HOW LEADERS HANDLE CRITICISM:  Isaiah 53:3 “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.”  Needless to say, none of us like criticism and rejection.  During his entire earthly life, Jesus was continuously subjected to personal criticism and rejection.  When you tour Israel, you will be taken to the high mountain top just outside Jesus’ home town of Nazareth where the people attempted to hurl him down.  Throughout his ministry, he was rejected and ridiculed and was eventually arrested, condemned to death and crucified on the cross as an enemy of both God and man.  At times and at his trial, he was silent, did not try to defend himself and kept moving forward to fulfill his purpose and mission.  So, the question is how did Jesus handle criticism and rejection and what is the example we should follow?

Jesus handled it with perseverance and integrity to not compromise his message or doing what he knew was right.  He held firm in strength of character and courage to uphold God’s will and purpose for his life.  He knew the cross was before him and that he would be despised and rejected by men and subjected to the pain, cruelty, and humiliation of death on the cross.  However, he would not be deterred from completing God’s purpose for his life.  Now comes the question for us to answer: “How do we handle criticism and rejection?”  It is not easy, but the answer is simple and the same: “Follow Jesus’ example.”  If you are a Christian leader today, you will be criticized and rejected by both non-Christians and Christians alike.  John Bisango, former pastor of First Baptist Church Houston, made a profound statement that we should never forget: “If you want to avoid criticism, say nothing, be nothing and do nothing.”  Unfortunately, many men today live by this philosophy and give up before they start or do not even accept their leadership responsibilities.  This is one reason that our world today sees such a void of strong Christian leadership today.  DO NOT BE ONE OF THEM!