Friday, March 10, 2017

A TRUE CHRISTIAN LEADER

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).

Characteristics of a Christian Leader
The characteristics and requirements of a spiritual leader require more qualities than a natural leader. Other forms of leadership can be easily attained through change in style or method unlike spiritual leadership. Most people you are leading are there because they chose to and not being forced, therefore they can leave anytime for various reasons (like offences or disagreements). Spiritual leadership is not about how well you speak or present yourself but how you live. Characteristics of a Spiritual leadership therefore require:
       i.          Courage: You need to do what is right in the sight of God and not what people say. Gideon was asked to reduce his army to 300 men and that should be it. Saul was asked to destroy everything at war and that should be it and not what you or others think otherwise. What the Lord asks can be sometimes counter intuitive, does not make sense but you know that it is from the Lord. It is then your courage that will help you to follow through. Be courageous and trust the voice within.
     ii.          Boldness: Boldness means to be confident in what you do or say. Whiles courage speaks of character, boldness relates to your personality. In Acts 4, the apostles spoke with boldness after they have been filled with the Holy Spirit. You speak boldly when you know what you are saying comes from the Lord and this occurs when you have spent time building your life on the word of God, the Holy Spirit and prayer.
   iii.          Strength: People follow leaders who are stronger than they are. A growing spiritual life is constantly filled with stress and pressure, and it takes a stronger person to go through it. The growth of a flock depends on the personal spiritual growth of the leader. If the leader is not strong in facing challenges, the flock ceases to grow well.( read Josh.1:6; 1corin.16:13 and Eph. 6:10)
    iv.          Holy Spirit- filled: Unlike natural leader, every spiritual leadership requires the touch of God in your life because it is not your natural strength or speaking that will give you leadership. It is the anointing of the Holy Spirit that helps you lead the flock. Believers who are discerning will sense the presence of God when you are leading the church and it is the presence of the Holy Spirit that gives you the authority to speak and continually speak into their lives. Without the presence of God, your words will be empty and your sermons become more like a classroom or a motivational seminar with no power to change lives. (acts 2:37-41).
      v.          Integrity: Prov. 22:1 says good name is better than riches. You have to be known as a man of integrity if you want to lead people with authentic spiritual leadership’. (1Tim. 3). Being a man of integrity means you do what is true and not just speak it (as the Pharisees and Sadducees did). Without integrity you lose credibility with your flock. A man of integrity watches his words carefully and makes sure what he preaches, he has already achieved. If you preach generosity, you should be a man with a generous heart.
    vi.          Dependability: He must be a man who can handle his own affairs as well as that of others and must be reliable, only then will they entrust their lives to him- sharing their problems and looking to him for advice.
  vii.          Humility: Humility is an essential quality to a church leader. Jesus says that he who desires to be the greatest in the kingdom, should learn to serve (Matt. 20:27). Humility is the acknowledgement that all the abilities and gifts you have are gifts from the Lord. A leader who understands this will not be proud or boastful but thankful and serve always. You may be smarter and able to speak better, but it doesn’t make you a better person in the eyes of God; It is God who gave them to you as HE is no respecter of persons (Rom.2:11; 1Corin. 1:27-29). Humility is also that you recognize your strengths and weaknesses and not afraid to reveal them before your flock.
viii.          Vision: Prov. 29:18a says that “Where there is no vision, the people perish”. A leader must always be ready to give direction to his followers. Most people are not sure about what God wants them to do or why they are part of the church. But a true leader will constantly give direction to his people through visions and goals so they will not forget about their purpose in God and why they are part of the church.
    ix.          Generosity: A true leader is generous with his time and money. John 3:16 says that “For God so loved the world that He gave”. A man can give without loving but he cannot love without giving. A leader must set example through giving. Giving of your time through visiting and exhorting/ counseling them and giving them financial aid when they are in need.
      x.          Spirituality: A Christian leader should be spiritual. Spiritual not in terms of quoting bible verses off your head or experienced in leadership but simply your relationship with God. A good leader teaches his followers how to seek God for themselves, which means that he himself should be in love with Jesus. A leader who speaks from his own wisdom and knowledge burdens his flock but when he speaks from a true relationship with Jesus, he creates thirst and hunger in his followers to run to God themselves.

Hindrances to Good leadership
       i.          Distraction: Read Acts 6:1. Addiction to TV, video games, friends can distract us from achieving our goals. Read 1Pet. 4:3-4. Solution: (a) create a “daily to- do- list” (b) be self-disciplined by separating from some friends who will not let you grow in the Lord; (c) select TV programmes that will encourage you in the faith in Jesus Christ.(d) wake-up early to do spiritual exercises.
     ii.          Discouragement: Sometimes caused by fear of the unknown which leads to giving up on the promises of God. Read 1kings 17 (Elijah’s), 2corin. 12 (Paul’s).  Solution: (a) persevere (b) know God is in control.
   iii.          Bitterness: cause by offences of people around you. Know that where there are interactions, there are offences. Conflicts and bitterness can lead to making wrong decisions and worse life because you think about retaliation. Solution: (a) let it go (b) forgiveness (Matt. 18:21-22)
    iv.          Guilt: Guilt of former sin can destroy the confidence of a leader, which can lead to failure. Guilt is a weapon of Satan, the accuser of the brethren. Solution: (a) resist the guilt (b) fast- which gives victory of spirit over flesh.
     A leader should also learn and educate himself beyond his job scope. Read the bible, educative books and videos. 2Pet.1:5-8
Negatives
The negatives of shepherding should be erased from the leadership style of the good shepherd. These negatives give the shepherd a false and superiority outlook.   Some of these styles include:

·       Pharisee-ism and Sadducee-ism i.e. very hypocritical. Always believing in the religious acts rather than the holy character to please God rather than men.
·       Being covetous and extorting to increase their possessions (2Peter 2:2-3)
·       Creating fear and dismay/ panic among the flock.
·       Nicholaitanism- always suppressing. That without them you (the sheep) are nothing. But the leader should not forget that it is a responsibility to create leaders as well as encourage the gifts in the church.

A Leader
Under God’s plan, those who want to be leader or lead the flock should:
      ·       Be humble not proud
      ·       Be in ministry not management
      ·       Not be governing monarchs
      ·       Be servants and not be served
      ·       Not be slick celebrities but laboring servants.
      ·       Learn sacrifice, devotion, submission and lowliness.

Where are the leaders who once took care of the church as a shepherd and his flock? Where are the leaders who prayed and fasted day and night out of burden for the flock of God? Where are the leaders who visited and rebuked their wandering flock out of love? Where are the leaders who toiled day and night to make leaders out of their flock? Are you the leader who loves to work for mammon rather than God? The day of accountability is at hand. Where is the flock God left in your care? Have they increased hundred fold or negative 100 fold? Are you the leader God wants you to be? Are you the leader with that kind of anguish for God’s church?

Jesus is coming, and the day for accountability is near. Are you ready to give a good account of your leadership!  Amen!

Memory verse: 1Peter 5:2-4

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