From a very early age, I marched to my own rhythm. I was always a rebel, and wanted to do things my own way. As got older, I started to show some natural leadership ability in various areas. As these traits would manifest in different ways I would try and implement what I could see needed to change or be done to fix a certain situation. At seventeen I became a Christian in a very radical way that I wont detail here. It of course goes without saying that I brought these struggles with me, and have dealt with varying levels of drama over the years when trying to exert my influence over a situation. That being said all the drama has not gone for not. Out of the pain that I have gone through at various stages of my life I have learned many valuable lessons. As I have grown in the Lord I have come to a greater understanding of what leadership is all about. Frequently leadership is a thing of pain, responsibility, sorrow, and hard decisions. Rather than glamorous moments of triumph and victory. In fact most of my greatest victories in life have rushed by me like a billboard on the highway of life. These victories are clearly signposted on my path, however when traveling at the speed of life one frequently misses them and only notices these milestones when retracing the journey at a later date. These battles are not fought with fists or guns like some Hollywood action movie. But much to the contrary of our image of strength in the west looks like, God's image of strength is almost diametrically opposed to the way we think in the 21st century(or the 20th or 19 centuries for that matter). God's idea of leadership is almost eastern in it's sensibility, or at the very least many non-Christian philosophers have borrowed from this idea over the years.
God in both the Old and New Testaments, calls us to live a life of peaceful and quite submission. The Bible teaches us that we are created in God's image, and we see reinforced time and again through the lives of the biblical characters the plan that God has for our lives. Especially in reference to leadership and discipleship. The model God requires for leadership is outlined in the qualifications for ministry addressed to Timothy
The model we see is one of servant leadership without a doubt, but also that of leadership by example. Gods model for leadership is to lead the way he would. It has been said that the Holy Spirit is a gentleman. That God never forces himself on anyone. You could say it is Christians extending themselves where God has not asked them to go. Reaching into peoples lives that have not been prepared for the message we are trying to deliver, that are the ones forcing themselves on people. This approach to both leadership, discipleship and evangelism is basically Christian date rape. To run with this metaphor, we reach out to people, trying to get them to give in and give there heart over to God before they are ready. Forcing them into a false sense of intimacy before they are ready to do so. Guilting them in baring themselves at an inappropriate time. What we need to understand about God in all aspects of our lives as Christians, is that we are ambassadors of Christ and our Heavenly kingdom, and as such are not prosecutable by the law of the land we are in. Just like an foreign ambassador would have diplomatic immunity from the laws of the United States. We have been redeemed from the curse of the law, and are no longer under it's jurisdiction as it were. This however is not a license by any means to get mentally irregular and start treating people any way we chose. Because just like our aforementioned diplomat. Our home country can send someone knew to cover our post and we are left without purpose. For those who don't believe that this is scriptural. Just go look up a man by the Name of Terah in the genealogy of Abram. and you will find that God can and will call someone else. We must remember the divine model and plan for how we are to conduct ourselves and conduct our business while in a realm that is not our own.
Gods plan is not forceful, or pushy but rather a leadership of kindness, gentility-acting in a peaceful and loving spirit. In scripture there are many examples of this. But we see two primary examples that bare special attention. The story of Joseph starts in Genesis 37 and for the next few chapters this young man of calling and destiny goes through more than most(and yet we think we have the market corned of suffering). Joseph was a leader at every stage of his life. He made the occasional mistake, like revealing his dream to the wrong people at the wrong time, and he paid dearly for it. Tragically, then as now-some the greatest pain in our lives will come at the hands of those who we love the most, and who are meant to love us and train us in the ways of God. However if we lead as Joseph did at every point along the journey with humility and a servants heart, and not by depending on our own strength. Leaning on the arm of the flesh-even when we know that our way is right. We must control ourselves as Joseph did, living lives worthy of what God has called us to, or at least to the best of our understanding of that calling at the time. Because even though we may swear to high Heaven that our way is right, the Bible says that there is a way that seems right to a man, but the in the end there is death. No matter the situation Joseph found himself in, he continued to move forward; honoring God the best way he knew how.
In the life of Joseph, we see a clear image of the coming Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ Joseph's brothers are representational of the 12 tribes of Israel. In fact they are more then images of them, they are them. Joseph and his brothers are the forefathers of the 12 tribes. They are where the 12 tribes begin. In the story of Joseph we see imagery being employed that points us to both Jesus' death and resurrection and the regathering of Israel, and how all will eventually bow the knee in worship to our Lord.
In the same way that Joseph was never moved to the point of sin against his brothers, Jesus was not moved what others thought (he knew their thoughts), said did or attempted to do to him. He was instead motivated by what the Father had called him to do. Point of fact, Jesus did not have the reaction that mould expect him to, but instead just he opposite. He was moved with compassion for those we just did not get it. But not at the expense or delay of his mission.
Christ was manifested in the Earth for a specific purpose (and thus could not be side tracked, delayed or detoured), he was manifested on Earth in much the same way we are created. He was born of a woman, and raised by two parents. Parents that at one point or another probably did not understand him. There must have also been times when he did not really understand them. This sounds a lot like most people's childhoods. All that being said, he was born for a purpose. A specific and singular purpose, as we are. Christ had to overcome any issue or hindrances that were placed in is way by family, friends and the hometown locals just as we do. When we accepted Christ into our lives, applying the label of Christian it became responsibility, our duty, our job to lead ourselves as our eternal example did. To lead others by our example, our example in applying spiritual discipline to our lives.
an adequate summarization of this concept can be taking from what Paul said about discipline, in paraphrase. We must train and beat ourselves into submission both body and mind. training ourselves like the runner or boxer ever pressing forward reaching towards the goal. Because it is not how we start, but how we finish.
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