The Church Won’t Run Itself, Pt 2

by Bob Blouin

The Hebrews could always get behind a good king, that is, until they couldn’t. When the Hebrews selfishly begged for a king (1 Samuel 8:5), even though not needed, God gave them what they wanted. When the people would not listen, they received what they deserved. They would have been wiser to first seek the Lord’s counsel and then look for effective leaders in the righteous followers of God.

God, in His perfect wisdom, knows what makes a good leader: character, faith, and wisdom. We have examples of His choices in Moses, Joshua, and Christ, who led the people out of bondage, into the promised land, and then to eternal life.

Moses: The Reluctant Leader. God selected Moses to go back and get His people out of Egypt, yet he lacked confidence to be the one to tell Pharaoh, “Let My people go!” Therefore, God made Aaron the mouthpiece for Moses. Joshua takes command after Moses led God’s people out of bondage. As Moses had told them, “He will not leave you nor forsake you…” (Deuteronomy 31:6), God also tells Joshua “I will not leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5). Jesus, our shining example, said, “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:18), “Take up your cross and follow Me” (Mark 8:34), “Follow Me and you will have treasure in heaven” (Luke 18:22), and “He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Effective leaders must understand what it means to have good character, which is demonstrated by how they behave when no one is watching. Strong spiritual character comes from faith in God and His word, in spiritual training, and in his own ability to lead that we may know how we ought to conduct ourselves in the house of God (1 Timothy 3:15).

Faith and wisdom then combine to build the faith of others. Strong church leaders will use the wisdom presented in scripture, the fact that God can never lie and always keeps His promises, and use the examples of God’s giving grace to build their faith and to encourage the whole flock. Wise leaders place their whole life in the hand of God and humble themselves in the sight of the Lord (James 4:10). Then they can have the faith of the tax collector in Luke 18:10, who simply stated, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Yes, effective leaders will seek after wisdom (knowledge + experience properly applied). Therefore, “If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all, liberally” (James 1:5). For, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7) and the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).

Let us pray for and wisely seek proper, godly leadership, for the church won’t run itself.