Friday, January 17, 2025

Personal From... Real Leadership


 by Leonard V Johnson



It’s been a while since I wrote a Personal… And, this is something that I’ve been thinking about for quite some time now. Just this morning I had mentioned to my wife as she got ready for work, “There’s never been a time in my life, when I wanted new leadership for our great nation, greater than I do now.” I’ll try not to get too political in this article, but even during President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential election as the Republican nominee, I knew we needed new leadership ── but the United States of America wasn’t completely burnt to the ground yet. Now it is! I saw a photo on Facebook of Resident Joe Biden standing on a hill as America burned ── and I couldn’t help but think of Emperor Nero fiddling as Rome burned. And, even if that is nothing but a legend, that certainly would have been something his character could have easily done.

Since January 20th, 1989, I have not seen the United States of America in such desperate need of REAL LEADERSHIP as I have these past four years. What is real leadership?

The qualities to be a real leader begin early in life. This real leadership.

Do you remember the movie Twilight Zone from 1983? In segment two it was entitled, “Kick the Can” directed by Steven Spielberg. There was a character played by a young Evan Richards, a Tyrone Powers-type character (an English swashbuckler) with the top of his pajamas tied around his neck using it as a cape. Do you think he played a leader? I always thought so.

When I first saw this movie when I was fourteen, I looked upon young Mr. Agee as a leader. There always has to be a leader. And, there always have to be captains.

In the sermon, “Be Strong In the Lord!” I speak of the fact that in the glorious Kingdom of God──if we become born members of the family of God, God willing──we will still have to take orders. Because there will always be a leader that will be “higher in rank.”

I often wonder how many of our brethren think about the fact that the LORD God wants them to be a leader. A great many appear to only want to just follow “the leader” at church. Many don’t even want to be a leader. Yet, we are told in God’s living word that He wants LEADERS. To be above reproach. Serve with humility, integrity, and a heart for God. Present yourself approved as workers of God. And, the one that again makes us think of the young Mr. Agee, be like the youngest and serve like a leader. While not everyone is a traditional leader, everyone can lead in some way. Leadership skills are taught at a young age, and leadership can occur without words or even a position of authority.

During my adolescent years, I began to hone some leadership skills. I questioned a great many of the Worldwide Church of God’s doctrines. Such as “Older people will be resurrected as a twenty-year-old.” “You cannot get remarried if you’ve been divorced.” “There were no dinosaurs, that’s just something evolutionists peddle.” “We will be taken to Petra before the tribulation begins.” “There are three resurrections.” “Sunday is the ‘mark of the beast.’” “Aborted babies will not be resurrected.” Along with a whole host of others. With this questioning of authority, it benefited me. It helped develop critical thinking skills, it fostered independence, and it allowed me to properly ‘grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Because of my insistence in questioning the ministers on what they were teaching, they threw me out. Unquestioningly──you must believe whatever they teach.

Among our readers are thousands of others who were unceremoniously thrown out of the Worldwide Church of God, or became disillusioned and left. Be sure to read a Personal… from last year, “Armstrong Religion” ── in which I state unequivocally that The religion of Armstrongism is very much alive! It’s a religion of Satan the Devil! Many of its splinter groups – the hundreds that there are – are what our Lord Jesus has called ‘the Nicolaitans.’ It certainly appears that the ‘little flock’ are those that have come out from among the Nicolaitans.

It's Not Easy to LEAD

So often in life, a person never has the chance to develop leadership qualities. However, as in the case of young Mr. Agee – his older version, played by actor Murray Matheson certainly displayed qualities of a leader, with his smooth manner and upper-class English diction. He seemed to have natural leadership qualities from birth. Sadly, a great many of the youngest in the world who do appear to have leadership qualities will not grow up to benefit mankind. And then a great many won’t even grow up to be a leader at all.

Leadership qualities can be developed. But it must be channeled in the proper direction. Because, like Jesse James, the leader of the James-Younger Gang, leadership can go in nefarious directions. It’s like the youth in this generation, they can either grow up being guided in the proper direction as a real leader or grow up becoming a leader of the BLM! Which is a terror group, and a Marxist movement.

There have been many great leaders throughout history who plunged this world into world wars! Don’t be offended if──like President Donald Trump calling Vladimir Putin a great leader──I call Adolf Hitler a leader. He certainly was a leader. I’m not sure if it had anything to do with his name, however. I heard one comedian on stage say that if Adolf Hitler’s last name was Smith ── he wouldn’t have been the evil and ruthless leader he became. Is there an evil connotation to the name Hitler? In fact, the name Hitler wasn’t even popular back then. The surname Hitler is a variation of Hiedler, a surname applied to those who resided near a Hiedl (“ subterranean river ”). I believe──through the power of Satan the Devil, and through his experiences of the Great War (the war to end all wars) ──he was destined to become the evil and vile leader he became. The MURDERER OF MILLIONS!

To understand real leadership and all that it entails is essential in God’s Master Plan… From the Beginning. We, brethren, are to be learning how to properly lead for the World Tomorrow! We are in training. As I said earlier – While not everyone is a traditional leader, everyone can lead in some way. We all have a responsibility to lead in some way today, and to train tomorrow’s leaders.

A Quality of Great Importance

There is no other greater quality of real leadership than that of Wisdom and Understanding.

There are men and women of dynamic personality, and charisma that assume leadership roles ── but are actually terrible leaders. Such as announcing, “Jesus isn’t the only way!” They aren't real leaders, but only a charade.

Yet, when one thinks of leadership, we most often associate leadership with a good personal appearance, a good voice, a good mind, and a dynamic personality.

Back in ancient Israel, the children of Israel wanted to be like the other nations around them ── they wanted a physical king (1st Samuel 8:5). So, the LORD God allowed them to have a physical king. Saul ── a handsome man, taller than any of the people. But, Saul came to lack the MOST IMPORTANT quality of real leadership ── obedience to the LORD God. Saul lacked faith and confidence in the LORD God. The LORD God had anointed him commander over His inheritance – but in the end, he “did not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD” – 1st Samuel 15:22-23.

Then the LORD God selected David ── a young 16-year-old ruddy bright eyed good-looking adolescent ── a young man after God’s own heart (1st Samuel 16:11-13) ── to be king.

King Solomon (King David’s son) is an excellent example to illustrate the importance of right leadership qualities ── Wisdom and Understanding.

At the beginning of his reign, the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “’ Ask! What shall I give you?’” Certainly, the majority of people placed in this position would ask for wealth, power, or long life. But, King Solomon didn’t ask for any of these ── he asked for an understanding heart to judge God’s people. That he may discern between good and evil.

This was the very answer the Lord GOD was looking for! “The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.” – 1st Samuel 3:5-10.

“Then God said to him: ‘Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12) behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a WISE AND UNDERSTANDING HEART, …’” – vs. 11-12.

So, a great leader has to be able to understand people. Including those brethren, we would consider an enemy. I’ve been praying to the LORD God now for a little over a year for the removal of an evil and vile person from my family’s life. “Why?” I ask Father God and our Lord Jesus, “Have You not removed this vile man from our lives?” Often, the LORD God doesn’t completely remove terrible people from our lives. And I’m not speaking of having him removed by way of death or any such manner──but rather him just “living in a van down by the river.”

Often the LORD God tests us and is teaching us. Allowing us to be in strenuous situations to test and temper our faith ── and then in those moments ── forcing us to learn and hone the qualities of spiritual warfare. The LORD God often uses these moments to get us battle-ready through testing and teaching.

We are explicitly told in the Book of Proverbs, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” – Proverbs 1:7.

Again, in the sermon “Be Strong In the Lord!” I speak of another quality of being a right leader ── courage. Even before conversion, the LORD God was teaching me courage. Here’s one such test. In 2006 while I was sitting at the counter of the El Paso, Texas – the Country Market Restaurant | Flying J Travel Plaza. I noticed one seat down from me had a jacket thrown over the back and a bald-headed man with a Russian accent sitting next to that chair. Not long after I sat down, a young Mexican man (maybe mid-20s) sat down in the seat with the jacket thrown over the back. He and the bald-headed man began talking. The young Mexican man began to “wash his laundry in public” to this other man. How his grandmother and his father had both died on the same day. I half expected him to literally cry on this other man’s shoulder. Then, while I continued sitting there a strong feeling came over me, along with a thought in my mind: “They’re going to soon get up and go off together.” Sure enough, about five minutes later, they both got up together, paid their bills, and walked out the door together. Another thought quickly entered my mind, “Say something to that young Mexican man, and stop him from going off with that other man.” The thought became stronger. I began sweating. I began shaking. I said to myself, “Everyone will think I’m a kook!” I was too scared. Instead, I too got up and paid my bill ── never saying anything to that young Mexican man. They both walked out together.

Courage. The ability to do something that frightens one.

It’s true, that those who lead will make mistakes. But a real leader has to have the ability to put aside any mistakes, learn lessons, and press onward and forward. Henry Ford once said, “The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” Or as Albert Einstein said, “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

Our parents of today should well reflect on properly teaching their children the admiral qualities of courage. Surely everyone at one time or another in life has watched the 1939 Wizard of Oz!? With courage, we are immediately reminded of the Cowardly Lion played by actor Bert Lahr. In the movie, he sang a solo song, “If I Only Had the Nerve.” To be able to step out with faith and do ── and to take correction which comes with making mistakes. Then… upon making a mistake... get up, dust ourselves off… and try again.

Now, perhaps the greatest lesson we can learn from is history. The United States of America became “civilized” in 1865. Since that time we, as Americans, have made countless mistakes. Here are but a few ──
Weird Reports Are Said To Support The Iraq War.

A mistake was made when dictator Saddam Hussein was wrongly charged with involvement with the 9/11 attacks, and having weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). …

The Bush Administration Disregarded Warnings About 9/11.

A lot of people think that the administration had a decent heads-up about the attack. According to rumors, the Bush administration ignored multiple intelligence warnings that said Osama bin Laden was preparing an attack on the country. …

Disregard For Native Rights Under Colonialism. *

The disdain for Native American rights was one of the first and most serious mistakes in American history.

Racist Injustice And Slavery.

The institution of slavery in American history was perhaps the most pervasive and destructive mistake. …

Economic Mismanagement And The Great Depression.

The Great Depression of the 1930s, which resulted from some poor economic decisions, was a pivotal period in American history. 1
In 1905 George Santayana wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Understanding Tomorrow

There is another important quality of real leadership. Vision. Who immediately comes to my mind is ── and even though Charles Babbage was the inventor of the first mechanical computer in 1822 ── I’m thinking of Steve Jobs. And, even though he never showed obedience to the LORD God, he was a leader. A true visionary. The Apple II became one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products in the world.

This world certainly looks bleak at times, but a vision of what could be, coupled with the knowledge and ability to bring the vision to life, helps create a leader of tomorrow. This is especially true with the presidency of the United States of America. As President Ronald Reagan once said, “It might be well to ask yourself: Are you better off than you were four years ago?” Now, we have an incoming leader who has promised us a much better world for all of us. THANK ALMIGHTY GOD we already know what President Donald Trump can do ── because he’s done it before. But it’s not uncommon to hear elected government officials promise something and don’t deliver. Or, the promise of fundamentally transforming America! And then doing so. Remember Barack Obama!?

Real leaders with vision will know that the way will be difficult. That the “road to success” will be NARROW, and will be filled with potholes. But, a real leader with vision will be able to ‘finish the race that is set out before them’ (2 Timothy 4:7) when it gets tough. One who can “see the Light at the end of the tunnel.” Sadly, in this present evil age, REAL LEADERS OF VISION are too few and far between. **

There Has To Be Dependability

A real leader must be dependable. And be consistently dependable.

1st Corinthians 1:9 – “God is faithful [He is reliable, trustworthy and ever true to His promise—He can be depended on] by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

There is nothing more disheartening than a fickle leader. If those who rely on and listen to a leader that is not consistently dependable ── trust is quickly broken.

As a real leader, we should ─ and it has been said, “In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” Also, back in 1934, what the Japanese called “Duck diplomacy” meant that you “float along placidly on the surface, but underneath you are paddling like the dickens with your feet.”

In this 21st-century complex world, it is not always easy to maintain consistent dependability. And to maintain strong moral principles. As in abortion, homosexual rights, labor unions, capitalism, expansionism, transgenderism, war. Most of our readers have strong moral principles and opinions on these subjects.

One real leader from Church history ── and one who should inspire all of us, brethren ── was Polycarp.

A Price to Pay For Consistent Strong Moral Principles

Upon the death of the apostle John, then an old man sometime after AD 98, the churches in Asia Minor came under Polycarp's leadership. This was no easy time in world history to be a Christian. The Roman government had begun persecuting and martyring the Church of God in the days of Emperor Nero (54-68 BC), and the following emperors followed──Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus, Domitian, and Trajan. Emperor Hadrian, like Trajan, became famous for his wall in northern Britain. Hadrian kept Trajan’s persecutions upon the Church of God in place ── there was no more house-to-house hunting for the brethren, but those who had strong moral principles against the norms of the Roman polytheistic belief system were persecuted and martyred. Polycarp, now an old man well past 80, continued to provide spiritual leadership for the oppressed Church of God.

The Roman senate, during the time of Caesar and Cicero, declared atheism (not believing in the Roman gods) punishable. Even though the Roman senators and knights were veritable atheists ── the senate was therefore really just an assemble of atheists. 2 However, they certainly couldn’t allow declared followers of Jesus of Nazareth, whom the Jews wanted crucified ── and the governor of the Roman province of Judaea obliged to continue.

Followers of our Lord Jesus Christ were often brought before magistrates and commanded to renounce Jesus Christ. In the Book of Revelation chapter 2, written during the time of Emperor Domitian, Christian persecution in Smyrna began to greatly increase, due to the city's strong influence of emperor worship, which at that time was REQUIRED BY LAW and punishable by imprisonment or death. Interestingly, there was a significant community of Jews in Smyrna who not only opposed Christianity but also participated in the imperial cult. So, Christians not only faced persecution from the pagans but Jews as well. Polycarp, who had personally known and had been taught by the apostle John, was martyred in Smyrna at the instigation of Jews in about 156 A.D. 3

As Polycarp was being taken into the arena, a voice came to him from heaven: “Be strong, Polycarp, and play the man!” No one saw who had spoken, but our brothers who were there heard the voice. When the crowd heard that Polycarp had been captured, there was an uproar. The Proconsul asked him whether he was Polycarp. On hearing that he was, he tried to persuade him to apostatize, saying, “Have respect for your old age, swear by the fortune of Caesar. Repent, and say, ‘Down with the Atheists!’” Polycarp looked grimly at the wicked heathen multitude in the stadium, and gesturing towards them, he said, “Down with the Atheists!” “Swear,” urged the Proconsul, “reproach Christ, and I will set you free.” “86 years have I have served Him,” Polycarp declared, “and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?” 4

“I have wild animals here,” the Proconsul said. “I will throw you to them if you do not repent.” “Call them,” Polycarp replied. … “If you despise the animals, I will have you burned.” … The crowd collected wood and bundles of sticks from the shops and public baths. The Jews, as usual, were keen to help. …

So they simply bound him with his hands behind him, … [and Polycarp] looked up to heaven, and said, “O Lord God Almighty, the Father of Your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the knowledge of You, the God of angels, powers and every creature, and of all the righteous who live before You, I give You thanks that You count me worthy to be numbered among Your martyrs, sharing the cup of Christ and the resurrection to eternal life, both of soul and body, through the immortality of the Holy Spirit. May I be received this day as an acceptable sacrifice, as You, the true God, … Amen.”

Then the fire was lit, and the flame blazed furiously. … The fire shaped itself into the form of an arch, like the sail of a ship when filled with the wind, and formed a circle around the body of Polycarp. Eventually, when those wicked men saw that his body could not be consumed by the fire, they commanded an executioner to pierce him with a dagger ── ending the life of one of the great leaders of the Church of God.

Let us brethren, ask the LORD God for wisdom and understanding. Let us grow in courage. Let us learn from our mistakes. Let us continue to look into the future for a better World Tomorrow. And, let us always be consistently dependable.

Choose the path of a leader. A real leader. A leader for the Lord our God. □

* Sadly, I once heard a Worldwide Church of God minister say in a sermon, that Native Americans (in which he called Indians) were to be completely annihilated per God's will. 😢
** I speak of this concept often, especially regarding a two-fold prophecy regarding Genesis 18:22-32. That near the end of this present evil age, there will come a time when the LORD God won't even be able to find ten righteous people within the cities of the nations of Israel.


Bibliography

1) Mamchii, O., 9 Major Mistakes That Created Modern America, Best Diplomats, 10 Jan. 2024.
3) Kennedy, T., Ancient Smyrna, Drive Thru History Adventures, 24 Dec. 2018.
4) The Martyrdom of Polycarp. Translated by J.B. Lightfoot. Abridged and modernized by Stephen Tomkins. Edited and prepared for the web by Dan Graves. #103: Polycarp’s Martyrdom, Christian History Institute, Retrieved 17 Jan 2025.

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