The core value of Christian leadership is not an invention of
a postmodern era in the church world. Four hundred years before Christ, Malachi
was saying what John Maxwell has said in recent years, “Everything rises
and falls on leadership.” Once again the prophet uses a negative emphasis
(in this case the lack of good leadership) to substantiate the need for quality
leaders in the House of God. “‘And now this admonition is for
you, O priests. If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to
honor my name,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘I will send a curse upon
you’” (vv. 1-2).
The shortage of Christian leaders today is evidence of the declining
numbers of true disciples being developed. A popular definition of leadership
by today’s gurus is that leadership is simply “influence.”
Malachi addresses this problem with a courageous prophecy: “You have
turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble”
(v. 8).
Immediately this Old Testament passage reminds one of the very
practical writings in the New Testament epistle of James: “Not many
of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we
who teach will be judged more strictly” (3:1). An awesome responsibility
is placed upon the leader who influences others either directly or indirectly.
This core value of leadership goes much further than the church context. Positive
Christian leadership must be evident in our homes, families, schools, and
places of employment.
While many are eager to claim the perks and privileges of leadership,
we are forced in this text to face the price of leadership. Blaming others
has always been our crutch. Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent, and as
Zig Ziglar says, “The serpent didn’t have a leg to stand on.”
Victim mentality is our way of life. However, Malachi emphatically and graphically
shows that the leader is accountable at the end of the day: “Because
of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will spread on your faces the offal
from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it”
(v. 3).
The prophet takes away the excuse of ignorance, or the idea
of “I didn’t know any better.” When one accepts the reins
of spiritual leadership there is an acknowledgement of who one is in the light
of who God is. He calls us, He equips us, and He in fact is all we need. Our
job is to be true to the calling. “For the lips of a priest ought to
preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction—because
he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty” (v. 7). Evidently the leaders
of Malachi’s day missed the mark.
The hard reality of this scripture is that it is difficult to
complain about what is happening out in the pew when the greater problem lies
in the pulpit. The preacher’s character and lifestyle is examined by
comparison to that of Levi: “My covenant was with him, a covenant of
life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered
me and stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth and nothing
false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and
turned many from sin” (vv. 5-6).
When preaching this text, there are many applications for the
people in our congregations. Spiritual leaders who demonstrate truth and integrity
are needed in all walks of life. But the fact remains that for we who have
been called to preach and lead people into a lifestyle of holiness, this message
is extremely important. Seeing the vacuum of godly leadership in Malachi,
and the subsequent repercussions, I am compelled to renew my covenant with
the One who called me. May we clergy have clean hands and a heart that is
pure.
(For the full manuscript
of this sermon go to www.preachersmagazine.org and click on “Sermons”)
Leadership must be accountable and responsible. I have stated
many times through the years of my pastoral ministry that when things were
going well in the church, I received more credit than I deserved, and that
when things were going bad, I took more of the blame than I should. Such is
the reality of leadership. A good coach will go a step further and say that
when the team is doing well, all the credit goes to the players, and when
the team is playing poorly, the blame goes to the coach. These are all practical
applications from this text.
We are desperately in need of family leaders who will rise up
and say with Joshua of old, “As for me and my household, we will serve
the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). We need Sunday School teachers who will stand
before our children and say, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because
it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans
1:16). We need men and women of strong character who demonstrate holy living
to a fallen world. The Apostle Paul lived such a consistent Christian life
that he was able to say to people, “Follow me; do what I do!”
Wow! We all know the danger of looking at individuals versus keeping our eyes
on Jesus Christ. But listen to these words from Paul to the church at Thessalonica:
“You became imitators of us and of the Lord . . . and so you became
a model to all the believers” (1 Thessalonians 1:6-7). That is true
Christian leadership being transferred from one generation to the next.
I am a believer that everything rises and falls on leadership.
Thus, we need Christian leaders who have a passion that is unshakable, a purpose
that is unaltered, and a positive attitude that is unbiased.
