Romans 12: 6, 8
However, since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to use them properly . . . the one who is in leadership, with diligence.
There is such a thing as Biblical Leadership. It actually makes an interesting study. The one point I want to bring to light today is that bossing isn’t leading. Christian leaders must lead by love.
It’s funny how Yahweh can use any circumstance of life to teach. I started watching a new TV show last week. The first episode includes a classic set up. There is a family of Mom, Dad, a son and a daughter. The eldest child is the boy. There is an apocalyptic event. The parents depart to go find help, leaving the two children with a group of other survivors. As the parents prepare to leave, they tell the eldest child to look after the younger and the younger to listen to the older. From that moment you see the dynamic which is about to unfold.
I immediately knew the older brother was going to try to boss the younger sister and that the sister would be a free spirit who would constantly rebel against the rules and restrictions the brother would try to impose. If only they could see from a distance and not fall into the trap which would strain their relationship.
As I watched this introduction to their situation, I heard this thought, “Bossing isn’t leading.” What a challenge those words can impose upon us. Perhaps you have the burden of leading or of being responsible for others. How does one walk the tight rope of responsibility and leadership?
Christian leadership is better couched in the term “edification.” In other words, Christian leaders are supposed to build up others. Look at Ephesians 4: 29 from the NIV Bible, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Hence, Christian leaders are meant to lead by love. No one suggests this model is easy, but it is Jesus’ model. It is the way, and I believe we are much more inclined, and able, when we think about it consciously. Now that we know, we can endeavor to be the older brother who nurtures his charge into a positive growth cycle rather than repressing them and their development.