Servant Leadership: Test the Spirits

“Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.” – Edgar Allan Poe

I tend to revisit this topic a few times each year, but it seems so important that I cannot ignore it. Here’s a scenario in which you may have found yourself. You are at the water cooler (kitchen, vending machine, waiting for the elevator, etc.) and a co-worker says, ‘Did you hear…”

Ok, stop right there. Can we just agree that nothing good ever comes after those three words? Any time anyone not in a position of authority starts a statement with ‘did you hear’ you can bet you’ve just joined in a game of telephone – remember that as a child and how the result always turned out hilariously different than it started? Only, now it’s jobs, reputations, livelihoods on the line.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.” (1 John 4:1-3, ESV)

Servant leaders, first off, don’t peddle in rumors. Secondly, servant leaders have a responsibility to the Spirit of Truth to stop the trail of lies right there. Now, it doesn’t require being mean or condescending, just say, “Who is your source?” That usually stops the rumor in its tracks. If the knowledge isn’t firsthand from a reputable source, such as the SVP who has responsibility over that department or the executive who herself is making that change, then remind your coworker of what Poe said. Believe nothing you hear. But what if the source is reputable?

You still have a responsibility to your company not to spread the information even if the source is reliable. If your company wants it known, they will publish it in a newsletter or tell you in official correspondence.

But what happens when the source is the news, such as one of the major news outlets or an authority figure within Government? How do servant leaders reconcile 1 John 4 with Romans 13?

“All of you must obey those who rule over you. There are no authorities except the ones God has chosen. Those who now rule have been chosen by God. So whoever opposes the authorities opposes leaders whom God has appointed.” (Rom 13:1-2, NIRV)

Well, considering “obey” means to follow the rules, regulations, laws and guidance of those in authority as long as it doesn’t contradict the Word of God, then I’d say those two scriptures are complementary. That’s right. It’s okay to follow CDC guidance post-COVID-19 and still validate that guidance is correct. It makes sense that, if God gave us brains capable of complex thought, He also expected us to use them. For example, when one Government agency gets out ahead of a developing situation with information that later turns out to be incorrect, what should our expectation be the next time that agency responds? Well, to be honest, we should have “tested the spirits” the first time around and we wouldn’t have been surprised by the flip-flop. What if the media reports that churches need to be closed but big box stores don’t because the median church-going age in America is sixty-five but most DIY’ers are younger than fifty? What if I tell you all media is suspect and following their given narrative, how will you respond?

If you said, “what’s your source” then you got my point, Servant Leader.

(Photo: Britannica.com)