CHRISTIAN LEADER 1

The Christian leader – Part 1

John 10:11 – “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd giveth his life to the Sheep”

                                                                                                              

A sheep is an animal seen as one of the dumbest animal in the world. It is disorganized, dis- oriented, confused, frightened and incapable of finding its way back to the flock when it goes astray. It is unable to ward off predators and is easily helpless without a shepherd.

Therefore, Jesus calling us sheep implies that without Him as a shepherd, we are helpless. There is no finer leader than our Lord Jesus Christ.

Works of a Shepherd

The shepherd is one that:

·     Feeds, Leads, Nurtures, Comforts, Corrects and Protects the sheep.

Likewise the Shepherd of the Lord’s flock should shepherd by modeling godliness and righteousness on his own life and encouraging others to follow his example as Paul stated in 1Corinthian 11:1. The Christian leader is one who follows Jesus Christ and encourages others to follow Him as well.

Comfort

As Christians in the world today, we suffer a lot of injuries to our spirit and we need the leader of compassion, love and patience towards us and to encourage us with the word of God. A Christian leader should there have the character and spirit of comforting as the shepherd cuddles and comforts the broken and wounded sheep.

Protector

The lax shepherd always loses sheep to the predator who prowls around or sometimes among the flock. The predators are those who tend to love the sheep through false doctrine, dismissing the bible as old-fashioned, insufficient, unclear, not the only way to the truth and you can have control over your own destiny in life. We have been warned by the good shepherd, Jesus Christ in Matthew 7:15. A good leader must protect his flock from these false teachings by feeding them with the right bible-based pasture (word of God).

Nourisher

The Christian leader is also a nourisher of the sheep. The ultimate sheep food is the word of God. As the leader leads the flock to the right pasture he ensures also the right growth, strength and flourishing of the sheep. The word of God is the only diet that can produce healthy Christians. As a Christian leader, how much of the food do you know yourself? Do you taste it daily to know it is good for the sheep? Do you feed them the right diet of quantity and quality that the always yearn for more? Is your food making them weak, strong or mere truants? A leader should also correctly divide the word of God.  Can you correctly handle the word of God and be able to use it for 2Timothy 3:16-17.

Discipline

Just as the Shepherd uses his hook to pull a wandering sheep back into the flock, so also the Christian leader should discipline those in his care when they go astray with a gentle spirit and not in hostility (Galatians 6:1). A leader must correct according to scriptural principles not man’s principles. Correction or discipline is not a sweet/pleasant experience for both parties, but a leader who fails in this area is not showing love for those in his care (Proverb 3:12).

End of Part 1

Characteristics of a Christian Leader – PART 2