Ahab Complex (2)

God held a plumbline against the house of Ahab and it failed the test. The house was not upright.

The Bible teaches quite a bit about the weaknesses in Ahab’s character. It provide important lessons for church leaders. These weaknesses leave church leaders vulnerable to the Ahab spirit, which opens the way for the Jezebel spirit. I have listed the vulnerabilities in the notes.

1. Populism
   Ahab walked in the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat (1 Kings 16:31)
   

   Jeroboam = the people increase, multiply
   Nebat = look.

   Ahab and Jeroboam looked to the people. They were populist leaders.
   
   Vulnerability: Insecure leaders find populism hard to resist.

2. Presumption
   Ahab thought to himself, he devised schemes in his heart
   1 Kings 12:28,29, 22:8, 12:33.
   
   Vulnerability: Many Christian leaders copy the ideas of other men.

3. Compromise
   Ahab was enticed into compromise when he should have stood firm.
   1 Kings 12:28,29; 16:31,33: 20:32,34; 11:40 II Kings 17:21; 8:18; 2 Chron 21:13 (prostitute themselves).
   
   Vulnerability: Just as harshness is always a temptation to prophets,
   compromise is always a temptation to pastors.
   

   Ahab = Brother is father

   Everyone was Ahab’s brother
   Hiel rebuilt Jericho in Ahab’s time 1( Kings 16:34).

4. Tolerate
   Ahab tolerated evil.
   Rev 2:20, 1 Kings 16:31, 20:4; 20:33.
   
   Vulnerability: This is risk for pastors in church without prophets. The problem is not Jezebel, but leaders who tolerate evil for the sake of peace.

5. Comfort
   Ahab enjoyed the comforts of the flesh
   1 Kings 16:9; 18:41; 21:1,2; 22:34; 21:16.
   
   Vulnerability: Enough said.

6. Jealous
   He was troubled by covetousness and jealousy
   1 Kings 21:2; 11:26,27.
   
   Vulnerability: what if some of your sheep go to another church. Will you be threatened.
   

7. Money
   He used money to achieve results, bribery
   1 Kings 13:7; 20:3,4; 21:2.
   
   Vulnerability: Money problems are common in churches.

8. Anger
   Ahab was sullen and angry (vexed NASB)
   1 Kings 20:43; 21:2.
   
   Vulnerability: sullenness and sulking are a slippery slope.
   

9. Threats
   Ahab used threats and intimidation to control people.
   1 Kings 18:10,11.
   
   Vulnerability: Controlling guilty or vulnerable people is easy for pastors/leaders.

10. Up and Down
    Sometimes Ahab was hard-hearted. Other times he was humble – a convenient humility
    1 Kings 20:25-29.
    
    Vulnerability: inconsistency is risky.

11. Rebellion
    Ahab ended in rebellion
    1 Kings 11:26; 12:19; 16:20; 21:25;
    He set up idols
    1 Kings 12:31; 21:26.
    
    Vulnerability: Some church programmes can become idols.

12. Resisted the Kingdom of God
    2 Chron 13:8,12
    Rev 2:26,27.
    Those who persevered in Thyatira were promised the Kingdom of God
    They would have the Morning Star, ie they will defeat Satan (Is 14:12).
    
    Vulnerability: there is not much interest in the kingdom among church leaders.

Person (9) Character/Attitudes

An attitude is a thought that reflects a decision. I have decided to think about things in a particular way. Whereas we cannot control our emotions, we can control our attitudes. We can respond to a negative or corrupted emotion, by deciding to have an opposite attitude. In the table below, positive attitudes are on the left and negative on the right.

Attitudes can be directed towards people, things, events, and life in general.

When we choose a particular attitude frequently, it becomes a habit. Attitudes that have become habits make our character. Our character is not something that can be seen. It is a set of attitudes that have become part of us, because we have made them part of us.

Virtues are attitudes that have made a home in our lives. The most frequently used word in the New Testament is "heart".

Do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink (Luke 12:29).

Attitudes
People
Loving affectionate sympathetic patient talkative faithful submissive cooperative respectful humble thankful timed gentle honest	Proud arrogant malice hateful critical dominant belligerent defiant effusive indifferent dependent, jealous resentful
Events
Surprised brave hopeful	Powerless impotent impatient cautious
Things
Fascinated curious open	Greedy destructive careless lusting
Life
Determined purposeful carefree thoughtful	Ambitious frustrated alienated bewildered perplexed negative grumpy