You may have come across many good leaders in your life. People like Sir Winston Churchill of Great Britain is best remembered for successfully leading Britain through World War II. He rallied the English subjects to stay strong against the Nazi Germans. His famous speech: “Never, never, never give up!”
Mr Deng Xiao Ping is well known for reforming the Chinese economy starting from the coastal province of Guangdong.
Another personality whom you may know is Mahatma Gandhi, a lawyer and anti-colonial nationalist. He employed non-violent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India’s independence from British rule.
One more famous person is Nelson Mandela, the leader of a movement who ended South African apartheid and first black President of South Africa.
Closer to home, our late first Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, will likely come to mind. He, together with his team, led Singapore to independence. He built Singapore from a third world country to a first world nation.
In the eyes of the people in the world, they were all respected and great leaders. They seem to be able to find solutions to difficult situations.
The question which we need to next ask ourselves is, “What constitutes a good leader in the sight of God”? I would like to concentrate on this attribute called Faithfulness.
Faithfulness is one of the most important criteria in God’s eyes. The Bible says; “But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
The apostle Paul told Timothy to commit the role of teaching to faithful men. “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2)
A leader must live a faithful life even unto death. “... be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)
Without faith, one cannot lead because he cannot please God according to Hebrews 11:6. Moreover, who will follow a faithless leader?
I would like to share three important characteristics that can be found in a good, spiritual and faithful leader:
He leads a Prayerful life. It is something God expects of every Christian. There is no exception for a leader. He will always seek God’s guidance. He will petition for those poor in spirit, the sick to recover, the weak to be strengthened and souls to be saved. A good leader shows his love and concern for his fellow brethren through prayers. The apostle Paul prayed for the well-being of the Colossian Christians; “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you…” (Colossians 1:3-14).
He is committed to the cause of Christ. One of the common excuses not to serve God is telling ourselves we have no time. Such a person is not a good leader. A good leader will find time to serve God. He will go all the way, even to the extent of sacrificing his own personal time for God’s work just like Jesus in Mark 1:35. After Satan’s failure to tempt Jesus, Jesus came into Galilee and began His ministry. There at Capernaum, Jesus straightaway busied Himself preaching the gospel, performing miracles and healing those who were sick. He did all these from morning to night. The Bible is silent about how much He rested. We can assume - very little. Despite preaching and healing from morning to evening, He woke up early next morning to find time to pray. After that, Jesus went to the next town and continued to preach. (Mark 1:38)
A good leader will sacrifice his hobbies, recreational time and sleep to do the will of God. There is no such phrase as “I have no time” in the mind of a good spiritual leader.
He must love the souls of men – Someone said, we are saved to save others. The great commission as stated in Matthew 28:19-20 and Mark 16:15-16 is for everyone, and not just for preachers, elders or Bible class teachers. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). “But God commendth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God has shown His love for us. We must do the same to those who are still lost in this world. A good leader must love the souls of men and reach out to them.
Indeed these are exemplary behaviours and must come from a willing heart. The desire to serve can triumph over any handicap you may have. The lack of experience can be overcome by accumulating our experiences along the way. Talents can be put to good use. Obstacles can be overcome.
The church today needs more able men to serve her. You can be that man!
P/S: Although this article is targeted more towards the men of the congregation, we do not forget that sisters can be the driving force behind them. Sisters, be the Eunice, the Lois, the Priscilla, the Lydia… the Bible talks about. Encourage, support and pray for them. God Bless.