C.P.R. FOR LEADERS

Sermon by Dr. Kelvin Cole

18.02.01

Reading - Exodus 3:1-12

INTRODUCTION

? Do you remember the plane where the engine shattered as it was taking off from the airport? ? This morning I would like you to imagine that you are a passenger in that plane. ? Each passenger has a certain perspective. If they are by the window they have a certain view from their window. They can also see what is happening in their section of the cabin. ? However, if you are by the window where the engine is disintegrating before your eyes, things could be a bit daunting as you witness what is happening. ? If, however, you are a passenger in a centre aisle, you will probably not be able to see anything outside of the aircraft but you will have heard the bang and felt the shudder of the fuselage. ? However, the pilot has his hands on the controls. He has a plan of action which he has practised for just such an occasion. He is able to take appropriate action. ? The pilot as the leader has the ultimate responsibility. He has a more comprehensive understanding of what is happening and also the needs of the passengers and crew in times of crisis. ? Where you sit in the aircraft is going to determine your awareness of what is happening. Different individuals will have differing perspectives and understandings of the situation. ? If you add to that, the complication of personality types and personal idiosyncrasies, you have a rather complex scenario created from a single incident. ? People are all different. They have different perspectives and expectations of their leaders and others with whom they interact. ? And in the midst of this, some find themselves appointed as leaders. ? Sometimes the task seems too daunting. ? This morning has been a special time as we have specifically taken time to set aside the church's Sunday School Teachers for this year's ministry. ? Having done that, I have been asked to share some thoughts on leadership. And perhaps some of you are already thinking, "This could be boring, or I'm sure I've heard much of this leadership guff before, and those who are not leaders may be thinking, "What's this got to do with me." ? What are you going to do this year when problems arise as you lead your group. ? Not all will lead a Sunday School class. Some will be deacons and elders, others will lead a cell group, and others will offer leadership at work or in the home. ? This morning I want to share three Christian leadership FACTS which are relevant for every Christian (leader or not) as we live our lives for Christ on a daily basis and have a positive impact upon those around us. ? I have called them the CPR of leadership because all leaders and Christians for that matter come to times in their lives when we come to a crisis or the going becomes tough. ? For those unfamiliar with the letters CPR, they are the abbreviation for Cardio-Pulmonary-Recuscitation. ? Ie: what is used to save lives when a person stops breathing. ? The process involves cardiac (heart) massage, providing air to the lungs (pulmonary) with a purpose of resuscitating or reviving the person. ? Sometimes in the midst of life we need FACTS that will sustain us as we find ourselves offering leadership. ? If we are going to reflect upon "leadership" we need first to understand what it is. ? Thousands of books have been written in this area and there are many ways of understanding the phenomenon which we call leadership. ? For example, some researchers have determined that effective leadership revolves around personality traits and certain skills. Others have made lists of behaviours which define leadership effectiveness. ? Some see leadership as a series of activities through which the organization and its culture are transformed. ? I suspect that numbers of you are beginning to think, "Well I have no idea about all of that, and what's it to me?" ? Those attempts to understand the complexities of leadership illustrate that leadership is a complex activity where there are no easy solutions. ? However, a very simple definition, is that "Leadership is an ability to influence others." ? The CPR of leadership focuses upon those things which differentiate Christian leadership from the leadership exercised by someone who does not as yet know Jesus Christ. ? If you have your Bibles, you might like to turn to Exodus 3 where we see God's call to Moses - one of the greatest leaders of history. ? Moses had been through 80 yrs of personal preparation under the supervision of God. - 40 yrs in Egypt, 40 yrs in the wilderness, and as we pick up the story, we see that he comes to Horeb (Mt Sinai) and here he sees a burning bush which not being consumed. ? As he comes closer he gets the fright of his life as it speaks, "Moses, Moses." Yes God spoke directly to Moses who replied "Here I am." (v4). ? How would you be if you were out in a lonely place and you saw this strange phenomenon and then you heard a voice call your name? Wow!! ? The voice continues to speak and tells Moses that it is God (Yahweh)

speaking. And we read that Moses hid his face. ? In a nutshell God's message to Moses is this, "I have seen the misery of my people who are slaves in Egypt and I am concerned about their suffering, so I have come to rescue them from the Egyptians and to bring them to a good land flowing with milk and honey." ? And this is the crunch for poor Moses, God says (v10 - Read it ..)

? Yes, God had chosen Moses to approach Pharoah. ? This was the basis of Moses' Leadership and represents the "C" in CPR.

I. C. - GOD'S CALL (3:10) (Heart)

? Yes, God called Moses. ? If we are going to lead with God's authority, He must call us, otherwise we work in our own strength. ? Just as "C" stands for cardiac or heart, so the call of God must be at the heart of our leadership. ? Like Moses, we must be called by God to lead. Do we look for the burning bush? No. ? So how can we know that God is calling us to lead? ? Frequently it starts with an interest or even a burden for the area in which we will lead. ? It may be that you have a love for children and a desire to help them grow spiritually. That in itself doesn't constitute God's call. ? However, I suspect that some Christians expect that God calls us to do things that we find difficult. ? I think this was Moses understanding, because he made a whole lot of excuses to God when he was asked to lead his people out of Egypt. ? The excuses are not our direct focus this morning but in summary they were:- ? Who am I? (In other words, "I'm a nobody. Why ask me?) (3:11)

? Whom shall I say sent me? (In other words, "Who is my authority for the task?) (3:13)

? What if they do not believe me? (In other words, why should they believe me?) (4:1)

? I am not eloquent (In other words I can't speak convincingly and woo them with words. (4:10)

? These obstacles which Moses raised before God were real for Him and I suspect that they are true for some of us as well. ? It doesn't matter who we are, we will not be perfect as leaders. We will have weaknesses, but they don't matter to God. ? God can teach us through the work areas in our lives. ? What is primary so far as God is concerned is his CALL. ? If God calls you to serve or to lead, He provides the strength and He is in charge of the situation. ? I don't know about you, but it sometimes easy to forget that God is in charge when I lead and am called by Him. ? Yes we can look at obstacles as they arise and want to give up- even before we begin but God says, "I want YOU to serve me in this area.of MY ministry." ? When things get tough - C stands for Cardiac - Heart - and the heart of our service (including leadership) is God's call. ? As we read on in the Exodus account we read God's response to Moses' question, "Who am I . ?" ? In v12a we read (Read it .)

? This introduces us to the P of CPR.

II. P.- GOD'S PRESENCE (3:12a) (Lungs)

? Just as our lungs fill with our breath, so God breathes life into our ministry. ? God doesn't call us and then leave us to our own devices. ? He who calls us provides us with his powerful presence to achieve those things which He wants to accomplish through us. ? God's abiding presence is a great source of strength me as I serve Him. ? As Christians, of course God is always with us because he lives within our lives by his Holy Spirit. ? In Old Testament times, the Spirit was given for a particular purpose and He was withdrawn where appropriate. ? He lives within each Christian today on a permanent basis, however we all know that we are not always atuned to the work of the Spirit in our lives. ? One of the essentials of effective Christian leadership is to ensure that as leaders we listen to God. ? If we don't spend time with God, we will not know what he has to say to us and we will not be leading under his direction. ? Effective leaders lead out of who they are in Christ. ? The deeper our relationship with the Saviour, the more our heart will be attuned to his and we will respond to the direction received through his abiding presence. ? God said to Moses, "I called you and I will be with you." He says the same to us also. ? As you Sunday School teachers take up your leadership responsibilities for the year, cling to this, "No matter what challenges the year brings, God who has called you will also be with you." ? As we read on in v12b we read that God follows his comment "I will be with you," with the following words (Read them.)

? Yes, he goes straight on to talk about the results. ? The R of the CPR of leadership is that .

III. R. - GOD'S RESULTS (3:12b) (Revival)

? God goes straight on to talk about the results of Moses' mission. ? It is as if, from God's perspective, God's call, and his presence ensures HIS results. ? Doesn't this take the heat off the leader. ? Sometimes we become frustrated that the "Results" of our ministry are not what we would expect or perceive as "successful". ? But God has His own agenda and knows all of the circumstances and what He wants to achieve. ? While as leaders we should be responsible and lead as effectively as we are able, taking into account our spiritual gifts and natural abilities, God has his agenda. ? Our responsibility is to be faithfully lead or serve in the situation that he has called us to. Leaving the results to God and giving Him all the glory for whatever happens is a way to reduce the stresses of leadership. ? Praise God that he who calls us is faithful to achieve his purposes in our lives and ministries, sometimes through means that we cannot immediately understand.

CONCLUSION ? So what have we seen this morning? ? The CPR of leadership is this: ? C (Heart) = God's Call to serve or lead - the heart of all that we do. ? P (Lungs)= God's Presence - breathes life into our lives and ministry. ? R (Recuscitation) = God's Results - God achieves his purposes despite our frailty. ? When things become heavy going in our Christian lives and our ministry, let's remember the CPR of leadership. ? God calls, he gives us his presence, and He looks after the results. ? Let's allow God to speak into our lives as we spend time with Him on a regular basis.