CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP

When Paul wrote this second letter to Timothy, he was dying in prison in Rome. This letter was his last words that he wrote. It was to give final instruction and encouragement to Timothy who was a young pastor at Ephesus. You will find this letter reveals his heart and his priorities -- sound doctrine, steadfast faith, confident endurance, and enduring love.

From 2 Timothy 2, we will extract the basic leadership guidelines.

1. Be strong in grace (vs. 1)
How can you be strong in grace? Maybe we should ask first what is grace? Grace means undeserved favor. We are saved by grace (Eph. 2:8,9) and lived by grace (Col. 2:6). So, the question remains, how can you be strong in grace? This means trusting completely in Christ and his power, not trying to live for Christ in our strength alone.

2. Entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others (vs. 2)
We should be well-taught believers and able to teach others to be teachable. This is like a chain reaction.

3. Endure hardship (vs. 3 to 7)
If everything is easy without any difficulties for us to handle, then how can we be strong in grace? How can we be strong in Christ? A good soldier needs to give up worldly security and endure rigorous discipline. An athlete must train hard and follow the rules. A hardworking farmer must work extremely hard and be patient. We got to keep on going in spike of suffering because of victory, the vision of winning, and the hope of harvest.

4. Remember Jesus Christ (vs. 8)
Why did Paul mention that Jesus Christ raised from the dead and descended from David? Jesus Christ raised from the dead proved that He is fully God. He descended from David proved that He is fully man. He is not just one or the other, but both. He is not half God and half man, but fully God and fully man (Philip. 2:7,8).

False teachers were a problem in Ephesus (Acts 20:29, 30; 1 Tim. 1:3-11). In Timothy's day, many think of Christ is divine, but not human -- God but not man. In these days we often hear that He is human but not divine -- man but not God. Either view destroys the Good News that Jesus Christ has taken our sins on himself and has reconciled us to God. Jesus Christ is fully man and fully God. This is an important doctrine for all Christians.

5. Stop quarreling about words (vs. 14)
People are prone to quarrel about words, and such quarrels never accomplish anything other than shaking some and subverting others. Furthermore, it is a waste of time.

6. Do your best to present yourself to God (vs. 15)
How can you do your best? When you are given the duty to lead a Bible study, you should do your best to prepare, to study, and to ask God for insight and guidance. It is also important that you spend enough time to achieve that task. In this way, you can be confidence and not be afraid when the actual event occurs. Doing any task in the last minute may not always give you the best result that you wanted. Study on the day before the exam will not always give you an 'A+.' When you do your best to present yourself to God, you don't have to be ashamed. Or you can be a lazy servant who had received one talent from him his master and buried it (Matt. 24:14ff).

7. Correctly handle the word of God (vs. 15)
As babes in Christ, we often depend on others through sermons or Bible studies for insight into the word of God. When we are mature in Christ, we should be able to digest solid meat. We should not continue to be babes. "Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil" (Heb. 5:13,14). We should be able to stand firm on the foundation of God's word. We should correctly handle the word of God.

8. Avoid godless chatter (vs. 16)
Those indulge in godless chatter will become more and more ungodly. Error infects others like a disease. Error is very productive and dangerous. Hymenaueus and Philetus corrupted other believers, claiming that the resurrection had taken palace already. It destroyed the faith of others. As a leader, we must handle correctly the word of God. We must not indulge in such false teaching since it will lead more errors and misinterpretations on the word of God. One of the best methods is to shoot down immediately on any false teaching.

False teaching is not the only godless chatter. Gossip is just as deadly as false teaching. It can spread out like contagious virus. It is like a small spark that can set the whole forest on fire (James 3:5). Gossip too needs to stop immediately before it is out of control.

9. Cleanse ourselves as an useful instrument for God's work (vs. 20)
There are different types of vessel for God's work. They are made different because they are used for different purpose. Would you drink from a dirty cup even if it is make out of gold? Of course not, but maybe lazy people would. Cleansing is first required before the vessel can put to good use. How can you be cleansed? We can be cleansed through confession and repentance in the word of God (John 15:3).

10. Flee from desires of youth (vs. 22)
What if you're still young? Does this mean I am not going to have any fun? In Timothy's day, the Hellenistic influence was deeply rooted in the Roman society. This influence is not much different from today American culture -- sex, drug, and rock & roll. Some of us may not be deeply affected by such immoral influence at all since we are mostly F.O.B. Chinese. Nevertheless, we are living in America now. We are affected in one way or another to some degree through media, movies, television, advertisements, music, radio, etc. Paul was not asking you to stay away from having fun, but to run away from anything immorally turns you on.

11. Pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace (vs. 22)
Are you seeking righteousness? Are you seeking fame? Being looked up as a leader can inflate your ego easily. Many failures in leadership occur because the leader tells others to do the work but he himself doesn't the job. When a leader thinking he is the boss, he will be in trouble. A leader should not demand others what to do, but a leader should guide them how to do the job. A true leader is an example for others to follow. How can others follow the leader if he preaches the things that he himself does not do? Why do you think Paul kept telling us to follow him as an example?

There are many misconceptions on how a leader should behave in the body of Christ. Sometime, the followers' expectation on the leader is too high. It is also true that the performance of many leaders today is extremely poor. A leader is a servant of God, but he can be limited physically, mentally, and even spiritually. A leader is not a super Christian. He is human and he does make mistakes. Of course this is no excuse for him to lay back and expect others will do all the work for him, but rather he should do the task with them if possible. Remember, every leader has limitation. However, any limitation is not an obstacle when the leader properly trained and guided his followers to do the job. A leader is not the boss, but a servant, a soldier, an athlete, a hardworking farmer. A good leader pursues righteousness, faith, love and peace.

12. Avoid foolish and stupid argument (vs. 23)
We constantly face stupid argument. Argument creates quarrel. Just avoid it since it is a waste of time and even hurt feelings of others. A servant of God must not quarrel.

Nevertheless, quarrel among Christians can happen. As a teacher, Timothy helped those who were confused about the truth. Paul's advice to him, and to all who teach God's truth, is to be kind and gentle, patiently and courteously explaining the truth. Good teaching never promotes quarrels or foolish arguments. Whether you are teaching Sunday school, leading a Bible study, or preaching in church, remember to listen to people's questions and treat them respectfully; avoid getting embroiled in foolish debates. If you do this, they will be more willing to hear what you have to say and perhaps turn from their error. Steve himself is working on this principle.

13. Be kind to everyone (vs. 24)

14. Able to teach others (vs. 24)

15. Do not be resentful toward others (vs. 24)

16. Gently instruct those who oppose you (vs. 25)

These guidelines are practical, yet provocative. They take a lifetime to master, yet we can practice almost any of them any day. These serve as practical guidelines for all who one day want to hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matt. 25:21).

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