WHO'S THE BOSS ?

Who's the Boss

Mt 25 - Parable of Talents and Virgins

(1/1/15)

The first blog post of 2015 is about a lesson on leadership especially in leading a Church as its founder and pastor. Sounds great right but when you are serving God, having a theology degree does not mean instant promotion and salary increments. Titles and self importance is of no value in God's sight. You may be founder and pastor..but honestly people don't want to follow you..but they want to walk with God. I may be founder and pastor..but at Church God is supreme and boss. 

So how should I lead ? Simple answer - let God tell you.

You see 2014 was a year the vision in my heart of raising-up leaders that would walk with God and giving them the space to do that was confronted over and over again. Honestly I never felt so uneasy in my life ! You see when you let people have space to do what they feel led to do, it will not be in accordance to your expectations. Why? Because everyone is different and God loves it that way.

In the parable of talents and virgins in Matthew 25, we read of the person responsible for the talents or the whole matter ..what does he do ? He hands his underhands the talents or command..and what he does next ?...

HE LEAVES !!! In our mind...hey ! that is not a responsible leader. Shouldn't the captain be the first be there and the last to go ? Shouldn't a leader be responsible from start to finish ?

In our world, when the boss is not around..what do we do ? We sleep on the job right ?. Or we play solitaire on the PC ! . Just like the one with the one talent, in our minds we think the boss is unfair and a lousy person.

However I learnt something this past Christmas Party project at Church. The person that was suppose to do the CP planned everything and organised everything..but suddenly had to depart due to other commitments that were important and necessary too. So the entire group had to grapple with what to do and how to do?. I on the other hand ..didn't like it because haiyah ! means the job comes to me and my wife again ..already with so much on our hands. In my mind was, " this is no way to raise-up leadership in Church !". I was furious...but in my heart, I sense God's hand in this from start to finish.

In fact 2014 has been a year wah ! I've been so overwhelmed with all kinds of feelings and emotions from one end to the other end..Wonder how my heart can take anymore by December ! But it was a year that God had me all to himself in running Word of Life to overseas missions. I had no "senior pastor" to turn to but God himself..only God. It was either I dig deep or sink. Sink was easy..but God was giving me grace to go deep and draw from Him.  

He purposely arranged such a situation to do one thing. Teach us or me a lesson. What did I learn ?.. I learn that :

1. eventhough I am the "boss"..I am not THE BOSS. God still is.

2. eventhough the "key" person is not around..just like the parable of talents..we are not to sit on it. We are to dig deep to be faithful and use ingenuity and creativity that God has placed in us to "do it !". Otherwise you'd never know what you can actually do. Sometimes we depend on others too much that we become like those people in that cartoon - "WALL-E". In crisis...people come together..in crisis..people will choose to either give-up or dig deep to discover solutions. So 2015, lets not say its imposibble..lets say in God all things are possible !

3. The biggest thing I learnt is : as a leader, but yet in a spiritual organisation..following God is more important that doing it "my way". If I want people to be discipled by God and to hear His voice..I need to get out of the way and let the people have space and space and space to walk with God. If I force people to do it my way..they will do it..BUT for who? for me! but they will not enjoy it at all ! But if I stop playing God, they can then learn to do it God's way. 

Will I change the way of doing things in Word of Life..of course not !. When people have been entrusted with responsibility..that's it ! give them space to walk with God ! Just like a couple that runs a cell group at WOL..They do not have consistent weekly meetings..but whenever they have meetings..people come ! and hey I too have been blessed ! God helped me to see that this couple are human bridges to connect people with people and people with God.  Precious they are.

Why people ask where is God? Because there are too many people playing God..too many insecure people in leadership that do not know they are not boss..but God is. Instead of WHERE IS GOD...Tell them ..HERE IS GOD ! 

WALK WITH GOD !

2015 ..make it your God..because God will help you to do that !

Luv Edwin Koh Boon Leng

1/1/15