THE LAWS OF LEADERSHIP BY PASTOR COSFINNEY UDOKA

After a wonderful time in the presence of the Lord on Sunday and the rigors of the week, a time of refreshment from our Heavenly Father was needed. It came in the package of the mid-week Bible study.

The service started with intercessory prayers led by Ifeanyi.

A brief worship session led by Saviour followed, with the song "Here I am to worship."

Opening prayers were said by Pastor Sam. Anita took over and led praise with the songs "He is a wonder," "Shackles," "Glorious," and "O give thanks." Knowledge led another worship session, with the songs "You are worthy of my praise," "Kabi osi "  which means king in the Yoruba language, "I've come to say how much I love you," and "I'm here to worship you."

Next, Pastor Dexter delivered the announcements. He started by welcoming the family and friends of Mr. & Mrs. MacDuf Takim, who came to join them in dedicating their baby. The upcoming Sunday would be a special benevolence event hosted by the benevolence department, all kingdom partners were encouraged to renew their pledges, the ongoing media campaign on Facebook and Blogspot was also announced.

After the announcements, Pastor Cosfinney Udoka, our host pastor here at HOTR Asaba was welcomed to deliver the word from the Lord. He was welcomed with the song "As the deer pantheth," by "De Masterpiece."

Before he started the message, he led the church in prayer for our country. Firstly, we prayed for the peace of God, and then we prayed for the country to have a "soul", so that we would first identify as Nigerians instead of our ethnic tribes. He also welcomed the new comers and the friends and family of Mr. & Mrs. MacDuf Takim.

He went on to continue the series on leadership he started a few weeks ago.

Specifically, the message was titled "The Laws of Leadership."

Bible Verses: Luke 10 vs 1, 4, 17, Matthew 10 vs 16

Law I

"You must be representing somebody. You must have a "representative mindset." Leadership is all about representation. No matter your level of leadership, if you do not have anyone you report to, anyone you are accountable to, you are no longer a leader. The problem we have with leadership today is that we have no mentors, people are not willing to be mentored. One of the advantages of having a mentor is that you can get advice and help that will eradicate or at least lessen your burden, in a shorter amount of time than if that mentor was not in your life. In leadership, you must go ahead, in between, and behind of your flock. Leadership is not all about what you say, it is also about what you do."

 

Law II

"STRETCH: Stretch your staff, stretch your members, stretch yourself. Leadership must be stretched sometimes. The essence of leadership manifests when it is stretched. The real you comes out when the stretch comes, the essence of your being comes out at that time. What you are going through now is to stretch you and to bring out your best. Stretching challenges the leader and those being led. A lot of what is happening in the country is because our leaders do not want to be stretched. Sometimes as a leader, you have to sacrifice your rights, be stressed and stretched for the people you are leading. Sometimes the people you are leading need to be stretched in order to find out who is loyal and who is not. The greatest miracles in the life of Christ and His disciples happened at the points of stretch."

Law III

"Never despise your season of obscurity. Never despise the time when things are hard for you, when no one knows you. We should not be in a haste to forget where we are coming from. A lot of our glory lies in our history. As we progress, we should not forget our days of lack, because a lot of people are still in that position. We should help them as much as possible, instead. Your past helps you to remember that God is good. If He could sustain you in your days of obscurity, He can sustain you now. Anything that sustained you in the time of obscurity, can sustain you when those days are over, in the days of fame and progress.The same weapon you used in the days of obscurity will be useful when those days are over, the only difference may be the situation. If you remember your past, God will empower your today. A change of status may not automatically mean a change of diet. Obscurity is an opportunity for you to rehearse for your tomorrow, for your promotion. When the increase and promotion comes, you may not have any time to rehearse again."

He concluded by encouraging those who have not given their lives to Christ to do so. Being the right leader starts with Christ, with Him as your Lord and Saviour.

After the tithes and offerings, the baby dedication of Mr. & Mrs. MacDuf Takim took place. Their baby girl was christened Nora Naza Nkyie Takim and was prayed for by Pastor Udoka.

Closing prayers were said and the service came to a beautiful end.

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