THE FAULT FOUND IN MOSES' LEADERSHIP STYLE OR PATTERN 2
13 AND SO IT WAS, ON THE NEXT DAY, THAT MOSES SAT TO JUDGE THE PEOPLE; AND THE PEOPLE STOOD BEFORE MOSES FROM MORNING UNTIL EVENING.
14 So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “WHAT IS THIS THING THAT YOU ARE DOING FOR THE PEOPLE? WHY DO YOU ALONE SIT, AND ALL THE PEOPLE STAND BEFORE YOU FROM MORNING UNTIL EVENING?”
15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “BECAUSE THE PEOPLE COME TO ME TO INQUIRE OF GOD.
16 WHEN THEY HAVE A DIFFICULTY, THEY COME TO ME, AND I JUDGE BETWEEN ONE AND ANOTHER; AND I MAKE KNOWN THE STATUTES OF GOD AND HIS LAWS.”
17 So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “THE THING THAT YOU DO IS NOT GOOD.
18 BOTH YOU AND THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE WITH YOU WILL SURELY WEAR YOURSELVES OUT. FOR THIS THING IS TOO MUCH FOR YOU; YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO PERFORM IT BY YOURSELF."
Exodus 18:13-18 (NKJV)
A word to those who are called to operate in the prophetic ministry or to be a prophet:
I. If you are the founder, the one who pioneered the ministry, I will enjoin you not to build your ministry on your prophetic gift. Rather, let your ministry be built on the written word of God, the preaching and the teaching of the Bible.
a. Let your Sunday meetings not be mainly prophetic, except If the Holy Spirit decided to move in that direction.
b. In the Sunday meetings, let a part be for the teaching of the Bible. Some call it; Sunday School, or Search the Scripture, or School of the Bible, or School of the Spirit, whatever the name is called, let it just be for the Bible teaching (1 Timothy 4:13; 2 Timothy 4:2).
c. There could be another separate day for the Bible study on weekdays, but that of Sunday is of paramount importance. The word of God, the teaching of the Bible, which the people heard on Sunday would be able to stay with them, sustain them till the next Sunday that they would come for another meeting.
I have been in some churches that the only thing they do on Sundays is to see visions for the people who attended the meeting. Such a church cannot not grow spiritually and be edified (Ephesians 4:12-14). And If the founder, prophet or pastor who used to see visions for them is absent on one Sunday or two, they would be longing and would want to look for another church where prophecies or visions would be seen for them.
Note: If you are the founder of the church or ministry, and you are not strong enough in the teaching of the Bible, you can pray that God would raise someone, a kind of Timothy, among those who are serving under your leadership. You can assign or appoint such to be the resident pastor, who would be able to teach and pastor the church.
d. As per your prophetic gift, as the founder or pastor or shepherd over the church; you can have or create by God's leading a special meeting or different meetings where you will be able to use your prophetic gift to minister to the needs of the people. Prophets are needed in the Body of Christ but their gifts should not be abused or misused.
II. Since you cannot give what you do not have, you would have to equip yourself by feeding on the Bible for personal edification and equipping:
15 AND THAT FROM CHILDHOOD YOU HAVE KNOWN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, WHICH ARE ABLE TO MAKE YOU WISE FOR SALVATION THROUGH FAITH WHICH IS IN CHRIST JESUS. 16 ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY INSPIRATION OF GOD, AND IS PROFITABLE FOR DOCTRINE, FOR REPROOF, FOR CORRECTION, FOR INSTRUCTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, 17 THAT THE MAN OF GOD MAY BE COMPLETE, THOROUGHLY EQUIPPED FOR EVERY GOOD WORK" (2 Timothy 3:15-17 NKJV).
a. Know that your own equipping as a minister of God is through the feeding on the word of God, the Bible. You read and study the Bible like any other believer, because you are first of all a believer in Christ before being a minister or a prophet (Joshua 1:8). You read, study the Bible, and practice It, that is, be a doer of it (James 1:22-25).
b. It is when you are well fed or equipped that you can minister or feed others who are under your leadership. What you do not have, you cannot give (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2).
III. If your ministry is built on the word of God, and not on your prophetic gift or whatever the gift you have; the ministry or church would be able to grow through the life that flows from the word of God, the Bible.
IV. When your ministry is built on the word of God, It has the potential to grow, spread to other places and outlast you, the visionary.
a. When you are absent, the people would be contented to listen to whoever is present there as the preacher or teacher of the word, the Bible; without agitatedly or curiously looking for you—the prophet with a prophecy for them. In other words, your ministry or church can grow and spread to other places in your absence, without you necessarily being there. Because, God is the Owner of the work, the church or ministry, not you perse. He is the Builder of His church (Matthew 16:18).
b. One of the signs that someone builds his or her church or ministry on their giftedness is, when the attendance drops If they are absent in their regular meetings. It is a sign that you are not a good leader, you have built the church or ministry or fellowship under you on your gift. In such a case, If anything happened to you, and you are not available; It could be s
a predicament or death or whatever, the ministry or church might not be able to survive or continue—because It was built on your personal giftedness, prophetic.
The same fault that was found in the leadership style or pattern of Moses, which Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, offered him a counsel on is still being practiced today by many new testament ministers, particularly those who are in the prophetic ministry.
If you are doing that, take a step today and correct it.
Peace.
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