John C. Maxwell writes, “You don’t have to be a ‘natural’ to become a great leader; you simply need a heart for God and a teachable spirit.” Already this year we have discussed two individuals that fit that very profile. First, there was Moses who responded to God’s idea of sending him to free His people with, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh…” (Exodus 3:11). Then, we look to Peter whose faith seemed erratic with moments of great resolve, like when he stepped out of the boat onto stormy waters, only to soon cry out “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:29-30). In both men’s lives, the quote from Vince Lombardi proves true in so many cases, “Leaders are made, they are not born.”
Here is a question to consider, “What is the real need for biblical leadership?” As the apostle Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, he does so with a grand objective, to help merge two groups together into one cohesive body ready to serve the Lord and further the gospel. Those two groups were the Jews and Gentiles who according to the Holy Spirit, were “separated by a wall of hate” (ETRV, Ephesians 2:14). Now brought together through the gospel, these once enemies are now teammates. They now must learn how to be a team. With this in mind, we can seek to answer our question, at least in part, by considering Ephesians 4:11-13. Verse 11 states the following, “So Christ himself gave the apostle, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers…” (NIV). Godly leadership was instituted by Christ for His church, for the following reasons.
“…for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…” (Ephesians 4:12)
In this simple verse we find two crucial reasons for godly leaders. First, their work involves the “equipping of the saints.” Equipping means a bringing to a condition of fitness, complete furnishing. It is crucial to remember that this is speaking about equipping the “saints” plural. The work is to help bring them, Jews and Gentiles, to a condition of spiritual fitness! Why? There was work to be done, opportunities to serve, and they needed to work together. Paul taught the church in Romans 12:4-5, saying, “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” He taught the church in Corinth, saying, “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12). Secondly, as leadership fosters this cooperative approach to service, it would create an environment where the church would be edified; that is, built up. How so? One person speaks of “the knowledge of the truth and in piety [i.e. religious devotion].” Romans 14:19, “Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.” This is in part the work of leaders. Let us build on this idea further, looking at v13.
“…till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13)
Jews and Gentiles unified! Impossible, right? I suspect many thought that way as the early church grew from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. But Jesus would not give His church an impossible task. Unity was not only possible, it was expected. In this very letter the apostle Paul would exhort them to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (NIV, Ephesians 4:3). If the church was going to be effective in the world, Christians needed to strive towards unity and that would be in part the work of leaders. Not just in Ephesus either. To the church in Philippi Paul writes, “fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Philippians 2:2). Peter speaks of being “like-minded” (1st Peter 3:8). The Psalmist writes, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalms 133:1). The power is not in numbers; but rather, in the unity of those numbers (John 17:21; Philippians 1:27).
This equipping and subsequent edification along with the pursuit of unity would help the Lord’s church in Ephesus to strive towards “a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” I cannot become all that God yearns for me to be on my own. We need each other (Romans 12:10; 1st Corinthians 12:12-20)! To the point of this article, we need God centered leaders who desire to help us achieve the seemingly impossible (Luke 1:37). Our Lord has given them the honored task of taking people from different areas of life who have been brought together because of the gospel and helping them to become the team God desires. Team – Together, Equipped And Matured for the Masters service.
Biddeford Church of Christ 