Leadership
by Ronnie Worsham
False leaders lead you to them; godly leaders lead you to Him.
Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith (Heb. 13:7).
Leaders can only lead us to where they are actually going. Character is much more caught than it is taught. If even an unwise association can prove harmful to our character, then most certainly associating with a bad leader can prove devastating to our inner being—“Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character’” (1 Cor. 15:33). Too many are those who end up in horribly frightening places in life because they naïvely followed bad leaders.
To be led by others means to be guided down a path by them, either by their showing us the way or telling us where to go. Leadership can be exerted on us either directly from the leader to us or indirectly from the leader through others. The leadership exerted on us by others can range in scope from quite broad to very limited, spiritually, religiously, morally, socially, politically, philosophically, and so forth. A leader’s impact is ultimately determined by the willingness of others to follow them.
Worldly leaders are by definition incapable of leading us in God’s way because they are in the flesh and not of God. Being “under the influence” of God is not at all the same as “being under the control” of God. Their leadership is corrupted even though certain of their character traits and life principles may even, within themselves, appear good—“For those who are living according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh [which gratify the body], but those who are living according to the Spirit, [set their minds on] the things of the Spirit [His will and purpose]. Now the mind of the flesh is death [both now and forever—because it pursues sin]; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace [the spiritual well-being that comes from walking with God—both now and forever]; the mind of the flesh [with its sinful pursuits] is actively hostile to God. It does not submit itself to God’s law, since it cannot, and those who are in the flesh [living a life that caters to sinful appetites and impulses] cannot please God” (Rom. 5:5-8, Amplified Bible, italics and brackets are part of quote).
And all leaders along with their leadership principles and practices are a packaged deal; the bad comes mixed in with the good. Because of our inherent nature, made in the image of God, character is more caught than it is taught. Thus the worldly people we associate and live in partnership with, and especially the leaders we follow, will have a profoundly negative impact on who we are presently and what we are becoming—“Don’t be deceived, bad company corrupts good character. Sober up by acting like you should and don’t sin. Some of you are ignorant about God—I say this because you should be ashamed of yourselves!” (1 Cor. 15:33-34, Common English Bible). God is completely holy, meaning he is completely “set apart” from all that is not of him. And because we are like him, we must follow his example, especially in our associations. If we are ignorant of his nature, we are ignorant of our own nature. And because of who we are, bad associations will lead to the corruption and continuing erosion of our core character.
God has given each one of us individually the right to come into a relationship with and follow him, without any necessary approval of others—“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12–13). Further, he has given us, as his children, the wherewithal to hear his voice over and above the din of all others, and he expects us to follow his voice rather than others—“They will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice” (John 10:5, italics added). Our following another then must always be based on their following Christ—“Follow my example, just like I follow Christ’s” (1 Cor. 11:1, Common English Bible).
Thus it is the responsibility of each of us to take care in determining our leaders—“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matt. 7:15, italics added). Carelessness and naiveté on the front end of our following others can lead to disaster on the backend! Because we are morally and spiritually vulnerable beings, we must choose most carefully those we allow to influence us in any way!
The test of authentic, godly leadership is in the long-term outcome, not in any short-term appearances. The one who leads best for God is the one who lives best for God—“Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith” (Heb. 13:7). And the fruit of one’s life is not to be measured by short-term appearances but rather by the long-term effects of our life on others. Short-term impressions can be most deceiving—“They come to you in sheep’s clothing…” Looking like a harmless, domesticated sheep does not make one a harmless, domesticated sheep. Let the follower beware.
Satan is a liar and a deceiver. Thus, so are those leaders who are, wittingly or unwittingly, being influenced by him—“For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:13–14). Looks and words can be most deceiving. The test of a leader must then be the “outcome of their way of life,” the only “fruit” that cannot be faked.
Godly leadership is the exact opposite of worldly leadership in all the basic ways. Worldly leadership seeks control; godly leadership seeks surrender. Worldly leadership assumes power; godly leadership surrenders it, instead choosing to empower others. Worldly leadership seeks attention for itself; godly leadership eschews attention and seeks to call attention to God. Worldly leadership seeks personal gain; godly leadership seeks, in this life, nothing for itself. Worldly leadership follows in order to lead; godly leadership leads in order to follow. Worldly leadership seeks to be served; godly leadership seeks to serve. Worldly leadership is prideful, even if it may at first seem humble; godly leadership is humble, even if it may at first seem prideful.
The one who leads best for Christ is the one who follows Christ the best. Christ is the one who calls and places leaders among his people—“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 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” (Eph. 4:11–13). Before we follow others, we must ask whom they follow, how they follow, and how they came to be in the positions they are in.
Christ’s authentic leaders understand that their calling and appointment is from him, that it is not earned, that it is not a right, and that Christ is the supreme Lord and leader. Therefore they understand that their purpose is to go make disciples of Christ and to mature those disciples in their ability to follow him (Christ), not them—“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19–20). Although there is always weakness and humanness in all leaders, there will ultimately be no equivocation in the direction and purpose of a genuine Christ-appointed leader. Godly leaders know their abilities and their calling are from God and not from themselves or others, therefore they seek only his interests.
Bad leaders always lead followers; godly leaders lead leaders. Bad leaders want no rivals; therefore they mature others primarily in the skill of following them rather than maturing them in personally following him (Christ). Bad leaders are at their core filled with pride and will always seek to be at the center, in control, and recognized. Godly leaders are humble and are always seeking to elevate others to the leader’s own spiritual maturity level and beyond—“The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Tim. 2:2, italics added), and “He must increase and I must decrease” (John 3:30, Common English Bible). The perfection of Christ is the goal, not conformity to anything worldly—“He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28).
Bad leaders lead from the top down; godly leaders lead from the bottom up—“You know that the rulers of the non-Jewish people love to show their power over the people. And their important leaders love to use all their authority over the people. But it should not be that way with you. Whoever wants to be your leader must be your servant. Whoever wants to be first must serve the rest of you like a slave. Do as I did: The Son of Man did not come for people to serve him. He came to serve others and to give his life to save many people” (Matt. 20:25–28, Easy-to-Read Version, italics added). Godly leaders strive to look and lead like Christ and therefore they serve others on behalf of Jesus. They eschew esteem, honors, titles, and the best seats and parking spots. Godly leaders lead as lowly custodians rather than as high-minded CEOs.
The test of leadership is in the long-term outcome, not in the short-term appearance. Bad leaders will often at first seem confident and secure but in the end be found to be fearful and insecure, as was King Saul (1 Sam. 15:24). On the other hand, godly leaders may at first seem unwilling and unconfident but in the end show themselves to be most surrendered and therefore supremely bold, as was Moses (Exod. 3:11). Godly leaders will ultimately see themselves as the least, the last, and the worst because they see Christ as the greatest, the first, and the best (1 Cor. 15:9, Matt. 20:16, 1 Tim. 1:15).
Godly leaders will also always be seeking God’s approval by careful regard for scripture and the leading of the Holy Spirit—“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15), and “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God” (Rom. 8:14). They seek to please only one—“We make it our goal to please him [Christ]” (2 Cor. 5:9, bracket added).
Because of the seriousness of the responsibility, godly leaders will choose to lead out of humility before God and will do so only after carefully considering if such a role is God’s will for them or not—“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1). Any reluctance they may have to leading is only a reflection of their reverence for God; not a fear of others.
Godly leadership will be most careful in the charge of leading others to and for God—“Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Tim. 4:16). Because godly leaders are seeking to lead us to him, not to them, their careful leadership will constantly point us only to Jesus—“I’m deeply concerned about you with the same concern that God has. As your father, I promised you in marriage to one husband. I promised to present you as an innocent virgin to Christ himself” (2 Cor. 11:2, Common English Bible, italics added).
All in all, godly leaders not only look like Jesus, they are like Jesus, and the outcome of their ways will bring the life of Christ to those who listen to and follow them—“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).
A Prayer:
Lord, help me to follow only those who follow you.
And help me to influence and lead others only to follow you.
Give me trusting eyes that are wary only in the right way.
Give me a careful heart that discerns rightly.
Be my only supreme leader, and lead me to life everlasting!
Amen.
I hope you are encouraged by that in your own leadership, whether in your family, your friendships, your church, or your workplace. Thank you for all you do for college and university students, as well as for all your other contributions to building the Kingdom of God. In His economy, even small things can have far reaching significance, so don't grow weary in doing good!
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