Are you becoming a dangerous leader or a biblically dangerous leader?
There are some leaders who want all the attention, overlook the needs of others, not really interested in the glory of God but love the idea of titles, making decisions and everyone respecting them. It’s the difference between a dangerous leader and a biblically dangerous leader for God’s glory!
Malachi 1:6, “‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’”
In the book of Malachi the people of Malachi’s day are living through a difficult season. Their morale is low, their souls are depleted, they have lost optimism in the Lord, and their worship in the Lord is waning so much that He brings rebuke in chapter 1 to their spiritual leaders.
Up to this point the people of Israel have grown up hearing great things about the Lord through leaders like Abraham, Moses, David, Sampson, but lately the stories haven’t been that great.
Lately they have heard about the Assyrians, a wicked people who take the 10 tribes to the north into captivity. Then, Babylon, another wicked people who take the 2 tribes to the south into captivity. Then, Persians, another ungodly people who take out the Babylonians and issue a decree allowing Israel to return home, which is great, but Israel is having to start all over.
They are having to rebuild their homes, restart their economy, re-establish their community, and they are still living under the oppression of the Persian government, so that their awe and worship of God is waning and it is trickling down into their relationships with one another. But, there is HOPE.
In Malachi 3 the Lord reminds them of His unending love, therefore, we are called to give our lives completely to Him, and when we give our lives to the Lord we will become a biblically dangerous leader for His glory. Here are 11 practical characteristics:
1. Make a pact with God to meet with Him daily. The Lord is worthy of our lives, therefore, we give ourselves to Him every day through the reading of His Word and prayer.
- When you read the bible ask these questions, “What does the passage teach me about the character of God? What does the passage teach me about the brokenness of humanity? How does the passage expose our need for Jesus?”
- When you pray add these elements into prayer:
- Adoration: Awe of God.
- Submission: Submit to His will.
- Trust: Ask for His help to trust Him.
- Confession: Confess areas of sin.
- Protection: Ask for help to be on guard against the evil one.
2. Develop an excitement for His kingdom, rather than your kingdom. Our kingdoms are small, short-sighted, and filled with anxiety. His Kingdom is eternal, diverse, and filled with power and joy. Seek His kingdom!
3. Persistent growth in personal character rather than building your reputation. Confess sin daily. Uproot idols with the gospel daily. Build godly relationships with other men and women who are wanting to grow in godliness. Read God’s Word. Stop making excuses. Take responsibility. Grow in character!
4. Expect life to bring challenges. Life is difficult. Build your life in preparation for that difficulty. Roll with the punches. Tons of people can get excited for a season, but length of time is what makes you dangerous.
5. Raise up others to be a biblically dangerous leader. Pour into people. Resist the temptation of just being satisfied with people hearing what you have to say about life. Pour into people who will pour into people.
6. Love repentance. Love confessing sin. Love being in awe of the cross. This is what makes you the most dangerous, because you can’t believe that God would love someone who is layered in as much death and destruction as you are in life.
7. Rejoice in God’s grace in the life of others. Don’t give into a competitive attitude with others. Run your own race. You aren’t trying to beat out the guy next to you. You are learning about your gifts and talents that the Lord has uniquely given to you and you are doubling down on those gifts and talents. It is easy to become critical of others but instead it would be better to be known for being an encourager of others.
8. Celebrate little things. Life is hard. There are going to be tons of misses. If we are going to aim for becoming a biblically dangerous leader then we are going to run hard and the best medicine for running hard is celebrating little things.
9. Love rest. The Sabbath is ultimately in the cross, but a biblically dangerous leader loves the idea of everything not resting on your shoulders. You know how to turn it off. You know how to nap. You know how to walk with peace. You know how to be still and know that the Lord is the Lord.
10. Don’t get swept up in the latest fads. The cross is the coolest thing ever. A new pastor, a new book, a new -ism, a new-est is just going to come and go, but you are always going to be in awe of the cross.
11. Value people. Do you care about people? All people are made in God’s image, therefore, a biblically dangerous leader cares about people. You care about how you build relationships with people. You are curious about their story. You don’t people walking away from their time with you thinking about YOUR GLORY but instead you want people to walk away and think, “I want to go read the Bible, I want to share the gospel, I want to be a better spouse. I want to know GOD’S GLORY!”
North Village Church
This article was written by Pastor Michael Dennis, Lead Pastor at North Village Church; a non-denominational church in Austin, TX, established in 2009 and built around Jesus and Bible teaching.
Are you looking for a church in Austin? At North Village Church we put Jesus at the center of our church family. We worship together every Sunday at 10:30am, encourage Christ centered fellowship through groups, and host special events such as Bible studies and Theological Training, to ensure that we are rooted in in God’s Word. We also serve our local community in association with several Austin based organizations.
North Village Church is made up of professionals, married couples, singles, and families who are wanting to experience the life-transforming power of Jesus. If you are a family with children or teens, we can support you with either or both our Kids Ministry and Youth Ministry.
Check out our North Village Church calendar highlights such as our Christmas Eve Service in Austin and Easter Sunday Service.
You are welcome to contact us if you would like more information, please call (512)-623-9272 or email [email protected]
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