Leadership Development 3

We’re not in the dark as to how the Lord prefers to train leaders. Take a gander at His favorite leaders in the Scriptures….

In Genesis, Joseph. In Exodus, Moses. Later, Joshua. In I Samuel, David. In the New Testament, it’s clearly Paul.

What one thing do all these leaders have in common?

They all suffered a great deal before the Lord decided they were ready to be used by Him. (And often continued to suffer while serving Him.)

Joseph spent the best years of his youth as a slave in Egypt, then was mistreated by his master and thrown in prison where he seemed to have been forgotten for a number of years.

Moses spent 40 years in remote areas keeping sheep before God decided that at the age of 80, this man was ready to face Pharaoh and lead the Israelites.

Joshua served as Moses’ servant for more years than he could count and endured the entire 40 years of wilderness wandering before Moses left the scene and gave him the keys to the car.

David was anointed as the new king sometime around his 17th year, we think. Soon, he fought Goliath and became a national champion, then a hero acclaimed by the masses. A jealous King Saul put a price on his head, turning David into an outlaw for a number of years.

Want to be a leader greatly used of God? Get ready to suffer first.


Job understood that. “When he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10)

Today at our seminary, Larry Badon told a class I was monitoring, “I was stationed in Germany during my military years. A goldsmith lived next door to us. I’ve seen him throw gold into that little pot and melt it. To my surprise, impurities would float to the surface and he would scoop them out and throw them away.”

I’ve seen my brother Charlie do that with lead. He made his own fishing lures in the garage and had a hot-pot, I’d call it, into which he dropped scraps of lead and melted them down. As the metal turned to a liquid, impurities floated on the top. Charlie would skim it off, then pour the metal into molds to fashion fishing weights of them.

Feeling some pressure in your life? Does it seem the Lord is turning up the heat? Good. That’s a compliment. He’s up to something good for you.

“When God wants to drill a man,

And thrill a man, and skill a man,

When God wants to mold a man

To play the noblest part;

When He yearns with all His heart

To create so great and bold a man

That all the world might be amazed,

Watch His methods, watch His ways.

“How He ruthlessly perfects

Whom He royally elects!

How He hammers him and hurts him

And with mighty blows converts him

Into trial shapes of clay

That only God understands,

While His tortured heart is crying,

And he lifts beseeching hands!

How He bends but never breaks

When His good He undertakes.

How He uses whom He chooses,

And with every purpose fuses him;

By every act induces him

To try His splendor out–

God knows what He’s about.”

(Author known only to God; please convey our gratitude, Father.)

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul easily ranks as the greatest leader. And did he suffer on the way to becoming more and more effective for the Saviour? These are his words:

“…imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews 39 lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.” (II Corinthians 11:23-25)

In erecting a skyscraper, before the workers go upward, they dig downward. The taller the building, the farther down they dig to establish a more secure footing. They’re laying a solid foundation for a massive structure.

And so with God. When He has critical plans to use an individual in strategic ways, He takes longer to mold him.

When workers decide to build a chicken coop, they need no foundation at all. They throw some boards on the ground and start nailing.

Each of us decides what we’d rather our life become in service to our Lord.

On their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas decided they’d gone about far enough for one time. Deep inside Asia Minor, it occurred to them that a return visit to the people they had led to Christ and established in churches would be in order. As they addressed the small churches, they told the young disciples, “Through many tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22)

New disciples of Jesus should be taught this. Suffering for His sake is not an indication you’re doing anything wrong; rather, it’s evidence of the Lord’s favor upon you and the wonderful way He intends to use you. After all, when you decided to follow Jesus, you set yourself against the flow of the culture and the way of the world. From that moment on, you began to swim upstream.

The world does not like that. Resistance is almost immediate.

No wonder, “the disciples went on their way from the Council rejoicing they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” (Acts 5:41) They knew something special about suffering in the hands of our Lord: to the believer, suffering is never an indication the devil has the upper hand, even though it appears for all the world that that’s exactly what it means. Anyone who remembers how the crucifixion of Jesus turned out knows the Lord loves to use the devil’s devices for His own purposes.

Here’s how the Apostle Peter put it to his generation of disciples who were being asked to suffer for Christ far more than anyone ought to: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you.” (I Peter 4:12)

See the little word “testing”? He’s not using it the way we do.

We administer tests at the completion of a project to see how well the material was learned. You take the test and pass it, you go on to the next level.

But when Scripture speaks of the testing believers receive, the idea is to turn up the heat for two good purposes: to remove the dross and impurities, and to toughen us. To steel us, as it were. Temper us? You get the idea.

Why do good people suffer? Aside from the fact that there are only sinners and no good people, the answer is God uses it to refine us.

Al Meredith, longtime pastor of Fort Worth’s Wedgwood Baptist Church, a congregation which ten years ago this week went through its own crucible as a gunman entered on a Wednesday night and shot and killed a number of people at random before turning the gun on himself, was interviewed recently about this tragedy. He said, “Our people do not sing the old chorus, ‘Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before.’ It is not true. Some days are hard and tragic, and we just have to get through them to arrive at the blessing on the other side.”

(Not an exact quote; going from memory of the Baptist Press interview this week.)

We do not follow Jesus because it’s easy or fun. We don’t even follow Him because it’s the best way.

We follow Jesus Christ because it’s the only way. He is the only way, and said so Himself (John 14:6, among other places). He is the only door (John 10:9).

It has been said–and needs repeating to each new generation–Christianity has not been tried and found to be wanting; it has been tried and found to be hard.

When you are building a muscle, you put stress on it.

When God wants to build a disciple for special plans and great effectiveness, He turns up the heat.

We should be so honored.

He’s making leaders.

2 thoughts on “Leadership Development 3

  1. Last year, SWBTS’s YouthLab theme was “Refined”. As a returning student, I had once more joined the YouthLab team to serve. (Previously in 96 and 97) It was HARD! I had returned to SWBTS to begin my transition from a student ministry to a pastoral ministry for some additional training, so I thought…long story short, I was struggling in many different areas of life, having no job since May 08 has been hard enough. It really kept me distracted from classes and YouthLab duties. I know the other team members noticed…they never stopped praying for me and I never stopped looking “upward” (why is it we always look upward when seeking God when we should be looking right next to us?) When I asked God how He would take care of our needs I clearly heard His voice; “through my people” and He has! (Talk about miracles!)The walk thru the valley has been difficult for my whole family, but Tammy and I continue to hold on to His promises no matter what the circumstances have been albeit nerve racking at times.

    I have come to realize that it was not about returning to studies as to how He would be preparing me; it would be my difficult circumstances. I could go on about those but this is not a pity party. It is a celebration of God in His wisdom as He prepares me further, to do His will, which is ALL I want to do! Joe, you told me early in this expedition that God will have something great on the other side of this journey, as you said that I knew that it was a

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.