2.1 Key themes⤒🔗

• To learn how to be good Christian leaders, we can go to:
  1. God’s principles
   - The spiritual and moral rules in the Bible
  
  2. God’s patterns
  - The examples of other leaders which we find in the Bible, in our own lives, and in history
  
  3. God’s providence
  - Other resources that God has given to us
   
• Christian leadership is challenging, because of:
  1. The leader’s own personality
  2. The leader’s own sin
  3. The leader’s role models (who are not perfect)
   
• Christian leadership also has many rewards, such as:
  1. The reward of joy
  2. The reward of a good name
  3. The eternal reward which God promises to faithful leaders

2.2 – 1 Timothy 3:1-5, 13←⤒🔗

^3:1 This saying is trustworthy: 'If someone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a good work.'

^3:2 The overseer then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher,

^3:3 not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not contentious, free from the love of money.

^3:4 He must manage his own household well and keep his children in control without losing his dignity.

^3:5 But if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for the church of God?

…

^3:13 For those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

© NET Bible

2.3 Where to learn about Christian leadership←⤒🔗

Where can we go, if we want to learn how to be good Christian leaders? There are three “places” where we can go:

1. God’s principles
2. God’s patterns
3. God’s providence

2.3.1 God’s principles←↰⤒🔗

Principles are rules or guidelines. Where do we find God’s principles? In the Bible, of course!

In the Bible God gives us spiritual and moral principles. Spiritual principles are the guidelines which we need to grow in our relationship with God. For example: We should stop trusting in ourselves and put all our trust in God’s Son, Jesus. We should pray at all times. We should study God’s Word.

Moral principles are the guidelines which we need to live holy lives. For example: We should not steal or lie. We should protect our marriages. We should think of the needs of other people.

The Bible also gives specific principles for leaders. We see some of these principles in our passage (1 Timothy 3:1-5). For example, our passage says that a Christian leader must be like a father. He should take care of the people of God, just like a father takes care of his family (1 Timothy 3:5).

To be true Christian leaders, we need to live by the principles (the spiritual, moral and leadership principles) of God’s Word.

2.3.2 God’s patterns←↰⤒🔗

In the Bible we also find stories of real leaders, such as Moses, Samuel, David, Daniel, and the apostles. These leaders are patterns (examples) of leadership. Of course, our best pattern of leadership is Jesus Christ. He is the perfect leader.

The Bible is not the only place where God gives us patterns of leadership. We can also look at good Christian leaders whom we know. We can look at the leaders in the history of the church. Hebrews 13:7 says, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.”

2.3.3 God’s providence←↰⤒🔗

God’s “providence” is his care for his people. God cares for his people in all kinds of ways. He is in control of the whole world. He is also in control of the leaders of this world. He has given leadership skills to many people – even to many people who do not believe in him.

As Christians we can learn from the leadership skills that God has given to other people. Of course, we should be careful. When a leader teaches us something that is against the Bible, we should follow the Bible and not the leader. The Bible is a Christian leader’s highest authority. This means that a Christian leader should use most of his time to study the principles and patterns in the Bible.

In other words: we should get our “big picture” of leadership from the Bible. Then we can use other resources to make the picture more complete. Here is just one example:

Ephesians 5:16 says that a believer must make “the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil”. This is a principle of how we should use our time. When we know this principle from the Bible, we can look at other resources that God gives us in this world. For example, we can read an article or a book about time management.

2.4 Challenges in Christian leadership←⤒🔗

It is not easy to be a leader of God’s people. Let us look at three challenges that are faced by every Christian leader.

First of all, there is the leader’s own personality. For example, you may be a shy, quiet person. Or you may be confident to say what you think. Your personality will make you act in certain ways. Sometimes it will be a good thing. But sometimes it will stop you from dealing with a situation in the best way.

Secondly, there is the leader’s sin. Only Jesus has no sin. The rest of us have to fight against our sin every day. We even sin in the ways that we think. That is why we often have misunderstandings with other people. That is why, as leaders, we will make many mistakes and sometimes hurt the people around us.

Thirdly, our role models (except for Jesus Christ) are not perfect.  Yes, we can learn many good things from other Christian leaders. But all Christian leaders have sins and weaknesses. If we start to follow their weaknesses instead of their strengths, we will end up creating many problems for ourselves. And sometimes, what works in their situation does not work in our situation.

Because of all these challenges, a Christian leader should strive to be balanced and wise. You should know when to work hard, and when to spend time with your family. You should know when to be quiet, and when it is time to speak. You cannot follow only one leader’s example. In each new situation, you should pray for wisdom. God is faithful – he will give wisdom to those who truly ask for it (James 1:5).

2.5 The rewards of Christian leadership←⤒🔗

There are many challenges in leadership, but leadership in Christ’s church can also be a wonderful experience. God often rewards his leaders in many ways.

First of all, God gives his leaders the reward of joy. Yes, there are difficult times. And there are times when a leader may want to give up. But a leader may also see God’s work in people’s lives. He may see how God uses him. This will make his own faith stronger (verse 13 in our passage). To see how the Holy Spirit works in the lives of young people, old people, new Christians, and old Christians, can bring great joy to a leader’s heart.

Secondly, God often gives his leaders the reward of a good name. Leaders should not try to be important. They should not seek praise for themselves. But they can be happy when other believers thank them for their work. They can be happy when they see how other believers begin to follow their example.

But the most important reward is the eternal reward which God promises to every faithful leader. When Christ returns, he will say to his faithful leaders, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'” (Matthew 25:23).