Mystery of Power
There is a great mystery involved in Biblical Leadership. To understand this mystery, let’s begin by looking at some pictures.
As we compare these pictures of a famous boxer and Mother Teresa, which one looks as though they hold more power? What about this armed Special Forces soldier and this boy praying? What about this man, Bill Gates, the richest man on the earth and these brothers praying for revival from Doma Kopje?
Mother Teresa, was the more powerful in the first pair because she helped thousands know the love of Christ. The boxer, Muhammad Ali, sent a few dozen men down to the mat for mere minutes, Mother Teresa sent thousands up to heaven for eternity. She wielded more power.
In the second pair, it was the praying boy who was more powerful. God hears the innocent prayers of children and acts in eternity in response. This boy has the ability to bring down spiritual strongholds; the soldier can only fight temporary physical enemies.
In the third pair, the brothers praying over their land leads many into paradise which gives wealth of far more value than all the money the richest man in the World will ever own.
Listen to these Bible passages about the mystery of Christian leadership:
Matt 18:3-4
"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Matt 19:30
But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
Matt 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
1 Cor 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
2Co 12:9 –2Co 12:10 NIV
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Cor 10:3-4
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
In God’s kingdom, leadership looks very different from worldly leadership. This chart compares the differences between leadership in the World and in the Kingdom of God.
| Worldly Leaders | Kingdom Leaders |
| Most learned is on top | Most wise is on top |
| Have power to control others | Serve others |
| Receive large incomes | Are often in physical poverty |
| Are proud of their accomplishments | Are painfully aware of their sin |
| Boast of their power and wealth | Give all credit and praise to Jesus |
| Achieve position by successes | Learn dependence on God by suffering |
| Live for the flesh | Live for the Spirit |
God’s Hierarchy Chart
EPH 4:7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. [8] This is why it says:
"When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men.
EPH 4:9 (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions ? [10] He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) [11] It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, [12] to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up [13] until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
According to Ephesians 4, God’s hierarchy chart of Biblical leadership looks like this:
Notice in this chart, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, and elders are all on the same level. The positions listed in Ephesians 4:11 are listed as a group of leaders that work together without indicating one above the other. In 1 Tim 4:14; 1 Tim 5:17; Tit 1:5; Jms 5:14; and 1 Pet 5:1-4 the elder is presented as the primary position for governance of the church. 1 Pet 5:1-4 and Acts 20:17 classifies the elder the same as shepherds and overseers. 1 Cor 12:28 indicates prophets above teachers (also known as elders in 1 Tim 5:17), however, leadership is always in the context of service and mutual submission. We are only leaders in the spiritual, not the physical.
Qualities of a Leader
In 1Tim 3:1-13 and Titus 1:6-9 the qualifications for leadership are clearly laid out. I am leaving with you a booklet titled The Church that provides the qualifications and duties of church leaders. For now, we will talk generally about the qualities that are common to all leadership positions.
Service
MT 20:25 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. [26] Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, [27] and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- [28] just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
John 13:3-17
3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him…
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13 "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
The first quality of a leader is he or she is a reconciler. Their primary mission in life is to bring themselves and others closer to God and each other.
2 Cor 5:18-19
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
If your heart aches to be closer to God, and you will sacrifice yourself to help others love God more, then you are a natural leader in Christ’s church.
Humility
Luke 14:7-11
When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
We sometimes hear of modern-day apostles. The qualifications of an apostle are:
- Personally met Jesus
- Called by Jesus to be an apostle
- Anointed with special spiritual gifts
Paul did not meet Jesus until the road to Damascus. However, he did see Him in there and he was called by Jesus, and he had special spiritual gifts. It is possible that Jesus could appear to a believer and call him to be a modern apostle, however, woe to the man who takes this title, or any other church title, onto himself without positively meeting the qualifications.
Would it not be far better to serve as an apostle or pastor and give like an apostle or pastor, or elder, or deacon without ever receiving the official title? Then when you get to heaven and you sit down at God’s banquette table, Jesus will call you out and say, “No, the lowly last place is not for you. You are to sit up here with me because in Heaven, we always called you apostle, or elder, or deacon.”
The quality of a leader in Christ’s church is humility. A true leader never seeks the title but rather to serve others first. A true leader serves to please God, not men. He or she knows God will honor them at the right time.
1 Peter 5:5-6
All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble."
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
Role Model
Finally, a true leader shows others how to live more than they tell others. Francis of Assisi said, “Go and preach the Gospel; use words if necessary.” In other words, how we act speaks louder that what we say. A true leader always seeks a righteous life before God. They are aware of their sinful condition and desperate need of the Spirit’s moment by moment help to live in purity. They are always asking God this question:
Ps 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Lk 18:9 –Lk 18:14 NIV
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:
“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about ◙ himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
1 Peter 2:15
For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.
Phil 2:14-16
Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life…
Prov 3:3-4
Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
God has ordained that every Christian is a leader of some kind. A man is leader of his wife, a woman of her children, even children are over pets and animals. We all have responsibilities. The one who wants to please God in leadership will be:
- A Servant
- Humble
- A Role Model
When we lead as Christ led, our churches will be places of love and peace and many souls will want to be with us.
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