Effective Spiritual Leadership (Part 3/3)-The Love Of A Spiritual leader

Spiritual leader always views himself as just a overseer of Gods flock, not an owner (Acts 22:28). Jesus calls himself the true Shepherd.. and at the same time, Peter uses the same analogy in 1 Pet 5:1-4.

This is a beautiful analogy, as I remember once I was watching a documentary on the Bedouins. They were tending their sheep in the same way since ancient times..This is usually a family affair, with the Father as the chief shepherd.. The children in the household are shepherd too.. and they move in front and behind the flock, to ensure that when they are moving, no sheep gets to leave the flock.

They shepherds were working in the desert dry land, and would need to seek pastures to lead their flock to everyday.. The shepherds would also inspect the pastures and cut away grass that may hurt the sheep before sending the sheep into the pastures (This is what David meant in Ps 23:5, that the shepherd prepares a table before him) . So we are just the little shepherds like the children, reporting to the chief shepherd (the father).

As we can see here, a church leader must always be full of love, and never lacking in it. A spiritual leader must always be ready to lay down his life for his sheep. Just like what Jesus mentioned in Jn 10:15.

Learning from Apostle Paul
This brings to my mind some of the words spoken by Paul with to the churches

"And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved." (2 Cor 12: 15)

"My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you" (Gal 4:19)

"For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ." (Php 1:8)

From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness- besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. (2 Cor 11:24-28)

For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, ^[ that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. (1 Cor 9:19-23)

Do you know what drives the love of Pauls for the church? Lets hear him once again

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 2 Cor 5:14-15

Blog In The Series

Effective Spiritual Leadership (Part 1/3)- Fundamentals of Christian Leadership
Effective Spiritual Leadership (Part 2/3)-Humility Required Of A Spiritual leader
Effective Spiritual Leadership (Part 3/3)-The Love Of A Spiritual leader

 

Effective Spiritual Leadership (Part 2/3)-Humility Required Of A Spiritual leader

As mentioned above, a Spiritual Leader spends alot of his times serving the others. As he is always serving, never for once will he thinks that he is a very outstanding while everyone else is weak.

I would imagine him constantly reminding himself "we are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.(Lk 17:10). He would always esteem others better than oneself . And will think not only of his interest but the interest of others as well (Php 2:1-4).

Given someone with such a mentality, he would never insist things like "Its either my way or the highway" and nor will he feels that everyone around him is weak in faith and is incapable of doing things. A spiritual leader will never berate an co-worker or look lightly upon the work done by others. He will try his best to leave peaceably with everyone around (Rom 12:18).

Whenever theres a dispute or contention among co-workers, a spiritual leader will always exhort with humility in mind and always be a peacemaker.

This quality is very important to spiritual leaders, as they will find themselves at the forefront of many church work, and one of the most dangerous crisis that can before a spiritual leader is the "Superman Syndrome" A state of mind where they feel that they are the only one that is good enough to handle the problem, and every of the co-workers cannot seems to match up to him. They may even reach the stage like the low point of Prophet Elijah, when he claims that he was the only one zealous for the Lord, and everyone else isn’t. (1 Kings 19:14)

Learning from Moses
When it comes to talking about Humility as a leader.. The name Moses seems to always come to my mind, especially with the story of Miriam and Aaron maligning Moses recorded in Num 12: 1-16

This is a very key moment as Moses, Miriam and Aaron are siblings and God has appointed them as leaders of the people at the very beginning of their journey from Egypt. At that time Miriam started to find fault with Moses about his Ethiopian wife, Miriam was reemphasising the fact that God has spoken to them also, and it was purely out of jealousy against Moses. Perhaps it was because Miriam was not appointed as one of the 70 elders who are ordain at Num 11:24-25.

Unfortunately, Miriam did not notice that it was God who did the choosing and not Moses, as God place the same spirit which is in Moses onto the 70 elders.. including g the 2 that was not among them in the tent of meeting.

It is evident that Miriam was the mastermind of the accusation to Moses in Num 12. She was instigating Aaron as well.. unfortunately, Aaron did not speak out for his brother, nor did he make a stand (that’s similar to the incident of the golden calf isn’t it?)

Here the bible testify of Moses humility in Num 12:3.

Moses kept quiet to their accusation and in the end, it was God who heard it and punished Miriam by causing her to be leprous.

i guess Moses must be very sad, as the people who speaks against him are actually his siblings, which i feel is a hurt worst than being attacked by any members of the community. But yet, Moses prayed and cried out to the Lord to have mercy on Miriam.

In the end, this incident clause the Israelites to stay in Hazeroth until Miriam is recovered.

In fact Moses had an intense love for the people around him, over here you can see his love for Miriam his sister, despite the hurt she had clause him. I remember one of the greatest show of love from Moses is at mount Sinai when he pleaded with God 40 days to forgive the people of their sin regarding the golden calf.. Moses went to the state to ask God to blot his name away from the book of life to save the people. (Ex 32:31-32, Deut 9:15-21)

This would lead to my next discussion, about the love of a Spiritual Leader

 

Effective Spiritual Leadership (Part 1/3)- Fundamentals of Christian Leadership

Lately, i have been observing how church leaders were doing, taking care of the members.. I have seen good ones, as well as ones that are not too well.. and also some who ruled the church as if it is a little fiefdom assigned to them by God.

That makes me wonder and think, what did the bible say much about spiritual leadership? What are the qualities of a spiritual leader, and are there any examples that we could follow? So.. after considering the verses, i decided to list out the verses connected to Spiritual leadership.

Fundamentals of Christian Leadership
The fundamentals of Christian leadership is by large very revolutionary compared to the common leadership concepts in the world.. Such can be seen clearly by the words of Jesus

"But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Mk 10:42-45

"Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves." Lk 22:24-26

These words are spoken by Jesus, on 2 occasion, once when James and John requested to sit and the right and left hand of the Lord, and on the last supper.

Leadership in the church is not meant to control or have Dominion over others (1 Pet 5:2)

Therefore, the very first pre-requisites of being a spiritual leader.. It begins with serving the church with love. This is often link to humility, which is a Christian virtue that now seems so obsolete in a world where everyone is suppose to package himself as the most effective workers and boast about their achievements in the workplace and life.

In a secular type of operations, we tend to place alot of emphasis on the commanders and leaders, for them to give the right direction, the right orders.. and liken to a military settings, orders from leaders are meant to be obeyed and not questioned. This let to many church workers who are just enlisted in the army of the Lord to serve as if they are Commissioned officers and all other members are are just the men.. And sometimes they even reach a stage that there are so many commanders within the church, that the "man" receives multiple and conflicting orders from multiple commanders.. Perhaps, its about time for all of us to rethink that two phases spoken by Jesus, and start to learn more about Christian Humility