The prophet's handbook

Leadership is a key component of the prophet’s service. The office by nature is that of leading and guiding in addition to prediction and revelation. This being the case, the prophet‘s training must include some teaching on the subject of leadership, especially the leadership of God’s people—taking them from the world to God, from sin and Satan to righteousness and Christ. These are all seemingly incidental duties, often receiving low priority on the Christian workman’s agenda. In reality, though, they are not trivial. People are followers by design, a trait deposited by God at creation to direct their hearts toward Him and effectively steer their lives to eternal salvation. This aspect of human nature explains why God dubbed His people lambs and sheep. The terms convey His intimate knowledge of all mankind—that they are driven to be led. This is so, whether they follow God and His righteousness or not. The inclination to follow someone in a flock or pack-like manner is an established fact in human history. We see this in the masses’ compulsion to be led away with fads, fashion, and new philosophies. Anyone with an inkling of authority can attract a following within his or her field or range or influence due to this tendency. The world’s opposition to God and His righteousness necessitates His appointment and training of His own leaders. He does so to identify and employ those most likely to obey Him because they desire His rule. God’s chosen will acquiesce without fail to His reign over those they lead. Authority As we have already established that a prophet is a leader, the fact that he must exercise authority is a given. Authority frightens many people, however, mostly because of its function, purpose, and roots. Simply speaking, authority is the lawful right to enforce obedience, to give orders, and to direct the behavior or conduct of others over whom one has charge. Loosely stated, authority is synonymous with power. However, it is more accurate to say that authority is established by power, because power can exist and be exercised apart from lawful authority; it is “applied force” or the threat of it. Only in an environment where the conference of power exists can authority be firmly established. Where there is no power, there can be no authority. Without power, authority has no basis to exist, having no enforcement outlet to maintain and effect its ends. Although authority is frequently abused, it is nevertheless a necessary factor in leadership. Otherwise there is no mechanism of influence or control to ensure those who start out with a mission or charge will put forth genuine and quality effort to bring the vision to pass on a consistent basis. Something has to motivate