Skip to main content

The Holy Spirit and the empirical season of change.




Revelation, Reaction and Relationship.

Over the last few weeks I have been thinking about the experience of change. How people process change in their lives and how they ensure that change sticks, rather than revert to the same old same old.

As a Christian leader I believe that change is seasonal. That God takes us through different seasons of our  lives and ministry cannot be in doubt. It is a time of frustration but also a time of blessing as we learn to hear and experience  what the Holy Spirit is saying to us. A new season always begins with a revelation. For Moses it was the burning bush, yet for his ancestor Joseph it was dreams that resulted at first in being thrown into a pit before being sold into slavery. In the New Testament for Saul it was the road to Damascus where Jesus made his presence known and set Paul on the road to great things.

With revelation comes reaction, sometimes good, sometimes bad. Sometimes it is physical at others it is spiritual. For Moses he complained he had a stammer a physical impediment yet God made him pick up his staff and showed him great things. For Paul, it was at first his fear of what the Apostles would think of him, but God sent Barnabas the son of comfort to intercede on Paul's behalf. From the start Paul was sure of his calling and mission.

The revelation only comes when we have successfully navigated the last season of God's blessing and the new revelation is always dependent on the way we react, but this can only be seen by what sort of relationship we have with our Lord and saviour. For Moses, God said my servant and my friend. This born out of a close fellowship with the one who called to him from the burning bush. For Paul it was the knowledge that he too was an apostle called by Jesus Christ himself to minister the word to the Gentiles. Willing to suffer curses, stoning and shipwreck to speak about the one who saved him.

In order for us as Christian leaders to make any lasting changes in our lives we must at first believe that we have received a clear revelation from the Holy Spirit. That our reaction to that revelation is borne out of a strong relationship with God. One that has been tested in the fire and has now resulted in our resting our heads in the bosom of our Lord and saviour.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Part One of The myths of following a Christian Leader.

Christian Leadership disconnects. When I look to a Christian Leader to be my covering, I look for four things; are they biblical and scripturally sound? Do they have a vision? Are they good motivators? And lastly, can I trust them? On the face of it you may see, these things are obvious and self evident. I am not so sure though, sometimes I find a disconnect that is not always so obvious. Don't get me wrong, I want to sit under a great leader no matter what size their church. I want to know I am being taught sound doctrine and biblical and scriptural principles. I want to follow a great vision that is full of direction, purpose and passion. I want to be motivated not just by words but action and deeds. I also want to be able to say that the person I serve, I trust. As Christian leaders we have to accept that the world we live in is becoming more and more complex. We deal with issues that our New Testament counterparts say little, if anything about.   It is no longer g...
Post a Comment
Read more

Manifesto of Intentional Christian Leadership.

Manifesto: We Promise to do the following- with intent, when in Christian leadership: 1) People Matter. People are our purpose. People are not a means by which we can create our own ends. When we reach out to people they are our objective. 2) We will help people think. If people are our objective we will not get bogged down in the process. We will help people to think through our process in order to recognise our objective rather than just getting them to do and blindly follow. 3) Create great environments. We need to help people become great, not just fix their problems. We do this by creating great environments by which they can grow and build their relationship with God. 4) Create opportunities for initiative. People need to see and experience a spirit of excellence. They need to see opportunities where they can succeed rather than just avoid errors. 5) Be curious. As a leader you don't need to know everything even though a little knowled...
Post a Comment
Read more

Playing well with others.

Today's rambling. Looking over some of my old school reports the other day and was amused at how some of the comments, that teachers made about me have shaped my life and in many respects made me who I am today. One teacher wrote that I didn’t play well with others, I was 5 at the time maybe I had an excuse. Another teacher in my high school years, the wood working teacher or wood shop teacher for my American friends wrote; “If you value your life you will keep him away from power tools and other dangerous equipment. I can’t remember why he wrote this, obviously I did something that made him fear for his life. Today as an adult I have to say that I don’t do well in committees, for most of my life I have been self- employed. I have steadfastly stayed away from power tools and other wood working equipment, basically anything that can cut something off and is a danger to life and limb. Over the last 10 years I have been looking at and teaching about Emotional Intelligence ...
Post a Comment
Read more