Dear Heavenly Father, as we continue in Your presence, we cannot help but feel amazed that You, our God, should die for us. We are extremely thankful.
We do praise and thank You that You not only redeem us for Yourself, but You even call us to serve You and to serve our brethren. Who are we that we can serve? It is all Your mercy and Your grace.
So, Father, we do ask You that, as we continue with this session of training, You will continue to speak to us and continue to train us, that we may be serviceable to You and may be our brothers’ servants. Lord, we commit this last session into Your hands, knowing that You are the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. To You be the glory. In the name of our Lord Jesus, amen.
This is the continuation of this special session on spiritual leadership. For those who are here for the first time, probably it will be a little difficult because this is a continuation. If you want to know what has gone before, I suggest that you get the tapes, especially our brother Ernest’s tape on shepherding. It is marvelous.
Because I am limited to twelve-thirty, I will not repeat and review, but will just go right ahead with what we want to share this morning.
Will you please turn to the Gospel according to Matthew—Matthew 20? We will read from verses 17 through 28.
And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man shall be delivered unto the chief priests and scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death,
and shall deliver Him unto the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify:
and the third day He shall rise again.Then came to Him the mother of the sons of Zebedee with her sons, worshipping Him, and asking a certain thing of Him.
And He said unto her, What wilt thou?
She saith unto Him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on Thy right hand, and the other on Thy left, in Thy kingdom.But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?
They say unto Him, We are able.
He saith unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of My cup: but to sit on My right hand, and on My left, is not Mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it hath been prepared of My Father.And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.
But Jesus called them unto Him, and said, Ye know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
Not so shall it be among you: but whosoever would become great among you shall be your servant;
and whosoever would be first among you shall be your bondservant:
even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.
Friday evening, we shared on this matter of spiritual leaders. The church of God needs spiritual leaders, and when leaders lead, the people will offer themselves willingly to the Lord. This is a time to bless the Lord.
Now this morning, we would like to share on spiritual leadership. Spiritual leaders and spiritual leadership are almost inseparable, but there is a difference in emphasis. In spiritual leader, you emphasize the person. In spiritual leadership, you emphasize the function.
We need spiritual leaders to perform spiritual leadership. The kind of person will do the kind of work, and this is the general rule. But sometimes you may have a spiritual person, and yet he may be ignorant of the functions in which he is involved. Because of that, he may not be able to fulfill fully the leadership expected of him.
So we need spiritual leaders, and those leaders need to know the functions involved in leadership. But before we can go into this matter of spiritual leadership, first of all we need to consider the whole concept of spiritual leadership.
This is best illustrated by the passage we have just read. Our Lord Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, and He took His disciples apart. He shared with them His heart. He told them that He was going into Jerusalem, that He would be betrayed, rejected, mocked, scourged, and put to death; but on the third day He would rise from the dead.
That was the atmosphere of that time. Yet somehow the disciples did not catch that atmosphere. Our Lord was sharing with them that He was going to die, and yet the disciples did not seem to hear it, because in their minds they were thinking of something else. They were in another realm.
They had been in that realm perhaps for three years already, but they were still there, getting deeper and deeper into it. As they were approaching Jerusalem, the mother of John and James came with her two sons and made a request of the Lord.
She said, in effect, “Promise that You will give whatever I ask.” She did not even tell the Lord what she was going to ask. Probably she was too ashamed to tell it right away. But the Lord said, “Tell Me, what do you want?”
She said, “Let my two sons, one sit on Your right hand and one sit on Your left hand in the kingdom.” In other words, our Lord was going into Jerusalem to die, yet in the minds of these disciples He was going into Jerusalem to become King and to gain His kingdom.
Because they thought that the kingdom was in view, they tried to get the right position in that kingdom. As a matter of fact, they had been maneuvering against each other through the three years they had followed the Lord. All the time they were thinking that the Lord was going to be King, and they wanted the highest position possible for themselves in that kingdom.
Think of these twelve disciples. None of them could be considered wise according to the flesh. Probably the wisest among them was Judas Iscariot, and yet he was a fool—a real fool. None of them was of noble birth, and none was strong.
None of them could claim that they were somebodies or that they had something. All these twelve disciples were humble people. John and James, Peter and Andrew, were fishermen. Matthew was a tax collector.
We do not know much about the other disciples, but Philip was a person who liked to ask questions. He had many questions. Thomas was a person who doubted everything. Little James—we do not know much about him. Bartholomew, the man with three names—we do not know who he was. One was a Zealot, a militant; another was a traitor.
None of these persons was anything in the world. Yet there was one thing common to all of them: they all wanted to be the greatest. Now, just think of that. Do you think we are better than they were?
Who are we? What are we? What do we have in the world? Yet, brothers and sisters, it is the strangest thing that every one of us—everybody in the church—wants to be the greatest. You may not say it, but there it is in your heart.
The Lord said, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am going to drink?” John and James did not even know what the cup was, but they wanted the right hand and left hand so much that they just said, “We are able.”
The Lord said, “Indeed, you shall drink the cup that I drink. But to sit on My right hand and on My left is not for Me to give; it is for the Father to give.”
Even with that, the other ten did not understand. Why? Because they were indignant. That is a strong word. They were very, very angry. Why were they angry? Because they had been outmaneuvered. They wanted the same thing.
So our Lord Jesus took them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and the great exercise authority over them.” They knew that in the world, if you could get to the position of a ruler, you could rule and lord it over other people. If only you could get to the position of the great, then you would have authority and could give commands and orders to other people.
That is leadership in the worldly sense. This is the world’s concept of leadership, and it is true: in the world, that is what it is. In the minds of the twelve disciples, the concept of leadership was still the worldly concept, because they knew nothing else.
They thought that if they could only get to that position of leadership, then they could rule. They would have authority, could lord it over the people, and what honor and glory that would be.
But the Lord said, “This is not so among you.” In other words, the Lord gave them a completely opposite concept of spiritual leadership. Spiritual leadership is a totally different concept from worldly leadership. It is just the opposite.
It is something the world has never heard of or known before. It never entered into the minds of people. Yet the Lord Jesus said, “What is spiritual leadership? You want leadership—leadership in the kingdom of God, leadership among God’s people? Let Me tell you what it is.”
Whosoever would become great among you shall be your servant;
and whosoever would be first among you shall be your bondservant.
If you want to be great, then be servant to your brothers and sisters. If you want to be first, be prepared to be a bondslave to your brothers and sisters.
In other words, to be great is to be a servant. Greatness is in service. To be first is to be a bondservant. Whoever gives up his rights to serve his brothers and sisters is the first among them.
Brothers and sisters, it must have been a shock to these men. I wonder if it shocks you. This is spiritual leadership.
What is in your mind concerning spiritual leadership? Are you still thinking spiritual leadership is a high position, with authority, so that you will be above everybody and just give orders, and everybody will serve you, listen to you, and submit to you? Is this your concept of leadership?
No. In the world, that is what it is. But in the church, it is just the opposite. To be great is to be a servant; to be first is to be a bondslave.
Why is it so? Because the Lord Jesus said:
Even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve,
and to give His life a ransom for many.
This is what the Lord Jesus is. He is the Leader. God has exalted Him to be the Leader and the Lord. The word leader, as we have already explained, is a very special word, used only four times in the New Testament and used only of the Lord.
In other words, He is not only the Leader; He is the Originator of the whole concept of leadership. The Lord Jesus says, “This is what I am. I am among you, not as One to be served, but as One to serve—to the extent of giving My life a ransom.” Now that is leadership.
Did the disciples hear it? No. When you go to John 13, you find our Lord Jesus in Jerusalem, preparing the last supper with His disciples.
Everything was ready in that upper room except one thing. When people entered the room to enjoy the feast, the water was there and the towel was there, but the slave girl was not there. It must have been an arrangement of the Lord.
In old Jerusalem, they did not have paved roads like we have today. They did not wear shoes; they wore sandals. So when they came in, dirt and dust were upon their feet, and they felt uncomfortable. Usually, when you entered a house to have a feast, your feet would be washed first.
The way they sat was not with their feet under the table. They reclined, so their feet came out. The feet had to be washed, but there was no slave girl. Peter went in, looked around, and no slave girl was there to wash the feet. Too bad.
One after another went in. They all felt uncomfortable, but nobody thought of washing the others’ feet. Everybody was thinking, “My feet need to be washed by someone—but certainly not by me washing others’ feet. No, that is not for the one who is great.”
I think our Lord must have been grieved inside. He waited to see whether there would be any movement. There was none. Everybody was already seated.
So the Lord rose up. He did not say a word. He took off His garment, put on the towel, poured water into the basin, and began to wash His disciples’ feet.
Of course, Peter at first rejected it. “Lord, oh no! At least You are Lord—I know that. I may be the greatest among the twelve, but You are greater than I. I am waiting for the others to wash me, not You.”
The Lord said, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Peter said, “Wash my whole body.” The Lord said, “He that has bathed does not need his whole body washed, but only his feet.”
One by one, He washed them. After He had finished washing, He sat down and said, “Do you know what I have done?”
Ye call Me, Teacher, and, Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.
For I have given you an example, that ye also should do as I have done to you.
Certainly, you would think that should make the point. You may think that after the Lord had done that demonstration, they should understand what leadership really is. But did they understand? No.
Turn to Luke 22. As they were eating, the Lord began to tell them that one of them would betray Him. Immediately they asked, “Who is that person? Who is that person?” They were all trying to point fingers at the other person, because they were sure it must be the other person.
Strangely, that question should have humbled them before the Lord. How could a disciple be so degraded as to sell the Master? And what a perfect Master He is! Who had degenerated to such a position? Brothers and sisters, that very question should have humbled them.
But instead of humbling them, immediately following that, what were they doing? They were quarreling among themselves about who was the greatest. What irony that is. But they did it.
The Lord Jesus had to teach them again. How patient is the Lord! He said, “The kings of the nations lord it over them; and they that have authority over them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be thus.”
Brothers and sisters, ye shall not be thus. It is absolute. It is not optional. It is absolute. This is the world; this is not the church. This is worldly leadership; this is not spiritual leadership.
What is spiritual leadership? Let the greater among you be as the younger, and the leader as he that serves. Do not quarrel among yourselves as to who is greater. Everybody wants to be greater than other people.
Who is greater? Let the greater among you be as the younger. What does that mean? The younger simply means one who knows a little less. Let the younger submit to the elder, because he knows a little less.
Who is greater: the one who thinks he knows everything, or the one who knows that he knows very little? In other words, it is the spirit of humility. He who is humble will be exalted; he who is proud will fall.
The leader is one who serves. Which is greater: he that sits at table, or he that serves? Is it not he that sits at table? So far as the world is concerned, everybody knows that he who sits at table is greater than he who serves the table.
But the Lord said, “I am in the midst of you as One that serves.” Do you want to be like Him? If you want to be like Him, then you should be the one who serves, not the one who sits at table.
Brothers and sisters, here you find our Lord Jesus teaching us an entirely new concept of spiritual leadership.
I do not know how to share this with you whom the Lord has raised up as leaders, and with you who are not leaders but who are looking at the leaders. Our concept of leadership is often that those in a place of leadership think that, because they are in that position, they are to be served and not to serve.
Probably those who are not in leadership think the same way, and that is why they want to get into leadership. I wonder whether we understand.
The disciples were with the lowly and humble Lord for over three years, yet they never learned that lesson. Even toward the very end, with demonstration, they still did not understand. What a frustration that must have been to the Lord! But how important the lesson must be, because the Lord continually taught them this lesson.
Brothers and sisters, spiritual leadership is of such importance in the church of God that it has to be understood. Do we understand what spiritual leadership is? If you understand what it is, do you want to be a leader?
I hope that would discourage you from aspiring to be a leader. What is that good for? That is why we say leaders are raised up by the sovereign will of God. If God drafts you to be a leader, you cannot escape.
Nobody wants to be in leadership if that is what leadership is. But thank God, if He should apprehend you, well, try to escape and see if you can. That is spiritual leadership.
When God touches a person and calls him to be a leader, he is to be the servant of all. There is nothing in the world that will attract anybody to spiritual leadership. It is the Lord Himself. He calls, He appoints, He drafts, and you cannot escape.
If you serve faithfully, you will not get anything in this world, but you will be rewarded in the world to come. If you fail, not only will you not be appreciated by man; it seems that our Lord Himself will ask you, “What have you done?”
Dear brothers and sisters, the whole concept of spiritual leadership must be completely understood. Leadership is not a position. Leadership is life. Leadership is not gaining; leadership is losing. Leadership is service. Leadership is giving up your life for your brethren. That is leadership.
Do you still want it?
What is spiritual leadership? What are the functions in spiritual leadership? What work is done by spiritual leadership? What is expected of spiritual leadership?
Number one: spiritual leadership is to lead. Leadership is to lead.
We have mentioned again and again that our Lord is the Good Shepherd. If you read John 10, you will find that the Good Shepherd calls His sheep and goes before them. He leads them to the pastures.
Spiritual leadership is to offer guidance to the people, to lead the people in the way. But you cannot lead if you have never been there. You cannot lead if you are not ahead of the rest. You cannot lead if you do not know the way. You cannot lead if you do not know the destination.
In other words, in order to lead, you must have your eyes open. We mentioned that one characteristic of a leader is a person who sees with vision.
Brothers and sisters, spiritual leadership is to provide leading for God’s people. God’s people are like sheep. We often say sheep are so innocent. Everybody likes sheep. You may not like a goat, but you like a sheep. A sheep is so lovely; you look at it and love it. It is so innocent.
But, to use another word, it is so ignorant—innocent, but ignorant. A sheep is lost if it is not led. A sheep does not know where to find pastures. It does not know how to distinguish poisonous herbs from good herbs.
If a sheep strays, it will never come back like a dog. A dog will come back. Even a cat will come back. But a sheep will never come back because it does not know the way. If a sheep is caught in thistles and thorns, it will never be able to extricate itself. It will just stay there. A sheep cannot protect itself against the wolf or against anything.
I think one day we should have a special conference speaking of the sheep. When we speak of spiritual leadership, we need to speak of the people. Then we will not be so demanding of our leaders.
But anyway, the sheep need to be led. Spiritual leadership is to supply the leading and the guiding.
If you want to lead, you need to know the way. You need to know where to go. You need to know the pastures. The shepherd usually goes first and makes a survey and investigation of the pastures.
Sheep need certain kinds of grass at certain times and in certain seasons. The shepherd investigates first, and he knows where the different pastures are because he has been there. He knows where to lead. It is not just hit and run.
In other words, if you want to lead, you need to have experience of the Lord. You need to experience the Lord in a way that other people have not yet experienced. That is how you can bring them into the knowledge of the Lord.
You need to know the ultimate destination—what it is that the Lord is leading His people into. Moses was a leader because he had been out of Egypt forty years ahead of the other people.
Leadership is to lead. If you do not know how to lead, you fail in leadership.
Number two: leadership is to inspire. God does not raise up leaders to do the work for the people.
According to the Word of God, every member of the body of Christ is a living member. Every member of the body of Christ is to function. That is the will of God—the universal priesthood of believers. Even in the time of the Reformation, Luther saw it, but he did not push it, or perhaps he could not push it.
Every member of the body of Christ is to function, to work, and to minister for the building up of the body of Christ. That is the way the body of Christ is built up. You cannot expect a few people to do all the work. It will never be done.
But today we often expect the leaders to do everything. “What is leadership? Well, let the leadership do it, and we will just lie down on our couch and have a good time. If the leadership does it well, okay. If the leadership does not do it well, change it.”
We are the ones who enjoy everything and let them do everything. Brothers and sisters, this is not leadership. Leadership is to inspire. Leaders are to inspire God’s people to rise up and build.
Nehemiah was a great leader. Why? Because he had a vision of rebuilding the wall. He was there; he surveyed all the destruction. He gathered the people and inspired them. They all rose up and built, and the wall was built. Now that is leadership.
Do not do everything for the people. Inspire them to do it. Deborah was raised by God as a judge, and she was able to inspire Barak to go to battle.
Leadership is to inspire other people to function, and then to supervise them, coordinate them, encourage them, and sometimes discourage them if they are on the wrong side. That is leadership.
Number three: leadership is to shepherd. Our brother has already mentioned that, so I will just let it go. Leadership is to shepherd.
If you want to know what shepherding is, Psalm 23 is all there. What patience! What watchfulness! What care! How much time must be spent in shepherding! It is a very exhausting work.
You lead, you protect, you heal, and you lead them home. Leadership is to shepherd.
Number four: leadership is to set an example to the people. First Peter 5 says, “Do not lord it over them as your possession, but be a model, an example, to all.”
You set an example before the people. That is leadership.
Finally, number five: leadership is to lay down your life for your brethren. The Lord is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep.
The Lord says He loved us to the extent of laying down His life. Love one another; lay down your life for one another. Brothers and sisters, you cannot fulfill leadership if you are not willing to lay down your lives.
It is so demanding. It demands your life. You have to lay down your life in order to be in leadership. If you love your life too much, do not take the place of leadership. It is much more comfortable to follow than to lead.
These are the things involved in leadership. Now, what are the things that need to be avoided in leadership? Involvement and avoidance are equally important.
That is in 1 Peter 5. We have read it again and again this time. There are three things that leadership should avoid.
Number one, verse 2:
Tend the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not of constraint, but willingly, according to the will of God.
Leadership is exercising oversight. Again, I want to emphasize that leadership is not monopolizing. It is not doing everything or substituting for everyone else. Leadership is overseeing.
Overseeing means that somebody else is doing the work, and you are there to look over it and see whether everything is properly coordinated, everything is rightly done, the right people do the right thing, and everything is according to the will of God. Sometimes you encourage a little; at other times you discourage a little. That is overseeing.
When you are doing that kind of overseeing work, it is so demanding. It demands your time, your energy, your endurance, and your patience. It is very demanding.
As you do that, gradually, gradually, you may find that you are doing these things by necessity and not willingly. In the beginning, you are very willing to do things because the love of Christ constrains you and you want to serve.
But because of the many burdens, because it demands so much, gradually you find that you are becoming more and more professional. A professional simply means that you do it by necessity. You are in that place and position, so you have to do it.
If brothers and sisters have problems, if there are matters to address, then you have to answer them. It becomes a matter of necessity. How easy it is for leadership to fall into being merely a position!
That is the last thing we want leadership to be. Leadership is not a position. Leadership is love; it is life. But when you are in that position for some time, you can become a professional. The love gradually decreases, and it becomes merely a matter of duty. You have to do it.
That is one thing to avoid in leadership. When it becomes a matter of necessity, brothers and sisters, the spirituality of it is gone. You are managing an institution; you are not building the church of God.
That is why our brother mentioned John 21 last night. Before our Lord Jesus committed His flock to Peter, He had to make sure that Peter loved Him. It is a love service, and because it is a love service, there is willingness there.
People who have been long in leadership have the danger of losing that love, and leadership becomes a necessity.
Number two: leadership should avoid serving for base gain rather than readily.
Again, when you first start out, there is a readiness. But gradually, because you are in that position, unconsciously perhaps, you find that profit comes. You begin to ask, “What can I gain from my position?”
You remember in 3 John, John the elder mentioned Diotrephes. He wanted to be first in the assembly. The gain may not be financial gain, though it may be. It may be position, honor, preference, popularity—something for oneself.
Brothers and sisters, this is something to be avoided. People in leadership must never think of gain. Why? They serve readily; it is unto the Lord. They are not trying to get something from it.
People may say, “I have labored, I have toiled, and surely I deserve wages.” You are a hireling; you are not a shepherd.
He who is in leadership should never expect anything from the brothers and sisters. They do not serve for profit. They serve for God.
Number three: do not lord it over your possessions, but be models for the flock. In other words, possession.
When you are in a place of leadership, gradually you may think of the brothers and sisters as your possession. You may not have that thought in the beginning, but gradually that thought will come: “They are my flock—my possession.”
If they are your possessions, surely you think you can lord it over them. But no, that is another thing you must avoid.
Be a model to them. You remember Paul’s word to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:
Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example to them that believe,
in word,
in manner of life,
in love,
in faith,
in purity.
Be a model to all. In 2 Timothy 3, Paul said, “Timothy, you know. You learned all these things from me. You know my purpose, my conduct, my perseverance, and my suffering. You know it all, and you know from whom you have learned.”
Persevere in these things. Brothers and sisters, these are the three things leadership must avoid: avoid becoming professional, avoid seeking profit, and avoid taking the brothers and sisters as your possession.
Well, I still have half an hour, but I will not keep you. I just want to mention two more things.
How does leadership function? Or when is leadership seen? I wonder whether you understand what I mean. What I mean is this: leadership needs to be exercised in a very unobtrusive, hidden way.
Leadership is a very subtle thing. In other words, you lead, and yet people do not know you are leading. Now that is leadership.
Leadership is not standing there as a master sergeant, giving orders, so that everybody knows who you are. You are pushing, beating, and telling everybody. That is not good leadership.
Good leadership does it by persuasion. In other words, in good leadership you do not even know who the leader is, and yet you are led. Now that is leadership.
When leadership is too prominent, it tends to become dictatorial.
Let me try to explain this. Paul really had spiritual leadership. But when you read the writings of the Apostle Paul, do you find him beating everybody, pushing everybody, coercing everybody, forcing everybody? No.
You find that he is always pleading with them, begging them, persuading them. He had every right to demand of them, but he did not do that.
For instance, Romans 12:1—we are all familiar with it:
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice.
The word beseech simply means, “I beg you.” If you do not want to give your bodies as a living sacrifice, what can I do?
“I have told you and shared with you all the mercies of God—what God has done for you in Christ Jesus, what a marvelous, loving, gracious, merciful Savior and Lord He is. Surely that should stir your heart to give yourself to Him. But I will not force you. I beg you to do that.”
When you are begging someone, you are standing in a lower position, are you not? Let the great be as the younger. Here you find Paul in leadership, and yet he is begging people, as if they can say yes or they can say no.
Even when you read the Corinthian letters, you find that Paul would rather persuade them. He did not want to come and exercise authority with severity. The authority God gives is to build people up, not to tear them down.
Brothers and sisters, that is the way leadership should be exercised. When God’s people are together, you do not know who the leaders are, but they are led. It is very subtle.
It is only at a time of crisis that leadership becomes prominent. Brothers and sisters, let leadership be hidden in ordinary days and become prominent only when there is a crisis. Then you may find Paul saying, “Put that man away.”
If leadership is prominent all the time, it becomes dictatorial. It frightens people, intimidates people, and inhibits people. People will not come forth because the leadership is overpowering them.
No, leadership should be exercised in another way: hiddenly, persuading, encouraging, perhaps correcting a little, but doing it in a very subtle way. That is the way leadership should be exercised.
But that does not mean it is weak. When there is a crisis, you find strength exhibited. That is one thing we need to consider concerning leadership.
Then there is another thing: how is leadership covered?
People in leadership stand out, in a sense, because they are at the forefront. Because they are in the forefront, they are subject to attacks. Attacks may come from different directions.
They may come from yourself. People in leadership stand at the forefront, and gradually they may become puffed up. They become proud of themselves and think of themselves as authority.
Leaders are only vessels of God’s authority; they are not authority. But because you have represented God’s authority for some time, gradually and unconsciously you may think that you are the authority. You are uncovered.
That is the downfall of many good leaders.
Or attacks may come from the brothers and sisters, from the people. Because you are in leadership, you are the target of the brothers and sisters. If anything goes wrong, the finger points at you. They blame you for everything, even when it is not your fault.
Think of Moses and the children of Israel. If everything went well, they said nothing. But if something went wrong, they blamed Moses.
Moses said, “That is not my fault. Who am I? How can I give these people food and water? God has led them into the wilderness. It is not me.” Yet they always blamed the leader. They wanted to stone him.
So leaders are exposed. Whoever is in leadership is exposed to attacks from brothers and sisters. That is why I think we should have a conference on the people, to balance it up.
Thirdly, leadership may be attacked by the enemy. Why? Just as in battle, if you are at the forefront, of course the enemy will attack you. Leadership is subject to the attack of the enemy.
That is why I feel, brothers and sisters, that we need to pray for those in leadership. If I may let out a little secret, I pray for our leadership here almost every day. I know what they are going through.
We have to pray for them. Brothers and sisters, do not criticize them. Pray for them.
But thank God, in the church He has given us a covering for leadership. That is why, in the church, elders are always in the plural.
It is not in the singular: elders, not elder. If there is one elder, first, that elder may become a dictator; second, he is the only target of the brothers and sisters; and third, of course, the enemy has found his target.
So in the church, God raises up elders in collective leadership. In collective leadership, they cover one another. No one stands out as the sole target.
They balance each other, strengthen each other, and stand together as one. Now, that is a covering.
I do not understand why, in Christianity, people always like to have one person stand out in the church. I do not understand. Not only is this not the will of God, but it exposes that person to attack.
God has a better provision for us. It is collective leadership. That is the covering.
Well, I have given you plenty of time to enjoy your meal. Shall we pray?
Dear Heavenly Father, we have been sharing together on spiritual leadership and on shepherding. Lord, we do understand that these are very serious, solemn things.
Lord, we dare not push ourselves into something like leadership or shepherding. But because of Your great love toward us, we offer ourselves to You and let You decide what to do with us.
If it is Your will that we should be in leadership at different levels, or shepherd in different areas, then, Lord, we look to You as the One who gives us the life, the strength, and the wisdom, that we may be able to serve You and serve our brothers and sisters well.
May we one day hear You say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Lord, we have to acknowledge that we are all unprofitable. But, Lord, it is by Your grace that we want to serve You.
Do You hear our cry? Raise up many leaders, many shepherds, so that Your people will not be lost and Your people will not be neglected. We pray that Your church will be built, Your testimony will be established, and Your kingdom will come.
We pray in Your precious name. Amen.