Wwm - Church of God of Prophecy

Feature
Holistic Integrated
Leadership Development
I applaud the sound decision by
the plurality leadership of this church
to endorse and support leadership
development in order to strengthen
the core value of global harvest. This
decision is a major paradigm shift
in the COGOP, for it was only a few
decades ago when there was still
a strong element of anti-education
among our constituency. A position of
anti-education has not served us well,
but neither will it be wise to now swing
to an all cognitive/didactic position in
leadership development. There are
some things that the head can receive,
but the heart will not absorb.
There was a season in renewal
history when the traditional churches
accused the Pentecostals of being all
fire and no light, while the Pentecostals
would accuse the traditional churches
of all light and no fire. Those days do
not need to be repeated; however,
if one extreme does not serve the
universal church well, neither does
another extreme. A balance between
light and fire is biblically sound. In the
quest for the COGOP to enhance its
biblical leadership development, a
holistic integrated experiential knowledge
formation for leaders is advisable.
The Daniel paradigm addresses
the issue of cognitive process and
experiential knowledge.
Daniel and his companions were
captive exiles who were brought to
Babylonia to receive special training
in order to serve in the king’s palace.
Daniel 1:4 gives some of the traits of
these young individuals: they exhibited
“aptitude for every kind of learning,
well-informed, quick to understand,
and qualified to serve” (NIV). In other
words, they had a holistic educational
base in order to render holistic service;
however, these young individuals were
religious Jews who served the true
God. Daniel and his companions did
not forget their roots in the midst of
higher learning. The greater part of
their learning is captured in Daniel 1:9
“To these four young men, God gave
If there is
something worthy
to remember
from renewal
history, it is that
the Pentecostal
movement still
believes that the
“Maestro” of the
kairos visitation is
the Holy Spirit.
knowledge and understanding of all
kinds of literature and learning. And
Daniel could understand visions and
dreams of all kind” (NIV). In kairos
times, more often than not, it will be
experiential knowledge and wisdom
that will lead the way. Divine guidance
in discerning God’s will in a kairos
visitation is not going to be found in a
classroom book!
As the COGOP forges forward in
reaching the lost harvest while preparing
leaders, a balanced, holistic epistemology
of integrating sound biblical and
theological tools with experiential
knowledge will bring empowerment in
a kairos environment. As much as we
desire better and greater scholarship
in this church, we must not forget that
our present and past development
have not been by scholars, but by field
generals who built the work—often
riding on bikes, eating mangos and
drinking water!
Guidance and empowerment of the
Spirit do not mean depreciating the
laborers with less preparation, but
affirming what has been accomplished
and preparing for a greater future. The
Daniel paradigm reveals that when
all the learned personnel could not
assist king Belshazzar when a kairos
visitation occurred in the palace, Daniel
was called because he was “found to
have a keen mind and knowledge and
understanding, and also the ability to
interpret dreams, explain riddles and
solve difficult problems” (Daniel 5:12
NIV). The phrase “explain riddles and
solve difficult problems” in Hebrew
connotation translates as “explanation
of mysteries and dissolving knots.”
In the process of developing a global
ecclesia, the problems to be solved will
often be “intensely knotty.” In a global
kairos visitation, the solving of difficult
problems is not going to be found in
a human written book! Discerning
wisdom through guidance of the Holy
Spirit will be the resounding method
in solving difficult global issues. This
will mean that over-dependence on all
kinds of human designs and systems
can cause some serious miscarriages in
decision-making.
If there is something worthy to
remember from renewal history, it is
that the Pentecostal movement still
believes that the “Maestro” of the
kairos visitation is the Holy Spirit. All
the preparation in the world cannot,
should not, must not displace the
principal guide, the Holy Spirit. “But
when he, the Spirit of truth, comes,
he will guide you into all truth” (John
16:13 NIV). When one has a guide,
he also relinquishes control, for there
is no neutrality in the guide who
gives guidance. A guide leads and
others follow!
In such a time as this, our earnest
prayer should be, “Come, Holy Spirit,
be our guide into the splendor of
fulfilling the sovereign will of God!”
Come, Holy Spirit, we welcome you!
____________
1 Donald K. McKim, Westminister Dictionary
of Theological Terms, (Louisville, KY:
Westminster John Knox Press, 1996) p. 152.
2 Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the
Bible with Hebrew Chaldee and Greek
Dictionaries, (Nashville, TN: Abingdon,
1980) p. 47.
3 Keil, C. F., Commentary on the Old
Testament, Vol. 9, (Grand Rapids, MI: W. B.
Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1985) p. 186.
8 WWM AUGUST 2011 WWW.WHITEWINGMESSENGER.ORG