Moses
Stated Purpose of Iron Leadership: “To act like men” by: Equipping men to be better leaders in their own personal lives, their homes, their work, their churches and city for the sake of God’s Glory.”
This phrase: “Act like men/Be Courageous” is lifted from the last chapter of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. (16:13) The phrase comes at the close of the Apostle Paul’s difficult letter – difficult because the circumstances in the church at Corinth were Chaotic!
(Politics in the church: cliques of people who like one preacher over another, Power Struggles, Sexual Immorality, Lawsuits, Troubled Marriages & Disorder in Worship service.)
Listen to the Bio of people who made up the church: I Corinthians 6:9 – “Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. …..And that is what some of you were.” Sounds like a fun church to Lead!
Although Paul addressed the challenges in the letter he knows after the letter was read – some leaders in the church will have to personally face the Chaos with Courage – they will need to tackle these issues and these people – HEAD-ON! This will be an enormous leadership challenge…Paul knows the challenge will require leaders to “Act like Men” –
(An/drid/zo/mai) – One word in the Greek, no explanation. Paul assumes his readers will know…it’s time to stop being children, it’s time to grow up, grow a spine, and courageously step into God’s intended role…to be Leaders. Dave Ramsey (Financial Guy) – “Children do what feels good, adults devise a plan and follow it.”
Iron Leadership is designed to help us devise a plan and follow it – to learn to “Act like men” We believe the best place to learn how to act like men by reading the Bible, examining the lives of men in the Bible & by being around other men.
Proverbs 27:17 – “As Iron Sharpens Iron – so one man sharpens another” – We are: Sharpening One Another to “Act Like Men” for More Effective Leadership
On that United Airlines flight 93 – 44 people aboard. Not everyone would have had the courage to enter into, to sacrifice themselves in such a desperate situation. Someone(s) had to step up and “Act like men” to say: Whatever the cost – Let’s Roll.
The cost was high: Todd was married, had 2 sons, wife pregnant with daughter – 44 people aboard. Yet, the Lord strengthened him to move forward and sacrifice.
This is KEY: Great Leadership – especially Biblical Leadership is Sacrificial Leadership. True Leadership is NOT designed so you get your way…it’s leadership designed to allow others to flourish! Jesus is the Supreme Example. He put things to death – including himself – so we could live – flourish!
Moses
No one faced bigger Leadership Challenges in the OT than Moses. But as we will see as the next few weeks unfold – the first leadership challenge for Moses (and for us) was understanding himself! Your Biggest Leadership Challenge – every morning when you wake up – stares at you in your bathroom mirror!
Below is an illustration that represents the life of Moses:
It took 80 years for Moses to understand God and Himself! If you can understand yourself and who you are in relationship to God – then you can become a truly effective leader
- Moses was assigned the task of bringing people out of 400 years of slavery
- Moses will ask people to leave behind 400 year old patterns and habits
- Moses will ask people to take on a totally new identity (as God’s people) and to learn to trust God
- To learn how to not trust other gods (Pharaoh) or trust themselves —- In order for Moses to lead people in these ways….Moses will first need to do this Himself! Critical Leadership skill – Must First Model what you ask from others
Before we go forward and learn from Moses – let’s first try to discern where we are – Where are You? We don’t have 80 years, but a few minutes to do some analysis:
Q & A: Answer with: Always – often – rarely – never
NOTE: Which question resonates with where you are….Why?
- More and more I notice I am going through the motions of life. I teach or lead others in ways I am not personally experiencing. I frequently have to manufacture emotions I am not feeling. I feel like I have gone numb
- I am aware of a nagging sense of something is not quite right but I don’t make the effort to really look into it. I know it’s there, but I don’t know how to identify it or even if I want to identify it.
- I find myself rushing from one thing to the next without time to pay attention to what’s going on in me or around me. – I am rarely Fully Present…..frequently multi-tasking, hurried.
- I am keeping up with what _______ (job, society, school, Instagram, friends, parents, desires) requires but I feel like I have lost touch with who I am with God.
- I am tired, not just physically, and I don’t know how to get rested. I am not sure what provides rest for my soul.
- I am aware of an underlying irritability, anger, disappointment or restlessness just beneath the surface of my life.
- I have become addicted to technology. It’s the last thing I look at before bed and I look at my phone before I get out of bed.
- I don’t have regular spiritual practices or healthy daily routines.
- Seems like a long time since I have had real connection with God – I am out of rhythm…..
- I embrace escapist behaviors: Tic-Tok, eating, binge watching, porn, shopping, drinking, dreaming about having a different life.
- I do these things to avoid engaging what’s going on inside of me.
- I make excuses and give myself permission to do these things because I am tired or wounded….
- I have a sense I am not in the right place: Maybe with God, in a career, in a relationship or certain situation. Even if I don’t know where or what – I sense it’s time for a move or change.
Moses actually thought he was ready to “Let’s Roll” when he killed the Egyptian soldier and buried him in the sand – it turned out Moses had NO idea who God was, who He was or what he needed to become in order to help other people.
He first had to discover some painful things about himself. We must know where we are – we will have to put some things to death in order to lead other people out of their own slavery.