Section 7 - The Leader’s Influence

Group Activity: Create a one-page visual summary of the leader’s influence.Study chapter 7 in BlackabyStudy chapters 13-14 in SandersPrint an article on leadership at: http://www.pastors.com/RWMT/MTArchi ve.asp

The leader and reading

2 Tim 4:13When you come, bring the cloak

that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the

parchments.

The leader and reading

2 Tim 4:13When you come, bring the cloak

that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the

parchments.

Francis BaconReadingh maketh a full man;

speaking, a ready man,Writing, an exact man

What books did Paul want - OT scriptures, Jewish history, explanations of the Law and prophets - and maybe even some secular poetry, which Paul occasionally quotes.Noticeably this is near the end of Paul’s life - yet still he is reading, still he is learning.Spiritual leaders of all generations have a passion to know the Word of God - but also to read supplementary works.

“The leader who wants to grow spiritually and intellectually will be constantly reading”Lawyers, doctors etc. All continue to read after qualifying in their discipline - so should the man/woman of God.Wesley road up to 90 miles each day on horseback - he had a book stand on his saddle and read continually through these times.

In fact Wesley is said to have told the younger members of the Methodist societies to read or get out of the ministry.Sanders suggests 30 minutes each day should be spent reading by a man of God.AW Tozer said the following about reading:

Why does today’s Christian find the reading of great books always beyond him? Certainly intellectual powers do not wane from one generation to another. We are as smart as our fathers, and any thought that they could entertain we can entertain if we are sufficiently interested to make the effort. The major cause of the decline in the quality of current Christian literature is not intellectual but spiritual.

To enjoy a great religious book requires a degree of consecration to God and detachment from the world that few modern Christians have. The early Christian fathers, the Mystics, the Puritans, are not hard to understand, but they inhabit the highlands where the air is crisp and rarified, and none but the God-enamored can come… One reason why people are unable to understand great Christian classics is that they are trying to understand them without and intention of obeying them.

Why read?

To be inspired.For each book you have to decide as you weigh and consider it - how much is to be feed upon and digested?Do not just fill your head with ideas! Read for challenge and stimulation, gain fresh insights as well as information (especially if you have an area of speciality).

What to read?If a man is known by the company he keeps, so also his character is reflected in the books he reads.Reading is the outward expression of inner aspirations.We have to be discriminatory with so much available to read today.Consider who you are and what you want to accomplish - then decide what you will read.

Books in your life can be divided into lovers, friends and acquaintances. Biographies seem to be an essential read for Christians - and especially leaders.In your reading try to tackle issues etc. that are a little beyond you - and authors you would disagree with.In all reading aim for a higher equipping in service of the Kingdom of God.

How to read

By reading we learn. By meditating on the themes of our reading we pluck the fruit from the tree of books and add nourishment to our minds and our ministries. Unless our reading includes serious thinking, it is wasted time.

Spurgeon counseled his students:Master those books you have. Read them thoroughly. Bathe in them until they saturate you. Read and reread them, masticate and digest them. Let them go into your very self…A student will find that his mental constitution is more affected by one book thoroughly mastered than by twenty books he has merely skimmed. Little learning and much pride comes of hasty reading

Sanders suggests these rules for making your reading worthwhile:•What you intend to quickly forget, spend little time reading. The habit of reading and forgetting only builds the habit of forgetting other important matters•Use the same discrimination in choosing books as in choosing friends.

•Read with pencil and notebook in hand. Unless your memory is unusually retentive, much gained from reading is lost in a day. Develop a system of note-taking. It will greatly help the memory…•Pass no word until its meaning is known.•Vary your reading to keep your mind out of a rut. Variety is as refreshing to the mind as it is to the body.

What books have most impacted your life?Could you give some in the categories of lover, friend and acquaintance?Do you read in a thoughtful discerning way or simply to finish the book?