Spiritual Leadership

Each person following Christ is also, in some sense, called to be a leader. None of us are justified in passively following those around us to whatever goals the world might set. Christians must personally be pressing toward the goal of glorifying God (1 Cor. 10:31) and enjoying Him forever (Ps. 73:25-26). And we cannot be content in pursuing this goal ourselves, we must also fulfill the Great Commission of our Lord to "make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19).

In chapter 2 of his book Twelve Ordinary Men, John MacArthur examines some principles of leadership found in the biblical account of the interaction between the Lord Jesus and Simon Peter. Among other comments in this chapter, MacArthur gives 6 character qualities that a leader must develop and model before his followers:

1. Submission: "Everything the true spiritual leader does ought to be marked by submission to every legitimate authority- especially submission to God and to His Word." (I Pet. 2:13-18)
2. Restraint: A leader must develop and model "self-control, discipline, moderation, and reserve" following the example of Jesus. (I Pet. 2:21-23)
3. Humility: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble". (I Pet. 5:5-6)
4. Loving service: "The real leader is someone who serves, not someone who demands to be waited upon." (Mk. 9:35)
5. Compassion: A leader must learn from their mistakes and trials so that he may comfort others and be patient with others. (I Pet. 5:8-10)
6. Courage: A leader must be willing to suffer for the ultimate goal. (I Pet. 1:3-7)

In the comments section of the Total Leadership Blog [which is no longer active], Andy Stanley, the leader of North Point Ministries in the Atlanta area, once posed the question, "What is …distinctly spiritual about the leadership you do?" This question is answered in Twelve Ordinary Men on page 47, where MacArthur writes,

Obviously, in spiritual leadership, the great goal and objective is to bring people to Christlikeness. That is why the leader himself must manifest Christlike character. That is why the standard for leadership in the church is set so high. The apostle Paul summarized the spirit of the true leader when he wrote, "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1).

My prayer for all readers of this blog is that you would be conformed to the image of Christ and that you would lead others to also be made into the image of Christ by faith.