As I continue to look at the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David, I have become intrigued with the difference between bad leadership versus good leadership. At the end of the day, I really feel it has to do with perspective…how you view the kingdom and the authority that comes with it.

When we look at Saul and David, the differences in perspective are quite stark. As we discovered the last time, Saul viewed the kingdom as a right, something to be held onto at any cost and that the people were there to serve him. David, on the other hand, saw the kingdom as a privilege, realized the kingdom wasn’t his, but God’s and that he existed to serve the people not the other way around. You see, I believe that you can know the “how to’s” of leadership and not have the “heart” of leadership. Jesus put it like this,

Matthew 20:25-28 NIV “Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.(26)  Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,(27)  and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—(28)  just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Saul was all about the position of the kingdom. David was all about the presence of the king. This was evident in that Saul had the kingdom for 42 years and never sought to bring back the Ark of the Covenant…the symbol of God’s presence dwelling in the midst of His people. He was content to have it on the outskirts of the territory, but not at the center of the kingdom. He wanted the blessings of God on his reign, but did not allow the presence of God to rule his life. David, on the other hand, knew that the strength of the kingdom, in fact of his leadership, was nothing without the presence of God.

From a Christian perspective, we need to realize that the purpose of leadership is not to see how much we can get people to do for us, but to see the blessings of God’s presence demonstrated in the lives of as many people as possible. This does not come by dominating and humiliating people, but by serving, elevating and releasing them into the positions that God has gifted them in.

Some questions for thought:

1. In your “personal” kingdom, does it exist for you or do you exist for it?

2. Do you see your role in this kingdom as one of serving, elevating and releasing those around you? Or do you see people as merely a means to an end.

3. Is your reign all about the blessings of God or are you more concerned about the presence of God?

As I have been reading these past couple of weeks about the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David, I began to ask myself this question, “How did two men, that started in very similar ways, end up so differently?” I mean they were both from obscure families in their tribes. They were not very highly thought of, even within their families. Neither of them sought the spotlight. They both received the same calling, same anointing and started out their leadership careers with very public military victories. So, what was it that caused one to see his life end in tragedy and his name ridiculed and the other, even after several very public mistakes, to see his name invoked as a “man after God’s heart?”

Well, I have never fancied myself a leadership “guru”, but I believe that the Lord is showing me some principles that are VERY applicable today in the life of leaders. Now before you dismiss this by saying, “Whew…i’m glad that I don’t fit into that category.” Let me remind you that a leader is simply one who has influence. So, if you have influence with or over anyone, in any arena, then you are a leader and these principles apply. So, let me share a few viewpoints that I believe are very pertinent to these two men.

1. The Purpose of the Kingdom

Saul believed that the kingdom and the people existed for his benefit. David believed that the kingdom and his role in it existed for the benefit of the people.  As people of influence, we must always realize that our calling, our anointing and our giftings are about serving those that we influence. People do not exist for the benefit of us…our dreams, our plans, our destinies. We, as leaders, exist for them!!

2. Whose Name Got Recognized

Time and time again we see Saul worrying about what people thought of him. “Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands.” Even after the Prophet Samuel told Saul that God had stripped the kingdom from him, he turned around and asked Samuel to go with him to the feast so that his reputation would still be kept intact. David, on the other hand, was more concerned about what people would think of God and His Name. We are constantly finding David, even when others wanted to defend his name, being more concerned for how his words and actions would reflect on the nature and character of his God. As leaders, we must remember it is not about us or how people view or remember our names’, but it is about how people view and remember the One that we serve.

3. How They Viewed the Throne

Saul viewed the throne as a right, something to be held onto at all costs. Because of this viewpoint, he failed to realize that what he did, how he did it and how he treated others mattered. David, on the other hand, viewed the throne as a privilege. Because of this viewpoint, that he existed for the throne not the other way around, he lived his life with a “loose grip.” He was able to see that who he was and what he did was just another piece of the puzzle that was God’s plan for Israel. As leaders, people of influence, we need to view our influence as a privilege. It is not all about us and we have been given the awesome privilege of impacting people, families, our culture and our generation as a piece of the puzzle that is God’s plan.

I am sure that this will be an ongoing theme, as God continues to unfold this “stuff” to my spirit. I hope that you will find these truths to be helpful, beneficial and even life changing in the way that all of us approach our roles as people of influence. May it be said of us as it was about David in the Book of Acts…”David fulfilled God’s purposes in his generation and then he died.”

I love it when God reveals new stuff to me in familiar stories. I was reading the story of David and Goliath last week in 1 Samuel 17 and these verses came alive to me in a fresh way… 

1 Samuel 17:34-37 NIV

But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, (35) I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. (36) Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. (37) The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.”

As I read this, the Lord said to me that even though David had received the anointing and the destiny of being the next king of Israel, he was not yet ready for the public demonstration and manifestion of it. David had to go through the loneliness of watching sheep by himself, the frustration of playing and singing to no one but rocks, trees, and 4 legged animals, the challenge and exhileration of facing adversaries much stronger than he with no body there to cheer him on or celebrate the victory and the disappointment of knowing that while his brothers were fighting the enemy, he was reduced to being a “cheese bearer.” The point is this, if David had never been faithful in those seemingly little things, when he thought no one was watching, he would never have been in a postion to take on the giant in the public arena.

It is in those little areas, when no one is around, that our character, our integrity, our faith, our heart for God and our servant spirit is developed, forged and tested. As Believers, we must always remember that there is always more involved than just destiny and anointing. You can have a destiny and all of the anointing in the world, but if you do not have character, integrity, faith, faithfulness and a servant’s heart…you will more than likely self-destruct (just look at King Saul.)

So, the next time you find yourself wondering aloud, “God I know that you have called me and anointed me, but when will I get my turn?” Just remember a little shepherd boy, with a heart after God, who just stayed faithful. Your time will come!!

In continuing our look at the book of Ruth, and especially Naomi, I believe that we see a very important principle of our lives in Christ. We find in Ruth 1:21 that Naomi makes this statement, ” I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.”  As we read this verse, I see two ways to look at things:

1.  Let’s be honest, for most of us we would focus on the fact that we went from full to empty. The reality of God’s grace isn’t the fact that she was now empty, but that He brought her back to Judah (the place of praise). I am so thankful for the times, when whether by choice or circumstance, I left the place of praise and God in His infinite love and mercy brought me back home.

2. The greatest condition she could have come back in was a state of emptiness. Naomi went away full of her own plans and ideas about what her life was to look like. It’s kind of like us…we have our ideas, our plans, our agenda and then we want God’s blessing on it. But, many times our plans lead us away from the destiny that He purposed in our lives. It wasn’t until Naomi came back empty that she was willing and able to be a part of God’s great plan not only for her, but for an entire nation. If she would have stayed “full” she would not have been in a place to help facilitate Ruth’s relationship with Boaz and would have missed being a part of God’s plan to bring in “a man after God’s heart”…King David.

You see, one of the paradoxes of the Gospel is that if you want to be full, you have to first be empty. It is only as we, “come back home empty,” that we are in a position to allow God to work out His plans and purposes in our lives. I am slowly learning that His plans, His purposes and His ways are always the best.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (12) Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. (13) You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

      This past week, I was reading in the Book of Ruth and God began to show me some things that I have  never seen or paid attention to.  Although primarily about Ruth and Boaz, the “kinsman redeemer” and the obvious images of what Christ has done for us, God caused me to focus on Naomi and her situation. The book opens with the words, “…there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and sons, went to live for a while in the land of Moab.”  Pretty innocuous stuff, but we see later that the man dies, and later his sons die leaving 3 widows in desparate straits with nothing, but each other. What seemed to be a pretty good idea, on the surface, turned into a really rough place. Naomi hears that God has come to the aid of His people and is providing food for them. It is at this point in the story that the Holy Spirit began to reveal some very pertinent things. Verse 7 of chapter 1 says, “…she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.”  I’m sure this will be a multiple part post, so let me just start with a couple points of interest.

1. As most Christians are aware, the name Judah means “praise.” The Holy Spirit began to download to me that,  just like Naomi, we sometimes leave the place of praise due to “famines” in our lives. The situation for Naomi must have been pretty bad because they left their home, their extended family, their inheritance and moved to a place that was number one on the “most hated neighbors” list.

It is amazing to me that when we get hurt, are spiritually dry, or go through difficult times in our lives, we tend to blame these things on “God not caring.” It is in these moments that we run away from the only “place” that has the ability to lift us up and encourage us. David said that when he was down, he would encourage himself in the Lord.

2. When the “grass looks greener on the other side of the fence,” you generally find out that isn’t greener it is just different or if it is greener it is because it is over a septic tank! In fact, the greener place ends up bringing more junk into our lives. We find ourselves waking up one day wondering how we got into this mess and how did we get so far from our destiny.

3. It is in these times that God, in His mercy and grace, reminds us that He still comes to the aid of His children and provides food. Naomi, even though she would be going back without anything, decided that a “low place” in the favor of God…Judah (the place of praise), was better than the place that she was in. David said in Psalm 84:10 NIV “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”

4. Naomi set out on the road that would take her back to the place of praise. The road back home may be long, may be short, may be straight or may be winding. But, it doesn’t matter what the road is like…going home starts the same for everyone…you have to “set out” by putting one foot in front of the other.

Here are some questions to ponder…

Where do you find yourself “living” today? The land of praise or the land of Moab?

Have you found yourself asking,”How did I get here…so far from “home?”

What is the first step that you need to take to get you started in the right direction? Are you willing to take that step?

Sometimes, I’m speaking as one who has been serving the Lord for 32 years now, I don’t really think we grasp or understand what the phrase, “Christ in you,” really means in theory much less in practice. We have become so used to our “Christian” lingo and phrases, that we just use them without giving much thought to what we are actually saying. Let me share with you what the Holy Spirit has been saying to me.

The Apostle Paul, in Colossians 1:27, says that, “…Christ in you, the hope of glory.” To really get a grasp on what he is saying, you have to read the previous verses in chapter 1.

Colossians 1:15-19 NIV  He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  (16)  For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  (17)  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  (18)  And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.  (19)  For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,

Paul says that ALL of the fullness of the Godhead (Father, Son & Holy Spirit) dwells in Christ and in verse 27 he says that Christ is in us!!! That means that if all of the fullness of God dwells in Christ and Christ dwells in us then all of the fullness of God that was in Christ dwells in us!!! It’s kind of like the math formula that says, if A = B and B = C, then A = C.

I guess my question is this, do we, as believers, live and walk in this truth? Do we find ourselves praying, “Lord, I hope that You show up?” Well, according to the Word, He has…the minute you as a born again, Spirit filled believer come onto the scene! WOW!! This may not be new to you, but it has captivated my spirit and the way that I view my day.

My prayer for House of His Presence-North and for everyone who reads this is the same as the Apostle Paul’s,

Ephesians 1:17-21 NIV  I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  (18)  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,  (19)  and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,  (20)  which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,  (21)  far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

It all started a little over 3 years ago. The seed of an idea planted by the Holy Spirit. That what God was doing at Rochester First was not meant to be kept within the 4 walls of 4435 N. Rochester Rd. That perhaps the passion of RFA and Pastor Richard Crisco for the presence of God…our very DNA…could be transplanted even imparted into “offshoots”…congregations reaching out to the surrounding areas of northern Oakland and southern Lapeer counties. But, as with any seed, it needed time to be nurtured, watered and fertilized…waiting for the proper moment, when prompted by the same Holy Spirit, the realization of a vision happens.

This Sunday, January 15, 2012, the vision becomes a reality with the launching of House of His Presence-North!!! I am excited that God, in His perfect plan, has chosen me to lead the first of many “campus extensions” of Rochester First Assembly. We believe that we have been called to reach our world by loving God and loving people…very simple, yet very effective. And so now it begins…the journey of stepping out and believing, as did Jonathan and his armor bearer, “…perhaps God will act on our behalf.” 1 Samuel 14:6        COME JOIN US!!!