Leadership Gift: Church Ministry to Secular Authority

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

(Romans 12:6-8)

As revealed in the above-quoted passage of scripture, every member of the body of Christ has received at least one gift from the Lord. When we think about the gifts given to the body of Christ, we tend to think that they are only given for the edification of the church. However, while that viewpoint is mainly true, it is not entirely accurate, for there are gifts given to members in the body of Christ that benefit not only the church but also society in general. In the above passage, the Holy Spirit highlights three such gifts for us: giving, showing mercy, and leading.

Although the gift of giving is used primarily to bless those in need in the church, the Lord also uses that gift to bless the poor that are in the world. In the same manner, the gift of showing mercy is used primarily to bless those in the church; nevertheless, the Lord also uses that gift to bless those that are in the world.

So what about the gift of leadership? All ministry gifts that shepherd the church—apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher—have the gift of leadership operating in their ministries to a greater or lesser degree. In fact, any leadership position in the church, such as a home cell leader, should operate in this gift to some degree in order to faithfully fulfil that role. Nevertheless, the Lord has not placed this gift in the church only to bless the church; He has also given this gift to some to be used in positions of secular authority.

In scripture, there are many examples of men of God who displayed this gift. Moses, Joshua, and David all operated in this spiritual gift, to name just a few. All these men were anointed by the Holy Spirit with the gift of leadership, and God used them to govern nations through the use of their gifts.

The church needs to teach more on this gift so that those whom the Lord has anointed in this area can recognize the gifting they have received from the Lord and begin to operate in it. Those who are obedient in doing so will find doors begin to open for them in this area as the Lord promotes them into positions of authority in the governments of the nations in which they reside. The reason the Lord will do this is because He is the one who has specifically anointed these individuals to operate in this particular gift in the first place. Without question, not only would society benefit, but the church would also benefit greatly from having fellow believers hold positions of authority in the nations in which they reside.

Michael E.B. Maher

The Church and the State

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