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Spiritual Leadership: Samuel L Brengle
by Major
Sunghyo Hong
A soul winner must have spiritual
leadership. Spiritual leadership is given by the Holy Spirit,
not by birth, position, title, education, or circumstances.
This is why the power of humility is demonstrated in Salvation
Army Officers who are called from the lowest social classes.
Joseph was a young prisoner in an
Egyptian dungeon. But he walked with God, and because God was
with him, he prospered in all things. Finally, Joseph became
the prime minister of Egypt, second only to the Pharaoh.
Paul was on a ship to Rome, guarded by
Roman soldiers, as a prisoner being hurried to the court of
the Roman emperor. One day the wind of God stirred the sea,
and the wind and waves threatened to swallow up the ship.
Everyone on board the ship trembled in fear. Then Paul became
the leader of all on board, possessed of spiritual kingship.
I knew a new lieutenant in the
Salvation Army who was a quiet, thoughtful, prayerful,
faithful, humble, godly young man, and a moderate man.
Although he did not know the new lieutenant, the lieutenant
colonel of the Corps he was assigned to was impressed by him.
The captain colonel approached him
humbly to discuss spiritual matters. They treasured the
example of the so-called pious and wise words and his spirit.
Although the lieutenant has long since been promoted to
lieutenant and gone to a new assignment, the clean footprints
he has left tell me of his saintliness and his Christ-wearing.
The officers walk with God, and because God is with them and
in them, they lead spiritually in the Corps.
Spiritual leadership cannot be earned
or achieved by promotion, but is achieved through much prayer
and tears. Also, it is accomplished through confession of sin,
humble attitude before God, self-examination,
self-abandonment, and boldly removing all idols. This
spiritual leadership is obtained through bold courage that
does not fear death, courageously loving the cross without
compromise or complaint, and faith that looks upon Jesus
crucified forever and firmly. In order to obtain spiritual
leadership, we should not pursue great things for ourselves,
but, like Paul, count the things that are beneficial to us as
loss for Christ. Paul said, "I count all things as loss
compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my
Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of all things
and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ"(Phil. 3:8).
It is a very high price to pay to count
what is good for us as harm. But it is a price that must be
resolutely paid by those who wish to be true spiritual
leaders, not merely nominal leaders. Those who wish to be
leaders whose abilities are recognized in heaven, on earth,
and even in hell must pay this price without hesitation. Moses
was able to obtain this kind of spiritual leadership in the
palace of Pharaoh and in the valley of Mount Sinai. “By faith
Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of
Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with
the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,
esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the
treasures in Egypt”(Heb. 11:24-26).
Spiritual leaders are not made by men
or by teamwork. Nor can conferences, board meetings, or
councils make spiritual leaders. Only God can do that.
Spiritual power is the outpouring of spiritual life. All life,
from the life of the moss on the rock to the life of the
archangel before the throne, comes from God. Therefore, those
who desire this kind of leadership must pay a sufficient price
and seek spiritual leadership from God.
Who made Elijah and John the Baptist,
who were hairy and unpolished men of the wilderness and
desert, prophets, and who made kings fear and nations shake?
He is God. Who brought Moses out of the university of Egypt
and the palace of Pharaoh, and trained him among the sheep of
the desert for forty years, and made him a meek man, and made
him an indomitable leader who could lead two million people,
and also an ever-shining lawgiver and source of laws? He is
God. Who chose young Samuel, put the prophetic words about the
aged priest Eli in his mouth, and made him the spiritual
leader of Israel? He is God.
Who chose the boy David and trained him
to shepherd the innocent flock, and gave him a strong heart
and courage in his arms to fight lions, bears, and giants? Who
gave David the skill to lead the armies of Israel so that the
women sang, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens
of thousands" (1 Sam. 18:7)? Who made the elders come to David
after Saul's death and say, "In former times, when Saul was
king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and back;
and the LORD said to you, 'You shall shepherd my people
Israel, and you shall be ruler over Israel'" (2 Sam. 5:2)? It
is God.
Why did God choose and set apart these
men and give them the power to rule over others? It was
because they recognized God as the supreme truth. They
believed in Him, sought Him, feared Him, trusted Him, and
obeyed Him. Read the Psalms and see how God filled David’s
thoughts, desires, and affections. You will never cease to
marvel at his leadership. David’s leadership was based on
spirituality, the power of the Holy Spirit, and fellowship
with God.
Once you have acquired spiritual
leadership, you must guard it. Moses, Elijah, Paul, Fox,
Wesley, Whitney(Charles Grandison Finney, 1792-1875), William
Booth, and countless other leaders who served in secret are
witnesses to this. They were “still bearing fruit in old age,”
and had “vigorous and vigorous” ministries. I once visited a
saint who was eighty years old and gray-haired. When I had
finished praying for him, he suddenly began to pray. "O
Father, I thank You that You have allowed me to prove to You
and to angels and to these young brethren that old age is not
a time of returning to the state of childhood, but of acting
as eternal youth."
I have heard complaints and fears
expressed by the younger generation. I have seen many who fear
and worry that as they grow older, they will be pushed aside
and displaced by younger or more mature youth who have not yet
attained even a tenth of their experience. They forget that it
is not long service or experience that makes a true spiritual
leader, but a living, spiritual life. If they fall behind, it
is because they have not walked with God, have forsaken the
Holy Spirit within them, and have neglected the holy life.
Even if they have served as Salvation Army officers for a long
time and have various experiences, if they have lost the
spirit of prayer, faith, burning affection, simple and
faithful life, and self-sacrifice that they had in their youth
and are only pursuing the experiences of past victories,
revelations, and graces, how can they enable people to receive
the fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit? Even if their eyesight
is poor due to age, their backs are bent, and their voices are
murky, if they always experience the fresh anointing of the
Holy Spirit in the present, not the worn-out grace of the past
from God, they will be welcomed by people.
Among the ministers, some opposed the
doctrine of holiness and refused the baptism of the Holy
Spirit during the period when they were active in their
ministry. Or there are those who, after being baptized,
ignored baptism or lost their ability and received a large
salary from the Corps with many attendees. However, their
influence gradually declined, and in their later years, they
became filled with complaints, disappointments, sorrows, and
jealousies, and their lives, which were like the sun,
disappeared behind the clouds as they set. The reason is that
they have ignored God.
I know a man who, although old, was
"filled with the Spirit of God." He was persecuted for Jesus'
sake in his youth, but he did not lose his saltiness, and he
lived a life full of joy in the Lord. Even now his bow is
drawn with great strength, and his sun is shining. People are
longing to hear the message of God that he proclaims to the
whole world. You must realize that longevity and experience
will not save you from danger. But if God is with you, you
need not worry. The only one who will save you is God in you.
God is always ahead of the times. What people want is God.
When God was going to establish Moses,
Samuel, David, Daniel, and Paul as leaders, did He ever put
them to work or give them a demonstration of leadership
experience? Not at all. They were simply walking with God. In
other words, they were following God's will, being meek,
trusting, obedient, courageous, and uncomplaining.
They were men full of God's grace. Even
if you are driven to the outskirts when you can no longer bear
your ministry, you must know that a man filled with the Holy
Spirit of God will never be abandoned. If a man filled with
the Holy Spirit of God is sent into the wilderness, as was the
case with Jesus and John the Baptist, people from Jerusalem
and all the provinces will flock to the wilderness where he
is. And if a man filled with the Holy Spirit of God is driven
to the outskirts, then the people of the world will stop what
they are doing and turn their ears toward the outskirts to
hear his last message from God. People put Paul in prison. But
Paul wrote and delivered powerful words burning with the
inextinguishable fire of the Holy Spirit. He inspires modern
people with more affection and faith than ever before, and
guides their thoughts correctly. When the Jews and Romans
beheaded Paul, they thought that his influence was gone
forever. However, even today, two thousand years later, Paul's
influence continues to expand day by day.
In this way, people thought that they
had shut their mouths by imprisoning Madame Guyon(1648-1717),
who had greatly helped the spiritual development of the
saints, in the Bastille prison, and John Bunyan(1628-1688), a
true man of God who had led many souls to nature, in Bedford
prison. But who can silence the thunderous voice of God? Who
can block the "still small voice" that God speaks through one
person? Those silent prisons had become telegraph offices
connected to heaven.
One day, an old man passed away in a
city. He was a pastor who was already over 70 years old. At
the age of 47, his body became extremely weak due to overwork,
and for 5 years he could not read the Bible or any other book.
However, he maintained his faith and fervent love for God and
people in any situation. When he finally finished his life,
the people of God who had been saved, sanctified, inspired,
and equipped with spiritual gifts through his words and
actions and the institution he had established for the
salvation and sanctification of God's people, mourned
heartily. In fact, his great ministry was accomplished after
he was sixty years old.
Such spiritual power and leadership can
be maintained, but on the other hand, it can be lost forever
as something subtle.
Saul could have been king when he
considered himself weak. But when he became proud and
disobedient, his kingdom was transferred to another. This is
something we must always guard against in light of the
following words: "Hold fast what you have, that no one may
take your crown"(Rev. 3:11). The apostleship of Judas Iscariot
was also given to another. Jesus said to take the talent from
the “wicked and lazy” servant and give it to the one who had
ten talents(Matthew 25:26).
I have seen wise, enthusiastic, gentle,
spiritual, and ambitious young men follow a Corps Officer for
advice and instruction. The officer invited the young men to
his quarters one evening. The young men were waiting for
spiritual food when they visited the quarters, and coffee and
cookies were brought out. The young men expected prayer and
counseling, but the Corps Officer brought out a chess board.
Thus the young men lost their opportunity to be blessed that
night forever. And the strong bond that had been forged in God
was loosened and gradually weakened. He was still recognized
as a nominal officer, but sadly his spiritual leadership as a
Corps Officer was gone. I always fear such cases.
"But you, beloved, building yourselves
up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep
yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our
Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Now to him who can keep
you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the
presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only God our
Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty,
power and authority, before all ages, now and forever.
Amen"(Jude 1:20-25).
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