Need for Courage
Courage - The Premier Quality for Leadership
Courage is the most important quality for a Christian leader. It separates the good leader from the bad. If the leader lacks the courage to demonstrate his leadership qualities a moment of crisis, they mean nothing. A leader's momentary act of cowardice can destroy ministries and people's lives.
COURAGE DEFINED
Scripture teaches us courage can be either a physical alertness a foot or the
mental alertness of a steadfast mind. The steadfast mind's strength comes from
fastening upon the Lord God. This allows time the Word of God time to
repair the damage caused by fear. Once the mind is repaired, it can
maintain a bold confidence in the face of adversity, while expecting a good end.
Jon Johnston defines courage as "the ability and commitment to endure and
challenge difficulty or danger with firmness in spite of fear." (Jon Johnston,
Courage, Victor Books, p 31) What is the leader's source of courage? How and
when is it proper to demonstrate courage? These are some of the questions we
must answer to grasp fully the meaning of courage.
The leader's heart condition determines the amount of courage that will be
displayed. His heart must focus upon God and be willing to trust Him despite
the circumstances. Knowing God, His Word, and His will is vain if this
knowledge does not translate into action. Johnston goes on to say, "certainly,
courage will involve action. Once we develop an inner boldness, based upon
conviction rather than expediency, we will take courageous action. Action that
sets us off from the crowd and makes us independent of its approval. Action
that is in harmony with the inner selves we have created."
Today's Christian leader must know what to do. More important, is our need
for a leader who has the courage to act in spite of his fears. Ben Gurion said,
"Courage is a special kind of knowledge: the knowledge of how to fear what ought
to be feared and how not to fear what ought not to be feared." The fear that
discourages action will frighten, make one afraid, create timidity and cowardly
retreats. Eventually producing inactivity due to mental, emotional, or
volitional paralysis.
Meanwhile, the fear that encourages action is the fear of God. It motivates
the leader to act in spite of the presence of his fear. A good leader
acknowledges the twofold concept of the fear of God. The fear of God is first,
reverential respect for the person of God. Secondly, it is reverential respect
of the punishment of God. A leader, with a proper perception of the fear of
God, will love Him and endeavor to please Him in all he does.
COURAGE DEMONSTRATED
Reverential fear motivates the leader to proceed with
caution, because he desires to please God by his obedience. The Bible tells us
Noah "...in holy fear built an ark to save his family" (Hebrews 11:7). First,
the foundation for Noah's courage was the fear God. "The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7).
Second, the foundation for Noah's positive attitude was God's promise.
"But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark,
thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee" (Genesis
6:18). This knowledge of God's promise was the basis for Noah's ability to
trust God. The evidence of Noah's trust was his personal obedience to God's
commands.
Third, Noah believed the future would be as God said. This provided the
bold confidence necessary to build the ark while living among people who did not
believe God. Courage for today's Christian leader is more than a verbal
acknowledgment of truth. This means visibly acting out God's truth while living
in a hostile environment.
Noah trusted God concerning a future danger. He had the courage to act.
He built an ark. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego exhibited courage in the face
of danger. They encountered the fearful prospect of being cast alive into a
blazing furnace. Even though Nebuchadnezzar gave them one last chance to
recant, they courageously responded that they did not need t defend themselves
because "...our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery
furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it
known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden
image which thou hast set up" (Daniel 3:17-18).
Why were they able to act so courageously? Was it because they were they
fearless? No, they acted in spite of their fear. They walked with God. The
source of their courage was God's past help. God meet their need when they
refused the king's food. God answer their prayer when they prayed for an
interpretation of the king's dream. They trusted God. Their trust in God was
greater than their fear of man and his blazing furnace. Their trust was
motivated by a holy fear, the fear of God.
First, their fear of God created the desire to pleased God. Second, the
fear produced by the blazing furnace was not sufficient enough to penetrate
their trust in the God. It was a matter of values. Pleasing and trusting God
was more important than escaping the blazing furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego knew the danger of the blazing furnace was temporary.
Today's leader, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, must display the
courage not to sacrifice the future on the altar of the immediate. He must be
able to discern between what is eternal and temporary and have the courage to
choose the eternal. As a leader, he knows "our light affliction, which is but
for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory"
(2 Corinthians 4:17). Therefore, he can help others fix their eyes not on what
is seen, but on what is unseen because what is seen is temporary, but what is
unseen is eternal.
A competent leader will contemplate the personal affect his life will have
on those he is called to serve. Will the affect be positive or negative? Every
leader needs to remember Paul's leadership principle. Paul was so consumed with
being Christlike that he had the courage to say that "which ye have both
learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do…” (Philippians 4:9) Today,
few leaders exhibit Christlikeness, while there are many Christians who follow
those leaders who don't. Christlikeness in a leader stems from possessing
Noah's "holy fear."
Being possessed by an unholy fear makes one a cowardly leader. Every
decision has the potential to produce positive and negative consequences.
Cowardice paralyzes a leader because his only focus is on the negative
consequences of a decision. One excellent example is the lack of purity among
many of today's evangelical believers. This lack of purity has nothing to do
with the Christian leader's lack knowledge. Controlled by cowardice he responds
with silence and inaction. "To sin by silence when they should protest makes
cowards out of men." (Abraham Lincoln) This silence is the product of fear
because the leader fears losing his position, church members, contributions and
the acceptance of his peers. The leader has also lost his fear of God.
Years ago, I was asked to consider being the pastor of a small community
church in Vermont. I was already the pastor a Baptist church some eighteen
miles away. The church's interest in me was due to the Baptist background of
their last pastor.
One night I met with the church leadership. During the meeting one man
said, "I hope you're not like our last pastor. One Sunday he preached a strong
message on sin and the consequences of sin." "I want you to know,” I
interrupted, "I preach on sin and its consequences." "Oh, that wasn't his
problem. When he finished preaching, he said, 'This isn't for you good people
but for all the people out there.'" Yes, he knew the truth. Fearing the
consequences, he lacked the courage to apply the truth to his hearers.
Having lost sight of God and His Word, cowardly leaders fail to see the
potential for good in negative situations. They are blind to the truth that all
things are for God's glory and the believer's good. God had Israel's good and
His glory in mind when he spoke to Isaiah. “Go, and tell this people, Hear ye
indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart
of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they
see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart,
and convert, and be healed. Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until
the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the
land be utterly desolate” (6:9-11).
The willingness to preach and teach God's word, even when confronted by
negative responses, is not the sign of a courageous leader. True courage is
more than hiding behind the pulpit. An example of genuine courage is when a
leader willingly confronts an individual involved in sinful behavior. Any other
response signals a loss of confidence in God's word. It is also proof the
leader has forgotten who is in control. It is God, not man, who is in control.
This is the difference between courage and cowardice in a leader. Courage is
essential because of the minority status of the Christian leader. Even in the
heyday of the Moral Majority, the Christian leader held a minority status.
Twenty-five years ago Hudson T. Armerding said, "anyone called of God to
Christian leadership should recognize that he or she will be working with a
minority in our society. Awareness of the meaning of our minority status is
essential to effective leadership...In today's world evangelical Christians are
a minority." (Hudson T. Armerding, Leadership, Tyndale House Publishers, p 11)
If anything, during the last twenty-five years, the evangelical community has
lost ground, not improved their status.
The Christian community's response to its minority status has been either
to become comfortable in the world around it or to withdraw into a distinctively
evangelical sub-culture. Today's leader must courageously challenge these
extremes. He must properly communicate God's Word enabling believers to live
godly lives in today's world. Today's believer needs a leader who will prepare
him to deal with opposition, persecution, and today's secular, sensual society.
The pressure to conform is considerable. Everywhere the believer turns, he
faces another battleground. He is constantly battling the society around him
over issues - abortion, euthanasia, mercy killing, assisted suicide, AIDS,
alternative life styles, divorce, pornography, alcohol, heterosexual and gay sex
education found in almost every school curriculum, child's rights, immorality,
and ad infinitum.
Every time the believer presents a Biblical solution, he is portrayed as a
radical unloving right-wing fundamentalist, and a danger to society. Today's
leader must be able to prepare the believer to stand up under this pressure, to
inspire them to persevere in the face of mounting opposition, and to encourage
them when they become battle weary.
During one dark moment in World War II, Winston Churchill said, "It would
be foolish, however, to disguise the gravity of the hour. It would still be
more foolish to lose heart and courage or to suppose that well-trained,
well-equipped armies numbering three or four million of men can be overcome in
the space of a few weeks, or even months, by a scoop, or a raid of mechanized
vehicles, however formidable....Centuries ago words were written to be a call
and a spur to the faithful servants of Truth and Justice: 'Arm yourselves, and
be ye men of valor, and be in readiness for the conflict; for it is better for
us to perish in battle than to look upon the outrage of our nation and altar.
As the Will of God is in Heaven, even so let it be.'" (Winston Churchill, Be Ye
Men of Valor, May 19, 1940) Churchill had the courage to recognize the battle
would be long and the ability to inspire a nation to continue the struggle.
The Christian's warfare is against a formidable foe. Winning one or two
battles does not win a war. We need a leader who, like Churchill, can inspire
his followers in the midst of the battle. Otherwise, the Christian community
will lose its identity. It will be slowly absorbed into the faceless crowd
around us. This kind of inspiration can only come from a leader who walks with
God. A leader who has whose faith and godly life dares him to challenge the
tenets of the godless society all around him.
The Bible is full of role models - men and women who dared to challenge
the godliness society in which they lived. Consider the Apostle Paul who facing
total disaster had the courage to say, "Sirs...I believe God" (Acts 27:25). What
about the apostles who could not be silenced? They expressed courageous faith
when they answered their persecutors, "we ought to obey God rather than men!"
(Acts 5:29) Then there was Elijah, who dared to challenge the followers of
Baal? Consider Esther's courageous actions after being reminded by Mordecai,
“who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
(Esther 4:14)
Contemplate the nameless who were "tortured, not accepting deliverance;
that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel
mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were
stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they
wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted,
tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in
mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a
good report through faith, received not the promise” (Hebrews 11:35-39). It was
a faith that testified to their courage.
The Christian community's greatest influence on the world came when it was
most separated from the world. "So throughout the entire New testament a sharp
line is drawn between the Church and the world. There is no middle ground. The
Lord recognizes no good natured 'agreeing to disagree' so that the followers of
the Lamb may adopt the world's ways and travel along the world's path." (A. W.
Tozer, The Divine Conquest, Christian Publications, p 113)
To influence the world for Christ, the Church needs leaders who consider
God's approval of greater value than the accolades of men. The Church is in
difficulty today because its leaders lack spiritual discernment. Is this not
the reason for Paul's prayer in Philippians? " And this I pray, that your love
may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may
approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence
till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are
by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11).
Ponder the spectacle produced by this lack of discernment. "So
today we have the astonishing spectacle of millions of dollars being poured into
the unholy job of providing entertainment for the so-called sons of heaven.
Religious entertainment is in many places rapidly crowding out the serious
things of God. Many churches these days have become little more than poor
theatres where fifth-rate ‘producers' peddle their shoddy wares with the
approval of evangelical leaders who can even quote a holy text in defense of
their delinquency. And hardly a man dare raise his voice against it." (A. W.
Tozer, The Root of Righteousness, Moody Press, p.33) Where are the leaders with
the courage to raise their voices? Where are the leaders who are willing to
march to God's drumbeat not the world’s? Where are the men and women who are
ruled by conviction not convenience?
COURAGE TO FOLLOW
Leaders are followers. They are not to be followers of men,
nor their philosophies, but of Jesus Christ. " And he said to them all, If any
man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and
follow me" (Luke 9:23). Again Jesus said, " And he saith unto them, Follow me,
and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and
followed him.” (Mt 4:19,20) All good leaders understand the stewardship
principle of authority. No matter how much authority you have, you are always
under authority. The centurion understood this principle. He said to Jesus,
"For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers…” (Luke 7:8)
Everywhere we turn, we find leaders who do nothing more than play to the
crowd. They build a following, not on the honest interpretation of scripture,
but on what sells. Their concern is for the teaching, the gimmick that will
produce a large following? They are charlatans, motivated by greed. The cost
of doing what is right is to great a price to pay.
COURAGE TO LEARN
Good followers are good learners. Before the leadership of the early church was thrust upon the Apostles, they were first followers. As followers of Jesus Christ, they learned many leadership lessons. Their first lesson in courage came when they forsook all and followed Jesus. It was a beginning. In following Jesus, they witnessed the demonstration of all the good qualities of leadership - love, kindness, humility, honesty, sympathy, wisdom, purity, tactfulness, gentleness, and grace under pressure. Of all the valuable lessons Jesus taught the Apostles, the one that best prepared them for what was to come was that leadership and hardship are synonymous.
COURAGE TO GROW
The leader who stagnates is the one who allows himself the
luxury of being comfortable. Personal growth is essential for good leadership.
The world is changing. While the message does not change, yesterday's methods
may not work today. Today's methods may not work tomorrow. Behind every
growing, maturing ministry is a growing, maturing leader. The more access a
leader gives the Holy Spirit to his life and ministry, the greater his
potential.
Any leader, lacking the courage to grow, will be constantly changing
ministries. He will be the victim of a vicious cycle. First, he will spend
time and energy on outdated methods. Secondly, his negative personal character
traits will be reinforced. Third, he will blame the lack of ministry success
the failure of others to change. Fourth, his discouragement will create an
atmosphere failure. Fifth, he will give up on the ministry, both mentally and
emotionally. Oh, there will be charade of activity while the leader looks for
another ministry. Sixth, by the time he leaves, the ministry is filled with an
air of negativism. Finally, he moves on to another ministry.
Lacking the personal growth necessary to be a good leader, the cycle will
repeat itself again and again. This leader will destroy or cripple countless
ministries before he quits or retires. Among his peers, who will have the
courage to confront him? (Galatians 6:1)
The teachable leader lets God change him and his ministry. One warning,
change for the sake of change is not evidence of growth. The more teachable the
leader, the better prepared he is for the responsibilities of leadership.
COURAGE TO TRY OLD IDEAS
This may sound contradictory. In the past some of our ideas were rejected and other ideas failed. Were they bad ideas? Was the timing wrong? Was the place wrong? A discerning leader will know the difference. A good idea, offered at the wrong time or in the wrong place, is an idea waiting for a courageous leader to find the right time and place to implement.
COURAGE TO BE SERVANTS
Jesus taught the Apostles leadership meant servanthood. These future leaders were taught servanthood preceded leadership. Servanthood does not end where leadership begins. Paul said Jesus, "made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" (Philippians2:7). Jesus said, "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). The evidence of servanthood is serving those under your leadership. Have we forgotten who it was that washed the disciples feet before they celebrated Passover? The leader's faith in the God, who has called him, gives him the courage to serve.
COURAGE TO BE FAITHFUL
There are two practical steps we must take before we can be the courageous leaders today's Christian community needs. First, we must come to grips with what God expects of us. About six years ago, a pastor friend said, "in today's society knowing the mind set of Christians to bounce from church to church, it was almost impossible to run a church biblically anymore." Afterward, the Lord reminded me of Moses and his problems with the children of Israel. In Hebrews, we are told Moses was “was faithful in all his house, as a servant…" (Hebrews 3:5) That's it, have the courage to be faithful. God will take care of the rest. Refuse to compromise the truth. Refuse to abdicate your God given leadership position.
COURAGE TO DEAL WITH FEARS AND FAULTS
Second, we must deal with our fears and faults. There isn't
any place for excuses, for blaming others. After reviewing my own personal
leadership performance, I would suggest five common fears all leaders need to
overcome.
One, have the courage to admit one's faults, and deal with them. Thomas
Carlyle said, "The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none." For the
leader to be effective, he must deal with his own faults. The danger in
focusing only on the faults of others is pride. A leader's willingness to make
changes keeps him from being a stumbling block.
Jesus said, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye
and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your
brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a
plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye,
and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye"
(Matthew 7:3-5).
Two, have the courage to venture into the outside world to share your
faith. It is easy to live within the church's fortified walls spending time on
sermon preparation, administrative functions, counseling, board meetings, and
church activities. The leader's venture into the outside world needs to be more
than being part of a midweek visitation program. It is venturing into uncharted
waters, where people struggle with their everyday problems.
Roland B. Allan spoke of these encounters as opportunities for the
"spontaneous expansion" of the Christian church. I constantly ask myself, "How
long has it been since I spontaneously shared my faith?" Facing the same
dilemma then as we do now, the early disciples prayed for courage. " And now,
Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all
boldness they may speak thy word." (Acts 4:29) Luke records God's response,
"... and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of
God with boldness." (Acts 4:31b)
Thirdly, have the courage to do right even if everyone but God deserts
you. Every leader must ask God for the courage to say and do right, regardless
of the consequences. He must avoid the temptation to "call evil good, and good
evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for
sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20) I am often tempted and have yielded
to the temptation to seek solutions to problems that benefit self not Christ.
Obnoxiousness must not mar our zeal to do what is right. Having wrong
attitudes or mannerisms will negatively impact on our ministry. The impact will
be greater than any impact that comes from doing right. We need courage to say
and do what is right for those we serve. Lacking this courage, our decisions
will eventually cause the ministry to suffer even though there may be some
short-term benefits.
An unhappy missionary pastor wanting to get out of his present ministry
faced a dilemma. One of the deacons was involved in the sexual abuse of
children. Knowledge of this matter was limited to some people outside the
church. The church was near self-support status. He feared dealing with the
matter would increase the time before it would reach self-support status. Not
wanting to stay in the present ministry any longer than necessary, he chose not
to deal with the matter.
Yes, there was the short-term benefit of self-support status for the
church. The missionary was able to move on to another ministry. His lack of
courage to deal with a problem for selfish reasons produced long-term problems.
The problem is now in the open. The man is in jail. The church's reputation in
the community is at an all time low. The church members are devastated. Why?
A leader motivated by selfish ambitions lacked he courage to do what was right.
This kind of courage demands a strong faith in God.
Fourth, have the courage to control the flesh. Constantly, the leader must
ask, "Do I have the courage to deny myself for God's glory?" Joseph said it
best. "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (Genesis
39:9) The leader's love for God should motivate him to put aside fleshly
passions to glorify God and advance the interests of others.
How do I react when a friend gets the bigger church, the position I seek,
or the recognition I feel I deserve? Do I have the courage to respond with
genuine Christian love? Love "suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not…vaunteth
not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her
own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but
rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all
things, endureth all things." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) Envy will not survive in
the presence of true love.
Fifthly, have the courage to trust God with your life? Competent leaders
have learned to accept their God given gifts, abilities, and limitations. They
have learned to view their circumstances and those of their friends from God's
perspective. Francis A. Schaeffer said, "As there are no little people in God's
sight, so there are no little places." (Francis A. Schaeffer, No Little People,
IVP, p 18) Competent leaders learn to be satisfied with equality in God's sight,
even though their friends see life different? If they cannot, the effectiveness
of their leadership will suffer.
In the past when God wanted to work in my life, my response was to be a
Ford (the automobile) Christian. Remember Ford's advertising slogan, "Ford has a
better idea." Not having the courage to face an unknown future, I would suggest
a better idea. I had not learned to trust God's divine appointments. If I
couldn't trust God, how was I going to be able to teach others to trust God? I
needed to learn God's way was not just a better way, but also the best way. By
faith, Abraham was "was called to go out to the place which he would receive as
an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was." (Hebrews 11:8) The
evidence of true courage comes from complete trust in God and His ways. Every
time Abraham decided he had a better way, he created problems beyond his
control.
When there was a famine, Abraham went into Egypt instead of staying in the
place of God. There he and Sarah obtained, Hagar, an Egyptian handmaid. When
Abraham and Sarah could not trust God to keep His word, they turned to Hagar for
the son of promise. Instead they got a son, Ishmael, whose descendants would be
a perpetual problem. As leaders, how many self-made problems do we face due to
our unwillingness to trust God? As a result, the situations we face are far
more disastrous, even dangerous, than any situation that comes about by trusting
God.
COURAGE TO SEE THINGS AS THEY ARE
Ask yourself as I have asked myself, "Am I so confident in God and his plan for
my life that I have the courage to be the kind of leader God can use?" If
not, the time will come when true Christianity will be gone. Take time and look
around. Do you see what Tozer saw? "Evangelical Christianity is now
tragically below the New Testament standard. Worldliness is an accepted
part of our way of life. Our religious mood is social instead of
spiritual. We have lost the art of worship. We are not producing
saints. Our models are successful businessmen, celebrated athletes and
theatrical personalities. We carry on our religious activities after the
methods of the modern advertiser. Our homes have been turned into
theaters. Our literature is shallow and our hymnody borders on sacrilege.
And scarcely anyone appears to care." (A. W. Tozer, Of God and Men, Christian
Publications, p.36)
E. M. Bounds said, "Men are God's method. The Church is looking for better
methods; God is looking for better men." (E. M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer,
Zondervan, p 11) The Church needs better leaders - men and women with the
courage to be, say, and do all that God wants them to be, say and do.
Robert Flatt ©
2000
[No part of this article can be copied or reprinted without permission.]