To progress in the Christian Life, there has to be sacrifice. To grow spiritually, there has to be sacrifice of some form. Now, do remember that this book was written to Hebrew Christians or Messianic Jews who had not grown and matured in Christ. He is the one who is sent. He is the one who sacrifices, and we are called to follow Jesus. Read this amazing book which was written to these Hebrew disciples of Jesus and grow and develop and mature in the faith, and to exercise leadership which is so sorely needed today no matter where we work and serve.
Look at II Samuel Chapter 6 and at verse 13 in the Old Testament. So much of the book of Hebrews refers to incidents in the Old Testament and we must never neglect that. Now, here we see leadership in the spiritual realm and all of this can be applied to our every day lives no matter where we work and serve.
The Ark was being brought back to Jerusalem. The Ark contained the Word of God.
When those who were carrying the Ark of the Lord had taken six steps, King David sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf.
The Ark will never go more than six paces until someone makes a sacrifice. The Church will not progress until someone makes a sacrifice. King David showed such powerful leadership. Yes, he had his weaknesses as do all human leaders but he had qualities of leadership which Almighty God blessed and used.
Here is King David's leadership being referred to positively in the New Testament.
You can maybe get six paces, but that is not very far, and it is a long way from your destination and from where God wants you to arrive.
There has to be a sacrifice, if we want to progress, as individuals or as a Church, and if we are going to advance and grow, and move on in the will of God. To progress in God there has to be sacrifice. How many leaders are really away of the significance of this?
The only way Jesus Christ could return to His Father was by way of the cross. That is an amazing thought.
Sacrifice and that theme continue in the next verse. Read verse 10 of Chapter 2.
Jesus was made perfect or complete or mature, through suffering! How many leadership conferences and courses and seminars cover this essential element when discussing the basic qualities in the lives of leaders?
Jesus Christ is the pioneer, the captain, the leader, and the author of our salvation and faith. This is not an easy word to translate to grasp its full meaning. Jesus is "the one who initiates and carries through".
There is no path to perfection, or to maturity, or to completion, which by-passes suffering.
From the signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit, the writer brings us to this reality of suffering!
I would venture to suggest that the more you become involved in the former, the more you will experience the latter. The more we experience miracles and spiritual blessing and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the opposition and antagonism can suddenly become fiercer. Many know quite a bit about that, with first hand knowledge of persecution, which can be physically sore or mentally subtle.
When we touch something spiritually real the enemy does not like it. Leader must be aware of this and must know how to deal with it when it arises.
Sandy Shaw
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