Leadership - Part 1

As you can see from your bulletin, the title is Leaders Born or Made. It's an age-old debate. As we study about the Melchizedek priesthood, and hopefully by now you all understand that and how we are being trained to follow in the line of Jesus Christ of the Melchizedek priesthood, we will be kings and priests, as it says. But do you truly believe that? If you will, I'd like you to turn with me to Revelation 20 in verse 6.

There we go. Maybe I hit it, if that's what it is. I hope you have a couple batteries ready in case. Okay, so that gave everybody time to get to Revelation 20. Revelation 20 in verse 6, as I read from the New Living Translation, blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. We'll talk about that on Pentecost because we all want...

... There we go. We're back in business, guys.

Revelation 20 in verse 6, blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be... what? Priests. Mine says they will be the priests of God and of Christ and will then reign. Kings and priests. They will reign with Him for a thousand years. So it's important that we see, have that vision to see what our destiny is and that we are here now working and training to do that. God has called us to be leaders.

I like noted author and speaker on leadership, John Maxwell. You may have seen his writings in various places. He put it as succinctly and as beautifully as I could ever want to when he defines leadership as the ability to influence others. Isn't that simple? What is a leader? The ability. Leadership? The ability to influence others. I remember in the story of JFK in the Second World War when a Japanese cutter tore right through the boat he was commanding, PT 109 actually killed a couple people as it cut through and the other men, though hurt and damaged, had to swim to the shores in the South Pacific to an island overtaken by the Japanese. And John F. Kennedy related the story later as he helped not only injured men but the other ones find their way to the island till they were eventually rescued. And yet he had the option to option out and not be on that boat, but he wanted to do his part as his brother had lost his life. But when this question came up later about making a movie, as you might remember, if Robertson starred in PT 109 boat, they came. It was an actual movie made during his presidency, which had never been done before. So they came and asked him about doing this movie, and he actually said, just as long as it's authentic and it tells the truth, I have no problem, but I don't want to see it turned into something that did not happen. And as they actually interviewed him about that, they said, was it your born leadership in you that made you the hero that you were during that event? And you had to love his answer. He said, no, they sank my boat. What else would I going to do?

But his instincts took over, and naturally he wanted to save as many men as possible.

We have all seen good leaders. We've seen bad leaders in our lives, haven't we? And hopefully we have actually seen great leaders, a few, may have been in our lifetimes. But our training is to be future kings and priests in the kingdom of God will require us to study leadership. If you want to be a great leader, you better study other leaders. That's all of us. As this old hippie once said, this is not my world, I'm just passing through it. Well, similar to us. It's not our world yet. Our world is coming yet in the future. When it does, it will require leadership. It will require kings and priests. That's why you're here. It's one of the reasons you're called. Some of our greatest training in life is in the observation of what works and what doesn't work, not only in our life, but other people's lives, right? We observe and we say, I don't want to go down that path, or I watched that life and I want to kind of follow that path, as we are all called to follow Jesus Christ in our lives.

As once said that those who fail to learn from the past are, what? Doomed to repeat it.

I'd like you to turn to 2 Timothy 3. 2 Timothy 3, you should all know this. You know that, where it came from. You also know the teaching. 2 Timothy 3 and verse 16, and the new King James says, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for training. Training in righteousness. That's why we have this book. It's a training manual. Right, Neil? Right. It is. That's why we read it. That's why we study it. It's our training manual. And then, but why? Why is it training? Well, in verse 17 it says, so that the people of God may be complete. Are you complete? I'm not complete yet. I cannot really throw the manual out. I don't know about you. Don't know they ever will. But they may be so that these trainees may be complete. It says, thoroughly equipped. I'm still being equipped. Okay? For every good work. And I loved a few verses before that, as Paul is reminding Timothy, as he reminds all of us, says, you have known the Scriptures from youth which are able to make you what? What's he say? Wise! Wise! Wise! Don't you think that's a quality? Maybe even a qualification of a leader is to have wisdom? I do.

You know, all leaders, past, present, and future, needed or needs wisdom. I think God thought that, because since he left for us 31 chapters, stock full of wisdom in the book of Proverbs.

I'd like to go there, if you will, with me. I'll be reading from the New Living Translation. Proverbs, let's look at some of this wisdom that was given to us as future leaders by a leader who actually was a great leader for the first 20 years of his reign, and he lost his way the last 20. Perhaps he didn't read his own writing, or perhaps he did whatever he wanted to do, instead of what God wanted him to do. So we know from Solomon. But let's go to chapter 17. Chapter 17, verse 26, I so remember my father telling me when I was in my teenage years to read the book of Proverbs. I had an Old King James Version and got lost in the translation, I think, so many times because I wasn't that interested in it. That's why I like the New Living Translation. In Proverbs 17, verse 26, it is wrong to punish the godly for being good. That's wise, if you're a leader. Not always observed today, though, is it? So it is wrong to punish the godly for being good, or to flog leaders for being honest. We do that sometimes in this country, but he's honest, they don't want to hear it.

Verse 27, a truly wise person uses few words. Hmm.

A person with understanding is even-tempered. Qualities of leaders. I have found out, as one of my mentors even reminded me not long ago when he was at my house, that I said, what have you learned over the 40 years in your ministry? He said to talk less and listen more. He said, and I found out over that time, I just need to listen more and kind of take in everything that's said, and not always say what I want to say. So he said, I think it's just as important to learn not to say things as it is to say things, as he evaluates things, and I respect him a great deal. And he says, and I'm going to read to you, verse 28, Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent. And then it says, With their mouths shut, they seem intelligent. So if you don't feel too intelligent, keep your mouth shut, and it tells here that people are going to think, hmm, must be a wise old guy. I think it's worth following. Pretty good to think about. And I think about myself in my 20s, I had all the answers.

And if you didn't want to hear it, that's all right, I'll tell you anyway. Oh, this is kind of telling us a little something about leadership.

Chapter 18, verse 15, intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge. Minds this? Knowledge. Pretty good wisdom. Verse 17, the first to speak in court sounds right until the cross-examination begins. It's like somebody jumping the gun. Oh, oh, I hear your side of the story. Oh, that's how it is. And then you find out later, no, there's another side of the story. And as I had a man tell me one time, yeah, there's his side of the story, there's her side of the story, and then there's the right side of the story, right in the middle somewhere.

How many of us jumped the gun? We'll hear some on television. They wouldn't dare stretch the truth on television, would they? Or we hear it on the radio. Or somebody comes and tells us something. Did you see what she said about you?

Well, did you hear it? No, but somebody else told me. And somebody told them that.

Wisdom and leadership is one who... Give me the facts. Give me the facts.

One said something about a leader one time. Well, give him all the answers and he'll make the right decision, not just the right answers. Because what's right to some person, some people, doesn't necessarily mean it's right to others. You need all the information. And that's what this is telling us as leaders, not to jump the gun. Because you have to make decisions.

And you can make some very devastating decisions for not only yourself, but other people. This is why God wants... He wants kings in the kingdom of God. Because Christ is called the King of kings. He wants leaders. He wants kings, but He wants us to be priests so we will make the right decision all the time with all the information as we evaluate it through the Holy Spirit. Now you turn to Proverbs 27. Proverbs 27.

Proverbs 27 and verse 17. We all know this, but do we practice it? As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. And is our iron being sharpened or dulled by the people that we associate with?

Even in church. And then he comes down to verse 21. Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised. A person is tested. A leader is tested by being praised. You can see when somebody is being praised and they will... or they will... I said, stand taller. Yes, yes, I guess I am that great. Yes. We see it all the time, don't we? Right. We see it in the music world where somebody is... all of a sudden they have one or two hits and then everybody's praising. The stadiums are filling up and they are just like... now I can't be bothered with the little people.

And then all of a sudden they're a one-hit wonder. And four years later, they're on some TV show about whatever happened to...

and you don't see them like this. Can you handle being praised? God wants to have leaders who are humble, who can handle it. Well, wasn't that the lesson Christ kept telling His disciples? Time and time and time again, as we will end with that verse today.

Let's go back to one other verse in Proverbs because I love this one. Proverbs 11. Proverbs 11. This is tailor made for this message.

In the New Living Translation, Proverbs 11 and verse 14, without wise leadership, a nation falls. There is safety in having many advisors. A good lesson for us. Do we have advisors? I have many.

One sitting on the front row holding Koya. She's advisor. Many of you, so many of you, are advisors. I come to you about different things because you all have a variety of gifts and talents and personalities. I don't try to do this just by myself. Without wise leadership, a nation fails. We've seen it. We have a history about that. So do you want to be this leader? Well, I just kind of like to be, you know, back in the back. Well, that's fine, but there's a time when you must lead. There's a time up ahead that you will rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years.

He's not looking for wallflowers.

That's why we're here to be trained. The same John Maxwell. I love this quote I read it many years ago. And I hope you will remember this. A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.

A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. Even if it means swimming upstream, right? Even if it means going uphill and never going downhill. Even if it means being unpopular. That's big. Because if you're wanting to be popular, leadership is not the way to go. Because people are going to not be friendly towards you. Who are you to tell me?

Who died and made you God, as I would hear often in high school?

There was a movie a few years ago. I saw part of it. Not big into animated pictures, but I saw a little part of this. It's called A Bug's Life. Anybody see a bug's life? Got any? No? No? Not many. Just a few. Okay, now you're you were like, but what was interesting was I remember a line as one of these bugs are out there, and it's showing the story of kind of how bugs live and like us in a way. And but one of them actually said the first rule of leadership is everything's your fault.

And there's a lot to that, isn't there?

More truth than you think. About a year ago, a little over a year ago, my phone rang on a Thursday night. It typically rings at night. I get busy and I looked at the caller ID, and it was from somewhere in Kansas. And I was thinking, well, I don't really know a lot of people in Kansas, but it could be a feast question.

It could be somebody traveling through. I don't know where the feast was. It just could be, you know, maybe a pastor from Kansas is calling. So I pick up the phone and said, this is Chuck Smith. And the other man on the line says, is this pastor of the United Church of God? I said, yes, it is. What can I help you with? At which, he quoted me first, Jeremiah 23 verse 1, "'Woe to you shepherds who scatter the sheep!' And then he proceeded to talk nonstop for the next 15 minutes, telling me how bad I was, how bad all the ministers and united were, how we had caused all the problems, everything.

And he just went into this diatribe that just went on and on and on. And I listened until he was through. And then his next words were, are you still there? I said, yes, I am. I said, I have a question for you. Who are you? Who are you? And then he proceeded to tell me who he was and everything about himself, and went on for another time. I said, do you know me? Have you heard my sermons? Have you watched YouTube? Is any of this... Because you're saying all these things, that's not how I pastor a church.

I don't understand where you're coming from. So then he talked for probably another 20-25 minutes, which I listened. And I said, well, I need more information. Why don't you call me back? And I'll try to get some information for you, because I don't know what to say to you. I don't. This is not how we pastor churches.

Maybe that's how they do it in Kansas. I don't know. But I'll find out. So he said, well, you probably won't answer the phone. I said, oh, no, I'll answer the phone. So he called me back exactly a week later, after I had time to call the pastor that I knew. And I knew him to be a pretty decent guy who I'd heard good things about. I had met him a couple of times.

So I asked him, I called up the pastor, and I said, do you know such and such? I gave his name, and he goes, yes, I do. And I said, he's telling me all this stuff. He said, he's got real problems. And I said, well, he says, we're the ones that are the problems, and we created the problems.

And he said, yes, I met with him. I said, he said, you wouldn't have anything to do with him, and you wouldn't even take his phone calls or do anything else. He said, yeah, you are correct. He said, I spent a year trying to work with him. Many times, met him, I don't know how many times, would meet him at various places to talk with him. And he brought the same thing up again.

He said, his wife left him. His family has nothing to do with him, and he went to every church of God within 20 miles. And they all kicked him out because he just caused so many problems, brought such negativity into the church, and would blame everybody for everything. He said, I just couldn't after a while, I couldn't help. He said, he got to where he was kicked out, and he was living in some little bitty, almost like a stall that some farmer had. And that's where he was living. And he had his vehicle, and he would actually drive in and use the internet.

And he was into the internet really big into everything. He would look up everything. And the issue was that he said, I started meeting him, and he'd want to meet with me at Starbucks, McDonald's, wherever they had the internet. Because they kicked him out of the library, because he would just talk to the computer loud with everybody when he didn't like something.

And then he actually was, he could no longer meet in Starbucks. He would no longer meet, could meet because McDonald's, and it takes a lot for you to get kicked out of McDonald's. But he just wanted to talk to anybody who would sit and listen about the end of the world coming!

Not balanced. So he did call me back. Exactly the same thing. Whoa, to you, shepherds! So I actually said, wait a minute, I would like you to do something for me. You have the internet? Go and listen to my sermons. And if you find one of those sermons like that, call me, because we'll make sure we take it off. All you ministers are alike. And I said, you don't know me. You don't know, you don't know the bread, you don't know any of the ministers, and yet you say this. To which he basically said his life was falling apart. He didn't know what to do. He doesn't know what to do. He's lost. He has put so much stuff in his head that he doesn't know what's coming or going, and neither does anybody else who talks to him. I wasn't really able to help him. Tried. Spent a little time to where I finally had to say, somebody else can help you. I can't. I can't help you. Because for one thing, it's important for a leader to listen, which I try. But it's also important that it's a two-way conversation that somebody else listens also. Because if they just go into that, how does a marriage work? If you're just one person, listens, and the other one talks all the time. It doesn't.

So it is... leadership is not always enjoyable. Sometimes it's the worst part of your job, is being a leader where you have to make decisions. I wanted to help him and gave him instructions, but when I turned to the Bible, he wanted to use that scripture, but he didn't seem to know many of the others.

King David's last words, the last words he had to say, according to this Bible, were about leadership. Can we go there? I'd like to go to 2 Samuel. 2 Samuel 23. Somebody doesn't like the sermon. You're a long way from being a leader right now, so you don't have to worry about it. Is that Nicholas?

2 Samuel 23. I'll read from, of course, a New Living Translation. Verse 2 through 4. So David is laying there dying. These are his last words. He said, The Spirit of the Lord speaks through me. His words are upon my tongue. You know, I want that when I'm dying. I wish they could say that about me. I hope that happens. The God of Israel spoke. The Rock of Israel said to me, The one who rules righteously, who rules in the fear of the Lord, is like the light of morning at sunrise, like a morning without clouds, like a gleaming of the sun on new grass after rain. Rules righteously. He knew something about it. He'd been ruling for 40 years.

Born or made? Born or made? You know, geneticists? Geneticists at the University College in London experimented on 4,000 individuals to find that those who were supervisors or leaders at their jobs all had the RS4950 gene. Hmm. Well, that proves it then. They're born, right?

But also, psychologists and neuroscientists at Wake Forest University discovered that those in leadership positions have more brain activity in their frontal and prefrontal lobes. The frontal lobe is responsible for cognitive skills such as expressing emotion, solving problems, the ability to judge, and the ability to retain memory and language skills. The prefrontal lobe is involved in even more complex cognitive skills such as making decisions, regulating social behavior. Hmm. Isn't that something we need more of in this world today? Regulating our social behavior besides our social networks?

All of the above skills are critical, they said, for leadership roles. But not everything in my frontal and prefrontal lobe was put there at birth. A lot of it is learned. A lot of it is discipline, is how we learn to retain, how we memorize, how we do these things. Yeah, others are gifted. There are people who are naturally gifted. If you had a photographic memory, that would be one. But you find that doesn't always play the part in these things. So, born or made? Or is it both?

But does good leadership really matter? Most companies think so. But I don't know, they pay a lot of leaders at big companies millions of dollars to go in the hole to lose money. But they don't stay there usually very long. 2340 years ago, this year, one of the greatest leaders in the history of mankind died. His name was Alexander the Great. He died in 323 BC. And he was a leader. As a matter of fact, he conquered the entire world, just about. His strategies are still studied at military academies. Do you know what he said about leader?

Alexander the Great said, I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep. But I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.

Very wise words. That shows how important he thought leadership was. Ken Blanchard, motivational speaker, writer, he wrote a book that I would recommend. Not often do I recommend certain books, but this one I do. I read it almost 15-18 years ago. Ken Blanchard wrote The One Minute Manager. One Minute Manager is a book about, it takes you less than an hour to read it. Very good book for any leader. Anybody that works with other people. The One Minute Manager. But in the book, he actually said, the key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.

That's today. God was looking for that. If you'll go back with me into Ezekiel 22. Ezekiel 22. God was looking for that and couldn't find it. Couldn't find it and had to put a whole nation into captivity. Because there was nobody to lead the people the way he had blessed them to be led. Okay. Ezekiel 22. Excuse me. Ezekiel 22 and verse 26 said, Your priests have violated my instructions and defiled my holy things. They make no distinction between what is holy and what is not. And if a priest can't, who then could?

And they do not teach my people the difference between what is ceremonially clean and unclean. They disregard my Sabbath day so that I am dishonored among them. And then down in verse 30, he said, God said, I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap.

Looking for a leader.

In the wall so I wouldn't have to destroy the land, but it says, but I found no one. Are you a gap stander?

Are you here to stand in the gap when it's needed?

Paul was an incredible example of someone who started bad but ended great. He was an example. But he said, only follow me as I follow Christ. Because I'm sure he had some followers when he started. It's obvious that he did. Imitate me as I imitate Christ. You know, there are good and bad examples of leadership. And sometimes it's just as important to know about bad leadership as it is to know about good. Because we need to see. And there was this really good article in Entrepreneur Magazine by Bernard Marr, who wrote, he's a best-selling author and also speaker, and he wrote this article called, Characteristics of a Bad Leader. Characteristics of a Bad Leader. Because most Entrepreneur Magazine is all about, well, I did this and I led my company and I bought this, but here this was different. The amazing part to me was reading these seven characteristics lined up so much with what the Scriptures teach us.

What the Bible tells us about bad examples. I want to do that rather quickly. Here, as I'll go through these. The number one. Anybody care to guess what the number one characteristic of a bad leader? Pride. Pride? No, but it was on there. Narcissism? Yes, sir. Selfish?

Well, similar. The number one was lack of empathy. Lack of empathy. It is someone who cannot put themselves in other people's shoes. Cannot put themselves in the shoes of the people they're working with. Number two was fear of change. Same old, we've always done it this way, we're always going to do it that way. Number three, too willing to compromise. Hmm, sounds different.

It means they really didn't stand for anything. They could move. They were a moving target. Oh, I need to do this today? Fine. Oh, I need to do... Oh, we'll go back and do that.

Number four, too bossy. Too bossy.

Not a leader worthy to follow, as one of the notes said. Number five, wishy-washy. Wishy-washy. They want to make everyone happy. You come over here? Oh, okay, we'll do this. Oh, no, we'll do this. And what do you get? No absolutes.

Number six, poor judgment of character. Poor judgment of character. And found so often that a leader... One of the problems that he talked about was that somebody in the company, somebody working with, would know just what this guy liked. It's kind of like the teacher's pet that brings the apple. Except here, they would bring in the Starbucks coffee, just exactly like he liked it. They would know, oh, his favorite sports team. And so they would then start keeping up with their favorite sports team, so they could, what? Relate to him or her, or find out what their boss, this woman's favorite movie was. And they watched it a dozen times so that they could relate, and they would throw out these scenes from the movie, and she was like, wow, you saw that movie. Wow, you know that? That's my favorite movie. Why were they doing it? Were they sincere? No. And so they would butter the boss up to where they finally became up there. And later you found such a lack of character by them. Finally, number seven, which you brought up, lack of humility. Lack of humility. Now, isn't that something for a worldly publication to talk about leadership? It's lack of humility.

And it actually says that one of the things that they would like to have is someone who is respectable and respectful. That's all they wanted. Respectable and respectful.

Which brings us back to number one, lack of empathy. Good leaders lead.

Right? Good leaders lead. They actually produce something. They are actual, actual of value. Because you see many companies, right? Where they make fun of the boss, because the boss is at this position. He really doesn't do anything. And they recognize it. And there's no respect there. Does God expect us as leaders in the kingdom of God that we won't be doing anything? I don't think so. What did Christ do? Christ set the tone when he was here. He came to be a servant. And he worked. He said, I worked. My father worked. I worked. Well, guess what? You're in the kingdom of God? You're going to work.

It won't be like it is in these companies today. I always loved the story of the company. Big company.

Someone had gone to this island and found some cannibals. And so they saw what great workers these cannibals were. So they brought them back. Said, hey, well, I'll put them in this big company because we know we can get work out of them. And that was really good. So they employed these seven cannibals. And so they just asked. They said, but you won't need to eat anybody anymore. Because with your job, we have a cafe open so you can eat all three meals. Right here, you work. You just go home and you come and you work and you can eat everything else. And they go, well, that's great. So for about six weeks, they were like, wow, these guys are getting stuff done until the boss calls them all in, sets them in a room. And he says, I've got to ask you a question. One of our secretaries is Missy. Did anybody eat her?

They all shook their head, no, no. So he walked out of the room. And the head cannibal looked at the other one and said, did you eat her? He goes, yeah. He said, you dummy, we have it so good here. For the last six weeks, we have been eating managers and leaders and nobody noticed until you ate somebody who actually did something.

See, that is an example, probably a poor one, but an example of how people look at things today. We cannot be that way. We can't be like that. We must be a leader who, what? Wants to serve like Jesus Christ. Let's go as we wrap this sermon up. And let's go to Mark, Mark 9. Mark 9, verse 33, and I'll be reading from the New Living Translation.

Verse 33. After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, what were you discussing out on the road, like you didn't know already? And they didn't answer because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. Another translation we'll get into next time is part two in a couple weeks is actually who would be the greatest, but this was actually said, who was the greatest?

Twelve men talking and Christ was teaching in such lessons, and he goes, you know, got a year or two here, and they're talking about, I'm the greatest. I'm the greatest. How disappointing must that have been to him when you leave these guys to themselves and what do they start talking about, how great I am? How disappointing he must be with some of us when we think or talk about our great qualities, our great gifts that he gives us.

Let's finish this up.

He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, whoever wants to be first must take last place. Boy, that is so different than the world. So different from the advice that I read or the things that the world looks at. If you want to be first, you have to be last. That's mind-boggling! No, in today's world, that's stupid. That's idiotic! Who wants to take the last place?

But isn't that what we're being taught? Isn't that what we're able to exemplify? Is it, okay, somebody's in line and you say, no, you go ahead. No, you go first. Of course, now it's going to be hard to get anybody to go to the line first. They're all, I want to be last. But you see, it's a mindset. It's a mindset. And you know, it's amazing that each and every one of us at our jobs that we've worked at know a person that God hasn't called. But they have been taught to care about other people, and they don't care to be first. And you know, you usually have to work really hard to show them up, if you can say that. It's not about showing them up, but to show a better example than them.

Usually, that's a gift that's been given to them by their family, by their parents as they grew up. Oh, give that to them. That's why we teach kids. You know, I was taught at a very young age, and I still remember that. And, you know, that's been 50 years ago. My father, walking down the street with me, and there was a... 50 years ago, a quarter was something. Quarter doesn't mean a lot today, and there was a quarter on the ground. We'd see a penny, occasionally, but a quarter. And I remember, boy, I ran down, had my little pants on, and I just... ran and grabbed that and put that in my pocket. Man, I had my hand on it. I didn't want to lose it.

My father said, no. What'd you do? I said, there's a quarter. Somebody lost a quarter. He said, but you didn't.

And I said, yeah, but... He said, no. Put it back where you got it. And I'm like, but, man, that was so hard. To get it out of... Of course, I knew he would take it out of my pocket. If he had to take my pants off me, he would have gotten it and put it down. And, you know, less than a week ago, I was walking down the sidewalk and saw a penny. And that story came back to me. Because I wouldn't even pick up that penny. It's not mine. It's not mine. Now, you say, well, somebody else... Yep, not me. Not mine. Because that's the lesson that my father taught me. If it's not mine, don't touch it. We'd go over to somebody's house and my grandmother's house. I remember, and there was this thing up... Man, a shiny little thing on all the little trinkets she had. And I reached and got it. And next thing I know, my dad's like, What? That's not yours. That's not yours. And I said, but I was just looking. Doesn't matter. It wasn't yours. You don't unless you ask. That is part of... As I look at, as I think about Father's Day coming up, I've been thinking about my father. I think he was a leader. Oh, he wasn't any great. You know, he wasn't any great. He didn't have a big job or anything like that. But you know, he was a leader in our family. And he led by examples. And he taught us those examples. And what an incredible man he was. Because now, 50 years... I still have that in my mind. You remember what I said at the first? The first influence. Brethren, we influence a lot of people. You influence a lot of people in your life. Whether it's your family. Whether it's people you work with. By the way we conduct ourselves. And this is the most wonderful guidebook he gave us. Some of you get to instruct your children. You get to be examples. You get to teach them. Some of you get to teach your grandchildren.

And some of us, we have a job of helping each other to learn.

So leaders born or made? Or is it both? Next time we'll go into that, part two, in two weeks from today. Because I want to explore a couple examples from the Bible. But please remember this. A leader is not a leader unless they lead. And a Christian is not a Christian. Unless they live it every day. And they live it as an example. And brethren, that's one of the reasons we're here.

We're called to be leaders.