Several years ago I attended a very large conference in the Docklands Arena. At the end of one of the talks, the speaker invited all leaders to come forward so that he could pray for them at the front. Thousands of people got up from their seats and went forward. I was sitting next to Sandy Millar. He stayed seated. Sandy is one of the finest examples of Christian leadership that I have come across. I was surprised that he had not gone forward. I asked him why. His answer showed that he clearly did not regard himself as a leader.
When Sandy thinks of leaders he thinks, perhaps, of Winston Churchill, Alexander the Great or Nelson Mandela. Actually, he would say there is only one leader – Jesus Christ. We are all followers of the one leader. I love Sandy’s view because it pricks the bubble of our pretensions. In one sense, none of us are leaders. We have only one leader: Jesus.
On the other hand, every Christian is called to be a leader in the sense that other people will look to us as an example. We all have influence over others in different ways. To be called by God to be a leader is an enormous privilege, but it carries with it great responsibility.
1. A leader’s challenge
David was a leader who had confidence. However, it was not self-confidence but confidence in God: ‘With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall’ (v.29). David recognised that he needed:
- God’s protection
‘He shields all who take refuge in him’ (v.30b). ‘You protect me with salvation-armour’ (v.35, MSG).
- God’s strength
‘It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights’ (vv.32–33).
- God’s training
‘He trains my hands for battle’ (v.34a). I was reading this verse back in 1992 and it was this verse that made me realise we needed a course to train the leaders (small group hosts and helpers) on Alpha.
- God’s guidance
‘You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light’ (v.28). ‘As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless’ (v.30).
Lord, as we look at the challenges ahead, we need your help. Thank you that with your help I can ‘advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall’ (v.29). Thank you that you are a shield for all who take refuge in you. Thank you that you arm me with strength and train my hands for battle. Thank you that you give me your shield of victory and that your right hand sustains me.
2. A leader’s character
Jesus attacks the religious leaders of his day with strong language: ‘You snakes! You brood of vipers!’ (v.33). This language would have come as a complete shock to the people. Our image now of ‘scribes and Pharisees’ is very different to how they were perceived at the time. They were seen as highly respectable and respected people.
The scribes were lawyers. They preserved and interpreted the law. They were authorised to act as judges. They had been ordained after a regular course of study. They were experts in the Scriptures. They were teachers who gathered pupils around them.
The Pharisees were laypeople. They tended to come from the middle classes (unlike the Sadducees who were more aristocratic). They were much respected for their piety. They prayed and fasted often. They attended the services. They gave regularly. They led ‘upright, moral lives’. They had a big influence in society. They were much admired by ordinary people.
It has sometimes been suggested in the past that the scribes and Pharisees were legalistic – in the sense that they thought that acceptance before God was achieved by good works. However, contemporary rabbinical literature shows that this was not the case. They believed God accepted us because of his covenant of grace. Good works were a response to his love out of gratitude.
Jesus does not attack their beliefs but he attacks them, courageously and fearlessly: ‘They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behaviour. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer’ (v.3, MSG).
His words challenge us to a number of characteristics of Christian leadership:
- Integrity
Jesus attacks the hypocrisy of the religious leaders (vv.3–4). He says, ‘They do not practise what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them’ (vv.3b–4). Integrity is the opposite of this, it means practising what we preach.
- Authenticity
Jesus attacks their superficiality (vv.5–7). He says to them, ‘Everything they do is done for people to see’ (v.5a). But what matters is who we are when nobody is looking. Jesus speaks about our ‘secret’ life with God. We need to develop an authentic private life with God.
- Humility
The religious leaders love titles and recognition (vv.8–11). ‘They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called “Doctor” and “Reverend.” Don’t let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that’ (vv.6–8, MSG). This is such a temptation but Jesus says, ‘For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted’ (v.12).
- Compassion
Jesus attacks the religious leaders for putting stumbling blocks in the way of others (vv.13–15). He says, ‘You shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to’ (v.13). We need to have the opposite spirit – one that is open and welcoming to everybody.
Jesus himself sets an example of compassion. He says, ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem … how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings’ (v.37).
- Vision
Leaders should have big vision. Jesus attacks the small mindedness and pettiness of the religious leaders (vv.16–22). The ‘ridiculous hairsplitting!’ (v.19, MSG). They could not see the wood for the trees. We need to concentrate on the important issues, pray for God’s vision, and not be sidetracked.
- Focus
We need to focus on what really matters (vv.23–24). We need to avoid getting caught up with minor details and becoming legalistic. Jesus says, ‘You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel’ (v.24). Rather we are to focus on, ‘The more important matters … justice, mercy and faithfulness’ (v.23), (‘fairness and compassion and commitment’, MSG). Fighting against injustice and poverty; and demonstrating ‘faithfulness’ in our relationships with our family and others.
- Generosity
This is the opposite of the greed and self-indulgence, which Jesus decries (vv.25–28). Their inner life is so different from the outer life. Jesus calls us to be ourselves, for the inside to be like the outside (vv.27–28).
These are extremely high standards and very hard to attain. Jesus’ words here, as the ‘woes’ come to a climax (vv.29–36), are some of the strongest to come from his mouth. It is important to note that they were not addressed to ordinary people, but to powerful leaders. They should not be used as an excuse for powerful leaders to berate ordinary people. What is so amazing about Jesus’ words is that humanly speaking he was in a position of great weakness and yet he was not afraid to take on the powers of the day.
Lord, forgive me for the times that I have failed in these areas. Help us to lead lives of integrity, authenticity, humility, compassion, vision, focus and generosity. Help us to have the same concerns for our city as Jesus has for his.
3. A leader’s critics
Poor Job, as if his suffering was not enough, has to put up with a constant tirade of abuse from his critics. It is more distressing because it comes from his so-called ‘friends’. Criticism is always hardest when it comes from those who should be our friends. It is sadly true that much of the criticism of Christian leaders comes from within the church itself – from the so-called ‘friends’.
It must have been extremely galling for Job to have to listen to Elihu, who was much younger and had the arrogance of youth, saying to him, ‘I will teach you wisdom’ (33:33) and ‘Job speaks without knowledge; his words lack insight’ (34:35). And to suggest that, because he disagreed with his critics, ‘To his sin he adds rebellion’ (v.37).
Elihu, like so many critics, claims to be ‘carefully thought out’ and to ‘have no ulterior motives’ (33:2–3, MSG). He claims that others agree with him, ‘All right-thinking people say – and the wise who have listened to me concur – “Job is an ignoramus. He talks utter nonsense” ’ (34:34–35, MSG).
It is tempting to dismiss Elihu’s words with the suggestion that he is the one who is talking nonsense. But we too can easily fall into the trap of judging God’s people on a superficial basis, just as Elihu does. We need to beware of the dangers of criticising others.
Although it has been pointed out that no one ever built a monument to a critic, it does not stop us all wanting to be critics. We need to be very careful of what we say. And if we are on the receiving end of criticism we should not be surprised.
Lord, help us to avoid passing superficial judgments on other people. Give us wisdom and sensitivity towards those who are struggling with life. Deliver us from pretension. Help us to fix our eyes on the one true leader, Jesus Christ, and to come under his Lordship and follow his example.
Pippa Adds
As I don’t have much physical strength, I love all these verses: ‘With my God I can scale a wall’ (Psalm 18:29); ‘It is God who arms me with strength’ (v.32); ‘He causes me to stand on the heights’ (v.33b); ‘He trains my hands for battle’ (v.34); he gives us his saving help which is ‘my shield’ (v.35a); his ‘right hand sustains me’ (v.35b). When I am feeling weary, physically not on top of things, these words really encourage me.
Comments
There used to be lots of big American leaders and preachers coming to this country, holding meetings in big areanas and football clubs. I am not sure if big events still happen with big ministries. It is great that the Alpha is doing well.
I really loved a conference called Acts 86 in Birmingham. There were people from all over the world and you heard about how ministries in Eastern Europe used to hold funeral or wedding services for about 6 hours so that the word could be preached. It sounded like the church used to be underground. There are probably lots of brave leaders in countries where there is persecution and great hardship.
I really enjoyed visiting churches of different nationalities in London. Asian, Korean, German, E Orthodox. Ruach. Meeting people from churches from different countries in London. Different types of Churches - Evangelical, Baptist, C of E, Catholic, House Church, Pentecostals, Methodists. etc.
There is such a wide variety of colour (not skin tone) and style but the gospel of Christ Jesus is what matters.