Essences Of Leadership In The Third Sacred School

Essences  Of  Leadership  In  The  Third  Sacred  School

True  To  The  Basic  Agreement

Uranda   September 16, 1953

 

This is the central focalization of the Third Sacred School on earth, and those who come here to share this program are, to some degree, going to school. Going to school for what purpose? Well, to learn to enter into the kingdom of heaven at hand, yes. But if one enters the kingdom of heaven at hand, what is the requirement? We may answer, "To serve the King of the kingdom," and that is true. But what is it that the King of the kingdom needs? The King of the kingdom needs those who are qualified to be leaders in His program on earth.

A leader must be so centered that he is in position to lead. What is it that controls in the pattern of our lives? We have talked about a control pattern. What is a control pattern? A control pattern in relationship to the kingdom that is at hand is developed through individuals on a basis of capacities in leadership which permit the reality of agreement.

The individual who comes into that agreement has one primary question to answer: "What is my purpose here? Why am I here?" And if the answer is something other than to serve the Lord, it is the wrong answer. If you came here for any purpose other than to serve the Lord, then sooner or later your purpose must change. If we are going to serve the Lord, we must of necessity be centered in the Lord and follow Him.

We have emphasized over and over again that no one can be a true leader until he has first learned to follow. I could not be a leader here, having achieved what little has been done so far, if I had not learned something about following—following the one who is my leader. When pressures come, when circumstances become difficult, when personal preferences tend to come into play and there is the question of what one likes to do or wants to do, there will be a distortion in the pattern unless one has a leader and he has learned to follow. Until such stability becomes evident the individual is not in a true sense a leader.

If there is to be the development of the pattern of leadership the individual must learn how to follow, so that he or she does not inadvertently break the vibrational pattern in relationship to the whole. The individual must develop vision and understanding in relationship to the human element, working with people for the attainment of a larger purpose.

Leadership—what does it mean? In the building, in the doing, if there is leadership we cause the form which is being brought into manifestation to conform with the spirit, and no matter how important the form is it is never as important as the spirit that is to find expression through the form. Those who do not have the capacity of leadership may labor in the realm of giving form to something, the doing or the building, but those who control in the sense of leadership must be constantly aware of the manner in which the forming form is conforming to the spirit. And if in any moment the building of the form begins to be separated from the spirit which is to manifest through the form, then in that moment the work of building the form ceases to have its correct meaning.

Leadership provides that element of correlation between spirit and form on the basis of a heavenly agreement. If the heavenly agreement is violated, then leadership has the responsibility of remaining true to the agreement while that which is violating the agreement is in some fashion cleared; for if the form is to be a living thing, having real meaning, it must conform to the spirit, not only in some future time but during the time of the forming, the time of the doing and of the building.

I have seen various individuals who have a potential leadership ability who allowed some quirk of character or mental attitude to make that leadership ability more or less meaningless over a long period of time.

Sometimes the individual begins to see something and, instead of remembering the agreement in Center, tries to go off on a tangent basis. He is going to do some great thing. It is not merely the ability to do some certain thing, but the ability to do it in the current of leadership in relationship to the kingdom of heaven that is at hand. Leadership must be flexible. Leadership must have patience. Leadership must reveal ingenuity. Leadership must show a willingness to accept more than one's fair share of the load.

The development of leaders is, in actual fact, the greatest need of the Lord's service. It is not money, not material things, not greater world recognition, but leaders. A leader who becomes so great in his own eyes that he cannot step into the little place and do the little things ceases to be a leader. The leader is able to enter into any sphere that relates to his pattern of function and serve in it, whether he particularly wants to do so or not. The leader does not function on the basis of "what I want to do." He functions on the basis of what needs to be done.

A leader is willing to lead in little things as well as large, and being a leader he can begin to develop that sphere of things in which his leadership may take form. He does not ask that it be carved out and prepared in advance. At least he is willing to do his part in the production of that situation which will allow his leadership greater opportunity of expression.

One of the primary, central points that I watch in relationship to the development of leadership is this: To what degree does this person remember, and remain true to, the basic agreement? What circumstance will cause the individual to violate the agreement? The circumstance that is greater than the individual marks the limits of the individual's capacities as a leader. The violation of the agreement is the central, serious point of failure.

I will let those who have never entered into the agreement do things, without any question, which I would strenuously object to in relationship to those who have entered into the agreement. Merely because a person comes, does not mean that I assume that he has entered into the agreement. I look to see what leadership material there is. I consider what it will take to inspire him to enter into the agreement. But until he does enter into the agreement, I do not treat him as if he had entered into the agreement. I expect certain things from those who have entered into the agreement—certain things to appear through them.

The true leader does not constantly make known to others all that he himself knows. The true leader can keep his counsel, and if there is something that he feels should be changed he will speak to those who have authority in the matter and not talk with those who can do nothing about it. He will not be doing something or saying something simply to stir up feeling. The true leader can keep his counsel. He can hold his tongue. He can remain patient. And he will consider the matter only with those who should be approached in relationship to it. The true leader will not attempt to develop a tangent pattern in order to demonstrate his leadership. He will not go out and try to make something be thus and so. He will not try to exert his power of leadership over others simply to demonstrate his ability. He will let the reality of leadership appear in the expression of the whole as it appears from Center, so that the whole may be integrated, correlated.

We are here to serve our King in the kingdom at hand, but if we so serve we must of necessity become leaders, to the glory of God and the blessing of the children of men.

© Emissaries of Divine Light