Legacy Leadership: Wisdom Of The Apostle PaulSýnishorn

Legacy Leadership is a Joint Venture

Earlier in this plan we saw that Paul was not a lone ranger when it came to leadership. He was a member of a leadership team and was always deliberate in mentioning his coworkers in his letters.

For Paul, leading people was a joint venture that involved a team of leaders. But he also understood that leadership was a joint venture in another sense: it is a joint venture between the human leader and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.

We get a clear sense of this joint venture in the first letter to the Thessalonians. God took the initiative to reach out to the Thessalonians. He loved them and chose them to be part of His family. He sent Paul and his team to deliver this invitation. This invitation didn’t come in human words only; it came in “power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” The authenticity and power of the gospel message was enhanced by the way Paul and his team lived among the Thessalonians for their benefit.

This brief description gives us a glimpse into Paul’s joint venture approach to leadership. He had a personal responsibility that was rooted in his calling, yet he leaned fully into the power of the Holy Spirit. The calling demanded that he deliver the message with an integrity that transcended mere words and included the way he lived “among” his followers. But his ability to lead and the power to persevere came from the empowering presence of the Spirit.

Paul’s understanding of this joint venture with the Spirit is also evident in his letter to the Colossians. The purpose of his leadership is to “admonish and teach everyone with all wisdom so that they will become perfect and complete in being like Christ.” He labors and strives to make this happen, but his individual efforts are fueled by the power of the Spirit which is powerfully at work within him (Colossians 1:28-29).

Paul worked hard to fulfill his calling. Yet, he relied on the Lord to supply the strength for his work. He knew he wasn’t adequate or qualified to go it alone. He saw himself as the least of the apostles and did not think he was “fit to be called an apostle” because he had viciously persecuted the church (1 Corinthians 15:9). Yet in spite of his past, God called him to become His ambassador. Paul never lost sight of this. He proclaimed that “by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10).

Legacy leadership is a dynamic joint venture they involves intense personal effort and the empowering work of God in and through us.

Reflect and Act on these questions:

• Are you more of a lone ranger or a team player?
• Do you labor and strive to lead in your own strength or do you rely on the power of the Holy Spirit?
• How could you become more reliant on God’s indwelling power to help you become a more effective leader?

Here’s a practical suggestion: Preview your daily calendar with God. Pray about each individual conversation, meeting, or crucial decision you know you will face today. Ask God to prepare the way, to give you wisdom and discernment, as well as the right words to say (or not say!). Give your day to him and then rely on him throughout the day.