Learning to Lead: Leaders in the Community

And the second reading is from Romans 13 verses 1 to 7 and that's on page 1140.

Romans 13:1–7

So that's Romans 13 verses 1 to 7.

Romans 13:1–7

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except

that which God has established.

The authorities that exist have been established by God.

Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted

and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong.

Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority?

Then do what is right and he will commend you.

For he is God's servant to do you good.

But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing.

He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.

Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment,

but also because of conscience.

This is also why you pay taxes.

For the authorities are God's servants who give their full time to governing.

Give everyone what you owe him.

If you owe taxes, pay taxes.

If revenue, then revenue.

If respect, then respect.

If honour, then honour.

Thanks very much.

Well, please keep Bibles open there at Romans chapter 13.

Romans 13 · chapter mention

And for those who want to take notes.

So as Peter's doing that, just to remind you, this is a short series we've been doing on leading,

learning to lead, and we've been looking at leaders within marriage, leaders within home,

leaders within the church, and this morning we're looking at leaders within our community.

And I recognise that in preparation, part of this, particularly the last part of it, is a lot of application.

And I hope that it will provoke conversation, discussion amongst us,

but also that that discussion would also lead into action as well.

And just to encourage you as well, if you've missed out on any of these talks,

you can listen to them online.

And they're there for our encouragement as well.

So, Romans 13, 1-7, leaders in our community.

Let's pray.

Our Father, we thank you for people in the past,

for leaders like the Apostle Paul,

who were given the task and responsibility of writing your word down.

And we thank you that we now have that word,

preserved for us in our own language,

that we can learn from ourselves.

And we pray that you would help us today as a church to understand

what it is for us to be leaders within our community

and how we should respond to those who are leaders in our community.

Encourage us, and may it be used by you,

to further your gospel

and the building up of your kingdom.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, we start with a question.

Who will lead?

Well, a little over a year ago,

we were calling for the removal of our past government.

We wanted them out.

But now that we've got a new government,

a coalition,

it seems that we're still not happy.

According to a recent survey,

which was just conducted just after the referendum,

75% of the country are now dissatisfied with the government's performance.

Being a leader is not easy,

as Enda Kenny is discovering.

And despite winning the referendum,

getting the yes vote as they campaigned,

his popularity and his party have all lost significant points in recent weeks.

But who would you want to take his place?

What party would you choose to be in their place?

Who could do any better?

For most of us,

we rather like to sit on the sidelines with the majority of the country,

point fingers and complain.

But I want to encourage us this morning to think about,

what about us?

People like us getting involved and making a difference.

I'm not promoting any particular political party that you should be signing up to,

but what I am encouraging is active involvement,

locally and nationally.

Some people have perhaps been brought up on the view that

the church should remain separate from the state.

Others say that the church should rule the state.

Not sure what your views are on that,

but I think the Bible is somewhere in the middle.

And it's saying that as far as Christians are concerned,

our country and our community needs leadership

and Christians ought to play their part in it.

And that's what we want to encourage this morning.

So we're going to look at two main things.

First of all, leadership is a wonderful gift from God.

Look at chapter 13, verse 1.

We'll read there.

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities,

for there is no authority except that which God has established.

The authorities that exist have been established by God.

Consequently, he who rebels against the authority

is rebelling against what God has instituted.

So I think it's quite clear that the governing authorities,

the government that we have today in our country

and within our community,

have been put in place by God.

Jesus himself recognised this fact

when he was brought before Pilate on trial.

And he turns to Pilate and he says to him,

you would have no power over me

if it were not given to you from above.

So any political party,

any authority that is in place

is only there because God has allowed it.

Now while we recognise,

and we're going to look at this in more detail in a minute,

that many who are leaders

abuse their position and power,

the institution,

the idea of governing authority

is something good from God.

It is good for us

and it is good for our society.

I know the Leaving Cert is on at the minute

and I don't want to draw too much attention to it,

but when I did my Leaving Cert a few years ago,

the book that we had to read and study

on the English syllabus was

William Golding's Lord of the Flies.

I don't know if any of you ever read that one.

Well, for me it was a bit of a haze

as I just looked out the window

for most of the classes

and wondered what it was all about.

But I did remember something about the big idea.

The ringleader, I think, was a guy called Ralph.

But no associations there anyway.

But I do remember this,

that it was all about a group of these

well-educated British boys

who were on the plane

and they crash-landed on an island.

And without supervision of adults

or any other kind of leadership,

disorder and chaos

began to reign amongst these children.

The eldest was only 13.

And they all began to fight

and bully and form different rival groups.

And very quickly,

one of the children

actually gets killed.

Ironically, the one who is killed,

he seems to be the weakest one,

his name was Piggy,

had asked all the rest of the boys this question.

Which is better,

to have rules and agree

or to go hunting and breaking things up?

They had him removed.

I think the book is a social comment

on what happens

when we remove leadership

from society.

Anarchy.

All hell breaks loose.

There's disorder and chaos

all around us.

So we must not reject leadership.

Instead, we must recognise

that leadership

is actually a good thing

from God

to bring stability

and order

to our lives

and to our country.

And because leadership

is from God,

we must learn

to submit

to those

who are in leadership.

Look at verse 1.

That's how it starts.

Everyone

must submit himself

to the governing authorities.

What?

I have to submit myself

to end a Kenny?

Yes, you do.

Submission

to our leaders

is actually

an expression

of our ultimate

submission to God.

And we've come across

this idea of submission

as we've worked through

the whole idea

of learning to lead.

It means,

submission simply means

to live under God's

good order

and God's

good design.

So we looked at

wives having to submit

to husbands,

children having to submit

to parents.

All of us

have to submit

to those

who are in

positions of authority,

in governance.

And submission

isn't a sign of weakness,

but a willingness

to live God's way.

So all of us

are called

to submit

to the governing

authorities

in our country

and community.

Now before we move on,

let me just

have a sidetrack here.

Do you remember

our reading in Acts?

Peter

had just

brought about

this healing

and the authorities

told Peter

to stop preaching,

to stop teaching

in the name of Jesus.

And what did Peter say?

He says,

we cannot help

but preach.

We must obey God

rather than men.

So when it talks

about submission

to authorities,

yes we must

submit to our

authorities,

but when

what the authorities

say come

into contradiction

with what God

has to say,

then we must

choose to obey

God

over our leaders.

But on the whole

the point here

is that we should

submit

to those

who are in authority.

And this point

is made stronger

in verse 2.

Consequently,

he who rebels

against the authority

is rebelling

against what

God has instituted.

And those who do so

will bring judgment

on themselves.

So to rebel

against your leaders

is actually

to rebel

against God.

That's how

closely knit

they are.

Not to submit

to your government

and to the decisions

and the policies

they make

is actually

a willful expression

of I'm not

submitting to God.

Because that's

how law and order

happen.

breaks down.

Verse 6

is a good example.

This is also

why you pay taxes.

For the authorities

are God's servants

who give their time,

their full time

to governing.

And we all know

and we all complain

about it

and we all give off

about it

how we all have

to pay tax.

And we're going

to have to pay

more tax.

Not least

the recent

household tax.

How many of you

like me

thought

I'm not going

to pay that.

I'm not going

to sign up.

Did you?

Well,

we mightn't agree

with it

but our governing

authorities

have decided

that this is

what is good

for us.

This is what is

right and best

for our country.

So in an expression

of our submission

to God

we register,

we put our names

and our addresses

and we will

pay our household

tax.

So leadership

is a good gift

from God

and as an expression

of our love

and our commitment

and our obedience

to God

we submit to those

in authority.

It's good for us

and it's good

for our society.

So that's the first

thing,

that leadership

is a good gift

from God.

Secondly,

leadership

is an exercise

of grace.

It's a gift

of grace.

Look at verse 3.

For rulers

hold no terror

for those

who do right

but for those

who do wrong.

Do you want

to be free

from fear

of the one

in authority?

Then do

what is right

and he will

commend you.

For he is

God's servant

to do you good

but if you do

wrong be afraid

for he does not

bear the sword

for nothing.

He is God's

servant

an agent

of wrath

to bring punishment

on the wrongdoer.

So those

in position

of power

and authority

the governing

authorities

as they're

called here

are not only

put in place

by God

they are actually

called servants

of God.

In other words

they are to act

on behalf

of God.

So leadership

doesn't mean

you do as you

choose

and you do

whatever you like

to the people

under you.

No it means

that we are to

exercise

God's character.

Leaders

are to be

people

who lead

with grace.

So the decisions

that they make

are to be good

for the people

and to be good

for society.

And we've already

mentioned that

many who do

get into positions

of leadership

abuse their

position and power

and they bring

a lot of harm

to people.

As Paul is

writing this

we know

that it's

not too far

off

when Nero

becomes

leader

over Rome.

He was the one

who would

persecute

Christians

who would

blame Christians

for the burning

of Rome.

He would do

terrible things

to the people

but yet he is

still saying

to the believers

submit yourself

to those

who are in

authority.

We saw

it last year

in Libya

with the brutal

regime of

Colonel Gaddafi.

We see it

right now

in Syria

as we watch

the news

of President

Bashir Assad

as he watched

the indiscriminate

killing of his

own people

women and

children.

So we recognise

there are many

people who are

in positions

of leadership

who abuse

their authority

and cause a lot

of harm.

That does happen.

And we don't

need to look

outside our own

country for example

we've got our

own gangsters

and villains.

They may wear

collars and

ties but

they still

cause damage

and they've

brought our

own country

into a terrible

mess.

But again

I think the

general principle

and we shouldn't

lose this here

is that it is

God's intention

God's desire

that those

who are in

leadership

would express

God's character

character in

their decisions

and in their

policy making.

They are God's

servants

to do good.

They are to be

as we might

call them

servants

of God's

grace.

They are to see

that God's

grace gets

worked out

in society.

We see this

in two ways.

Look at verse

4.

For he is

God's servant

to do you

good.

But if you

do wrong

be afraid

for he does

not bear the

sword for

nothing.

He is God's

servant, an

agent of wrath

to bring punishment

on the wrongdoer.

Now whether

there's an

argument here

for corporal

punishment

you can discuss

that afterwards.

I'm not bringing

that into this

now but what

I want us to

see here

is that

governing

authorities

have a

dual role.

They are both

to protect

the people

and they are

to punish

the people.

They are to

protect the

people from

injustice

and they are

to punish

those who

are unjust.

That is why

there are

leaders in

society.

Leaders are

put in place

by God

to stand up

for the weak

for the

vulnerable

and for

the marginalized

and leaders

have been

put in place

by God

to deal

with the

greedy

the unjust

and those

who exploit.

And all

of this

when it

begins to

work as

it should

do

is actually

an expression

of God's

greater

and general

grace

in action.

It's a

working out

of God's

character

in society.

So for

example today

the most

vulnerable

in our

society

within our

community

are those

who are

on low

incomes

single

parent

families

and

immigrants.

And so

we should

expect that

our leaders

are working

towards their

protection and

care and

that they

should be

seeking to

bring justice

on those

who exploit

and those

who pay

below minimum

wages.

And we get

an example

of this

in verse

7.

So he

says give

everyone

what you

owe him.

If you

owe taxes

pay taxes.

If revenue

then revenue.

If respect

then respect.

If honour

then honour.

Because we

know that

part of our

tax system

and our

revenue is

to help

those who

are for

whatever

reason

are unable

to provide

for themselves.

It's a

good system

that we

have within

our country.

And the

governing

authorities

are to

be responsible

to ensure

that those

who can

pay do

pay and

we should

support them.

But they

should also

punish those

who abuse

the system

and milk

the system

and that

they are

equally

dealt with.

So leadership

is not

something to

kind of

point fingers

and complain

about and

give off

about.

Leadership

is a

gift of

grace.

It's a

working out

of God's

character

within society.

So leadership

is a good

gift from

God and

it is a

gift of

grace.

But what

does that

mean for

you and

for I?

Well I

think it's

this.

Third, that

we should

be leaders

in our

community.

It's a

calling for

Christian

leadership

locally

and nationally.

if leadership

is a gift

from God

to society

and if

leadership

is a

gift of

grace

for society

then we

ought to

see many

Christians

in positions

of leadership.

We need

to be people

who take

the step

that take

the initiative

and that

we become

conduits

or channels

of God's

grace

into our

community.

That might

be starting

a local

action group

who are

seeking better

resources

for young

people.

It might

be joining

a board

who are

seeking better

education

facilities

for our

children.

And these

are the

kinds of

areas we

ought to be

immersed at

within local

levels and I

know that some

of you are

and that's

great to see

and we

ought to

encourage it

more and

more.

But let me

suggest two

areas that

are of

particular need

within our

wider community

that perhaps

we can have

an input

or something

that we should

certainly be

raising and

thinking and

wanting to

implement.

Here's the

first.

Protect the

vulnerable.

One of the

most vulnerable

groups in our

society today

are immigrants,

people who've

moved to

this country

for all

kinds of

reasons.

And the

survey that

I looked

online at

has just

been published

this week

reported

and it

showed that

unemployment

among

immigrants

rose by

40%

in the

last three

years

compared to

only 10%

among Irish

nationals.

Now I know

that's still a

big figure but

just there's

40%

unemployment

has risen

with immigrants

and 10%

among Irish

nationals.

And the

knock-on

effects upon

people is

what they

term consistent

poverty.

Consistent

poverty means

a low income

which lacks

basic needs

such as

adequate clothing,

warmth and

food.

And they're

saying now that

there are

many people

because of

unemployment

that they

do not

have access

to this.

They're put

into a

bracket of

consistent

poverty.

What do

we do?

What's our

role within

this?

Well maybe

it's people

having to

stand up and

take initiative

to find out

where these

people live

and start an

action or

support group

to do

something about

it.

maybe it's

already joining

an existing

group as

a Christian

and using

your God

given Christian

principles and

applying them

and seeing

them worked

out for the

common good

of people.

Joining and

getting alongside

the weak and

the helpless

assisting them

and pleading

their case.

I talked to

a lady

recently in

another church

who has been

helping somebody

in that

situation.

Who has been

going with

them to

the local

court to

plead their

case, to

work with

them, to

stand with

them to

try and

improve their

situation because

simply they

hadn't the

resources to

do it on

their own.

It requires

leaders who

will do

that even

just on a

friendship level.

I give you

one example

from history.

I'm sure

you've all

heard of

John Wesley.

a very

famous

preacher

connected

with the

Methodists.

I actually

think he

preached in

Kinsale on

one occasion.

He's well

known as

an evangelist.

But he

wasn't just

an evangelist.

He was

somebody who

took local

action,

locally and

nationally,

to change

much of

what was

going on.

And I

read here

how Britain

was at

that time.

This is a

quote.

It was

characterised

by wanton

torture of

animals for

sport,

the bestial

drunkenness

of the

populace,

the inhuman

traffic in

African

Negroes,

the kidnapping

of fellow

countrymen for

exportation and

sale as

slaves,

the mortality

of parish

children,

the universal

gambling

obsession,

the savagery

of the

prison system

and penal

code,

the political

bribery and

corruption,

nothing's

changed,

the ecclesiastical

arrogance,

the shallow

pretensions,

and it goes

on and on

and on.

And it says

it was really,

really bad.

Life was bad

for people.

But people

like John

Wesley did

something about

it.

And this

is what he

did,

amongst others,

and we'll

come back

to one of

these in a

minute.

He saw

the slave

trade being

abolished,

the prison

system was

humanised,

conditions in

factory and

mine were

improved,

there was

no longer

child labour,

and education

became available

to the poor

for the first

time.

Here was a

Christian man

campaigning

and driven

by his

Christian

convictions,

making a

change locally

and nationally.

If he

could do it,

then I'm

sure people

like us

could do

the same,

just on a

very basic

level.

So protect

the vulnerable

is one way

we begin to

lead within

our community.

The second

is this,

confront the

unjust.

It's a

known fact

that the

poorest in

our community

are the

most exploited

and because

people are

desperate for

money,

we know

what happens.

People work

for below

the minimum

wage and

without basic

employment rights,

so if the

employer wants

to get rid

of them,

they just

dismiss them

and they've

got nothing

to show

for it.

And what's

happening is

that many

parents are

having to

go and

work longer,

they're having

to take two

or three

jobs,

and their

little children

are just

having to

stay at

home and

fend for

themselves.

Maybe an

older brother

or sister

is to look

after them

and they

might only

be ten.

And this

is what's

happening

within our

own

neighbourhoods.

Again,

what are we

to do in

this situation?

Well,

I think it

can mean

raising the

issue with

our local

politicians,

campaigning

for tougher

penalties,

seeking that

employers who

are abusing

the weak

and the

vulnerable

are brought

to justice.

And we

should stand

with those

who are in

those difficult

situations.

It takes

leaders to

do it.

Another

example of

this, and

again it's

in the past

and maybe

this is

something we

need to

see happen

again, but

William

Wilberforce.

You might

remember him

from the

film Amazing

Grace.

He was a

politician in

the 1780s

in Britain,

a member

of parliament.

he fought

against many

different things

and as one

person for

26 years,

along with

the encouragement

of the likes

of John

Wesley,

brought about

the abolition

of the slave

trade in

Britain.

And that

led to the

abolition of

the slave

trade throughout

much of the

British Empire

and at that

stage they

owned half

the world.

He was also

responsible for

freeing Sierra

Leone and

making that

a free colony.

Wilberforce

was a man

of God

who loved

God, who

read the

Bible, who

was a

Christian, but

yet he was

driven by his

Christian principles

to see God's

grace being

channelled and

worked out in

society.

So if he

could make

that huge

big change,

then I'm

sure we

can make

little changes

within our

own community.

So why

should we

do all of

this?

Why should

there be a

call for

Christian

leadership

locally and

nationally?

Well it's

this reason,

that it

makes God's

grace visible

and tangible.

Look back

at Romans

Romans 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12

a minute.

Romans

Romans 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12

is a

turning point

in the book

of Romans.

Romans 1 · chapter mention

Chapters

1 to 11

is a

great big

telling of

God's

amazing grace,

his mercy,

his goodness

of how

Christ gave

his life

for us.

And then we

get this

turning point

at the beginning

of chapter 12

and then he

says,

chapter 12

verse 1,

therefore I

urge you

brothers and

sisters in

view of

God's mercy

because you

have received

so much

grace from

God.

because you

have had

so much

from what

Jesus has

done.

Offer your

bodies as

living sacrifices,

holy and

pleasing to

God.

This is your

spiritual act

of worship.

And chapter

12 then goes

on and chapter

13 goes to

explain some

of the ways

in which we

can begin to

live out that

grace to

others.

And one of

it is being

leaders within

our community

that we've just

been looking

at.

In response

to God's

grace, the

gospel that

has taken

effect in

our lives,

there's a

call for

leadership to

bring God's

grace to

our society.

You see, the

gospel is not

just to be

heard.

The gospel is

to be seen

in action.

If our

community is

going to come

to Christ,

then Christ

must become

visible to

them.

men.

And this

is not to

promote deed

over word

or social

action over

evangelism.

There is an

order and a

priority.

Simply saying

here that the

most needy in

our community,

they need to

hear the gospel

of Christ.

They need

God's grace.

But they've

also got to

see God's

grace in

action.

Now, I

don't know if

there will be

many here who

will make it

into politics,

whether we'll

see your face

on the ballot

sheet one day.

Maybe we will.

I hope we do.

But we are

people who

are to be

leaders in

our community.

Leaders who

seek to

bring God's

grace into

action, to

do us good,

to do us

right.

so that the

gospel and

his kingdom

continues to

grow and be

established.

So I

encourage us

to not just

leave it here

as we close,

but to take

what we've been

looking at and

explore it.

Maybe there's

questions.

Maybe we just

need to rethink

our whole idea

of what leadership

is.

But are there

ways we can

begin to be

leaders in our

community?

Let's pray.

Father, we

thank you for

every person

here, for

every job that

they are in,

for every

position of

influence that

they find

themselves in,

for those who

are on boards

of schools or

on various

committees.

We thank you

for each

person for

where they

are seeking

to be leaders

in their

community.

And we

pray that you

would fill

each one with

your Holy

Spirit, to

be courageous,

to be

strong, to

stand for

what is

right, to

stand for

justice and

seek to

correct that

which is

unjust.

I pray that

for each

person here

that we

would all

be conduits

and channels

of God's

grace to

our communities

and to our

neighbourhood.

May you

use each

one of us

just in

small ways

and may

you even

be pleased

to raise

up

Christians

who will

become

TDs

and local

counsellors,

who can

stand for

truth,

who can

stand for

what is

right,

so that

our country

and our

society

continues to

be good,

where people

are treated

equally and

fairly.

And above

all,

where your

gospel is

able to be

continually

proclaimed

freely,

where we

can continue

to meet

as we do

today and

live out

our faith.

We thank

you for

our country,

we thank

you for the

leaders that

we have,

we pray

for wisdom

for them

and we

pray for

their continued

change of

heart,

that they

would lead

according to

God's

design and

not their

own.

We pray

this in

Jesus'

name,

Amen.

Amen.