THRIVE Leadership

God takes rebellion seriously because He takes authority seriously.
1 Samuel 15:23 NKJV - “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.”
God takes authority so seriously, that He considers rebellion the same as serving another God, and working against His will. Rebellion towards an authority figure in our lives directly sets our will against God's...and leaves us in a place far from his blessing.

When I think of rebellion, my mind goes first to the story of Korah, and the rebellion he led against Moses in Numbers 16. Korah was the first cousin of Moses. So in their world, Korah was a person of influence and power. The problem: Korah wanted the authority that Moses had...and he recruited 250 men who felt the same way he did. This group of 250 men would prove to be enough to infect the entire nation with grumbling and complaining against Moses.

What you need to understand is that Korah and his men were men of distinction in their nation - they were middle leadership. They were men who wanted the priesthood. They were jealous they had not been picked. They had probably ministered in holy things to some degree, and now they felt that they distinction of the priesthood was best suited for all of them. Little did they know they weren't just picking a fight with Moses on this day...

How often does a support leader have the opportunity to feel like Korah? Personally, I think it is a regular battle! Support leaders are brought onto a team for their leadership strength...their ability to handle leadership tasks on behalf of their Senior leader. We are strong leaders! We desire to see progress made, and take results very personally. The challenge lies when opinions vary. When opportunity comes, and someone else is picked for the task, it is another proving ground of our internal strength and humility.

I made a decision a long time ago that I would not sacrifice my place in life on the altar of my own opinion. I have learned that the place of peace and agreement in God's Kingdom often comes with sacrificing your own opinion, or personal desires, for the good of the team. You know what happened after I crossed this line? I found this is the place of God's blessing. It's not the place of ME-first...it's TEAM-first.

Unfortunately Korah didn't learn the lesson soon enough. His fate? God cause the ground to open up and swallow he and his rebellious team.

Next time we'll talk about where rebellion starts...and how it grows.
Until then, have a great weekend and lead well. Let's bring honor back!

Most people will never find themselves leading at the top of the organization they serve in (business, Church, community, etc…). The top is reserved for a few whom God places there. Most people in life will spend their lives and careers leading from somewhere in the middle. John Maxwell describes this as the 360 Degree Leader – a person who leads relationships with a Senior leader, peers, and people serving under them on an organizational chart.

For the leader in the middle, a proper approach to authority is a life or death issue. If God places everyone in authority (Romans 13), then the way we relate to the authority in our lives is an important issue. This is the place of greatest protection and blessing by God...and unfortunately, its the place where many support leaders experience their worst enemy: themselves.

The temptation for us, as support leaders, is that we so easily forget this, and can be drawn to a place of self-interest….a place of “ME-first.” The Bible refers to this as … REBELLION.

When we use words like Rebellion, many people would excuse themselves from this word… saying, “This doesn’t apply to my, I’m loyal…I work hard…I always do what I’m asked to do.” But, before you are too quick to turn me off, lets talk about what rebellion looks like (even in it's smallest form):

Have you ever….
1. Shared your perspective with a team member or volunteer that would show your distance from your Pastor and his vision?
• People allow themselves to show how “they would do it differently” in an attempt to win support from distant team members, even if it means showing a distance between themselves and their Pastor
2. Attempted to sabotage another team member
• This can happen even slightly, by showing a lack of support, or speaking out against them. Me-first choices promote your success at the expense of their failure
3. Taken advice or counsel from your Pastor lightly? Or disregarded it as unimportant?
4. Sabotaged or attacked a vision presented from your Senior Leader?
5. Entertained complaints from Church members, volunteers, or other staff members about what the Pastor or leaders should be doing differently?

…if you have, you have seen the face of rebellion. The question is…how did you respond to its momentary presence in your life? Did it become a companion on your journey, or a momentary thought to overcome?


(We'll continue this conversation next time...)