Will you please turn to the Book of Judges?
Judges 5:2.
For that the leaders took the lead in Israel,
For that the people offered themselves willingly,
Bless ye the Lord.
In the Chinese version, it says, “For that the captains led in Israel.” The word captain is actually the same as leader. Here you find that God has raised up leaders in Israel, and at the same time there are people who willingly offer themselves. When you find such a situation, then it is time to bless the Lord.
For our time this morning, we would like to consider together this matter of spiritual leadership. At the very outset, we would like to make this statement: spiritual leadership is vital in the work of God.
We know that our God is working. He has been working since the foundation of the world, and He is still working today. What is the work of God? He is doing a great work.
As our Lord Jesus Himself said:
My Father worketh even until now, and I work.
—John 5:17
Now, what is the work of God? The work of God is to glorify His Son, to give His Son the preeminence in all things. The work of God is to give His Son a people—a people who will be His companions, a people who will be His house, a people who will be His city.
This is the work of God. It is ongoing. God is working that His Son may have the first place in all things. God is working in man that man may become the companion of His beloved Son.
Now, this is a great work. In this great work, God calls us to join with Him. He wants us to work together with Him toward that purpose: that Christ may have the first place, and that we may be given to Christ as His own church.
In this great work of God, every redeemed child of God is involved. We are all involved in His great work.
This is the reason why we find in the Word of God that every believer is a priest—the universal priesthood of believers. Because we are all priests, we are all serving God. We are all engaged in this great work of God.
But in order to facilitate this work, God raises up leaders among His people. God raises up leaders not so that these leaders will do all the work. They are not to monopolize the work of God, nor are they to substitute for God’s people in serving God.
The purpose of God is that all God’s people will work together with Him. We are all priests. We are all serving God together.
But these leaders, God raises them up not to do the work for us, but to help us in the work of God. They are to stimulate us, help us, and lead us in the work, that we may work better together.
This is the reason why you find that God always raises up leaders among His people.
As we are gathered here this time, most of us are serving God in some capacity. In a sense, we are all called to be leaders. We are to serve God, and we are to lead the people in the service of God. Therefore, it is very important for us to understand what spiritual leadership really is.
In the Bible, we find that whenever God has a work to do, He always raises up leaders. You can find that in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament.
For instance, when God wanted to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, He raised up Moses as their leader. When God wanted to lead His people into the land of Canaan, He raised up Joshua to lead them in.
When the children of Israel were in the promised land and were oppressed by their enemies from time to time, God raised up judges to deliver them.
When God wanted to establish His kingdom among His people, He raised up David as their king. When He wanted to restore the kingdom, He raised up kings such as Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah.
When the children of Israel were in Babylonian captivity, God raised up people such as Zerubbabel. When He wanted to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, He raised up Nehemiah.
So you find that in the Old Testament, whenever God wanted to do a work, He always raised up leaders to lead the people in the work. All the prophets, all the kings, and all the priests were leaders whom God raised up for His people.
Whenever God obtained good leaders, you find that the whole nation was blessed. Under good leadership, the people were really blessed by the Lord. But whenever there was a wicked leader, a bad leader, the whole nation was in ruin.
This is a principle throughout the Old Testament. The prophet Isaiah said that the leaders misled the people, and the people who were misguided were swallowed up. Leaders are very vital in the work of God.
When you come to the New Testament, you find the same thing. You remember in Matthew 15, our Lord Jesus said:
Let them alone: they are blind guides. And if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit.
—Matthew 15:14
Our Lord Jesus denounced those blind leaders of His time because they were not real shepherds. They were hirelings, thinking only of their own interests and not of the interests of the flock.
But our Lord Jesus was different. He is the Good Shepherd, and as the Good Shepherd, He laid down His life for His sheep.
When our Lord Jesus was on earth, He met many people and preached to the multitudes. But the interest of our Lord Jesus was always in raising a few to be leaders in the future. He called the twelve disciples to Himself, that they might be with Him. He trained them and spent much time with them, because the Lord knew that leaders were very vital to His work.
After our Lord Jesus returned to heaven, if you read the Book of Acts, you find how these people, whom the Lord Himself had trained as leaders, worked together with the risen Lord.
The Book of Acts is sometimes called The Acts of the Apostles. Of course, we know that title is not in the original manuscript. Whose acts are these? They are the acts of the risen Lord through the Holy Spirit. They are the acts of the risen Lord, the Head, through His own Body upon this earth—that is, the church, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Still, as you read the Book of Acts, you find that in the first part, from Acts 1 through Acts 12, it seems as if these are the records of the acts of the Apostle Peter. Then, from Acts 13 through Acts 28, it appears as if these are the acts of the Apostle Paul.
The Apostle Peter was an apostle to the circumcised, and the Apostle Paul was an apostle to the uncircumcised. Yet, even though it appears as if these were the acts of Paul and Peter, other apostles were also used greatly by the Lord.
Not only these apostles, but all the believers were working together with the Lord. That is the reason why, within a very short period, the gospel increased from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth.
So you find that leaders are very vital in the work of God.
As our brother T. Austin-Sparks said, there is nothing more difficult, and yet there is nothing more vital, than this matter of leadership.
Leadership is something that you cannot argue with, because it is in the very nature of the work itself. Whenever there is an emergency and God raises up the spirit of leadership among some people, you find that the work is done.
But if there is an emergency and there is no leadership among God’s people, then the people are paralyzed, and God’s work cannot be accomplished. So spiritual leadership is of vital importance in the work of God.
Now the question is: Is it proper for us to seek leadership? Is it right for us to seek to be leaders? I think this is a question that we should ask ourselves.
In Jeremiah 45:5, God spoke through Jeremiah to Baruch:
And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not.
—Jeremiah 45:5
God said, “Do not seek great things for yourself.” Do not be ambitious that you may do great things. Do not seek that for yourself.
But if you look at another Scripture, 1 Timothy 3:1, it says:
Faithful is the saying, If a man seeketh the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
—1 Timothy 3:1
If we aspire to exercise oversight—that is to say, if we aspire for leadership—we desire a good work. Now, is there any contradiction between these two verses?
We know there is none. In Jeremiah, God says, “Do not seek great things for yourself.” Do not be self-ambitious. If anyone is self-ambitious, that is very ugly. If you are ambitious to be a leader for yourself, you are seeking a position, seeking something for yourself. That is very ugly in the sight of God.
But on the other hand, if we seek everything for God, for His own work and for His own glory, then it is commendable. We seek these things not for ourselves, but for the Lord.
You remember Paul himself, in 2 Corinthians 5. He said that whether in life or in death, he was ambitious to please God.
Brothers and sisters, we should not be ambitious for ourselves, and yet we should be ambitious for God. Otherwise, we will be passive. God’s people should not be passive; God’s people should be active—not for ourselves, but for God Himself.
You remember our brother Watchman Nee had a motto. He said, “I want nothing for myself, but I want everything for God.”
Brothers and sisters, this is something that we need to have within ourselves. Of course, that requires the working of the cross in our lives. Without the working of the cross in our lives, we will be ambitious for ourselves.
In the world, we want to be somebody, and now in the church, we want to be somebody. Actually, there is no difference between the church and the world, because we are the same person. We are ambitious for ourselves.
Oh, how we need the working of the cross in our lives, that the Holy Spirit will convict us and show us that we are seeking things for ourselves. Even if we are seeking small things for ourselves in the church, it is ugly in the sight of God.
We need the cross to cut us off. We need the cross to reduce us to zero, that we may see ourselves as nothing and nobody. Brothers and sisters, are we willing to be nothing and nobody in the church, that we may not seek anything for ourselves?
Only the cross can work in our lives to such a degree. But thank God, if we allow the cross to work in our lives, then the Holy Spirit will begin to work in a positive way.
He will begin to give burdens to us. He will begin to put responsibility upon us, that we may really give ourselves for the work of the Lord. It is no longer for ourselves, but for the Lord and for the people of God.
What is spiritual leadership? The divine concept of leadership is very different from the worldly concept of leadership. Probably, if we look at one passage of Scripture, it will be clear to us: Mark 10.
Our Lord Jesus was going to Jerusalem for the last time. His disciples thought that the Lord was going to Jerusalem to receive the kingdom.
During the past three years, these disciples followed the Lord, and they were always arguing among themselves about who was greater among them. Now they thought that the hour had come. They thought that the Lord was going to be crowned King and obtain His kingdom.
Suddenly, the two sons of Zebedee came with their mother. They came to the Lord and said, “We want to ask You for a favor. Just promise that You will grant it.”
They did not mention what they wanted to ask. Probably they knew inwardly that it was not a very proper thing to ask. But they wanted it so much. They wanted the Lord to give them a blank check: “You just sign it, and we will fill in anything.”
But our Lord Jesus would not sign this blank check. He knew what was in their hearts, so He asked them, “What do you really want? Speak out.”
Finally, the mother spoke. Humanly speaking, she was an aunt to our Lord Jesus, and, of course, the word of an aunt has weight. Loving her own sons, she was willing to do everything for them.
So she said to the Lord Jesus:
Command that these my two sons may sit, one on Thy right hand, and one on Thy left hand, in Thy kingdom.
—Matthew 20:21
Sitting on the right and left of the Lord Jesus—that is seeking for leadership. That is seeking for position.
The Lord Jesus said:
Are ye able to drink the cup that I am about to drink? or to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?
—Matthew 20:22
Without knowing what the cup really was, and not knowing what the baptism was, they wanted so much the right-hand and left-hand seats that they were willing to promise anything. They said, “We are able.”
The Lord said, “Ye shall drink indeed of My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand, and on My left hand, is not Mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of My Father.”
Brothers and sisters, leadership is not something for the asking. If leadership were merely a matter of position, then perhaps you could ask for a favor. But spiritual leadership is not a matter of position; it is a matter of qualification.
The Lord said, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am going to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism that I am going to be baptized with?”
We know today what that cup is. At that time, the two sons of Zebedee did not know what the cup was. But we know, because a little later, when our Lord Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed:
Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be done.
—Luke 22:42
After He had prayed for the third time, He knew that it was the cup that He had to drink. He told His disciples, “The cup which the Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?” He willingly drank the cup.
The cup speaks of the will of God. If the will of God was that our Lord Jesus should go to the cross—the One who was sinless being made sin for the world—then our Lord Jesus said, “Father, I am willing to drink it. It is the will of God.”
Brothers and sisters, we should not be thinking of asking for a position in the kingdom of God. What we should really think about is the will of God. What is the will of God in my life? What does God want me to do?
If His will is that I must go to the cross, then to the cross I go. We should not choose for ourselves. We should not choose what pleases us; we should choose what pleases God. We should drink the cup that God has given to us.
We should also be thinking of baptism. Baptism simply means death. In baptism, we go into death; we are buried under the water, and then out of the water we are raised in resurrection life.
So, brothers and sisters, what we really need to think about is the will of God. We should think about the cross. We should take the cross into our hearts. If we do, then the Father will prepare for us whatever place He wants to put us. It is up to the Father’s will.
When the ten disciples heard about the request of the sons of Zebedee, they were very angry with them. Why? Because these two disciples had outmaneuvered them. The right hand and the left hand were the very things that all of them were seeking after.
They were all seeking for position. They were all seeking for leadership—but leadership as position, not as life and service. Therefore, our Lord Jesus began to teach them.
And Jesus called them to Him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they who are accounted to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great ones exercise authority over them.
But it is not so among you: but whosoever would become great among you, shall be your minister;
And whosoever would be first among you, shall be servant of all.
—Mark 10:42-44
We know the worldly concept of leadership is very different from the divine concept of leadership. In the world, if you are in leadership, you exercise lordship over other people. You exercise authority over them. You sit high up, give orders, and rule over the people.
This is the worldly concept of leadership. But the divine concept is just the opposite. The Lord Jesus said, “It is not so among you.”
Among you, if you want to be great, then you should be the servant of all. If you want to have the first place, then you should be the slave of all.
Now, brothers and sisters, listen to this. The Lord said, “Whosoever will be great among you.” Do you want to be great? If you want to be great, then you should be servants. You shall serve.
The great one is not the one who rules. The great one is the one who serves. Whoever serves is the greater one. The one who is served is the smaller one.
We think that if we are great, then we need to be served by people, and the one who serves is a lower person. But in the kingdom of God, it is very different. Who is the leader? Who is the greater one? He is not the one who is served. He is not the one who rules over people. He is the one who serves others.
He is a servant of all. More than that, the Lord said, “If you want to be first, then you have to be the bondslave of all.”
Of course, we do not want to be servants, and we certainly do not want to be bondslaves. A servant, in a sense, still has his own will and his own time.
Suppose you employ a servant in your home. The servant is to serve you and listen to you, but he is free. Probably, in a week, he will have at least one day off. In modern times, a servant may want to work only eight hours a day. If he does not like you, he can quit.
But in the old days, they did not have servants as we have in modern times. In those days, they had slaves—people who were bought with a price. These slaves were not free. They had to serve whether they liked it or not. It was twenty-four-hour service, and there was no quitting.
Brothers and sisters, if we really want to be leaders in the church of God, then we must not only be servants of all. We need to serve our brothers and sisters to such an extent that we give up every right of our own.
We have no rights of our own. We have to serve our brothers and sisters as slaves—slaves of all—not merely serving those brothers and sisters who are good and kind, but even those brothers and sisters who are very difficult.
You may occupy a position, but if you are not a servant and slave of all, if you do not have that kind of spirit in you, then you are not qualified to be a spiritual leader.
Our Lord Jesus Himself said:
For the Son of man also came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.
—Mark 10:45
Who is more worthy to be served than our Lord Jesus? He should have the service not only of all men, but of the angels and of the whole world, because He is the only worthy One.
But our Lord Jesus Himself declared, “I did not come to be served.” He did not come to ask us to serve Him. He said, “I came to serve you.” He came to serve to such a degree that He gave His life as a ransom for many.
He served to the extent of giving His own life. This is the example that our Lord Jesus has set before us.
So, brothers and sisters, as we consider this matter of spiritual leadership, we know that it is very vital in the work of God. It is a good thing to desire leadership for the Lord’s sake and for the sake of God.
But remember, it is very different from the worldly concept. Do not try to bring the worldly concept of leadership into the church. The reason why the church suffers so much is because the concept of leadership is wrong.
We often say that brothers and sisters are all very lovely. All the trouble that happens in the church comes from the leaders. The leaders are the problem. The people are not the problem. The people are like sheep; they are just waiting to be led. But if those who lead mislead them, then the whole flock will suffer.
Why is it so? Because today in the church, the concept of leadership is worldly instead of spiritual. Therefore, it is something for us to really consider before the Lord.
We are brothers and sisters gathered here this morning. More or less, we are in the area of leadership. Wherever you are serving as a full-time worker for the Lord, you are a leader in the work of God.
If you are responsible brothers in the church, you are leaders in the church. If you are serving among the sisters, you may be leaders among the sisters. You may be leaders among the young people, or you may be serving in the children’s work.
In whatever area you may be serving, probably you are serving in some capacity of leadership. Therefore, it is time for us to really come before the Lord.
Thank God that you have a heart to serve Him. This is something for which we really need to be thankful. But at the same time, we really need to humble ourselves before God and ask the Lord to examine our hearts.
We need to ask Him to show us whether we seek leadership for ourselves. As we lead God’s people, are we thinking merely of giving orders? Are we thinking merely of people serving us? Or are we giving ourselves to our brothers and sisters as servants, as bondslaves of all?
I think this is something that we really need to consider before God.
Finally, we would like to mention another thing. Our God is seeking for such leaders.
In 1 Samuel 13, the children of Israel wanted a king. They wanted a king like the kings of the nations. This was not God’s idea. God wanted to give them a king, but a king after His own heart.
The children of Israel could not wait. They wanted a king like the kings of the nations, so finally they found one in Saul. Why? Because Saul was head and shoulders above all the other people. He was tall and very handsome, and so they made him their king.
But under the leadership of Saul, the nation suffered. When Saul was on the throne, the ark of God was completely neglected, and the people did not really worship God. Saul, as a leader, sought great things for himself.
So God said in 1 Samuel 13:
The Lord hath sought Him a man after His own heart.
—1 Samuel 13:14
And when you read Acts 13, you find that God said:
I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who shall do all My will.
—Acts 13:22
We know that God is seeking for leaders, but it is very difficult for Him to find the right ones.
If you turn to Jeremiah 5:1, it says:
Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that doeth justly, that seeketh truth; and I will pardon her.
—Jeremiah 5:1
God challenged the children of Israel. He was going to destroy Jerusalem because of their sins, but God, being merciful, was seeking for a man who did justice and who was faithful. If He could find only one man in the city of Jerusalem, He would pardon the city.
That shows the heart of God. You remember in the Book of Genesis, because of the sins of Sodom, God was going to destroy the cities. He told Abraham about it, and Abraham drew near to God and pleaded with Him.
Abraham said, “God, You are righteous. Will You destroy the righteous with the unrighteous? If there are fifty righteous men in the city, will You spare the city?” God said, “I will.” Then Abraham continued: forty-five, thirty, and finally ten.
But there were not ten righteous men in the city of Sodom. There was only one righteous man, Lot—and that righteous man was a fallen righteous man.
Here you find that God challenged Jerusalem. He said, “Go through the city, and if you can find just one man, I will spare the city.” But there was none, and the city was destroyed.
In Ezekiel 22:30, God again said:
And I sought for a man among them, that should build up the wall, and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none.
—Ezekiel 22:30
God is seeking for a man. If there were just one man who could make up the fence and stand in the breach, then God said, “I will spare the city.” But God could not find anyone, and finally the city of Jerusalem was destroyed.
These verses tell us one thing: God is looking for leaders. But unfortunately, people did not give themselves to the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, are we willing to really give ourselves to Him, to offer ourselves to Him for His own work? Are we willing to let the cross work in our lives and take away all self-ambition, that we may be ambitious for the Lord only?
Are we willing to drink the cup? Do we really seek the will of God and not our own will? Are we willing to go into death, that we may know the power of resurrection life?
Are we willing to be the servant of all? Are we willing to be slaves to our brothers and sisters, giving our lives for the Lord and for our brothers and sisters?
If we have such a heart before God, then, brothers and sisters, from the lesson of history we know that even though we may have many weaknesses, God is still able to use us.
We are not perfect. You cannot find a perfect man. There is only one perfect Man, our Lord Jesus. Yet you find in the Bible that God used many leaders to lead His people and build His kingdom.
These leaders were not perfect men. They all had faults and weaknesses. But in spite of their faults and weaknesses, they had a heart for God. They were willing to give themselves to God. They were willing to let the cross work in their lives.
Brothers and sisters, if God finds such among us, remember that God is not seeking you as a perfect man. If He had to wait until you were perfect before He could use you, then He would have none.
Thank God, in spite of all our weaknesses, He is still able to use us. But there are certain conditions that we have to fulfill. We have to give ourselves to Him, put ourselves in His hands, and let Him mold and fashion us according to His will.
It may not be easy. We may have to suffer. But if we are willing, then you find that He is waiting, and He is really looking for such people.
For the sake of His work, for the sake that Christ may have the first place in all things, He needs people who will work together with Him. He needs leaders who are willing to give themselves—not only to serve, but to lead others to serve.
Brothers and sisters, if we have such leaders, then it is time to praise the Lord.
So, as an introduction, we just put this matter before you. Brothers and sisters, may you really come before the Lord and ask Him to search your hearts, to see whether there is any evil in us, that we may have a pure heart for God and humble ourselves before Him.
Probably there is much that we need to repent of. But thank God, the blood of the Lord Jesus is able to wash us from all our sins. Under the blood, we can forget the past, and we can press on toward the goal.
May the Lord help us.
Now we will have five more minutes. We hope that brothers and sisters will pray. As the Lord leads, let us pray for five minutes.