FINISHING WELL

In 2003, K.P. Yohannan taught a series of lessons to 500 field leaders gathered for the Gospel for Asia Conference in India.  

Since then, these lessons have been distributed to an additional 14,500 pastors and evangelists who serve with "The Gospel for Asia" in ten Asian countries. The lessons are reminiscent of Oswald Chambers "My Utmost for His Highest", and written under similar circumstances, though presented to a much smaller group.

Yohannan’s lessons deal with the importance of character in the life of the believer. He reflects on Paul’s letter to his Timothy, and identifies 19 specific characteristics of an effective leader. They are:

1. Called by God and they know it ( II Timothy 1:1)
2. People of integrity  (II Timothy 1:3-5)
3. Lead by the Spirit of Christ (II Timothy 1:6)
4. Self-disciplined. (II Timothy 1:7)
5. Courageous (II Timothy 1:8)
6. Totally dependent upon the Lord
7. Committed to making disciples
8. Willing to suffer for Christ’s sake. (II Timothy 2:3)
9. Principle centered (II Timothy 2:5)
10. Diligent servant 
11. Person of the Word. (II Timothy 2:15) 
12. Set apart to walk in holiness (II Timothy 2:20-21) 
13. Fails gracefully (II Timothy 2:24) 
14. Exercises spiritual discernment (II Timothy 3:1-5) 
15. Person of influence (II Timothy 3:10-11) 
16. Determined to finish. (II Timothy 4:7) 
17. Will do the work of an evangelist. (II Timothy 4:1-1-2) 
18. Will suffer loses. (II Timothy 4:9-12, 16) 
19. Will leave a legacy. (II Timothy 4:8) 

Characteristic #2 made me think of my own story.

"There was a time . . . when I was 12 . . . that I was short and chubby. (I know that must be hard to believe) So my mom would take me to a “husky” clothing store in Washington, D.C. (one hour away!) to shop for school clothes. After arriving home after a shopping spree, mom checked the receipt only to discover she had not paid for my new belt ($2.00). The reason it cost so much was because it was 4 feet long. So, we jumped back in the car and drove all the way to the "Husky" store to pay for the belt. The customer service people were amazed and thanked her profusely. As for me, lesson learned."

Integrity is costly.  It involves sacrifice and courage . . . and it can be counter-cultural (in a word of compromise!). So, how about it?  Living by all of these principles carries a price. Are you willing to pay it? Are you willing to row against the wind? K.P. Yohannan closes with these thoughts:

“Now Timothy is left to carry on the battle, to continue where Paul left off. What an assignment! I am certain that Timothy must have prayed much and sought God’s grace for the formidable task ahead of him.” (p. 219)

Let’s all do our part to make disciples and make ourselves available for biblical, spiritual leadership.