Redeeming Your Character:
Apostle (The Executive)

Description

An apostle can start organizations and oversee their development, and frequently pioneers new undertakings such as businesses, churches, or ministries. A Christian apostle is one who provides encouragement, wisdom, and general leadership to multiple churches or groups, and exercises authority in their spiritual matters. An apostle’s vision is not limited to the local church, but sees the local church as part of a whole.

“So Christ himself gave the apostles . . . to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-13). “Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake” (Rom. 1:5). From these scriptures, we see that an apostle’s responsibilities include preparing God’s people for works of service, building them up, helping them mature, and calling them to obedience.

Your apostolic motivation enables you to oversee many departments, groups, or operations simultaneously, coordinating all of their efforts to achieve the “big plan.” You are a natural executive. You work with people and see them as essential, but usually do not get personally involved with them.

You emphasize the “big picture,” overall trends, and the total objective. This emphasis causes you to have little interest in details or in short-term problems.

You are likely to be hard-working and expect others to work hard, too. You are self-confident and feel comfortable using your authority to push for what you want or overcome problems. This also makes you very decisive, making decisions easily and confidently. You adapt easily to change, especially if you initiate the change or consider it compatible with your plan. You readily initiate changes in the groups you oversee.

You quickly embrace causes where you see a need for executive oversight to make the cause effective. Your strong convictions and personal energy motivate you to fight for your cause.

Typical Characteristics

• Comfortable being in charge of several projects or groups of people simultaneously.
• Able to see the “big picture,” but don’t enjoy working with details.
• May start many projects, but have difficulty finishing them.

Tendencies

• General Orientation: extroverted. You enjoy action and excel at doing many tasks simultaneously. You interact easily with people because you enjoy being in charge. Socially, however, you may be a loner because you have little interest in close relationships.
• Perspective: If you are optimistic, you can provide encouragement and hope to many groups of people.
• Priorities: results; people. Clearly, people make the program work, but your goal is to produce results. If you operate as an apostle in God’s kingdom, you recognize the need to prepare God’s people for works of service, build them up, help them mature, and call them to obedience. This will cause you to focus more on the individual, but your desire still is to see results in their life. Your natural inclination is to work with groups of people rather than individuals.
• Issue Perception: very objective. Your emphasis is on coordinating all activities with the overall flow, so you have less concern for the individual’s problems. This alone will create problems for the people involved.

Misunderstandings

• Others may think people and their problems don’t concern you, due to your focus on the “big picture.” People are important to you, but you operate at a group level, forming and overseeing groups.
• Your problem-solving methods may seem very harsh to others, even disproportionate to the problem. Because your focus is on a higher level, you are eager to address the details of the problem quickly and forcefully, perhaps so you don’t have to come back to this level.

Vocations and Roles

• The executive is in charge of all the departments, making them work together to achieve your goals for the organization.

Perversions

Self-Centeredness
(Perverts your aptitude by focusing it on you, emphasizing the pleasure or fulfillment it gives you.)

• Because you see the “big picture” and have responsibility for the well-being of the organization, you feel your opinion supersedes those of others in the group.
• You may discount or even ignore the perspectives and opinions of others. Your goals for the group quickly become the group’s goals.

Extremes
(Perverts by exaggerating, taking your characteristics and tendencies to extremes.)

• Your ability to oversee many projects simultaneously and the fulfillment you receive from doing so make it easy to overcommit yourself. You may become a workaholic.
• Your interest in working with groups makes it easy for you to overlook the legitimate needs of individuals, including your family members. You may view people primarily as resources needed to keep the organization functioning.

Control
(Self-centeredness makes you want to be in control, and you struggle for control in a way that is unique to your character.)

• When conflict occurs, your natural tendency is to take charge because you view yourself as the highest authority.
• You issue orders and expect immediate compliance, then you are off to conquer another problem.

Redemption

Putting on Important Traits

Certain godly character traits are especially important to you as an apostle. Consciously developing the following traits will help you promote the well-being of the whole without injuring the individual.

• Humility (Considers self relatively unimportant compared to others; prevents using abilities for one’s own satisfaction.) Humility prevents you from using your power and authority to get your own way.
• Agape (Considers others’ welfare, needs, interests, and desires more important than your own; motivates you to act for others’ benefit regardless of personal impact.) This causes other people’s needs and interests to become a priority, even when dealing with groups of people. Agape helps you use your skills for the benefit of others, both individuals and groups, coordinating their efforts, helping them perform their duties and achieve their goals. It motivates you to act for everyone else’s benefit regardless of how it affects you.
• Peace (A state of well-being; an internal condition of completeness, order, and rest that supersedes external circumstances.) This helps you avoid irritating others when you take charge. It also helps you resolve conflicts between your subordinates.
• Patience (Self-restraint in the face of provocation, offense, or difficulty caused by other people; tolerance of the intolerable.) Patience allows you to tolerate people’s rejection of your involvement, their opposition to your plans, and their complaints about your methods.
• Goodness (Action on another’s behalf, whether pleasant or unpleasant to them; motivates you to do what is best for others.) Goodness helps you do whatever benefits the other person or group, which may include correcting, reprimanding, or defending.
• Faith or faithfulness (Firm conviction regarding something for which there is no proof; action based on such conviction.) Your faith will transfer to others, giving them faith in your goals and methods.
• Meekness (Gentleness; quality by which you accept another’s dealings with you as good, so you don’t dispute or resist.) Your meekness will instill meekness in others, helping them accept your leadership as you follow God.
• Brotherly kindness (Acts of friendliness and helpfulness based on relationship such as family, friend, or associate.) This helps you maintain healthy relationships, which is essential to your effectiveness as an apostle.
• Zeal (Intense eagerness to experience a desired result; intense emotion that compels action.) As you focus your zeal on serving the group and all individuals involved, it will create motivation and enthusiasm in those working with you.

Repentance, Renewing Your Mind
(The changes you need to make in the way you think, including your attitudes, standards, priorities, and perspective.)

Change your perspective so you view your role as providing overall direction to the groups you serve. You help the various groups see the “big picture” so they can identify their common goals, coordinate their efforts and work together effectively. You help people define the purposes, goals and methods of their groups, rather than doing it for them. You strive to overcome problems that interfere with your people so they become more effective and receive the benefits they are due.

Denying and Humbling Yourself
(Rejecting your own desires and self-interests. Refusing to be motivated by desire for recognition or credit for results.)

You can humble yourself by accepting or adapting inputs from your group leaders, rather than dictating decisions. Give them honor and recognition, and celebrate their successes regardless of your contribution; this will counter your natural tendency to take credit for success.

Taking up Your Cross
(Accepting that which has potential for great harm, threatens to break you down, or reveals your inadequacies.)

Accept responsibility for the performance of your groups, even when it is not good. Be willing to investigate details as needed to affect better decisions and solutions, even if you feel uncomfortable or ineffective working with details.

Following Jesus
(How you uniquely imitate Jesus by doing what He would in your situation.)

Pattern your behavior after the Great Shepherd, who gave Himself and cares for the many flocks entrusted to Him. He focused on what people needed, how to get them where they needed to go without harming them, and how to serve them most effectively.

Becoming Like a Child
(Accepting what God gives you, believing what He tells you, trusting Him to take care of you, and simply doing what He says.)

Set aside your natural desire to select the groups you oversee and accept those that God gives you. Especially in your relationship with God, learn to overcome your desire to be in charge and instead become dependent on Him. This includes learning to depend on Him for the wisdom and knowledge you need.

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