Integrity

Leading With God Watching

Jonathan Lamb

• Publisher: IVP
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781844747375
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christianity

Another lurid newspaper headline: a high-profile figure has fallen from grace. Worse still, he tried to cover it up so that everyone would think he was something he wasn't... She was a respected figure in her school but it turned out she had been funding her lavish lifestyle with money that didn't belong to her.
Integrity matters. We expect it, naively perhaps, of leaders in all walks of life. We trust people whose words, character and actions are consistent. But why is integrity so rare? Why does our walk not match our talk?
One of the most pertinent and positive examples of integrity in Scripture is that of the apostle Paul. In 2 Corinthians his passions and frustrations are clear as he offers us an extraordinary insight into the joys and pressures of Christian leadership. His model is no less counter-cultural today than it was in the first century: leading with God watching. There are lessons for all Christians here, not just for formally recognized leaders.
Jonathan Lamb examines key passages and interweaves them with examples from everyday life. Whether in responding to criticism, exercising authority, coping with failure, handling money or struggling with personal weakness, this book is a call to live consistently in the light of gospel priorities. Only then will our lives speak authentically to a sceptical world.

10. Weakness and power

A short while ago I met a Latvian pastor by the name of Josef Bondarenko. We spoke together at the Keston Institute in Oxford, where he gave a lecture on church life in the Baltic States. I was keen to meet him because, thirty years ago, I had his photograph on the wall of my student bedsit. He was a pastor serving in what was then the Soviet Union, and was one of many people who had been imprisoned for his faith. Hence his photo – along with about thirty others – placed on my wall as a daily reminder to pray for the church under pressure. In fact, he suffered three periods of imprisonment for proclaiming the Christian message, and many years in exile in Siberian work camps. In his lecture to us in Oxford some years after the collapse of the Soviet empire, he spoke movingly of the fact that his family still suffered the results of that period of hardship and exile, but shared his resolve to persevere in their Christian calling.

Of course, this is one example of what continues to happen the world over. It has been estimated that in 1999, 164,000 Christians died for their faith. At present some 200 million evangelicals in thirty-five countries are suffering direct and hostile persecution. It is a reminder that the kind of pressure Josef Bondarenko faced is still exerted on thousands of Christians today.

Christian service is often very sacrificial, and always costly. I cannot help contrasting this with the attitudes we sometimes encounter today – that Christian ministry is something which I can exercise so that I can be fulfilled as a person, so that I can discover my gift or find my place in the church. Of course, there is a positive aspect to today’s interest in discovering our ministry and developing our gifts. It asserts that every Christian is needed, every Christian is called to serve God, and we need to help one another to discover that ministry and exercise it faithfully. Yet the fact of the matter is that all true Christian ministry is costly. Christianity is not romantic, it is not soft. Christian ministry takes its toll, and in 2 Corinthians Paul is completely realistic about that. Few biblical books make the point more clearly than his testimony in this letter.

As we reflect on the theme of integrity in leadership, I wonder how we view the issue of weakness. Would it not be true that the qualities we look for in Christian leaders are surprisingly similar to those we would expect in a company chief executive? Would there be many differences between the leadership profile we draw up for a Christian organization and one prepared for a secular one? After all, we expect strength. Leaders are people who cope. They are bold, assertive, powerful. They are in control. The literature on leadership a few years ago used ‘power language’. Executives carry a power briefcase and they wear a power suit. They clinch deals at power breakfasts. They admit to no weakness, but exude confidence with every commanding step they take.

Halfway through the election campaign in the UK in 2005, Charles Kennedy, then leader of the Liberal Democrats, was mocked because, in a morning televised interview, he was confused over the issue of tax policy. Kennedy defended himself by explaining that he was suffering from sleep deprivation following the birth of his first child. A reporter on Sky TV commented that it showed him to be more human than the other party leaders – and ‘that’s not what we are looking for in a leader’. A leader...human? Not quite what we want.

As we have seen, Paul confronted similar attitudes and expectations in his day. Indeed, it was precisely because he failed to match up to their image of power and celebrity that he was criticized so aggressively. But the significant feature of 2 Corinthians is this: Paul explains that at the heart of the Christian message, and therefore at the heart of all Christian ministry, lies a painful paradox. It is a paradox which modern secular people, with their passion for power and prestige, regard as foolishness. But for Christians it is the only thing that makes sense of the gospel and of our Christian service. We find it in 2 Corinthians 12:9, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’

This word from the Lord represented an important breakthrough for Paul. He came to understand his weakness in relation to the gospel message which he preached. What was the gospel, after all? It was God at work through the weakness of the crucified Jesus, God’s power displayed in the apparent weakness and foolishness of the cross. So it was no surprise that the gospel should reach the Gentiles through the weakness of the apostle. What Paul came to understand was that, in carrying out God’s work, human resources have their limits. We look at the size and urgency of the task and compare that with the resources at our disposal; we look at the opposition that we encounter and the god of this world who lies behind it; and we can become weighed down not only by the burden of human need all around us, but with our own feelings of inadequacy, doubt or frailty.

To do this is not to be defeatist. When Paul reflected on his weakness he was being realistic. He had been pushed to the limits of his endurance, as he explains in the catalogue of sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11. His missionary work was quite literally killing him. And it was not only the opposition which he experienced from those who contested the spread of the gospel; not only the physical hardships of sleepless nights and multiple beatings. One of the most painful experiences, as we have seen, was the opposition which was gathering momentum within the church at Corinth. After all Paul had done to bring them the gospel and share his life with them, others were casting doubt on his ministry and motives as an apostle. But Paul had come to understand that it was precisely at this point that God’s power was displayed. He had understood his weakness in relation to the theology of the cross. His struggles were a mark of true discipleship, the result of fellowship with Christ and, indeed, the essential prerequisite for effective Christian ministry.

It is important to stress that such weakness does not refer to some pale brand of the Christian faith. It is not flabby, wet, indecisive Christianity. As Paul explains earlier in his letter, ‘Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold’ (3:12). He was courageous, outspoken and showed almost no fear as he took on the challenge of mission in the first century. Rather, Paul is describing his own feelings of frailty and powerlessness, his own emotional vulnerability, his feelings of anxiety and maybe even depression, the pain of opposition and persecution, all of which he endured as a servant of the suffering Master for whom he was an ambassador. He had come to see that it was through such weakness that God’s power would be displayed. And so he could boast, ‘when I am weak, then I am strong’ (12:10). As a child I was encouraged by my father, who used a simple but memorable illustration: Christians are like tea – their real strength is drawn only when they get into hot water.

So we turn to the second part of 2 Corinthians 4 to explore how Paul was able to live with integrity in the midst of the pressures of Christian service.

Weakness is the occasion for God’s power

We have already explored the gospel priorities which shape our ministry through our examination of 2 Corinthians 4:1–6. We are to proclaim Christ clearly and faithfully, for God has given us ‘the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ’ (4:6). But as Paul writes about the power and the glory of the gospel, he is reminded by contrast of his own frailty and weakness. ‘But we have this treasure in jars of clay’ (4:7).

This is one of Paul’s familiar metaphors and it suggests a number of images. One is of a cheap pottery lamp. It carries the light, and the more cracks it contains, the more the light will shine through. The second possibility is a reference to the triumphal procession of an army, about which he spoke in 2 Corinthians 2:14. Perhaps the jars of clay are the pots in which, after victory at war, valuable treasure is displayed. So there would be a stark contrast between the container and the treasure. These were ordinary clay jars, and even today you find them used in the Middle East despite the availability of plastic. They are used for all sorts of purposes, and they are easily broken.

Paul’s point is to highlight the contrast, to emphasize the paradox. On the one hand, the majesty and the power of the message; on the other, the weak, buffeted, fragile messenger. He was painfully aware of all the limitations placed on him by the frailty of his human nature. The reason for this is very important: ‘to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us’ (4:7). Paul himself was a good example of this principle. Apparently, in terms of his physical appearance he was hardly Arnold Schwarzenegger. His physical frame might not have been impressive, his speech might not have been up to much, and he probably had eye trouble. Good, he says. For when people are converted everyone will know it is down to the power of the gospel. He said much the same in his first letter: ‘that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power’ (1 Cor. 2:5).

As we have seen, this is exactly the case with the gospel itself, as Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 1:20–25. ‘The foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.’ The same paradox is expressed in the Corinthian congregation too. God chose the foolish, the weak, the low and the despised – and thereby confounded the strong. Why did he do that? ‘So that no-one may boast before him’ (1 Cor. 1:29).

In an excellent book on leadership, based on expositions of 1 Corinthians 1 – 4, John Stott highlights the paradox expressed in these verses. ‘For God chose a weak instrument (Paul), to bring a weak message (the cross) to weak people (the Corinthian working class). But through this triple weakness the power of God was – and still is – displayed.’1

To reinforce the point, in 2 Corinthians 4 Paul gives a series of comparisons to demonstrate the weakness he regularly felt in his ministry and the simultaneous experience of God’s power. In verses 8 and 9 he presents a series of contrasts. It is a clever piece of writing, since each of the pairs contains a play on words. I once saw an Italian ice cream van bearing the slogan ‘Luigi’s ice cream – often licked, but never beaten’. This captures both the sentiment and the style of Paul’s writing in this section.

• The first pair is possibly an illustration from boxing, with the fighter giving his opponent very little room for manoeuvre, but unable to drive him into the corner: ‘hard pressed...but not crushed’, or ‘hemmed in but not hamstrung’.
• The second pair has a similar play on words, paraphrased by James Denny: ‘put to it, but not utterly put out’.
• The third pair describes Paul feeling pursued like a hunted man: you might say, ‘hunted by men but never abandoned by God’.
• The fourth pair demonstrates that, even when hunted down, he is never completely defeated: ‘struck down, but not destroyed’, or ‘often felled, never finished’. Or, as J. B. Phillips paraphrases, ‘they can knock me down but they cannot knock me out’.

Paul is expressing here what Christians through the centuries have experienced. It is the experience of most Christian leaders – of being stretched almost to the limit in our service for God, of feeling the exhaustion and the disappointments, the setbacks and the pressures. Anyone who throws themselves into the work of God will feel this. But the experience of all God’s people is this: that the end of our resources is not the end of God’s. It is at moments of pressure and weakness – sometimes at very extreme moments – that we are in the best position to prove God’s grace and power. The Dutch Christian Betsie ten Boom is recorded as speaking bravely in the Ravensbrück concentration camp during World War II. ‘We must tell them that there is no pit so deep, that God is not deeper still.’ This is the essence of what Paul is describing. However desperate the circumstances, the Christian believer can know God’s strengthening presence and empowering grace.

These verses are a great challenge and encouragement for us, applicable in every area of Christian service. But they are especially worth reflecting on in a day of evangelical triumphalism. Missiologist David Smith asks penetrating questions about the church’s task in a globalized context. He comments, for example, on the literature of mission organizations which breathes a ‘can do’ spirit based on the recognition of the power available through the gifts of modern technology. He comments, ‘A consultation to discuss the completion of the Great Commission...is described in language which betrays a fascination with the power of technology.’ The meeting took place in a special ‘Global Strategy Room’ that was ‘like being on the navigation bridge of the Enterprise...’ Amid 140 ‘Action Points’ and 168 ‘AD2000 Global Goals’, the group meeting in this Star Trek environment proposed to ‘initiate co-operation between 42 million computers owned by Christians...create a worldwide electronic Great Commission network...maintain a computerised calendar of all related events past and future’.2

All of us would affirm the importance of prayerful strategic planning and global partnership. But those of us who come from dominant and powerful cultures, as David Smith points out, must now ask how we should do mission from such a position – and 2 Corinthians shows us that the principles which should govern our ministry strategies should be filtered through the mesh of the gospel priorities of the weakness of the crucified Jesus. Integrity in Christian service demands this.

I have often reflected on how Isaiah described the low-profile ministry of the Servant in Isaiah 42. If we might make a brief diversion, it is worth reflecting on the characteristics of the Servant’s ministry as Isaiah portrays it.

Dependence: ‘Here is my servant, whom I uphold.’ (Isa. 42:1)

Jesus voluntarily abandoned everything on which we might have relied. Born in a manger, brought up in a despised province and in a third-rate town, equipped with no human advantages of wealth or education, no influential power base and no impressive sponsors, he was the Servant: obedient to and dependent upon his Father. ‘My servant, whom I uphold.’

Quietness: ‘He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.’ (Isa. 42:2)

The cumulative emphasis describes a ministry which is quiet and unassuming. It is not self-advertising, nor interested in power or prestige. Jesus’ strategy of mission was often low key, and usually with the small and apparently insignificant people.

Gentleness: ‘A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out.’ (Isa. 42:3)

Both of the pictures in this verse are images of fragility. To the Servant, nothing is useless. However it came to be crushed, however close to extinction, it can be restored. In his mission to the needy, the Servant identified with the weaknesses of those he came to save.3

In a media-conscious age, churches and Christian organizations inevitably face the temptation to strengthen their marketing and PR budgets. Christian leaders are under pressure to portray an image of strength and influence. But the ministry of the Servant in Isaiah, the Master in Galilee and the apostle in Corinth all imply there is another way. God’s power is seen in weakness.

Weakness is the consequence of being united to Christ

Why is it that all Christians must walk this pathway? Why is the experience of weakness inevitable? From 4:10 onwards Paul sums up the theme and explains the significance of his experience in relation to the gospel itself. Paul shows that his experience is a reflection of the dying life of Jesus and the renewing power of God that raised Jesus from death. Look at the sequence of verses:

• ‘We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus.’ (v. 10)
• ‘We...are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake.’ (v. 11)
• ‘The one who raised the Lord Jesus...will also raise us with Jesus.’ (v. 14)

Paul is saying that he is sharing his Master’s earthly experience. Four times in verses 10 and 11 he refers to ‘Jesus’ the man. And the word he uses in verse 10 could be translated ‘the dying of Jesus’ – it is the process of dying, of putting to death, rather than the final condition of death. He always parades the dying of Jesus. When we read Paul’s catalogues of suffering we can understand this. At times he probably looked just like someone in the process of dying, someone being crucified. He expresses this in graphic terms elsewhere in his writing:

• ‘the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives’ (2 Cor. 1:5);
• ‘if indeed we share in his sufferings’ (Rom. 8:17);
• ‘I bear on my body the marks of Jesus’ (Gal. 6:17).

So if you are a Christian, united to Christ, there is no avoiding this, and we should suspect all models of the Christian life or Christian spirituality which try to remove such weakness. We are disciples of the crucified Jesus. We live in union with him. But if we are united with Jesus in his death, we are also united in his resurrection. We share with Jesus the suffering and the glory, since our life is bound up with his.

• ‘[We are] given over to death...so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.’ (4:11)
• ‘The one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus.’ (4:14)

The resurrection is not confined to a future life, but is already a part of our experience. So now the life of Jesus is manifest in our body:

• ‘dying, and yet we live on’ (6:9);
• ‘For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him to serve you.’ (13:4)

This transforms our perspective on the many challenges associated with our Christian service. We are not immune from pressures, for they are an inevitable consequence of our association with Jesus. God’s purpose is not to bypass weaknesses and difficult...

Table of contents

• Integrity
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Foreword
• A. Leadership and integrity
• 2. What integrity looks like
• B: Leadership and calling
• 4. Serving others
• 5. Gospel priorities
• C. Leadership and community
• 7. Building community
• 8. Confronting failure
• 9. Handling Money
• 10. Weakness and power
• 11. Status and true ambition
• 12. Pride and the call to humility
• E. Integrity as a way of life
• 14. Living consistently
• 15. Living authentically
• Postscript
• For further reading
• Notes