CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP

WHO IS A CHRISTIAN?
A Christian is someone whose behavior and heart reflects Jesus Christ. A Christian
is a person who has put faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ,
including His death on the cross as payment for sins and His resurrection on the
third day. John 1:12 tells us, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed
in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” The mark of a true
Christian is love for others and obedience to God’s Word (1 John 2:4, 10). A
Christian is indeed a child of God, a part of God’s true family, and one who has
been given new life in Jesus Christ.
A Christian, then, is a person who is born again by the Spirit of God as he or she
wholeheartedly trusts in Jesus Christ and seeks to follow Him in obedience. There
is no other way to the Father, no other way to be a
Christian, than through personal faith in the Son of God. “I am the way and the
truth and the life,” Jesus said. “No one comes to the Father except through me”
(John 14:6).
WHAT IS LEADERSHIP ?
A leader is someone who inspires passion and motivation in followers.
A leader is someone with a vision and the path to realizing it.
A leader is someone who ensures their team has support and tools to achieve
their goals.
A leader may be any of those things, but a good leader is all three. An effective
leader has a shared vision aligned with core values and understands what it will
take to reach their team goals. They inspire, manage, and support their teams to
work creatively and confidently toward their shared vision.
A leader empowers their team members to embrace their own unique leadership
qualities and act with independently accountable passion. And they inspire and
motivate their teams to maintain long-term progress and excitement toward
achieving their goals.
Leadership is the act of influencing/serving others out of Christ’s interests in their
lives so they accomplish God’s purposes for and through them,” according to Bill
Lawrence, President of Leader Formation International, Christian leadership is not

rooted in worldly notions of success, such as the love of money or power. Jesus
Himself spoke against this when expressing the importance of serving others.
Leaders are not to oppress and overpower others with their authority, like the
Gentiles practiced. Instead, leaders serve others, which Jesus demonstrated when
He “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming
in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled
Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross”
(Philippians 2:7-8)

Ten (10) Attributes of Christian Leadership

1. Love
God is love (1 John 4:8) and “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by
the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:5).
In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul famously wrote about the transformational nature of
love and how it is greater than spiritual gifts like faith and hope. Jesus told His
disciples that other people will know them by their love (John 13:35).
Love is central to Christianity and every Christian. Any Christian leader should be
drivenin his or her life by the
2. Modesty
“We’ve all encountered the know-it-all leader, the ‘submit-or-else’ type of
leader,”
But Proverbs 16:5 says the proud of heart are “an abomination” to God. Being
arrogant does not help model or demonstrate Christ’s interests. Rather, it is in
direct conflict with Christian leadership.
Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.
Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,
Than to divide the spoil with the proud.– Proverbs 16:18-19
3.Self-development
Jesus modeled self-development. One of the most striking examples of this is
when Jesus prayed in the garden at Gethsemane just before His arrest. Jesus
knew “all things that would come upon Him” (John 18:4), including the painful
flogging and crucifixion. This caused intense anguish and sorrow, which is evident
from Luke’s account. Luke, who was a physician, was the only writer in the
gospels to describe Jesus’ sweat as blood — referring to a rare condition called
hematidrosis.
And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and
prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless
not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven,
strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His
sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.– Luke 22:41-
44
Christian leaders can follow Jesus’ example of seeking God for insight into His will
and for strength. Becoming more righteous is a lifelong process for all Christians,
and leaders need to make time to grow spiritually.
4. Motivation
Instead of misleading or exploiting people, good leaders motivate others, In
Nehemiah 2:17, “Nehemiah fearlessly motivated the people to rebuild the walls
of Jerusalem,”
“Nehemiah laid out a vision, he shared a plan and he reassured God’s people that
God was with them.
When we are moving people for our benefit, we manipulate and exploit them.
But when we call people to a higher purpose, we motivate them.”
5. Correction
Correcting others in the right way is important for all Christians. Many passages in
Scripture speak to this principle, as the following examples illustrate:
•“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but
exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching”
(Hebrews 10:24-25).
•“And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are
over you in the
Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s
sake. Be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those
who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all” (1
Thessalonians 5:13-14).
•“But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And
a servant of the
Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility
correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them
repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their
senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do
his will” (2 Timothy 2:23-26).
How can Christian leaders approach correcting others in the right way?
 By understanding their temperaments
•By respecting their concerns
•By believing in their gifts
•By supporting their dreams
6. Integrity
Good leaders practice and value integrity.
Righteous lips are the delight of kings,
And they love him who speaks what is right.– Proverbs 16:13 “People don’t follow
leaders who lack integrity,” “Integrity involves actions as well as words.
Integrity involves practicing what we preach, being consistent and dependable,
doing what we say we will do and living in
such a way that others will trust us.”
7. Follower of God’s Will
“Is there anything more important in a leader than he or she seeking God’s
direction?”
“A good leader seeks the Lord, commits his way to the Lord and the Lord
establishes the next steps.”
The preparations of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is
from the LORD. …
Commit your works to the LORD,
And your thoughts will be established. …
A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. – Proverbs 16:1, 3, 9
8. Humility
Humility is an essential characteristic of a godly leader. As James says, “God
opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (James 4:6).
In the fourth chapter of Daniel, we see this principle in action as the proud King
Nebuchadnezzar is utterly humiliated. The King came to Daniel asking for his
dream to be interpreted, and Daniel did so. The interpretation of the dream is
that the king shall be driven away from men and will eat in the fields like a beast,
living like an animal, removed from his glorious status as king. These events
unfold precisely as Daniel had spoken. It is written:
Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from
among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of
heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’
claws. – Daniel 4:33
9. CHRISTIAN LEADERS PRIORITIZE PRAYER
Prayer is the means through which God works in this world, and it is the duty of
all Christians to intercede for others through prayer to God.
In the ninth chapter of Daniel, we see the power of prayer and God’s faithfulness
in answering prayer. Daniel’s continual devotion to prayer empowered him to live
the life of faith and leadership that we read about in this great book.
Christian leaders must lead by example in this as well—not only speaking of the
power of prayer, but living it and demonstrating it so that others may follow suit.
10. Remains accessible, approachable and accountable to others
Good leaders don’t isolate themselves from people regardless of the amount of
responsibility or power he or she attains.
Good leaders willingly seek the input of other people into their professional and
personal lives.
Above reproach: Someone whose exemplary life attracts people to Jesus. Just the
sort of person that was chosen by the early church (Acts 6:3); people who were of
good reputation and therefore trustworthy.
Temperate: This is less a matter of moderation or lack of self-indulgence but more
that of having a clear perspective. Walking in the Light of God, rather than the
darkness of men, gives a wholly different perspective on matters which to the
world are of vital importance, e.g., the Christian leader should be led and
influenced by those things on which God places high priority.
EXAMPLE OF GOOD LEADERS IN THE BIBLE
• Jesus Christ - Sacrificed His Life for the Entire Mankind ( John 3:16)
• Apostle Paul - Leaders are Passionate for what they believe in (Acts 9)
• Noah – Leaders do what is right even if they are alone (Genesis 6)
•Abraham – Leaders Embrace the Unknown (Genesis 12)
• Moses – Leaders stand up for their people (Exodus 3)
• Gideon – Leaders lead with Insight (Judges 6:12)
• David – Leaders are brave and not afraid of Giants/Challenges
• Peter – Leaders recover from Failure (Acts 2) • Nehemiah – Leaders Carry
their people along
• Barnabas - Leaders are encouragers.
NOW LET’S EXAMINE SOME OF THE LEADERS IN OUR COMTEMPORARY WORLD
AND MENTION ONE STRIKING THING ABOUT THEM

EXAMPLE OF GOOD & BAD LEADERS IN OUR COMTEMPORARY WORLD

 Obafemi Awolowo  Pastor E.A Adeboye
• Nelson Mandela • Babatunde Folorunso
• St. Moses Orimolade • Osama Bin Laden
• Sir Nnamdi Azikwe • Abubakar Shekau
• Joseph Ayo Babalola • Adolf Hitler • Samuel Doe
• Martin Luther King • Lawrence Anini.
• Abraham Lincoln • Dr Ishola Oyenusi
• Mother Theresa • Saddam Hussein
 Mahatma Gandhi • Joseph Stalin
 Sir Ahmadu Bello • Shina Rambo

USING THE BIBLICAL DANIEL AS A CASE STUDY

Our culture is, sadly, filled with leaders who have had major moral failures. This
negatively affects their ability to lead and the trust their people had for them. If
you want to be a great leader then, you must follow Daniel’s example and resolve
to do what is right, even when no one else around you is making the same
decision.
1. Maintain Moral Resolution
In the first chapter of Daniel, we learn about the king’s program to develop
leaders from the countries he had conquered. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego were all chosen for this program and begin their training.
They were very quickly confronted with a moral dilemma – the King provided
them with food that did not align with the laws of Israel. Daniel and his friends
had a decision to make: would they remain completely faithful to God? Or would
they let things like food slide?
Daniel 1:8 gives us our answer: “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile
himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank.” Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego joined with Daniel in making this resolution.
2. Respect Others
Even though Daniel and his friends declined the king’s food, they did it in a
respectful way. Here is their exchange:
Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.
And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the
eunuchs, and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who
assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse
condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my
head with the king.” Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the
eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, “Test your
servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.
Daniel 1:8b-12
There are many Christian Leaders today who get the first part right – they resolve
to do what it is right. But then, they wrongfully go about it to everyone else. This
is not an effective form of evangelism or leadership. Instead, we should follow the
words of Romans 12:10b and, “Outdo one another in showing honor.“
In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar loses his temper. He gets so angry with his wise men
that he orders all of them to be killed! Fortunately, Daniel intervenes. When he
hears about the decree, his response is worth noting:
When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death
the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact.
Daniel 2:14 (NIV)
Daniel’s wisdom and tact pay off, he gets the opportunity to go before the king
and appease his anger. Before going, he and his friends all pray together and
“plead for mercy from the God of heaven.” By the end of their conversation,
Nebuchadnezzar was so happy he basically worships Daniel – a big shift from
wanting to murder him and all of his friends.
4. Spiritual Accountability
Throughout Daniel, we can clearly see the benefits of having spiritual
accountability:
•Daniel and his friends resist unclean food together in Daniel 1 •Daniel and his
friends pray together for help interpreting the king’s dream in Daniel 2:17-18
•Daniel asks the king to appoint Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as
administrators over Babylon to support his work in Daniel 2:49 •Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego refuse to worship the image of gold together in Daniel
3:16 •Daniel holds the king accountable and calls him to repent in Daniel 4:27
While it is certainly possible to remain faithful in the face of evil by yourself (see
Daniel 6, where Daniel goes to the Lion’s Den alone), it’s much easier when you
have friends.
5. Desire the Best for Others
In Daniel 4, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that disturbs him greatly. He calls
Daniel in for help with the interpretation of the dream, but Daniel realizes it does
not bring good news:
Then Daniel was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him. So
the king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you.”
Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and
its meaning to your adversaries! Daniel 4:19
This is part of a major theme in Daniel – how to live as an exile. Through some of
the earlier examples of leadership, you can see that Daniel and his friends refuse
adopt Babylonian ways that go against God. At the same time, they still work for
the good of those in Babylon. Daniel cares for the king and wants the best for
him, he works for the peace and prosperity of his new home.