A leader is, by definition, a person who works through other people to achieve a goal or a vision. A leader sees a future no one else can see, and then takes his followers there. God values and understands the importance of leadership. Leadership is a privilege and of vital importance, much hinges on leadership. Leadership can make or break institutions, nations, and churches. In Christianity, leadership is all about serving Jesus’ agenda and plan, not ours, not the church’s, and not the denomination. Leadership in Jesus’ service is placing Jesus’ word above man’s word.
People in leadership, whether they know it or not are being modelled by others. “I don’t know who my grandfather was… I am much more concerned what his grandson will be,” said Abraham Lincoln. We naturally take our eyes off Jesus when we look to people in leadership as our role model. I heard someone say, “If you ever want to stumble or fall, keep your eyes on the church leaders. Fix your eyes on the church leaders and you will fall all over the place, but if you keep your eyes on Jesus, you will not fall or stumble.” Christians who place unrealistic expectations of the church on people in leadership positions will be disappointed when they wake up one day and discover that their leaders are not the fourth member of the Trinity. We should respect those in positions of leadership and follow their example inasmuch as they follow the example of Christ (1 Cor. 11:1).
The ultimate role model of effective leadership is Jesus Christ. During his earthly ministry, Jesus worked through people to achieve the vision called “The Kingdom of God.” Jesus worked through the twelve disciples to establish a church that has endured for two millennia and now circles the globe. Out of the twelve, none were well-educated, some were undoubtedly illiterate, one was a traitor. Yet with that small group, Jesus changed history and impacted the entire world.
The most widely recognised symbol of Christianity is the cross. It’s a wonderful symbol because it speaks of obedience and love – the obedience of Jesus to God the Father, and the love of Jesus for lost humanity. But there is another symbol of Christianity that we rarely see – the symbol of the basin and towel. The basin and towel are the tools of the humble Servant-King who washed his followers’ feet and then went on to say to them (John 13:34):
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another….”
The greatest leadership quality you can have, whether as a parent, Sunday school teacher, small group leader, pastor or any other leadership position that God has placed you in is that you love Jesus and you love Jesus’ people. We can never be truly loving or exercise godly love without walking closely with the Lord. Godly love as one source – God alone.
Godly love is different from people pleasing. Godly love is the love that is willing to serve, but at the same time is willing to rebuke; it is willing to give of oneself, but at the same time is willing to exhort and warn; it is willing to sacrifice, but at the same time tell the truth all the time. Godly love is lived in obedience to God’s word, but fearless of people.
The leadership style of Jesus was not task-focused but people focused. It is based on love that casts out fear (1 John 4:18). As a leader, Jesus didn’t merely want to achieve goals and objectives. He was continually moving people from immaturity to maturity; from doubt to faith; from scepticism to commitment; from enmity to love.
Jesus broke all the rules by showing us that the way up is down. Jesus taught that leadership is servanthood. You cannot lead if you have never followed. You cannot rule if you have never served. You cannot be over if you have never been under. You cannot give if you have never received. You cannot speak to the people if you have never learned to listen. Even more surprising, Jesus did not cultivate friendships with influential people who could help him promote his cause. Instead, Jesus actually treated members of the influential class with a bluntness that bordered on harshness.
One of the key lessons I’ve learnt from the leadership life of Jesus is that the purpose of leadership is not to produce followers, but to produce more leaders. One of your most important goals as a leader should be to prepare your followers to outdo you. Prepare them to be great leaders who will achieve and succeed far beyond what they can now imagine.
Every great leader is a product of his or her teachers, mentors, and other influences. You will never meet a self-made leader, who has pulled himself up by his bootstraps. As the renowned English physicist Sir Isaac Newton once said, “If I have seen farther than other men, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.” Every leader stands on the shoulders of giants and we should acknowledge those who have helped us on our leadership journey. When I earned my degrees, I realised it was hardly an individual achievement. I received help from countless numbers of people along the way to achieve those goals.
“The apostle Paul was perhaps the greatest theologian-missionary who ever lived, yet he didn’t attempt to serve the Lord in isolation. At his side were people like Luke, Timothy, Barnabas, John Mark, Titus, Epaphroditus, Euodia and Syntyche, and a host of others, including the twenty-six-people named in Romans 16. He brought out the greatness in them, and they helped him bear the burdens of ministry. They all needed each other” – Warren W. Wiersbe
Leaders can gather around themselves a circle of influence, people who will pray, advise and support them, but leaders must ultimately make the lonely hard decisions in which the ultimate blame or fault is theirs alone. On the cross, Jesus knew what it meant to be completely alone, a leader without followers, forsaken even by his Father. Just before his death, Jesus cried out:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34).
When you are sold out to Jesus Christ, you do not run away from crisis or the arena in which God has placed you, your life and your reputation is not important, the gospel is! Thou Art Royal, Therefore Endure! The whole concept of persistence is not necessarily or only a Christian concept. I heard of a politician (Russell B. Long) who was so committed to his cause so much so that he said, “I expect to fight this proposition until hell freezes over. Then I propose to start fighting on ice.” When faced with resistance, try persistence.
In 1787, a British political leader named William Wilberforce gave his life to Christ. His conversion turned a spoiled, hedonistic, hard-drinking young gambler into a devout reformer. He led the movement to abolish the slave trade in the British Empire. It was a long and discouraging political battle with many setbacks. After over a decade of fighting valiantly to end slavery without success, he felt discouraged and defeated. While Wilberforce looked to his Bible for comfort and strength, a sheet of paper fell out as he opened it- a letter he had tucked into those pages years before. It was a letter from evangelist John Wesley. The great preacher had penned them with his ebbing strength as he lay on his deathbed, just six days before his death. The following is a snap from the letter:
“Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them stronger than God? O be not weary of well-doing! Go on, in the name of God and in the power of His might, till even American slavery (the vilest that ever saw the sun) shall vanish away before it….”
Those words written years earlier with John Wesley’s last ounces of strength gave Wilberforce the power to go on on the long and tortuous journey to his goal. William Wilberforce lived to see the achievement of his dream after spending the last forty-six years of his life in the pursuit of it. As if God was saying to him, “Well done my child, the work on earth is done,” William Wilberforce died three days after hearing (in 1833) that parliament finally passed the slavery abolition act, which ended slavery throughout the British empire.
In Christ Alone 