Every Christian, born of water and the Spirit, not only is she/he a servant of God but is also called to lead!
That’s kind of redundant, one would think. Isn’t it?
Of course, how can you be a servant of God without becoming a leader? And, how can you be born of water and the Spirit without choosing to serve God?
Well, you’ll be surprised that out of 100 baptized Christians, probably, less than 25 are actively involved in some form of ministry and serving Christ.
Take the example of your Church. You may have heard the Nominations/Leadership development (or recruiting) team complain that we only have the same people doing it all. Haven’t you?
But, that’s not what I want to discuss in the following lines. I would like us to look at John 15, but we will focus only on verses 16 and 17,
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.
The scripture above tells us of two major principles when it comes to Christian leadership, and that’s what we will reflect on for the rest of our reflection.
You Did Not Choose ME, but I Chose You
Jesus said to the disciples (John 15:16a), just as He is saying the same to us today, “you did not choose me, but I chose you.”
What that means is, ‘by faith in Christ, we have become friends of God through grace.’
In other words, we attribute nothing, about our salvation, to our merits, but God’s grace, including Christian leadership.
Also, we acknowledge that God is the source and the reason for our salvation. Even as we are the ones to choose to believe in Christ, still, our salvation does not come out of what we can do.
[bctt tweet=”Salvation comes from what God has done for us through Christ. And, nothing else. ” username=”emmanuelnaweji”]
Our salvation, by faith in Christ through God’s grace, is what sets us aside as followers of Christ as well as God’s witnesses.
Being Christian leaders means that we follow Christ and are God’s witnesses. That’s the first foundation for Christian leadership.
God’s amazing grace is available for all (prevenient grace). But, we have to embrace and receive it. That’s what John Wesley referred to as justifying grace. Through faith in Christ, as our personal Lord and Savior, we experience salvation.
Salvation isn’t just something we experience once. It’s a journey that leads us into eternal life. It helps us get a sense of direction and enables us to begin moving toward perfection. On this journey, God’s grace also helps us, and that’s sanctifying grace.
This journey of sanctification empowers us to serve and glorify our God. To glorify God starts with following God, as pointed above. Remember that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).
And, it’s when we follow Jesus that we bear fruit, and bearing fruit is the only way we can show the world that we are God’s witnesses.
Christian Leaders Bear Abiding Fruit that Pleases the Father
Jesus said these words based on John 15:7-8,
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
We do not bear fruit just for our sake or people. We do it because that’s the only we can give glory to God, our Father.
It’s also the only way we show ourselves to be followers and disciples of Jesus Christ.
Everyone bears fruit. But, the question is what kind?
The reason is that it is by our fruit, people will know if we truly believe in Jesus. Read what Matthew says,
Every good tree cannot bear bad fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. Matthew 7:15-20.
To bear good and much fruit, we have to abide in Christ, He in us (John 15:5).
We will also need to work for fruit that endures. To do so, we will stay connected to the vine (Jesus) since we are only the branches. And, we have to do it all the time.
Remember that what you do for this life ends with your physical death. But, what you do for eternal life remains even when you die.
In other words, staying connected to the vine (Jesus), as branches, allows us to bear fruit now and usher us into eternity with God, our Father.
Bringing it altogether
Christian leadership is the fruit of our relationship with Christ as the vine. As a result, we help others connect with God through Jesus Christ. We love one another and everyone else out of a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith (1 Timothy 1:5).
