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TO THE GLORY OF GOD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Study No 2.
THE HEART QUALIFICATIONS
OF LEADERSHIP
The Definition of the Word "Heart"
What does God mean when He asks His ministries to give Him
their heart? To our minds, the word "heart" may generally mean,
outside of the vital physical organ of the body, the emotional
feelings of a person. For example, when we say that a man loves
a woman "with all of his heart", we generally mean with intense
feelings.
However, to the Hebrew mind, the meaning of the word "heart"
encompassed not only a person's emotions, but also his spiritual,
mental and physical life as well. The Hebrew mind viewed man as
a total unit, and the word "heart" described man as such. The
Hebrew word for heart is "labab", which, in a general sense,
means "the midst, the innermost, or the hidden parts of
anything".
Biblically speaking, there are at least three reasons why the
leader must guard his heart. The first reason is that his heart
is the very source of all of his attitudes and actions.
Proverbs 4:23: "Keep thy heart with all diligence for out
of it are the issues of life." (KJV)
"Keep your heart with all vigilance (and
above all that you guard it) for out of it
flow the springs of life." (AV)
"Guard your heart more than any treasure,
for it is the source of all life." (NEB)
"Above all else, guard your affections for
they influence everything else in your
life." (LB)
Philippians 4:7: "The peace of God which passeth all
understanding shall keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus." (KJV)
"The peace of God which transcends all
understanding shall garrison an mount guard
over your hearts and minds." (AV)
The second reason that a leader must guard his heart is
because his heart is the source of all that he ministers or
speaks.
Matthew 12:34b, 35: "...out of the abundance of the heart, the
mouth speaketh." (KJV)
"...for out of the fullness, the overflow,
the superabundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh. The good man from his inner
treasure flings forth good things, and the
evil out of his inner evil storehouse
flings forth evil things." (AV)
The third reason that a leader must guard his heart is
because of the possibility of it actually becoming for himself
and for his people, a source of spiritual defilement.
"And when He had called all the people unto Him, He said
unto them, 'Hearken unto me every one of you, and
understand: there is nothing from without a man, that
entering into him can defile him: but the things which
come out of him, those are they that defile the man. If
any have ears to hear, let him hear'. And when He was
entered into the house from the people, His disciples
asked Him concerning the parable. And He said unto
them, 'Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not
perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth
into the man it cannot defile him: because it entereth
not into his heart, but into his belly and goeth out
into the draught, purging all meats?' And He said,
'That which cometh out of a man, that defileth the man.
For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil
thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts,
covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an
evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil
things come from within, and defile the man'" (Mark
7:14-23; KJV).
The Leader and the Heart of a Father
"For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ,
yet have ye not many FATHERS" (1 Cor. 4:15).
In the Greek language, the word for instructor meant "A boy
leader, tutor, guide, guardian, or servant whose office it was to
take the children to school". Among the Greeks and the Romans,
the word instructor was also applied to trustworthy servants or
stewards who were charged with the duty of supervising the lives
and morals of boys belonging to the higher class of society.
The word instructor denotes a student-teacher relationship of
instruction, whereas the word father denotes a father-son
relationship of love. The Book of Proverbs was built on this
concept of the father-son relationship. Through the loving
relationship of father to son, the wisdom, knowledge, and
understanding learned by the father in life is to be transmitted
to the son.
1. Proverbs 1:8, "My son, hear the instruction of thy
father..."
2. Proverbs 1:10, "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent
not."
3. Proverbs 1:15, "My son, walk not thou in the way with
them..."
4. Proverbs 2:1, "My son, if thou wilt receive my words..."
5. Proverbs 3:1, "My son, forget not my law..."
6. Proverbs 3:11, "My son, despise not the chastening of the
Lord..."
7. Proverbs 3:21, "My son, let them not depart from thy eyes,
keep sound wisdom..."
8. Proverbs 4:20, "My son, attend to my words, incline thy
ears to my sayings..."
9. Proverbs 5:1, "My son, attend unto my wisdom..."
10. Proverbs 6:20, "My son, keep thy father's commandment..."
To carry the analogy further, a computer may have information
but it does not have love, mercy, or understanding. Love, mercy,
or understanding is simply impossible for a leader to show if he
does not have the heart of a father. It is not just Biblical
knowledge or instruction that the Church needs. She needs the
very heart and life of her spiritual fathers to be imparted to
her.
A Father's Heart In the Life Of Jesus
The Lord Jesus was the full expression of the heart of the
heavenly Father on earth. His work, His ways, and His actions
were all a manifestation of the heart of the Father.
Accordingly, Jesus said, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30),
and "He who has seen Me has seen the Father, How do you say,
'Show us the Father'?...the Father abiding in Me does His works"
(John 14:9c, 10c).
In the following scriptures we can see the heart of the
Father as it was manifested through the life of the Lord Jesus
Christ. The following is a list of some of the characteristics
of a father's heart as demonstrated by the Lord Jesus as an
example to all leaders:
1. Compassion: (Matthew 9:35-36) "When He saw the
multitude, He was moved with compassion."
2. Concern: (Matthew 9:11-13) "Why eatest your master
with publicans and with sinners?...They
that be whole need not a physician,
but they that are sick."
3. Willingness: (Matthew 8:1-3) "Jesus came down from the
mountain...and a leper came and worshipped
Him...Jesus put forth His hand and touched
him."
4. Humility: (Matthew 18:1-3, Philippians 2:5-10) "Except
ye be converted as a little child, ye shall
not enter the kingdom of heaven."
5. Warmth: (Luke 10:38-42, John 12:1-8) "Mary, (who sat
at the feet of Jesus) has chosen the better
part."
6. Forgiveness: (Luke 15:11-32) "When the son was a great way
off, His father saw him and had great
compassion on him and ran and embraced him,
and kissed him."
(Luke 23:34) "Father, forgive them for they
know not what they do."
(John 8:11) "Jesus said unto the woman,
'Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no
more'."
7. Brokenness: (John 11:33-36) "He groaned in his spirit and
was troubled...and Jesus wept."
(Matthew 23:37) "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem..."
8. Self-Sacrifice: (John 10:15) "As the Father knoweth me,
even so I know the Father, and I lay down my
life for the sheep."
9. Service: (John 13:1-7) Jesus washed the disciples'
feet and said, "Behold, I have given you an
example how you ought to wash one another's
feet."
The Attitude of Nursing
1 Thessalonians 2:7 states, "but were gentle among you, even
as a nurse cherisheth her children". The word "nurse" means to
be a nourisher of children before they are weaned. It describes
the mother who would take the most anxious and tender care of her
little ones.
Acts 13:18 gives us an account of how the Lord was a nurse to
His people Israel in Old Testament times. This verse states,
"God suffered their manners in the wilderness". The Septuagint
translation puts it this way: "God bear, as a nursing Father, the
people of Israel". Similarly, Deuteronomy 1:31 states, "In the
wilderness where thou hast seen that the Lord my God bare thee as
a man doth bare his son...".
The Hebrew word for 'bare' means to build up, support, foster
(as a parent), nurse, or render firm or faithful in all dealings.
Numbers 11:12 speaks of Moses in this sense of the word. Moses
was a nursing father to the Israelites (cf. Isaiah 40:11; 49:23).
The Attitude of Cherishing
In 1 Thessalonians 2:7, Paul states that he treats the people
of God, "...as a nurse cherisheth her children..." The Greek
word for cherisheth means to warm, brood over, foster, cherish
with tender love, care for with tender love, and to show
compassion. The Septuagint uses this word to describe a bird
caring for its young by spreading its feathers over them in the
nest (cf. Deuteronomy 22:6; Matthew 23:37).
A spiritual father in the family of God will spread his
protective and loving wings over the small or weak of the flock
while they are still in the nest to protect them from all of the
attacks of the enemy vultures.
A spiritual leader, who has a father's heart, will therefore
do the following:
1. He will provide the spiritual nourishment needed for
balanced Christian growth.
2. He will be tender in his dealings with the people of the
Lord.
3. He will be able to discern the needs of the children of
God at any stage of their development.
4. He will always be gentle and loving in his relationship
with the people of the Lord.
5. He will not be guilty of neglecting the spiritual,
emotional, physical or mental needs of the children of
God.
The Attitudes of Nurture and Admonition
The attitudes of nurturing and admonishing are found in
Ephesians 6:4, where Paul states:
"Ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but
bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord"
(KJV).
The Amplified New Testament translates this verse:
"Fathers, do not irritate and provoke your children to
anger - do not exasperate them to resentment - but rear
them (tenderly) in the training and discipline and the
counsel and admonition of the Lord."
There are certain spiritual attitudes and principles that are
needed in the House of the Lord to see that the children of the
Lord are reared in a balanced way. To illustrate this balance,
we need to see that in Ephesians 6:4, Paul was using two
particular words: "nurture" and "admonition".
In the Greek, the word "nurture" meant to promote the
development of a child by providing teaching, support and
encouragement during the different stages of his growth. It
meant to tutor or educate a child by training, discipline or
correction. Nurture meant to chastise with the intent of molding
character into the individual child. The word included the idea
of the training and educating of children, which would relate to
the cultivation of their minds and/or morals by correcting them
with words or reproving them with actions.
The word "nurture" is translated in the King James Version
several different ways. The following list of the different
words used to translate the word will aid us in our understanding
of its meaning.
1. 2 Timothy 3:16 - "instruction"
2. 1 Timothy 1:20 - "may learn"
3. 2 Timothy 2-:25 - "instructing"
4. Hebrews 12:5 - "chastening"
5. Acts 7:22 - "was learned"
6. Revelation 3:19 - "chasten"
The Greek word for the word admonition is 'noutheto'. The
following list of Scriptures shows the different ways in which
this word is translated in the New Testament:
1. Acts 20:31, "...ceased not to warn every man night and
day..."
2. Romans 15:14, "...able to admonish one another..."
3. 1 Corinthians 4:14, "but as my beloved sons, I warn
you..."
4. Colossians 3:16, "...admonishing one another in psalms
and hymns..."
5. 1 Thessalonians 5:12, "those that admonish you..."
The word "admonition" is a strong disciplinary word
describing a very important attitude of a spiritual father. A
spiritual father must be able to put into the mind of the child
the teachings that he alone knows is important for his child's
spiritual development and future.
END of STUDY TWO
