Memorise; Be ye followers of me, even as I also am
of Christ. 1stCorinthians 11:1
Read: Philippians 3:17-21, 17 Brethren,
be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an
ensample. 18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and
now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 Whose
end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their
shame, who mind earthly things.) 20 For our conversation is in
heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who
shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious
body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things
unto himself.
A brief look at many contemporary Christian
leadership books seem to be confusing the followers of Jesus with a perceived
strategy to shape future leaders of the church, as though Church leaders are in
a special category. It should be noted that all followers of Jesus are called
to a life of discipleship.
It is not exactly correct to interpret the
relationship of Jesus with His disciples as an effort to develop a leadership
training school for the future movement. The Bible is very clear on the fact
that the focus of Jesus was first of all, the renewal of Israel , the establishment of the kingdom of God
“And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples
also, he said unto them, whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall
lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the
same shall save it.”
In one of Jesus’ popular sayings, he said to His
disciples, “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his
life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). This verse address issues of power,
authority, and human dignity. Though all these are central to any discussion of
leadership but the power of the text is in how it undermines notions of
greatness and how a leader must use power on behalf of all members of the
community. The modern teachings on Christian leadership have been redefined to mean
that the servant and followers (present day Christians) have become greater
than their masters and leaders (Jesus Christ). In response to this, Matthew
10:24 says:
“The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his
lord.”
All Christians must realize that a disciple cannot
be above his master as a servant cannot be above his Lord. To be a Christian is
to imbibe the discipline and humility of a servant. In addition to this
important prerequisite for discipleship we might add the attributes of
humility, gentleness, justice, and love. These were the contents for the
discipleship training that Jesus gave to His disciples. Subsequently, deacons,
elders, overseer/bishops, and believers are all expected to live out in very
tangible ways, the lifestyle that honours God and is exemplary for the people
of God. Followers of Jesus are to adopt this attitude toward life in general.
The lifestyle of a Christian should be clearly different and morally superior
to that of the world. The concept of Jesus on Christian leadership is firmly
built on follower-ship, service, humility, obedience, and loyalty. If you want
to follow Jesus acceptably, you must align your views on leadership to
incorporate the ideals of Jesus Christ.
Prayer Point: Father, please help me to pay the price of
leadership. Help me to imbibe the ideals of Master Jesus.
Bible in one year: 2nd Kings
6:24-8:24, Proverbs 21:30-22:12
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