Exodus 36:5
“And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make.”
What a difference leadership makes! The influence of leadership is often underestimated. In the sports world a good coach can take a mediocre team and turn them into a championship team. In the business world a good CEO can take a fledgling business and turn it into a strong and profitable business. In the spiritual world a good pastor can take a struggling church and with God’s help turn it into a thriving church. The power of spiritual leadership must never be underestimated.
Let me point your attention to Aaron, a weak leader. When Moses was up on Mount Sinai for forty days and nights receiving the commandments from God, Aaron was down in the valley with the people. When the people didn’t see Moses come down from the mount, they came to Aaron and asked him to make them gods whom they could serve. We see that Aaron’s weak leadership crumbled under the pressure of the people. He made the golden calf and watched them as they took off their clothes and danced around it to worldly music.
When Moses came down from the mount and saw what the people were doing, he became angry and threw the tablets down. Moses asked Aaron what he did to the people and he said in Exodus 32:22-23, “…Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.” Weak leadership led these people into a carnal lifestyle that compromised their standards and worship of a holy God. Weak leadership will always lead to worldliness because it is worldly.
On the other hand, Moses was a spiritual leader who regularly walked with God. After going back to the top of the mount to receive the commandments from God again, his countenance changed and it influenced the people of God. It says in Exodus 34:29, “And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.” What a difference between Moses and Aaron.
The spiritual leadership of Moses changed who he was which enabled him to change those who followed him. The result of the spiritual leadership of Moses was that the heart of the people had a mind to serve God. Moses influenced the people so strongly that they were willing to give more than enough towards the building of the tabernacle. These people wanted to be involved in the building of the tabernacle. They wanted to be involved in giving towards it financially. What a difference spiritual leadership made in Israel. They went from a carnal people who lost all of their standards to a people who were willingly involved in the building of the tabernacle.
Never underestimate the power of your spirituality upon those whom you lead. You may not think that your little bit of carnality has any influence on those who follow you, but always remember Aaron’s influence upon those he led. If you desire to see those you lead become spiritual Christians, then you would be wise to follow Moses’ example of walking with God. Your walk with God will come through in the lifestyle of those who follow you. Don’t give up on your spiritual walk. It is influencing those you lead. If you feel your influence is waning, then increase your walk with God and see what it will do to influence those you lead to do right.