Equipping the Godly Leader

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Luke 22:25-26

And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. ²⁶ But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.

(ESV)

The context of the above scripture is a time nearing the end of the earthly ministry of Jesus.  The disciples have witnessed many miracles during their time with Jesus and were beginning to understand Jesus was no ordinary teacher or prophet.  Perhaps they looked around and were beginning to believe Jesus must have thought they were something special leading to a dispute about which one of them would be the greatest in the Kingdom they believed Jesus would establish.  Their time of living under the tyrannical rule of Rome had provided a view of leadership as one where government officials exercised absolute authority over those they led and believed once Jesus overthrew their oppressors, they would be on the giving instead of receiving end of oppression.  Knowing this since Jesus knows all our thoughts, Jesus used this dispute as an opportunity to demonstrate the difference between ungodly secular leadership and godly leadership. 

Since all individuals have sinned (Romans 3:23), including those exercising earthly authority over us, there is no perfect leader among us.  However, it should be the objective of everyone in leadership to strive to lead in a godly manner and since we all lead at some level, whether it is at work, home, in the church, or in some elected position, equipping ourselves for godly leadership is something everyone reading this should strive for. 

Godly leaders demonstrate,

1)      Mature zeal – Leadership involves creating excitement or zeal among those that follow, but simply stirring emotions only lasts a short time.  David demonstrated a mature zeal in his leadership because the Spirit of the Lord was powerfully upon him as opposed to Saul who experienced the Spirit leaving him.  Godly leaders have the same mature zeal since the Holy Spirit lives within them.  This mature zeal is not one seeking personal glory but has the objective of bringing glory to God.  (1) 

2)      Empower those they lead – Worldly leaders must resort to fear and manipulation to get people to follow them.  Like the use of emotionalism to excite individuals, the use of manipulation and fear may result in people temporarily following a leader but as people begin to realize they are being manipulated, they rebel.  In contrast, godly leaders are followers of God first and seek His glory.  As such they do not lead through fear and manipulation but instead lead by pointing others to their source of empowerment, the Holy Spirit, eliminating any need to resort to fear and manipulation.  (1)

3)      Are moved by wisdom – After the rule of King David in Israel, his son Solomon began his rein.  After a day of sacrificing 1,000 burnt offerings to the Lord at Gibeon, Solomon had a vision from the Lord.  The Lord presented Solomon with a blank check, promising to grant him anything he asked for.  Solomon could have asked for riches or great authoritative power but instead sought wisdom.  Instead of seeking and exercising authoritative power over those they lead, godly leaders seek wisdom from the Lord and lead according to those principles.  Of course, the best book of the Bible in which to find words of wisdom is the Book of Proverbs authored by King Solomon, the one that asked God for wisdom.  (1)

Godly leaders have the qualities of,

1)      Seeking God’s direction

2)      Modesty not arrogance

3)      Peacemakers not seeking conflict

4)      Leading justly with fairness

5)      Seeking honest, trustworthy, and godly counselors

6)      A good learner

7)      Humility

8)      Sensibility and kindness

9)      Slowness to anger (2)

In addition, godly leaders are also disciplined demonstrating the disciplines of, 

1)      Purity

2)      Patience

3)      Forgiveness

4)      Understanding

5)      Integrity

6)      Faithfulness

7)      Sacrifice

8)      Love (3)

Galatians 5:22-23 teaches us that the Holy Spirit in our lives produces the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Even though no earthly leader other than Jesus is perfect and constantly demonstrates these qualities, it should be the objective of each of us, especially those in leadership positions, to demonstrate these qualities.  However, since these qualities are fruits of the Holy Spirit, the only way one can genuinely demonstrate them on a consistent basis is to be a believer in Jesus as their savior having the Holy Spirit within them. 

Our world is in dire need of more godly leaders.  We desperately need godly political leaders that will lead according to godly principles.  Business needs to see godly led businesses succeeding due to their adherence to godly principles.  The education system, currently dominated by a post-modernist philosophy (4) needs an injection of godly leadership to bring up a future generation of leaders that will lead according to godly principles.  Most importantly, we must have godly leadership in our homes spawning a generation of people serving the Lord Jesus Christ and filled with His Spirit. 

1. Dobson, Jonathan. Worldly Leaders vs Spiritual Leaders: 3 Key Differences. churchleaders.com. [Online] Churchleaders, October 3, 2011. [Cited: July 22, 2017.] http://churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-how-to/154498-wordlly-leaders-vs-spiritual-leaders-3-key-differences.html.

2. Rinehart, Brent. 9 Essential Qualities of a Godly Leader. www.crosswalk.com. [Online] crosswalk.com, May 14, 2015. [Cited: July 22, 2017.] http://www.crosswalk.com/family/career/9-essential-qualities-of-a-godly-leader.html.

3. Wilson, Jarrid. 10 Disciplines of a Godly Man. churchleaders.com. [Online] Churchleaders, January 8, 2015. [Cited: July 22, 2017.] http://churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/245272-10-disciplines-of-a-godly-man.html.