6.1 Key themes⤒🔗

• A Christian leader should be a courageous soldier.
• There are many causes of fear, but God is stronger than all of them.
• Good leaders fear God more than people.
• There are many tasks that a Christian leader needs courage for, such as evangelism, reforming the church, and fighting against the devil and his temptations.
• There are many ways in which a Christian leader can build courage, such as memorising Scripture, praying for the Holy Spirit, and keeping a clear conscience.

6.2 Joshua 1:5-9←⤒🔗

[God’s words to Joshua:]

^1:5 No one will be able to resist you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not abandon you or leave you alone.

^1:6 Be strong and brave! You must lead these people in the conquest of this land that I solemnly promised their ancestors I would hand over to them.

^1:7 Make sure you are very strong and brave! Carefully obey all the law my servant Moses charged you to keep! Do not swerve from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be successful in all you do.

^1:8 This law scroll must not leave your lips! You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper and be successful.

^1:9 I repeat, be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic, for I, the LORD your God, am with you in all you do.

© NET Bible

6.3 Causes of fear←⤒🔗

The Christian life is a life of war. That is why the Bible sometimes describes a Christian leader as a soldier. A Christian leader needs courage to “fight the good fight” (1 Timothy 6:12).

Most people do not have a lot of courage. We normally want to stay away from dangers and problems. Even Christians can have more fear than courage in their hearts. There are many possible reasons for this. Here are some of them:

• Sometimes, when a person becomes a believer, the Holy Spirit makes this person’s heart softer and wiser. This person begins to love peace. He begins to stay away from danger. That is a good thing. But sometimes, such a person can become too soft-hearted. He can become afraid of any conflict or danger.
   
• Christian leaders may be afraid of losing the money that they get from the church. Or they may be afraid of losing friends. Such fears can cause a leader to stay silent in those times when he needs to speak.
   
• A Christian leader may feel very alone in his church. He may be the only one who must make all the decisions. It is difficult to be brave when you are on your own. Yes, there are many reasons for fear. But the Bible still teaches us not to fear. God is stronger than all the causes of our fear. He will take care of us. He tells us, just as he told Joshua: “I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous… Be strong and very courageous” (Joshua 1:5-7).

6.4 Examples of courageous leadership←⤒🔗

The Bible gives us many examples of courageous leadership. Think of the leadership of Moses, Joshua, David, and Paul. Think of women like Rahab and Deborah. And think of brave leaders in the history of the church.

For example, five hundred years ago a leader named Martin Luther started to preach that salvation could only be found through faith in Christ. From that time his life was always in danger. But he never changed his message - even when he was brought to the Emperor.

The good leaders of the Bible and the good leaders of the church had a secret. They feared God more than people. They knew that their lives were in God’s hands, not in the hands of people.

But not one of these leaders came near to the courage that Jesus Christ had. Jesus was courageous in everything he did. He challenged people to repent. He talked about the sins of the religious leaders. He reached out to people who were hated by others (for example, the tax collectors and the Samaritan woman. Finally he went to Jerusalem, where he knew that he would be crucified.

We cannot be courageous on our own. But we can look at Jesus Christ and what he did for us. We can hold on to his strength and courage. He is with us. He says to us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 

6.5 Tasks for which we need courage←⤒🔗

Let us now look at some tasks that a Christian leader needs courage for:

Evangelism←↰⤒🔗

Paul told the young pastor Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Timothy 4:5). An evangelist is someone who shares the gospel with unbelievers. A Christian leader should take the lead in this task. For this he needs courage!

Preaching←↰⤒🔗

A preacher should always preach the truth, even if people do not like to hear it. He should speak openly about difficult matters, such as sin and God’s judgement.

Difficult conversations←↰⤒🔗

Sometimes a pastor can be brave when he is preaching, but afraid when he has to talk to someone alone. This fear should be overcome, if a pastor wants to be a faithful soldier for Christ.

Reforming the church←↰⤒🔗

Sometimes a whole church (or a group of churches) is guilty of a great sin. Then a leader must have the courage to speak. For example, when he has meetings with other church leaders, he should stand up for what is right.

Public opportunities←↰⤒🔗

A pastor may get the opportunity to speak on the TV or radio, or to a newspaper. Or he may be invited to speak at a school or a festival. He should not be afraid of such opportunities. He should use them to the glory of God.

Fighting against the devil and his temptations←↰⤒🔗

The devil is always looking for ways to tempt Christians, especially Christian leaders.

Other people may know nothing of your fight against the devil and his temptations. But this is your most important fight. Always remember that Jesus Christ was also tempted in every way (Matthew 4:1-11; Hebrews 4:15). He knows your fight and he has the power to help you.

Times of crisis←↰⤒🔗

Just think of Joshua’s situation. He became Israel’s leader right after the death of their great leader, Moses. That is why God encouraged him: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” (verse 5).

Times of failure←↰⤒🔗

Finally, Christian leaders need courage in times when they have failed. In those times they must be humble and say, “I was wrong. I am sorry.” Then they must move on and learn from their mistakes.

6.6 How to build courage←⤒🔗

Let us end by looking at nine ways in which a Christian leader can build courage:

1. Memorise Scripture (especially those passages that remind us that God is in control).
2. Think of the good things that can come out of the courageous thing that you do.
3. Always pray for the help of the Holy Spirit.
4. Keep on doing small deeds of courage. In this way your courage will grow.
5. Remember that Jesus Christ died to save you, and no one can take that away from you.
6. Trust God with your future.
7. Remind yourself of this promise of God: “Those who honour me I will honour” (1 Samuel 2:30).
8. Keep a clear conscience and confess your sins of the past.
9. Think of the final judgement, when God will reward all good and punish all evil.