For most leaders, being in control is a natural part of life. Leaders love control of their finances, their careers and even their families. For those that God has gifted with this quality, it can be difficult to give up control, especially when it feels like you can benefit those following you with your leadership abilities and your knowledge.
Pastors have the privilege to lead, instruct and shape their group of believers, which then become leaders of future generations of believers. However, while helping people grow in their knowledge and understanding of the Word can be exciting, at times, it’s also confusing. There are certain passages of scripture that might be difficult to understand at first glance. But it is at these critical points in their walks that making a decision to “lay low” might be one that can provide more growth and maturity than any enlightening thought you could have given that person.
Sometimes, one of the best pieces of advice you can make to your members might be to “go pray about it.” Guide them to ask the Lord to give them understanding and wisdom as to how He intends them to glean from the Word. Sure, you probably have already studied the passage 1,874 times and you could give a dissertation on the context, the spiritual meaning and the setting of the passage. But there is something about relinquishing a little control and giving people room to dig, search and pray about the passage when they spend their own time with the Lord.
Often, people can understand more than most give them credit for and although some may not seem interested in digging on their own, there are many who do.
Sometimes, in the quest to help others grow into mature, Godly adults, it’s easy to forget that each of us are still growing. We all have real fears, real problems and real questions in every stage of life. Encouraging those we lead to search out answers for themselves will give them more valuable wisdom and understanding than we could ever imagine.
Obviously, there is nothing wrong with imparting knowledge you have onto your members. But at times, giving them a little space and letting them grow on their own is the best possible thing you can do to help them in their walk. Once they’ve searched it out on their own, fully encourage them to come back and talk to you about what they’ve found.
This will also help set a foundation for establishing and solidifying their set of beliefs. Hopefully, this individual search will show them they don’t have to merely accept everyone else’s thoughts and ideas as their own. Instead, they can become students of the Word, students who are strong enough in their understanding of scripture to go out and contend for their faith. Without being allowed to dig on their own, they will never become strong enough in their walk to withstand the onslaught that is waiting for them once they leave your ministry and go out into the world. But with this tool that you’ve given them, they will know exactly what to do when faced with a situation they don’t quite know how to handle.
In your prayer, I encourage you to ask the Lord to light a fire within your people that burns to know Him more. If you have a group of congregants who are already on fire, ask the Lord to increase that flame while also praying they would never cease in feeding the fire, never letting one ounce of intensity fall away. Pray the Word and the Word alone would be their source for feeding this flame and ask the Lord to give them insight into his will for them.
Let your prayer be like Paul’s for the church at Ephesus when he writes,
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit or wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength.” (Ephesians 1:17-19)
Written by Cannon Earp