It’s that time of the year once more! No, no, I’m not talking about
Christmas. I’m talking about our spiritual family reunion time! Just like how
essential it is for different families to gather together once or twice a year,
be it Chinese New Year or Christmas, our reunion as a spiritual family is just
as essential.
Reunion is truly a time where we get together once more, to
be united and to be encouraged, hence, the word ‘union’. As children of God, the
spirit of unity that we have being united in Christ regardless of where we come
from, our race, nationality or occupation transcends everything else. It’s a
bond that lasts for eternity. Thus, having our Combined Service 2012 in
Taylors’ Lakeside Campus was indeed a big deal for us. Having our brothers and
sisters from Eaglepoint Puchong, Eaglepoint Damansara and Eaglepoint Penang
come together to meet and fellowship was not only exciting and enjoyable, but a
heartwarming time for many. More so for us Penang people as it was also a road
trip to look forward to.
We kick started our journey at 7am in the morning (May 26)
with roughly 45 representatives from the Penang side heading down. The bus ride
for the first two hours was rather solemn as most people opted to doze back
into dreamland. It wasn’t until our Ipoh-breakfast stop that our energy came
zapping back into our bodies. Food does wonders. After a hearty and satisfying
breakfast, we continued on with a much more lively and entertaining journey to
KL for the next 2.5 hours.
Upon seeing the big ‘sphinx’, we knew we weren’t far. We
made a quick stop for lunch in Pyramid and then it was time to head off to
Puchong church for our 3pm leaders’ meeting with Pastor Steve Murrell (the
founder of Every Nation Church).
1st part of leader’s meeting: Listening.
Sessions with Pastor Steve have always been very refreshing,
humorous and inspiring. In spite of it being a 3-hour long session, this
session was no exception. Before we knew it, it was already 6pm! It was
certainly an impactful time of tapping into Pastor Steve’s wisdom as he
shared the gems and jewels of building up not just leaders nor good leaders,
but great leaders. We are called to be the head and not the tail, and we are
called to be excellent in all that we do. (1 Corinthians 15:58)
So, what does it take to be a GREAT leader? Well, to put it
simply… great leaders are simply
great listeners. Great leaders listen to their:
1. Mentors
2. Peers
and friends
3. Critics
4. Followers
We tend to think that being a great leader requires us to be
excellent orators. We see great leaders powerfully engaging the crowd who hang on to every word they speak, captivating them by their stories and receiving thunderous applause from them. We believe that a great leader is one that is able to speak with ground-shaking
charisma. Well, although having such charisma can propel us into being ‘great’,
it doesn’t necessarily make us into great leaders.
Firstly, to be a great leader, we need to take the time to
listen to our leaders (that is, mentors) who are also anointed by God. Our mentors are people who
have had their share of experiences and can help us make wise decisions.
Nobody finds it pleasant to be corrected regardless of what position we are in.
Being corrected stings, but as painful as it seems, it is in fact a blessings for
us. It teaches us, humbles us and keeps us aligned to our purpose. Secondly, we
need to listen to our peers and friends because they are the ones we spend most
of our time with. True friends dare to correct and dare to confront, and a
great leader dares to listen and dares to be confronted without personal
grudges. We live in a culture where so many are stepping on eggshells, living
to please everybody simply because there are so many that react to
correction harshly instead of responding objectively. Let us be gracious enough
to accept correction with an open heart.
Moreover, it is also necessary to listen to our critics as
nasty and cruel some of their remarks may sometimes be. These comments could
very well save us from making some of the big mistakes of our lives if
we choose to listen and think through them. Lastly, Pastor Steve talked about how important it is to listen to our followers. We many not be leading hundreds or
thousands of people like Pastor Steve, but we are leading someone, be it our
Life Group members or our team members. A great leader serves, and when we take
the initiative to listen to what our followers think and what they feel about
certain issues, it not only builds a deeper respect towards one another, it allows
us to help serve them more effectively and ultimately, it keeps us humble in
serving God.
Not only is a great leader a great listener, a great leader
is a great giver as well. Are we giving according to what we have or are we
giving beyond our capacity and believing in faith that God would do something
supernatural? When we give beyond what we’re able to, we are giving it with a
sacrificial heart, the very heart that God is looking for. When we do what we
can, God’s miracles will kick in, providing us with more than enough. He is El
Shaddai.
We ought to see giving through these three lenses:
1. Faith
- looking up and trusting that God is the source that provides.
2. Integrity
- we hold the Word of God as the anchor of everything.
3. Generosity
- we look to Jesus as the example to emulate, the one who gave us His all.
Let’s be great listeners and great givers, for we can never
shortchange God. =)
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