Extracted from The Maxwell Leadership Bible
Godly leaders tend to have a strong passion and a deep optimism about the future. Their attitude springs from their sense of purpose and from the assurance of their ultimate destination.
The apostle Paul was just such a leader.
Paul led a Thessalonian church full of young believers who expected the soon and imminent return of Christ. Add to this expectation the persecution and hardship the church faced, and you might expect to find great confusion and anxiety. It got to the point where many of the Thessalonians not only stopped working, but attempted to thwart others from doing so.
Paul knew he needed to speak some sense to these erring brothers and correct some misperceptions about the second coming of Jesus. He told them that Christ wouldn't return until certain things had taken place, events that had not yet transpired. He also instructed them to continue working as though Christ would not return for a very long time.
Effective leaders have reason for Paul's kind of passion and optimism. They know that if Jesus returns tomorrow, all believers will share in the joy of being with Him in person. On the other hand, they know that if he tarries, believers have all the more time to work to bring others to Him. Who could ask for a better no-lose situation?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment