It seems that leadership is lacking in much of our world today. There are myriad reasons for that, but it is my belief that much of the problem stems from wrong focus on the part of those who would lead.
Whenever one’s focus is gaining or remaining in power, that person in reality becomes a follower. He or she is following whatever path that person believes will keep them where they are or guide them to the next position.
Whenever one focuses on the success of the group, both individually and corporately, that person becomes a leader, regardless of his or her relative position within that particular group. J. Oswald Sanders wrote several books on spiritual leadership and gave us these thoughts concerning the natural leader verses the spiritual leader.
The natural leader is selfconfident while the spiritual leader is confident in God. That confidence may, at first glance, manifest itself in similar ways, but it will become obvious in times of stress where the real confidence lies. The natural leader knows man and all his foibles. He or she will use those things against his enemies and for his or her own benefit. He or she will make promises based on greed in order to gain power with no intention of keeping them. The spiritual leader knows man, but he or she also knows God. In knowing the Almighty, however, he or she gains insight into man’s nature and what is beneficial to man in ways the natural leader cannot. The natural leader is typically ambitious. That person has goals and will do what it takes to achieve them. The counterpart, however, understands that goals are set by God and as a human being, he or she is dependent upon God not only to give success, but to define it as well. The natural leader is decisive, he or she makes decisions based on worldly wisdom. While this can appear positive at first, it often degenerates into despotism.
The spiritual leader seeks to know God’s will in matters and is willing to wait for God’s leading.
The spiritual leader is decisive, but only when God’s will is clear. The natural leader looks for the new and improved. He or she develops new methods out of worldly wisdom. The spiritual leader will look for God’s ways in all things and will not look to change methods that God has ordained. The natural leader looks to command. People follow because his or her commands seem right and natural to them. The spiritual leader, on the other hand, looks to God for leadership. He or she enjoys helping others learn to submit to God as he or she submits. The natural leader is motivated by self-success. The spiritual leader is motivated by desire to please God and love for others. Most importantly, the results of natural leadership are a hierarchical institution. The results of spiritual leadership are a family.
The Apostle Paul spoke of the nature of spiritual leadership in his relationship with the church in Thessalonica.
In I Thessalonians 2, he reminded the brethren of their relationship in three ways.
First, as a brother. Paul and his assistants were focused on being a brother example. They taught without flattery, hypocrisy or greed. Rather, they were willing to endure hardship for the good of the brethren.
Second, he spoke to them with gentility and caring. While Paul was an apostle, with corresponding authority, he used his authority in love and gentility whenever possible.
Finally, he spoke as a father, encouraging his children to develop their God-given abilities and to live in the assurance of God’s love and protection.
Those are the characteristics of true men and women of God, but they are also the characteristics of successful leadership in a society.