Leadership Qualities

FOUNDATION SCRIPTURES: John 8:28-29, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-4, 1 Peter 2:11-12 2 Timothy 2:24-26,
1 Timothy 3:1-13.

INTRODUCTION
Integrity is having honour before God and it is this quality that God looks for in one's life, for them to be able to rise up in leadership and be given responsibilities from the Lord Jesus Christ and the oversight in the local church.

WORD MEANING
Personality- means individual identity, what you are personally.
Character - Distinctive mark or quality, ones evident reputation.

1) CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Character is not the same as personality. Personality is what people see in public. Character is what is built in private When your personality wears off only your character remains. A person who has learned to honour God privately will show good character in their decisions. An example of someone who honoured God in private (overcame temptation) was Joseph and God honoured him by making him prime minister.
Many people want to be leaders in the church and serve God, but they dishonour him in private. God sees everything you do in private; he looks for people who have integrity (live right). You can have a great personality and be able to attract people around you and yet lack a Godly character. The development of one’s character is very high on Gods list for those who want to be in leadership.

2) LEADERSHIP QUALITIES
i) Nehemiah 9:7-8 Abraham was chosen because he was faithful before God. This meant that God could trust him with whatever was required. God found Abraham's heart faithful and then made a covenant with him with certain promises. The most important quality God looks for is a heart that is faithful before him.
ii) I Timothy 1:12 Paul said that God counted or found him faithful and this resulted in God putting him into the ministry. Gods principles don't change, he requires a Godly character in people's lives to be used of him.
iii) Galatians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians_2:4 Paul speaks about his attitude to serving God, faithful to God, he calls them to do, not what man says they can and can't do. Here we see that God tests your heart. Why would God test your heart? He is looking for faithfulness unto him and him alone.
iv) 2 Timothy 2:1-4 Paul said to teach these truths only to those who were faithful, those that could be trusted with this responsibility. It was important that the message be passed onto other generations and it requires people who will be committed and faithful to see the task completed to the end.
v) 2 Timothy 4: 6-7 Here we see Paul saying that he had fought a good fight, finished the race and kept the faith. He had finished the responsibilities given to him of God, remember God found him faithful and then put him in the ministry because God knew that he could be trusted with the Gospel.
vi) Acts 6:1-7 The Apostles had to choose out men to take up responsibilities of leadership with certain qualities:

1) Ones with Godly character.
2) Able to flow in the Spirit of God.
3) Full of wisdom - Grounding in the scriptures (Word of God).

Develop character in your life and it will affect you in all areas of your life and ministry, it will keep you strong to complete what God requires of you.

FAITH FOUNDATIONS prepared by Stephen Fisher - www.stephenfisher.org