UN-TEMPERED MORTAR READING Eze.13:10-12 Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, ‘Peace! when there is no peace — and one builds a wall, and they plaster it with un-tempered mortar — say to those who plaster it with un-tempered mortar, that it will fall. There will be flooding rain, and you, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall tear it down. Surely, when the wall has fallen, will it not be said to you, Where is the mortar with which you plastered it?’?” Eze.13:10-12, NKJV INTRODUCTION 1Kig.12:16-17 [TLB] Nigeria is heading for a critical period in her existence as a nation – the general elections of 2015. The destiny of the nation from then on will be determined by the make of the crop of leaders we approve of, through the ballot box, to steer the ship of the nation. In making our individual and collective choices of leaders in 2015, we must know that the 21st Century society, including Nigeria, is a complex one, far more advanced than it was in the 1960s. The meaning of that is that the 21st Century leadership is not the one that we can tolerate to learn on the job. And whether we speak of our political leadership, organizational leadership, Church leadership, or even leadership in the home, we cannot afford to risk neophytes as our next crop of leaders. For this to happen, we must outgrow the tradition of having “to beg people to assume leadership positions, and then go on to beg them to perform”. This, of course, has been the primary reason why the Nigerian leader does not feel a sense of responsibility and accountability to the people. DEFINITIONS 1Tim.3:6 He must not be a new believer, because he might become puffed up with pride and thus fall under the same judgment as did the Adversary. 1Tim.3:6, CJB To be un-tempererd is to be lacking in physical strength. It is to be of inferior material. An un-tempered man is one who is unskilled. He is unqualified. He is a novice. He has no experience. MEN OF VISION Pro.29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish… Pro. 29:18, KJV What is vision? It is being able to SEE into the mind and purpose of God for His people, and the nation, both for the immediate now and the future. The situation with most nations of the world, including ours, is that we have leaders who are practically blind and cannot discern anything good for the people. The consequences of such leadership is very clear, Here are some of the story-illustrations Jesus used in his sermons: What good is it for one blind man to lead another? He will fall into a ditch and pull the other down with him. Luk.6:39, TLB When leadership is visionless, when leadership is blind, destruction awaits the people. Whether it is the nation, family, the Church or any other organizations, the 21st Century leaders must be men and women of vision. They must be men and women with thorough knowledge and understanding of issues and who possess the liver to run with such visions. They must be leaders who are pathfinders, performers and transformers. They must be leaders who are not novices because the days and times we live in have no room for trial-and-error leadership. CHARACTERISTICS OF UN=TEMPERED LEADERSHIP Psa.15:4-5, Jug.11:30-34, Matt.14:6-10 despise the despicable. Keep your word even when it costs you, make an honest living, never take a bribe. Psa.15:4-5, Msg. 1. They are round pegs in square holes. 2. They lie to the people because they lack integrity. 3. They commit blunders on the job because they lack knowledge. 4. They do not keep their words; they are promise breakers. 5. They lack vision and discernment. 6. They are dishonest. 7. They make promises they do not intend to keep. 8. They present the exact opposite of what the situation on ground is. 9. They give false hope to the people. 10. They are in leadership not for service but to be served. Such are the trademarks of untempered leaders. Like the untempered mortar that cannot hold together a construction work, or a cracked wall, the untempered leader cannot initiate or drive any course. Hand them a nation, a Church or an organization, they will run it aground. When an untempered mortar is used to plaster a wall, it will be a matter of time, the plaster will give way under harsh weather conditions and the building will collapse. Similarly, when an untempered man is placed in a position of leadership, as has generally been the case in our nation and Churches, it will be a matter of time, the make of such a leader will be revealed when confronted with the challenges of leadership. TESTED LEADERSHIP IS THE KEY 1Kg.12:16-17 NATIONS RISE AND FALL DEPENDING ON LEADERSHIP. When the people realized that the king meant what he said and was refusing to listen to them, they began shouting, Down with David and all his relatives! Lets go home! Let Rehoboam be king of his own family! And they all deserted him except for the tribe of Judah, who remained loyal and accepted Rehoboam as their king. 1Kg.12:16-17, TLB Again we insist that the leadership that can be trusted to move our nation forward in our quest for greatness must be of men and women whose INTEGRITY has been tested and tried. They must be men and women whose records of positive impact and successes can be TRACKED. They must be men and women who have been tested and tried to be mindful of the COMMON good rather than parochial interests. They must be men and women with pedigrees of GODLINESS and sacrificial service to the nation in their individual endeavors and previous national assignments. Nigeria must come of age. The next crop of leaders that can move us forward in positive directions cannot be men and women whose appointments are purely based on POLITICAL exigencies. We cannot progress forward if we keep placing men in leadership positions purely on the bases of political affiliations, ethnic nationalities, regional blocks, and tribal sentiments. Such considerations sacrifice excellence for mediocrity. Such considerations encourage pride and arrogance on the part of leadership. It does not hold leadership responsible and accountable to the people. And a leadership that is not responsive and accountable to the people is a leadership that leads a nation, an organization, and a Church on the path of gradual disintegration. MEN WHO WERE TEMPERED Jos.1:6-7 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them…Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Jos.1:6-7, NIV 1. Joseph, Gen.39:7-13. 2. David, 1Sam.16:28-37. 3. Esther, Est.4:15-16. These were bold. They were courageous. They were godly. They were visionary. They were tested and tried. They stood for justice. They stood in defense of their people and national interests. MEN WHO WERE UN-TEMPERED 1Tim. 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 1Tim. 3:6, KJV 1. Samson, Jug.16:18-21. 2. Uzziah, 2Chr.16:16-20. These were undisciplined. They were presumptuous. They had no integrity of character. They took advantage of their offices to oppress. They were corrupted. THE DANGER IN WHITEWASH Eze.13:11-12 Tell the ones who coat it with whitewash that it will fall. When there is a deluge of rain, hailstones will fall and a violent wind will break out. When the wall has collapsed, people will ask you, Where is the whitewash you coated it with? Eze.13:11-12, NET Evil cannot be made good by whitewashing it. No matter what we say and do a lie remains a lie and it will be exposed for what it is in due time. “NO MATTER HOW FAR A LIE RUNS, TRUTH IS SURE TO CATCH UP WITH IT”. An un-tempered leader is one that has not been tried and tested. The danger in this is that an appointment, a promotion that is bribed, godfathered or manipulated will have not the required grace for it to function. No matter how we try to defend it, it will be exposed as a lie. Why? Because such a leader will soon discover that the shoes are bigger than his legs can fit in. He will be overwhelmed by the responsibilities and the demands of the office. It is God’s enabling grace that helps a man to function and succeed in an office. That Grace comes from God alone. And when it does, no flood, rain, hailstone or storm – the challenges of the office - can overcome it. But where God is not involved, such grace will be lacking, for God will hardly have a hand in what He is not a party to. THE CHALLENGE OF OUR TIME 1Tim.3:1-3 If anyone wants to provide leadership in the church, good! But there are preconditions: A leader must be well-thought-of…cool and collected, accessible, and hospitable. He must know what hes talking about, not be overfond of wine, not…thin-skinned, not money-hungry. 1Tim.3:1-3, Msg. Putting men in positions of leadership, who have not been tried and tested, men who do not possess what it takes, is like plastering a wall with untempered mortar. That wall will fall. Secondly, a man who has not got what it takes cannot be assigned the job or responsibility of building or rebuilding a structure, be it a nation, a Church, a family or any organization for that matter. An untempered mortar cannot be trusted with the responsibility of reconstruction, or making corrections on any structure. That structure will fail. This is the reason nations, Churches, families and organizations fail. CONCLUSIONS Ecc.10:16-17, Hos.4:4, Woe to the land whose king is a child and whose leaders are already drunk in the morning. Happy the land whose king is a nobleman and whose leaders work hard before they feast and drink, and then only to strengthen themselves for the tasks ahead! 1 Ecc.10:16-17, TLB Woe to the nation, the Church, whose leadership is a novice. Happy is the nation, the Church, whose leadership is there to serve for the common good. Blessed is the nation whose leadership is visionary and can see ahead, and then go on TO STRENGTHEN THEMSELVES FOR THE TASKS AHEAD! When we are not tempered and find ourselves in positions of authority and responsibility we run ourselves into trouble and run down the system. Why? Because. 1. Untempered men do not think of what to give to the system but what to TAKE from it. 2. Untempered men are untrained men, not necessarily in terms of academic paper qualifications but in terms of CHARACTER. 3. Un-tempered men are INEXPERIENCED men. They are half-bakes. They may carry all the anointing, for instance, but because they are not tempered they are not able to manage the anointing. And as humility gives way to pride great is usually the fall of such men and the Churches they preside over. Thus, we find that in the 21st Century, that nation, that organization, that Church will be involved in a very costly joke by failing to put men and women that have been tested and tried in leadership positions. And as we approach the 2015 general elections, we must pray and insist that only tempered men and women, only tested men and women, will have the privilege of occupying the various leadership positions. God bless Nigeria. God bless His Church.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 18:37:30 +0000
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