The One Who Leads

Here’s 10 principles for Christian leadership from 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 for your encouragement.

1. Christian leaders see faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus as success.

“For you yourselves know brothers that our coming to you was not in vain. But thou we had already suffered and been shamefully treated in Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God” (v.1,2)

A common trap we can fall into in Christian leadership is to rate our success on numbers (how many people turn up) or emotions (how good you felt about it) or even on reputation (what people said about your leadership). This is a fatal mistake. Christian leadership is NOT a failure when we are faithful to the gospel of God. That is the way we are to rate success.

2. Christian leaders boldly proclaim the gospel despite opposition.

“We had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict” (v.2)

With Christian leadership comes opposition and conflict. A Christian leader will persevere in clearly proclaim Jesus from the Bible even though some will oppose it. People have opposed the message of Jesus from the beginning from inside and outside of the church. We should expect nothing less now.

3. Christian leaders don’t try to deceive people or distort the truth

“For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive” (v.3)

Another temptation in Christian leadership is to water down the message to make it more acceptable or maybe even add something to make it seem easier than it is. We might think to ourselves “Romans is really going on about sin for too long maybe I’ll skip to the good stuff” or “I won’t mention that Jesus says you have to give up your life for this”. Christian leaders will trust God and His message to do the work and therefore won’t distort the message or use tricks to get people to believe.

4. Christian leaders seek to please God and not people

“Just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak not to please man but to please God who tests our hearts” (v.4)

Pleasing people is when you’re seeking the approval of others for what what you do. This is a very easy trap to fall into in Christian leadership, especially when people tell you how good you are! However, Christian leadership “plays to the gallery of one”. That is, we seek to please God alone. One key way to address this is to pray regularly before you lead something, “Lord, please help me not to be doing this to please these people but rather to please you alone”. People pleasers desperately care what others think of them. God pleasers primarily care about serving God.

5. Christian leaders don’t try to get glory for themselves

“For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed – God is our witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ (v.5,6)

Closely related to seeking to please people is the trap of seeking glory for yourself. Good Christian leaders will be praised for their leadership. What you do next is the key. Do you give the glory to God or accept it for yourself. Again a key way of dealing with this trap is by praying before you lead something, “Lord please help me to give you glory and not seek praise and glory for myself”.

6. Christian leaders are gentle with people

“But we were gentle among you like a nursing mother taking care of her own children” (v. 7)

People are difficult. Christian leaders respond to people with the same grace God has shown them. That means we will be gentle with people. You can’t get more gentle than a new mum cuddling her little baby. That is how Christian leaders are to treat the people they lead.

7. Christian leaders share the gospel of God and their lives with others

“So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become so dear to us” (v.8)

Some Christian leaders are good at teaching and sharing the gospel with people. Others are good at hospitality and sharing their lives with people. Christian leadership is about being good at both.

8. Christian leaders work hard

“For you remember brothers, our labour and toil; we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God” (v.9)

Our culture is lazy and laid back. Our temptation is to bring that laziness into our leadership. But we have a gospel urgency, therefore we work hard to proclaim the gospel. Christian leaders work hard to see the message of Jesus go out into a lost world.

9. Christian leaders grow in living a godly life

“You are witnesses and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers” (v.10)

Christian leaders live a life of repentance. That is we continue each day to say “No” to sin and “yes” to righteousness as we cling to the cross of Jesus for forgiveness. It’s not about perfection but rather direction. Christian leaders will be growing in the grace of our Lord Jesus and therefore growing to be more like him. (ie less like their old selves and more like their new selves in Christ)

10. Christian leaders exhort and encourage those they lead

“For you know like a Father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory” (vv.11-12)

A father encourages and urges his children on in life. So too Christian leaders are to encourage, urge and strongly push the people they lead along the path of life. But this path is the way of Jesus Christ. That will mean speaking words of encouragement from the bible to the people we lead. Words of encouragement are good but gospel words of encouragement will result in people living life for God’s glory.