HOW TO PICK THE RIGHT LEADER

“They nominated…Barsabbas…and Matthias.” Ac 1:23 NLT

When Judas committed suicide the team of apostles was one man short. So what did they do? “They nominated two men…Barsabbas…and Matthias.” To decide which one was called to take the place of Judas, they used a method known as “casting lots.” It was a system used in biblical times when only a few select people could actually speak with God or hear from Him personally. As a result, Matthias was chosen. You say, “But I’ve never heard of Matthias.” And nobody else has either! He is not mentioned again in Scripture. But Barsabbas, the man who didn’t get the vote, is referred to as one of the leaders who steered the church through some treacherous waters of doctrinal error (See Ac 15:22-23). There are two important lessons for us in this story:
(1) You can know God but you will never be able to figure Him out. So stop trying. You can’t reduce Him to a formula and say, “This is the way He always does it.” Casting lots was a system God may have honored in the past, but when the apostles tried it they didn’t get the results they hoped for. (2) God will speak to you if you are willing to listen. Before leaving them, Jesus had told His disciples that the indwelling Holy Spirit would guide them. “All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me’” (Jn 16:15 NLT). You say, “But how will I know the Holy Spirit has spoken to me?” Because it will produce the results that God wants!

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