This is Part 2 of the Biblical Leadership Series. Click here for Part 1: “Called to Lead”
As we continue our series on Biblical Leadership, we began last week by asking the question, “Am I called to lead?” We said that your calling must be given by God, as well as affirmed by the church. Before we dig into more of the specifics of how God’s calling to leadership works, in this post, we will first ask the question, “Am I called to follow?”
As we approach the topic of leaders and followers, I see two problems facing the church, which must be corrected if biblical leadership is to be upheld. We will look at the first of these two problems, today, which is on the side of the followers. Then we will come back next week and look at the problem on the side of leadership.
The Age of Autonomy
One major problem we face in today’s world is the rejection of all forms leadership by people who want to live autonomously from all authority. These people believe that the idea of “all men created equal” means that there should never be a situation in which their lives must be submitted to another. They also tend to reject any outside accountability for their actions or lives. The guiding principle is “mind your own business, and leave me alone.”
This problem is obviously broader than just the church. The internet is filled with videos and teachings of crazy people who declare themselves completely free of any societal structure of leadership and law. For an extreme example, just search Youtube for “sovereign citizen” or “freemen on the land.” These are people who believe that they can reject any accountability to world governments, just by refusing to accept a personal citizenship or civil law. (It isn’t true!)
For decades (or longer), every upcoming youth generation has sought to throw off their “bondage” to all authority, whether parental, governmental, occupational, or familial. They “fight the man” and refuse to “bow down” to people in charge. The problem is that, eventually, they find themselves in need of those leaders to work on their behalf. They must then, either recant their personal convictions of “no authority,” or hypocritically claim a right to receive help from the authorities without otherwise giving deference to them. Just look at what is happening with the “defund the police” movement in America, today. Radical people want the police to be disbanded, until they themselves are attacked or abused, then they cry out for the police to help them.
Autonomous Believers
Within the church, the insistence of autonomy by some individuals creates a number of problems for both the leadership and the church people they are trying to serve. While many (if not most) born again Christians understand their need, and actually desire healthy, biblical leadership over them, those who do not can cause problems for everyone involved.
They reject submission to biblically ordained authority.
While it can be said that a good leader knows how to gain a dedicated followership, it is also true that some people will never follow a good leader, simply out of spite for the fact that leadership exists in the first place.
These people may attend church, listen to sermons, sing the worship songs, and take part in the ongoing life of the church (although many refuse to do so). However, they are also the first to criticize church leaders when things don’t fit their own definition of right, good, or true. They have no problem gossiping or causing divisions between godly leaders and the rest of God’s flock, simply because they imagine their own opinions and desires are of equal standing to those God has appointed as leaders.
This is not only a rejection of the leaders themselves, but of the biblical commands regarding leadership and the Holy Spirit’s calling on those leaders’ lives. This causes challenges for the leaders, but it also does major damage to the rebellious person’s personal growth in Christ. By rejecting any oversight and guidance from those God has called to help them grow as Christians, they actually hinder their own spiritual life, and create limitations on the possibility that they might step into a godly leadership role themselves, one day.
They reject the role of discipleship and mentoring, which Jesus called for.
God has placed leadership in the church with one great charge:
to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Ephesians 4:12-14
This means that it is the role of leaders to do the hard work of discipleship with the people who come under their ministry. That does not mean the leaders simply require people to attend a 6-week class on the foundational teachings of the church, or attend a special small group for new believers.
It means that the leaders take an active interest in the lives of their followers, and seek to help them grow into Christ in every area of their lives. It means that the leader does more than just teach biblical truth or spiritual principles. They must also know the lives of their followers, intimately, to be able to coach and form them into mature believers.
For example: A leader doesn’t just teach biblical principles on marriage. He or she also knows and understands the challenges their people are currently dealing with in marriage, and seek to help them apply the biblical principles in real life. They pray with their people. They counsel their people. They spend time with their people, making sure they are working to grow and strengthen their marriages. I could give other examples, as well, but I think you get my point.
If people refuse to acknowledge or submit themselves to spiritual leadership, then the leader will forever be unable to fulfill God’s command on their work, and those who refuse leadership will have their spiritual development stunted, at best.
They reject personal accountability, which usually also includes a refusal to confess sin or repent of wrong behaviors.
A refusal to submit to godly authority, also usually implies a disregard for God’s truth and standards of morality. They will defend themselves against any personal failure with the famous words of Tupac, “Only God can judge me!”
This isn’t true, though! Listen to these words from the Apostle Paul (emphasis added):
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
1 Corinthians 5:9-13
God calls His people to submit to the authority He has placed in the church, and He expects the leaders He appoints to encourage, equip, and even discipline His people, as necessary.
I do realize that much of the rebellion against biblical authority has come from the excesses and abuses caused by bad leadership, so any talk of discipline can cause anxiety to some. I promise we will address much of that in the next post. But for now, we must recognize that God has ordained that there will be leaders put in place to serve His body and bride. We cannot go against Him by claiming and choosing to live otherwise.
How Do We Become Better Followers?
If God has appointed Godly leadership and expects His children to all be great followers, as well as leaders, then we must ensure we are following our leaders well. I believe the first way we can become a better follower is by first growing in our understanding of God’s design for leadership. That is why I said last week, this series will be helpful for both leaders AND church members.
We Must Identify What God Says about Godly Leadership
We first learn what godly leadership looks like by studying the scriptures. We read His commands for leadership, and we view the examples He has given of both good and bad leadership in His Word. Jesus, of course, is the epitome of a great leader, so we must pay close attention to Him.
As we learn what a great leader looks like biblically, it will act as a grid by which we will examine the leaders to whom we will submit ourselves.
We Must Submit to the Right Leaders
Once we have this grid, we must ensure that we are following those leaders who are truly appointed by God, and not those who are seeking to put themselves over us for their own pride or benefit. Even if they are fully anointed and called by God to lead in the church, it does not necessarily mean they are called to lead you.**See note.
Just because someone around you is a pastor or an apostle does not mean that they are your pastor or apostle. Leadership comes with it’s own sphere of influence and boundary of limitations. Paul was an apostle to the gentiles, but while in Jerusalem, he submitted himself to the other apostles and elders of the Jews.
To share a personal example, I was once introduced to a couple of godly leaders, who I have much respect for in their pastoral and prophetic ministry. On the advice of a leader I served under, I came to them seeking wisdom on certain issues within our ministry which they had experience in. However, after a short time they determined themselves to be some sort of spiritual authority over my life, rather than my coworkers in the Kingdom.
A few years later, when I was praying about marrying my wife Liz, the advise I received from those whom God had called me to submit myself to was “yes. You should marry her.” However, this couple was opposed to the marriage, and began to come against me as being out of God’s will for my life, and refusing to even speak to me for rejecting their opinions (given as prophetic words). Though God has confirmed many times that marrying Liz was the right decision, I am sure I am one of this couple’s many stories of rebelliousness to their ministry.
My point is that we must know how to hear and follow the Holy Spirit’s leading for ourselves, in order to make sure we are submitting to the right leaders (and in the right seasons). Not every leader is appointed to guide, counsel, and equip you. But some are!
Make Sure You Follow Jesus as You Follow His Under-Shepherds.
Paul was quick to tell his followers that in imitating His example, they should be becoming more like Christ. He told them, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). He later writes to the Thessalonians,
“And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.”
1 Thessalonians 1:6-7
Likewise, the author of Hebrews commands,
“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”
Hebrews 13:7
As we seek to become better followers, we must remember that at the end of the day, we are not seeking to follow men of man’s sake. We are following those men and women in whom we see the life of Christ demonstrated and who love us just as Christ does.
We cannot throw off submission to biblical leadership! God has ordained it. Rather, we honor the Lord by following those whom He has placed to guard our lives and point us to Himself.
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Hebrews 13:17
Let’s Connect
In the next post, we look at the purpose of specific leadership roles in ministry. Don’t miss it.
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**Note: if you are a member of a church, then that church’s pastor and leadership team are your leaders. You don’t get to rebel by staying in the church, but not following the appointed leaders. If God isn’t calling you to follow that pastor, then it is time to find a different church.
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© Anthony Scott Ingram 2020. All Rights Reserved.
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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
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