The role of leadership in revival

The fate of the church rests squarely upon the shoulders of its leaders. Where are you leading your church?

Neal Wilson, former president of the General Conference, and currently serving as special assistant to the General Conference president.

Israel was in trouble. The combined armies of three nations had invaded the land, and Jehoshaphat knew that his army was no match for them. As the leader of God's people, he did exactly what God wanted him to do: "And jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court. . . . And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. . . .And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabit ants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord" (2 Chron. 20: 5-18).

Jehoshaphat is a role model for the leaders of God's people today. Whether the church is facing a crisis or seeking the power of God through revival and reformation so as to carry the gospel to "every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people," the role and responsibility of its leaders are paramount. The fortunes of the church often swing in the direction in which they move. Since the leaders, to a very large degree, determine the destiny of a group, it is imperative that we lead our people into the presence of God through repentance and the confession of sin, just as Jehoshaphat did.

The fate of ancient Israel

A careful reading of the Gospels reveals the attitude of the religious leaders toward Jesus. Commenting on the intrigue that characterized the closing days of His life, the Gospels make it clear that the religious leaders were the ones responsible for Jesus' death. On the other hand, "the common people heard him gladly" (Mark 12:37), and a careful reading of Acts indicates the joy with which thousands upon thousands of common people accepted Jesus. Yet we say "The Jews rejected Jesus." But who actually rejected Him, and what was the result?

As Pilate presented Jesus to the mob during His trial, "they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar" (John 19:15).

Commenting upon this verse, Ellen White emphasizes the role of the leaders and what happened to the people be cause of the decision of their representatives: "Thus by choosing a heathen ruler, the Jewish nation had withdrawn from the theocracy. They had rejected God as their king. Henceforth they had no deliverer. They had no king but Caesar. To this the priests and teachers had led the people. For this, with the fearful results that followed, they were responsible. A nation's sin and a nation's ruin were due to the religious leaders" (The Desire of Ages, pp. 737, 738).

At that time the Jewish people were God's corporate people. The leaders were responsible to God as the representatives of this group. They made the decision to reject Jesus and His claims, and God accepted the decision of the leaders as the decision of the body they represented. God could no longer call the Jews His chosen people, because they had cast Him aside in favor of a heathen ruler. Of course, individual Jews may still become members of the people of God by accepting Jesus as their personal Saviour. But the work that God had given the Jewish nation to do in the earth was given to another group—the Christian church.

At the close of His parable of the vine yard Jesus gave a sad commentary on this historic experience: "When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?" He asked. The religious leaders who listened to the parable replied: "He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husband men, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons" (Matt. 21:40, 41).

The church today is no different from God's ancient people. Paul tells us that the church is the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12); we are a corporate unit. "And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it" (verse 26). As we think upon the history of Israel and try to grasp what happened to God's ancient people, it should be cause for serious heart searching. The fate of these people rested upon the shoulders of their leaders. "A nation's sin and a nation's ruin were due to the religious leaders."

The fate of modern Israel

Just as surely as the fate of ancient Israel rested in the hands of their religious leaders, so the fate of God's people today rests heavily in the hands of church leaders. They will largely determine the future of this church, and be accountable for it. After all, who else could be held responsible?

What will that future be?

Malachi chastised the priests the spiritual leaders of his day for failing to lead the people aright: "For men hang upon the words of the priest and seek knowledge and instruction from him, be cause he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts. But you have turned away from that course; you have made many stumble with your instruction" (Mal. 2:7, 8, NEB). What the religious leadership is, the people will usually become. If the leadership is carnally minded, the people will have little interest in spiritual things. However, if the leaders are dedicated to doing God's will, to glorifying Him before the world, the people will reflect their dedication and the quality of their leadership.

God has given the Seventh-day Adventist Church the responsibility of proclaiming the last warning message to a dying world. The condition of the world and the urgency of the message call for every ounce of energy we possess. It demands that our priorities be built upon a living relationship with our God. He must be able to communicate the last warning through us, unhindered by an agenda that focuses attention upon human interests that war against the completion of the task that God has given us.

Through the writings of His prophet Ellen White, God has given clear and pointed instruction to the leadership of His remnant church. A summary of the major points of this instruction can be found in a series of 19 articles on the life of Nehemiah that Ellen White wrote for The Southern Watchman. *

I wish to share three statements from this series that emphasize the important part played by leadership in bringing the people into harmony with God's will. The first speaks of the importance of the influence of the priests of Israel, and the position they were in to use this influence for the good of God's cause or to its detriment. "Among the first to catch Nehemiah's spirit of zeal and earnestness were the priests of Israel. From the position of influence which they occupied, these men could do much to hinder or advance the work. Their ready cooperation at the very outset contributed not a little to its success. Thus should it be in every holy enterprise. Those who occupy positions of influence and responsibility in the church should be foremost in the work of God. If they move reluctantly, others will not move at all. But 'their zeal will provoke very many.' When their light burns brightly, a thousand torches will be kindled at the flame" (The Southern Watchman, Apr. 5, 1904).

If the work of God is languishing in your institution or in your field or in your conference or in your church, you should first examine yourself to see if the cause lies there. It is God's desire for His work to prosper, for it is through the work that He has given to us that precious souls for whom He died will be snatched from the grip of the enemy. He will give success where the leadership is dedicated to Him. Where other matters absorb the attention and energy of the leaders, there will be little or no movement on their part to advance the work of God. Let the leaders be on fire with a genuine, holy zeal, and the majority of our people will catch the spirit of enthusiasm and their torches will be lit.

Notice the instruction given in the second statement: "His [Nehemiah's] energy and determination inspired the people of Jerusalem; and strength and courage took the place of feebleness and discouragement. His holy purpose, his high hope, his cheerful consecration to the work, were contagious. The people caught the enthusiasm of their leader, and in his sphere each man became a Nehemiah, and helped to make stronger the hand and heart of his neighbor. Here is a lesson for ministers of the present day. If they are listless, inactive, destitute of godly zeal, what can be expected of the people to whom they minister?" (ibid., June 28, 1904).

The message is clear. If we want to see a revival in the church, it must begin with us. If we want to see the people of God filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit, the fire must start first in our hearts.

Now the third statement: "The spirit manifested by the leader will be, to a great extent, reflected by the people. If the leaders professing to believe the solemn, important truths that are to test the world at this time manifest no ardent zeal to prepare a people to stand in the day of God, we must expect the church to be careless, indolent, and pleasure-loving" (ibid., Mar. 29, 1904).

If we look out upon God's people, and if we deplore their spiritual condition, lack of zeal, carelessness, and love of pleasure, could it be that they are reflecting what they see in leadership?

Let the revival begin here

The 1990 General Conference session is upon us. Delegates, participants, and leaders from around the world will assemble in Indianapolis. What an opportunity for us to press together and to commit ourselves to seek a revival within our own lives and within the church! God's presence and the outpouring of His Spirit will accompany such a commitment. It is interesting that over the years God has informed us through His prophet that He was prepared to do great things for His church at General Conference sessions. This was true in 1888, 1893, and 1901. Regrettably, the leadership never seemed to be in a position to allow God to fulfill His wishes.

The truth of this is forced upon our minds in that haunting chapter we have considered before: "What Might Have Been." Ellen White describes a vision she received sometime in 1902 in which she was taken back to the General Conference session in 1901. At the beginning of 1903 she wrote to the Battle Creek church about the vision and what God had wanted to do at the 1901 session.

The opening paragraph wrings the heart of anyone who wants this night mare of sin to end and who wants to go home to be with Jesus: "One day at noon I was writing of the work that might have been done at the last General Conference if the men in positions of trust had followed the will and way of God. Those who have had great light have not walked in the light. The meeting was closed, and the break was not made. Men did not humble themselves before the Lord as they should have done, and the Holy Spirit was not imparted" (Testimonies, vol. 8, p. 104).

The passage goes on to describe what God wanted to do at that session in a scene that makes a profound impression upon all who read it. The Holy Spirit was doing a deep work, and all were bowed in prayer. Then someone arose from prayer and began to confess his sins and to ask forgiveness from his fellow workers. The spirit of confession and repentance spread throughout the whole tabernacle. "No one seemed to be too proud to make heartfelt confession, and those who led in this work were the ones who had influence, but had not before had courage to confess their sins" (ibid., p. 105). The hearts of all were filled with a holy joy.

The passage concludes with a summary of what might have been:" 'All this the Lord was waiting to do for His people. All heaven was waiting to be gracious.' I thought of where we might have been had thorough work been done at the last General Conference, and an agony of disappointment came over me as I realized that what I had witnessed was not a reality" (ibid., pp. 105, 106).

My fellow believers and leaders, the destiny of the church rests with us! What are we going to do in Indianapolis? We have enough evidence to convince us that God is waiting upon us so He can finish the work. He has arranged the affairs of nations so that the church has greater freedom to proclaim the three angels' mes sages of Revelation 14. He has stirred our people to begin praying for the latter rain. He has given us all of the instruction that we need to place ourselves in a proper relationship with Him so He can give us this power. He has clearly outlined the responsibilities of leaders.

I have committed myself to do all that God asks of me as a leader in His remnant church. I call upon each of you to join me in confession, humiliation, repentance, and earnest prayer. I hope that history will record that the General Conference session of 1990 was committed to seeking the latter rain, to revival and reformation, and to repentance and humiliation. We cannot let this session go down in church history as a time when all heaven was waiting to pour out the power of God's Spirit upon us, and we failed God by not preparing to receive it, by allowing items of lesser importance to crowd out the one thing that must have priority, by pressing our own agendas so that God's agenda is excluded.

I urge you to join me. We must not let this opportunity pass us by.

*This series first appeared in The Southern Watchman in the issues that ran from March 1 to July 12, 1904. The Ellen G. White Estate has re produced these articles, complete with a study guide, in a convenient booklet entitled Lessons From the Life of Nehemiah. They would make an excellent series of studies for a study/prayer group or for a weekly prayer meeting series. If you are interested, contact the White Estate at 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, Maryland 20904.


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Neal Wilson, former president of the General Conference, and currently serving as special assistant to the General Conference president.

June 1990

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