Jesus’ Model of Spiritual Leadership

“If Christians around the world were to suddenly renounce their personal agendas, their life goals, and their aspirations and begin responding in radical obedience to everything God showed them, the world would be turned upside down. How do we know? Because that is what the first century Christians did, and the world is still talking about it.”

In Week One of our Christian Leadership class at the Fully Equipped Bible Institute, we closely examined Jesus’ model of leadership. Jesus led for three years, and the world was changed forever. He did not develop one-year, five-year, or ten-year plans. He did not cast His own vision. He sought His Father’s will, and His vision came from His Father’s plans. Jesus was the Father’s plan from the beginning. Galatians 4:4 tells us that “when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law.” John 3:16 reaffirms the plan, “For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son…”.

Satan tried to get Jesus to shortcut the suffering of the cross in exchange for the gift of dominion over the earth. Jesus knew that nothing but obedience to the Father’s plan would accomplish the Father’s eternal purposes.

A leader’s temptations usually involve an easier way with lower personal cost and immediate fulfillment of temporal desires. The temptation is to assume God’s plans can be fulfilled in an easier way.

According to Henry Blackaby, “If Christians around the world were to suddenly renounce their personal agendas, their life goals, and their aspirations and begin responding in radical obedience to everything God showed them, the world would be turned upside down. How do we know? Because that is what the first century Christians did, and the world is still talking about it.”

The students in this Christian leadership class dialogued together, and examined the Scriptures in John 5:19-20, Luke 6:12-13, John 17:6-7, Matthew 16:17, and Matthew 26:39 to identify specific components of Jesus’ leadership model, and were struck by the profound lessons found in these passages.

Find out more about this Christian leadership class and the Christian Leadership program.