Leaders of God’s kingdom are separated from others by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit gives them an advantage in life and godliness. Jesus said it is to your advantage that I go away for only then will you be able to receive the Spirit as your divine helper (John 16:7-11). The Spirit gives leaders the spiritual insight to understand God’s will for his kingdom and the power to bring it forth. In this study, you will discover what it means to be a kingdom leader and how to become an effective kingdom leader.
Introducing Kingdom Leadership
The kingdom of God is within believers and they are in the kingdom. How can that be? It is not natural but spiritual and relational in nature. The existence of the kingdom relies on the Holy Spirit and power (Romans 14:17; 1 Corinthians 4:20). The kingdom is bigger than the church and much different than what most people think about the church. God joins people together in the kingdom as it pleases him. Some of those joints will emerge as kingdom leaders as they recognize who they are in Christ and their God-given purpose. They carry the Spirit’s fire which compels them to go higher with the Lord and take others with them. They may rise out of the ashes themselves and help bring others out, as well. Leaders are willing to show the way to others. They may be just one step ahead of those they lead. Titles and certificates do not qualify people to be kingdom leaders, but the Spirit’s power qualifies them. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).
Kingdom leaders are being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ by the Spirit. By operating in the Spirit like Christ, they can do works of Christ and the greater works. Jesus said, “He who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father” (John 14:12). They think like Christ thinks and do what he does with great authority and power.
Five Advantages of the Holy Spirit in Kingdom Leadership
A strong relationship with the Holy Spirit will benefit a kingdom leader in many ways. Five of the most important benefits of the Spirit are discussed below.
1. The Spirit Matures Leaders into Sons with Power and Authority
God wants a family. Before experiencing the new birth and being adopted into God’s family, people were slaves to sin. As slaves, they were performance oriented, thinking their performance would bring either punishment or reward. A son of God knows his Father loves him whether he pleases him or not. In Christ, you are no longer a slave but a son. Jesus paid the price for your sonship on the cross. It is the Holy Spirit that leads people into sonship. The Spirit takes people from having a slave mentality into sonship and freedom. When you are led by the Holy Spirit, you are a son of God (Romans 8:14). No longer are you a slave to another person’s thinking or demands. “You have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons” (Romans 8:15). A radical change in thinking is required to transform slave mentality to sonship.
Think like a son rather than a slave. You can have victory every day when you think like a son and not a slave. Take the kingdom by force and establish God’s perfect will on the earth. You can operate as a member of the family of God with authority and power. With sonship come God’s protection, his blessings and his authority. You have the right to decree a thing and see it come to pass. Walk in sonship and fulfill your own purpose, not what other people tell you to do. Lead by the Spirit with confidence. Stay free!
2. The Spirit of Grace Empowers Leaders to Do the Father’s Will
God’s grace appeared in the person of Christ for all who will receive it. “We saw his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). By God’s grace, those who believe in Jesus Christ will be saved. “By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). The Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of grace, is the one who reveals the Father’s glory, draws us to the Father so we can receive salvation and gives us his grace.
Grace is God’s operational power given to accomplish his will. “By the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10). Grace flows from the throne of grace to the humble doing God’s will. “God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Those who are proud do their own thing by their own strength, so they do not operate in God’s power. Operating in grace means that a person is led by the Spirit of grace, is strengthened by grace and contributes grace to others. Stand in his grace, immovable and unshakeable.
3. The Spirit Anoints Leaders with Truth and Power
The anointing is given for ministry to the people. After God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power, he did good and healed the sick wherever he went (Acts 10:38). The Spirit reveals the scriptures to believers in order for them to operate in the power of the anointed word. The anointing is God’s power energized or activated in believers. The inward witness of the anointing confirms the truth. The anointing gives a person true insight through the presence of the Holy Spirit about all things (1 John 2:27). Without the anointing, God’s people would doubt the truth but believe lies. Speaking the anointed word destroys the works of the devil and sets people free.
The Spirit anoints the revealed word of God within believers. The anointing is the power of God’s revealed word. It carries the secrets of God and operates in the spiritual realm. The anointing is here to lead and guide believers to the heart of God. Receive the anointing and follow it to glorify God.
4. The Spirit Produces Fruit in and through Leaders
Several kinds of fruit can be in the heart of a leader, but love holds everything together. “Put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity” (Colossians 3:14). The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). The love of Christ is spiritual and unconditional. Jesus demonstrated the greatest love by his death on the cross. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). He commanded his followers to demonstrate this same great love. “This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you” (John 15:12). His followers are predestined to be conformed to his image, which is the family image of love. It is not the outward appearance but the inner man or heart which takes on this image of the greatest love. The greatest love is God’s excellent way of life (1 Corinthians 12:31-13:7). The greatest love is humble, kind, forgiving and believing. Only those with Christ living in them and the Spirit guiding them can walk in the love of Christ. Worldly people might have good character traits, but they cannot produce love and other spiritual fruit.
The Spirit’s leadership will empower and bring forth the fruit. Kingdom leaders demonstrate all the fruit of the Spirit in their relationships. In difficult situations, only the Spirit helps leaders be gentle, kind, and faithful. Leaders reflect the goodness of God and his patience towards all people. There is a specific fruit for every situation. The Spirit will minister peace in the midst of storms and joy in times of mourning. These kinds of fruit are available for all those who follow the Spirit and live in the Spirit.
5. The Spirit Operates the Inspirational, Wisdom, and Power Gifts through Leaders
The gifts of the Spirit flow out of the love of God. They point people to God and show forth his glory and his majesty. All gifts operate by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:11). Opportunities for leaders to help others with these gifts may exist in any place. Wherever leaders are loving people, they can operate in the gifts. God is looking for willing vessels through which his gifts can operate.
Through the gifts of the Spirit, leaders hear and see what God is doing in the spirit and what he wants to do in the natural realm. Jesus provided the pattern for operating in spiritual gifts. He spoke only what he heard the Father say, and he did only what he saw the Father do (John 5:19, 8:26). Spiritual gifts are special endowments related to wisdom, knowledge, great faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, unknown languages, and interpretation of unknown languages (1 Corinthians 12:8-10). These gifts can be grouped into three broad categories: inspirational gifts, wisdom gifts, and power gifts. Believe the Lord to flow in the gifts yourself and make room for others to flow in the gifts.
Building a Strong Relationship with the Spirit
A strong relationship with the Spirit enables believers to mature in the Lord and walk in authority and power. As you are filled with the Spirit and yield to his leading, your understanding of God’s word will increase and more of his plan will be revealed. Here are some important ways to build a strong relationship with the Spirit.
1. Be Filled with the Spirit
When people are first born again, their own spirit is alive but they are babes in Christ. Then when they are filled with the Spirit or baptized in the Spirit, God’s power is magnified in them and they become more aware of spiritual things. It is a commandment for all believers to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). How does a person receive the in-filling or baptism of the Spirit? It comes just like salvation or healing or anything else from God. Believe and receive.
When believers are filled with the Spirit, they receive power and a heavenly prayer language of praying in tongues or praying in the Spirit. With this prayer language, the communication goes straight to God (1 Corinthians 14:2) As a person prays in the Spirit, wisdom from God is released and comes into the mind. Praying in the Spirit will help build up your faith (Jude 1:20). For kingdom leaders, being filled with the Spirit and praying in tongues will help them discover their purpose which is spiritual and fulfill their destiny.
2. Spend Time and Effort in Fellowship with the Spirit
A strong relationship with the Holy Spirit is costly. It takes time and effort to be with the Spirit so you can recognize his voice and the way he operates. The strongest relationship costs everything. “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). It takes much prayer time to become sensitive to the Spirit’s voice and to stay sensitive to his voice. Develop your own prayer life and pray with others who know how to pray effectively.
3. Be Trained by Spiritual Leaders
It takes training to build a strong relationship with the Spirit. Gather together with those who are sensitive to the Spirit. Being around those who operate in the prophetic voice confirm that believers are hearing from the Spirit. This helps train their ears to be sensitive to the Spirit. Gather with anointed believers who will show you the truth about the Spirit and God’s kingdom. “He who walks with wise men will be wise” (Proverbs 13:20). Pursuing relationships with anointed believers can have a great impact on a leader’s relationship with the Spirit.
4. Act on What the Spirit Leads You to Do
The Spirit will lead you to act outside your comfort zone. You may make some mistakes initially when you think you are following the Spirit, but it is a learning process. Learn from your mistakes and your successes. It takes personal experiences following the Spirit to build a strong relationship with him. As you hear and recognize the voice of the Spirit, you become more sensitive to spiritual things.
Conclusions
The advantage of the Holy Spirit is to take the talents and gifts which God has given kingdom leaders to bring glory to the Father. It is important to remember that leaders have nothing but what they have received through the Spirit. Without the Spirit’s guidance and help, the leaders can do nothing on their own. There is no limit to what they can do through the guidance and power of the Spirit.
Help guide and transform believers. Train them to be sensitive to the Spirit, use their talents and gifts, equip them with the truth, wisdom from above and the Spirit’s power. Help them discover their purpose and fulfill their destiny. Help them always be dependent on the Spirit’s guidance and power.