So,
the Lord said, “This people, they speak honor with their mouths and call to Me
with the words of their lips. But, their hearts are far from Me. That’s not
worship. It’s just following human rules. (Isaiah 29:13)
Another challenge of presenting the vision
and values God would have you and your people embody, is truly gaining
consensus among your people. Your position of relative power will dictate that
most of your people will say that they are with you. They may recite the vision
and list the values, but if they haven’t applied these to their lives, you have
been forcing lip service rather than leading them well. Using power to force fake
agreement leads to hypocrisy. Leading others to real consensus around God-given
vision and values leads to the formation of a community of people who can be
unified.
Through Isaiah, God expressed His
frustration with His people who didn’t understand this. Jesus also challenged
the Pharisees (Matthew 15:1-14). He berated them for failing to understand and
live by God’s true intent, and for leading others to follow confusing rules
instead of God’s purposes. Leaders who fail to stay close to God’s intent will
often try to reduce God to mere rules.
To pursue God’s purpose honestly, and to
invest in helping others to relate to Him, is God’s model for your service to
your people. That work will produce real consensus, and to a culture marked by
God’s prosperity.
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