My thought today is titled, Four Pauline Character Qualities.
A very simple definition of leadership in one word is influence. Let me explain to you how it works. Some years ago, a friend of ours rode a bicycle 500 miles through the rocky foothills. He did it to raise money for their Camp dormitories. He raised $30,000. When the District Superintendent heard about it, he decided to sweat it out and rode the same trek and raised $20,000 to contribute to the District Bible School. Following this, a third District Superintendent, this time from West Virginia, took to the road and raised a whopping $50,000 for their Camp grounds. This is the power of influence! $100,000’s worth because of the influence of one.
The Apostle Paul is probably the greatest Christian Influencer outside of Jesus Christ himself. Let us look at the principles that made him tick, so to speak. As we are looking at these, let it cultivate a desire within us to want these developed in our lives also.
Firstly, Paul possessed a strong ‘internal moral compass’. This produced a leader with character. Paul settled issues by principle and made his flesh do what was right, whether it wanted to or not. He was not driven by politics, style, or charisma, but always strove to be led by the Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 11:1 Paul said, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” In short, Paul was a real leader and real leadership comes from a character that is honorable. Now, this may step on a few toes. The next time you are looking for a leader to fill a certain office, do not just look at the man, but look at who has been following the man as well. In assessing his leadership traits, assess the followers also. Author Stephen R. Covey said, “A fruitful approach is to look at followers rather than leaders, and to assess leadership by asking why followers follow.”
Here are three examples that I will give of why followers follow. Number one is ‘Leadership that is coerced’. These followers are following out of fear. They are afraid of the results of what will happen if they do not do what is demanded of them. They are just trying to get along, by going along with the flow. They parrot loyalty but it is superficial and under the conditions these passengers will either quit and get off the train, or bring great negative backlash on the church, their leaders, or the entire group or organization. These leaders in biblical terms were called “Lord over God’s Heritage”. 1 Peter 5:2-3 warns us not to be this type of leader, “Feed the flock of God, which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock.” These leaders are political, manipulators, demanding and do not lead by example or Godly principles. When the fire test is done on this type of leader’s house, the wood, hay, and stubble will be left in ashes. 1 Corinthians 3:11-14 states, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abides which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.”
The second example is ‘Bargained Leadership’. These followers exchange goods and services. They are willing to give the leader security, power, position, and even money if they get something in exchange for personal support. This could be for what they are doing directly in the church or something they are personally involved in, regardless of the structure, or their qualifications, even if just for satisfying their fleshly desires. Each maintains their side of the bargain. This structure functions on an agreed trade-off basis. The biblical description of these followers are Laodiceans, Clouds Without Water, Wandering Stars, and the leaders are, ‘Teachers with itching ears’. Jude 4 & 11-13 states, “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward and perished in the gainsaying of Core. These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withers, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.”
The third example I will point out is Character Leadership. These followers respond from belief, trust, respect, and honor. These ‘principle centered followers’ do not follow out of ‘blind faith’, ‘robot obedience’ or ‘uninhibited commitment’. These follow because of the example and character set forth by their leader’s belief system. Paul was a part of this last group, and two millenniums later, we are still adhering to and following this leadership pattern. Stephen R. Covey mentioned ten tools in his book, “Principle Centered Leadership”, to produce this type of character driven leadership. They are persuasion, patience, gentleness, consistency, integrity, kindness, openness, teachableness, acceptance and compassionate confrontation. Doesn’t this sound like the description of the ‘Real Shepherd’?
Secondly, Paul had a ‘bottom-up attitude’. This produces a Servant-Leader. Hans Finzel said, “Effective leaders see themselves at the bottom of an inverted pyramid.” Paul’s salutation in Romans 1:1 was, “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.” Philippians 1:1 is similar, “Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:” Paul served and helped others as we see in Acts 28:2-3, “And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold. And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.” This was not something he was required to do.
He also made tents as a helper, and to pull his own weight so to speak. In Acts 18:1-3, “After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation, they were tentmakers.” And we know he wrote many epistles, or letters to the saints from prison. Not for his benefit, but for theirs and for ours. His motto is found in 1 Corinthians 19-22, “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”
The things that changed author Ted Campbell into a servant were all based on scriptures. Being humble, obedient, looking after the things of others, and being lowly like Jesus as we see in Philippians 2:3-8, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Cleaning up messes, and washing stained garments, like Jesus, as seen in John 8:2-11, “And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, they say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So, when they continued asking him, he lifted himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again, he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted himself up, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”
Pouring water into a basin for others, washing other’s feet, wiping them with a towel like Jesus as we see in John 13:5, “After that he poured water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.” Teaching others and living by these principles like Jesus did as we see in Luke 22:25-27, “And he said unto them, the kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sits at meat, or he that serves? is not he that sits at meat? but I am among you as he that serves.”
Thirdly, Paul successfully handled the ‘Wild Curves of Life’. This produced leadership with integrity. In Philippians 4:12 he stated, “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things, I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” Believe me, life is full of tides. Sometimes they are in and sometimes they are out. Hear me now when I say, integrity breeds trust, integrity means people will trust you and follow you, whether the tide is in or out. Daniel went from boot camp to national leader, but along the way there was a lion’s den. David went from shepherd to King, but along the way he was lonely, rejected and hiding in caves. Amos went from grape picker in Tekoa to the office of a prophet, but along the way he saw temple songs turn into howling and mourning, because of dead bodies all around him. Job went from cowboy from Uz, to doubled riches and wealth, but along the way, he saw devastation of family, poverty, boils and ended up in an ash heap.
Yes, Paul was caught up into the third heaven, but we read in 2 Corinthians 11:24-27 some of the things he endured along the way, “Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.” These things were wild curve balls in my opinion. They were not expected but accepted and handled with integrity. As he makes his way to the guillotine, you can see him give the ‘thumbs up’ in 2 Timothy 4:6-8, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” Still admonishing, still encouraging, and still teaching Timothy what to do as a leader and barer of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
He did not lose his integrity in the process of life or death, when the tides were in, or the tides were out. Twenty centuries later, we are still following the example that he set for us. Jake Steinfeld said, “Balance in life means that you don’t try to control the rhythms of life, instead you control your response to them. You accept success as well as failures, defeats, and hard times as part of the natural ebb and flow. You learn what you can from each part of the cycle while always remaining on alert from your next opportunity to ride an upward wave.” This is a powerful example of integrity.
Fourthly, the apostle Paul always ‘reached for excellence’ in his life. This produced a leader that affected both the ancient and modern worlds of his time. Not enough is said about reaching excellence in our lives but listen to what excellence seeks; to rise above the ordinary, to move passed the bland ground of mediocrity, to put away the satisfaction of passed attainments, to reach beyond the ‘status quo’, and to reject apathy, wherever it is found. In Philippians 3:13-14 Paul stated, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” This was penned after, he graduated from Gamaliel University, he was a successful missionary and church planter all over Asia, he was already appointed an Apostle, but the gameplan of life remained, ‘I press’!
Life is not reaching a certain plateau and quitting. It is a mountain to climb from one level to another continuously. One may be determination, ‘don’t quit’, another honesty, ‘truth always’, to another level, responsibility, ‘dependable daily’, and levels like, thoughtfulness, punctuality, self-control, patience, purity, compassion, and the pressing and climbing just continues. That was how Paul did life and the example he left for us to follow. As a result, any teacher, leader, or follower would put an A+ on his report card which = Excellent Job. And the master will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”