Seems to be a bit of fire in people’s belly about spiritual leadership these days…some observations about biblical spiritual leadership:
Biblical spiritual leaders lead people to the cross. Not just a really cool song by Phillips, Craig and Dean. In every letter that Paul writes to the Church, he begins and continues to interweave the Gospel into his writings. It is not anecdotal, it is fundamental. It is not worthy of honorable mention, it is worthy of constant mention. Unless and until people live in the light and shadow of the cross of Jesus, not as an afterthought, but as the preeminent thought, they will not live and lead in the following points either.
Biblical spiritual leaders lead people in humility. Unbiblical spiritual leaders lead people in pride. It is great to celebrate what God is doing, but does it seem like your leader(s) only talk about what God is doing at your joint, like God's Kingdom is contained within the edge of your property (or even your group of churches, even)? If other churches successes are acknowledged, are they minimized? The cross keeps this sinfulness out of leadership and followship. If we are the best, doesn’t that just place us at the forefront of those who crucified Him? It was, after all, the “righteous” who gave him up. I could be nice and say “Be cautious.” if you are being led toward prideful sentiment, but I would lean toward screaming, “RUN!”. Prideful self-idolatry is the ever-present sin of man…it can be given no quarter, on any front, or the battle for living for Christ is lost. As Paul said in Galatians, if we live seeking the approval of man, we will not be the servant of Christ.
Biblical spiritual leaders lead people in repentance. A great example of the next two points is seen in Galatians and Acts. Paul publically rebukes Peter for something as seemingly insignificant as not eating with the saved Gentiles, and we also see a great meeting of the minds of church leaders to resolve it. Peter, publically exposed in sin, also publically repents in Acts 15 as he testifies to the truth that Gentiles can be saved without meeting legal requirements.
Biblical spiritual leaders lead people in submission to one another. See above. Submit ye, one to another, isn’t written to just the “lay people”…it is written to the Church, which consisted of the elders (plural) and the flock. Submitting to equals, within the church body, is biblically sound, especially for a lead pastor. Of course, if you only have one pastor that holds ultimate authority in the local church, then the idea of submitting dies on the vine. Maybe your pastor is solely accountable for the local church, and is accountable to God and the Holy Spirit for where he leads it…sounds good, but it just isn’t very biblical.
Conclusion: So you may have leadership, and it may be spiritual in the sense that it leads you in non-tangible things, but is it biblical leadership? Is it humble leadership? Does it lead to the cross, first, foremost and continually? The answer is, because we are human, of course, no. And that is why biblical spiritual leadership leads in repentance.
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