The Place of Spiritual Leadership in the Labours for Revival

God places a premium on spiritual leadership because correct leadership will be a channel to bring revival to God’s people. A pulpit that is lit with God’s fire will cause revival and transformation in the life of God’s people. The greatest need of our generation is the fire of God on our pulpits. Leonard Ravenhill said, ‘Because we (the church) lack the Holy Ghost fire, many will go to hellfire’. We need our altars (pulpits) to be ever burning. The fire mustn’t go out! 

In the book of Ezra, we see God as very concerned about the altar as the first step to securing revival. The altar refers to the place of spiritual leadership in the kingdom of God. 

And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities. The people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren, and builded the altar of God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. [Ezra 3:1, 2]

Exhibiting spiritual leadership in our generation – A case study of the men of Issachar

And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had an understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred, and all their brethren were at their commandment. [I Chronicles 12:32]

There are three things we can observe from the children of Issachar that made them influence their people for God.

1. Spiritual Understanding

2. Spiritual Direction

3. Spiritual Leadership 

We need men of Isaachars today more than ever before. They are to be harbingers of revival. They will be in every sector of human endeavour. They will operate in the pulpit and in the marketplace. They will possess an understanding of the times we are in i.e a time (age and generation) that desperately needs a touch from heaven. They will receive spiritual direction from the Lord as to how to carry out revival labours and the church will submit to their spiritual leadership as unto the Lord.

The leader as a watchman...

Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me [Ezekiel 3:17]

And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it but I found none. [ Ezekiel 22:30]

For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. [Isaiah 62:1]