Holy Spirit

Fruitful Leadership#8: Gentleness

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The eighth fruit of the Spirit that a Christian leader should demonstrate is gentleness. In some places the word is translated as “meekness” or “humility.”

Strong’s concordance defines this word as either “gentle strength” or “gentle-force” (https://biblehub.com/greek/4240.htm). When we see a 6-foot 300 pound muscular man we may see someone with incredible strength. People who know him may describe him as “big Teddy bear” because they know that he is gentle, keeping his strength restrained.

Gentleness does not mean a lack of power, but the ability to hold that power in check. There are some leaders who run roughshod right over those in their way. They have power and strength and authority and have no problem using it to the fullest extent as long as they get their way.

God has gifted some individuals with leadership abilities who use this gift to lead without much consideration for those they lead. It seems they think their natural charisma or the role they hold, gives them the right to mistreat others. Leaders with this perspective view people as resources to accomplish their purposes. Instead, the gentle leader demonstrates confidence and strength in tandem with care and consideration for those they work with and serve.

Leading in this way does not show the fruit of the Spirit called gentleness. Gentleness is accompanied by the other fruits of the Spirit we already looked at: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. The gentle leader can still be a strong and confident leader but ensures that they lead with concern for people and how their actions affect others.

The gentle leader has a clear mission and vision that they promote and holds others accountable for their actions in light of this mission and vision. They may have to have tough conversations with those who do not alight with the mission and vision and are not meeting expectations, but these conversations are handled with care. The leader can correct or even remove others from their role if necessary, while caring for them as a person. Emphasis is placed on how they are not meeting expectations rather than moving to personal attacks or treating them unkindly.

Gentleness, or meekness, is not an excuse to ignore issues that need to be addressed, whether it is interpersonal relationships on a team, or a lack of effort and poor results from a team member. Confrontation and correction are still viable options for any Christian leader. The issue is about how that is handled.

As a pastor and leader, I need to regularly ask God for wisdom in how to handle situations and how to deal with people. We can trust that the Holy Spirit can give us the ability to handle problems and people in a way that is firm but gentle and kind. We can demonstrate a gentle attitude even as we provide quality leadership.

A gentle leader can lead with strong direction while still respecting the individuals involved. May the fruit of the Spirit of gentleness be evident in your leadership.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Fruitful Leadership #7: Faithfulness

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As we continue to work our way through Galatians 5: 22-23, we come to “faithfulness.”

Faithfulness is seen in the character of God. God does not relinquish his promises. He does not change who he is. He is consistent and trustworthy and true to who he has always been. As a Christian leader, we want to reflect this characteristic of God in all our dealings with others.

Faithfulness, like some of the other fruits of the Spirit, is only evident over time. God’s faithfulness is clearly observed as we look at the bible and his consistent way of dealing with people over thousands of years. No one observes us for thousands or hundreds of years, yet they do see the consistency of our character as we work alongside them day in and day out, week after week.

A Christian leader who is living out the fruit of faithfulness is trustworthy. What he says and does will be the same. When he says something, he doesn’t have to add, “I promise.” His team and the people he is leading know that what he says is what he will do. His word holds value.

His message will not continually change. I heard of one pastor who frustrated his church and his staff because he was always pursuing a new direction. There was not one consistent message or vision to the church. He would never have thought he was untrustworthy, yet those who were supposed to follow his leadership were confused and frustrated because what was expected of them changed continually. A faithful leader will be careful to hear from God and then lead in the direction they believe God is leading rather than grabbing hold of every new and exciting idea that comes along.

Sometimes people question another’s motives, wondering if they are making commitments in “good faith.” To act in good faith is to act with honest intentions. This is to make decisions carefully based on available information. To be well-intentioned. This is faithfulness in action. This is to act in with such integrity that no one will be suspicious of a person’s motives.

A faithful leader is one that others trust and confide in. Those you lead should know that when they share concerns with you, you will not share that with anyone else. You are one who can be trusted.

As we allow the Holy Spirit to produce his fruit in us, his influence will be evident in directing and guiding our actions and words and even feelings towards others. As we continue to submit to the Holy Spirit’s influence on our lives we will become a faithful leader. This is a reminder again, that a Christian leader needs to be in continual communication with the Spirit. While some can work hard to be faithful leaders, the fruit of faithfulness can only be ours as a gift of God and a work of the Holy Spirit.

In practical terms, faithfulness in a leader will be seen in how they lead with consistency and trustworthiness. The leader will not change expectations all the time and lead with a steady direction.

Faithfulness is seen in a leader who does not expect more of his team than he puts in. It is seen in their care for those under their leadership. It will be evident over time that this leader is one who can be trusted, and people want to follow.

May you be filled with the Spirit and then live out the fruit of faithfulness as you lead your team and those you serve.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Fruitful Leadership #6: Goodness

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When God created the world, Genesis tells us he made this statement five times: “And God saw that it was good.” On the last day, he looked at all he had made and the Bible declares: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” The word declaring the absolute best or the perfection of what God created was “good.” Today, good seems like it’s not enough. We use words like amazing, excellent, incredible, and on and on.

As we continue to work our way through the list of Spiritual gifts found in Galatians 5: 22 and 23 we come to the fruit of “goodness”. Again, in today’s thinking, at least in mine, “goodness” seems like a bland word compared to what one might use. So, let’s look at the word before we look at how we would invite the Holy Spirit to make it a fruit we are producing in our life.

“Goodness” or “good,” according to Strong’s concordance, is meant to convey something intrinsically good, or something which “originates from God and is empowered by Him in their life, through faith.” (https://biblehub.com/greek/19b.htm)  This is not a bland statement but one that is intended to show the goodness of God, all the good of the creator being lived out in his creation. Really, it is reflecting the goodness of God in our life.

If we want to lead with the Spirit’s fruit of goodness in our leadership, we look to lead like God would in the situations we find ourselves in. We ask the Spirit to make us good like God in how we act toward other people and how we live our lives before them. As we lead, we do so from the goodness of God already in us through the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives.

To lead with the fruit of goodness in our lives is impossible unless we have come into fellowship with God through faith in Christ. Then, as his Spirit takes up residence in our lives, we can invite him to express himself through us in our words and actions.

While kindness is focused on others and how we care for them, goodness is a focus on God that allows his Spirit to work through us as we put God first in all of our lives. As we focus on God, he works through us.

The development of this fruit then begins with a continued desire to know God better. Goodness, that intrinsic, God-empowered fruit, depends on how well we get to know God and allow him to fill us with his goodness. A leader who desires to produce the fruit of goodness cannot just try harder or look at ways to be good and nice to people. It will not happen by our own efforts. It cannot be the result of a seminar or training exercise. It is only the result of spending time with God in his Word and in prayer.

As you are filling yourself with goodness in your relationship with God, you can then produce goodness in your interactions with your team and others you serve. It can only be an overflow of spending time in God’s goodness first.

Leading with goodness is a great desire. Spend time with God regularly so the Holy Spirit will produce goodness in you and your leadership.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Fruitful Leadership #5: Kindness

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The spiritual fruit of kindness in a leader is different than how we often think of kindness.

We tend to think of kindness as “being kind” or “being nice” to someone. It is the opposite of being mean or rude. It is the sense of treating each other as we would like to be treated. This is recognizing each other as humans who need to respect and care for each other as such.

The spiritual fruit of kindness, though, is not so much about holding back our anger and frustration and being nice to those around us. Kindness, as presented in Galatians 5: 22 in the list of spiritual fruit evident in those who are filled with the Spirit, is about practical care for others.

While the word portrays goodness and gentleness, it could be thought of as “useful kindness.” This is about practically being kind by doing something nice for another person that is useful to them.

A simple example would be to show up with coffee and donuts for your team at coffee time. Not only are you doing something nice, but it could also be useful to them, especially if they need a little energy.

So how can we be kind in this way as a Christian leader? How can we meet real needs of those we are leading?

Why not begin by finding out what the real needs are?

Instead of assuming, take time to talk with people and get to know them and what is going on in their lives. If your team is too big to talk personally with everyone, talk with a few. Or send out a brief survey or questionnaire inviting your people to let you know how you can be of help.

Here are a few thoughts on how you could extend useful kindness to the people you work with.

  • Have an open-door policy – even for certain hours if it doesn’t work all the time.
  • Offer financial help to those who might benefit from counselling.
  • Make lunchtime easier. Provide a small kitchen for staff to use. One employer I had brought in a catered lunch occasionally.
  • A businessman offered free childcare in a facility connected to his business for his staff.  If you are not able to do this, can you offer some help?
  • Provide appropriate training regularly.
  • Ensure your team has the tools and resources they need to do their job well.
  • Keep organizational structure and communication clear.

The spiritual gift of kindness can be a powerful tool in a leader’s pouch to build loyalty and camaraderie with the people you lead. As you extend mercy and grace in practical ways, people will respond with respect and loyalty. As you reach out with benevolence and generosity, they will respond with a desire to do their best for the team.

We should be nice to those we lead, but we can go beyond that and provide useful and practical help as well.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Fruitful Leadership #4: Patience

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This is the fourth blog in a series about leading with the fruit of the Spirit. The fourth fruit listed in Galatians 5: 22 is patience. A few versions use “forbearance” or “longsuffering,” but patience is the word we would most likely use today.

There is an old joke about praying to God, “God, give me patience, and give it to me now.” Patience takes time. Patience is needed when there is an ongoing situation that requires waiting or enduring. No one needs patience for something that happens in the moment.

Patience is the ability to wait, or to continue doing something despite difficulties, or to suffer without complaining or becoming annoyed (Cambridge Dictionary).

So first, to demonstrate a character of patience, we need to learn to wait. As Christians, there are many times where, by faith, we wait for God to act. This is often the case when we have a need we have prayed about for a long period of time, and we trust in God and know that He will act in His timing and according to His will. So we wait. I had to do this for a couple of years. I had concluded my time at a church and was waiting for the next pastoral position to open up for me. And it was not happening. As I sent out resumes and prayed and waited – sometimes very impatiently – I sensed God was telling me to wait because He was setting up a new opportunity for me. Some days I felt very patient, others I did not. It took about three years for me to finally see this new opportunity that God was preparing for me. In the waiting, I kept doing what I could to be faithful and wait. Waiting takes patience. Patience means waiting.

An example of patience is found in the story of Abraham and Sarah. God had promised them a son, yet they had no children. No son was born. They waited for years and years. Abraham was 100 years old when Sarah finally gave birth to the son God had promised. Patience takes time.

Patience is also visible in a person when they are continuing to persevere despite difficulties. There are times when we, as Christian leaders, believe God is calling us to move the church or organization in a certain direction and not everyone agrees. Patience may mean continuing to push ahead slowly and steadily even though there is opposition. A Christian leader may see the need to be patient as they look to pursue a vision God has given them, yet they do not see it becoming a reality yet. Patience is pushing ahead even when facing opposition.

There are times when Christian leaders see the frustrating situations around them and would much rather complain and show their annoyance, yet as we allow the Spirit to encourage us, we can respond in a joyful and peaceful manner. Combining joy and peace with the act of patience will make the waiting experience more enjoyable.

Patience is called a fruit of the Spirit. This means we will produce this fruit more naturally if we continue to depend on the Holy Spirit than if we think it depends on our determination alone. We can bring all our concerns to God in prayer, and then depend on Him to give us patience when we would rather give up or respond with criticism and frustration.

May God give you patience as you continue to trust in Him.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Fruitful Leadership #3: Peace

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Peace is not a common commodity in our world today. There are conflicts between countries, in business, in families, and in our workplaces.

When I think of a picture of peace, I remember the lake at the camp I spent a number of summers at. It was a fairly large lake, so it was a rare morning where the lake was completely calm. Yet once in awhile, the winds died down completely and turned the surface of the lake into a sheet of glace. Not a ripple to ruin the effect.

It’s a rare day when the wind isn’t blowing in our lives. It’s not easy to experience complete peace.

As a Christian leader who wants to allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through us, we do want to bear the fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5: 22 . We want peace.

Yes, we want peace in our workplace. I’m primarily thinking of peace as the absence of conflict in the workplace. We want peace on our teams as they work together. We recognize the need to not let conflict simmer but to address it and work through it before it boils over.

Peace takes constant monitoring of the situations we are in. It takes discernment to know when something is eating away at peace and needs to be resolved. But if you are a leader who desires a peaceful workplace you will need to ensure you are at peace inside first.

Peace begins inside you – if you don’t have peace, you will have a hard time being peaceful in your relationships. Peace begins with a relationship with the Prince of Peace. We want Jesus to continue to help shape us to become like Himself. And we invite the Holy Spirit to work in our lives to make us more Christ-like. We need to pray that God will help us forgive others and not continue to carry personal hurts. We need God to fill us with His peace. Knowing that we are right with our creator, the God of the Universe, is a great place to start with peace.

To live out peace as a leader, we need to be at peace with our relationships at home. If we are in conflict in one area of our life, it is bound to create cracks in our peace with others. We cannot separate our private life from our public life. Keep short accounts at home before you even step into your leadership role. Peace is evident in harmonious relationships.

It is in the heat of the moment that what is inside comes out. When that mistake is made, or someone falls short of your expectations – what is your first response? If it is anger and shouting and judgement – you may need to work on peace in yourself first. Peace begins in us.

Peace has to be worked for. There are times when our Canadian troops have been sent into countries where there has been conflict, and they are called Peacekeepers. Jesus asks us to be peacemakers and says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9) As Christian leaders, we need to be people of peace. This spiritual fruit should be produced continually in our lives in our relationships and in our leadership.

Peace may cost us something. There may be times where we need to apologize and make things right. There may be times where we will need to address issues with those on our team that won’t make us popular. Peace means addressing the issues that are causing conflict. Those in conflict may not always want to resolve that conflict. As leaders, we can ask God to give us great wisdom in how we lead through conflict and bring peace.

But let’s remember, peace, as a spiritual fruit, can only be produced in our lives as we continually are at peace with our God. If this is fruit of the Spirit, then we need to surrender to the Spirit’s work in our lives. And then we will bear the fruit of peace.

May you experience peace and excel at peacemaking!

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Fruitful Leadership #2: Joy

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Would you include the word joy in your description of your workplace, or to define your leadership? In Galatians 5: 22 -23 we read a list of nine fruits of the Spirit. These are characteristics that should be evident in anyone who is a follower of Jesus. In this second post on fruitful leadership we will focus on how joy can be evident in your leadership.

Joy. Somehow the word just makes me smile. It elicits happiness even in those three letters. Its funny how a smile on your face can take a load off your shoulders. Just try it. Smile. Doesn’t that simple act make you feel a little happier already?

Joy is not often a word used to describe one’s workplace. More common would be words like boring or duty or frustration or feeling useless. 

Joy is defined in the Miriam Webster dictionary as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” It is about delight. Maybe that is why joy is not often present in a workplace because we always want more. We do not often possess our desires or even accomplish the goals of the company. There is always a push for more. It is more common to experience a sense of frustration than joy because there is always another goal to push for. As a leader, we can get so caught up in climbing that next hill that we don’t take time to enjoy the accomplishments of today.

Now, if we want to be a Christian leader who is radiating the Holy Spirit’s fruit, our joy cannot be dependent on our accomplishments or about having everything we desire. Our joy has to come from our relationship with Jesus and the experience of His Spirit in our lives. Our joy is then not based on our work and the level of success we experience but in our relationship with Jesus. Being in a state of is not dependent on outside influences or accomplishments but primarily on the fact that we have a God who loves us and cares for us. Our joy comes from knowing that we are in God’s hands, and He will look after us whether business is going well or not.

When I first became a pastor, I was told by a few people that I looked mad all the time. I did not realize this. It may have been my nervousness or my determination to focus and do a good job, but my expression on my face communicated that I was mad. I think I am smiling more. I have not had that comment for many years, and I am glad. Yet we do need to realize that people read our expressions and make assumptions. As leaders, we need to be aware of what we communicate – intentionally and unintentionally – and how this reflects the fruit of the Spirit.

For a two-year period, I worked at a job I did not love. I dreaded going to work every day. So, I began praying that God would give me joy at work. A few days later, as I was busy loading deliveries onto my truck, I suddenly paused. I had been whistling as I was moving pallets around! God was giving me a joy that I was not finding in my work. I was feeling lighter and not carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. It may be that we need to pray diligently that the Holy Spirit would fill us with His joy so that we can produce the fruit of joy as we lead people.

Joy in the workplace lifts people’s spirits. As leaders, we have a large role to play in creating the atmosphere in which work takes place. Let’s make sure that we are doing all we can to contribute to a joy-filled environment.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Book Reviews: Andy’s 2024 Reading Experience

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I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.

IMAGINATION REDEEMED: Glorifying God with a Neglected Part of Your Mind – by Gene Edward Veith Jr. and Matthew P. Ristuccia

The authors suggest that Christians have not paid enough attention to imagination and how it influences our daily walk with Christ. Imagination can help us when we are able to picture what we are reading in the Bible. Or it can hinder us when it leads us to imagine and dwell on sinful things. The book includes both a discussion on imagination and then a look at the Biblical book of Ezekiel and the visions included. The goal of the book is for Christians to pay more attention to their imagination and how it can be used for good. At one point we are challenged to think about God. They write, “If we are to conceive of him correctly – whether in our understanding, our imagination, or our will – our minds must be saturated with Holy Scripture.” (p. 34) They encourage us as believers to allow Scripture to guide our imagination. I was hoping for a little more on how to become more creative in our imagination, but they focused in on how to protect and enhance our godly imagination.

Book Reviews: Andy’s 2024 Reading Experience

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I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.

GO: Returning Discipleship to the Front Lines of Faith – by Preston Sprinkle

As Preston Sprinkle’s books usually do, this one also pushes the boundaries of what believers are comfortable with and used to.  He does a great job of biblically suggesting there is more to discipleship than just teaching and more to church than just Sunday morning worship. He points out that discipleship is about living out a relationship with Christ, and living it out in real and practical ways as we connect with others in our world. Chapter 9 is worth the cost of the whole book as he challenges believers to consider how much of our efforts and money is wrapped up in putting on nice Sunday services instead of helping people with their real needs. A challenging and encouraging read!

Perfect Public Prayers?

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Public prayers can have great significance or be almost meaningless.

Years ago, I knew an older man whose mind was starting to deteriorate. It wasn’t easy carrying on a conversation with him, yet when asked to pray, he would pray these great prayers. They were not necessarily eloquent or filled with theology, but you could sense the love for God and the sense of friendship with Him.

When I refer to public prayers, I mean those usually prayed in our Sunday services at church. Here’s why I think some are more significant than others. Sometimes it seems a prayer is prayed strictly out of tradition or routine. The service always opens in prayer, so the pastor needs to pray something. Or the pastor prays before he begins his sermon just because that his is routine. Sometimes it even seems like it is just filler or used as a transition. We’ll pray now so the musicians can sneak onto the stage and magically appear at their instruments.

Some public prayers seem like the ramblings of someone who has no idea what they want to pray about, so they just stumble into their prayer. In some cases, you know exactly what a person will pray because they always pray the same prayer. It seems that the one leading in prayer sometimes just says a few nice words, but has forgotten they are addressing the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of the Universe!

On the other hand, there are some prayers that are well thought through and prayed with heartfelt words like the older gentleman above. So how can we improve our public prayers?

First, remember whom you are addressing. When you are praying in a public service, you are not praying to the congregation. You are praying to the God of the universe. You are praying to the One who deserves all our praise. You might even want to begin your prayer with the lines of the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father who art in heaven,” or a similar address to the Creator of the world. As you lead in public prayer, you are functioning in a priestly role, bringing the congregation before the Father and connecting with Him.

Do not pray to teach someone something. Some public prayers seem as if the person praying is using that platform to try to tell the congregation something, rather than leading the congregation into the throne room of God. A prayer is not a time to teach a theological truth, though it is definitely a time to give thanks to God for that truth and what it means to us as believers. (And please don’t pray the announcements: “Thank you, God, that we can have a Valentines Banquet for our married couples next Friday at 7 and that we can get free tickets for the event.” Keep the prayer a prayer.)

When you are asked to pray publicly, do some preparing. Musicians practice their music. The pastor probably writes out his sermon. He might practice it out loud. Why would we not prepare, maybe even practice, what we want to say to God in our prayer?

I’m not sure where I got the impression, but when I was younger, I looked down on people who used written prayer. In my mind, you were less spiritual if you didn’t just “pray from your heart.” In my church we never used prayers of old or that others had written. Yet I have learned the value of writing out what I wanted to say. Sometimes I write out the complete prayer, other times I have a point form list to refer to. Taking time to do this means I have put some thought into what I will say.

If we write it out, we will be less likely to forget something we wanted to include. In a pastoral prayer you may want to have a reminder of the various needs of the congregation, including names of individuals needing prayer. In an opening prayer you may want to thank God for something related to the theme of the morning, or of the sermon coming later. It can be a time thank God for being the great and awesome God we have come to worship.

Writing out a prayer can help us avoid some of the annoying habits we get into without realizing it. We can cut down on the “umms” or stop repeating the same phrase. For some reason, a common word I often hear in prayer is “just.” We just want to thank you, we just want to ask you to help, we just…. Our words mean something. Saying “just” trivializes what we are asking God for or thanking him for.

It is a privilege and honour to lead in public prayer. Let’s treat it as the privilege and honour it is to approach our Heavenly Father on behalf of those gathered to worship.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe