sound really good, but it’s not from the Lord. And you’re going to have to tune your ears in the future to listen for the voice of the Lord, because there’s going to be a lot of polished, nice things coming out in this new season of AI and the different tools that are available. The Bible program that I use just added a whole new AI feature to it, and it made my heart ache. Because I know that many are going to use that feature as a way to substitute prayer and the study of God’s Word. And I learned over the years that I must give things away, and I must teach and train, and I must focus on what God’s calling me to do, no matter what people think and how people might be upset, and how I might not be able to do some of the things I really love doing, because I must do what God has called me to do.
And we see that in Acts 6. When I do what God’s called me to do, you do what God’s called you to do. When we are all in the place that God wants us, the church moves forward. And lives are changed. And communities are transformed. And nations start worshiping God. And the world bows their knee to the one true God creator. Listen, I will say it one more time. I want to say it out loud and as clear as I can. “Promotion doesn’t come from the east or from the west, but God raises up one and puts down another” (Ps 75:6-7). You can’t convey spiritual leadership upon yourself. I mean, you can…you can put the website, you can get the business cards, you can do it yourself. But that’s not from the Lord. There’s a word for that. You know what it’s called? Flesh. It’s flesh. And what you want is to walk in the Spirit. That’s true leadership.
And so, Lord, thank You for the example of Moses and in Acts and with Jesus and with Paul. Timothy, Titus, on and on the list goes. Thank You, God, for giving us leaders. I thank You for my pastor Jeff and his wife Karen, and the leaders, even thinking about my friend Glenn, who’s 80 years old and still serving the Lord. Unbelievable. And I thank you for Gene and Leigh. Just a brother in the Lord that had a desire to see me grow. I thank you, God, for Rudy, who would be patient with me as I was entrusted with serving the kids. And countless other people, both in California and here in Colorado, that have been patient with me as I learned to grow up in ministry, as I learned to mature in the calling upon my life, as I learned to serve, learn that principle that the way up in God’s kingdom is always down. And I pray that over our church, I know…I wish this study was given to the whole, you know, to everyone on the weekend, but it’s us. It’s for us tonight. It’s a special word just for us. It’s fresh manna for us. We are the ones that went out and got it. We’re the ones that receive it. And so those that might be listening later, Lord, may they receive the fresh manna, those that are working tonight or sleeping because they have to get up early in the morning, or they got kids that have to be at school or maybe in the hospital right now. Lord, we just pray for fresh manna in this new season that we’re not going to rest on all the years that You’ve given us because we know You have more years for us. So we want to move forward. We want to be more useful, more usable, more effective. We want to be more open to Your Spirit. We want to test the waters and step out in faith and be less critical, less defensive. So much, Lord, you’re doing among us and we yield ourselves afresh and anew to You tonight. In Jesus name, Amen.
