power of leadership

In 1^st Corinthians chapter one, there is an interesting passage where Paul confronts the church and rebukes them because their fighting among themselves.  He says, “One of you says, ‘I’m with Paul.’  Another says, ‘Peter’s who I follow.’  Yet another said ‘I only serve the Messiah.’”  (My paraphrase.)  He is basically chastising them for their attitude of division.  He was appalled at the thought that people would say that they were aligned only with him, and against another.  In fact, he goes on to say that he was glad he only baptized a couple of people in the church, though he had ministered to all of them and was the apostolic oversight for the church in Corinth.  Why?  Because he didn’t want them to have any more reason to use him as a dividing factor. 

 

He goes on to say that Christ is not divided.  He reminds them that they are a body, and that they need one another, that one member is not greater than another, even in the leadership of the church.  He reminds them that they were nothing when they came to Christ.  In a wry sense of humor, he tells them that there was not many “wise” or “noble” in their ranks when they came to Christ.  Simply put, he is “putting them in their place.” 

 

There is no place for elitism in the Body of Christ.  As the old phrase says, “the ground is level at the cross.”  None of us, regardless of the calling or function we hold, are permitted by the Gospel to elevate ourselves over another.  In fact the model that Jesus gave us is that we are to come up under others with our support.  Our leadership comes in strengthening others, not in strengthening ourselves.  We lead others by releasing them and teaching them to come into their own.  The King of Kings said, “I’ve not come to be served, but to serve.”  Later he told his disciples after washing their feet, “now you do the same…be like me.”

 

Our leadership quotient is not determined on how many people call us their leader, pastor, etc., but in how many people we’ve served, helped them to find and fulfill their destiny and released them to do the very same thing with others without our need to hold on to them.  The trap of leadership is in the need to be a leader.  It destroys the basic result/fruit of leadership, which is to train and release others to do what we do, not to clone and control our followers.  Leaders will produce leaders and leaders who don’t lead only become frustrated and lose heart.  We can destroy what we desired to produce when we “need to be needed.”  Our place is to impart, train, release and become proud parents as our children move on to do greater things than us. 

 

Think of the joy that Jesus had when he said, “greater things will you do than me, because I go on to be with my father.”  He had more things to do, greater things, but from heaven, and now he was releasing his followers to do even more on earth than he did.  His earthly ministry alone did not touch the known world, but his followers did.  In that act, he changed the world, because he was not afraid to release.  In fact, he released his disciples even before they looked ready, before they thought they could handle it…even before he thought they could.  “How many times do I have to tell you…” was a repeated theme in Jesus’ talks with the disciples.

 

To return to the beginning of this post, Paul understood the power of leadership.  He knew how to claim his right to speak into their lives through his relationship with them, but never did he want them to divide the Body of Christ because of their connection with him.  He only wanted them to live out what they had learned from him, which was love and obedience and unity.