John 10:11
“I am a good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
· A Christian leader is one who is appointed and anointed by God to direct His people according to His will.
· A member (follower) is a person assigned to the leader, hence being a follower of Christ.
Lets talk about characteristics of a leader, a Christian godly leader. A leader is;
o A shepherd. John 10:11, 1 Samuel 17:34 downwards
A shepherd is has got sheep ( otherwise, who are you leading?). He directs the sheep entrusted to him according to the will of God. He lays down his life his life for his sheep. He is selfless. He is sacrificial. Nothing matters more to him than his sheep. He is a defender. He is strong both spiritually and physically. He protects the sheep. He protects the heart of his people from deception and offense.
o A provider
A leader provides for his people both physically and spiritually. We need to discern what and when our members are in need. Do not be self centred. Feed them with the spiritual and physical food. Just like Jesus did with the disciples and the crowds that followed Him (john 6:1-15)
o A warrior- strong and courageous.
Like Joshua (Joshua 17) and David, a leader should be ready to fight for the people and with the people. They need to be able to engage even in spiritual warfare for the members. David fought for his people in prayer. Joshua fought to the extend of commanding the sun to stay still until they had finished. This is the attitude of a leader seeing that this world is ruled by the enemy the devil.
o Is a lover of God’s presence, he reads and meditates on His word.
For one to know and to recognise the voice of God, they need to spend time with Him more often than not. We need to be familiar with Him, not only be familiar but know Him. Know what He is saying and how He is saying it. Worship, prayer and the word are the ways to the path of addiction. This one is the good kind of addiction 😉.
Joshua 1:8 “this book of law shall not depart from your mouth but you shall meditate on it day and night.”
o Is a covering
I mean one who covers the members’ in prayer and their shame. Don’t get me wrong, am not saying tolerate, am saying cover. One who does not expose his members’ to outsiders, one who does not gossip about them. You need love to do this, the love of God that covers a multitude if sin. Reach a point were you can repent for the people like Nehemiah did. That is being a covering!
o Seeks council
A leader is wise enough to know that he does not know everything. He seeks wise council even from people who are not in his circle. Just like Moses asked for help from his father in-law, you can do it too.
Characteristics of a member include;
o Recognising and accepting your leader.
this is a big one for most of us. We often reject or belittle our leaders. Sometimes our reasons are justifiable. You witness an ungodly thing that they did, they hurt you, they were not fair to you, they dumped your friend, and so on. Whatever your reason is, put it aside and realise that this person was ordained and anointed by God. David honoured and obeyed king Saul and we all know that that king was messed up. Learn from David.
o Respect and honor their leader.
You cant do this if you have not done the first point.
Joshua 1:16 “and they answered Joshua, ‘all that you have commanded us we will do and wherever you send us, we shall go’”
o Submissive and respectful
Trust in your leaders to lead you in the right direction (God’s). cultivate an attitude of trust and submission. Ephesians 5:21. Honour and respect their every decision. I know not all of it will be right but respectfully advise on what the right thing to do is.
o Have an attitude of gratitude
1 Thessalonians 5:18. Give thanks in your leaders in all circumstances for it is the will of God for you.
Your leaders need your appreciation too, its motivating.
o Pray for their leaders
1 Thessalonians 5:17. As they pray for us, its best we pray for them. They need the prayers more than we think.
The church ( the body) of Christ need each other to function and push the work of God forward. there is no leader without members , neither is there a member without a leader. We need not to compete with each other but compliment each other. This way the church grows and produces pleasing fruits.
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