As 2025 hastens and quickly becomes occupied with random rhythms and routines, let us take a moment to consider some thoughts to help us effectively engage our spheres of influence.
Lesson one: Authority & Audience
First, let’s define the terms:
- Authority is the position and responsibility to lead, while the audience is the influence and opportunity to lead.
- Authority
- Position: a title designated or earned.
- Responsibility: the areas where you are accountable.
- Audience
- Influence: the willingness of others to follow.
- Opportunity: the future direction.
- Authority
Second, let’s examine possible audiences:
- Intrinsic: Are you a husband or wife? Mother or father? Extended family member?
- These exist by their nature.
- These are tied to you because of birth or marriage.
- These cannot or should not be abandoned.
- Extrinsic: Are you an employee or employer? Student or teacher? Friend or colleague?
- These exist by choice.
- These are tied to you because of your giftings, passions, skill sets, education, and more.
- These can and will be changed throughout your life.
Third, let’s consider three leadership challenges:
- Challenge one: An imbalance of authority and audience, i.e., authority without an audience or an audience without authority.
- One person might have the title or CEO position but not the team’s audience or respect. This would be an authority without an audience. On the other hand, a person might have an audience with the team, i.e., respect and the opportunity to lead, yet not the position or title of authority.
- The goal is to maintain a balance between the two. This takes insight, reflection, and supervision.
- Challenge two: Lack of awareness of authority and audience, i.e., failure to accept responsibility for one’s leadership position and consider the impact on one’s audience.
- This leadership challenge manifests in at least three ways:
- Diluting: unwillingness to assume the mantel of the leader.
- Delegating: distributing too much responsibility among team members.
- Deferring: inability to make decisions.
- The goal is to accept responsibility, trusting that God has allowed you to influence the present audience to love God and serve others.
- This leadership challenge manifests in at least three ways:
- Challenge three: A desire for more authority and audience, i.e., discontent and dreamy, leading to carelessly considering present authority and audience.
- Looking over the other side of the fence to a perceived greener pasture, which occupies and distracts thoughts.
- The goal is to stop trying to control the future and focus on being intentional with your present God-given audience and authority.
Finally, let’s consider Jesus Christ as our Guide to leading our audience with godly authority effectively:
- Jesus imparted His life and teaching to His disciples.
- Jesus spent time with them. He patiently taught them the Word. He modeled humility and servanthood.
- Jesus empowered His disciples.
- Jesus sent His disciples out from Him to spread the gospel’s good news. He gave them instructions and responsibility.
- Jesus loved His disciples despite their abandonment and betrayal.
- Jesus forgave and offered reconciliation to His disciples. His mission and purpose were not linked to the response or applause of His people. Instead, His relationship with the Father guided His ultimate sacrifice on the cross and resurrection from the dead.
Thus, the gospel of Jesus Christ enables us to impart our lives and biblical teaching…to empower others appropriately…and to forgive and love our audience through the good times and bad.
Does this mean a leader must endure all people, no matter their offense? No. Christ shows us in Matthew 18:15-18 how to deal with difficult people.
Does this mean a leader must always stay with the same audience and not seek to expand authority? No. Sometimes, we must part ways and move on to other areas of authority with a different audience. It is up to the leader to follow godly counsel and biblical precepts and know when this is appropriate and when it is not.
“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”
John 14:21
Lord, help us to lead the audience You have given us with godly authority. Amen.
— December 26, 2024