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Godly Leadership
Jesus Christ was the greatest leader that ever lived on earth, no one comes close to His great leadership skills. He was foremost "servant of all" when He was here on earth as a man yet He is our Master. He taught and exemplified for all mankind what it means to be a "good leader". He taught that the best leaders are those who submit to His Father and obey Him in all things and then lay down their own lives to love and serve others. Jesus was known by the people as one who "went about doing good and healed all who were oppressed by the devil" (Acts 10:38).
Matthew 23:10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. 11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
Jesus did not come to earth to gain popularity, get involved in politics, to become a great statesman, or to become well liked by the elites. Jesus showed by His life and by His words that He came to do His Father's will and He did that will right up until His last breath.
The Scriptures says of Him "that He is the way, the truth, and the life"; that He is the "author and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2), He is the "Savior of the world", (John 4:42) our "Captain of salvation" (Hebrews 2:10), He was born "to be about His Father's business" (Luke 2:49), and that He would be a humble servant on earth even to dying on the cross for all mankind (Philippians 2:7-8).
No one ever led as skillfully and effectively, being a perfect example of what it means to be a leader as Jesus the Messiah, the one who is destined to come to earth and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Here is a list of some of the characteristics of the ways Jesus led when He was here on earth. This is in no way a complete list. We can think of many other attributes and the study of Jesus' leadership qualities makes for a very good Bible study, but here are a few to get us thinking about this subject.
Jesus led with:
*A Sense of Purpose - Jesus from the time of His youth was devoted to the complete accomplishment of God's perfect will for His life. The Father led and guided Jesus throughout His ministry and He always followed His Father's directions knowing that God is sovereign. Jesus absolutely knew that His purpose must be in perfect alignment with His Father's purpose; and that was to teach and to guide others to the Father to become one with Him as Jesus was one with Him so they too might attain salvation to eternal life. In Jesus' prayer on the night of the last Passover with His Disciples, He prayed that:
John 17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gravest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
*With Zeal - Jesus was full of zeal for His Father's commandments and the way of life that God wants all people to live. He was full of zeal for the Kingdom of God and wanted to help others catch the vision of what that will be like and to be seeking that Kingdom first in their lives along with God's righteousness.
Throughout the Gospels we see His zeal displayed from the chasing out of the money changers from the temple, to the rebuking of the proud religious leaders of their hypocrisy and their false traditions.
Jesus had one mission in life and nothing was going to divert Him from it. He zealously kept His Father's commandments perfectly, never, ever, compromising or yielding to temptation. He was radically loyal to His Father and taught others that they must be also. He taught His followers that God's way would cause divisions in families but that they still must put God first even before father, mother, brothers and sisters, children, and even their spouse. There has never been anyone that has ever surpassed Jesus' devotion and passion for His Father and the spiritual truths of God.
*As a Shepherd - Jesus is truly a good shepherd to His sheep and takes loving care of them. He was not like a hireling that ran off when He saw danger coming at His people. He expects those that He has called to be leaders in the Ekklesia to also be like shepherds, to love His sheep and to be vigilant watchmen over them (John 21:17).
John 10:10 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. 6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. 7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
*With Compassion - Jesus was touched when He saw how the people were suffering and needed help for their diseases and problems. He traveled throughout all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of illness, disabilities and delivering them of demon possession. As He looked out at the pressing crowds, He was deeply moved with pity for them, for they were week, bewildered, and hapless as a flock of sheep that had no shepherd.
Matthew 9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Matthew 14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
One day when Jesus approached the city of Jerusalem He knew what was in the hearts of the people and how faithless they were in following the true ways of God, and He knew that they would hate and reject Him and His disciples. Knowing the prophecy of the punishment that was to come in a matter of years after His death, He wept for them. Even though He was a great leader, Jesus was not afraid to show compassion.
Luke 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
Christ loved and accepted the outcast, He reached out to touch and heal even the most grotesque lepers, raised the dead back to life, gave strength to the weak, loved the unlovely, gave a second chance to those who had failed and gave His followers the hope of the coming Kingdom of God; but always exhorting the people He came into contact with to repent and to go and sin no more.
*Humility - In the life of Jesus Christ, we can see a vivid example of what it means for men to be humble. In Jesus' relationship with His heavenly Father and also with people, He always proved himself to be an humble servant, without pretension and without pride. He was never selfish, prejudiced, self seeking or pandering to those who were esteemed by others as great men. He associated with those considered to be the lowest in society and spoke up for the widows and children. He washed the feet of His disciples and even washed the feet of the one that He knew was going to betray Him.
He did not consider Himself to be superior to others nor portrayed that in His dealing with others. He never demanded that people show Him extra honor and respect even though He knew who He was; the Son of God.
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Jesus went to eat in the houses of sinners and publicans as well as the Pharisees and religious leaders. He did not disdain or turn away any class of person . Women who had been prostitutes came to Him knowing they would find forgiveness and compassion, even as Jesus told them to go and sin no more. Jesus was comfortable in the presence of the rich and powerful as well as beggars and downtrodden people who were homeless and lived on dusty roads outside the city. He stopped what He was doing to heal people of their diseases and to deliver those who were oppressed by demonic forces. Jesus was humble enough to take time from His busy schedule to speak to those who asked Him questions, He extended mercy and taught all who came to Him of God's way of righteousness. At every opportunity He expounded the Scriptures to all who would listen to Him.
Jesus always insisted that it was His Father who did everything and that He could do nothing within Himself. Even though He had the right to expect exaltation and to laud Himself He never did but waited for the Father to exalt Him. In Jesus we can see all the character traits associated with someone poor in spirit, who was humble, submissive, serving, full of faith and love for others.
Jesus was a humble servant and taught that the way to greatness is to humbly serve and not to exalt oneself. We see the ways that we are to follow Him in so many of His examples that are written in the Gospel accounts.
Mark 10:43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: 44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. 45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
*Integrity - Jesus was a shining example of honor and integrity. He was genuine, sincere, just, His behavior was above reproach in every way. In this way He was a great leader for He was everything that He taught to others. It was who He WAS intrinsically that directed the way He conducted Himself, what He said or did, and by His sterling example He was a credible witness of what He said and taught. He was a holy man and that is what attracted the common people to Him, even the little children.
2nd Timothy 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
Jesus was set apart, sanctified by God to do the works of God and the Father was able to use Him. He was clean and pure and was exactly who He presented Himself to be with no hypocrisy or hidden motives or sins. He was able to perform miracles and healings because He was a vessel fit for His Father's use.
The kings, presidents, prime ministers, elected politicians and other leaders of this world are very lacking in integrity and honor. It is very rare to find men and women who have integrity themselves and lead in integrity and honor. We desperately need leaders that lead with integrity, that are free of dishonesty, immorality and hypocrisy; who have high morals and lead honorable lives. Leaders who are living double lives, doing evil things in secret but pretending to be another way in their public lives; are not really leaders at all!
And in God's church, the spiritual leaders in the Ekklesia are to be good examples of everything that they teach; they too must have integrity and teach God's Word faithfully and are not to be afraid to speak out against sin and false doctrine even if they are ostracized by their superiors and peers (Titus 1:6-9). Leaders who have integrity are not afraid to stand up for what is right and then speak up and denounce sin and false teachers when they discern what is happening in the Ekklesia (Matthew 23).
Everything Jesus did was honorable; even in His arrest and in the way He died, He remained an honorable man and that legacy has followed Him throughout history.
*Power - Jesus was full of power; not the kind of power that powerful men wield in this world, but the kind that wrought miracles through the anointing of His Father and the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus had absolute faith and exercised that faith wherever He went. The Gospels are full of accounts of His supernatural miracles and how He used that power to do good. Sometimes His power was restrained because of the unbelief of others; but when that happened He would leave those cities and go to the people who did accept Him.
Matthew 9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
Matthew 9:29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
When Jesus Christ commissioned His disciples to preach, He also commissioned them to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead and cast out demons. The entire world is sick in mind, body and spirit and Jesus commissioned His disciples to pray for others with these problems and to have the faith to heal them.
Matthew 10:10 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
Jesus had the power over His own spirit as He never succumbed to temptation and had perfect self control in all areas of His life. He exemplified for His disciples and for all who would come after of the proper way to wield power and to use it only for good. We who are being trained to be leaders for the Kingdom of God need to learn how to handle the kind of power that Jesus had to be effective leaders and to use it only for the good of others and to never abuse it.
*Wisdom - Jesus had the wisdom to know how to address the needs of those He encountered, whether it was His disciples, the crowds of people, women and children, or the scribes and Pharisees.
He instinctively knew how to adapt His style and message to speak in terms they could understand. For example when Jesus spoke to farmers He would use agriculture principles, to fishermen He talked about fishing, to merchants He talked about pearls, with soldiers He talked about authority issues, etc., etc. Jesus had the ability to explain deep spiritual concepts to all segments of society from little children to the most advanced educated religious leaders.
And yet throughout Jesus' teachings He never wavered from the truth. He extolled His Father's commandments and holy living and never compromised. Jesus used supreme wisdom in the way He presented His gospel message of the Kingdom of God in all of His parables and stories. His knew exactly what was needed to be said and how to say it to bring home the point of the lesson that He wanted to bring across.
He had wisdom in using parables, similes, and illustrations according to each person's background and experience that would make the most impression in teaching them. He knew how to counter the scribes and the Pharisees no matter what they threw at Him. They could not confound Him no matter how hard they tried. He knew how to be wise as a serpent, yet gentle as a dove.
*Humor - Throughout the Gospels, Christ employed humor for the sake of making the truth more relative and clearer. Many of His teachings, when seen in this light, become more clear for those He was teaching. His parables sometimes contained irony, satire, paradox, even laughter to help clarify and to get His point across. He was a man that enjoyed weddings, music, and laughter, even merriment with His disciples and He was endeared to those who became His friends and companions.
He was after all full of joy and gladness for it was said of Him "Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows". (Psalm 45:7, Hebrews 1:9) Jesus showed leadership even in this respect.
*Sacrifice of Himself for Others - Jesus was a true example of what it means to be a living sacrifice. There was not one hint of covertness or greed in His character. He gave of Himself wherever He went and to all that asked of Him. His mission was to teach the people about faith, repentance, and the gospel of the Kingdom of God, and then to finally die for humanity's sins. That was His goal in life and He was willing to go all out to do it even to the death on the cross.
Even the night that He knew He was going to be arrested, beaten, crucified; He was concerned for His disciples and reminded them of the lessons that He had taught them, He washed their feet and prayed for them. When dying on the cross in agony He reached out to His human mother to make sure she would be cared for after He died.
Godly leaders are not self-centered and not self-aggrandizing but think of those placed in their care above their own needs and comforts. Jesus not only allowed Himself to be crucified for the sake of others but demonstrated a crucifixion of His own desires and wants during His entire lifetime seeking to only do good and lead people to God, even when it was painful and inconvenient.
The Importance of Godly Leadership
Why is the subject of leadership so important? Because it is so important to know what true leadership is like! We need to know true leaders when we see them and refuse to follow those who are not leading properly or who are not being a good example to the flock. No one of course is perfect, but we should know them by these kinds of fruits that Jesus had and only follow leaders as they follow God and if they are teaching the truth from the Bible and not church traditions that are not Biblical.
God wants leaders in His church; He is looking for laborers who will do the work that is needed in this end time. Leaders who are not afraid to step out in faith and do what is right even if friends and loved-ones disapprove or mock them.
For all who would be leaders of God's people, it is important to know what qualities are needed to lead and how to be the kind of examples that leaders need to exhibit, not just for the people in the world, but for their brethren as well. The church needs examples of people willing to be strong in the faith in these hard times, especially for those who are weak, who are younger, or who are new to the faith.
Please read and study the subject of "Church Government" and learn the truth about the Primacy of Peter, (the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which Jesus says He hates) as this is such a stumbling block to so many in God's church at this time. Knowing the truth about this topic will set us free from idolizing men and free to become strong leaders for Christ if we are obeying Him first and looking to see what the Bible has to say about everything we believe and practice.
We also need to study and learn about the truth of true humility and service to God's people. This is what is needed in the people of God and it takes people who are willing to step out, use their gifts, and not be afraid to lead in the proper way. Let us put God first and put away the idols of men, false traditions, and idolizing organizations that we have been so indoctrinated with and be resolved that we will only follow Jesus and not bow the knee to Baal.
Let us walk worthy of our priceless calling and follow the leadership of our Lord and Savior that died for us so that we could be called-out to become leaders for Him and to help humanity learn how they too can become a part of the Family of God.
We all need to become teachers for each other. It is not just the minister's job to encourage, exhort, counsel and share the truths that God has shown to us. There are others who are thirsting and hungering for the truth who may be bewildered, disillusioned, and who desperately want to know the truth just like we did when God first called us. We searched and studied out the truths of the Bible and now we should be able to show others that truth. Perhaps that is exactly what God is calling you to do. Search out your spiritual gifts and use them to build up the church; your gift may not be teaching but one of a number of other ways to contribute to the needs of the Body. (See Romans 12 and 1st Corinthians 12)
God tells us that we are to be lights in this dark and foreboding world; to be like beacons and lighthouses for all to see. He says He will be with us in our walk if we seek Him with all our hearts. Let us allow the Messiah to use us to help others walk in His light as well, as we journey forward to the Promised Land and become the kind of leaders that the church and the world needs as the darkness intensifies all around us.
Earlier we quoted the first part of the following passage talking about the compassion of Christ. Because Jesus had compassion on the multitudes, He told His disciples to PRAY that He would send more laborers into His harvest. Could it be that you are to be one of those laborers, a compassionate leader that will help Him in the harvesting of many, many others someday?
Matthew 9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
Constance
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